ng Yuhuai raced to the Escort Agency and jumped off his horse at the entrance, throwing the reins to Han Hu as he strode in. A quick glance around, and he imdiately saw a person laid out by the wall, covered head to toe in white cloth.
A fierce pounding seized his chest. He stared for only a mont before subconsciously shifting his gaze away, exhaling a heavy breath of murky air.
Hearing the commotion, everyone in the courtyard turned to see him rushing in and quickly crowded around: "Yuhuai bro..."
ng Yuhuai forcefully suppressed the sour ache in his heart, slowly swept his gaze over everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Has his family been inford? And what about Uncle Ke, has he received the ssage?"
"Soone has already gone to his ho. By this ti, his family must be aware. As for Uncle Ke..." A man stepped forward, his voice quivering slightly, "Yuhuai bro, as you know, he’s been ill with frequent relapses, the doctor said he must avoid any upset. We didn’t dare go and tell him. That... if you think it necessary, I can go right now..."
"Enough, it’s late today, and bothering him won’t do any good. It can wait until tomorrow." ng Yuhuai shook his head, then turned to the others, "I hurried back and Han Hu didn’t go into much detail. Who went with you today, co out and tell exactly what happened."
A young man nad Li Yingchun, around eighteen or nineteen, approached with tears in his eyes: "It was that Warehouse Guard... after we escorted him out of the Money Vault in the evening and safely sent him ho, we emphatically instructed him to stay at ho if there was nothing important, and not to wander about. But he didn’t take our words seriously... Not long after we returned to the Escort Agency, his wife ca looking for us, saying that he left ho right after we did, claiming he was just going for a stroll, but he never ca back. We questioned that woman for a long ti to learn that the Warehouse Guard loved to gamble with others in his free ti, and most likely had run off to one of his cronies’ to play cards. We had no choice but to go out and search from house to house. When we reached a friend’s near the Yao Family Alley, just as we were about to knock, we saw..."
He choked up and turned his back, sobbing twice before ng Yuhuai barked, "Speak!"
Startled, Li Yingchun jumped, his shoulders shivering as he hurriedly continued, "Just as we were about to knock, we saw several figures dart into the alley. It was a dead end; once in, there’s no way out. We rushed after them, only to reach the middle and see soone draw a knife... It was dark, we could hardly make out the faces, but we had the sense that there were about six or seven of them, and it’s likely the Warehouse Guard was in their hands."
The rest needn’t be said, one only had to look at the person lying beneath the wall to know clearly, ng Yuhuai clenched his teeth: "Ruffians aren’t capable of such life-threatening acts, and they should know that people from the Escort Agency aren’t to be ddled with. Those n are certainly out of the ordinary."
There was a pause before he continued, his voice rising a notch, "We can’t delay this matter; the faster it’s made clear, the better. We’re a total of fifteen n here, let’s split into two groups. Tonight, I’ll lead four n to patrol near Yao Family Alley. If we find nothing, first thing in the morning, Han Hu, you bring the other six to relieve us. The remaining three will need to go protect the other Warehouse Guards tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, he turned to leave imdiately, but the others hesitated, looking at each other without moving. Han Hu, a bit uncertain himself, summoned his courage, approached, and stood behind him, saying, "Yuhuai bro, with this matter, wouldn’t it be better to turn it over to the County Governnt?"
"Better?" ng Yuhuai spun around suddenly, his eyes flashing with an intimidating glare, "First, our own brother is gone; with such a matter, what face do we have to rely on others? Second, you all know the rules of this profession without saying—they’re clear in your hearts. To seek help from the Governnt when trouble arises ans we can no longer stay in this line of work! Third, with a Warehouse Guard missing, we must give an explanation to Magistrate Tao; how can we expect him to intervene and help? We’re all our own people, no need for secrets, if any of you wish not to go, just step forward, I won’t make it hard for you!"
Usually a very mild person, his sudden fury was a bit frightening, and with his taller stature, he cast a larger shadow in the courtyard. Clutching tightly his fists, his eyes nearly spitting fire, the crowd couldn’t help but feel a start in their hearts.
Li Yingchun wiped his face and approached him, his voice cracking, "Yuhuai bro, I’ve just been there once and have so understanding of the place. I’ll go with you."
Seeing him take the lead, the rest also agreed, and soon they split into two groups, with four n following ng Yuhuai as they quickly left.
...
Hua Xiaomai stayed at ho, feeling restless. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep well all night, eventually dozing off as dawn approached, only to wake up again soon after, peering out the window from ti to ti.
The sound of ng’s mother’s voice finally ca from the courtyard, mid-hour.
"Coming back at this hour, haven’t you slept all night?"
Hua Xiaomai flipped out of bed, shoveled on her shoes, and opened the door, only to see ng Yuhuai standing at the entrance looking very weary.
Seeing her co out, ng Yuhuai glanced at her face and imdiately frowned, "You didn’t sleep either?"
"How could I not? I just woke up," Hua Xiaomai hurriedly smiled back at him.
ng Yuhuai, apparently in no mood to inquire further, nodded slightly, pulled her into the house, and closed the door. He sat down at the table and said, "I ca back to check on you and let you know that I might be extrely busy these next few days, so I’ll be temporarily staying at the Escort Agency."
"Oh," Hua Xiaomai replied nervously, "then you..."
Before she could finish asking, she was suddenly pulled into his embrace.
The material of sumr clothing was thin, and it didn’t take long for her to feel a slight damp heat on her shoulder. She grew even more flustered but didn’t dare to ask, simply patting his back gently, as a sort of comfort.
They remained in this position for a long while, until ng Yuhuai finally lifted his head, his eyes red.
"Xiaomai, Da Zhong is dead..." (To be continued. If you like this work, we welco you to co to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian to read.)
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