Chapter 25: Wei Chu (13:00-14:59) Part 4
Translator: DragonRider
Jing’an Department had a structured warning system. When the Nine Blockade Drum (九关鼓, a special way of beating the drum to issue certain order) on the watchtower rang, the fang where the watchtower stood should close its doors, so should the surrounding eight fangs. Meanwhile, the sixteen streets among the nine fangs should set barriers like chevaux-de-frise and cross-bar.

It was only about half an hour from the moment Fires Gang broke into the house to Lubi Army arrived. Wolf Guards wouldn’t be too fast in retreat with Wen Ran. From the moment Nine Blockade Drum rang, a huge net would lock the nine fangs, leaving no chance for them to escape. If necessary, other fangs would also beat the drum and spread the blockade.

Cui Qi was experienced in this. He ordered Xiuzheng Fang to start the drum, and dispatched four groups of cavalrymen to start the search in four directions. After that, Cui Qi squatted down as he ordered his subordinates to fetch some vulnerary and cloth to bind up Zhang Xiaojing’s wound.

“Why are you here?” asked Zhang Xiaojing.

Yao Ru’neng popped out from behind Cui Qi, vulnerary in hands and guilt on face, “You were in the mansion for too long. So I hurried to the Watchtower to ask for General Cui’s help. I’m sorry that I didn’t dare to rescue you on my own…”

His guilt was heartfelt. Not long ago, he had questioned Zhang Xiaojing’s true intention and nearly wanted to kill him. However, Zhang Xiaojing faced the danger alone and nearly died for the mission while he himself was hesitant and just stood by. Now he took himself as a true coward.

“You wouldn’t be of any help if you rushed in alone. Asking for help was the right thing to do. You made a wise decision. No need to underestimate yourself for that,” said Zhang Xiaojing in a casual tone as he lifted his wrist for wound dressing.

Cui Qi asked with a frown, “Mr. Zhang, what happened?” He had so many questions to ask. The mansion was supposed to be the place where wolf guards hid. Why would a bunch of hooligans pop out? More confusingly, why the two parties would engage in fight? How come the Mind Training Pavilion was on fire?

Zhang Xiaojing told them in brief what he had been through: First sneaking into the pavilion, then being threatened by Turks who took Wang Zhongsi’s daughter as hostage, then the most baffling part came when members of Fires Gang rushed in…Cui Qi cut in, his face livid and his voice quivering, “Did you say that Turks got Jiedu Wang’s daughter?”

Zhang Xiaojing was about to answer when suddenly something came into his mind. In fact, the girl Turks took was Wen Ran. However, if he told Cui the truth, what would happen? Jing’an Department wouldn’t care a bit about the safety of Wen Ran when trying to chase down Turks.

But Wen Ran mattered a lot to him.

If he could only save one single person in Chang’an, it would no doubt be Wen Ran.

So he made his decision in a second.

Zhang Xiaojing lifted his hand, his voice calm and steady without slightest wave, “Yes, Wolf Gurads took her right in front of me.”

Cui Qi was overwhelmed with desperation, his head spinning.

He had been an ordinary solider in Longshan who finally was granted to enter Chang’an based on his military achievements and his brother’s efforts. Before he could earn himself any power or prosperity, he took one heavy blow after another. First his brother was killed, then he let an important figure of Turks slip off his hands, now the worst ever, he was dragged into this kidnapping of a vital official’s daughter.

Cui Qi knew too well about how the imperial court would deal with things. They would always find a scapegoat for grave matters like this. And among all those involved in this mission, Li Bi had someone powerful behind his back, Zhang Xiaojing was already a condemned prisoner, then only he himself who was in charge of the mission, was the best candidate for this scapegoat.

Now what mattered to him was not how to gain achievements, nor to revenge for his brother, but to save his own life.

Zhang Xiaojing nudged Cui, “Brigadier Cui, they’re waiting for your orders.” Cui Qi immediately came back to himself and fulminated, “What are you guys doing? Leave the fire alone. Now go save the girl!”

Zhang Xiaojing added, “Notify the watchtower to deliver message to Jing’an Department. Let them send someone to Jiedu Wang’s home to check if the girl is indeed missing.”

“Right! Now, confirm the situation with Jiedu Wang’s family first!” Cui Qi, in panic, acted upon whatever Zhang Xiaojing said.

“And don’t forget to question their origin,” said Zhang Xiaojing as he lifted his gaze to those hooligans. He had already figured out who they were as there were only numbered gangs in Wannian County. However, there were times when it’d be better to leave it to others to figure it out.

Harboring bursting wrath with no where else to vent, Cui Qi, with overwhelming fierceness, walked to the few young hooligans, and slapped toward their heads with his sword, which brought a young man down to the ground with hands over his heads. Cui Qi didn’t stop until the young man was bleeding heavily. The rest of the hooligans, wetting their pants in fright, all confessed without even being interrogated.

It turned out they were not even formal members of Fires Gang, but only peripheral members taking orders from an insignificant leader who, after learning that the woman their boss wanted had escaped to this desolate mansion, led them here to take the woman back.

When asked who the woman was, a young man answered that it was a woman surnamed Wen, daughter of the owner of Wen’s Incense in Dunyi Fang.

Cui Qi was infuriated by the answer, fuming, “I didn’t want that. I was asking the other girl. Is she the daughter of Jiedu Wang?” The question rendered these young men in bewilderment who stammered, not able to give any positive answer. Cui Qi, out of fury, whipped them hard but still failed to get anything valuable.

Not until a soldier rushed over in hurry to report the matter about road blockage did Cui Qi leave these young hooligans alone, leaving in hurry to arrange it.

Zhang Xiaojing leaned against the rail in the corridor and let Yao Runeng dress his wound. He suffered a severe injury as wolf guard had torn off a mass of flesh from his armpit and on his wrist and back were grave burns. Yao Runeng, with great caution, rinsed his wound with fresh water from the well, applied some vulnerary powder to stop the bleeding then took out some cloth to bandage the wound. Yao had slender fingers that demonstrated such adept skill in wound dressing that was not a bit inferior to girl’s skill in needlework.

“He suffered such a heavy injury, yet he still managed to hold on till the help arrived. Indeed a tough guy!” thought Yao Runeng as he bandaged the wound for Zhang Xiaojing. “Put in his shoes, I doubt if I can survive the torture.”

Zhang Xiaojing kept mute as Yao Runeng took care of his wound, yet his only eye was fixed on the outside of the mansion, in which worries were hidden deep.

“This iron hearted man should worry about others? Weird enough!” Yao Runeng thought to himself. Then he noticed that one finger on Zhang Xiaojing’s left hand was missing, wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth. Yao was utterly shocked, “Did Wolf Guard do this? No! Before that.” Yao Runeng tried hard to recall and was sure that Zhang Xiaojing’s finger was still intact before he was knocked out.

In other words, his finger was lost when Zhang killed the undercover.

Yao Runeng’s anger flared up again at the thought that Zhang had betrayed the undercover. He thought maliciously, “Was this finger cut by Ge Lao?”

“It’s a mark,” said Zhang Xiaojing all of a sudden, his voice hoarse.

“What?”

Zhang Xiaojing, his one eye still fixed on the outside, was more like explaining to the dead than to Yao Runeng, “Little B is the last undercover I developed during my tenure in Wannian County. He is from humble family, but extremely clever and tactful. I could still remember that he was given a sum of money the day before he took his position. His aging mother hid the money so that he could not squander it, saying that he could save it for a wife. But Little B risked being beaten by his mother, secretly took out half of the money, and bought me a good fire flint. He told me that Head Zhang’s flint was too old to be ignited, and it was time to change it. He also said that as long as Head Zhang can still lighten the fire, he would not get lost.”

“But you killed him today,” Yao Runeng retorted coldly.

“Here is the question: Imagine you and other travelers on a wooden boat. In the time of billowy waves, only by sacrificing an innocent to the River God could the rest survive, or the boat will sink. Will you kill this innocent?” Zhang Xiaojing asked abruptly.

Yao Runeng was dazed and caught in a dilemma, his brows knitted. A tricky question indeed. Killing an innocent was against morality. Yet he couldn’t bear to stand by and watch all others die. His head ached for trying to figure out another option as he remained silent.

“To kill one to save a hundred, will you do it?” Zhang Xiaojing asked again.

“What will you do?” retorted Yao Runeng in a discomfited manner. The question itself was tricky enough.

“Kill the innocent.” Zhang Xiaojing gave his answer without hesitation but then he took a completely different tone, “It is what should be done for the greater good. But it is wrong. I did what should be done. And I would do it again if put in the same situation. But it is still wrong.” With that, he lifted his hand to show his missing finger, “So I cut one of my fingers as a mark of my debt to Little B. When my mission is completed, I’ll take the responsibility to repay the debt.”

As those words were spoken, Zhang Xiaojing closed his only eye as if lamenting. The newly added wrinkles on his face added more bitterness and heaviness to him.

Yao Runeng remained mute. He just realized that he could never see through this unrestrained man, who posed himself a ruthless killer this moment, while the next second he behaved like a benevolent man of valor, and there were also times when he was a ranger who would suite his action to words. He was complicated, with multiple contradictory characters mixed all together. It suddenly dawned on Yao Runeng that he had never tried to figure out why Zhang Xiaojing was put in jail.

Zhang Xiaojing slowly opened his only eye, “If my memory serves me right, you’ve been in Chang’an for three months?”

Though confused why Zhang would shift the topic of their conversation, Yao still nodded.

Zhang, wearing a dry smile, continued, “You’ll learn how to make the choice when you stay longer. As a criminal cather in Chang’an, you’ll have to make such choices every day. Choices like what should be done, and what shouldn’t. And you’d better make up your mind quick as to if you should adhere to the way of an honored man. Or…”

“Or what?”

“In Chang’an, if you don’t toughen yourself as a monster like it, you’ll be swallowed by it.”

The vulnerary in Yao Runeng’s hands fell to the ground in a crash, and the dark brown liquid from it stained the white cloth in seconds.