Under the guidance of watchtowers, Zhang Xiaojing knew every detail of the layout of blockades in Pingkang Fang. He successfully got through three blockade line and was very close to the entrance. But Fang guards at the gateway had received the order to put up thorn fences performing security check on pedestrians and vehicles.

Zhang Xiaojing’s only eye swept around and he saw that a patrol soldier left the gateway and came to the corner to pee. He sneaked up on the man and abruptly put his arm around the man’s neck from behind.

The man grunted, unable to yell. Zhang Xiaojing slightly loosened his arm and said in a deep voice, “Old Zhao, it’s me.”

“Chie–Chief Zhang? It’s really you!” Taken aback, the old patrol soldier even gave up resisting. “I heard about the arrest warrant and I thought it was somebody else bearing the same name.”

“I need to borrow you to get out of Pingkang Fang,” said Zhang Xiaojing. The old patrol soldier briefly hesitated and then raised his head, saying, “Back then when we were hunting Swallow Li, if it weren’t for that Chief Zhang stepped forward, I would have died long ago. It behooves me to return the favor on this occasion.”

“You won’t have to sacrifice your life. I just need you to cooperate with me.”

He bade the old patrol soldier to bring him a suit of patrol soldier’s numbered uniform and for him to change into. Old Zhao left and then returned without alarming anybody, as expected. The two of them finished disguising themselves and then headed for the gateway, on in the front and the other in the rear. At the gateway, some of Old Zhao’s colleagues were busy checking carts and carriages on the street when they saw the unfamiliar face and asked what was going on. Old Zhao told them that this person was a new recruit who had just seen the wanted man, engaged him and was just about to leave the Fang to report.

One of his colleagues was stunned. “You saw his face? He was that Yama Zhang?”

With his head down, Zhang Xiaojing briefly nodded. His left eye was covered by a strip of white cloth, as if he had been seriously injured. That colleague sympathetically clicked his tongue and said, “Yama Zhang’s reputation is well-earned. He’s so ruthless… Alas, Old Zhao, I remember you used to work with him, right?”

“Bah, that was years ago.” Old Zhao hurriedly let out a few coughs to disguise his nervousness and pushed Zhang Xiaojing forward. “Go. Come back immediately after you finish the report.”

“Wait.” The colleague suddenly stopped Zhang Xiaojing.

Both Old Zhao and Zhang Xiaojing’s hearts lurched. The colleague sized him up and suddenly smiled, “You’re a new recruit indeed. You’ve got your clothes on backwards.”

Numbered uniforms of patrol soldiers were sleeveless grayish brown and fastened at the front. Zhang Xiaojing was seriously injured, and Old Zhao was too nervous, which was why neither of them spotted this flaw.

A ferocious look flashed across Zhang Xiaojing’s only eye and he clenched his fists, ready to make his move at any moment. Old Zhao hastily tried to ease the situation, saying, “Our numbered uniforms are just like women – new recruits cannot distinguish the front from the rear when using them.” On hearing this spicy joke, all people burst into laugh. That colleague of his raised his hand and let them through without going into this matter seriously.

Old Zhao walked Zhang Xiaojing past the thorn fences. On the sight of the huge crowds of people on the main street, Old Zhao was relieved. He softly cupped his hands before his chest and said, “I’m afraid this is where we have to say goodbye to each other. Please take care.” After thinking for a while, he fished out a string of 500 cash and handed it to him.

Zhang Xiaojing didn’t take the money. In a bland voice, he said, “Just go back. The next time you see me, arrest me regardless. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.” Old Zhao scratched his head and said, “No, no, I won’t do that. Even if you had only been my chief for one single day, I’ll still regard you as my chief for the rest of my life.”

Zhang Xiaojing said no more. He turned around and left the Fang.

According to the latest report from a watchtower, this was the last blockade line. Areas beyond it were mostly safe. He was just about to walk forward when suddenly he saw a person ahead who was fixedly staring at him. Zhang Xiaojing didn’t know this person, but his clothes and the pitchfork in his hand made his identity very clear.

A Shouzhuo mercenary?

People on watchtowers were able to put Security Stations under surveillance, but couldn’t see Shouzhuo mercenaries who acted single-handed. It turned out that they had been hiding near the gateway all along, waiting for Zhang Xiaojing to show up.

“You’re Zhang Xiaojing!” that Shouzhuo mercenary took a step forward and yelled.

His voice was very loud. It was so loud that all Fang soldiers and patrol soldiers guarding the gate heard him. On hearing this name, all of them turned their heads back. Almost in the twinkling of an eye, Zhang Xiaojing grabbed Old Zhao and started drawing back towards the Fang rapidly.

Well aware that Chief Zhang was doing this to spare him from suspicions, Old Zhao cooperatively yelled ‘Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!’. Zhang Xiaojing retreated past the gate, abruptly pushed Old Zhao towards the crowd of Fang soldiers, turned around and fled. There happened to be a thorn fence right in front of him, but he didn’t even have enough time to detour around it and just directly rushed through it. With a tearing sound, a blood-soaked strip of his clothes was torn off by the thorn fence.

At this moment, all patrol soldiers were alarmed and started pursuing him hotly. That Shouzhuo mercenary also whistled to his companions nearby to gather.

Instantly, an invisible net preventing all escape was formed. On the streets were crowds of patrol soldiers, and in small alleys were groups of Shouzhuo mercenaries. Scarcely having any places to flee to, Zhang Xiaojing had no choice but to keep rushing forward with gritted teeth.

For several times, with his familiarity with the terrain and his fighting experience, he managed to cheat death narrowly escaping from the hunt, but Pingkang Fang had a limited area, so enemies were getting closer and closer, who were sometimes patrol soldiers and sometimes Shouzhuo mercenaries, every encounter more dangerous than the last.

Zhang Xiaojing gritted his teeth, panting for breath, painful wounds all over him, horrifying blood-red strips appearing on his torn clothes. He didn’t know how much longer he could hang on in there.

But he couldn’t stop, because pursuers’ footsteps from behind never did. He had to keep running sparing no strength. After running for an unknown length of time, Zhang Xiaojing felt that his vision was blurring and blackening. It was not the kind of black of the night sky but the kind of black of a deep well. He couldn’t even see the only star of hope on the distant watchtower any longer.

He had no idea whether it was because of the poor street lighting or because his body was being pushed to its limit. Zhang Xiaojing dashed a dozen steps forward and with that a wave of feebleness swept over him.

No, it was more like despair than feebleness – the kind of despair people felt when they failed to see a faint glimmer of hope no matter how hard they had tried.

This sense of despair instantly gave him a stagger and he fell forward.

Right at this moment, a pitch-black hand stretched out of the pitch-black night and supported the crook of Zhang Xiaojing’s elbow.

Wang Yunxiu was both terrified and angry.

She was terrified because a couple of ferocious hooligans suddenly came into the woodshed. She recognized all of them. They were the ones who had covered her head with a cloth bag and abducted her to this place. The bag had once been used to contain rice stocked for many years and the strong smell of mold almost made her faint. These people dragged her onto a mule-drawn carriage and she didn’t know where they were taking her.

She was angry because that man named Yuan Zai went back on his word. He had repeatedly promised that he would rescue her, but he hadn’t done anything so far. Now she was dragged into a carriage and probably would be killed, but he still didn’t show up. Though she and this person had never met before, for a man of honor, a promise was weightier than a thousand bars of gold. Wasn’t he supposed to suit his action to his word? Heroes in all dramas did so.

The more Wang Yunxiu thought about it, the angrier she went, but soon her anger was replaced by despair. ‘If Yuan Zai doesn’t show up, wouldn’t I lose the last glimmer of hope?’

She leaned against the wall of the carriage, her sight totally dark. The mule-drawn carriage wasn’t going very steady, which repeatedly caused her back to hit the wall. The small amount of strength that Wang Yunxiu had accumulated after quite a long time was gradually lost, her spirits extremely low. As the sounds of songs and cheers came from outside, she thought about the grievances she had been through, two lines of tears slowly flowing down her cheeks.

‘Today is the Lantern Festival. I’m supposed to be in the limelight, enjoying the lantern show on a Hu-styled carriage, instead of curling up in a shabby carriage like livestock being sent to a slaughterhouse. Dad, help me. Help me… ‘

Wang Yunxiu was drifting into sleep when the mule-drawn carriage abruptly braked to a halt. Wang Yunxiu’s upper body uncontrollably leaned forward and she nearly fell to the floor. Unable to see anything, she could only hear people’s reproach and the sound of fighting.

Before long, the fight ended and then there was a shake of the carriage, as if someone stepped onto it. With that the cloth bag was removed from Wang Yunxiu’s head and her face was greeted with warm sunlight. She opened her eyes in perplexity and saw that a man holding a festive lantern beside her ear was gazing at her. In the candlelight, she felt that strange face with a broad brow seemed exceptionally amiable.

“Lady Wang, please pardon me for being late,” Yuan Zai said mildly and stretched out his hand to her.

Wang Yunxiu burst into loud sobbing and started kicking and hitting Yuan Zai, complaining that why he hadn’t come earlier. Yuan Zai said nothing, held her arm tight and guided her off the mule-drawn carriage. Having been tied up for too long, she lost her footing as she landed on the ground. Yuan Zai flung out his arm around her waist to stop her from falling.

Wang Yunxiu’s face blushed scarlet. ‘Doesn’t he think this is too presumptuous?’ But her body was so limp that she was powerless to struggle. Fortunately, Yuan Zai immediately loosened his arm, turned around to pick up a coat made of brocade and fur and put it on her. “It’s cold at night. Put this on.” Wang Yunxiu noticed that there was a slit in Yuan Zai’s chest, which seemed to be caused by a saber.

As if having observed Wang Yunxiu’s gaze, Yuan Zai smiled, “I told you so. Since you’ve met me, Yuan Zai, no harm will come to you again.” She looked around and saw that there were indeed a couple of bodies on the ground, all of whom were those who had abducted her previously, and there were also a dozen soldiers in armor patrolling around.

Wang Yunxiu asked him what all this was about exactly. Yuan Zai said, “It’s a long story. To put it in a nutshell, a thug named Zhang Xiaojing abducted you in the name of a Commandant of Jing’an Department, which I discovered by accident. I dispatched a batch of men to investigate all around and finally found you.”

Wang Yunxiu didn’t know whether it was her illusion or not, but she felt that the words “finally found you” that Yuan Zai had just said were full of passion and thinly disguised concern for her. She hurriedly lowered her head for fear that he might see her expression.

Yuan Zai stretched out his hand and with that a Hu-styled carriage came over from the distance – it was not Wang Yunxiu’s but of the same model, only that the decoration was faintly different. She was very surprised that his investigation had been so intensive. Yuan Zai explained, “I went to the scene of the abduction once, so I figured this kind of carriage might take your fancy.”

Wang Yunxiu’s eyes lit up but she didn’t know what to say. After the Hu-styled carriage halted, Yuan Zai crooked his arm. She obediently stretched out her hand, held on to the crook of his elbow and got into the carriage. Then Yuan Zai also jumped in and bade the driver to depart.

The Hu-styled carriage started progressing, escorted by armored soldiers in ranks trotting in step with awe-inspiring clangor on the two sides, but it was not in the direction of Anren Fang that they were heading. Watching Wang Yunxiu’s puzzled face, Yuan Zai cupped his hands before his chest and said, “My apologies, Lady Wang. You can’t go back home right away. You’ll have to go somewhere with me first.”

“I’ve suffered so much already. My mother must be very concerned,” Wang Yunxiu complained in discontent.

“Lady Wang, the abduction of you is a very serious case which must be handled with great caution. Do you understand?” There was a note of indisputability in Yuan Zai’s voice.

This time Wang Yunxiu didn’t lose her temper. In a muted voice, she asked him where they were going. Yuan Zai smiled, “Rest assured. It’s the safest place in the whole capital city apart from the palace city – Jing’an Department… Oh, precisely speaking, it’s the new Jing’an Department.”