HUS Chapter 81: A Visitor in the Night
HUS Chapter 81: A Visitor in the Night
January 14
Inside, Dugu Jingyao's heart had long been stirred into stormy waves, countless cries crashing within her chest, yet ultimately none managed to break through her lips.
Her face still maintained that sacred and flawless appearance, as if even her expression had frozen into an inviolable statue.
Just then, the door suddenly sounded with two "knock knock" taps, and both Yang Can and Dugu Jingyao froze in unison.
This late at night, someone was coming?
Yang Can was secretly surprised, but Dugu Jingyao felt as if she'd been granted a great reprieve, this was practically divine intervention!
"Who is it?"
Yang Can called out while taking the opportunity to release the hand he'd been holding.
Tsk, her little hand was so soft and smooth, quite comfortable to hold. However, even if no one had come, he would have found an excuse to let her go.
This was a little spy, teasing her a bit was one thing, but he couldn't actually take her down.
Conquering someone through intimacy wasn't a hundred percent reliable method anyway. What if she stabbed him while he was asleep?
"Master, there's a distinguished guest who wishes to see you."
From the voice, it was obviously Wangcai. That blind fool had chosen quite the timing today.
"Who wants to see me?"
"Lord Tufa."
When Dugu Jingyao heard it wasn't Yu Rui, her heart immediately relaxed.
She quickly curtsied to Yang Can, "Estate Head, this humble nun takes her leave."
Dugu Jingyao hurried away, not even caring about her immortal maiden demeanor anymore.
"Very well, Little Master, go rest. But you must remember, I will not let you go."
Dugu Jingyao's small hand, which had just reached the screen door, trembled slightly, and she turned her head to glare at him.
Yang Can's gaze appeared infinitely tender, "Jingyao, you are mine. From the moment I saw you, you were already mine!"
Dugu Jingyao's heart panicked a bit. Her fingers fumbled three times before finally opening the screen door.
In the corridor, Tufa Sunxie was standing beside Wangcai.
Suddenly the door opened, and the fairy-like young woman he'd seen during the day appeared in the doorway. Sunxie immediately understood.
I knew it, such a graceful woman, how could she possibly be a mere maid?
So she was Estate Head Yang's woman.
He wondered what such a celestial maiden would be like in earthly pleasures?
The fleeting thought passed and was immediately suppressed.
Right now, with a blade at his throat, how could he have time to think about women?
"So Lord Tufa has come. Please, do come in."
Yang Can appeared at the doorway and invited Tufa Sunxie inside.
Wangcai brewed them a pot of tea and quietly withdrew.
Yang Can said, "Lord Tufa coming so late, is there something you need?"
Tufa Sunxie's eyes fixed steadily on Yang Can, while Yang Can calmly returned his gaze, not the least bit timid.
After a long while, Tufa Sunxie slowly asked, "Estate Head Yang, Sunxie asks you very seriously, is that shipment of mine truly not in your hands?"
Yang Can's expression suddenly darkened, "If Lord Tufa came to discuss this matter, then you may leave."
Tufa Sunxie said in a heavy voice, "Is it truly not in Estate Head Yang's possession? As long as you say so, I will believe you! Please, Estate Head, give me a clear answer!"
Yang Can was visibly displeased, "Of course it's not in my hands! However, that shipment of yours, what exactly was it? Don't tell me it was just ordinary goods. If it were ordinary goods and someone really robbed it, you'd just accept the loss! The cost of recovering it would be even greater. Why would you go to such lengths?"
Tufa Sunxie smiled bitterly. Since you won't admit it, why ask me what I lost?
He thought for a moment, then raised three fingers to the sky and solemnly swore an oath.
"I, Tufa Sunxie, swear to the great Tengri! If that shipment is in Estate Head Yang's hands, I'm willing to exchange everything I have for it. After the matter is settled, I will never pursue it. If I violate this oath, may I be struck by heavenly thunder and die without a burial place."
Yang Can said with a bitter smile, "Lord Tufa, even if you swore a hundred oaths, it would be useless. I led people in pursuit only because some of our estate's people died at the hands of those mountain smugglers. I went to seek justice. Who knew that as soon as I entered Canglang Gorge, I'd see the Bali tribe fighting fiercely with them. Under those circumstances, what could I do? Both sides thought I was reinforcements for the other. I could only flee quickly."
Yang Can said with a pained expression, "Lord Tufa, you know I've only just become Estate Head of Feng'an. Do you know how badly this has damaged my prestige? I'm a retainer of the Yu family. If I really had taken some important goods, naturally I would have submitted them to the Clan Head. But have you heard anything about me submitting anything to the Clan Head?"
Tufa Sunxie stood dazed for a long moment, then couldn't help but let out a long sigh and dejectedly lowered his oath-taking fingers.
The most troublesome aspect of this matter was that he, the victim, was like a corrupt official who'd been robbed and couldn't dare make it public.
Even Yu Xiaobao, who wanted to befriend him, would turn against him if he learned that his lost goods were actually a shipment of armor but Tufa Sunxie also had no way to just accept this loss.
Even if the goods couldn't be recovered, he still had to know where they went.
Otherwise, he'd have no way to answer to his elder brother.
As long as the goods had a destination, his elder brother's fury would have a direction to vent.
From this perspective, he could only insist it was Bali Mo. That was the best outcome.
Did he not know that Bali Mo had the least suspicion, or perhaps no suspicion at all?
Of course he knew. He was even clearer about it than Bali Mo himself but what could he do?
If he went back and said the goods were lost and he didn't even know how they were lost, his elder brother's answer would surely be a blade to his head.
What if he said the goods were seized by the Yu family? Wasn't it perfectly justified for the Yu family to crack down on smuggling in their territory?
Even if this grudge had to be avenged, the Yu family's power was only stronger than the Tufa tribe's, not weaker.
Moreover, the Tufa tribe had wolves circling on all sides. It was impossible to commit everything to a war with the Yu family.
In that case, no matter how angry his elder brother was, at most he could only charge through Canglang Gorge and slaughter Feng'an Estate but then how could the Yu family let it rest?
In the end, they'd probably still use his head to settle the dispute.
So he had to find a just-right target for his elder brother to vent on.
Tonight he came to find Yang Can actually holding less than ten percent hope, hoping that Yang Can really had taken his goods and would be willing to exchange them.
As long as Yang Can agreed, he was truly willing to give everything he personally owned in exchange.
As one of the Tufa tribe's leaders, he possessed herds of cattle and sheep counted in units of "valleys" and "plains."
He also owned a thousand tent households and over three hundred slaves. He was willing to offer all those slaves in exchange.
What a pity...
His hope was shattered.
Could this matter truly have nothing to do with Yang Can?
Yang Can was merely a retainer of the Yu family. Armor really didn't have much use for him. Could he possibly raise an army in rebellion?
Or perhaps "Mountain Lord" didn't want to trade at all? Did Mountain Lord use this method to sabotage the transaction?
As soon as this thought arose in his mind, Tufa Sunxie suppressed it.
Offending them would mean cutting off an important route for mountain smuggling. That would be an even greater loss for Mountain Lord.
Moreover, the goods hadn't yet been delivered to their hands, so Mountain Lord couldn't have swallowed their payment.
It seemed only one path remained.
Tufa Sunxie gritted his teeth and said in a heavy voice, "At that time, those who appeared in Canglang Gorge, besides your Feng'an Estate, were only the Bali tribe."
He slowly raised his eyes and stared hard at Yang Can, "I believe Estate Head Yang. Therefore, I will continue to watch Bali Mo. If I confirm this matter was done by the Bali tribe..."
"Rest assured, I, Yang Can, will absolutely not get involved in your grudges!"
Yang Can straightened his chest and answered extremely readily, "However, you two are both my guests! If I learn that you've had a conflict here at my place, what do you say I should do as the host, intervene or not?"
A cold, mocking smile appeared on Tufa Sunxie's face, "Estate Head can rest assured. Sunxie will not put you in a difficult position."
Yang Can said cheerfully, "That's good then. Oh, by the way, Lord Tufa, you enjoy doing business very much? Yang here is planning to do some small business. In the future, I'll have to ask Lord Tufa to look after me."
"Very well. If I have cattle, sheep, hides, or fur to sell or want to buy something, I'll certainly patronize Estate Head Yang."
Tufa Sunxie drained his tea in one gulp, then stood up, "Pardon the disturbance. Farewell."
Tufa Sunxie hurried back to his lodging and immediately summoned a trusted guard.
"First thing tomorrow morning, you leave. Ride at full speed back to the tribe."
Tufa Sunxie's face was iron-blue as he said in a heavy voice, "Tell the chieftain that Mountain Lord's shipment was swallowed by people from the Bali tribe. The Bali tribe also wanted to frame others and confuse us. I played along and have already used investigating the mountain goods' whereabouts as a pretext to lure Bali Mo away. Please have the chieftain swiftly dispatch troops. While Bali Mo is absent, swallow his tribe and reclaim our goods."
"Understood!" The trusted guard also knew this was a matter of great importance, and his expression immediately turned stern.
...
Dugu Jingyao returned to her quarters and pulled the quilt over herself.
No, to be precise, she pulled it up to just below her nose, exposing only a pair of eyes.
In the moonlight, those eyes were rounder than the moon and brighter than the stars.
That fellow surnamed Yang likes me?
Well... this young lady is so outstanding, naturally everyone loves me but what status do you have to like me?
Can you even afford to like me? My father will beat you to death if he finds out!
Just escaped the tiger's den and now targeted by a wolf. This was truly somewhat vexing.
The young girl sighed repeatedly, troubled to the point she couldn't quite fall asleep.
...
Zhang Yunyi naturally didn't need to spend the night at Feng'an Fortress.
After the evening banquet, he returned to his residence.
At the fourth quarter of the hour, tranquil moonlight filtered through the jade-green gauze windows, falling on the exquisite dressing table.
On the tall semicircular table, the slender flower branch in the vase cast its leaning and slanting sparse shadows clearly on the wall.
Young Madam Chen was sleeping soundly, her smooth, glossy black hair spread across the mandarin duck pillow.
Outside the door suddenly came a soft knocking sound.
Zhang Yunyi, sleeping beside Chen Wan, was a light sleeper. He woke almost the second time the door was knocked.
"Who is it?"
"Master, it's me."
Wan Tai's voice came from outside the door.
Zhang Yunyi immediately sat up and gestured for Chen Wan'er not to get up.
By the frost-white moonlight, he donned his silk sleeping robe and shuffled in rush-grass slippers toward the door.
Chen Wan'er pulled the thin quilt up higher to cover her ample bosom, turned on her side, and closed her eyes again to sleep.
The old fellow had been quite vigorous today. She was truly a bit tired.
"Master, Mountain Lord has come." Wan Tai's voice carried a trace of tension but Zhang Yunyi was invigorated, "Where is he? Take me to him quickly!"
The night at Feng'an Estate was exceptionally quiet.
Feng'an Fortress was located at the center of the entire village, while Zhang Xiaomi's residence was built at the eastern edge of the village.
The river diverted to serve as Feng'an Fortress's moat happened to flow behind his residence.
So Zhang Yunyi didn't need to pass through the village to go out, because Mountain Lord was waiting by the river.
"Feng'an's Zhang Yunyi pays respects to Mountain Lord!"
Seeing seven or eight masked people standing by the gleaming river, with one person clearly being protected in their midst, Zhang Yunyi hurried forward to pay his respects while promptly announcing his identity.
Those guards, seeing Wan Tai who had come to find them earlier, knew the person in front of him was Estate Head Zhang, so they didn't obstruct him.
Mountain Lord gave a cold snort and slowly turned around...
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