Chapter 25
Chen Qing looked at Yan Yunhe as if he were looking at a man irredeemably consumed by lust.
Yan Yunhe cleared his throat. “This ledge is much deeper than I expected. How did you discover it?”
“Zhou Ran has some knowledge in medicine,” Chen Qing explained. “He knew that some rare medicinal herbs grow on the mountain. After climbing it so often, we naturally stumbled upon it.”
“Does the Qingyi Gang also trade in medicinal herbs?” Yan Yunhe asked curiously.
Chen Qing rubbed his nose. “We could barely put food on our tables. Why else would we become bandits? Moreover, the villagers around here are even poorer than us. We couldn’t bring ourselves to rob them. Transporting goods didn’t require harming anyone, and it made good money.”
Chen Qing’s expression was somewhat gloomy. He never imagined he would become a pawn and implicate his brothers in the gang.
“Anyway, you chose the perfect spot, Your Excellency. Good thing that ledge happened to be there. Otherwise, with my meager martial arts, I’d have been no match for that Lord Yu and wouldn’t have been able to help you,” Chen Qing said with a bashful smile.
Yan Yunhe spaced out as he suddenly recalled the night before. After he had handed the troop deployment token to Yu Qin, they had discussed which would be the most optimal place to meet.
Yu Qin placed a topographic map of the Heiyu Luan Mountains under the lamp. He stood while Yan Yunhe sat. The map lay spread across the table, with three areas marked in red, black, and white.
Yu Qin first pointed to the white circle. “This location is behind the mountain stronghold. Although the terrain is precipitous, its defenses are weak.”
He then pointed to the area circled in black. “The lush trees here make for suitable cover, but if we bring too many men, there’s also a risk of exposure.”
Finally, he stopped at the location marked in red cinnabar. “The terrain is extremely high here, providing a full view of the Qingyi Gang’s territory. However, it’s too distant to launch a direct assault.”
Once he finished listening, Yan Yunhe let out a muffled laugh. “Lord Yu has been reading quite a few military treatises. What a thorough analysis.”
His teasing didn’t provoke Yu Qin, who calmly replied, “You entrusted me with the troop deployment token, so I must assume you already have a plan to besiege the Qingyi Gang. Surely you didn’t arrange to meet with me tomorrow for a leisurely mountain hike instead of suppressing bandits.”
His hand rested on the map as he spoke, and Yan Yunhe’s gaze followed it as he listened. That hand stood out against the aged parchment like fine jade, glowing faintly beneath the lamplight. The red cinnabar peeking through the gaps between those fingers was all the more vivid.
Yan Yunhe reached out to touch the area outlined with cinnabar on the map. He had expected Yu Qin to move his hand aside, but the man remained still. Inevitably, his index finger slipped between the gaps, while the rest of his fingers landed on that jade-like hand. This person who seemed so cold felt warm beneath his fingertips. The well-defined joints were vastly different from a woman’s softness. It was a man’s hand.
Had they pulled away at first contact, that touch wouldn’t have been so intimate. Yet neither of them moved.
Yan Yunhe raised his eyes, only to meet Yu Qin’s slightly lowered gaze. In the dimness of the room, a strange tension hung in the air, just like that day on the street when Yu Qin tapped his finger on the fox mask and remarked that his eyes were striking.
It felt like that single moment passed in the blink of an eye, or perhaps in an eternity.
Yu Qin broke the silence. “Lord Yan, are you certain you wish to meet here?”
Yan Yunhe’s mind went blank for a moment, and he almost didn’t process what Yu Qin said. By the time he snapped back to his senses, Yu Qin’s hand had already withdrawn, leaving his own all alone on the map—right in the middle of the red circle.
“This location isn’t ideal,” Yu Qin said again.
Yan Yunhe traced the red circle with his fingertip. The map still retained the warmth of Yu Qin’s palm. “This place is perfect. I like it very much.”
He had expected some rebuttal from Yu Qin, but there was none. Yu Qin simply folded up the map, and the matter was settled.
Even though Yan Yunhe let Yu Qin hold the troop deployment token, it was merely a precaution. Should anything happen to him while meeting Chen Qing tonight, Yu Qin could lead an immediate assault on the mountain stronghold and come to his rescue. But if nothing went wrong, it would naturally be best to pick a safe location to meet.
Who would have thought that this location would be anything but safe for him?
In a sense, meeting there was both his choice and not his choice. Why had Yu Qin specifically chosen these three spots? Had he chosen different ways for him to die?
Yan Yunhe shook his head, refusing to think of that man any longer. He took out two human skin masks from his saddlebag and tossed one to Chen Qing. “Let’s go. Put this on and I’ll take you to say goodbye to your wife.”
When they discussed their plan yesterday, Chen Qing had a non-negotiable condition: the protection of his wife. And so, Yan Yunhe sent his informant to Chen Qing’s residence in the middle of the night to take Zhang Rong away.
It was actually for the best. As long as Chen Qing remained at large, he was like a blade hanging over Wei Zhili’s neck, keeping him from acting rashly. If Wei Zhili had captured Zhang Rong to force Chen Qing to reveal himself, and Chen Qing walked into his trap, then Yan Yunhe’s painstaking efforts would have been all for nothing.
The further Chen Qing followed Yan Yunhe, the narrower the road felt. As signs of human habitation became increasingly sparse, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Surely Yan Yunhe wouldn’t kill him for using the word “effeminate” earlier, right?
It wasn’t until Yan Yunhe reined in his horse that Chen Qing realized they had stopped before a house. The house seemed ordinary enough, if not for the fact that the eaves were packed with crows, perched in a single row. The sight would make anyone’s hair stand on end.
All of a sudden, one of the crows flapped its wings violently and swooped straight to Yan Yunhe. He recognized it at a glance—it was the same crow he had shut out of the window last time. Judging by how aggressive it was, it seemed this crow had held a grudge against him since then.
Yan Yunhe couldn’t dodge in time, and with his injured arm unable to move freely, his hair was pecked into a tangled mess. Chen Qing quickly swatted at the crow to shoo it away, but that only stirred up a hornet’s nest. It didn’t matter who started it; seeing their comrade attacked, the entire flock descended upon the two humans, pecking them relentlessly.
Just when they thought there would be no end to it, a sharp whistle cut through the air. At its command, the crows stopped attacking and flew back to the eaves in quick succession. Chen Qing gazed at the crows, sensing a hint of disdain in their lively little eyes.
The door was pushed open. A beautiful woman in blue robes leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, holding a book in her hand. “Yan Huaiyang, who gave you permission to mess with my Jiujiu1?”
The crow that had initiated the attack landed on the blue-robed woman’s shoulder and nuzzled its head against her as if aggrieved, cawing softly. It was clearly acting spoiled.
Yan Yunhe simply removed his hair crown and retorted irritably, “‘Jiujiu’? What kind of ridiculous name is that? With those awful noises it makes, why not just call it ‘Gaga’2?”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Unfortunately, I just died once,” Yan Yunhe shrugged nonchalantly, exposing the bloodstains on his arm.
The woman snorted softly. “Serves you right.” With that, she turned around and strode inside, leaving the door open for them.
Chen Qing hesitantly stepped forward. “Where did this fierce lady come from? Is she one of your old flames, Your Excellency?”
“What are you talking about?!” Yan Yunhe looked horrified. “Do you think my taste is that bad?”
Chen Qing curled his lip. “Your taste with your new flame isn’t much better, is it?”
No sooner had he spoken than Chen Qing heard his wife calling from inside, “Qing-ge, is that you?!”
Chen Qing shoved Yan Yunhe aside and rushed to the door. As husband and wife embraced tightly, Yan Yunhe approached the woman in blue. “Yin Niang, I might need to trouble you for a small favor.”
Yin Niang rolled her eyes. “When have your affairs ever been small? Just say it. What do you want me to do now?”
Yan Yunhe pulled a heavy coin pouch from his sleeve and placed it into her hand. “When have I ever asked you to work for free?”
Yin Niang weighed the pouch in her hand, and then opened it just a sliver. Seeing the glittering gold inside, her expression changed instantly.
Wearing a bright smile on her face, she welcomed Yan Yunhe into the house with almost earnest hospitality. “Please come in and take a seat, my lord. What kind of tea would you like? This humble one shall pour some for you.”
Not far away, Chen Qing patted Zhang Rong on the back as he gently instructed her to take good care of herself and their unborn child.
Tears welled up in Zhang Rong’s eyes. “Can’t I go to the capital with you?”
Chen Qing’s heart ached. “It’s not that I don’t want to take you with me, but Lord Yan and I have important matters to attend to…”
Zhang Rong wiped her tears away, her expression turning fierce. “You just think I’ll be a burden, don’t you!”
For the sake of their conjugal harmony, Chen Qing sacrificed Yan Yunhe. He righteously declared, “How could I ever think that? It’s Lord Yan who insists on separating us!” Then he added under his breath, “His own wife left him, so he won’t let me have mine.”
Yin Niang paused in her steps and turned to Yan Yunhe in surprise. “You got married?”
Yan Yunhe’s face remained impassive. “He’s not right in the head. Don’t listen to his nonsense.”
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