Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Once Xie Licheng no longer had to look after them, he felt a whole lot lighter.

At this point, Xie Licheng had come out of that house and killed seven or eight bandits in a row without stopping.

Then he realized his stamina was running low—he hadn't gotten any proper rest since yesterday.

To keep himself from passing out from exhaustion, Xie Licheng found a secluded corner and slipped into his personal space.

The moment Xie Licheng entered, he appeared right next to Gu Zhangyuan and the others.

This startled Gu Tinghe, who was just about to mock Gu Zhangyuan.

Earlier, to save his father and sister, Gu Zhangyuan had completely dropped his usual aloof act and even kissed a lowly horse slave in public.

Gu Tinghe was definitely going to tease him about that.

Even better, he'd expose how shameless Gu Zhangyuan was in front of everyone.

But just as he was about to speak, Xie Licheng suddenly appeared.

Gu Tinghe looked like he'd seen a ghost and quickly hid behind his father in fear.

He was now especially scared of this horse slave. Even though the guy seemed good-natured and had never held their past grudges against them, he couldn't shake the creepy feeling that the man's gaze was hiding some terrifying scheme.

Xie Licheng was in a great mood right now, so he didn't bother going after Gu Tinghe.

At this point, the others also noticed Xie Licheng.

Xiao Rui wasn't scared of Xie Licheng at all and hurried over to him, calling out, "Benefactor, benefactor, you're finally back."

Xie Licheng was a bit tired, so he sat right down on the ground.

A quick-witted young man saw this, dashed to a nearby house, and carried out a chair.

Seeing there was a chair to sit on, Xie Licheng naturally didn't have to stay on the ground.

He praised the young man for being thoughtful and sat down casually in front of everyone.

Xiao Rui: "Benefactor, benefactor, are you really tired?"

Xie Licheng nodded.

Xiao Rui: "Benefactor, let me find you something to eat—we picked some fruit from the mountain earlier."

Xie Licheng waved his hand. "No need. Go wander around for now—I have things to discuss with them."

Xiao Rui nodded obediently and left along with the others.

Once it was just the four Gu family members and Xie Licheng, Xie Licheng reached out toward Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Zhangyuan, remembering how he'd kissed Xie Licheng earlier, only now felt embarrassed about it.

But remembering his father's words that as the eldest young master of the family, he should act with dignity, he tried his best to look composed and proper.

Gu Zhangyuan shuffled over to Xie Licheng and asked in a low voice, "How... how is my family doing now?"

Xie Licheng: "Not well."

Gu Zhangyuan's eyes reddened at that, and he looked like he was about to cry.

He said, "It's all my fault. You warned me before, and I could've avoided this."

Elder Master Gu: "No, it's not your fault—it's mine."

If he hadn't been so stubborn, the Gu family wouldn't have ended up in such a tragedy.

Xie Licheng: "Alright, these things aren't something you could've controlled."

Honestly, even Xie Licheng hadn't expected so many people to target the Gu family at once.

"By the way, what exactly is your family hiding? Why did the authorities get involved too?"

Gu Zhangyuan glanced at his father, and seeing no objection, said with red-rimmed eyes, "We didn't hide anything special—just some gold, silver, and jewelry passed down from our ancestors. I'd gone in with my father before, and there was indeed quite a lot, but not enough for so many people to fight over."

Xie Licheng: "Tell me where the secret chamber is, and I can help you bring your things in here."

Gu Zhangyuan was stunned for a moment before asking quietly, "You... what do you mean?"

Xie Licheng gestured around them. "This place is my personal space. I can bring people in, and I can bring things in. Only I know about this place—no one outside can get in. So once I bring those things in here, no one outside can take them away."

"R-really?"

That question came from Elder Master Gu.

Xie Licheng: "Really. Consider it a betrothal gift for your family—I can help get your things in here."

Gu Zhangyuan: "Then... can you help me find them and bring Xuan Cui and the others in too?"

The moment he mentioned Xuan Cui, tears started streaming down his face.

"Xuan Cui was protecting me earlier when a bandit slashed her. I don't know if she's alive or dead."

Gu Zhangyuan kept crying while he spoke.

Xie Licheng: "Don't cry. If I can find them, I'll bring them in here too."

Gu Zhangyuan nodded, then leaned close to Xie Licheng's ear and told him where the Gu family's secret chamber was.

Gu Zhangyuan said, "The stuff doesn't matter—if you can't find it, just leave it. Right now, I only care about my wet nurse, Xuan Cui, and Yuan Qiao. What you said before makes a lot of sense—in times of chaos, money isn't important; lives matter most."

Xie Licheng nodded. "Alright, go find a place in the village to rest. I'll stay here and rest for a bit."

Once his stamina recovered a bit, he'd head back out.

Gu Zhangyuan, hearing this, had his sister take their father to rest first, but he himself didn't plan to leave.

Gu Tinghe didn't want to leave either—he wanted to stay and listen for more useful info. So this horse slave was really that impressive—he could take people away and bring things in.

Then... then couldn't he also bring things from his room in here?

But before he could keep lingering, Elder Master Gu grabbed him and dragged him off.

Gu Zhangyuan was tired too, so he sat down on the ground next to Xie Licheng.

At this point, he didn't care about looking good or keeping up appearances anymore.

Xie Licheng patted his thigh, signaling he could sit on his lap if he was tired.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't want to sit. For one thing, he figured that would just tire Xie Licheng out more, which would defeat the whole purpose of resting. For another, they weren't that close yet, and since they were in the village, he'd be too embarrassed to sit in his lap.

While Gu Zhangyuan was busy thinking all this, Xie Licheng had already dozed off without him noticing.

Seeing that, Gu Zhangyuan didn't dare make a peep. He quietly watched the sleeping Xie Licheng, thinking the guy was seriously something else.

He could make people vanish, just like some immortal straight out of a storybook. He could even bring stuff in with him—how the hell did he do that?

Xie Licheng slept for a good half hour before he hurriedly got up to head out.

He still had people to save—Xuan Cui, Yuan Qiao, and the wet nurse.

He knew all three of them pretty well; they were Gu Zhangyuan's personal maids. Honestly, there was no way he could just leave them hanging.

Seeing him about to leave, Gu Zhangyuan couldn't help but whisper, "You have to be careful."

Xie Licheng just said, "I know, don't worry."

And the next second, he was gone.

Gu Zhangyuan stood up and looked around, totally confused.

By now, it was already dark out, and once Xie Licheng was gone, he started feeling a little scared.

He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears off his face, then headed in the direction his sister and the others had gone.

Meanwhile, the moment Xie Licheng stepped out, he spotted someone in the distance dragging another person along.

At first, they were too far off for him to make out, but as he pulled out a knife and crept closer, he realized the person being dragged was someone he recognized.

The one being dragged was a young man.

Xie Licheng had run into him a few times before—he was one of Gu Tinghe's servants.

Back when Xie Licheng first transmigrated into this world, this young man had actually spoken up for him.

Even though he hadn't been able to do much and had even gotten whipped by Gu Tinghe for it, Xie Licheng still appreciated the gesture and figured he owed the guy one.

With that in mind, Xie Licheng moved in, and under the young man's terrified stare, he chopped the guy's head off with a single swing.

The young man started screaming, "Ahhh, no, don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Seeing the young man hadn't recognized him, Xie Licheng ripped off a piece of the bandit's clothes to wipe his face.

After wiping his face, he said, "It's me. I'll take you to your eldest young master."

The young man froze for a second, then cautiously covered his face and peeked through the cracks between his fingers.

The young man said, "You... you're that horse slave."

Xie Licheng didn't have time to explain. He threw the bandit's clothes over the young man, and the next second, the guy was tossed straight into Peach Blossom Village.

The young man landed not far from where Gu Zhangyuan was.

So the second he appeared, Gu Zhangyuan spotted him.

Gu Zhangyuan thought it was Yuan Qiao at first and ran over happily.

But once he saw his face, he couldn't help but slow down, disappointed.

Still, he figured the guy was also a servant of the Gu family, and every extra life saved was a win.

Gu Zhangyuan hurried over and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

The young man hadn't cried when he was being dragged around, and he hadn't cried when he was almost attacked by that bandit either.

But now, seeing the eldest young master and realizing he was safe, he couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into loud sobs.

Gu Zhangyuan noticed his clothes were all messed up and figured out what must have happened.

He quickly stepped forward and hugged him, trying to comfort him.

He felt that the Gu family's downfall and everything they were going through was mostly his fault as the head of the household.

His heart was heavy with grief and guilt.

But soon, he didn't have time to wallow in guilt—no amount of regret was going to change what had already happened.

He still had his father and sister to look after. If he got sick from all this guilt now, the Gu family would really be done for.

He couldn't cry. He couldn't let his mind spiral.

He had to live, and he had to make sure everyone else lived too.

After saving that young man, Xie Licheng headed straight for Gu Zhangyuan's courtyard.

Yuan Qiao, Xuan Cui, and the wet nurse were all Gu Zhangyuan's people, so they'd naturally be there.

Even if they weren't, he could still pick up clues there.

Like grabbing some nearby bandits, yamen runners, or Gu family servants to question.

Being on his own now, Xie Licheng had a much easier time of it than before.

He strolled along calmly, and when he got to the outside of Gu Zhangyuan's courtyard, he happened to run into a lone yamen runner.

The runner was banged up—whether it was Gu family servants who did it or some other lowlife taking advantage of the chaos, who knows.

Xie Licheng walked over with a big blade slung over his shoulder, blocked the guy's path, and asked, "You know where the servants from this courtyard got taken?"

The runner looked up, annoyed, about to snap, "You looking to die?"—but then his eyes locked with Xie Licheng's.

The runner recognized Xie Licheng in an instant and dropped to his knees on reflex.

Xie Licheng looked at him, a little surprised, and asked, "You know me?"

"Y-yeah, I do. We... we met at the yamen before."

Even though Xie Licheng had deliberately covered his face back then, his height was way too noticeable, and those wolf-like eyes of his—the runner only needed one look to remember them for life.

Xie Licheng said, "Oh, so we're acquainted. That makes things easier. Be a good boy, and if you tell me where the servants from this courtyard were taken, I'll let you walk."