Chapter 41 Chaos “Squeak—”

Chapter 41: Chaos "Creak—"

Kids without parents to protect 'em are usually easier to pick on, and to avoid that, they gotta find ways to defend themselves.

Xue Fang picked up fighting on his own, while the boy was better at hightailing it.

He snuck out of the inn late at night while everyone was asleep, tiptoeing out, then running and stopping in bursts. He hung around two gambling dens, a bar, and an arched bridge, then made a few turns, cut through some grimy alleys, and hopped a wall into a run-down, empty courtyard.

The county magistrate, tipped off by the guards, led the officers himself, tailing from a distance. They posted guards at every spot the kid stopped, followed him to the courtyard, waited outside a bit, heard a ruckus inside, and stormed in.

Inside, they found a few beggars, all with fresh bruises on their faces. When asked, they said someone had slapped 'em while they were asleep, and they figured it was each other, which started the fight.

No doubt the kid did it, but he was already long gone.

The officers searched the place with torches and found a hidden tunnel in the back, leading to a dry well outside.

For a kid just a few years old, that was pretty impressive, but he was still just a kid. He left tracks outside the well and got caught again soon enough.

This time, it was at a coffin shop.

The magistrate, pissed at the kid, ordered a straight-up search. They found the kid and dragged the shopkeeper couple in front of him.

The couple was shaking in their boots at the sight of the officers, swearing up and down they didn't know the kid.

The kid dropped the act. Grubby-faced but defiant, he said, "You think a crappy lock can stop me? I can just pick it myself!"

The officers checked and sure enough, found pry marks on the lock.

Even then, the kid wouldn't back down, glaring at the magistrate with hate and said, "You're supposed to be a father to the people, but you let this guy bully the innocent and arrest me—you're a crooked dog of an official!"

Changping County was small—plenty of squabbles over the years, but hardly any murders.

The magistrate had heard about the fearsome rep of the Misty Mountain Bandits. When he heard they might be hiding out in the city, he freaked, immediately ordered the city gates shut, sent for backup from the prefecture, and nervously got ready for a city-wide search. Following Xie Chi's orders, he sat tight at the government office, waiting for word.

Tonight, chasing a kid around in the dark for half the night without spotting a single vicious bandit and getting called a crooked dog official left the magistrate feeling pissed and humiliated.

"Your Highness, what do you think…?" the magistrate asked Xie Chi, hesitant.

Xie Chi, still on his horse, checked the time and looked down at the kid the officers were holding. "Why, when you saw the magistrate, did you plead your own innocence first, but when you saw the princess, your first thought was your deadbeat gambling dad?"

The kid paused, then said, "Because I felt like it!"

He was guilty as hell.

Guilty, so he didn't dare plead for himself and his grandpa, but instead begged the "princess" for mercy. Guilty, so now he dodged talking about his dad and just cursed out the magistrate.

"Stop wasting time with him—beat him, and he'll spill everything!" Xue Fang, who hated brats like this, yelled, itching to throw a punch.

Xie Chi ignored him and turned to the nervous magistrate. "Don't worry, sir, those bandits won't get away tonight."

No sooner had he said that than a bright firework shot into the sky and burst with a bang.

It was past midnight. Aside from a few nearby houses lighting candles at the noise, the whole town lay in a gray darkness.

The dark made the firework stand out bright, and everyone turned to look.

While everyone else wondered what was going on, Xie Chi turned his horse and galloped toward the inn, moonlight at his back. His guards immediately followed.

Xue Fang turned too, whipping his horse a few times to catch up.

Xie Chi was way ahead, so Xue Fang leaned low over his horse's neck and yelled to the guards up front, "Are the guards we left behind calling us back? What's going on over there?"

His loud voice carried faintly to Xie Chi, reminding him of a letter from his grandmother in the capital when he first took Xue Fang in.

Grandma wrote, "How can you take care of someone? Better send him to the capital so I can raise him."

Wasn't taking care of someone simple?

Arrange food, clothing, and shelter, find someone to teach him reading and writing, and if willing, teach him some riding, archery, and martial arts—wouldn't that be enough?

Xue Fang was too unruly, and Xie Chi didn't want him causing trouble for his grandmother in the capital, so he didn't send him back. Instead, he kept eight-year-old Xue Fang by his side.

Three months later, Grandmother Xie wrote again, saying that caring for someone wasn't just about feeding and clothing them—it also meant considering their feelings and whether they wanted to be treated that way.

At that time, Xie Chi was not yet twenty and knew he was far inferior to Grandmother Xie in raising children. After careful thought, he found her words somewhat reasonable and went to ask Xue Fang's wishes.

Xue Fang had just been beaten for provoking military officers. Wiping his bloody nose, he said angrily, "I don't want to study or write! If you really care about me, give me a knife and a horse, and let me go back to settle scores with those bastards in my clan!"

Xie Chi felt that while Grandmother's words might have merit, they didn't suit Xue Fang. So he dismissed her advice and beat Xue Fang again.

Zhong Yao was the second person he needed to care for.

How do you care for a girl?

Xie Chi thought it was the same as with Xue Fang, except without the beating. But as it turned out, Zhong Yao was completely different from Xue Fang.

And this time, his grandmother's letter proved prophetic.

"Although I always shamelessly accept your care, and sometimes mischievously bully you or scare the guards, and none of you ever call me a burden… I still feel uneasy inside…"

After Xie Chi refused to let Zhong Yao use her princess identity to extract information from the boy, she said this.

"If I get the chance, I want to do something within my power, to be useful… even if it means facing danger."

Xie Chi understood. The imbalance between what she received and what she gave prevented Zhong Yao from truly feeling at ease, no matter how she acted.

So he went to see the boy, warning him not to spread rumors about a royal princess in the inn, then took some guards away late at night, using the excuse of catching bandits to have the magistrate withdraw the officers.

"Our people spotted the bandits' tracks and have been watching them day and night, confirming they're hiding somewhere in the city," a guard explained to Xue Fang against the wind. "With the city gates sealed by the magistrate, the bandits can either fight their way out, lure the officers and us away to force an exit, or use someone of high status as leverage."

Those bandits, bold and successful for years, relied on night raids and underhanded tactics. Facing the authorities head-on, even the entire stronghold would have no chance of victory.

So the first option was impossible.

"You mean that kid deliberately lured us away so the bandits could escape the city?" Xue Fang asked, then suddenly realized, "I get it! The most important person in the city is the magistrate. Since he came with us, the bandits can only choose the second option. They'll attack the city guards while we're away!"

By secretly following the boy instead of interrogating him, they aimed to catch everyone in one net.

If the bandits attacked the city guards to survive, they'd all come together, saving the trouble of hunting them one by one.

"Big Brother must have stationed guards at the city gates. They won't escape now!" Xue Fang was thrilled but soon puzzled. "But the firework didn't come from the city gate direction."

The guard replied, "So they didn't attack the city guards. They chose another way to survive!"

"What way?" Xue Fang asked, then suddenly realized something. His heart skipped a beat, and he straightened up from his low crouch on the horse. Looking ahead, he saw Xie Chi's figure, like a lightning bolt, racing through the wind on the dark, empty street.

.

Zhong Yao was trembling all over with fear.

The enemy was hidden, and they were exposed. Xie Chi said that to lure out all the bandits, they needed the boy to deliver a message to them. So tonight, while tailing the boy, they'd give him a chance to slip out of the soldiers' sight.

Xie Chi, along with the guards, the county magistrate, and a bunch of soldiers, would be led away by the boy. This would be the perfect chance for the bandits to make their move, and they'd surely act.

But whether they'd attack the city guards and bust out, or come after her—someone who might not be a princess but was definitely more important than Xie Chi, a big shot who could boss the magistrate around—there was no telling.

"Knowing them, they'll go for you," Xie Chi had told Zhong Yao. "But I can't be a hundred percent sure."

Zhong Yao also figured the bandits would probably come for her.

After all, they were used to being bold and reckless. If they actually got their hands on a princess, any official—except the emperor or the crown prince—would have to back off. Then why would they be scared of the magistrate or Xie Chi, some official from the capital?

Those vicious bandits were coming straight for her. It was terrifying.

Even though the guards Xie Chi left behind were the most skilled fighters, Zhong Yao was still very scared.

She even wondered if Xie Chi showed up in front of her right now and popped that same question, "Come with me, or stay here?" she'd pick the first option without a second thought.

Good thing she didn't have a choice anymore.

Zhong Yao still wanted to be useful somehow.

And come to think of it, maybe the bandits wouldn't want to cause trouble and would just head for the city gate.

Zhong Yao figured if she were a bandit, she'd definitely get out of the city fast and run far, far away.

Too bad she was never cut out to be a desperado. Just as she thought that, a commotion came from downstairs.

The guards were instantly at Zhong Yao's door and warned, "We don't know what dirty tricks the enemy might pull. Miss, just stay hidden. No matter what happens, don't you dare come out!"

Zhong Yao nodded hard, said, "You guys be careful," then quickly locked the door and hid herself.

Since the bandits were bold enough to sneak into the city in disguise, they wouldn't stand out too much, and there probably wouldn't be many of them. And the guards Xie Chi left behind were all elite fighters, so they should be able to take them down without a hitch.

That's what Zhong Yao thought, and that's what Xie Chi thought too.

And since they were hiding out in the city, to stay low-key, they definitely hadn't brought their vicious dogs this time. The tricks they could pull were limited, and there were ways to counter all of them.

Since Xie Chi was bold enough to leave, he naturally trusted his men's skills. But he still galloped at top speed, wanting to get there fast.

Before he even got to the inn, he saw orange flames and thick smoke rising in the night sky. Xie Chi's heart skipped a beat. He dashed over and saw a dried fruit shop next to the inn was on fire. The inn was okay, just wrapped in thick smoke, with the faint sound of swords clashing coming from inside.

Xie Chi strode inside and took down a burly man charging at him with one sword stroke.

The inn was filled with smoke, with tables and chairs knocked over. Several guards, drenched through, were fighting a few sturdy men by the light of the fire.

Seeing Xie Chi, one of them said distractedly, "The young lady is fine, she's upstairs!"

Xie Chi felt a bit relieved, swept his gaze around, and said, "Keep two who can talk; no mercy for the rest."

The remaining guards acknowledged and fought more decisively. The guards who had gone out with Xie Chi had also returned, and the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Xie Chi wasn't worried about the guards winning or losing; he was only afraid something had happened to Zhong Yao.

He had promised to take care of her.

The railing upstairs was broken, and guards were still fighting bandits there. Xie Chi casually killed two, kicked open the door, and entered the room. At first glance, it was dark inside, and he didn't see Zhong Yao.

"Zhong Yao!"

He called out sternly as he stepped further in. Just as he took a step toward the screen, he caught a sweet scent amid the acrid smoke.

Xie Chi had smelled this scent before when he first fell victim to the Misty Mountain Bandits' scheme. It was the kind of powder that clouded the mind and drove people mad.

The reason it made people crazy was because it caused them to see illusions.

For instance, when Xie Chi was affected that time, he vaguely saw the marquis's estate drenched in blood, a knife at his grandmother's neck, and heard her cry for help three times before her head was cut off.

His grandmother crying for help? That was impossible.

Xie Chi immediately realized his senses were compromised. So, no matter how the scenes shifted before his eyes or how his emotions churned, he controlled himself and didn't act wildly.

This was the second time Xie Chi had smelled the same scent.

He immediately held his breath, quickly entered the inner room, and lifted the bed curtain. Inside, the bedding was puffed up, as if someone was hiding there.

"Zhong Yao."

Xie Chi swiftly threw back the covers, but found only a pillow. As he turned, he heard a sound behind him.

He spun around, agilely catching Zhong Yao's wrist as she raised a hairpin. He noticed her cheeks were flushed, her eyes dazed and unfocused, as if she were looking at someone else through him.

She had been affected.

The bandits had deliberately set a fire next door, mixing the scented powder with the choking smoke. Not only Zhong Yao, but even the guards downstairs, who had been on alert, couldn't escape it—that's why they were all soaked through.

Talking was useless now.

Seeing Zhong Yao struggle, Xie Chi simply took the hairpin from her, pinned both her wrists with one hand, and with the other, lifted her chin. He looked down at her and said softly, "Wake up. Look clearly at who I am."

Zhong Yao, trapped and unable to move, slowly filled her eyes with aggrieved tears, but she held them back, refusing to let them fall. She looked pitiful.

Xie Chi's heart softened, and he loosened his grip, his mind clearing a bit.

What use was talking to her now? The most effective thing was to counteract the drug's effects.

The windows were all filled with smoke, so ventilation was impossible. Only water would work.

Xie Chi half-forced Zhong Yao toward the table in the outer room. As they took two steps, Zhong Yao, held in his arms, suddenly stood on tiptoe and leaned toward Xie Chi.

Xie Chi noticed her small movement and thought, Is she really going to try biting me like a little dog?

He dismissed it. The next moment, a strange, warm sensation touched his jaw.

The contact lasted only a moment, so brief that Xie Chi didn't even realize what Zhong Yao had done.

He stopped, looked down at her, and saw her bright, watery eyes fixed on him unblinkingly, as if he were the only person in the world she could see.

Xie Chi paused, frowned, and said, "You..."

Before he could finish, Zhong Yao stood on tiptoe again and leaned in to kiss him on the mouth.

Xie Chi was already on guard. He quickly turned his face away, dodging, and glared at Zhong Yao in some embarrassment.

He was furious—angry that Zhong Yao, in her confused state, was kissing someone else, and even angrier at the bandits for using such drugs to drive people mad.

Xie Chi dragged Zhong Yao to the table, couldn't be bothered to wring out a cloth, and simply poured tea into his palm. He was about to slap the wet hand onto Zhong Yao's face to sober her up when she suddenly swayed and started to topple sideways.

Xie Chi instinctively pulled her back into his arms.

As he held her, her face pressed against his chest. Xie Chi looked down and found her arms wrapping around his neck.

Somehow, Zhong Yao yanked his neck down while rising on her tiptoes again, pressing in.

This time, Xie Chi couldn't dodge, and she captured his lips.

The warmth on his lips and the numbing bite of her nibbling left Xie Chi's mind blank for a moment. His breath hitched, and instantly, the girl's fragrance mixed with a sweet scent flooded his senses overwhelmingly.

Xie Chi felt a scorching magma suddenly surge from the depths of his heart—erupting, roaring, and screaming to consume everything in its path.

His eyes suddenly darkened. He tightened his arms fiercely, pressing one hand against the small of her back to crush her against him, while the other hand gripped the back of her neck. At the same time, he opened his mouth and bit down savagely.

"Mmm..."

Zhong Yao made a muffled sound, as if in pain.

But Xie Chi could no longer perceive it. He took greedily, the sweetness of her lips and the soft body pressed against him drove him to conquer recklessly, even his hand started roughly sliding up her slender waist.

It wasn't enough, it would never be enough...

Zhong Yao, breathless from the kiss, instinctively pulled back.

The space between them displeased Xie Chi. He yanked her back, took a large step forward, and slammed her hard against the table.

"Creak—"

The redwood table lurched forward violently from the force, the cups on it wobbled and spun to the ground, shattering into a chorus of porcelain fragments.

The sharp sound snapped Xie Chi back to reality. He jerked his head up, pulled his hand away from Zhong Yao's back, and stepped back in alarm.

The moment he left, she slid limply downward.

Xie Chi stepped forward again to catch her.

His breathing was ragged, his eyes reddened. The lingering softness on his lips, the heavy gasps, the surging heat in his heart, and the still-unsettled impulses all reminded him that the crude, lewd, beast-like behavior had been his own doing.

His expression darkened. Stiffly holding Zhong Yao, he couldn't bring himself to look down at the person in his arms for a long time.