Chapter 139 Serving the Lord

Chapter 139: Serving the Husband

Meng Wan watched the person beneath him close their eyes, but still didn't release his grip. Instead, he said to Qing Xing, "Pour another cup of tea."

Qing Xing was taken aback. "Huh? Okay, I'll go right away."

Meng Wan let go, but remained firmly pressed on top of the figure without any slack.

When Qing Xing brought the cup, he pinched the chin of the person underneath and forced another cup down their throat, only then did the tension in his body finally relax.

The door was blown open by the wind, and the cold sweat on Meng Wan's body was chilled by the gusts, making him shiver.

"Qing Xing, close the door—gently," he ordered in a low voice.

Qing Xing was already in awe of his series of actions and instinctively followed his instructions without complaint.

After closing the door, they didn't light the oil lamp. Their eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Meng Wan groped in the dark, relying on outlines to carry the petite figure onto the bed. He searched her thoroughly and found no sharp weapons like knives, indicating she wasn't there to kill him immediately. Then he covered her with the quilt, leaving only a tuft of black hair exposed, making it impossible to tell who it was.

Qing Xing watched his every move with bated breath and whispered, "Husband, what should we do next? Should we wait in the room until dawn?"

Meng Wan silently curled his lips. "Silly Qing Xing, if we stay here, aren't we just waiting to get caught? Follow me, let's go outside."

The Chen family hadn't openly broken with him not because they feared the few unreliable soldiers he had disguised as servants, but because of the intimidating force of five hundred men who had arrived earlier. Once Madam Chen realized that those five hundred men had truly left, the wolves would shed their disguises.

It was also a miscalculation on Meng Wan's part—who would have thought such a small town could harbor people with ill intentions?

The two tiptoed to the door and opened it. Before leaving, Meng Wan grabbed the teapot and carried it in his hand. The corridor was empty, but a room downstairs seemed to have an oil lamp lit.

Curiosity is useless in real danger. Meng Wan avoided that room and pressed himself silently against the tall courtyard wall, searching for a small side gate.

He had observed during the day that the connection between the front and back yards was blocked by the two-story building in the front. Occasionally, one or two servants would enter there but not come out immediately, indicating it was a side door leading elsewhere.

When he got near, Meng Wan indeed found a small door less than two meters high, but it was locked.

"Husband, what do we do? Should we go to the front yard to call our people?" Qing Xing asked in a faint breath.

Meng Wan shook his head. "No noise. We'll wait here for an opportunity."

He looked around. During the day, the first floor of the front building seemed to house the kitchen and hall, and the kitchen had doors front and back for serving food.

Meng Wan handed the teapot to Qing Xing, instructing her to stay put. He felt his way into the kitchen, quickly swiped a cleaver, and brought it back to Qing Xing. "Take this."

Qing Xing pointed at herself?

Then, under Meng Wan's insistent gaze, she took the cleaver. "Husband, what about you?"

"Don't worry, I've got something." Meng Wan lifted the hem of his robe and pulled out a dagger less than a foot long from his boot. Before leaving, he had asked Nie Zhiyao to get it for him. It wasn't quite a legendary blade, but it was sharp and sturdy.

Luckily, it had stopped raining by then. They hid in the shadows, keeping their eyes fixed on the small door.

After an unknown amount of time, as Meng Wan leaned against the cold wall and was nearly dozing off, he suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps—not on level ground, but the soft scuff of soles on stairs.

Muffled and subtle. If Meng Wan hadn't been stationed downstairs and paying close attention, he wouldn't have noticed.

He pulled Qing Xing back until they could only see a sliver of the small door.

After a moment, a man appeared—in his thirties, dressed in plain, unassuming clothes that were inconspicuous in the night.

He was secretly leading a short, thin figure, walking softly to the small door. He seemed to have a key in his hand, opened the door very quietly, and pushed the small figure out.

The figure raised an arm as if wiping tears, then whispered something and left alone.

The middle-aged man sent the child off and turned to lock the door, but suddenly felt a cold object pressed against his neck, making him shiver. A voice, lowered to the point of distortion, came from behind.

"If you want to live, shut up, or I'll send you to meet the King of Hell right now!"

The blade against his neck was steady and sharp, instantly drawing a thin line of blood.

The hand behind him was very steady, showing no hesitation or sympathy for an innocent life, like an exceptionally cold-blooded killer.

In reality, Meng Wan was nervous too, but his goal was clear. Did he need even a second to choose between his own death and someone else's?

Just treat it like a piece of pork.

Having steeled himself, Meng Wan continued in a sinister tone to intimidate the middle-aged man before him. "Keep your mouth shut and move forward. If you try anything stupid, I guarantee you'll be dead before anyone can save you."

The man's neck was stiff, and he walked forward silently, led by Meng Wan, with Qing Xing following nervously behind them.

The small door didn't lead to the street Meng Wan had expected, but to a narrow alley. The alley had exits on both sides, but he didn't know where they led.

"Which way?" Meng Wan asked.

The middle-aged man hesitated, then pointed left, toward the main entrance of the Chen residence.

Meng Wan gave a cold laugh, swiftly twisted his wrist, and shoved the man toward the right side of the alley. He called to Qing Xing, "You go first. Check if the right side leads out."

Qing Xing nodded—whether Meng Wan could see her in the dark or not—and walked ahead, teapot in hand. Only then did the man realize that his captor had an accomplice.

"Ah! Min Geer?" From the corner ahead came a stifled cry from Qing Xing. Then Min Geer ran out, charging at Meng Wan and shouting, "Let him go!"

Damn it!

Meng Wan's heart sank. He plunged the dagger into the belly of the middle-aged man and growled, "Stop! Shut up, or I'll kill him right now!"

Min Geer froze in fear, but it was too late. In the Chen compound, just a wall away, lights flickered on in various rooms, and voices could be heard.

Meng Wan acted swiftly. He dragged the middle-aged man toward the alley opening from which Min Geer had emerged. Qing Xing stood there, clutching her wrist. "Husband, it's that young man from the banquet earlier today."

Meng Wan was furious. "I know. He yelled too loudly and alerted the whole compound. We need to hurry."

Qing Xing realized the Chen family was not so simple. She looked back and saw that Min Geer seemed to have recognized Meng Wan. He stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. Soft-hearted, she called out, "Come on, let's go!"

Min Geer finally trotted over to join them.

In Lingnan, flat land was scarce. Unlike the north, where houses were scattered with large courtyards, here the shops and residences were packed tightly together, row after row. Alleys led to more alleys. In this small town, apart from the main street which was wide, the side roads were like a maze.

The middle-aged man, under threat, pointed directions several times. After noticing that Meng Wan always went the opposite way, he paused, then pointed a different direction. This time, Meng Wan followed it directly.

The middle-aged man hesitated, as if he had something to say. "I didn't mean to harm you."

Meng Wan said calmly, "I know. Otherwise, do you think you'd still be alive?"

After running through the alleys for an hour, Meng Wan was out of breath. His stomach cramped in pain from the exertion.

He found a pile of firewood stacked outside a yard and shoved the middle-aged man onto it. He clutched his stomach to steady his breathing and asked, "Spill it. Who are you in the Chen family?"

Min Geer and Qing Xing followed closely. Seeing Meng Wan's harsh tone and rough actions, Min Geer quickly shuffled over to the middle-aged man, trying to help him up, casting evasive, fearful glances at Meng Wan as if he were a bully who casually abused others.

"I am Chen Yong's second husband."

Meng Wan had never heard that term before. 'Second wife? That means you're a concubine?'

The middle-aged man seemed quite disgusted by this description, but yielding to Meng Wan's overbearing power, he could only nod. "My surname is Chu, given name Yujing. I am originally from Suzhou. While passing through Xiwu to visit relatives, I stopped in Pingshi Town to rest, and was tricked by Chen Yong into entering the Chen family. The servants who accompanied me were all sacrificed to the mountain god by him."

Meng Wan's interest was piqued. "The mountain god, huh?"

Chu Yujing's expression was complex. "It's a beast with a human head. The townspeople call it the mountain god. Chen Yong says it's a mountain demon."

"Is there such a thing?" Meng Wan didn't believe it at all.

Chu Yujing saw his thoughts. "The mountain demon descends the mountain on the fifteenth of every month. If there is a living human sacrifice, it will devour the sacrifice raw and then hide back in the mountains. If there is no living sacrifice, it will break into the townspeople's homes and leave only after it has eaten its fill. I once... really saw it devouring a living person." As he said this, he seemed to recall the horrific scene he had witnessed, and his eyes were full of fear.

Min Geer's tearful voice chimed in from the side. "The senior madam kept me in the mansion, and I overheard her telling the steward that they intended to keep me to sacrifice to the mountain demon on the fifteenth. She also said that a virgin boy could keep the town safe for three months."

Meng Wan listened to the two of them speaking so vividly, and considered that even if this mountain demon was not a monster, it must be some kind of fierce beast.

But since it's a beast, it has no humanity. It wouldn't know the difference between the first and fifteenth of the month, would it? What if there's a leap month and the dates shift by two days? Meng Wan suspected someone was secretly raising it.

Faint footsteps approached from the other end of the alley. Meng Wan's heart tightened. He was about to grab Chu Yujing and run again. He wasn't being kind; he took Chu Yujing because the man was a Chen family member—concubine or second wife—who could serve as leverage.

"Come in quickly."

They had just started to move when the courtyard gate behind them was opened, and an old woman's voice called from inside.

Meng Wan cautiously looked back and saw an old woman about sixty years old, beckoning them in from the doorway.

"Don't worry, it's just me, an old woman, living here alone."

Meng Wan, clutching his abdomen which had started cramping again, led the others into the courtyard without a word. He urgently needed to rest.

After they entered, the old woman bolted the courtyard gate. "My house has only one bedroom. You can hide in there for now."

This small courtyard was indeed not large. There were no side rooms. Apart from the latrine against the wall, everything was visible at a glance. The main building had only one bedroom and one kitchen.

Qing Xing noticed that Meng Wan looked unwell. Holding the teapot in one hand and the kitchen knife in the other, she shielded him and entered the bedroom first.

The bedroom was even darker than outside. Qing Xing carefully searched and found that there was indeed no second person. Relieved, she helped Meng Wan sit on the only bed. "Master, what's wrong?"

"It might be from running too fast just now. My stomach cramped a couple of times."

After sitting on the bed and catching his breath, Meng Wan felt much better.

Qing Xing sat beside him and took his pulse. Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Just as she was about to speak, Meng Wan shook his head at her.

Qing Xing understood. She stood up and whispered a few words in his ear in a barely audible whisper.

Meng Wan calmly put down the hand that had been clutching his stomach. "Mm, I know. Go check the kitchen and the courtyard again."

Qing Xing gave him a worried look, put down the teapot, picked up the kitchen knife, and went out.

Meng Wan treated the place as if it were his own home, leaning casually against the bedding at the head of the bed to rest. He asked the old woman, who looked distressed, "Elderly lady, you live alone. How could you let strangers like us in?"

The old woman's expression was very kind. "I know you are not from this town. You must have been tricked in by the townspeople again."

"Oh? Then don't you recognize him either?" Meng Wan pointed at Chu Yujing. Since they were from the same town, she ought to have seen Master Chen's concubine.

It was deep night outside. The room was pitch black, so they could only make out each other's rough outlines. Following Meng Wan's pointing finger, the old woman moved closer to study Chu Yujing's face. Suddenly, she exclaimed in shock, "Young master! You are still alive?"

Chu Yujing had obviously recognized her long ago. He looked at the old woman with a complicated expression. "Wang Mama, I thought you had already left after I was tricked into the Chen family by Chen Yong."

The two clearly knew each other, but they stood silent and speechless, the atmosphere very strange, not at all like the mood of a reunion between old acquaintances.

After a while, Chu Yujing suddenly turned his head to look at Meng Wan, who had been observing them all along. "Sir, you've escaped safely now. Can you let me go?"

Meng Wan sneered. "Master Chu, are you joking? If I let you go, you will go back and tell the Chens where I am, wouldn't you?"

Chu Yujing spoke earnestly. "I can swear to heaven that I will never betray you."

Qing Xing returned from outside, blocking the way with the kitchen knife. Meng Wan, reassured, half-closed his eyes, couldn't be bothered to say a word to these people.

Seeing this, Chu Yujing had no choice. Meng Wan occupied the only bed in the room. Wang Mama had to bring in two bundles of dry straw from the courtyard and spread them on the floor, then found extra bedding to lay on top. She, Chu Yujing, and Min Geer slept on the floor. Qing Xing went to the kitchen and prepared a warm drink, giving Meng Wan a bowl. Once Meng Wan fell asleep, she leaned half-asleep against the bedside and closed her eyes to rest.