Chapter 36

Chapter 36

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

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

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

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

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

That startled Gu Tinghe, who'd been about to start mocking Gu Zhangyuan.

Just a bit earlier, Gu Zhangyuan—in order to save his father and sister—had completely dropped his usual high-and-mighty act and actually kissed a lowly horse slave in public.

Gu Tinghe definitely wanted to rag on him for that.

Even better, he wanted to call out Gu Zhangyuan's shamelessness in front of everyone.

But just as he was about to open his mouth, he saw Xie Licheng suddenly pop up.

Gu Tinghe looked like he'd just seen a ghost and scrambled to hide behind his father.

He was especially scared of this horse slave now. Even though the guy seemed pretty good-natured and had never brought up their past beef, he couldn't explain why—he just felt uneasy.

He always felt like the other man's gaze was hiding some awful scheme.

Xie Licheng was in a great mood right now, so he didn't bother picking a fight with Gu Tinghe.

Just then, the others spotted Xie Licheng too.

Xiao Ruan wasn't scared of Xie Licheng in the least. She scurried over to his side and called out, "Benefactor, benefactor, you're finally back!"

Xie Licheng was feeling a bit worn out, so he plopped down on the ground.

A sharp young man saw this and immediately ran to a nearby house, then came back with a chair.

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

He praised the young man for being thoughtful, then plopped himself down in front of everyone.

Xiao Ruan: "Benefactor, benefactor, are you totally worn out?"

Xie Licheng nodded.

Xiao Ruan: "Benefactor, let me go find you something to eat. We picked some fruit up on the mountain earlier."

Xie Licheng waved his hand. "No need. You all go explore somewhere else—I've got things to talk over with them."

Xiao Ruan nodded obediently at that and left 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 he, as the eldest young master, should carry himself with dignity, he did his best to look composed and proper.

Gu Zhangyuan shuffled over to Xie Licheng and asked quietly, "How... how's my family doing now?"

Xie Licheng: "Not well."

Gu Zhangyuan's eyes went red at that, like he was about to cry.

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

First Master of the Gu Family: "No, it's not your fault. It's your father's doing."

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

Xie Licheng: "Alright, this isn't something you could've controlled."

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

"By the way, what exactly are you Gu family hiding? Why did the authorities get dragged into this 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 jewels handed down from our ancestors. I'd been in there with my father before; there was a good amount of stuff, but not enough to make so many people fight over it."

Xie Licheng: "Tell me where the secret room is. I can help you bring the stuff in here."

Gu Zhangyuan was stunned for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "What... what do you mean?"

Xie Licheng gestured at the space around them. "This 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, nobody outside can take them away."

"R-really?"

It was the First Master of the Gu Family who asked that.

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

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

The moment he mentioned Xuan Cui, the tears started falling.

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

Gu Zhangyuan kept talking as tears streamed down his face.

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

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

Gu Zhangyuan said, "The valuables don't matter. If you can't find them, then forget it. Right now, I only care about my wet nurse, Xuan Cui, and Yuan Qiao. What you said earlier makes a lot of sense—in times of chaos, money doesn't matter. People's lives matter most."

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

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

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

Gu Tinghe didn't want to leave either—he wanted to stay and keep eavesdropping.

He wanted to hear more useful info. So this horse slave was really something—he could take people away and bring things in.

Then... wouldn't that mean he could also bring in the stuff from his daughter's boudoir?

But before he could keep hanging around, the First Master reached out and dragged him away.

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 own leg, signaling he was tired and that he could sit on his lap.

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

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

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

He could make people vanish, just like the gods in those storybooks. And he could bring stuff in too—how the hell did he do that?

Xie Licheng slept for a good half hour before jumping up to head out.

Because there were still 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 after all. Honestly, he couldn't just leave them hanging.

Seeing him about to leave, Gu Zhangyuan couldn't help but whisper, "Be careful, okay?"

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.

It was already dark by now, and the second Xie Licheng left, he got a little scared.

He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his tears, then headed off 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.

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

The person being dragged was a male servant.

Xie Licheng had run into him a few times; the guy worked under Gu Tinghe.

Back when Xie Licheng first transmigrated into this world, this servant had even spoken up for him.

Even though he hadn't been able to do much and had gotten a whip from Gu Tinghe for his trouble.

Still, since the guy meant well, Xie Licheng figured he owed him one.

With that in mind, Xie Licheng moved in, and under the servant's terrified gaze, he sliced the guy's head off in one clean stroke.

The servant screamed over and over, "Ahhh, no, don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Seeing the guy 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 servant froze for a second, then cautiously covered his face and peeked through his fingers.

The servant stammered, "You... you're that horse slave."

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

The spot where the servant landed wasn't far from Gu Zhangyuan.

So the second he showed up, Gu Zhangyuan spotted him.

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

But once he saw the guy's face, he couldn't help slowing down, disappointed.

Still, the guy was also a Gu family servant, and saving one more life was better than nothing.

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

The servant hadn't cried when he was being dragged, or even when that bandit almost did who-knows-what to him.

But now, seeing the Eldest Young Master and realizing he was safe, he couldn't hold it in and burst into loud sobs.

Gu Zhangyuan noticed his messed-up clothes and figured out what had happened.

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

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

His heart was heavy with grief and guilt.

But soon, he had no time for guilt—no amount of regret could change what was already done.

He still had his father and sister to take care of. If he got sick from guilt now, the Gu family would really be done for.

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

He had to live, and he had to lead everyone else to live too.

After saving that servant, 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 pick up clues from there.

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

Now that Xie Licheng was on his own, it was way easier than before.

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

This runner was hurt—whether by the Gu family's servants or by some other vulture taking advantage of the chaos, it was hard to say.

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

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

The runner recognized Xie Licheng instantly and dropped to his knees on reflex.

Xie Licheng looked at him, a little surprised. "You've seen me before?"

"Y-yeah, I have. W-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—one glance was all it took for the runner to remember them forever.

Xie Licheng said, "Oh, since we're old friends, that makes things easier. Be a good boy and tell me where the servants from this courtyard were taken, and I'll let you go."