Inquiring and Returning (Part Three)
The following day, around noon.
Ye Yurong sent someone to fetch a terrain map of the area surrounding Mizhao Town, along with a structural map showing the layout of the houses in the town.
Lin Yuan pointed at a small path and said excitedly, “Let’s go this way. We can circle around and surround them from behind. Most importantly, it’s closer.”
Jiang Wan glanced at it and shook her head in disagreement. “It is closer, but if we need to retreat, it’ll be very easy for them to cut us off.”
After hearing both of them, Ye Yurong felt that they each had a point. “Send one group to hold their attention from the front and another group around to the back. Once you’ve succeeded, send up a signal.”
Lin Yuan and Jiang Wan nodded at the same time. “That makes the plan much more complete.”
“How did I not think of that? Not bad, not bad.”
The three of them refined the plan further and finalized how they would carry it out.
Lin Yuan would first gather the teams, with fifteen people in each group.
Lin Yuan would lead the group attacking from the front to draw the enemy’s attention, while Jiang Wan and Ye Yurong would lead the other group around the back to rescue the hostages.
The sailors had just finished a day’s work and had not even had the chance to eat when Lin Yuan, the dock’s great “steward,” gathered them all together.
“Ahem, ahem. Everyone, listen up. The Boss needs thirty people to accompany her on a secret mission.”
“Of course, we won’t make you work for nothing. Once the mission is over and we return, each person will receive five taels of silver.”
As soon as those words reached the sailors’ ears, they immediately became restless, each of them eager to volunteer.
Seeing how excited everyone was, Lin Yuan said nothing more and immediately began picking out the thirty people from the crowd.
“You, the one wearing the headscarf…”
“That strong-looking guy… yes, you…”
“The one with the sun-darkened skin…”
“The one wearing the short jacket…”
“…”
The crowd standing below was picked over by Lin Yuan as though he were selecting vegetables at a market.
Anyone too tall or too thin was rejected. Anyone whose complexion was excessively dark was rejected. Anyone who didn’t look sturdy enough was rejected, and anyone who didn’t seem quick-witted was rejected as well.
After half an hour of picking and choosing, he finally selected the thirty people and recorded their information.
Only then did he dismiss those who had not been chosen so they could go rest and eat. He also gave each of them one hundred wen as compensation.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Lin Yuan told those who had been selected to go eat as well. They were to meet back here at midnight and wait for departure.
After several days of getting along, Jiang Wan had gradually become familiar with Ye Yurong and Lin Yuan and had also learned to recognize their positions on the ship with ease.
The two gave Jiang Wan very different impressions. One was rather bold and composed, while the other was a carefree, money-loving rogue. As for their true natures, they were both fairly decent and had not reached the point of being so unbearable that one “couldn’t bear to look at them.”
The warmth in the air mingled with the coolness drifting from the sea, creating a pleasantly moderate breeze that made people feel comfortable.
Jiang Wan was actually somewhat worried about tonight’s operation. She had an inexplicable feeling that something was wrong, and her heart felt strangely uneasy. The moment that thought occurred to her, she immediately stopped herself from thinking negatively.
Everything would go smoothly.
Just after midnight, everyone had essentially arrived.
Ye Yurong stood at the front, with Jiang Wan on her left and Lin Yuan on her right. Lin Yuan leaned casually against the side of the ship, his weight resting on his left foot while the other was lightly raised on its toes. His shoulders and back were slouched in a loose, lazy posture.
Ye Yurong glanced at him and, already accustomed to his lack of proper bearing, said nothing.
She simply gave a few brief instructions. “Once this mission is over, do not reveal anything about it to outsiders. Those who violate this order know the consequences.”
“Now, move out!”
“Yes!!”
More than thirty people, all riding horses, followed the three of them as they advanced along the planned route.
By the third watch of the night, the darkness had grown so thick that it seemed to melt like ink, enveloping them completely.
The sound of hooves—clip, clop, clip, clop—rang out on the dirt road, stark against the silent night. It was so quiet that only the faint sound of breathing could be heard.
The moon was hidden behind the clouds, allowing only a faint silvery light to spill down.
The night breeze was cold. Jiang Wan rode alone on a horse, the chill pouring down the collar of her clothes and leaving her cheeks feeling slightly taut from the wind.
During the few days when Ye Yurong had gone out to collect local goods, Jiang Wan had asked Lin Yuan to teach her how to ride a horse. After trying several times, she discovered that it was not as difficult as she had imagined. Once she gradually became accustomed to it, she finally let herself ride freely at full speed.
Jiang Wan raised a hand to shield herself from the cold wind and lowered her body a little further. The horse’s back rose and fell beneath her, making her body move along with its rhythm.
Ye Yurong’s back was ramrod straight. Her grip on the reins was firm and decisive. She showed no fear of the cold night wind, her sharp and alert gaze constantly sweeping her surroundings. Even her posture was crisp and heroic.
Lin Yuan, on the other hand, refused to sit properly. He slouched sideways against the horse’s back, just as lazy and careless as ever, allowing the horse to jostle him while he gazed absentmindedly into the night, seemingly unconcerned by the hardship of traveling.
The three rarely spoke along the way. They merely pulled on the reins and pushed forward with all their strength, while everyone behind them silently quickened their pace to keep up.
In the brief span of time before dawn, everyone reached a point two li from Mizhao Town and stopped.
The sky was beginning to brighten. The instant Ye Yurong stopped, she raised a hand, signaling everyone to halt.
She casually assigned six people to go ahead and investigate the situation first, in case the enemy had set up an ambush.
After the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the six men returned. They hurried to Ye Yurong and reported what they had seen.
Sailors A, B, C, D, E, and F said, “Reporting to the Boss, there are no unusual circumstances or ambushes. The village is very quiet. The only thing is that almost every household has a dog.”
Ye Yurong raised an eyebrow and lifted her chin slightly, a smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Lin Yuan, I’ll leave it to you.”
Lin Yuan gave a faint, “Oh.”
“Fifteen people, follow me. The rest follow Steward Lin.”
After saying this, she nodded at Jiang Wan, and the two proceeded forward side by side.
The fifteen sailors followed closely behind them, while Lin Yuan led the remaining fifteen into the village at a leisurely pace.
Jiang Wan and the others galloped along the small path behind the mountain. The horses’ hooves kicked up leaves from the ground, sending them fluttering through the air.
Occasionally, they startled birds resting in the trees. A rustling sound would rise before quickly fading into the darkness that had yet to fully give way to dawn.
When they reached the designated position, they had spent roughly the time it took to burn a stick of incense.
Ye Yurong took a red signal flare from inside her robes.
A streak of red shot across the dark night sky, leaving behind a stunning trail.
Upon seeing the signal from their side, Lin Yuan did not hesitate and immediately led his men toward the small courtyard.
Jiang Wan said, “They should have already made their move. We should hurry too.”
“Okay.”
Another burst of hurried hoofbeats rang out. Among them, one sounded particularly anxious, standing out sharply from the others—just like its rider’s mood, both anxious and excited.
Jiang Wan and the others were the first to arrive.
Outside was still nothing more than a country path, with wild grass and vegetation growing chaotically along the sides. Houses with blue-tiled roofs surrounded the area.
The residence before Jiang Wan had walls built of gray-green bricks, with tall walls enclosing a spacious courtyard. Small gray-blue tiles covered the roof, while two heavy wooden doors stood tightly shut, seemingly unwelcoming to outsiders.
Two stone pedestals bearing stone lions stood beside the gate. Ye Yurong looked around and found the spot where they had decided to climb over the wall.
“Come on. We’ll climb in through the back.”
As soon as Jiang Wan approached the courtyard, her heart began pounding uncontrollably. At this point, she could only steel herself and continue with the operation.
With the help of one of the sailors, Ye Yurong climbed onto the wall and slipped silently into the courtyard. She unlatched the door and let the people outside enter.
The rear courtyard was spacious enough to accommodate more than forty people. Bluestone slabs covered the ground, and several storage rooms stood side by side.
The courtyard was quiet and orderly, with nothing unusual in sight. Yet the two women leading the group knew things would not go so smoothly.
Everyone moved deeper into the courtyard as quietly as possible. Along the way, they checked every storage room and building they encountered to see whether anyone was inside.
In one room, several people were lying on the beds, sleeping soundly. Jiang Wan took a look, shook her head, and signaled with her eyes for everyone to continue searching.
From the shadows, two men dressed in dark-black, close-fitting martial outfits with narrow sleeves quietly followed them. They slowly drew their cold, gleaming blades, preparing to deal with these outsiders who had trespassed into the courtyard.
Suddenly, a sharp clang tore through the silent night, startling the people lying in wait.
Jiang Wan immediately stepped forward and engaged one of them in combat, the flashes of blades and swords intertwining.
Ye Yurong and the others quickly moved in to distract and divide the guards’ attention. They twisted sideways and launched flying kicks, every move crisp and ruthless.
When the other guard became distracted, Jiang Wan swiftly jabbed her fingers toward his pressure points. Her movements were light and steady, without the slightest hesitation or wasted motion.
The weapons of both guards were knocked away, and the fight turned into close-quarters combat. Their fists and feet collided with dull, heavy thuds.
In the end, the two guards were overwhelmed by sheer numbers and captured alive. The sailors forced them to their knees and held them down.
Ye Yurong bent down on one knee, firmly gripping one man by the neck with one hand. Her grip was powerful and oppressive, and her gaze was intimidating.
“How many guards are there in the courtyard? Where are they stationed?”
The man whose neck was restrained kept his mouth tightly shut.
Jiang Wan’s expression remained calm, but the aura around her had grown somewhat cold. “Who hired you to guard this place? And is there an injured man being held here?”
The man still refused to utter a single word.
The other guard secretly tried to swallow a pill while no one was paying attention, but the sailor restraining him noticed and pulled it out before he could swallow it.
Seeing this, Ye Yurong took a white porcelain bottle from her sleeve, poured out two brown pills, and handed them to the sailors to force into the guards’ mouths.
Jiang Wan asked worriedly, “Did you poison them?”
Ye Yurong moved closer to her and quietly explained, “No. It’s something that makes them tell the truth. But it has a few other little effects too. Enough to scare them a little.”
Jiang Wan nodded. As long as it wasn’t life-threatening, that was fine.
The two brown pills entered their mouths and dissolved before they even had time to react. Before long, intense pain spread through their bodies. They curled up and doubled over in agony.
Ye Yurong’s voice turned colder. “So, are you going to talk or not?”
Jiang Wan turned away and quietly waited for their answer.
It took less than ten seconds before the guard on the right could no longer endure it.
“There are around twenty-five people. Most of them are in the front courtyard.”
“The people who hire us never show themselves. Someone else always acts on their behalf. And not long ago, there was indeed an injured man brought here.”
Jiang Wan pressed him further. “Where is he being held?”
“In the front courtyard, the third storage room on the west side!”
“Hurry! Give me the antidote! I’ve told you everything I know!”
Ye Yurong snapped her fingers inside her sleeve, and the two men immediately stopped trembling.
The other guard shouted angrily at him, “You traitor!”
Ye Yurong signaled for the sailors to tie both men up and gag them. They then knocked them unconscious and threw them into the woodshed.
Now that they knew the exact location, everyone had a clear direction. They immediately headed toward the western side of the front courtyard.
When they arrived at the front courtyard, Lin Yuan and the others happened to be fighting with the group of guards.
“Jiang Wan, go rescue Sheng Zixu. We’ll handle things out here.”
Jiang Wan replied solemnly, “Stay safe. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She pushed open the door of the third storage room and, just as expected, saw Sheng Zixu tied up like a dumpling.
Sheng Zixu had already been awakened by the commotion outside and had been quietly observing everything. The moment Jiang Wan pushed open the door and entered, his eyes widened in excitement.
He immediately began making muffled “mmph, mmph, mmph” sounds, as if saying:
You finally came! Hurry up and untie me!