"Save Xiao Si?"
A bad premonition welled up in Yun Ze's heart. He helped the waiter in front of him up and asked, "Don't rush, tell me what happened."
"It's like this," the waiter explained, looking up. "Recently, children have been continuously transported into Weishan Prefecture. Xiao Si has been investigating secretly and learned that all the children were taken to the He Mansion. A large number of them die every day, and their bodies are thrown into the cesspool, then transported out of the city the next day.
He originally intended to wait for your return to tell you everything and let you make the decision. But yesterday, he got news from a servant of the He Mansion that his own sister was among those children. He immediately became anxious. Today, he bought a set of night-blooming clothes and a dagger, intending to sneak into the He Mansion, kill that beast He Laichao, and rescue those children. He told me that if you returned, you would come find him immediately to discuss these matters. Now, Xiao Si has been gone for almost half an hour, and he's probably close to entering the He Mansion! You must..."
Yun Ze's brows furrowed. He raised his hand to interrupt the waiter, "Wait a moment, this doesn't add up! A servant of the He Mansion? How did Han Si get information from a servant of the He Mansion?"
His parents had taught him that when walking the martial world, righteousness should come first. However, when acting righteously, one must not forget that the martial world is full of vipers. Every action must be carefully considered before making a decision! The waiter's explanation was clearly flawed, making it hard not to suspect it was a trap set by He Laichao! Perhaps Han Si himself was a hook set by He Laichao, waiting for him to fall into it and leave the old gentleman's side. Caution! Only with caution can one survive!
"This... Xiao Si didn't tell you?" The waiter was stunned for a moment, then continued, "That beast He Laichao has harmed too many people. Not just Xiao Si, but also me, and some of our brothers and sisters who infiltrated the He Mansion as servants are victims! We united to find an opportunity to kill He Laichao! We originally planned to act when that beast went to Han Shan Village, but he didn't bring any servants with him when he traveled, only a team of yamen runners, so we gave up. Later, when we thought about acting again, we found he had an immortal cultivator by his side, so we had to postpone it again. We weren't planning to act this time either, but Xiao Si... that's his only sister, his only relative in this world. If she's gone too..."
*Bang!*
A dull thud exploded. The waiter directly knelt before Yun Ze, looking up at him with bloodshot eyes, "Immortal Master!"
"I beg you! Kill that beast! Not just for Xiao Si, not just for me, but for the sake of all the people of Weishan Prefecture! Please, take action and save us from this suffering! Slay that beast!"
This explanation was reasonable. Now, hearing the waiter's words, Yun Ze understood why Han Si knew so much back then. It turned out that besides himself, many others were thinking of killing He Laichao, but they were not as fortunate. He had met the old gentleman, while they... could only swallow their hatred, unable to spit it out!
But, they also met me!
Yun Ze bent down, helped the waiter up, and solemnly promised, "Don't worry, I will kill He Laichao! However... now is not the time. I will go find Han Si and bring him back now!"
Since He Laichao had an immortal cultivator by his side, whether it was Han Si or himself, going now would be seeking death. The best course of action was to bring him back first, then make a long-term plan.
But just as Yun Ze was about to jump out of the inn window to bring Han Si back, a gong sound suddenly exploded in his ears!
*Clang!*
"Silence!"
As a slightly familiar voice rang out, the noise downstairs immediately subsided. Yun Ze frowned, leaned towards the window, and looked outside through the paper. He vaguely saw a group of people charging through the crowd, seemingly carrying something.
"I'll go see!" The waiter seemed to have discovered something, pushed the door open, and darted out.
"Wait..." Yun Ze had just uttered one word before the other person had already slipped out of the room. He had no choice but to give up, and he followed suit, sticking to the doorway and looking downstairs.
But the moment he looked downstairs, he was stunned by the sight before him!
A head.
Han Si's head!
He... was dead? Just like that!
Yun Ze's mind raced, his eyes filled with disbelief and regret! It seemed that when he came to find him with the night-blooming clothes, he wanted him to accompany him to the He Mansion. But tonight, he was rejected, so he went alone. It made sense. If his own sister were in such a situation, he wouldn't wait until tomorrow either.
What a pity! What a pity that he hadn't known these details earlier, otherwise, he would have accompanied him to the He Mansion!
Yun Ze clenched his fists, his teeth gritted. Although he and Han Si were not deeply acquainted, having only spoken three times, in those three conversations, he knew that Han Si was the same kind of person as himself. It was just that one had met an immortal cultivator, while the other... had only met him.
The constable, riding a tall horse, with a stern face, one hand on his saber, the other holding a head, followed by three similarly dressed constables, scanned the surroundings and asked, "Who is the shopkeeper? Come out and answer!"
"I... I'm here!" The shopkeeper replied tremblingly, rushing to the constable, his waist almost breaking. "Officer, what is this..."
"Open your eyes and see, is this person the waiter from your establishment?"
"Yes... yes..." The shopkeeper dared not lie, as Han Si had worked there for quite some time, and many people knew him. "Officer, may I ask what Han Si did? Why..."
"What did he do? You dare to ask!" The constable said, throwing the head on the ground. It rolled to the shopkeeper's feet, leaving a bloody stain. "This person was audacious enough to enter the He Mansion under the cover of night to commit a crime! He attempted to assassinate Master He! He was killed on the spot by Young Master He! We are here to find any accomplices!"
"Ass... assassinate!?" The shopkeeper's knees buckled, and he directly knelt on the ground, looking at the head beside him, completely stunned. "Officer, how is this possible! Han Si was diligent and capable, how could he..."
"Hmph!?" The constable seemed to have a habit of not liking people to finish their sentences. He snorted and asked, "Are you saying Young Master He killed the wrong person?"
"No, no, no! Not at all! I didn't mean that!" The shopkeeper quickly defended himself. "I mean, Han Si had a shifty face, and one look told you he wasn't a good person. Young Master He did well to kill him! But please, officer, be clear, there are no accomplices in my shop. It was all the work of this scoundrel alone!"
"Heh, is that so?" The constable sneered, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd, finally stopping on the counter. "Perhaps we'll need to search before we can make a conclusion."
The shopkeeper, being a shrewd person, understood what to do as soon as he heard this. He went behind the counter and started tidying up, preparing to make amends.
As for the waiter.
He gripped the railing with both hands, the veins on his forehead bulging, his eyes fixed on the head on the ground! Seeing this, Yun Ze quickly pulled him back. In his current state, if those black-clad dogs below saw him, another one might die.
But the moment he put on his bamboo hat and mask and went out, the constable's gaze locked onto him like a falcon!
"You upstairs, stop right there!"