Chapter 45 - The Cannon Fodder Little Fulang [Quick Transmigration]

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Chapter 45

 

 

Hai Zan had been in the city for a while and was well acquainted with the other shop assistants. As such, he knew where Li Yuan lived and led Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo toward his home, which was located in a village near the outskirts of Yangjiang Province.

 

Upon arriving at Li Yuan's house, they knocked on the door, but no one answered. A sense of unease settled in their hearts—had Li Yuan already fled?

 

Just then, a neighbor poked his head out and asked, "Who are you people?"

 

"Uncle, we're Li Yuan's friends. We need to talk to him. Do you know where he went?" Wu Bai inquired.

 

"Oh, you're his friends? He was just home a moment ago. I didn't see him leave. Maybe he didn't hear you knocking—try calling out louder," the old man suggested with a nod. With that, he withdrew back inside his house.

 

From within, muffled voices could still be heard.

 

"Who was that?"

 

"Some folks looking for Li Yuan."

 

"Tsk! Him? Those people didn't look like the sort who'd be friends with him. Could it be that he's gotten into trouble again, and now they've come looking for him?"

 

"Who cares? That brat never did anything good anyway. If he's gotten himself in trouble, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Just don't meddle in other people's business."

 

"Yes, yes, I know."

 

Hearing this exchange, Wu Bai and the others became certain that Li Yuan was still inside but was deliberately avoiding them out of guilt.

 

Without hesitation, Hai Zan stepped forward and kicked the door open.

 

The three of them strode into the courtyard, where they found all the rooms tightly shut except for the kitchen. Inside, the stove was still burning, and the water atop it was steaming hot—the embers had yet to die out. This only confirmed their suspicions: Li Yuan was definitely still inside.

 

They approached the tightly closed door of one of the rooms. Hai Zan raised his foot and kicked hard. The door burst open, the wooden panel crashing to the floor—followed immediately by a sharp cry of pain.

 

Xiao Zimo stepped inside, lifted a fallen wooden plank, and, sure enough, found Li Yuan curled up beneath it, clutching his knee.

 

"Li Yuan?" Xiao Zimo called out in a probing tone.

 

Li Yuan averted his gaze, stubbornly refusing to answer.

 

Seeing his attitude, Hai Zan grabbed him by the collar and growled, "Li Yuan! Why did you do it? Why did you betray me? Betray the shop? Have I ever wronged you? Has our master ever wronged you?"

 

"Hmph, no, you haven't." Li Yuan finally spoke.

 

"Then why did you bring fire oil into the shop? Do you realize how many lives you could have endangered?" Hai Zan's voice was thick with fury.

 

"Fire oil?!" Li Yuan looked utterly bewildered.

 

"What else did you think it was?" Xiao Zimo interjected coldly.

 

"No… that's impossible! The man who gave it to me told me it was just ordinary oil!" Li Yuan protested.

 

Xiao Zimo let out a derisive chuckle. "If it was just ordinary oil, then why didn't you deliver it to the shop yourself? Why did you have Hai Zan take it in while you hid at home?"

 

At these words, Hai Zan also turned to stare at Li Yuan, waiting for an explanation.

 

Li Yuan's eyes flickered with unease. Then, as if making up his mind, he said, "I don't know anything. I never sent any fire oil to the shop. Hai Zan was the one who carried it in—oh, I see! The three of you are just trying to frame me, aren't you?" He suddenly recalled his dealings with the unknown figure and was certain that no one else had been present. As long as he denied everything, they would have no proof against him.

 

He was sure Hai Zan had nothing to use against him. Even the cloth he had wrapped the fire oil jars in had been scavenged from an abandoned graveyard—far too fine a fabric for someone like him to afford.

 

"You—!" Hai Zan was seething with rage.

 

"Enough, Brother Zan," Wu Bai interjected calmly. "There's no point arguing with him. Let's just take him to Yun-ger and have him handed over to the magistrate. I'm sure he won't be able to keep his mouth shut for long."

 

Hearing that he was about to be turned over to the authorities, Li Yuan panicked. He frantically scrambled toward the door in an attempt to escape.

 

But his injured leg made any effort futile. Within moments, he was subdued and tied up by Hai Zan.

 

With their captive in tow, the three of them made their way back to the city.

 

Behind them, Li Yuan's neighbor once again peeked out, watching their retreating figures with a sigh. "That husband of mine was right. That brat Li Yuan really did stir up trouble again."

 

"Enough gossiping! Help me tidy up the house. Xing-ger and his husband are coming over soon. It's only been three days since he got married—I wonder how he's been faring."

 

***

 

The trio successfully escorted Li Yuan back to the city.

 

Meanwhile, in another part of town, the Yins—father and son—had combed through all their cloth workshops and shops, uncovering a shocking amount of fire oil.

 

Faced with such a grave matter, the Yin family had no choice but to report it to the authorities. The magistrate himself arrived with a squad of men, arresting numerous individuals. Many of them had been working within the Yin family's businesses—betraying their own employer. Seeing this, Father Yin's expression darkened with fury. Had they discovered this even a little later, the entire Yin family business would have been destroyed.

 

Wu Bai and the others also handed over their prisoner, leaving Li Yuan to the magistrate's men.

 

"Bai-ger, Brother Xiao," Yin Yun said gratefully. "I can't thank you enough for this. If not for your warning, things could have gone far worse."

 

"There's no need to be so formal with us. We just happened to stumble upon it," Xiao Zimo replied casually.

 

"That's right, Yun-ger," Wu Bai added. "Now that this issue is resolved, don't dwell on it too much. We're friends, after all—it's only natural to help each other. But, I worry this might not be the end of it. You must stay vigilant."

 

"I understand. I'll be careful," Yin Yun nodded solemnly.

 

Hai Zan, looking uneasy, stepped forward with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Young Master…"

 

Seeing this, Yin Yun, who had been tense all this time, finally relaxed a little. "Brother Hai, I know this wasn't your fault. You don't have to apologize."

 

"But I should. If only I hadn't helped Li Yuan bring that fire oil…" Hai Zan's remorse deepened.

 

"Brother Hai, in a way, I should be thanking you," Yin Yun said. "If you hadn't taken the fire oil in his stead, Brother Xiao might not have realized what it was. And my family wouldn't have discovered that fire oil had been stashed in other places too. If that had gone unnoticed, my entire family business would've been ruined. So, you really don't need to blame yourself—I never did."

 

Hearing this, Hai Zan finally let go of some of his guilt.

 

Since Yin Yun would undoubtedly be busy dealing with the aftermath, Wu Bai and the others didn't linger and soon took their leave.

 

Later, at the bookstore, Xiao Zimo relayed the incident to his subordinates and instructed them to spread the word that Tang Maode was involved in the fire oil scheme. He wanted to test the magistrate—to see how he would handle the matter.

 

A few days later, the magistrate delivered his verdict. All those arrested, including Li Yuan, were sentenced to exile, under the charge of deliberately damaging their master's property.

 

Xiao Zimo had anticipated this outcome. He immediately ordered his men to investigate all officials in Yangjiang Province, including the magistrate himself.

 

Meanwhile, Wu Bai learned from Yin Yun that Father Yin had fallen ill from anger. Not only had someone attempted to set their shops on fire, but he had also spent a large sum of money bribing the magistrate to ensure a thorough investigation—only to receive such a perfunctory ruling.

 

But what truly crushed him wasn't just the injustice. It was the realization that whoever was behind this was someone even the magistrate dared not offend. He thought back to the conflicts between Yin Yun and Tang Ling. Before, he had dismissed it as mere disputes between gers. Now, he realized he had gravely underestimated the situation.

 

A few days later, with the shop's troubles settled, Wu Bai decided to invite Yin Yun out for some fresh air. Yin Yun had been running himself ragged over the matter, and Wu Bai could tell he had lost weight. Now that the danger had passed and Xiao Zimo had assured them that Tang Maode would not make another move so soon, Wu Bai felt it was a good time to help Yin Yun unwind.

 

They had previously planned to visit a temple but had never managed to go. This time, when Wu Bai extended the invitation, Yin Yun agreed without hesitation.

 

Knowing that Hai Zan was from the same village as Wu Bai and the others, Yin Yun thought it would be more fun with a larger group. He had Yin Yue invite Hai Zan along so they could all visit a temple just outside the city.

 

Yangjiang Province was home to many wealthy families, and its temples thrived with incense offerings. As a result, the temple they visited was grand and magnificent, with every detail crafted to perfection.

 

Amidst the flow of visitors, Wu Bai and the others admired the scenery as they chatted.

 

Following the crowd, they arrived at the temple's main hall, where they first paid their respects to the Buddha and made their incense offerings.

 

After leaving the main hall, Yin Yun took it upon himself to introduce the temple's features to Wu Bai and the others. Having grown up in Yangjiang Province and visited this temple many times, he was well-acquainted with its sights.

 

"Really? That tree is as remarkable as you say?" Wu Bai asked in surprise.

 

"Of course! My father and my mother met under that very tree, got to know each other, and fell in love. To this day, they remain as devoted as ever!" Yin Yun said with pride.

 

It was true that Yin Yun's parents had always shared a deep affection. Otherwise, his father would not have remained faithful to a single fulang, even though he had no other children apart from a ger. Instead, he had chosen to nurture Yin Yun and prepare him to inherit the family business.

 

"Then let's go take a look," Wu Bai said, exchanging a glance with Xiao Zimo.

 

As they spoke, they arrived at a secluded courtyard. At its center stood a large silk tree, its delicate yellow blossoms in full bloom, forming layer upon layer of petals—a sight both elegant and mesmerizing. Under the tree, apart from their group, a few young people were tying red silk threads to its branches.

 

As they marveled at the view, more visitors entered the courtyard.

 

Yin Yun reached into his pouch and took out two red silk threads, handing them to Wu Bai.

 

Wu Bai accepted them with a smile, his ears tinged with pink as he passed one thread to Xiao Zimo. Xiao Zimo took the thread, tied a knot, and returned it to Wu Bai. Wu Bai then intertwined the two knots and had Xiao Zimo press down a branch while he tied the thread onto it.

 

Just as he finished securing the red silk, Xiao Zimo caught a flash of white in his peripheral vision—something hurtling towards them at high speed. His instincts kicked in instantly.

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