Chapter 14: 014: Protecting Oneself (Thanks to Meng Zhuli Gao Mei +2)

Upon reaching the steps of the veranda, Qi Shan raised his hand to remove his bamboo hat, bent down to place his wooden clogs side-by-side, and lifted his hem to step onto the porch barefoot. He took the ladle hanging from a wooden pillar, scooped up rainwater from a stone basin, and rinsed the mud from his feet.

Shen Tang also took off her clogs, subconsciously looking for indoor footwear, but after scanning the area, she couldn't find anything to change into. Qi Shan rolled up his soiled hem and secured it at his knees, took a dedicated cloth from his sleeve to wipe his feet dry, and then handed the ladle to Shen Tang.

The two of them were not particularly slow, but the middle-aged man had already removed his ill-fitting, worn-soled clogs and stepped onto the wooden porch barefoot, leaving behind several muddy, wet footprints—though the courtyard was kept clean and paved with pebbles in many places, the heavy rain still created muddy puddles that easily dirtied one's feet. Seeing the two of them busy, he spoke up with a smile.

"You two may do as you please; there is no need for such trouble."

Hearing this, Shen Tang rinsed her feet clean with two scoops of water, tossed the ladle into the stone basin with a laugh, and stepped onto the wooden porch with a clatter.

Qi Shan’s tone carried a hint of severity.

"You Li, where are your manners?"

Shen Tang waved at him with a smile: "Didn't they say 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'? Brother, you are too formal. Why don't you come up and take shelter from the rain?"

Qi Shan took a deep breath, seemingly helpless against Shen Tang’s actions, and turned to apologize to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was quite composed; he kept a smile on his face and repeatedly said "it is nothing," showing no sign of displeasure, and even praised Shen Tang for being lively and genuine.

Qi Shan sighed: "But my younger brother is already twelve this year, yet he remains so flighty and immature. I worry he will suffer a great loss in the future..."

The middle-aged man’s expression stiffened slightly.

"Your younger brother? This is a young master?"

Qi Shan nodded: "Yes, my younger brother. He takes after our mother in appearance, and because he has a feminine look, he has caused many misunderstandings over the years."

The middle-aged man gave a dry laugh, claiming he had misjudged the situation and mistaken a young man for a fair maiden.

With that, he led them to a side room, telling them to wait out the rain there and that if it didn't let up, they could stay the night.

The middle-aged man suddenly said: "I recall there is still a pot of ginger soup warming in the kitchen. Would you two like some to warm yourselves up?"

Qi Shan bowed with his hands folded to thank the man.

The man said: "Please wait a moment."

As the footsteps gradually faded, Shen Tang dropped her playful smile, her expression turning serious and grave: "This man is lying; he is full of flaws. Regardless of whether he is actually going to the kitchen for ginger soup, we must be careful."

Qi Shan: "Naturally, we must be vigilant. The village head said A-Yan has a brain ailment and was abandoned at this estate since birth, neglected to the point that the servants often slighted him—this is evident from the children's clothes drying in the courtyard. Yet this man claims A-Yan is his son. Hah!"

Shen Tang paced the room, occasionally touching the ornaments with her fingers. She rubbed her fingertips together; they were clean and free of dust.

Near the lattice window stood two neatly arranged desks, one large and one small, with bookshelves acting as partitions to divide the room into different areas. Shen Tang picked up a bamboo slip from the table and opened it, finding it to be an elementary primer for children, containing both adult handwriting and a child's scribbles.

She said: "It’s quite clean. It seems those servants weren't entirely idle... but on a day with such heavy rain, with winds strong enough to blow a thatched hut into the sky, it is highly unreasonable that no one came out to bring in the clothes drying in the courtyard."

Qi Shan said calmly: "Furthermore, that man is dressed as a scholar, yet he has a fierce appearance, a vicious gaze, and carries the scent of blood. He looks more like a bandit than a scholar, and he is full of lies—I fear it is not that they didn't want to bring the clothes in, but that they were unable to..."

Or rather, they were dead.

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow: "Are they bandits?"

Qi Shan said: "With the current turmoil, turning to banditry and robbery is not uncommon."

It was not only common; for some, it had become the only way to make a living, and they would even lead an entire village to "get rich."

"In that case, things look grim for the occupants."

"It is highly likely there are no survivors. Whether they are bandits or thieves, they are certainly not the masters of this estate."

They had come looking for A-Yan and instead stumbled upon a crime scene.

Shen Tang gasped.

Qi Shan said with amusement: "Young Master Shen, are you afraid?"

Even he didn't believe his own words.

Shen Tang plopped down onto a floor mat and blinked: "I am a law-abiding citizen. How could I not be afraid of such vicious criminals who would likely wipe out an entire household? Master Qi, we have walked into a wolf's den; we are the meal on the hungry wolf's plate..."

As she spoke, she pulled out the wood-chopping knife tucked into her waistband.

She had hidden this knife under her clothes so the middle-aged man wouldn't see it.

Qi Shan’s sword had not been brought along, so this knife was the only thing they could rely on. Only by gripping the handle did she feel a sense of security. In truth, she still couldn't fathom why she, a homebody illustrator who preferred staying indoors, had to experience such thrilling events.

Although—

Although she had killed a bailiff and calmly accepted the reality afterward, she considered it self-defense. Plus, the lingering factors of this body made her, a homebody who couldn't lift heavy things or carry a load, possess such a fierce and cold-blooded side.

She herself was very friendly.

After all, what kind of bad intentions could an illustrator who was constantly urged and yelled at by her editor possibly have?

Qi Shan: "..."

"We have entered a wolf's den, but it remains to be seen who is the meal on the plate." His expression went numb when he heard the words "law-abiding citizen" from Shen Tang, and he unceremoniously tore down her facade, laughing, "A law-abiding citizen wouldn't be a fugitive, either."

To his surprise, Shen Tang replied: "Master Qi, you don't understand. I have a great grievance. If I were to die pointlessly on the road to exile, or on some bed in the Xiao City music house, and a righteous official were to overturn the case later and discover an innocent person like me, it would be too late—the person would be gone, leaving only regret. To prevent that from happening, and to uphold the justice of the law, I must preserve my own life. Being a fugitive is perfectly reasonable."

Qi Shan: "..."

He looked at the eloquent Young Master Shen and lamented that despite his age, his own skin wasn't as thick as this young lad's.

Just as he was about to say something, the smile on Shen Tang’s face vanished abruptly. She straightened up, looked toward the door, and raised a hand to her lips, signaling Qi Shan to be quiet. Before long, heavy footsteps drew closer, and the middle-aged man entered, carrying two bowls of steaming ginger soup.

"You two have waited a long time."

Qi Shan and Shen Tang nodded in thanks.

Under the middle-aged man’s gaze, the two of them picked up their respective bowls, lowered their eyes, and brought them to their lips, about to take a drink.

Seeing the two of them completely off-guard, the middle-aged man felt a surge of joy. But just as a mocking sneer was about to form on his lips, a bowl of steaming ginger soup splashed into his face. Immediately following, the low table flew up and slammed into his head.

Qi Shan splashed the soup; Shen Tang flipped the table.

And then—

Qi Shan retreated quietly behind Shen Tang and said calmly and composedly: "Know the masculine, keep to the feminine; when a situation is impossible, retreat—this is the way of self-preservation."

Shen Tang: "???"

Shen Tang: "!!!"