It was already late, and Guo Ping felt embarrassed about troubling the retainer again. He decided to return home for the night and come back the next day to apologize.
He returned to his house, while Fu Xi Yan and the other two headed back to the inn.
When they reached the entrance, the attendant who had warned them about the pigeon droppings in their food was outside soliciting customers. The moment he saw them, he greeted them cheerfully. “Your timing is unfortunate. Someone came looking for you just now and left only moments ago.”
The Zhou brothers assumed it had been Zhang Da Shan, but Fu Xi Yan found that strange. He had instructed the attendant to keep an eye on Zhang Da Shan. Had it been him, the attendant would have simply said that the pigeon keeper had come.
Sure enough, judging by the attendant’s description—well-dressed, respectable in appearance, but a beast beneath the surface—it sounded rather like…
Chu Shao Yang?!
Fu Xi Yan rubbed his chest. He felt as though he were playing eagle-catches-chicks and the eagle had suddenly swooped close—his nerves were so strained that he was about to suffer a heart attack.
Zhou Zhong Xin cautiously surveyed their surroundings, while Zhou Geng Geng asked, “What did he say?”
“He only asked where the three of you had gone. Hadn’t you checked out? I thought you weren’t coming back, so I told him the truth. Afterward, he went to the Lu Family Inn.” The attendant had even been scolded by the innkeeper for failing to retain the guests and looked somewhat aggrieved.
Fu Xi Yan, however, thought the man was a glittering star of good fortune. He immediately took out some silver fragments to thank him, instantly sweeping away the clouds in the attendant’s heart.
Chu Shao Yang had not come with good intentions and would inevitably bring disaster. This place was no longer safe.
Fu Xi Yan hurriedly led the others away. Before leaving, he paid the attendant for his silence and asked him to “forget” that they had returned. Passing through the commercial street, the three swept up a large supply of goods.
When Willowwood Manor’s gatekeeper saw their many bags and bundles, he assumed they had merely gone back to collect their luggage and asked no questions.
Back in the guest room, Zhong Xin and Geng Geng arranged their purchases while wondering why Fu Xi Yan had bought so much.
Fu Xi Yan answered with the voice of experience, “During quarantine, stocking up is never a mistake.”
Zhou Geng Geng asked in confusion, “What are we quarantining from?”
Fu Xi Yan ground his teeth. “The Chu plague.”
For the hundred and first time, he regretted impulsively accepting Chu Shao Yang’s challenge. Had he known the man was a toxic piece of sticky candy, he would have placed him upon an altar, burned incense morning and evening, and begged the Buddha to take him away.
It was too late for regret. There was a wolf ahead and a tiger behind. He could only take matters one step at a time.
The long night stretched ahead, so they needed something to occupy themselves. After putting everything away, the three brewed a pot of tea, brought out some pastries, and chatted while eating. Once they had thoroughly cursed Chu Guang, Chu Shao Yang, and Zhang Da Shan for being inhuman, they collected themselves and turned the conversation to the disappearances at Willowwood Manor.
Fu Xi Yan analyzed, “The wet nurse’s family disappeared while going to a wedding banquet. The guards vanished while searching for them. The retainer’s whereabouts became unknown after he left. Nothing specific was said about the elderly purchasing clerk, but since they suspected him of taking the money, he probably disappeared while leaving to buy supplies. In conclusion, leaving the manor is more dangerous than remaining inside.”
Remembering their own trip back to the inn, all three secretly felt fortunate.
There was one point Fu Xi Yan did not mention. If Chu Shao Yang and Zhang Da Shan killed them after they left Willowwood Manor, a convenient scapegoat was already waiting. Both places were dangerous, but an enemy directly threatening his life was naturally more frightening than the manor’s merely potential enemy.
He said, “Let us make an assumption. Suppose the disappearances at Willowwood Manor were caused by human hands, and let the kidnapper equal X. What would X’s objective be? It could only be revenge, money, vicious competition, or something of that nature.”
The Zhou brothers nodded.
“If the motive is revenge, then the abductions are merely a prelude. Once everyone in Willowwood Manor has been frightened into a constant state of anxiety, there are two possible outcomes. First, X’s strength is greater than Willowwood Manor’s. In that case, X will probably reveal himself in the end and deliver a fatal blow. Second, X’s strength is weaker than Willowwood Manor’s. In that case, they may quit while they are ahead and return after some time.”
The two men were slightly dizzy and extremely convinced.
Fu Xi Yan suddenly rediscovered the pleasure of solving examination problems and continued his analysis. “If the motive is money, a ransom letter will certainly be delivered afterward. Willowwood Manor can either pay to avert disaster or use the opportunity to capture the culprit. The former temporarily guarantees safety but leaves endless future trouble. The latter carries greater risk but eliminates the problem permanently. Each has advantages and disadvantages.”
The Zhou brothers nodded repeatedly, wishing they could summon Manor Lord Tang to attend the lecture and learn alongside them.
“As for competition…” Fu Xi Yan considered Willowwood Manor’s business model—public-spirited, devoted to justice, and always helping others—and frowned. “Surely X cannot equal Song Jiang? A manor called Willowwood does sound terribly vulnerable to fire.” It was deeply worrying.
Zhong Xin and Geng Geng looked at each other. Their education was simply too limited to keep pace with his reasoning.
Zhou Geng Geng endured for a long time but ultimately failed to control his mouth. “Who exactly is this Duck-Ke-Si, and why does he want to become a kidnapper? Who is Song Jiang, and why does he have to equal Duck-Ke-Si? Also, should we tell the manor lord about Duck-Ke-Si and Song Jiang?”
“…” Fu Xi Yan forced out a false smile. “I don’t know whether the duck will be overcome and die, but I’m certain you will be the death of me.”
Zhou Geng Geng silently closed his mouth.
The three chatted about everything beneath the heavens until the early hours of the morning. Only after Zhou Zhong Xin urged them repeatedly did they reluctantly lie down.
Lying in bed, Fu Xi Yan spent a while reminiscing about palm-leaf fans and towels, swearing brotherhood with his roommates, and the glorious university days when they vowed that anyone who tattled to the teacher would be struck down by heaven and earth. Only then did he drift hazily to sleep. He was dreaming that “his roommate had gone to buy an ice pop and returned with a red brick impaled on a chopstick” when the rustling sound of a door opening woke him.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up. It turned out Guo Ping had arrived.
Guo Ping had intended to find the retainer and explain that they were leaving. Unexpectedly, the gatekeeper told him that his friends had stayed there the previous night, so he immediately came looking for them.
When explaining why they had remained, Fu Xi Yan declared sonorously, “Retreating without a fight is not the conduct of men like us!”
If he did not wish to explain, then so be it. Guo Ping did not pursue the matter and merely asked whether he still wanted treatment.
Fu Xi Yan thought about it. “We’re already here.”
Because trouble had arisen in the manor, the retainer was also idle and came as soon as Guo Ping summoned him. He seriously took Fu Xi Yan’s pulse for an entire minute before bringing out a complete set of medical equipment. Lying facedown upon the couch, Fu Xi Yan sighed with emotion. After going around in such a vast circle, he had still failed to escape the calamity of cupping therapy.
He dozed off again in a haze. Only when someone began moving things around on his back did Fu Xi Yan open his eyes and hear Guo Ping whisper, “Did the cold qi not come out?”
The retainer replied calmly, “It is years-old accumulated cold. How could it be completely drawn out so quickly?”
Fu Xi Yan twisted his head, trying to look at his own back.
…He had worried unnecessarily. He could not see it.
While Guo Ping went outside to see the physician off, Zhou Geng Geng began complaining. “What sort of physician is that? He can’t even perform cupping properly. He left the cups on for ages, yet there isn’t a single mark.”
Zhou Zhong Xin nodded as well.
Fu Xi Yan knew that his constitution was somewhat unusual, so he could not determine whether the problem lay with the physician or with himself.
It was nearly noon when Guo Ping returned carrying a food box and medicine.
Although Willowwood Manor was embroiled in a crisis, the meals it provided were abundant. Guo Ping ate with them and casually shared the firsthand information he had only just obtained from the retainer that morning. “Apparently, two other people have disappeared from the town besides those at Willowwood Manor.”
Seeing him spray saliva while eating, Fu Xi Yan immediately said, “Separate portions. Separate portions.”
The table was too small, so after dividing the food—the contaminated flat beans were reserved exclusively for Guo Ping—the four each squatted in a separate corner to eat.
Guo Ping wiped his mouth and continued, “Those two disappeared one day earlier than the elderly purchasing clerk. One was a local bully, and the other was a man who claimed to know everything happening in town.”
Fu Xi Yan casually asked, “What day was it?”
Guo Ping gave the date. Fu Xi Yan froze. Wasn’t that… the second day after they arrived?
Footsteps sounded in the courtyard. Soon afterward, the silhouettes of several people appeared against the door, and someone knocked. “Are the three guardsmen here?”
Fu Xi Yan could not hear clearly through the door. His eyes widened as he stood up. “Three-Sixty Security?”
The person outside had not heard him clearly either. “Are you the guardsmen?”
Even after transmigrating, someone remained obsessed with finding 360 Security. There could only be one person—
Fu Xi Yan put down his bowl and excitedly opened the door. “Could you possibly be… Boss Zhou?”
Elio’s Notes: “The three guardsmen” (三位卫士) sounds similar to 360 Security Guard, a popular Chinese antivirus program. Fu Xi Yan mishears it as the software’s name and asks whether the speaker is “Boss Zhou,” referring to Qihoo 360 founder Zhou Hong Yi.
In his excitement, he did not think of using a coded phrase such as “The Heavenly King subdues the earthly tiger” or “Beijing Olympics.” Instead, he directly asked, “When you left, which celebrity couple was trending for breaking up or getting divorced?”
The other man froze. His gaze shifted toward the remaining three people and froze once again when he saw them each occupying a corner and squatting with bowls in their hands. He cupped his fists. “My surname is Tang. I am the local head constable.”
Fu Xi Yan’s burning enthusiasm instantly turned ice-cold. “Weren’t you just looking for three… three…”
“The three guardsmen?”
Fu Xi Yan regained his composure and turned to leave. “Oh. Wrong people.”
Head Constable Tang looked puzzled. “Aren’t the three of you members of the Brocade Guard?”
Fu Xi Yan came back to himself. “Since you are so persistent, we must be connected by fate. In that case, I suppose we are.”
Head Constable Tang and the other constables: “…”
Head Constable Tang coughed dryly and signaled his subordinates to control their expressions. He then said to Fu Xi Yan, “We have come because Manor Lord Tang has a matter in which he requests your assistance. He has already prepared wine and dishes and hopes the guardsmen will honor him with their presence.”
Fu Xi Yan looked at the food in his bowl and did not want to waste it. Then he remembered that he still needed to lodge here for some time and proposed a compromise. “All right. May we bring a few dishes of our own?”
Head Constable Tang glanced at the leftover food in his bowl and fell silent.
Guo Ping remained behind on the excuse that he needed to decoct the medicine.
Fu Xi Yan and the others carried their bowls and followed Head Constable Tang. Only then did they discover that Willowwood Manor’s courtyards extended deep within, one beyond another. Its grounds were so vast and impressive that they surpassed even a count’s estate. Clearly—it was land prices that restricted the future size of Xi’an’s tourist attractions!
To avoid an awkward silence, Head Constable Tang introduced the manor’s layout as they walked. “Nearly half of the estate was newly built by the manor lord a little over ten years ago.”
Fu Xi Yan was astonished. Being public-spirited and devoted to justice was this profitable?!
Meticulous as always, Zhou Zhong Xin asked, “Is Head Constable Tang closely acquainted with Manor Lord Tang?”
One of the constables said proudly, “Manor Lord Tang is our head constable’s paternal cousin once removed.”
Zhong Xin and Geng Geng served a count’s estate and could not understand what was so impressive about being related to a manor lord. Fu Xi Yan, however, had been an ordinary person in his previous life and naturally understood the vanity ordinary people felt when claiming kinship with someone famous. He repeatedly said that it was an honor to meet him.
As expected, Head Constable Tang immediately beamed.
Manor Lord Tang had arranged the banquet inside a pavilion surrounded by water on all four sides, accessible by only a single bridge.
Zhou Zhong Xin’s steps paused. Zhou Geng Geng announced that he needed to “use the latrine,” so Head Constable Tang assigned a constable to accompany him while the others continued across the bridge.
At the far end of the long bridge stood an elegant corner pavilion.
Its name was Wukui Pavilion, and a couplet hung upon it:
Fame and profit vanish like smoke in the blink of an eye;
Kindness bestowed upon the people is remembered for all time.
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