“Second Langjun, this is what I’m told…” The driver whispered in a low voice so that no one else could overhear .
After a while, Jiang Pengji asked, “There’s no family symbols on this carriage, right?”
The driver replied, “No . I’ve prepared this carriage as you required . ” He did not understand her intentions, but he managed to find a plain one among the few carriages of the Liu’s which were designed for different occasions .
“Very well . ” Jiang Pengji closed her eyes and told the driver, “Take me west of the town . ”
“No problem!” He grabbed his lash . The horse leisurely headed towards their destination, avoiding the noisy crowds .
While they were leaving, the guards from the Meng’s continued to keep an eye on the gambling house . Their tea had long become cold; they hadn’t taken a single sip of it during the hours of observation .
The subordinates were sitting at positions that could best protect their leader, whose gaze was following the departing carriage .
Suspiciously, he pointed at the carriage and asked a waiter at the diner, “Whose carriage is that?”
The waiter tried his best to recognize it, but in vain . An ordinary carriage like that was affordable even to commoners . Without family symbols, one could not tell who it belonged to .
As Hejian was home to countless houses and significant families––which certainly possessed their own carriages––it was impossible for the waiter to remember half of their symbols, let alone their vehicles .
Thus, he answered, “Sir, that’s the most common model in Hejian . I really can’t tell whose that is . ” Since the men had changed, the waiter did not realize they were the ones who had committed shocking crimes in the town .
“Leader, what should we do?”
The leader could not decide either . Out of a strange feeling, he ordered a soldier to follow the carriage . Families that could afford a ride usually avoided bloody scenes . Why would that be an exception?
Yet, the soldier’s report that night seemed to prove him wrong .
“It doesn’t look like Meng Hun’s carriage,” said the man who had chased after the vehicle . He had followed it to various parts of the town .
“Then why did it stop at the gambling house?” asked the leader .
The subordinate thought for a moment, and suggested carefully, “Maybe… it’s just trying to avoid the crowd nearby?”
“…” Oh, right . He had long forgotten about that . He was used to running people over on the street in Cang . Still, they were in Hejian, where the practice was not as common .
Realizing he had asked a stupid question, the leader’s mood was further worsened .
“What should we do now? We’ve been here the whole day but have found no clues about where Meng Hun might be . ”
While many of them assumed Meng Liang was unlikely to survive, the leader believed otherwise . So he said, “We must go back and tell this to Master immediately . ”
Some soldiers hesitated . “What if Master blames the kidnapping on us?” one of them asked, who then anxiously made a cutting-neck hand gesture .
The leader shook his head . “I’m sure that Langjun’s still alive . Meng Hun wouldn’t have the courage to kill him and provoke the master . ”
The same soldier listened attentively . “Why?”
“That’s simple . ” The leader opened the two rolls again and pointed at the part written by Meng Liang . “Don’t you see that the langjun’s writing is tidy and at a casual speed? In other words, he was certain that he would face no fatal danger . Still, I can’t believe the amount Meng Hun’s asked for! Two thousand stones! I wonder if his stomach can hold that much!”
Meng Hun’s demand was substantial, but the value was nothing compared to the langjun’s life .
“You’re the cleverest man, Leader!” The soldiers flattered him .
“Now, we must waste no time in sending these rolls . Even if the master will punish us for the kidnapping, he will also reward us generously for saving Langjun . Besides, he will understand that the Langjun has fallen into Mang Hun’s hands mostly because of his naughty secret from us . ”
That would guarantee them light punishment and a prosperous career . What was more, they would receive a good amount of jewelry and silver .
In fact, they had thought that they could complete the task sooner, assuming that Meng Hun would come quickly after hearing about their deeds in the gambling house . Hours had passed, most corpses had been cleared away, but the men in the diner had not seen Meng Hun .
The leader ordered, “All right . Let’s go back to Cang . ”
A strange voice spoke behind them . “Good day, everyone . Well, it might not have occurred to you, but we Hejian guards won’t let you get away so easily . ” The team turned to the speaker .
Behind them were the guards of the Hejian County Chief, and they were not less muscular than the leader and his soldiers . “You’ve committed a serious crime in this town, you know . ”
In a foreign environment, they had to follow foreign rules . After a standstill, the leader arrogantly replied, “Tst! When we leave, I want the whole group of you to walk me out of town . ”
His words irked the Hejian guards, who made all their efforts to resist the impulse to kill them on the spot .
“Let’s see,” answered a guard with a stiff face . They could hardly bear the imperious people from Cang!