Chapter Ninety-Five: The Guo Brothers Return Unexpectedly

When the two of them turned back, they heard Dali say, “Master, let me tell Little Butterfly to take good care of my mother. Also... I miss her very much.”

Hearing this, Gou Ye only laughed and said nothing. He waved a hand and followed Yun Niang out of the room. By then evening had long since passed, and the sky was already pitch-black. In ancient times, without street lamps, one could not see a hand in front of one’s face unless the moon was out. Gou Ye had even prepared a lantern for himself, because he did not know how to drive a carriage. He could only stand beside Yun Niang, lantern in hand, carefully surveying the road ahead and the surroundings, and in his heart he could not help but think of the Gu brothers.

After an exhausting journey, Gou Ye and Yun Niang finally reached the village. All around was quiet. In those days people kept early hours; by this time most had already tucked themselves under the covers and sunk into the warmth of sleep. As soon as they reached the gate, they saw Little Butterfly and the Gu brothers sprinting toward them in a rush.

Why had they come back? Full of doubt, Gou Ye leaped down from the carriage. “Bingjin, Bingyin, why have you returned?”

In the light spilling from the room, Gou Ye noticed the cut on Gu Bingjin’s left arm. Frowning deeply, he asked, “What happened?”

Gu Bingyin’s face was flushed with anger. “Damn it, Young Master, we were ambushed.”

Gou Ye glanced around, his expression grave. “Come inside first. We’ll talk there.”

Once inside, Gou Ye could finally see the wound on Gu Bingjin’s left arm. The entire sleeve had been dyed red with blood, and the mangled, flesh-ravaged injury was plainly visible. Then Gu Bingjin said, “Young Master, here is what happened. This afternoon, my brother and I were bathing by the river in Blackwater Village when we saw more than twenty masked men charging at us with knives in hand. At the time we were barely clothed, so we had no choice but to meet them in haste. Fortunately, those men were not especially skilled, and only then were we able to pick up weapons. In the struggle, we killed four or five of them. When the others saw they could not defeat us, they fled in panic.”

“Yun Niang, please hurry to Old Man Li’s house and ask Brother Li Zhi to come here.”

Yun Niang knew Li Zhi had some skill as a healer and, hearing why he was needed, immediately rushed out without a second thought. After speaking, Gou Ye turned to the Gu brothers. “You’ve both suffered for this trip, and endured this flesh-and-blood pain.”

Gu Bingjin smiled lightly and said, “It’s nothing, Young Master. Just a minor cut. The main thing is that my brother and I may already have been discovered, so we hurried back overnight to report it to you.”

“You did nothing wrong. Before you left, I already told you: safety comes first. But do you two know when exactly you were discovered?”

Gu Bingjin thought for a moment. After a while, as if he had remembered something, he said, “I think we probably were not discovered by them. The constables did indeed come to the village, but both of us were hiding very well. There was no way they could have found us. Besides, that young man had been following those two constables the whole time. If there was a problem, then someone inside the village must have sold us out and told them we were here. From there, they sent people to lie in wait and hunt my brother and me.”

Gou Ye considered this, his expression turning heavier. “Then when those constables came, did they notice anyone following them? And the person you killed—did you pull off his mask and look? Was he one of the constables who came to the village that day?”

Gu Bingjin replied, “No. Their skill was not much to speak of, but they were definitely better than those constables who came to the village last time. I think they only knew that the two of us had come to investigate the matter in Blackwater Village.”

As they were speaking, Yun Niang hurried in with Li Zhi, and the conversation was briefly interrupted. Li Zhi then bandaged Gu Bingjin’s wound and left behind two bottles of wound medicine.

“Thank you, Brother Li,” Gou Ye said gratefully.

Li Zhi smiled faintly. “No need. Just as Bingjin said, it’s only a flesh wound. Nothing serious, and it hasn’t reached the sinews or bones. Rest well for a while and you’ll be fine.”

With that, Gou Ye took out ten taels of silver and placed them in Li Zhi’s hand. Li Zhi hurriedly tried to refuse. “Gou Ye, I understand your kindness. Ever since my father passed away, you’ve given me silver on many occasions under one pretext or another. I can’t accept this money anymore. If my father beneath the earth knew, he would surely blame me.”

Gou Ye said solemnly, “Brother Li, these few taels are nothing at all. You’re raising a child on your own; life isn’t easy. It’s only right that I help you a little more. Besides, Old Man Li’s death has a direct connection to me. If you take my silver, I can feel a little better in my heart.”

Li Zhi smiled. He looked at Gou Ye as though looking at his own younger brother, patted his head, and placed the money back into Gou Ye’s hand, pressing it down firmly. “Gou Ye, your kindness, my father can see it. So much time has passed, and I have never once blamed you. I told you before: this matter has nothing to do with you. It was all the county office’s cruelty. Don’t keep carrying it on your back. You still have more important things to do. If my father knew it from beyond the grave, he would not wish to see you like this. Just as my father said, I believe you can do even better.”

With that, he turned and left the room.

Gou Ye remained where he was, his heart in turmoil, and then he looked toward the Gu brothers. “You two should go back and rest as well. Since you’ve already been discovered, don’t go to Blackwater Village for the next little while. I’ll think of another way to handle that matter. Oh, and the weather’s turned cold lately. It’s chilly in the house, so burn more firewood.”

The two of them answered and left one after the other. Holding Yun Niang beside him, Gou Ye let out a soft sigh. Yun Niang could not help asking, “Brother Gou Ye, why are you so troubled?”

“The investigation has reached a dead end in Blackwater Village. Now I can only hope Dali finds that old man. If he can’t, then as for Blackwater Village, I’m afraid that even if the Shang Clan helps us bring in the prefect, we still won’t have any evidence.” Saying this, he forced a carefree smile and looked at Yun Niang. “All right, it’s nothing. Heaven has its cycles, and no one is spared. Justice may be late, but it never fails to arrive.”

After a simple supper, Gou Ye returned to the room with Yun Niang and slept in each other’s arms. He slept deeply that night, so deeply that he even had a sweet dream. He and Yun Niang had finally truly performed the wedding rites before heaven and earth and become a real husband and wife. Just as Gou Ye, his heart surging with joy, walked toward Yun Niang and prepared to lift her bridal veil, he suddenly caught the smell of thick smoke. Looking around in alarm, he asked, “What is that smell?”

“Fire! Young Master, Miss, fire!” That cry of panic jolted Gou Ye, who had been lost in dreamland, wide awake.