065 A Contest with the Dog

“Brother Li, Brother Li, are you alright?” Seeing the scene before him, Meng Haoran couldn’t help but show his concern. He gripped the iron bars and called worriedly inside.

Li Bai slowly turned around. The moment he saw Chen Yage standing there in a daze, he immediately turned his back. “Why have you come?” His voice suddenly sounded aged, stripped of the carefree spirit he usually wore in white.

“This is not a place you should be. Leave at once! A life for a life—there’s no need to run around for my sake anymore. It’s useless, even if Lord Xu were to spare me, Wang Zhiguo would never let this matter rest so easily.” Li Bai spoke calmly, as if the affair concerned someone else entirely.

Hearing these words, Chen Yage felt a searing pain in her chest, an unbearable heaviness. Step by step, she approached the iron bars and questioned him, “So you’re giving up? Giving up on your life, on us? Are you really so heartless? You won’t die, you still have so much to live for, you won’t die.” She repeated her words over and over, so anxious for Li Bai that those around her thought it excessive. None of them realized she already knew the fate awaiting him. Yet, Chen Yage herself had no idea who the benefactor was that could save Li Bai from this calamity, nor where to find them.

Li Bai gave a bitter smile. “Things have come to this—what use is it not to face them calmly?”

You Huan, witnessing Li Bai’s predicament, was filled with guilt. He hadn’t thought his small act of venting anger would lead to such dire consequences. But what good was regret now that all was said and done? He lowered his head, almost as if making a promise. “I’ll do everything I can to clear your name. If I truly can’t, I won’t let you die in my place.”

Li Bai gave a helpless laugh. “The man was killed by my own hand. You have nothing to blame yourself for.”

“Are you all finished? Hurry up and leave. If you delay any longer and the young master arrives, it won’t end well for anyone.” The guard entered just as Chen Yage was about to speak, impatience plain in his voice.

“Brother Bai, promise me you’ll hold on. I will save you.” Chen Yage had calmed considerably. She gripped the bars tightly, determination burning in her eyes as she looked at Li Bai within the cell.

Li Bai’s body trembled slightly. He slowly turned around; that once radiant and handsome face was now dulled, his voice heavy and subdued.

“Brother Meng, look after her for me. Go now, quickly.”

“Hurry, hurry, don’t dawdle,” the guard urged again, his impatience growing. Chen Yage cast one last lingering look at Li Bai, then took the lead in leaving the cell.

Outside, dusk had fallen. Meng Haoran sighed, “It’s late. Let’s each go home and rest. Brother You, come with me to see Xu Jin first thing tomorrow. Let’s hope it helps.”

“Alright, we’ll wait outside the Xu residence in the morning,” You Huan agreed readily. Noticing Chen Yage’s sorrowful expression, he asked with concern, “Yage, where do you live? Why don’t we see you home? It’s not safe for a young lady to be out at night.”

“I’ll be fine,” Chen Yage replied softly. “You go on ahead. We’ll meet at the Xu residence tomorrow.”

With that, she walked away. You Huan and Meng Haoran watched her departing figure—one filled with guilt, the other with sympathy.

Chen Yage wandered in a daze, her mind in turmoil. She thought of breaking Li Bai out, but with her limited skills, self-defense was one thing—jailbreak was another. That would be like a moth flying into the flames, courting certain death.

Suddenly she stamped her foot in frustration, wincing at the pain. She racked her brains for another way to save Li Bai, but the more she thought, the more confused she became, until finally her head throbbed so badly she curled up on the ground.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the pain subsided and her mind cleared, but by then the sky was fully dark. Chen Yage let out a long sigh, gazing up at the heavens and then down at the earth, feeling utterly lost.

Wandering aimlessly, she drifted into a small alley. In the corner crouched a beggar—his face indistinguishable, only his arms wrapped around his head as he leaned against the wall. Chen Yage approached curiously, unsure how to address him, when suddenly she thought of Tiger. Her eyes sparkled with an idea—she would go and find Tiger.

Recalling the route from memory, she turned this way and that until she emerged onto a bustling street. Lanterns had just been lit, and the lively scene rivaled the day.

Her curiosity was piqued. She hadn’t expected so much activity at night in ancient times—these people really knew how to enjoy themselves.

Ahead stood a grand tavern. Inside, music and laughter filled the air, the crowd lively and boisterous. A large gilded sign hung above the entrance, but to her embarrassment, Chen Yage couldn’t recognize a single character. It was mortifying—after all, she was a university graduate, and yet she was now illiterate. The thought alone would be enough to make others laugh out loud.

She walked toward the tavern, when a strong waft of perfume assaulted her senses. Next, a sleazy-looking middle-aged man, arm around a gaudily dressed woman with a bare shoulder, sauntered out. Chen Yage froze; she’d already guessed what kind of establishment this was.

She wanted to take a look inside, to see what an ancient pleasure house was really like. But dressed as she was, and without a single coin to her name, she risked not only missing the show but being forced into prostitution. She knew her looks now were nothing to boast of, but she was, after all, a woman.

Just as she was about to turn away, a familiar figure appeared—Xu Jin, dressed in black silk, descended from a sedan chair. Chen Yage quickly ducked behind a nearby rock.

“Well, Young Master Xu, you’re here. I’ll fetch Xiangyu to serve you properly,” came the madam’s shrill voice, grating on Chen Yage’s ears. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the woman and watched as Xu Jin followed her inside with a smile.

So he looked like a man of virtue, but was just as unable to resist temptation! Chen Yage inwardly mocked him. Tomorrow, You Huan and Meng Haoran were supposed to negotiate with Xu Jin, but if he spent the night in debauchery and didn’t return home, what then?

No, she couldn’t let Xu Jin enjoy himself tonight. Chen Yage circled the tavern, inspecting it thoroughly. She had to admit, the place was sizable—a two-story building, much like a modern villa.

Getting in through the front door would be difficult, so she decided to scale the back wall, minimizing trouble and risk.

She sighed at the two-meter-high wall. Why did ancient people build walls this tall? If it were the palace for security, she could understand, but for commoners with nothing to protect, what was the point? It wasted time, effort, and money. Still, she mustered all her strength and clambered up, finally leaping down into the courtyard.

Suddenly, a dog sprang out of nowhere and bit her on the foot. Chen Yage nearly screamed, but quickly bit down on her own hand to stifle the noise.

She wanted to run, but common sense told her that would only provoke the dog more. So she slowly crouched down and, locking eyes with the little black dog, barked, “Woof, woof-woof, woof-woof-woof-woof-woof!”

The little black dog was startled by her barking, stood frozen for a moment, then tucked its tail and slunk away.