Chapter 74: The Gate of Death

Just as Young Master Xu had anticipated, the fish had taken the bait. The difficulty in fishing lies not in the sweetness of the lure, but in the wariness of the fish; the only foolproof method is to dispel all suspicion and let the fish hook itself.

Baihua felt a surge of surprise, but feigned a look of distress. "There are only three paths up the mountain, and each is strictly guarded by ten or more retainers. Since you are a stranger, I fear you won't be able to slip past them."

This was indeed a problem. He pondered for a moment and asked, "What excuse did you use to come down the mountain today?"

"I came to buy some face powder for my mistress."

"Which shop in Qiantang is the most famous for powder?"

"Xie Hengwu."

"Someone, come here!"

The manservant who had brought Baihua over appeared at the call. "Go to Xie Hengwu, buy ten boxes of powder, and bring back a servant's uniform."

As the servant departed to carry out the order, Baihua asked, "Are you planning to..."

"I will disguise myself as an attendant from Xie Hengwu and accompany you up the mountain to deliver the powder. That reason should hold up, shouldn't it?"

Baihua gritted her teeth. "Very well. But we cannot wait for dark; we must leave now. Once night falls, outsiders are strictly forbidden from entering the mountain."

"In broad daylight?" the man muttered thoughtfully. "I fear I won't be able to get close to the waterfall."

"That is of no concern. Once we are on the mountain, I can find an unoccupied house where you can hide. It will not be too late to investigate the waterfall when night falls."

With the plan settled, the man proved decisive. Once the powder was purchased and he had changed into the servant's attire, he gave a few instructions and set out of the city with Baihua.

No sooner had they left than the courtyard burst into activity. A man who appeared to be the leader stood on the steps and shouted boisterously, "Let's move, let's move! Get the 'ducks' from the dungeon. The usual rules: blindfold them, gag them, and no noise allowed. Load them all onto the ox carts outside. And I’ll say it one more time—don’t you dare touch that young woman. If I catch anyone getting fresh with the prisoners again, watch out for your own manhood!"

In the local Qiantang dialect, kidnapped victims were referred to as "ducks," implying they were being fattened up for slaughter.

"Boss, do you really think there's any future in this business?" one of the lean men asked, his voice full of worry as he stroked his chin. "We've had them tied up for so long—should we kill them or let them go? Give us a straight answer."

The man addressed as "Boss" shot a sidelong glance at the lean man. "You don't know a damn thing. We’re paid to do a job, and we get a daily rate. The longer he drags this out, the more we make. The year is coming to an end, and all the brothers have expenses. I, for one, hope this job never ends—the more days, the more money!"

"That may be so," the lean man fretted, "but I’ve felt uneasy these past few days. I have a gut feeling this whole thing is fishy. Boss, what if we’ve messed with the wrong people? We talked in private—he doesn't have a Qiantang accent; he must be from out of town. If things go south, he can just pick up and leave without a care in the world. But we’re different. We have families and homes right here in Qiantang. I don’t want us to end up tainted by this mess without having tasted any of the benefits."

"You worry too much," the boss snapped. "It’s been over a month. If we’d crossed the wrong people, they would’ve come knocking down our door long ago! Get moving and keep an eye on them. We’re changing locations—do it just like last time, quiet and unseen. Not a single slip-up!"

Before the words had even faded, a cold gleam flashed through the air. The boss’s head tilted unnaturally and rolled to the ground, blood spraying into the sky and bathing the courtyard in a rain of gore.

The lean man’s jaw dropped, his mind going blank as he stared at the scene. Suddenly, a young woman appeared, white as snow, her "Flowing Wave" sword shining with a blinding light. She held the blade to his throat and asked coldly, "Where are the people you kidnapped?"

He jolted back to reality, but just as he was about to scream for help, a middle-aged man dropped from the rooftops like a phantom. He moved through the crowd with supernatural grace, and without a single wasted motion, a dozen men collapsed silently to the ground. Then, the main gate was kicked open from the inside, and several retainers in green, wielding long blades, charged in. They took up positions in small teams, instantly seizing control of the situation.

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! They’re all in the dungeon out back! Please, miss, look for yourself—we’ve kept them fed and watered, we didn't dare mistreat them!"

With a flick of a blade, another head fell.

Zuo Jun walked over, looked at the two corpses on the ground, and sighed. "These two were the ringleaders. It’s a pity to kill them; we might have learned something."

"They bullied the weak; they deserved to die," Wan Qi replied. "Master Zuo, saving the captives is what matters."

Zuo Jun said no more and led his men into the dungeon to rescue Baihua’s family. Fortunately, aside from Baihua’s mother, who had lost two fingers, and her brother, who had lost a hand, the others were unharmed. A swift interrogation revealed that the thugs were local drifters from around Qiantang. The leader was Cao Zeng—the wretch whose head Wan Qi had just severed. A month ago, they had been hired by an unknown party to kidnap Baihua’s family from Zhou Village, and they had been guarding them ever since.

As for the person who hired them, the thugs had no idea who he was. They were mercenaries who served whoever paid the most, lacking any principles or bottom line. Further questioning yielded nothing more.

After locking the thugs in a residence belonging to the Guo family, Zuo Jun and Wan Qi secretly escorted Baihua’s family to a hidden safe house.

At the same time, Mingyu Mountain welcomed Baihua and the man disguised as an attendant. He wore a green tunic and intentionally hunched his shoulders; at a glance, he looked like any other servant of Xie Hengwu. However, his demeanor lacked the obsequiousness and humble posture of a lowly servant, and he was questioned by the guards the moment he reached the crossroads. Baihua, always boisterous and the most popular of Zhan Wenjun’s four personal maids, laughed, "Xiao Yi, you dare to give my guest a hard time? Do you want to lose your wages this month?"

The guard, Xiao Yi, grinned sheepishly. "How could I? Sister Baihua has the kindest heart; how could you dock our pay? If you didn't give us extra, it would already be a sign that the heavens are blind!"

"You certainly have a silver tongue." Baihua took several coins from her pouch and tossed them to him. "Take this and buy some wine, a treat from me for everyone. But you’d better wait until you’re off duty—I don’t need to tell you what happens if Shishu catches you drinking on the job."

At the mention of Shishu, Xiao Yi shivered involuntarily. "I’ll remember that, thank you, Sister!" He stepped aside and waved them through.

Baihua glanced at the man and saw his expression remained indifferent, showing no trace of panic. She didn't know if this was the confidence of a master or if he simply held the Guo family in such contempt that he didn't care. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt a wave of anxiety, wondering if the arrangements on the mountain would go according to plan.

Once inside the estate, people greeted Baihua as they walked, but no one paid any attention to the man following her. When they reached a secluded courtyard in the northwest, near the edge of the cliff, the man stopped abruptly, his expression suspicious.

Baihua turned back, looking puzzled. "What is it?"

The man’s eyes were narrow and slit-like as he surveyed the small courtyard. "What is this place?"

"This was the residence where the Young Master used to watch the sunrise over the cliff. After he passed away, the Master was heartbroken. Though he didn't seal the house, it has gradually fallen into disuse. No one ever comes here; it’s the perfect place for you to hide."

Guo Li’s sudden death was common knowledge, so Baihua’s explanation was flawless and entirely logical. No one would be foolish enough to wander here. Hesitating for a moment, the man finally let go of his suspicions and followed Baihua inside.

He had stepped through the gates of death.