Shame (Part 1)

Qi Shan's gaze swept over the eleven corpses one by one.

He pondered for a long time but found no suspicious points.

He decided to stop thinking and just copy the answers.

"Who is missing?"

"A man," Shen Tang replied, then added some details, "a man about seven feet four inches tall."

"A man about seven feet four inches tall?"

Qi Shan murmured the words, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

He knew who Shen Tang was talking about!

"That's right, one person is indeed missing."

This person might still be alive!

Qi Shan's gaze locked onto the hands of the eleven corpses.

The hands of these corpses were rough, with dark skin and calluses. Even the old wet nurse, dressed in silk, had hands that had clearly done manual labor for years. However, among these corpses, there wasn't a single pair of hands that had been accustomed to holding a writing brush. Long-term use of a brush would deform the finger joints, the degree of deformation depending on the age at which one started practicing calligraphy and how long one practiced. These corpses' hands showed no such characteristics.

But the side room they had just been in had several bookshelves, and in front of the window, there were two desks, one large and one small. The bamboo slips on the desk were for children's enlightenment. If the child being enlightened was A Yan, then where was the person who enlightened him at this very moment?

Of course, these clues alone weren't enough to prove anything. The tutor could have taught the child during the day and returned to his own home at night. However, the bandits who had opened the door for the two of them had Martial Gall but wore a somewhat ill-fitting brown scholar's robe, which was interesting.

The most likely guess was that this robe did not belong to the bandits; its owner was the very teacher who had been enlightening the child.

Qi Shan said, "And then? What's the use of finding him?"

Shen Tang said, "At least we can learn some inside information."

Qi Shan couldn't help but chuckle and reminded Shen Tang.

"Young Master Shen, do you still remember your current identity? Let alone that this matter has nothing to do with you, even if it did, if you get involved now, once an investigation comes, you might be like a mud ox entering the sea, never to return. Drawing your sword to help when you see injustice, meddling in every little thing – that's the style of a wandering knight-errant."

Shen Tang: "..."

Although the words were unpleasant, they were the honest truth.

She should be lying low right now, not showing off.

They had searched the entire manor; besides the two of them, there were no other survivors. With no clues, Shen Tang had to put on her straw cloak and conical hat again and return to Qian Family Village with Qi Shan. Through the curtain of rain, they saw the Village Chief waiting at the entrance of the village for someone. The Village Chief happened to see the two of them as well and hurried to meet them, "You two are finally back—"

Shen Tang said regretfully, "We still didn't find..."

Who knew the Village Chief would say, "A Yan has been found."

Shen Tang and Qi Shan were both surprised: "Found?"

Qi Shan asked again, "Where is he?"

Shen Tang also asked, "Where did he go earlier?"

The Village Chief was happy about A Yan's safety and, seeing the two strangers so concerned, his smile widened.

He had specifically waited at the village entrance to inform them of the good news: "A Yan was called out by his teacher earlier. That teacher said he was going to take him away to the north to find relatives. Because of some unexpected circumstances, they had to leave immediately. They've already set off..."

Shen Tang and Qi Shan exchanged glances.

"A Yan's teacher?"

"What was so urgent that they had to set off in the middle of the night in the rain?"

The Village Chief didn't know either, and he didn't dare to ask too many questions.

Shen Tang asked, "Did A Yan leave with him willingly?"

The Village Chief found it strange, "What do you mean, Young Master?"

Shen Tang chuckled awkwardly.

The Village Chief added, "Don't worry, that teacher is a good person."

Even if he wasn't a good person, he wouldn't be a kidnapper. Children were not valuable in this era, let alone a child with a mental disability. Why would anyone go to such great lengths to abduct him?

The downpour showed no signs of stopping.

About ten miles from Qian Family Village.

A horse with a bright red coat was weaving through the dense forest, braving the heavy rain.

The horse carried two people, one old and one young. The older one had gray hair and looked quite aged. He wore a crescent-moon-colored scholar's robe, a straw cloak, and a conical hat. The younger one had no rain gear and held onto the reins tightly with both hands.

Upon closer inspection, this child, with his lips pressed together and a solemn, serious expression, was none other than A Yan, whom everyone had been searching for all night!

"Giddy up!"

Hooves struck the ground, splashing mud. The red horse leaped out of the forest like a ball of flame. Without hesitation, it cleared a two-zhang gap, crossing the rushing stream before stopping.

"A Yan, we, we can stop now..."

A weak voice came from behind.

A Yan controlled the horse, kneeling halfway, and helped the frail old man off the horse with one hand. Blood mixed with rainwater pooled at the old man's feet. He sat on the ground weakly, his face pale with a greenish tinge. His right hand was still pressed to the area below his right ribs, and blood continuously flowed from the wound.

The old man took several deep breaths, recovering slightly and suppressing the sharp pain from his wound. However, the veins on his forehead still twitched uncontrollably.

A Yan looked at the old man with distress, reaching out to straighten his crooked straw hat. The old man managed a smile that was uglier than a cry, "It's nothing. Fortunately, it didn't go deep. I should survive..."

After a while, he saw A Yan pull a thumb-sized piece of sticky malt candy from his damp satchel. It was covered in blood and had been soaked by the rain, already half dissolved. He held it to the old man's mouth and said, "Teacher, eat."

The old man smiled and didn't refuse.

The malt candy didn't taste good at all.

He tore off a sleeve from his own clothes and fashioned a simple bandage to wrap his wound. After doing this, he stood up with A Yan's help, muttering to himself, "Let's find a place to shelter from the rain first, then we'll get some dry rations and head to Xiaocheng..."

A Yan mumbled, "Xiaocheng?"

The old man said, "Yes, we'll make plans after we get there."

He had narrowly escaped this chase, but what about the next time?

Luck wouldn't always be on his side; he needed to prepare.

It was a pity for this child, A Yan, to have to flee with him, this old scoundrel, at such a young age. He had wanted to leave A Yan behind, but—the child was grown and had his own ideas.

A Yan nodded, "Okay, to Xiaocheng!"

"Does A Yan know where Xiaocheng is?"

"No," A Yan pointed at the horse, "I have Big Red Horse."

The old man suppressed a smile, "You're still too young. Big Red Horse can't last long, and forcing it will put a considerable burden on you... A Yan, put away your Big Red Horse. I'm feeling a bit better now. Let's find a place to shelter from the rain and get through the night..."

A Yan nodded vigorously.

That night was exceptionally difficult.

When Shen Tang woke up, the rain had stopped.

Outside, the ground was muddy and pockmarked with puddles. The Village Chief had already packed the dry rations they had prepared for the two of them.

Taking advantage of the early hour, Qi Shan decided to set off promptly.

They rode for an hour before encountering a roadside tea stall. They decided to stop and rest, to have some tea and catch their breath.

The sound of horses' hooves approached from a distance. There were about a hundred people, all dressed as soldiers, with several prisoner carts being escorted at the rear of the procession.

Qi Shan glanced sideways, "Don't be nervous, Young Master Shen. They aren't looking for you. This group should be Geng Country soldiers."

(:з"∠) This chapter was revised several times.

I felt the previous plot direction wasn't quite right, and after several hesitations, I changed the person being chased to A Yan's teacher.