“Cough, cough! It’s me, Lu Yao.”
“Lord Wang, didn’t you call me earlier saying you had something important to discuss?”
As soon as the girl heard Wang Chengle’s somewhat hoarse voice from inside the room, she figured he must have been drinking again.
With no other choice, Liu Yao added another reminder.
No more sound came from the private room, but with her sharp hearing, she could still catch some clattering noises—things being tidied up.
‘What’s he doing now…’ Liu Yao shook her head and muttered.
She waited outside for a good while longer, even starting to feel bored, and was just about to knock again, thinking her voice hadn’t reached him at all, when the door to the room opened from the inside.
“Ah-ha! Sorry about that, Master Lu. I’d had a bit too much to drink just now and didn’t react in time.”
“Please forgive me, please forgive me…”
***
As the door opened, Wang Chengle’s face was bright red. He swayed, propping himself against the doorframe with his elbow to keep his balance, a wine flask in his hand dripping with liquor.
Behind him, the messy redwood round table—scattered dishes and all—seemed to tell the story of the feast that had just taken place.
And sitting upright at the wooden table, leisurely sipping his wine, was a goat-bearded man.
Looking at the scene before her, Liu Yao felt a headache coming on.
‘How can one be dead drunk while the other acts like nothing happened?!
‘How much did they drink…’
The girl rolled her eyes internally, but outwardly she struggled to keep her composure.
‘This old bastard, drunk as a skunk in broad daylight—how are we supposed to talk about anything?
‘And that goat-beard guy, I don’t know where he came from, but his eyes are shifty…’
Liu Yao shot a discreet glance at the goat-bearded man sipping his wine and frowned inwardly.
“What are you standing there for? Come in and sit!” Wang Chengle called out, slurring his words when he saw her not moving. He shifted aside, making room in the doorway. “Don’t—don’t be polite! Take any seat!”
“I’ll order another round of good food and wine later—won’t skimp on you!”
“I appreciate your kindness, Lord Wang, but there’s no need for food or drink. I’m not hungry.”
Liu Yao took a deep breath, suppressed the disgust on her face, and replaced it with her usual standard smile. “Still, I’ll take you up on the invitation.”
She waved her hand, declining Wang Chengle’s offer, but still stepped over the threshold, squeezing past him to avoid touching his liquor-stained clothes.
Once inside the room, the girl’s brows immediately furrowed.
She hadn’t expected the scene inside to be even messier than her quick glance had suggested.
On the redwood round table, leftover bones, overturned sauce dishes, and tipped-over wine flasks lay scattered everywhere.
The air was thick with a sour, rancid smell of alcohol mixed with greasy meat, nauseating to the nose.
And because the room was relatively sealed, the stench was even harder to bear.
‘Tsk, what a mess…’
Liu Yao wrinkled her nose discreetly, secretly circulating her inner power to hold her breath. Then she swept her gaze around the room and picked the chair farthest from Wang Chengle. She walked over, confirmed it wasn’t stained with anything obviously sticky, and sat down.
But she still felt a bit uneasy inside.
She pursed her lips but kept up her polite facade.
As for Wang Chengle, he wasn’t so collected.
He was still propped against the doorframe, and only after Liu Yao had entered did he turn to go back. But his body swayed, and he nearly stumbled.
“Careful, Brother Wang.”
The goat-bearded man, who had been sitting at the table without moving, suddenly stood up, walked over quickly, and reached out to steady Wang Chengle’s arm.
One hand held his elbow firmly, while the other slid unobtrusively to his back, pressing gently through the fabric. The movement was natural, like a casual steadying gesture.
But Wang Chengle’s reaction was odd. He paused first, then froze, and finally glanced at the goat-bearded man before returning to normal.
Liu Yao, however, narrowed her eyes slightly.
Not for any other reason, but because—
Just now, Wang Chengle had nearly thrown up from the stumble, and not long after the goat-bearded man placed his hand on his back, his complexion suddenly improved.
This inexplicable scene happened quickly, but Liu Yao caught every detail.
‘This guy… is also from the Wulin, isn’t he?
‘I didn’t think that old bastard’s connections extended to people like this…’
Liu Yao grumbled inwardly.
At that moment, Wang Chengle waved at the goat-bearded man, signaling he could let go.
“Thanks, Brother Yang. I can manage from here.”
“Don’t mention it. But since you say so, Brother Wang, do as you please.”
The goat-bearded man released his grip and walked straight back to his seat, giving Liu Yao a smile as he did.
Liu Yao merely smiled and nodded in return, maintaining her politeness.
Wang Chengle, oblivious to all this, took two steps and plopped back into his chair, scraping it loudly against the floor.
He leaned back, let out a long breath, and the flush on his face faded somewhat as his eyes cleared up.
Liu Yao took note of all these signs.
‘That goat-beard definitely knows martial arts!
‘That last technique was extremely subtle. If I hadn’t been watching closely, I would have missed it.
‘To pull that off, his inner power has to be pretty substantial.
‘Strange… if Wang Chengle knows such a skilled fighter, why hire me as a bodyguard?
‘But from his surprised reaction just now, he didn’t seem to expect that skill either. Really odd…’
As Liu Yao was mulling this over internally, Wang Chengle finally recovered.
“Come, come, Master Lu, let me introduce you.”
After settling himself, Wang Chengle waved his hand grandly, pointing at the goat-bearded man beside him, and said cheerfully, “This is Brother Yang, Yang Lou. He’s the Jailer of our Xiang’an town Yamen.”
“And he’s my good friend, too!”
When she heard the word “Yamen,” Liu Yao’s heart tightened, but she forced herself to stay calm.
Yang Lou set down his cup, gave Liu Yao a slight nod, and with a faint, neutral smile said, “I’ve heard a lot about you, Master Lu. Brother Wang often mentions you, saying you have rare skill.”
“You single-handedly fought off two assassins, and at such a young age too. Truly a hero and a trailblazer! The younger generation is formidable!”
“Mr. Yang flatters me. I’m still inexperienced and don’t deserve the title ‘trailblazer.’” Liu Yao cupped her hands in return, a modest smile fixed on her face.
“All right, all right! Enough compliments!” Wang Chengle laughed and waved his hand, interrupting them.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting between Liu Yao and Yang Lou before finally settling on Yang Lou, to whom he gave a meaningful look.
Yang Lou nodded slightly, set down his cup, and straightened his expression.
“Master Lu, to be honest, I didn’t invite you here just to meet a promising young hero. There is also a matter I need to ask for your help.”
‘Here it comes!’
Liu Yao’s heart tightened, but she kept her face neutral. She picked up the teacup from the table, took a sip, and said calmly, “Mr. Yang, please go ahead.”
Yang Lou sighed, a worried look crossing his face.
“A few days ago, I heard at the Yamen about Brother Wang’s assassination attempt. I wanted to come see him then, but official duties kept me tied up.” He shook his head apologetically.
“Later, I heard he’d hired you as his bodyguard, and I felt relieved.”
“With a warm-hearted young hero like you, the future of our great Song is truly bright…”
Liu Yao smiled modestly and said nothing.
Seeing that the young man before him was even more composed than expected—unmoved by lavish praise, showing no hint of pride—Yang Lou’s expression also turned grave.
Then, Yang Lou changed his tone and lowered his voice:
“…Recently, I’ve run into a troublesome matter. After thinking it over, I wanted to ask for Master Lu’s help.”
‘Seriously? Am I some kind of bodhisattva? Why does everyone come to me making wishes?’
Liu Yao’s lips twitched, but she still put on a look of earnest attention.
“Please speak freely.”
“Good!”
Yang Lou gave Liu Yao an approving look. He glanced around the room—though only the three of them were there, he still deliberately lowered his voice.
“Master Lu, what I’d like to ask you is… to break a prisoner out of jail!”
“Pfft—what?!” At Yang Lou’s words, Liu Yao spat out the tea she had just held in her mouth.
The girl stared in shock at the Xiang’an town Jailer, her face full of disbelief.
“Wait… why? You’re a jailer asking me to break someone out?”
“Is this some new kind of sting operation?”
Faced with her shock, Yang Lou’s reaction was much calmer, clearly prepared for such a reaction.
“Master Lu, some prisoners are innocent.” Yang Lou tapped the table with his finger, speaking flatly.
“Innocent?”
“Yes.” Yang Lou sighed, a note of helplessness in his voice.
“In this world, there are plenty of wrongful convictions. Some offended the powerful and were framed, some took the blame for others, and some… were just grabbed off the streets to fill a quota.”
He stroked his beard, his brow furrowed.
“When this batch of prisoners arrived, I was responsible for the routine inspection.”
“But after checking, I found several of them had questionable charges—clearly wrongfully accused.”
“Though I’m the Jailer, I don’t have the authority to pardon anyone, nor can I make the final decision.”
“But when I think of these poor souls suffering in prison for crimes they didn’t commit, even facing exile, I can’t bear it.”
As he spoke, Yang Lou closed his eyes, putting on a pained expression. Beside him, Wang Chengle also cooperated by bowing his head in silence.
“I had almost given up.” He paused, then looked at Liu Yao, his eyes growing more earnest. “But when I heard that a kind-hearted young hero had come to Xiang’an town, I felt hope! Hope for the innocent!”
“Now that Young Hero Lu is here, the sky over Xiang’an town can finally be clear again!”