Like a Shadow, Chapter 6: Wealth Without Fate

"You mean, Qiu Mingyang is missing?"
Dong Haoran stood up in surprise and asked urgently.
Xu Peng scratched his head and nodded, "That's right. Old Master Wang and I planned to find him early this morning to ask if he had decided on asking for help, but the house didn't look like anyone had slept there. We asked his men, but none of them knew what their master had gone to do. Old Master Wang took some men to look for him, and I also sent some men to check if he was here, but he wasn't. This is strange, it's the perfect time to arrange manpower, could it be that the old man went back to his own escort agency to make arrangements?"
Yun Panqing interjected from the side, "Who goes back to their own place without informing their men? It's not like me, sometimes I hide some snacks or fruit and I don't dare tell anyone."
Dong Haoran nodded, then seemed to remember something and immediately asked Murong Ji: "Brother Murong, where did you put that Netherworld Nine Songs?"
Murong Ji frowned, patted his chest, and said, "It's on my person. What's wrong?"
Dong Haoran breathed a sigh of relief and said, "To be honest, Brother Qiu is good at everything else, but he loves martial arts. I was afraid he had his eye on the Netherworld Nine Songs and ran away after getting it. Since it's still here, it seems it's not because of that."
Murong Ji looked at Dong Haoran, his eyes flashing, "No matter what the reason, finding him is the most important thing. If Qiu Mingyang doesn't participate in this escort mission, the loss will be more than just the loss of a few镖局 (escort agency)镖师 (bodyguards/escorts)."
If Qiu Mingyang withdraws, the experts he can invite will naturally become a pipe dream. For an escort agency that mostly consists of ordinary martial artists, this loss can be fatal.
Dong Haoran pondered for a moment before speaking, "That's true, but let's not worry about where we'll find him. Perhaps Brother Qiu has some urgent business to attend to; I'm sure he'll return."
Xu Peng stood up impatiently, saying, "Old Dong, you wait here. I'll take some men to look for him. Old Master Wang is getting on in years; I'll have him come and wait with us when I see him."
He walked to the door, then turned back to Yun Panqing, saying, "Um... Miss Yun, if you're free, would you like to come with me?"
Having witnessed the young girl's swift and decisive actions, Xu Peng couldn't help but feel that having such a girl with him would not only be pleasing to the eye but also much safer.
Yun Panqing glanced hesitantly at the half-eaten pastries on the table beside her, remaining silent.
Xu Peng immediately said, "Miss Yun, if you help me find that Qiu fellow, I'll treat you to all the little trinkets in this town."
Yun Panqing immediately grabbed half a piece of honey cake from the table, and happily hopped to Xu Peng's side, saying, "Okay, it's a deal. Even if that guy is hiding in a rat hole, I'll dig him out for you."
Murong Ji laughed, "Boss Xu, why do you need to bring a helper when you're looking for someone?"
Xu Peng chuckled and said, "You don't know, this town feels strange right now, it's making me a little uneasy. I know my own limitations, having a skilled person with me makes me feel more at ease."
Murong Ji said "Oh," and smiled as he picked up his teacup. Dong Haoran narrowed his eyes and remained silent, watching Yun Panqing skip and hop after Xu Peng before slowly saying, "Brother Murong, this town is no longer peaceful. You must take good care of that Netherworld Nine Songs."
Murong Ji said calmly, "Chief镖头 Dong can rest assured. I can guarantee that as long as I am alive when you set off, the Netherworld Nine Songs will definitely be in your hands." Dong
Haoran looked into Murong Ji's eyes and suddenly sighed, "I just wonder how many people will be left when we set off."
"Oh, Chief Escort, what makes you say that?"
Dong Haoran leaned back wearily in his chair. "Wealth and status are determined by fate, and life and death are in the hands of heaven. I don't know if I'm destined to enjoy this fortune of one million taels of silver."
Murong Ji smiled and put his teacup aside. "Good people are always blessed. Chief Escort, you look like a fortunate person. There's no need to worry."
Dong Haoran said calmly, "Whether it's fortune or misfortune is beyond my control. I only hope that if it's misfortune, it will only befall me."
Murong Ji's expression remained unchanged, still smiling politely. "Since fortune and misfortune are beyond our control, why should we let them befall a particular person?"
Dong Haoran frowned, staring blankly at the pale brown surface of the teacup, lost in thought for a moment.
In the training grounds of the镖局 (escort agency), Dong Shishi was leading Ying Hengtian through the introductions of each镖师 (bodyguard/escort), detailing their names, ages, and so on. Seeing Dong Shishi's mischievous expression, the镖师 eagerly chimed in, some even introducing their wives, and others describing their sisters in detail, acting as if they wanted to become Ying Hengtian's brother-in-law.
Ying Hengtian listened for half an hour, gaining nothing, but seeing the smug look on Dong Shishi's face, he chuckled inwardly and continued listening. However, his mind was no longer on the meaningless chatter; he was leisurely observing the young girl beside him.
Her bright eyes were clearly excited by her successful prank, still displaying a childlike nature. Her face was bare and unadorned, with a small red bump on the corner of her mouth, perhaps from a fever, and her skin wasn't as delicate as a woman her age, with a pale honey hue, not as fair.
Despite her flaws, the girl was undeniably pleasing to the eye. Having grown accustomed to perfectly groomed beauties, Ying Hengtian suddenly found himself unable to look away. What would such a girl be like when she first fell in love?
"Hey, Uncle, why are you staring at me like that?"
Dong Shishi and the bodyguard were happily making those pointless questions, but each time she turned her head, she saw that Ying Hengtian wasn't paying attention at all, but was staring intently at her. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. "You said you came to ask me some questions, but you're not listening attentively."
Ying Hengtian's cheeks flushed slightly. He looked away, forcing a calm expression, and said lightly, "These are all veteran bodyguards, there's nothing to ask. Are there any newcomers...? Also, call me Big Brother."
“Shameless old man,”
Dong Shishi stuck out her tongue. “You have a huge beard, yet you still want to be everyone’s big brother. If you wanted to see the newcomers, you should have said so earlier. How am I supposed to know you
wanted to see them if you didn’t tell me?” Ying Hengtian, both amused and exasperated, held his chin. His beard, which he had been praised by many beauties and stroked by many soft hands, felt prickly to him for the first time. “Miss Dong, I’m only in my early thirties. I’m not old enough to be called ‘uncle’ yet.”
Dong Shishi pulled his sleeve toward the place where the new bodyguards lived, muttering, “I’m only sixteen. You’re already very old, uncle.”
The debate over how to address each other continued all the way to the door of the house. Dong Shishi pounded on the door and called out, "Mu Yang, Xiao Yangzi, are you still sleeping? Get up and get dressed quickly, someone's coming to ask you lazybones some questions."
After calling out, she turned to Ying Hengtian and said, "Uncle, there's a really handsome young man among the new bodyguards. Do you want to ask him a few more questions? I can arrange it for you."
Ying Hengtian glanced at her, amused and annoyed, and said, "Miss Dong, do I look like someone who likes men?"
Dong Shishi tilted her head and said, "Yes, I do. My seventh aunt said I'm a tomboy, and anyone who wants me must have a torn sleeve and be sharing a peach with someone. You keep looking at me, so I just assumed you like men."
Sharing a peach and a torn sleeve, so that's how it's explained... Ying Hengtian suddenly wanted to laugh out loud. If the door hadn't been open, he probably really would have.
Dong Shishi looked at Nie Rongchun who opened the door, exclaimed "Ah!" and pointed at his face, saying, "Nie... Nie..."
"Nie Rongchun.
" "Ah, right, Nie Rongchun, um... are all four of them here? This uncle, the official has something to ask."
Dong Shishi waved her hand, pointing to Ying Hengtian, who was forcibly suppressing his laughter to maintain a serious demeanor.
"My name isn't that long,"
Ying Hengtian protested in a low voice, then turned to Nie Rongchun, who was rubbing his shoulder as if he had just woken up, and said, "My name is Ying Hengtian. I'm here to investigate some matters. If it's not too much trouble, please allow me to ask you a few questions."
Nie Rongchun smiled, stretched his shoulders, and stepped aside, saying, "It's no trouble at all, but there aren't many of you here. I'm the only one here right now."
"Ah!"
Dong Shishi exclaimed in disbelief, jumping into the room and looking around. There really was no one on the communal bed. "Where did they all go?"
Nie Rongchun went into the room, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and laughed, "Second Miss, I'm not a mind reader, how would I know what they went about? Mu Yang said he went to practice martial arts, but I don't know about the others."
"Shi Liu isn't here either..."
Dong Shishi turned back with a hint of regret, giving Ying Hengtian a mischievous look.
Ying Hengtian shook his head helplessly and walked over to ask Nie Rongchun about his background, family circumstances, and why he joined the escort agency. Nie Rongchun answered one by one. He was the eldest son of a tenant farmer's family. He had some strength since childhood and was spotted by a martial arts master who taught him some skills. He planned to earn some money for his family, so he followed Qi, the head escort, back home.
"...Mu Yang and I are from the same hometown. He's about the same age as me, so I guess there's no need to ask him."
Nie Rongchun said with a smile, taking out his long sword. "If there's nothing else, I'm going outside to practice martial arts."
Ying Hengtian nodded, and Dong Shishi waved her hand, saying, "Go ahead, go ahead."
Since no one else was around, they couldn't ask any questions, so the two of them had to go outside. From afar, they heard several clear calls of "Miss." Lü'er ran over, and when she saw Ying Hengtian, she was startled at first, then hurriedly grabbed Dong Shishi, saying, "Miss, what are you doing here? Quickly come back with me to get dressed."
"Huh? What?"
Dong Shishi asked in confusion.
"This servant just got up and saw that Miss wasn't there. I looked around and found Young Master Murong sitting in the main hall with Master, chatting and laughing. This servant will help you get dressed up, and you can come and sit down too..."
Greenie got up late and didn't know that Miss Dong had already gone there. She was still excitedly talking non-stop until she received a tap on the head. Only then did she blink and ask, "Miss, why did you tap this servant on the head?"
"If you get up later than me again next time, I'll go to the street and sell you. Humph."
Thinking of how Murong Ji kept looking at that pretty girl, Dong Shishi felt a surge of anger. Even if she dressed up, she would never be as pretty as that girl.
"Waaah... I'm so wronged..."
Dong Shishi was reluctant to continue hanging around with this uncle. Although she was carefree, she sensed that the uncle's gaze was a bit strange. So, she simply grabbed the complaining and head-rubbing Greenie, waved, and slipped away. "Uncle, you can wander around by yourself. Greenie and I have to go."
"Second Miss, who is that person? He looks quite handsome."
"Are you blind? That uncle has a full beard. How is he handsome?"
Ying Hengtian listened blankly as the two girls' voices faded into the distance. He smiled wryly and touched his chin. "I wonder if I would look younger if I shaved my beard."
Dong Shishi left the training ground with Greenie and found that she had nothing to do. The镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) were either practicing martial arts or going out. Knowing that they would be setting off on a large escort mission in a month, she felt embarrassed to chat with them at this time. She felt quite annoyed.
After wandering around for a while and still having nothing to do, Dong Shishi decided to go home and chat with her sister. Anyway, her brother-in-law had gone to the academy early in the morning, so her sister must be pretty bored too. As they approached the entrance of the escort agency, Dong Shishi saw Chief Escort Qi hurriedly heading out with two men. Curious, she went over and asked, "Uncle Qi, what are you doing?"
Chief Escort Qi frowned and sighed, "Something strange has happened. Early this morning, Boss Xu said Chief Escort Qiu was missing. Just now, Boss Xu sent someone back to ask for help, saying that Old Master Wang, who was looking for Chief Escort Qiu, along with five or six other escorts, have also vanished. We're going out to look for him now. Second Miss, you should go home. I have a bad feeling about the escort agency. Last night, when I got up to relieve myself, several shadows flew across the roof. I'll have to talk to the chief escort tomorrow; maybe we shouldn't take on this escort job anymore..."
After Chief Escort Qi finished rambling on, a escort carrying four weapons came out from inside. He waved, and the four of them hung their weapons on their waists and strode away.
Dong Shishi's eyes lit up, no longer caring that her sister was bored alone. She excitedly pulled Lü'er along, saying, "Hey, let's go find someone too!"
Lü'er's face twitched, and she shuddered in fright, "No, Miss... that sounds scary. Let's go home quickly."
"If you don't go..."
Dong Shishi's face hardened, but before she could finish, Lü'er pitifully interrupted, "Miss, aren't you going to marry me off to someone again? Lü'er will go, okay?"
Dong Shishi chuckled and patted Lü'er's soft cheeks, "How could I bear to marry you off? Even if I were to marry, I would definitely take you with me as part of my dowry."
Lü'er's face flushed red, perhaps thinking of the scene of making the bed for the second young lady and her fiancé in the future.
The two half-grown maids, saying they were going to find someone, but not knowing where to begin, wandered around two streets, buying quite a few candied fruits and dried fruits. The mistress and maid ate and strolled leisurely.
If all the bodyguards Dong Haoran sent to find someone looked like this, Master Dong would probably vomit blood on the spot.
But sometimes hard work doesn't guarantee results, and leisurely pursuits don't necessarily lead to unexpected gains.
Miss Dong, accompanied by her maid, strolled through an arms shop, looked at two silk shops, glanced at a jewelry store, and passed a fortune teller's stall in the east of the city. She listened curiously for a while, listening to their strange and superstitious stories. Seeing that the sun was nearing noon, and remembering that she had come out to find someone, she decided to go to the nearby east street entrance and take a look out of town.
She didn't see anything unusual all morning, and the two girls chatted and laughed. Once they left the east end of the street, they were out of town. The few pedestrians along the roadside dwindled considerably, leaving only a few beggars squatting and lying down, begging. Miss Dong noticed the beggar's shifty eyes looking at her with ill intent, and a surge of displeasure rose within her. She turned to pull Greenie back, but her gaze suddenly shifted, and she caught sight of a tall, thin figure stumbling towards her through the sparse woods. Startled, she quickly went to meet him.
Greenie hesitated for a moment, then followed.
The figure ran frantically, constantly looking back as if afraid something was chasing them. As they drew closer, the thin face became clearly visible. Dong Shishi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Chief Escort Qiu, is a ghost chasing you?"
Qiu Mingyang trembled at Dong Shishi's voice, then quickened his pace with a look of delight, quickly reaching her side. He asked breathlessly, "Where's your father?"
Dong Shishi looked at Qiu Mingyang; his clothes were disheveled, his forehead damp with sweat, and his clothes appeared to have been torn, leaving gaps. She frowned and said, "My father is at the escort agency. He's been looking for you all morning. What...
where have you been?" Qiu Mingyang's eyes flickered, and he hurriedly replied, "I naturally had something to do, but something went wrong before I could even get started. Don't talk about it here, let's hurry to your escort agency."
He grabbed Dong Shishi's arm and started to walk towards the town.
Although Dong Shishi had practiced a few days of fancy martial arts, her soft, thin arms could only manage to make a chicken crow. The sudden pull caused a sharp pain in her elbow, and she became annoyed. She flung her hand away, saying, "You know the way, just go yourself. I'll walk slowly."
Qiu Mingyang glanced into the woods, looked around, and said, "Then I'll go first. You should go back quickly too. Don't linger here."
He then dashed off, seemingly having calmed down after those few words.
Dong Shishi scratched her head, puzzled, and looked into the woods. Seeing nothing, she wondered, "In broad daylight, are we possessed?"
Greenie laughed, "Maybe they're hungry."
Dong Shishi burst out laughing, "We're both right, possessed by a starving ghost!"
"Second Miss, who are you saying is possessed by a starving ghost?"
Mu Yang's voice suddenly came from behind them, startling Dong Shishi.
Dong Shishi turned around and saw Mu Yang's half-smiling face almost in front of her. He was taller, and even when she tried to stand on tiptoe, she could only look at his chin. She casually punched his arm with her small fist: "Are you a ghost? You walk without making a sound!"
Xiao Yangzi from the town walked out from the east end of the street with a smile and looked at Mu Yang, saying: "He is a ghost, but a lecherous one."
Dong Shishi was stunned for a moment, and then she noticed that her loose collar seemed to be facing Mu Yang's lowered head. She was hot from walking, so she had unbuttoned the top two buttons. It wasn't a big deal that a large section of her fair neck was exposed, but from this angle, a large inverted triangle of skin could almost be seen under her tight bodice.
"You scoundrel! Watch out for a sty!"
Dong Shishi cursed under her breath, quickly taking a few steps back before realizing she had unknowingly retreated to Xiao Yangzi's side. She stood behind him and asked, "You two have been nowhere to be seen all morning. I took some men to question you, but only Nie Rongchun was there. I was so embarrassed. Tell me, what have you been doing?"
Mu Yang chuckled and said leisurely, "I can't stay idle. I went out this morning to exercise and met a pretty girl. We ended up having a very pleasant conversation, and that's why I'm only just getting back."
Dong Shishi spat and said, "Nobody believes you. Where's your pretty girl?"
Mu Yang chuckled and said, "I had tea with her for a while, but the more I looked at her, the more I felt she wasn't as pretty as the Second Miss. So I came back to see if I could see the Second Miss after lunch. Luckily, I saw her before we even reached town." "Okay."
Dong Shishi blushed slightly, spat again, but stopped talking to him and turned to Xiao Yangzi, saying, "I know you're honest, you definitely won't lie to me, unlike him, who never tells the truth." Xiao Yangzi
scratched his head, smiled somewhat embarrassedly, his handsome face showing a hint of shyness. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Actually... I was afraid of being trained too hard by Chief Escort Qi, so I secretly hid in the small teahouse in the north of the town for a nap. When I woke up, I ran into Shi Liu, who said that the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) in our station were looking for two missing chief镖师 (
bodyguards/escorts), so I wandered around looking around." Upon hearing this, Miss Dong immediately said with a strong voice, "You look like this, so lazy and listless. My father will be so angry he'll vomit blood. Look at me, I found Qiu Mingyang."
Greenie lowered her head shyly, her face flushed, secretly admiring her mistress's thick skin.
Xiao Yangzi nodded, "Second Miss is right, I'll go find Chief Escort Wang right now."
Dong Shishi glanced at him, then looked up at the sky, rolled her eyes, and said, "Pah, what's there to look for? Where could an old man like him possibly be? At his age, he's still playing hide-and-seek. Come on, let's go back to the escort agency for lunch. We'll fill our stomachs and come back to look for him this afternoon."
"Yes."
The remaining three replied in unison, then the four of them laughed together and headed towards the escort agency.
Upon arriving at the agency, Mu Yang and Xiao Yangzi left separately, while Dong Shishi and Lü'er went to the main hall, wanting to see what Qiu Mingyang and Dong Haoran were talking about. As she reached the hall entrance, she heard Qiu Mingyang say in a low voice, "Brother Dong, I really didn't see Old Master Wang. Your daughter can testify that I was delayed outside and came back alone."
Dong Haoran pondered for a moment and said, "That's strange. Where did Old Master Wang go? Even if he's still looking for you, it's getting late, he should be back by now."
Dong Shishi walked into the hall, found a chair, sat down, picked up a cup of tea to moisten her mouth, and was about to say, "Perhaps Old Master Wang and his bodyguards are cowardly and used this as an excuse to slip away," when she heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching from afar.
A burly bodyguard, panting and drenched in sweat, rushed in, pointing towards the door and saying, "Old...Old Master Wang...we've found him..."
Dong Haoran noticed the specks of blood on the bodyguard's hands and immediately paled. He stood up and asked, "Where?"
The group went out to greet him, but before they reached the door, they saw Chief Bodyguard Qi carrying in a wooden frame with several bodyguards, their faces filled with pity.
On the frame lay a tall body dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes, his stiff hand still gripping a large knife tightly. His brown clothes were soaked with blood, but it was still vaguely recognizable as Wang Shengwei's attire.
"Where is...Wang...Old Master Wang's head?"
Dong Shishi asked tremblingly, squeezed through the crowd. His tall frame was now decapitated; the weapon must have been extremely sharp, and the cut swift and clean. The neck bones were severed, and a white, bony protuberance could be seen in the mangled, bowl-shaped wound.
Chief镖头 Qi walked to Dong Haoran's side, his brow furrowed in a grimace. "Chief镖头," he said, "all nine men from Shengwei镖局 who came this time are in this state. The others' bodies are five miles north of the town. I...I'll take men to collect them in a bit." His
voice choked with emotion as he finished speaking.
Dong Haoran stared blankly at the corpse, remaining silent. Xu Peng suddenly rushed over, grabbing Qiu Mingyang's collar and shouting, "Qiu! Speak! Old Master Wang came looking for you! How did he die!"
Qiu Mingyang's hands trembled slightly as he slowly said, "I really didn't see him. How would I know how he died?"
Then, his gaze sharpened, and he quickly said, "Xu Peng, you said you and Old Master Wang went looking for me together, why don't you know where he went? Why didn't you see him?"
Yun Panqing chimed in from the side, "No, I went looking with Boss Xu, but we didn't find anything."
As she spoke, she nervously hid a piece of pastry behind her back.
Ying Hengtian squeezed through the crowd, squatted down beside Wang Shengwei's corpse, dipped his finger in the blood, loosened the corpse's tightly clenched hand, took out a silver needle and pricked the corpse's arm, stared blankly for a moment, then stood up in confusion and asked Xu Peng, "Boss Xu, when did you last see Wang Shengwei this morning?"
Xu Peng was taken aback, then said irritably, "Who are you?"
Ying Hengtian slightly turned his body, revealing the waist badge at his waist, and said calmly, "I am Ying Hengtian, the head constable of the Six Northern Prefectures."
Although he simply said "head constable, " Xu Peng, however, knew that this constable was a figure even high-ranking local officials treated with deference, and quickly said, "Master Ying, my apologies. This morning, I went to Qiu Mingyang's room with Old Master Wang. I... I saw him in the backyard of the inn, probably... probably less than an hour after dawn."
Ying Hengtian frowned slightly and asked, "And then?"
Xu Peng replied, "After that, I first came here to ask Old Dong, and then went with this Miss Yun to look for him, but we didn't see him again along the way."
Yun Panqing nodded, indicating that she could testify.
Dong Haoran asked curiously, "What's wrong, Master Ying? Is something amiss?"
Ying Hengtian's lips curled slightly, but a chill ran through his eyes: "Of course not. This corpse must have been dead by the third watch of the night at the latest. I don't know if Boss Xu has seen a ghost, or if this dead man isn't Wang Shengwei."
Hearing the third watch, Qiu Mingyang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Ying Hengtian narrowed his eyes, staring at Qiu Mingyang, and said, "Chief Escort Qiu, where did this murder occur last night? I think you should explain everything clearly."
Qiu Mingyang hesitated, finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Last night... last night I was in the backyard of the Dong family. I... I wanted to see if I could get my hands on the Netherworld Nine Songs before my escort mission, make a copy, and then secretly return it. Who knew I'd wait for more than two hours..."
He looked at him with some fear. He glanced at Murong Ji, then continued, "...but I didn't even have a chance to strike. I was just about to return to the inn when a masked youth suddenly attacked. I..."
His face flushed, and he said hatefully, "I was no match for him and was captured. I only managed to escape less than half an hour ago."
Dong Haoran instructed the bodyguards to properly dispose of the body, then said, "Let's go inside and talk in detail."
Just then, a woman screamed. Looking over, they saw Dong Qingqing covering her mouth, her face pale as she stared at the corpse on the ground. Dong Haoran frowned and said, "Qingqing, go home. Shishi, go home with your sister for dinner. You girls shouldn't cause trouble here."
Although Dong Shishi was reluctant, seeing her sister almost faint from fright, she still pulled the equally pale-faced Lü'er to help her sister back to the Dong family home. Ying Hengtian watched Dong Shishi leave with some regret, then followed the others inside.
After entering the hall and sitting down, Ying Hengtian continued to ask Qiu Mingyang, "Could you describe in detail where you were captured, who you met, what weapons they used, and their martial arts skills?"
Qiu Mingyang nodded and slowly recalled, "The young man used a long sword. I don't recognize his technique, but his moves were extremely ruthless. If he wanted to kill me, I probably wouldn't have lasted that long."
He thought for a moment and added, "That was hardly martial arts; it was... it was a method of killing!"
"I threw all fifteen of my throwing knives. Although I was stabbed in the shoulder by that boy, I was too weak to fight anymore. He took me to a house far, far away in the woods north of the town, and then left. I was left there tied up..."
Qiu Mingyang stretched out his hand, pulling up his sleeve to show a red mark, as if to prove it. "Until morning, a boy with no shoulder injury brought me food to that house. He... looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, and his face was very unnatural. He was probably wearing a human skin mask. After that, he guarded me there, and then occasionally dozed off. I... I struggled with my hands, and the ropes loosened a bit. I only escaped after the boy fell asleep. During this time, I definitely didn't see Old Master Wang."
The fear in Qiu Mingyang's eyes didn't seem fake. Being defeated by a boy was a very shameful thing, and it wasn't unreasonable for him to say it now. Ying Hengtian pondered silently, his gaze slowly shifting to Xu Peng.
Xu Peng jolted awake, as if remembering something, and quickly said, "Right, Old Master Wang was acting a bit strange this morning!
He... his lips seemed very stiff when he spoke. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that you mention it, it might be because of the disguise."
Ying Hengtian remained silent, as did Murong Jiyun, Pan Qing, and Dong Haoran. Xu Peng awkwardly scratched his head and said, "I only remembered this when Brother Qiu mentioned the human skin mask. I really didn't lie to you."
After a long while, Dong Haoran finally spoke, but what he said was this:
"The dead cannot be brought back to life. Let's eat first."
When the food was served at the escort agency, the Dong sisters had already finished their meal hastily. Dong Qingqing was quite frightened by the corpse, and after eating a few bites of vegetables and drinking a small bowl of rice porridge, she refused to eat anymore. Dong Shishi was also in a bad mood, and after biting into half a steamed bun, she asked someone to clear the table. The two sisters didn't exchange more than a few words before returning to their respective rooms.
Greenie ran to the outhouse and vomited twice. Tears still clung to the corners of her eyes. Weakly leaning against the chair, she looked pitifully at Dong Shishi and said, "Second Miss...we...we shouldn't go out for the next few days, right?"
Dong Shishi snorted and said, "If we don't go out, how can we catch that murderer? How dare he kill us in my father's sphere of influence! He's really looking down on our Haoran Escort Agency!"
Greenie said with a bitter face, "Second Miss, so many experts have come here. Let them go. If we see the murderer, I'm afraid we won't be able to save our heads. My life is worthless. No one will shed a tear if I die. But if something happens to you, won't Master and Madam be heartbroken?"
Dong Shishi glared at her and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who wants to kill you? They'll have to kill me first."
Although she spoke with great confidence, the thought of the headless, bloody corpse made Dong Shishi's skin crawl.
She rubbed her arms and changed the subject, saying, "We're alright, but if something happened to my sister, my father would be heartbroken. My sister is so well-behaved and looks just like my mother; Father dotes on her the most. Look how scared she was when she saw the corpse; she must still be grieving... Let's go see her."
Dong Qingqing was indeed still grieving; she felt waves of acid reflux rising in her stomach, and the thought of the corpse she had just seen made her weak all over. But she didn't lie down to rest. She didn't stay in the room for even a moment before putting down her needlework, grabbing a veiled hat with a scarf—the kind women wore when going out—and quietly leaving the Dong family compound through the back door, heading towards the east of the city. The east
of the city was mostly inhabited by poor families, and the streets were quite desolate. Sure enough, just outside the eastern end of the town, a fortune-telling stall had appeared. The old man looked almost dead, with a white beard and a face full of wrinkles. His cloudy eyes squinted at the ground in front of him, where a white cloth stall was set up, displaying Bagua symbols, writing brushes, ink, bronze mirrors, and yellow paper—it looked like a Taoist priest preparing to perform a ritual.
Dong Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then walked over and stood in front of the stall, bending down to look at the old man.
The old man looked up, his expressionless face blank, and asked, "Young lady, do you want your fortune told, your character analyzed, or are you asking about feng shui or exorcising ghosts? Not today, this old man's magic power is insufficient."
Dong Qingqing said awkwardly in a low voice, "I...I'm looking for someone."
She felt very uncomfortable standing there. Although her face was covered by a veil with the brim of her hat, her slender and beautiful figure could not be hidden. Although the Tianbi Dynasty was much more open-minded, not many women in this small town would often show their faces in public. Her mature and shapely figure immediately attracted several greedy gazes.
The old man snorted and said, "Sorry, I don't deal with finding people here. But if you want to catch foxes, I can introduce you to a good one."
"Foxes?"
Dong Qingqing was taken aback, then remembered Hu Yufei's nickname, "Jade-Faced Flying Fox," and immediately said, "Then...that's fine too. Where is he?"
The old man narrowed his eyes again and said indifferently, "Just take the bottom sheet of that stack of yellow papers on my stall."
Dong Qingqing quickly pulled out the yellow paper; sure enough, it had a map-like drawing on it. She nodded, pulled down her hat, and hurried away.
She heard the old man slowly say behind her, "Sigh...there are more and more sly foxes these days. Catching foxes is definitely easier than fortune telling."
Dong Qingqing felt a burning sensation on her face, as if pricked by needles, and she quickened her pace.
Following the map, she found herself in the northeast corner of the town, winding into a narrow alley. Inside were only a few ordinary houses. Dong Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and knocked on the door at the place marked on the map.
When the door opened, a hunchbacked man with a crooked mouth and drooled stared at her blankly and asked, "What do you want?"
Dong Qingqing frowned and took two steps back, suppressing her disgust, and said, "I...I'm looking for someone."
Unexpectedly, the hunchback pulled her inside, slammed the gate shut, and clapped his hands with a silly grin, saying, "That's great, I'm a human now!"
Dong Qingqing screamed, nearly falling into the haystack in the yard as she was pulled along. Turning around, she saw the hunchback approaching and cried out, "You...you don't come any closer!"
She retreated until she reached the door, completely panicked, when the door opened and she fell into a broad, warm embrace. That familiar, hoarse voice rang in her ears, "Don't be afraid. He's an idiot."
Settling into a chair and holding a warm teacup, Dong Qingqing finally calmed down a little. Hu Yufei hadn't brought anything to conceal his face, but after she came in, he pulled out a leather-like object and put it on, covering his scarred face.
Dong Qingqing forgot what she was originally going to ask and asked first, "You... what are you wearing and where did you get this?"
Hu Yufei was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "It's probably a human skin mask that someone failed to make. I found it at your escort agency. It's much better than the one I usually use, so I just used it. So as not to scare you."
Dong Qingqing shook her head and said, "No... I'm not afraid."
Then she remembered what she was going to ask and couldn't help but get nervous. She gripped the teacup she was holding tightly and asked breathlessly, "I... I have something I want to ask you..."
Hu Yufei said "Oh," and looked at her suspiciously, "You came to me because you have something to ask me?"
Dong Qingqing nodded, then guiltily looked away, because she herself wasn't sure if that was really the case.
"Your martial arts are quite good, aren't they?"
Hu Yufei was somewhat surprised, but still answered, "Hmm... passable. What's wrong?"
Dong Qingqing frowned and lowered her head, saying, "I... someone from our escort agency died, I... I want to ask... did you kill them?"
She didn't know why she suddenly asked this question, but deep down she felt that whether Hu Yufei had killed them was a very important question to her.
Hu Yufei shook his head, sat down beside her, and solemnly said, "I didn't kill anyone from the escort agency. I did kill people these past few days, but they were all petty thieves."
Dong Qingqing shrank back, thinking of how he had killed a lecherous thief in one fell swoop that night, and trembled as she said, "Why... why did you kill people? Why did you do such a terrible thing?" Hu Yufei
sneered, reached out and pulled down the mask on his face, and asked her, "You're not afraid of this face, but you're afraid of hearing about killing people?"
Dong Qingqing looked at that face without looking away, and slowly said, "When I see your face, I feel that you must be very... " "It hurts... And when I see that dead person, I'm terrified. I'm afraid that one day, my father will lie in front of me like that corpse. That person died so horribly... He didn't even have a head..."
Dong Qingqing spoke faster and faster, finally unable to hold back her sobs and bursting into tears, leaning on Hu Yufei's shoulder. "I'm so scared. I don't know what happened, why so many things happened..."
Hu Yufei reached out and put his arm around Dong Qingqing's thin shoulder, saying softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Dong Qingqing sobbed, "We don't even know who you are... What are you doing here? " "What...you only know how to rape my body, how...how could I possibly believe you?"
Hu Yufei gently wiped away her tears and chuckled, "I am a lecher...you look terrible, rest here for a while. I know a little internal energy, I can help you recover."
Dong Qingqing trembled slightly and shrank back a little, "You...what do you want to do?"
Hu Yufei put his arm around her shoulder and laid her down on the bed, pressing down on her shoulders and saying softly, "You're flustered right now, and your complexion is terrible, it's not good for your health."
Dong Qingqing was pressed down on the bed, her cheeks immediately... Her face flushed, she twisted her body, trying to struggle, but her heart ached and she didn't want to kick or twitch. Deep down, she vaguely felt that she hadn't actually come for that unrelated matter, but she still said, "No...no, I...I don't want to. This...this is broad daylight, it's...it's so embarrassing.
" Hu Yufei said softly, "Don't worry, I promise, as long as you don't ask me to do anything else, I'll just help you regulate your breathing."
Dong Qingqing swallowed, relaxing her body with some doubt. Indeed, ever since seeing the dead body, she had felt indescribably uncomfortable, and cold sweats had been almost constant.
Seeing that she had stopped struggling, Hu Yufei turned to get the human skin mask to put on.
Dong Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then said, "No...don't wear it, I...I'm really not afraid."
Hu Yufei's hand holding the human skin mask froze in front of his face, then he chuckled strangely, tossed the mask aside, and sat down next to Dong Qingqing.
Dong Qingqing stared wide-eyed at Hu Yufei, unblinking as if afraid he might do something else. After looking at the scar on Hu Yufei's face for a while, it really wasn't so glaring anymore.
He first placed his hands on her collarbone, gently pressing, a warmth flowing from the pressed area into her body, gradually calming her trembling body. Once her breathing became steady, his hands gently kneaded her arms, sliding down to her hands, then their palms clasped together, another stream of warmth flowing from his palms into hers.
A wave of warmth washed over her, and Dong Qingqing truly felt a sense of peace and comfort. She gradually narrowed her eyes, a strange thought inexplicably slipping into her mind.
If she were this man's wife, being pampered like this by her husband, even if she were to disregard propriety and indulge in debauchery, wouldn't it be better than her previous lonely and boring life...?
Hu Yufei didn't do anything more befitting of his status. After Dong Qingqing's hands became warm and flushed, he turned her over and began massaging the stiff, tense muscles in her calves.
The areas Dong Qingqing was massaging initially tightened, then felt warm and soothing, as if she were soaking in hot water. Her legs instantly became soft and relaxed, like they had just emerged from a bath.
So when his hands pressed down on her lower back, even though they were only inches from her full, round buttocks, Dong Qingqing merely let out a comfortable groan and stretched her limbs.
He pressed the thickest parts of his palms together and rubbed a spot not far from her tailbone a couple of times. Then, he suddenly pressed down hard, and she felt a slight cracking in her joints. It wasn't exactly painful or sore, but it felt like something bloated inside had been suddenly released, a sensation that traveled all the way to the tip of her tailbone, making her groan and her lower abdomen tighten.
A surge of warmth rushed through Dong Qingqing's heart. The familiar sensations and changes were gradually appearing in her most tender place. She quickly shifted her attention and asked Hu Yufei, as if making conversation, "That...that old fortune teller...who is he to you?"
Hu Yufei casually replied, "He's just someone I saved two years ago. He's not old, just knows some disguise skills. He helped me a lot. Why did you think of asking about him?"
As he spoke, his hands gradually moved upwards, his thumbs gripping the inside of her shoulder blades and pressing down slightly.
The comfort of the massage on her shoulders and back made Dong Qingqing oblivious to everything else. She simply said, "No...nothing,"
and placed her hands under her chin, humming a pleasant nasal sound as she truly enjoyed it.
The hand behind her shoulders slowly moved down, pressing against her lower back twice as before, before sliding down again, almost completely pressing down on her taut, firm buttocks.
Dong Qingqing knew this was inappropriate, but then she thought that he had already done everything he wanted; perhaps this massage was genuinely meant to help her relax.
Deceiving herself like this, her hands had already started moving. Dong Qingqing's buttocks were round and full, looking firm and bouncy, but they were very soft when kneaded. When the palm pressed down, the concave flesh of her buttocks seemed to want to escape and pushed against the palm. Even through the clothes, one could feel how smooth the skin on the tip of her buttocks was.
After a massage, Dong Qingqing's previously even breathing gradually became rapid again. The warm feeling on her buttocks wasn't so bad, but the tight, tingling sensation in her groin gave her a bad feeling. She couldn't help but say, "Hu... Hu Yufei, you... you said you wouldn't... wouldn't tease me."
Hu Yufei chuckled, and his hands slid down to Dong Qingqing's plump thighs. Her silk skirt and underpants were thin, so it felt as if his hands were directly touching her thighs. "Qingqing, I'm just helping you relax. If you don't agree today, I absolutely won't force you."
"No... no..."
A numbness spread through her thighs, her groin twitched, and her clitoris went numb. A warm fluid welled up and spread between her plump labia. Dong Qingqing felt a pang of distress. Although she knew it was wrong, she still couldn't help but hope that those thick, rough hands would move a little further into her thighs.
"What's wrong?"
Hu Yufei listened to her soft moans, a smug smile spreading across his face. He tucked the silk fabric of her lower garment between her tightly pressed legs, then raised his hand and moved it back and forth in that alluring crevice. "Am I rubbing the wrong place?"
"No...no..."
Dong Qingqing was already somewhat confused, feeling the tucked-in fabric constantly rubbing against her inner thighs, a sensation that was both tingling and itchy, hot and numb. Her mature body began to react honestly, and unknowingly, her tender vaginal cavity gradually became moist. She buried her face in the quilt, afraid of revealing her aroused expression, unaware that the thin fabric clinging to her inner thighs had already developed obvious wet patches, and Hu Yufei's gaze was leisurely fixed on those wet patches, slowly moving his hand closer to them.
"Ugh...you...you're making me so hot."
Dong Qingqing made a muffled sound, her long legs twisting restlessly under her skirt, her twitching vulva expressing her dissatisfaction, causing her to frown and moan softly, "I was feeling a little better, but now...now I feel uncomfortable again."
Hu Yufei smiled and leaned closer, whispering in her ear, "I have a way to make you feel better again, but I promised you earlier, so now I have to ask if you're willing."
As he spoke, he suddenly poked his palm into her tightly clenched buttocks, his fingertips pressing against the damp fabric, suddenly rubbing against her delicate labia.
Dong Qingqing suddenly jerked her head back and cried out, gripping the sheets tightly with both hands, shaking her head frantically, "I...I don't know."
"Just say you're willing, it's not difficult, is it?"
Hu Yufei coaxed softly, his fingertips gently scratching her private parts through the fabric. The force couldn't quell the slightest itch, only intensifying her desire. The warm sensation left by the massage in the less sensitive areas earlier now seemed to surge up to her groin, making her feel lightheaded.
"I...I..."
Hu Yufei lowered his body, one hand kneading her buttocks, the other groping along her waist towards her front.
"I..."
Hearing Dong Qingqing's almost tearful voice, he reached out and squeezed between the bed and her full breasts. Even through her clothes, he could feel her hard, swollen nipple, proudly protruding from her undergarment.
"Please...please...I..."
He leisurely awaited the final response, his palms beginning to knead the flattened, soft breasts. The nipples pressing against his palms through her clothes were particularly amusing.
Dong Qingqing finally couldn't bear the burning heat and restlessness throughout her body, and the emptiness that felt like a spasm in her vagina. She abruptly buried her face in the pile of blankets, moaning softly, "I'm willing...don't...don't torture me anymore, hurry...come on!"
Hu Yufei chuckled triumphantly, slowly slipping his hand under Dong Qingqing's skirt...
"Strange, where could my sister be in the middle of the day?"
Dong Shishi searched her sister's room thoroughly, even glancing under the bed, but her sister, who rarely left the house, was indeed not there. Thinking of the strange feeling in the town these past few days, she panicked. Forgetting to call for Lü'er, she immediately began searching the entire courtyard.
After searching the entire Dong family compound without finding Dong Qingqing, a panicked Dong Shishi rushed to the镖局 (镖局 is a type of security
escort agency). In the main hall, the group was still talking nonsense she neither understood nor cared about. Seeing that her sister wasn't there, she considered searching in town. Reaching the entrance, the memory of the gruesome corpse she'd seen that morning made her heart skip a beat, and she staggered back. She wanted to tell her father so he could arrange for some bodyguards to accompany her, but fearing her sister was just going to town to buy some things, she worried that making a fuss would likely get her scolded. So she went to where the bodyguards she knew were.
Unfortunately, the experienced bodyguards, whose skills were quite good, had all gone to collect the body, leaving Dong Shishi feeling utterly helpless.
Passing by the place where the five new boys lived, Dong Shishi knocked on the door without much hope. Sure enough, no one answered. She couldn't help but yell, "You...you can all just die! You're all like ghosts, nowhere to be seen!"
"Second Miss, what have I done to offend you again...what's wrong? You
seem to be in such a hurry," Mu Yang strolled over leisurely, as if he had just finished eating and drinking, staring at her with interest.
Dong Shishi frowned, thinking that this seemingly lecherous man was probably useless, and asked, "Have you seen my sister?"
Mu Yang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Then it's nothing."
Dong Shishi didn't want to stay in Mu Yang's presence any longer, especially since the large training ground was only occupied by the two of them. She turned and left after saying that.
As she approached the archway, she heard Mu Yang call out from behind, "I don't know if it's Miss, but when I was eating steamed buns in the back alley of the Dong family, I saw a veiled woman heading east towards the town. Her clothes didn't look like those of a maid."
Dong Shishi frowned, not intending to believe him, but still thanked him. Reaching the porch, she couldn't find anyone to accompany her. She paced back and forth a few times, initially considering calling Murong Ji, but hesitated repeatedly. Finally, she gritted her teeth: "Fine, I don't believe I'll die just by going."
She kept reassuring herself that perhaps her sister was just going to look at some jewelry, and she would find her as soon as she stepped outside. Dong Shishi hurried towards the door, her mind in turmoil, not paying attention to what was in front of her. Just as she stepped out, she bumped into a man.
"Who is it! Don't you know where you're going before entering a security company?!"
Dong Shishi, already annoyed, called out, but upon seeing the person, she immediately smiled, "Little Yangzi!"
Little Yangzi stammered a few apologies, then said, "Second Miss, what's the rush? The town's been rather unsafe lately; it's best to stay home."
"If it's unsafe, that's why I need you with me! Don't ask, just come with me. My sister's gone."
Little Yangzi exclaimed, scratching his head, "Well… my skills are mediocre. If something happens, I can't take responsibility."
Dong Shishi impatiently grabbed his hand and pulled him outside, saying, "I couldn't find Shi Liu! If anything happens, you'll have to protect me. If you die, I'll give you the best funeral!"
Little Yangzi, both amused and exasperated, was dragged out the door. "Second Miss, thank you so much."
Dong Shishi, forgetting she was holding the man's hand, dragged Little Yangzi eastward.
Their conversation could still be heard in the distance.
"The town is so big, how are you going to find it, Miss?"
“Your ears are good, just listen.”
Chapter 6 of “Breast Hardening Aids Sex
” (Part 1)
Yun Panqing interjected from the side: “How can you go back to your own place without notifying your subordinates? It’s not like me, sometimes I go to hide a dead deer or a dead sheep or something, and I don’t dare to tell anyone.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment, and a strange image appeared in their minds.
A beautiful young girl, dressed in a grass skirt and wearing leaves, dug a hole in a forest with both hands, then secretly buried dead deer and sheep with stones and spears stuck in them. In the distance, there was a cave with several thatched huts outside and a campfire burning. The cave entrance was marked "Qingfeng Yanyu Tribe". "The girl's sect life is really hard."
(II)
Dong Haoran nodded, then seemed to remember something and immediately asked Murong Ji: "Brother Murong, where did you put the Netherworld Nine Songs?" Murong
Ji frowned, reached out and pulled down his belt to look into his crotch and said: "It's on my body. What's wrong?"
"...No wonder Brother Murong looks so imposing."
(III)
Ying Hengtian squeezed in from the crowd, squatted down next to Wang Shengwei's corpse, rummaged around on the corpse for a long time, then his face lit up with joy. He took out a silver bag, weighed it in his hand, and put it in his pocket.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Ying Hengtian was stunned for a moment, then quickly threw out the silver bag and said, “Sorry, I’m used to seeing corpses in court. It just happened to be there.”
(IV)
Xu Peng was stunned for a moment, then said irritably, “Who are you?”
Ying Hengtian turned slightly to the side and showed the waist tag at his waist.
"...Baoding Prefecture Tongren Jiyang Men's Clinic Gold Medal Member"
"No...look at the other side."
"...Ah! It's Master Ying."
(V)
Xu Peng suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Right, Old Master Wang was acting a bit strange this morning!"
"What was strange?"
"I went to the toilet with him, and he actually remembered to wipe his butt!"
(VI)
She retreated all the way to the door, and just as she was panicking and at a loss, the door opened, and she fell into a broad and warm embrace. That familiar hoarse voice rang in her ears, "Don't be afraid. He's gay."
Dong Qingqing first felt relieved, then her heart tightened. She turned around and looked at Hu Yufei's buttocks and asked in a trembling voice, "You...how do you know he's gay?"
"...This...let me explain."
(VII)
"It's just a matter of saying yes, it's not difficult, is it?"
"It's not that I...I don't want to say it, it's just...it's just that there's no priest here now, so it's no use for me to say I'm willing."
(VIII)
"The town is so big, how are you going to find it, Second Miss?"
"If you can't see it, listen; if you can't hear it, smell it."
"Second Miss, you're holding me, not Wangcai from the backyard."
"If I find you, I'll give you an extra month's salary!"
"Woof!"

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Like a Shadow, Chapter 6: Wealth Without Fate

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