After the Head Manager was killed, the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak madly chased after Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong while the latter killed those who pursued them. It wasn’t until the break of dawn that they were finally safe.
Yin Zhi Yong was already soaked in blood, and there were cuts all over his figure. With that said, those were not comparable to his mental fatigue.
In front of a river, Yang Kai cupped some water with both hands and washed his face. After that, he leaned against the tree trunk and panted.
Unable to contain the doubt in his mind, Yin Zhi Yong gazed at him and asked, “Little Brother, just what is happening?”
The incident on this night was too strange. He wasn’t really a bright person, so he was unable to figure it out. He just had a feeling that he and Yang Kai were sold out.
After measuring his words, Yang Kai said, “It’s me who has dragged you into this.”
Yin Zhi Yong replied, “What are you talking about?”
“That’s really the case,” Yang Kai reiterated, “Those from the Meng Manor want me dead. That was why they told us to escort some goods and orchestrated an attack in the middle of the night.”
Yin Zhi Yong parted his lips, not knowing what to say.
They were the Eldest Young Lady’s personal bodyguards, but they were suddenly tasked with escorting some goods to Great Abundance City. However, the goods from the Meng Manor were just a bunch of stones. On the other hand, the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak lived in the opposite direction from their route, but they had laid in ambush around this business route in advance.
Moreover, before the Head Manager’s death, he said that someone told him Yang Kai would pass by Upward Mound while escorting some goods.
All of this showed that Yin Zhi Yong had been dragged into a scheme.
“Is there a… partnership between the Meng Manor and Hidden Treasure Peak?” Yin Zhi Yong found it hard to accept the notion. It wasn’t that he was surprised that those from the Meng Manor were in contact with bandits. As a wealthy family, it was expected that those from the Meng Family had contacts in both the authorities and the underworld. Nevertheless, just like what Yang Kai had said the day before, those from Hidden Treasure Peak had kidnapped the Eldest Young Lady, so there was supposed to be a blood feud between them. Given how the Meng Family Patriarch doted on the Eldest Young Lady, there was no room for partnership between the two.
“That might not be the case.” Yang Kai shook his head, “There is something in between that connects the Meng Manor and Hidden Treasure Peak.”
Yin Zhi Yong came to his senses, “Are you saying that there is no direct partnership between the Meng Manor and Hidden Treasure Peak. Instead, there is a middleman between them?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Regardless, I’ve dragged you into this mess.”
Yin Zhi Yong still couldn’t figure it out, “But… why do those from the Meng Manor want you dead? Did you do anything wrong?”
Yang Kai shook his head as he didn’t want to explain anything. He finally understood why there were more people who were hiding around the Eldest Young Lady’s residence recently and the reason Cui’er’s gaze was filled with resentment whenever she looked at him.
It was apparent that they were the Patriarch’s spies. The fact that the Eldest Young Lady and Yang Kai were in love must have been exposed, which was why the Meng Family Patriarch wanted him dead.
There was no way Meng De Ye would allow his treasured Daughter to fall in love with a mere guard.
As for Yin Zhi Yong, he was really innocent in this matter.
Yang Kai rose to his feet and declared, “Brother Yin, you’d better leave now. Stay away from White Jade City and go to a place where the Meng Family can’t find you.”
Yin Zhi Yong was startled, “What about you?”
Yang Kai leaped onto the horse and turned around, “There’s a matter I have to settle.”
Upon finishing his words, he drove the horse to leave. Yin Zhi Yong called out to him from behind, but upon getting no reply, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and leave.
There was no way he could return to White Jade City. Those from the Meng Manor hadn’t managed to achieve their goal this time, so if he dared to show up, he would certainly lose his life. Just like what Yang Kai had said, he could only go to a place where no one would recognise him.
A few days later, a young man covered in dust passed through the city’s gates. When he looked up, he saw two new faces on the wanted list on the wall. Both of them were private guards of the Meng Manor. One of them was named Yang Kai while the other was Yin Zhi Yong.
The painter was pretty skillful as the two pictures were quite life-like.
On the wanted list, it was said that both of them were the private guards of the Meng Manor, but they had worked with the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak and ruthlessly killed more than twenty people from Grand Abundance Bureau at Upward Mound before stealing a lot of goods that belonged to the Meng Manor. They were cold-blooded and unforgivable.
With a dispassionate expression, Yang Kai looked away and directly entered the city. He had put on a disguise, so he could easily fool the people who were looking for him.
He had lived for many years and killed countless people, so it was expected that he had learned various skills and techniques.
He wasn’t particularly good at disguising himself, and in the eyes of the experts, he must have made a lot of mistakes. However, his skill was good enough for him to deal with this kind of situation.
Nevertheless, not long after he entered the city, Yang Kai realised that he was being stalked.
This surprised him quite a bit.
When the stalker barged into the alley, Yang Kai, who had been hiding in the dark, instantly appeared and clenched his neck. The stalker was apparently shocked as he pleaded, “Please don’t kill me! I’m just following orders, and I don’t intend to harm you.”
“Who gave you the order? What are you trying to do?” Yang Kai questioned coldly.
Seeing that the stalker shook his head, Yang Kai exerted more force with his hand. The person widened his eyes in horror, but he still wouldn’t expose anything.
Just when he thought he was about to get killed, Yang Kai suddenly tossed him away.
Having just escaped from death’s door, the stalker coughed violently and panted.
“Speak. What’s going on?” Yang Kai asked.
The stalker got to his feet with difficulty and looked at Yang Kai with a terrified expression. With his head lowered, he replied, “Sir said that he wants you to follow me to another place.”
Before Yang Kai even replied to him, he went on to say, “Sir also said that you don’t have to worry about anything as he has no intention to harm you. If he wanted that, I just needed to shout loudly, and you wouldn’t be able to leave White Jade City. There’s no point in going to such trouble.”
“I would kill you before you could shout,” Yang Kai threatened.
The stalker trembled, “Even if I can’t shout, someone else will.”
“Is your Sir threatening me?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
The stalker shook his head, “No, no, no! It’s just his way of showing his sincerity. That was exactly what Sir said, so please don’t blame me.”
Yang Kai was suddenly interested in the so-called Sir. After giving it a thought, he asked, “Do you know who I am?”
The stalker shook his head again, “I have no idea. I’m just following orders.”
“Lead the way, then,” Yang Kai nodded.
The Sir behind this person must be aware of Yang Kai’s identity, and he had found out that the latter had entered the city. It meant that someone could recognise him just now. Perhaps that Sir had been observing the surroundings somewhere near the city’s gates.