Volume One Untraceable Journey Through the Paper Leaves Chapter Twelve Escape

After Yang Ning watched the old bark leave for a short while, he finally stepped outside and woke the Monkey. The Monkey, who hadn’t slept long, looked bewildered and mumbled, “Boss Mink… what’s going on?”

Yang Ning smiled. “Get up, all of you. I’m taking you somewhere.”

The Monkey glanced outside—the world was still shrouded in darkness. He wanted to ask more, but Yang Ning interrupted, “If you don’t come, you’ll regret it. It’s your choice.”

Though deeply puzzled, the Monkey roused the others, who were equally confused. Yang Ning wasted no time, leading them out of the Earth God Temple and instructing Monkey to guide the way toward the southern city gate.

As they walked, the group grew increasingly curious, questioning Yang Ning several times. He only replied cryptically. When they neared the city gate, they sat beneath a section of wall.

By the third quarter of the hour of the Rabbit, dawn was breaking, and a few people had already gathered at the gate. As soon as the gates opened, Yang Ning led the group out of the city.

At entry, Huize City was strict about searches; at exit, any carts would be checked. But Yang Ning and his companions looked every bit the beggars, and the gate guards had no interest in wasting effort on them. They slipped out smoothly.

Once outside, Yang Ning said little. He walked briskly, leading the group four or five miles from the city.

“Boss Mink, where exactly are we going?” The Monkey, unable to contain himself any longer, stopped in his tracks. “All of Huize County is in chaos these days. We could run into bandits at any moment. We should go back to the safety of the city.”

Yang Ning stopped, turned, and said calmly, “Hold out your hand.”

The Monkey hesitated, seeing Yang Ning’s solemn expression, but did as told. Yang Ning placed a thumb ring in his palm. The Monkey stared at it, confused.

“This thumb ring, if exchanged for silver, is worth at least several dozen taels,” Yang Ning said. “Monkey, take the others and leave here at once. Go as far as you can. If nothing unexpected happens, someone will come searching for us within a few hours.”

Monkey and the others looked at each other in bafflement. Monkey quickly closed his fingers around the ring and grinned, “Boss Mink, did you strike it rich?” He assumed Yang Ning had stolen something from the Hua residence and was now sharing the spoils.

“Not rich, but I’ve gotten into serious trouble,” Yang Ning replied cheerfully. “Xiao Yishui has been killed. His followers may try to blame me. Since you lived with me at the Earth God Temple, you’ll be implicated too. This is your chance to run for your lives. Exchange the ring for silver and it will see you through. From here, our paths part. We may never meet again.”

Having said his piece, he turned and strode south without delay.

The group was stunned for a moment, then panic swept over them as they chased after him, shouting, “Boss Mink… did you kill Xiao… Xiao Yishui?”

“It doesn’t matter who killed him,” Yang Ning said, not looking back and quickening his pace. “But if you stay with me, it’ll be more dangerous. They may already be after us. What you do next is up to you.”

Monkey stopped, dumbstruck, as they watched Yang Ning vanish into the dimness. After a moment, someone behind asked nervously, “Monkey, what should we do?”

“What else?” Monkey spat on the ground. “That kid must’ve killed him. We misjudged him—never thought he could be so daring and ruthless…!” Recalling how they’d once clashed with Little Mink, a chill ran down his spine. “If we stay with him, we’ll be dragged down too. Enough talk, let’s run for our lives. The sooner we leave Huize County, the better.” Not daring to follow Yang Ning’s direction, he pointed east. “We’ll go that way. Run!”

Thus Yang Ning parted ways with Monkey and the others, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as the cool wind swept by, clearing his mind.

Overnight, everything had changed. Yang Ning never imagined that so soon after crossing over, he would become embroiled in such weighty matters—nor that he would so quickly be forced into flight.

Fleeing Huize County was imperative. He also needed to continue searching for Xiao Die.

Xiao Die had been sent to the capital. Yang Ning could readily imagine her terrible plight. She had once saved his life; he could not abandon her.

Though he knew he was weak and might never find Xiao Die, let alone save her, he was determined to try. Only then could he answer to his conscience.

He now possessed a few clues: at least he knew that Xiao Die and the other girls had been taken away by an escort agency, headed for the capital, and that they’d left three days ago.

So, to find Xiao Die, he first had to track down that escort team.

The road from Huize City to the capital took more than half a month, meaning the team was still en route.

Escorting so many girls, the company would be sizable. As one of the capital’s leading agencies, for safety’s sake, they would hardly abandon their banner.

An escort agency’s strength lay not in martial prowess but in connections. Without networks, even the most skilled warriors could not safely travel the roads. With a banner, passage was smooth; some agencies could even avoid roadside inspections. Such advantages would not be discarded.

Yang Ning was confident that such a team would be conspicuous. Along the way, he might be able to gather information.

Though the team had a three-day head start, they could not travel day and night without rest. By taking advantage of their stops, perhaps he could narrow the gap. It was not impossible.

If he could catch up, he might get close to Xiao Die. Even if he couldn’t save her immediately, by following, there would eventually be a chance.

He pondered as he walked. By the time he collected his thoughts, daylight had fully broken.

Ahead stretched a broad official road. He frowned, realizing that striding so openly along the main road was dangerous; if Xiao Yishui’s followers pursued him, he’d be easy to spot. He reminded himself that he was a fugitive and this was no time for bold displays.

He turned onto a side path, heading south. Focused on catching up to the escort team, he barely rested along the way. When thirsty, he drank from streams; when hungry, he foraged wild fruit. By the next evening, he had put considerable distance between himself and Huize City.

Unwittingly, his path led him back to the main road. At the crossroads, he spotted a thatched hut with a bamboo pole outside, from which hung a curtain bearing a large character for “tea.”

It was a roadside tea stall.

Yang Ning, now truly parched, approached. On a wooden bench before the stall sat a man in his early forties, who said with a half-smile, “Uncle, you—”

Before he could finish, the man shot him a sidelong glance and waved him away. “Move along, move along. There’s nothing free here.” He turned away, ignoring Yang Ning.

Yang Ning paused, thinking the man quite uncivil, then looked down and realized he was still dressed as a beggar. No wonder the man chased him off, assuming he was a vagrant looking for alms.

“Uncle, I just want to ask you something.” Yang Ning had no intention of leaving. He stepped closer, smiling. “Has an escort team passed by in the last few days? This is the road to the capital, isn’t it?”

“Obviously,” the man snapped, turning his head. “If you know this is the road to the capital, how could there not be convoys? Every day, plenty pass by—how am I supposed to remember which are merchants and which are escorts?”

The man’s temper was foul, but Yang Ning didn’t mind. He smiled again. “Might I have a drink of water? I’m really thirsty.”

“There’s water, and even tea,” the man replied, eyeing him with a half-smile. “If you’ve got silver, I can even give you something to eat.”

Just then, a woman’s voice called out, “It’s just a bowl of water. Don’t be so stingy. If business is slow, don’t take it out on others.” A woman in an apron emerged from the stall, handed Yang Ning a bowl of water, and he quickly gulped it down.

The man snorted but said nothing more.

Yang Ning returned the bowl and bowed. “Thank you, auntie.”

“You came from the north, didn’t you?” The woman, seeing how ragged he looked, wasn’t put off—she seemed more sympathetic. “Poor boy, so young and already wandering. If you’re hungry, I’ll get you a wheat cake.”

The man glared. “What cake? If we gave out food to everyone, we’d starve ourselves. You’ll ruin us, woman.”

The woman ignored him, went inside, and brought out a rather unappetizing chunk of wheat cake. Yang Ning thanked her and took it, asking, “Auntie, may I ask—did you see an escort team pass by in the last few days? Perhaps two or three days ago?”

The woman thought for a moment, then shook her head. “There are convoys every day. I haven’t really noticed. Why do you want to know about an escort team?”

Yang Ning was about to answer when, from the north, the sound of galloping hooves reached their ears.

The man and woman, accustomed to the endless traffic, paid it no mind. But Yang Ning’s heart tightened; he ducked to the side of the stall and peered northward. In the dying sunlight, five or six riders were galloping toward them.

In moments, the riders—dressed uniformly in blue constable garb—pulled up at the stall. The leader reined in his horse, swept the area with a glance, and the man, already on his feet, hurried forward with a smile. “Officers, would you like some tea? Please, come in!”

The lead constable ignored him, pulling a scroll from his coat and unfurling it. He asked the man, “Look closely. Have you seen this person?”

The man squinted at the picture, frowned, and glanced back—only to realize that Yang Ning, who’d just been standing by the stall, had vanished. The woman came forward and studied the portrait, shaking her head. “We see lots of faces every day. I haven’t seen anyone like this.”

The constable’s expression was frosty. “Look carefully. He may not appear exactly the same.” Fixing a cold gaze on the man, he demanded, “Why are you looking around?”

“N-nothing!” the man stammered.

The constable sneered. “This man is a murderer, wanted for a capital crime. If you know anything and don’t tell us, you’re an accomplice—and that means losing your head… Look carefully. Have you seen him or not?” He signaled, and three constables dismounted, drew their sabers, and rushed into the tea stall.