This was mountain woodland. The ground was covered with fallen leaves and thick mud. The footprints were deeply impressed, so despite more than half a day’s worth of rain, they had retained their shape.
Zhou Si examined them for a moment before saying, “These are donkey tracks. Judging by their depth, the donkey was carrying something heavy. Most likely a person.”
A person? What would someone be doing riding a donkey through the mountains in the rain?
Gu Yun immediately thought of the workshop.
The three of them quickened their pace and hurried there. Upon arrival, everything appeared formal .
With the fire lances completed, the craftsmen were unusually relaxed, each occupied with whatever work interested him. Yan Zhao and the men he had brought had already returned to their regular posts, while several guards responsible for security patrolled the area.
Am I overthinking things? Gu Yun wondered.
He put the matter aside and found Craftsman Wang, asking him how he would proceed if he were to put the plans into practice.
For the past several days, Craftsman Wang had been poring over everything Gu Yun had taught him. Hearing the question, he was momentarily dumbfounded before quickly answering.
His response still contained a few mistakes, so Gu Yun corrected them and then instructed him to produce a batch and bring it for inspection.
Craftsman Wang agreed.
The other craftsmen, seeing Craftsman Wang speaking privately with Gu Yun from afar, could not conceal their envy and jealousy.
Why was it always Craftsman Wang and not them? Were they inferior to him? Did Gu Yun simply favour people who constantly argued with him?
After finishing his instructions, Gu Yun found a chair and sat down, planning his next steps while waiting for Chao Yan.
Zhao He had sent word that Chao Yan would finish dealing with his current affairs that day. In the evening, he would come to the workshop to test the moisture-resistant version of the fire lance. If it proved successful, they would proceed with the previously discussed production run of around a thousand units. Therefore, Gu Yun was told not to hurry back and instead wait there.
Gu Yun agreed. After all, when it came down to it, the boss was king.
Sitting by the window, he gradually finished organising his plans. When he finally looked up, night had fallen. At long last, the rain had stopped.
The temperature in the mountains was low, so Gu Yun put on an extra layer and casually tied back his hair. He was still not accustomed to using a hair ribbon, so the result was less than tidy, though fortunately he had realistic expectations.
Walking to the doorway, he gazed into the distance. Everything was blurred and indistinct.
Why hasn’t he arrived yet? If he doesn’t come soon, I’m going back.
He hated the cold.
His hometown was just as cold. Every Spring Festival he had to bring hand warmers and bundle himself up like a bear before he was willing to travel home with everyone else.
Gu Yun decided he would wait another two hours. That was the absolute limit of his patience for his employer.
Wrapped tightly in his clothes, he slowly shuffled back indoors.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he focused on a patch of woodland ahead. Calling Zhou Si and Zhou Wei over, he pointed towards it.
“Do you see anything?”
Zhou Si’s eyesight was exceptionally good. Zhou Wei’s was not quite as sharp. After staring for some time, he finally replied, “There’s a shadow moving. Not very large. Narrow at the top, wider at the bottom.”
“Let’s go and have a look,” said Gu Yun.
Zhou Si felt his scalp tingle. “That thing is extremely strange. For safety’s sake, perhaps we shouldn’t investigate it. We can wait until daylight.”
Zhou Wei nodded so vigorously it was almost comical.
Gu Yun tilted his head and looked at them, smiling. “Are you worried it’s a ghost?”
Ever since learning that he had transmigrated into a novel, Gu Yun had reverted from being a polytheist into a wavering atheist.
To put it simply, whenever he had something he wanted, he believed gods existed. Whenever he wanted nothing, or could not obtain what he wanted, he became a staunch materialist.
Regardless, he never believed in demons or monsters. A classic Chinese double standard: happy to believe in the good things, never the bad.
Having their thoughts exposed so directly, Zhou Si and Zhou Wei looked rather embarrassed. Their eyes darted around before one of them said, “Young Master, better safe than sorry.”
Gu Yun nodded. “Even so, I’m certain it isn’t a ghost. Do you remember the donkey tracks we found earlier? I think that shadow belongs to the person riding the donkey.”
Arguing with people of this era about whether ghosts existed was pointless. Their beliefs were products of entirely different worlds.
So Gu Yun simply established the shadow as a person first.
His real concern was whether it posed a threat to the workshop.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Si and Zhou Wei immediately volunteered to investigate while leaving Gu Yun behind at the workshop.
Gu Yun said, “If there’s any danger, I’ll be the first one to run.”
Although he had reassured them by insisting the figure was human, he could not actually be certain.
If it turned out not to be human, but some bizarre creature, he worried the two men might be frightened out of their wits. In any case, he would not feel at ease without seeing for himself. The pair had no choice but to agree to let him accompany them.
The mountain paths were slippery, so they wrapped several loops of fine iron chain around their shoes to improve their footing.
Before setting off, Gu Yun casually grabbed a short knife.
The workshop lacked many things, but weapons were not among them. Various weapons were stored there, all forged by the craftsmen whom Chao Yan had previously summoned.
The lantern swayed gently. Its bright light barely penetrated the mist. Beyond two metres, visibility was almost nonexistent.
All around them, the trees stretched twisted shadows across the ground like grasping claws.
Gu Yun was beginning to feel cold. He should have put on another layer before leaving. Rubbing his arms, he quickened his pace.
His knees had fully recovered during his stay in the Eastern Palace.
Grasping a branch, he pulled himself up onto the slope where he had first spotted the shadow.
The ground was a mess. There were no visible footprints.
Zhou Si and Zhou Wei crouched down for a closer inspection. “Someone deliberately erased the tracks.”
Only then, having confirmed that the shadow truly belonged to a person, did they finally relax. Lowering their lanterns, they searched the surrounding area and soon picked up the trail again.
For trained Night Guards such crude attempts at concealment were hardly enough to mislead them.
The three pursued the trail. Before long, they heard low curses drifting from a nearby hollow. Listening carefully, they could hear additional voices as well.
Now that they knew the target was human, Zhou Si and Zhou Wei no longer felt uneasy. Both believed Gu Yun had guessed correctly.
To be fair, Gu Yun thought so too.
Ah. Is my mouth blessed or something?
On reflection, it was simply because his analytical skills were outstanding.
As expected of me.
Gu Yun signalled for the two men to make the arrest while he found a place to rest.
He was tired.
Pinching his arm, he felt only a thin layer of muscle.
Gu Yun decided then and there that he needed to start exercising again. Since transmigrating, he had not exercised once. At this rate, he was going to turn into a scrawny weakling.
A ghostly wail of wind swept through the depths of the forest. The lantern Gu Yun had set on the ground was blown away.
Too lazy to retrieve it, he watched it roll and roll and roll. Then it caught fire.
Irritated, Gu Yun got to his feet to put out the flames.
This was woodland, after all. He had no desire to become an arsonist.
Before he had taken more than two steps, something lightly tapped his shoulder.
His ears immediately sharpened. From the hollow came startled cries and the sounds of a beating. It was not Zhou Si and Zhou Wei.
Lowering his gaze, Gu Yun drew the short knife concealed in his sleeve, twisted the hilt free, and thrust backwards with speed, precision and force.
The blade sliced through something resilient.
Taking advantage of the opening, Gu Yun retreated several paces before looking up.
A wolf?
Like most people, he had heard stories as a child.
When travelling mountain roads at night, wolves would stalk behind you. Once close enough, they would rear onto their hind legs, place their paws on your shoulders, and give a gentle tap.
The moment you turned around in shock, the wolf would tear out your throat and drag you away to be eaten.
By the light cast from the burning lantern in the distance, Gu Yun immediately saw that it was no wolf.
It was a dog.
Annoyed, he lowered his knife. “What brings you here, Your Highness?”
Chao Yan covered the wound on his arm where the blade had cut him. Blood stained his fingers and dripped steadily onto the ground.
“I heard you came here to investigate a suspicious shadow. I was worried, so I came to take a look.”
Gu Yun said, “Then why didn’t you announce yourself?”
Chao Yan replied, “I wanted to give you a surprise.”
Gu Yun was genuinely speechless.
A surprise? More like a fright.
Serves him right. The scheming bastard had brought it upon himself.
Gu Yun stared at him for a moment before finally stepping forward.
Taking the medicine from Li Lan, who had silently produced it from behind them, he rolled up Chao Yan’s sleeve and began treating the wound. His head was lowered, exposing a long and elegant neck.
Chao Yan lowered his eyes and watched quietly. The silence around them magnified every abnormal thing.
Gu Yun could clearly feel that gaze.
His entire body felt uncomfortable. The back of his neck grew hotter and hotter, as though sunlight were baking it.
His lips twitched. Without realising it, he tightened his grip.
Chao Yan let out a muffled groan. Gu Yun immediately loosened his hand.
For the remainder of the treatment, Chao Yan did not look at him again. Gu Yun finished bandaging the wound smoothly.
To show proper respect for his source of income, Gu Yun enquired after him a little afterwards and even apologised. Naturally, while apologising, he did not forget to absolve himself of all responsibility.
What a sly little cat.
Chao Yan sat in the hall, watching the man below, now changed into dry clothes and sipping hot tea. He looked completely at ease, languid and relaxed, his skin practically glowing beneath the lamplight.
After a glance, Chao Yan shifted his gaze to the man Zhou Si and Zhou Wei had apprehended. “I’m taking him with me.”
The man had already been knocked unconscious by Zhou Si and Zhou Wei. Before passing out, however, he had explained that he had wandered here by accident.
Gu Yun looked over at him. “Did he commit a crime?”
He recognised him. It was the very man Xu Jingzhou had rescued.
What a coincidence.
Gu Yun was already calculating how to get the fellow to repay the cost of the medicine. After all, he had paid for most of it himself. That had come out of his wages. Debts should be repaid as a matter of course. As for the crime he had committed, Gu Yun could always make him settle the debt first before handing him over to the authorities.
Chao Yan replied, “A serious one.”
Gu Yun gave a dry little “oh”.
Keeping him around to repay the debt was clearly no longer appropriate, but he had made a contribution to the court and still had to pay out of his own pocket…?
That hardly seemed reasonable.
Which raised an important question: how exactly was he supposed to ask his boss to reimburse him?
Chao Yan was the one taking the man away, so surely the debt should transfer to him as well. Besides, he was the Crown Prince. If Gu Yun contributed to the court, wasn’t he indirectly contributing to Chao Yan too?
As Gu Yun pondered how to bring it up, Chao Yan thanked him, but the words went in one ear and out the other. Chao Yan tested the moisture-resistant fire lance, and Gu Yun paid no attention. Chao Yan spoke of producing them on a large scale, and Gu Yun responded absent-mindedly.
“Why are you so distracted?”
Chao Yan caught hold of the back of his neck.
Gu Yun felt as though his lifeline had been seized. Twisting his body, he slipped free. “I…”
He hesitated over asking for repayment. After a moment’s struggle, he still could not bring himself to say it. Instead, he pointed at Chao Yan’s injured arm and held out both hands, hoping the other would understand.
“I see.”
Chao Yan smiled.
Just as Gu Yun was about to praise him for being so perceptive, Chao Yan pulled him into a firm embrace. “I don’t bear you any grudge for injuring me, so don’t dwell on it.”
Lowering his eyes, he concealed the dark shadows beneath them. “I’m very tired. Let’s head back.”
Gu Yun: “…”
Bloody dog.
Get lost.
