My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 5 Rumors are truly terrifying

After more than half a month of eating, drinking, playing, and traveling, Xie Yan finally led Ma Shala into Yong'an Prefecture before dark.

Looking at her beloved horse, which hadn't carried him for very long but was clearly more tired than him and was now panting heavily, Xie Yan immediately decided that she should find a place to stay first.

"Fuding Inn, this will do."

Xie Yan, leading his horse, happened to run into the waiter who was waiting at the door to greet customers.

The waiter approached with a smile, "Sir, would you like to eat or stay the night?"

Looking up, Xie Yan saw a rather fat white horse behind her, its head tilted back, slowly and vigorously flicking its mane.

He was immediately dumbfounded and exclaimed, "It's so fat..." Then a silver ingot fell into his hand.

"...What a strong and magnificent horse!"

Xie Yan said modestly, "You flatter me. Please give me a superior room."

As the waiter was about to lead the horse away, he spoke again, "Oh, and remember to feed my horse every day. Also, it's quite sensitive and loves to hear praise. If anyone speaks ill of it, it will get upset, and when it's upset, it will..."

The waiter tugged at the reins, feeling as heavy as a mountain at the other end. He wiped his sweat and stammered, "What...what will happen?"

Xie Yan touched her empty purse, and as she stepped into the inn, she sighed sadly, "Sigh... I'll just eat more."

Waiter: ...Huh?

"The sky is dry and things are dry, be careful with the candles——"

Xie Yan stayed in the room until the third watch of the night. All was quiet, except for the sound of the night watchman.

The window was pushed open with just a hand's breadth. He was sitting on the windowsill with his legs bent, his mask casually placed on the table, and the faint candlelight flickering in the night breeze coming from the window.

Xie Yan turned his unmasked face toward the window. Following his gaze, several streets away stood a magnificent mansion with the inscription "Dong Mansion".

That was the residence of the magistrate of Yong'an Prefecture, and also his destination.

Half a month ago—

"I heard that Dong Feng, the magistrate of Yong'an Prefecture, is plotting a rebellion. The assassins who came from Fengyun Tower to kill him were hired by him."

Chu Ling took a sip of tea. Although there was a smile on his lips, it did not reach his eyes; instead, it carried a chill.

"So I want you to go to Yong'an Prefecture and find evidence of Dong Feng's rebellion."

Another gust of night wind blew by, and the candlelight on the candlestick finally gave way, plunging the room into darkness. The half-window remained in the same position, the table was empty, and there was no one on the windowsill.

At the street corner diagonally opposite the Dong residence, Xie Yan seemed to blend into the shadows. Although several squads of guards patrolled back and forth in front of the mansion, none of them could spot him.

This person held a low-ranking official position, yet he seemed to have so much money to hire so many guards, as if someone was plotting against him.

Surely she couldn't have anticipated my arrival? Xie Yan stroked her chin.

He took a deep breath and his figure drifted in through the gaps in the guards' patrol like a gust of wind.

He found several maids in the mansion and followed them, eavesdropping the whole way. Besides the girls' everyday gossip, he also overheard some useful information.

It is said that Dong Feng and his wife have been sleeping in separate rooms for a long time, and lately he has been sleeping in the study every night. Moreover, in addition to hiring many guards, he has also hired several strange retainers who follow him around every day. These maids are there to deliver midnight snacks to the retainers.

Retainer?

Xie Yan silently complained, "What kind of retainers are they? Not only do they follow me around every day, but they're still not asleep even though it's past midnight."

Soon, he knew.

Xie Yan followed the maid to Dong Feng's study. When she looked up, her steps faltered.

In the study, under the moonlight, several people were standing or sitting, striking poses.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Xie Yan couldn't help but be momentarily bewildered: ...What the hell?

"who?!"

Xie Yan's steps were slightly unsteady and very weak, but they were noticed by the group in an instant, and several darts were immediately thrown at him!

He dodged to the side, and saw the group of people move quickly, spreading out to surround him.

Xie Yan stopped and looked around. There were exactly five people surrounding him, men and women, young and old. Judging from their weapons and posture, they resembled a gang or group that had gained some notoriety in recent years.

Although Xie Yan forgot what their names were.

"who are you?"

A tall, thin man in blue robes stepped forward, sword in hand, squinting as he scrutinized Xie Yan. His eyes darted back and forth between the sword and the mask on Xie Yan's body. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. "You! Could you be Xie Yan?!"

"What? It's Xie Yan?"

"Didn't Xie Yan disappear a long time ago?"

"How could he be here?!"

The others were also somewhat shocked upon hearing this and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Xie Yan stood with his hands behind his back, looking quite relaxed. Just as he was about to speak, a short, fat old man interrupted him: "This is the number one in Fengyun Tower? He looks like nothing more than a pretty boy."

The burly man in black robes on the east side, holding a meteor hammer, asked in confusion, "How come I heard that Xie Yan died suddenly from poisoning three years ago?"

On the southwest side was a man dressed as a woman. He had a shy, seductive look in his eyes as he combed his long hair and said softly, "No, I heard that he suffered a broken heart and became a monk after being cuckolded."

The last girl in red didn't say anything, but judging from her eyes, the rumors she heard were even more outrageous.

Xie Yan couldn't even manage a laugh at this moment; he deeply understood the terrifying power of rumors. And you bunch of江湖人 (jianghu people), can't you stop being so gossipy?

After a mysterious silence, the old man broke the deadlock first, scoffing, "Whatever the reason, I want to see if he still deserves the title of Number One after three years!"

After saying that, he pulled out a double-headed dragon crutch and charged forward!

The old man possessed profound inner strength, wielding his cane with ferocious power, aiming straight for Xie Yan's vital points. Xie Yan did not draw his sword; his hands were long and well-proportioned, and although his movements were not fast, they were as strong as steel, deflecting several heavy blows with his hands.

The old man's expression hardened, and his cane could no longer get even half an inch closer. He was secretly shocked: this young man was so young, yet his inner strength was even more profound than his own! These few moves felt like a mud ox sinking into the sea to him, unable to cause Xie Yan the slightest harm.

"Old Man Long! I'm here to help you!"

Seeing that things were going badly, the young man who had initially revealed his identity shouted and flew into the arena with his sword.

The two attacked Xie Yan from both sides. Seeing Xie Yan slightly turn her head, as if her attention was drawn to the young man, Long Weng immediately turned his hand. Several subtle clicking sounds rang out, and from the wide-open mouth of the dragon head facing Xie Yan, several silver needles gleaming with green light shot out!

At the critical moment, Xie Yan chuckled softly. As if in slow motion, he not only dodged several needles by turning to the side, but also flicked the last silver needle with two fingers of his outstretched hand.

The needle suddenly accelerated and shot towards the youth at a speed invisible to the naked eye. The youth was taken aback; it was too late to dodge, and he could only barely raise his sword to block it.

But then a loud clang rang out, and several cracks appeared on the sword. The young man was also knocked back a few steps, and before he could regain his footing, he cried out in anguish, "My sword!"

After repelling the two men, Xie Yan heard the sounds of armor and weapons gradually approaching. He realized that tonight was not a good time. Before the men could recover, Xie Yan took out a few bullets from his pocket and fired them, sending up a plume of smoke.

Xie Yan slipped away under the cover of the smoke, luckily he had the quick thinking to add some pepper to the recipe. The others had inadvertently inhaled quite a bit, and now they were all coughing incessantly.

He leaped onto the rooftop where the group was posing, then looked back and couldn't recall their names. After glancing at their outfits, he finally said, "Goodbye, Rainbow Five."

Five people:"……"