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Qi Shan's gaze swept over the eleven corpses one by one. He pondered for a long time but found no suspicious points. He simply decided not to think about it and directly looked for the answer.
"Who's missing?"
"A man." Shen Tang answered, then added a detail, "A man roughly seven feet, four inches tall."
"Roughly seven feet, four inches tall?" Qi Shan murmured, and a flash of insight suddenly struck him. He knew who Shen Tang was referring to! "That's right, there is indeed one person missing." This person might still be alive!
Qi Shan focused his gaze on the hands of the eleven corpses. The hands of these corpses were all rough, with darker skin and many calluses. Even the old granny dressed in silk had a pair of hands accustomed to long years of labor. But among these corpses, there was no pair of hands that had habitually held a writing brush for long periods. Long-term writing would deform the finger joints, the extent of deformation related to the age when one began practicing calligraphy and the duration of practice. These corpses showed no such characteristics on their hands. Yet, the side room they had just been in had several bookshelves, and in front of the window were two desks, one large and one small. The bamboo slips on the desks were for a child's enlightenment. If the enlightened child was A'yan, then where was the person who enlightened him at this moment?
Of course, this alone wasn't enough to prove anything. That teacher might also teach children during the day and return home at night. But the bandit who opened the door for them earlier, who possessed Martial Courage, wore an ill-fitting brown scholar's robe, which was interesting. The more likely speculation was that this clothing didn't belong to the bandit; its owner was precisely the teacher who enlightened the child.
Qi Shan said, "And then? What's the use of finding him?"
Shen Tang said, "At least we'll know some inside information."
Qi Shan couldn't help but chuckle, reminding Shen Tang. "Young lord Shen, do you still remember your current status? Setting aside the fact that this matter has nothing to do with you, even if it does, if you get involved now and they investigate, you'll likely disappear without a trace, never to return. To right a wrong by drawing a sword, to intervene in every little thing—that's the way of a valiant adventurer."
Shen Tang: "..." Though these words were harsh, they were the truth. She should be lying low right now, not causing trouble. The entire manor had been searched, and apart from the two of them, there were no other survivors. With no other leads, Shen Tang had no choice but to don her straw cape and bamboo hat again, and return to Qianjia Village with Qi Shan. Through the rain, they saw the village chief waiting at the village entrance. Coincidentally, the village chief also saw them and hurriedly greeted them, "The two young lords are finally back—"
Shen Tang said regretfully, "We still haven't found..."
Who knew the village chief would say, "A'yan has been found."
Shen Tang and Qi Shan were both surprised: "Found him?"
Qi Shan then asked, "Where is he?"
Shen Tang also asked, "Where did he run off to earlier?"
The village chief, happy about A'yan's safety, saw the two strangers' eagerness and smiled even more broadly. He had specifically waited at the village entrance to tell the two the good news: "A'yan was called out by his teacher just now. That xiansheng said he would take him away, heading north to find relatives. Because of an unexpected situation, they had to depart immediately, and they're already on their way..."
Shen Tang and Qi Shan exchanged glances.
"A'yan's teacher?"
"What could be so urgent that they had to set off immediately, through the night and rain?" The village chief didn't know, and he couldn't inquire too much.
Shen Tang asked, "Did A'yan leave with him willingly?"
The village chief said, surprised, "Young lord, what kind of talk is that?"
Shen Tang gave two awkward, embarrassed laughs. The village chief then added, "Don't worry, that xiansheng is a good person." Even if he wasn't a good person, he wouldn't be a kidnapper. Children weren't worth much these days, let alone a mentally disabled child. Why go through all that trouble to kidnap him?
The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping. About fifteen li (approx. 7.5 km) from Qianjia Village. A crimson steed, completely red, galloped through the dense forest, braving the heavy rain. On its back were two people, one large and one small. The older one had gray hair, looking quite aged, dressed in a crescent-moon-colored scholar's robe, with a straw cape and bamboo hat. The younger one wore no rain gear, his hands clutching the reins tightly. Look closely, this child, with pursed lips and a serious, solemn expression, wasn't he A'yan, whom everyone had been searching for half the night?
"Giddy up!" The horse's hooves struck down, splashing mud. The red steed, like a ball of flame, leaped out of the dense forest. Without hesitation, it leaped two zhang (approx. 6.6 meters), crossing the swift stream before stopping.
"A'yan, I... I can't go on..." A weak voice came from behind. A'yan made the horse kneel, and with one hand, helped the weak elder dismount. Blood mixed with rainwater pooled at the elder's feet. He sat powerlessly on the ground, his face pale and greenish, his right hand constantly clutching the area below his right ribs, blood continuously flowing from the wound. The elder took several deep breaths, catching his breath, trying to suppress the intense pain of his wound. However, the veins on his forehead still twitched uncontrollably.
A'yan looked at the elder with sadness, raising his hand to straighten the elder's tilted bamboo hat. The elder forced a smile, uglier than a cry: "It's alright. Fortunately, the wound isn't deep. I shouldn't die..." A moment later, he saw A'yan pull out a thumb-sized piece of sticky malt sugar from his wet pouch. It was stained with blood and soaked by the rain, already half-melted. He offered it to the elder, saying, "Teacher, eat." The elder smiled and didn't refuse. The taste of malt sugar was truly not good. He tore off his robe sleeve, making a simple bandage to wrap the wound. After doing this, he stood up with A'yan's support and murmured to himself, "Let's first find a place to shelter from the rain, then gather some dry rations and head to Xiaocheng..."
A'yan murmured, "Xiaocheng?"
The elder said, "Yes, we'll go there first and then make further plans." They had narrowly escaped this pursuit, but what about next time? Luck wouldn't always favor him. He had to prepare early. It was just tough on A'yan, this child. At such a young age, he had to flee for his life with this old man. He had wanted to leave him behind, but—the child was old enough to have his own ideas.
A'yan nodded: "Mm, to Xiaocheng!"
"Does A'yan know where Xiaocheng is?"
"No," A'yan pointed to the horse, "there's a big red horse." The elder stifled a laugh: "You're still too young, the big red horse won't last long. Forcing it will put a heavy burden on you... A'yan, put your big red horse away. This teacher is feeling a bit better. Let's find a place to shelter from the rain for the night..." A'yan nodded vigorously.
This night passed with extraordinary difficulty. Shen Tang awoke when the rain had stopped. Outside, the ground was muddy, with puddles of muddy water. The village chief had already packed the prepared dry rations for the two of them. Seizing the opportunity while the sun wasn't too intense, Qi Shan decided to set off early.
The two traveled for an hour before they came across a roadside teahouse. They decided to stop there to rest their feet and have some tea. The sound of hooves approached from a distance, about a hundred men, all dressed as soldiers, with several prisoner carts following behind the procession.
Qi Shan glanced sideways: "Don't be nervous, young lord Shen. They're not looking for you. This group should be soldiers of the Geng Kingdom."