Three days ago, the Zhang family had stepped up their security. Today, it was so tight that no one could get in or out.
As soon as Xu Hang finished his breakfast, someone brought him a military uniform and asked him to put it on. Xu Hang didn’t ask any more questions and put it on obediently. As soon as he buttoned up his clothes, Zhang Xiuming came in and knocked on the door: “Let’s go.”
Then soldiers in similar attire held Xu Hang, untied his anklets, handcuffed him, and took him to the private car that was just used to take Zhang Yaochen to Qiyan Villa.
Zhang Yaochen was standing outside the car with crutches. Zhang Xiuming walked up to him and said, “Father, you don’t need to bring too many people this time. After all, it’s just to avoid being seen. The more you bring, the easier it is to be exposed.”
“This plan of yours might work, but you’re in charge of our manor now. Even though we have plenty of troops, we must stay cautious. After all, Duan Yelin is a seasoned commander with real battlefield experience, compared to him, you’re still a bit inexperienced.”
Zhang Xiuming really hated to hear himself being compared to Duan Yelin, so he said ruthlessly, “This time, I have his weakness. I will make sure he returns dead!”
“It is important to take care of yourself in everything.”
Xu Hang, who was sitting in the car, lifted up his heavy military cap, looked at the Zhang father and son whispering outside the car, and then put the cap down again.
The car drove all the way to Qiyan Villa. Xu Hang was locked in a room surrounded by walls. There were two soldiers with guns outside the door. There was only a small opening to bring him food. Xu Hang didn’t touch a single bite. He simply measured time by when the food had been brought in, silently counting each passing second in his mind.
He stayed like this until late at night, when someone handcuffed him, blindfolded him, and took him to Zhang Yaochen’s go room.
Zhang Yaochen was alone, playing chess with the black pieces in his hand. The soldier pulled off Xu Hang’s blindfold, and the first thing Zhang Yaochen asked was, “Do you know how to play chess?”
Seeing that he had set up a good game, Xu Hang said, “I know a little bit.”
“It’s a long night, and it’s boring. How about playing a game with this old man?”
Xu Hang sat opposite Zhang Yaochen. The two of them moved their pieces back and forth without saying a word. Then Xu Hang took the initiative to capture several pieces of Zhang Yaochen’s, causing Zhang Yaochen to pause and say, “Young man, you are more than just a little bit capable.”
As he said this, he raised his head. To be honest, for all these days, he only regarded Xu Hang as a chess piece and had never looked him straight in the eye.
With just one glance, the chess piece in his hand fell to the ground because of a moment of shock.
Under the light, Xu Hang appeared somewhat thin from not eating much in recent days. His complexion was fair, and his facial features were ordinary, not the kind to be called handsome, but there was a calm demeanor about him that stood out. He slowly raised his eyes, which were as clear as a spring of water with a clear bottom or like the mist after the clouds and rain on the distant mountains. One glance at them made people unable to look away.
Such eyes, such eyes…
Zhang Yaochen was surprised only because when he looked up, he seemed to see someone else’s shadow in Xu Hang. He was a little slow to react, and when he looked at him again, he thought it was his own eyes. It’s not surprising for people to have similarities.
“Chief of Staff?” Xu Hang called him.
Zhang Yaochen suddenly snapped back to reality and hurriedly bent down to pick up the chess piece: “Oh… it’s nothing.” He pinched the chess piece: “You are from Hezhou, right? Hezhou has good feng shui and is a place where outstanding people are born.”
Xu Hang smiled faintly, only looking at the chessboard, not Zhang Yaochen: “Chief of Staff, I come from Hezhou, but I am not from Hezhou, but from… Shucheng.”
Click.
Zhang Yaochen’s chess piece landed on the chessboard, and he seemed a little flustered, but his tone was still calm: “Oh, oh… Shucheng is also a good place.”
“No matter how good it is, it’s useless. It’s all burned down.”
“I heard your last name is Xu, right? My son said you are a good physician, but you are not from a wealthy family, so how could you win the favor of Commander Duan?”
Zhang Yaochen used a ghost-head knife.
Xu Hang touched the chess piece and made a backhand move: “When the Chief of Staff was young, you also abandoned your wife and children for power. I have a narrow vision, so why can’t I bow my head for power?”
The words dripped with sarcasm. Zhang Yaochen hadn’t expected the youth to be so sharp, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “When we left, Xiuming told me to keep a close eye on you. I thought you were just a child and that he was being overly cautious. But now, it seems he wasn’t worrying too much.”
The chessboard was gradually becoming full. Xu Hang chuckled and said, “I just know a little more.”
“Since you are willing to acknowledge the current situation, why don’t you be smarter? Now that you are being imprisoned, instead of clinging to illusory loyalty, you might as well find another good tree to live on.”
A number of black and white pieces were already in place. Xu Hang furrowed his brow, seemingly deep in thought about Zhang Yaochen’s words. Finally, as he made his move, he said, “There are countless paths in the world. Why did the Chief of Staff make me choose a dead end?”
“Oh? How can you say that?”
“The difference between me, someone who understands the situation, and those who switch sides with the wind is that I’m not foolish. I know well that a person who can betray their old master will never earn the trust of the new one. I fear that if I help you defeat Duan Yelin today, I might be the next one to die.” Xu Hang reached out to take a chess piece from the chess box. “So, I may not stick to the original line, but I absolutely cannot join you in dealing with Duan Yelin.”
Zhang Yaochen laughed appreciatively: “Hahahaha, it’s true that heroes are born young. With what you said, I’d really like to have you work by my side. Would you really like to consider it again?”
The black and white pieces were fighting to the death, and the situation was getting more and more intense. Xu Hang said, “This humble one was still young and hadn’t lived enough. Chief of Staff, please spare my life.”
“Since you don’t obey, I will definitely not let you stay. If Duan Yelin collapses, what are you going to do?”
Xu Hang looked at the chessboard for a while. It was already a quadruple KO situation[mfn]A quadruple KO involves four kos on the board that are all in play at the same time. Often they are part of the same configuration. (I dunno about chess, this is what I get from my research xD correct me if I’m wrong)[/mfn]. He grabbed the chess pieces in his hand and played with them, listening to the crisp sound of the pieces colliding with each other, which sounded particularly pleasant.
“The Chief of Staff has not yet won the game tonight, so I cannot give you an answer. Let’s wait until tomorrow to see if I can get out of Qiyan Villa or not.”
Zhang Yaochen was about to follow suit when he suddenly felt something was wrong. He looked up and saw Xu Hang chuckling. He took back the chess piece, and his expression became serious: “How do you know this is Qiyan Villa?”
Along the way, Xu Hang was brought here blindfolded.
“Is it hard to guess?” Xu Hang made a move and ate a bunch of Zhang Yaochen’s black pieces. He was collecting the pieces one by one. “You brought me out and locked me up here but left all the troops at the Zhang family manor. Aren’t you just trying to catch Duan Yelin in a trap? This method is so old-fashioned, only Zhang Xiuming could think of it.”
This answer is actually a bit evasive.
The reason why Xu Hang knew that this was Qiyan Villa was due to Cong Lin. When Cong Lin was in Yuan Sen’s underground dungeon, he had a secret conversation with him before his death and he told him all the secrets, terrain, and secret passages of the Zhang family’s Manor.
That’s why Xu Hang was able to play tricks on Zhang Yaochen’s windowsill in the middle of the night. If he hadn’t been so alert, he would have succeeded that day.
Zhang Yaochen’s expression changed slightly, and he wanted to stand up and call for help, but Xu Hang continued, “Don’t be too nervous, Chief of Staff. Your plan has not been leaked, and there are also no spies here. I just made a guess.”
Zhang Yaochen was unsure whether this was true or false. He looked at Xu Hang with a serious look and said, “Guess? Haha… do you think I’m old and confused?”
“Don’t believe it? Then let me guess another thing, alright?” Xu Hang held a white chess piece between his two fingers and rubbed it on his lower lip. “I heard that the Chief of Staff and your wife were deeply in love, which is why you built this Qiyan Villa. But I can’t help being suspicious. This villa is rectangular, with high eaves at the corners, green tiles, and high walls on all sides. White candles and green lanterns are scattered throughout the garden. Doesn’t it resemble a coffin?”
The tone suddenly dropped, and Zhang Yaochen felt as if someone had pinched his vital points, and his throat became hoarse.
This secret had never been known to anyone before, and even the craftsman who had drawn the blueprint was dead. Yet today, it was openly revealed by a young man he had never met. It was as if a person dressed in black, walking naked on the road, had suddenly had his fig leaf ripped away, leaving him standing naked in the light in surprise.
And the man who was pulling it continued to talk with ease.
“The Madam seems to be still alive, so this coffin… is really intriguing. However, the Chief of Staff could also say that this implies sleeping together with the Madam in life and being buried together in death, which sounds very affectionate. However, the Madam’s name contains the character ‘Sakura’, and she loves cherry blossoms so much, so why is there not a single cherry blossom tree in the garden? This nest of love does not seem to be worthy of its name. Which swallow[mfn]Fyi, the Villa name Qiyan, Yan means swallow (the type of bird)[/mfn] is this villa for?”
As he spoke, Xu Hang turned his head and stroked the peony pattern carved on the edge of the chessboard: “Although there are no cherry blossoms, but there are peonies everywhere in this garden.”
Zhang Yaochen felt as if a gust of cold wind seemed to penetrate through his sleeves and blow straight down his neck, chilling his heart to the bone. Every hair on his head stood up numbly, and his voice began to become unstable: “Who on earth did you hear these rumors from?!”
Xu Hang burst out laughing: “It seems that I guessed it right again, Chief of Staff.”
“You…” Zhang Yaochen was old and calm after all, so he quickly called the soldiers in, “Lock him back up and keep a close eye on him!”
This young man really made him feel a little scared.
Xu Hang threw the chess piece away and said with a smile, “The game hasn’t even finished yet, and the Chief of Staff has already admitted defeat?”
Zhang Yaochen said nothing but winked at the soldiers, who went up to the door and dragged Xu Hang out. His loose sleeves hung down, covering his wrists. He left quietly with his head down.
When things calmed down again, Zhang Yaochen looked at the chess game again. In fact, the outcome had been decided in just a few moves.
Sure enough, the person Duan Yelin likes is not an ordinary person, or has Duan Yelin already investigated him to such a detailed extent? Yes, only this can explain why this young man knows so much.
Zhang Yaochen stood up to pour himself a glass of water, but as he did, something on the seat opposite him caught his eye. The candlelight reflected off it, casting a bright glare that stung his eyes.
He turned his head and looked, his eyes widened.
It was a pair of untied handcuffs, loosely abandoned there, with a golden needle stuck in the keyhole!
