paranoianovel Chapter 13 A Big Trouble
Chapter 13 A Big Trouble
Li Dayong was the Gao family's long-time caretaker.
The word "old" here doesn't refer to age, but rather to seniority.
He is not yet thirty years old, but he has been in the Gao family for more than ten years, having entered the mansion around the same time as Zhang Tieyi.
He started out as a gatekeeper on the outermost edge of the job.
After outlasting two heads of the guards, he finally understood something.
In the Gao family, loyalty is worthless, and martial arts talent is not the most important thing.
Choosing the right side and following the right people is what matters.
Unfortunately, he realized it too late.
By the time he realized this, Zhang Tieyi had already secured his position as the head of the guards and gained the favor and trust of the family head.
Zou Rong started currying favor with him earlier and more diligently, even before Zhang Tieyi gained power.
So, despite his seniority, he was sidelined and assigned to guard this secluded courtyard.
Although it's called a guard post, it's actually a very easy job.
Two shifts a night.
Aside from pacing around in the alley, he would squat in a corner counting bricks.
Occasionally, I can find work such as carrying rice and gathering firewood.
There was no profit to be made, and he certainly wouldn't get any credit.
But today is different.
He overheard Zou Rong mention it to him yesterday while he was in the kitchen.
Today, Zhang Tieyi's mission is being personally overseen by the eldest son. If he handles it well, he will have the opportunity to enter the academy and establish his social standing.
After hearing this, Li Dayong felt a strong urge to get involved.
If Zhang Tieyi gets promoted, he'll need people under his command, right?
If Li Dayong were to lend a hand at this critical juncture, even something as simple as leading Zhang Tieyi's horse, handing him water, or just getting acquainted with him, it would be a good thing.
At 1:15 AM, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
Li Dayong arrived at the alley entrance and found the guard who was taking over.
The other person reeked of cigarette smoke and yawned incessantly.
He asked in a low voice, "Has Master Zhang arrived?"
"They're here, still inside!"
Li Dayong was secretly pleased, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply said, "Brothers, you've worked hard. You guys go back first. I'll watch over things here."
The two men didn't say much and handed him their waist tokens.
"By the way, Master Zhang instructed that if there are any strange noises inside, don't pay attention to them."
"OK."
Li Dayong stood in the alley for another fifteen minutes.
The morning breeze rushed into his collar, making him shrink his neck in the cold.
It was already past 7:15 AM, and the other guard who was supposed to take over the shift still hadn't arrived.
Li Dayong cursed inwardly, thinking that he must have overslept again.
Yeah.
Since this person wasn't there, there was no chance to compete with him for the spotlight.
Li Dayong waited a while longer, and finding nothing else to do, decided to wait at the back gate in hopes of making a good impression.
He walked to the gate of the courtyard, straightened his clothes, adjusted his waist tag, and even sniffed his sleeves to make sure there was no strange smell before patiently waiting.
At the same time, he made up his mind that he would go to greet Zhang Tieyi as soon as he came out.
I waited at the gate of the courtyard for a while longer. The sun had already risen, but there was still no movement in the courtyard.
Zhang Tieyi did not come out for a long time.
Li Dayong sensed something was wrong.
He mustered his courage, pushed open the courtyard gate, and leaned half his body inside.
When he saw the scene in the yard, he was completely stunned.
There is a person in the yard.
It was none other than Zhang Tieyi.
The bald, burly man lay on his back, his face unrecognizable, his right arm pressed down at an unnatural angle.
Blood streamed from his face into the cracks between the bricks, seeping into a dark red net, already half-dried.
Li Dayong's mind went blank.
He took a step back, his heel touched the threshold, and he almost tripped.
Li Dayong shouted at the top of his lungs into the alley, "Help! Something's happened to Zhang the Guard!"
Not long after.
Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
When Gao Boyan walked in, the guards automatically stepped aside, holding their breath and not daring to utter a sound.
He entered the secluded courtyard, glanced at Zhang Tieyi lying in a pool of blood, and then looked at Gao Qiaoniang, who was unconscious in the side room with a wound on her forehead.
His face gradually darkened.
"Where are the people in the courtyard?"
Li Dayong trembled as he said, "I...I don't know..."
"So, you mean, a perfectly healthy person killed Zhang Huyuan right under your noses and then vanished into thin air?"
Gao Boyan's tone grew increasingly cold.
Li Dayong dared not speak, he just kept kowtowing, his forehead hitting the blue bricks with a dull thud.
Gao Boyan glanced at him.
He suddenly drew the sword from one of the guards beside him and flicked his wrist.
A bloody welt immediately appeared on Zhang Dayong's neck, with beads of blood seeping out continuously.
Pfft... Sizzle...
next moment.
His head, which he had carefully groomed this morning, rolled off his body.
A jet of blood spurted from his neck, reaching a height of two meters, and splashed onto the boots of several guards in the courtyard.
The guards froze, too afraid to flinch or look down at their feet.
"Those guards from last night, not one of them was spared."
No one in the courtyard dared to answer.
It wasn't until Gao Boyan threw his sword back to the still-stunned guard that people scrambled out.
Gao Boyan squatted down and examined the wound on Zhang Tieyi's right arm.
The broken bone was shriveled, as if it had been caused by a blunt force trauma.
But it wasn't caused by a weapon.
It's a fist.
His punching power is at least 300 jin.
In other words, it's roughly equivalent to being reborn twice.
He remained silent for a few moments, his fingers slowly twirling inside his sleeve.
He had investigated the servant's background and found him to be unremarkable.
The actual time spent practicing martial arts was less than a month.
Two births in one month.
Even for scions of wealthy and powerful families who have built their fortunes through resources, it would be difficult to achieve something like this.
Gao Boyan stood up, his eyes darkening.
This time, it seems they've gotten the Gao family into a lot of trouble.
"Gather everyone in the manor and their spirit dogs. We must find this person, and if we do, keep them alive."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over all the guards present, and said, "Prepare the horses. I need to go out and meet with the Xie family."
……
In the backyard of the Gao residence lived the sons and daughters of the Gao family.
At dawn, the servants were already busy, while most of the masters were just getting up.
Chen Ye emerged from the alley just as the mansion was busiest.
The Gao family, spanning three or four generations, with fifty or sixty members living in this courtyard, plus servants, numbered several hundred.
Most of the servants and maids moved around in the middle and outer courtyards.
At this moment, Chen Ye had just killed Zhang Tieyi in the courtyard, covered in blood and in a sorry state.
Anyone who saw it would be suspicious.
If someone with ulterior motives were to report this to Gao Yunheng, he probably wouldn't be able to escape and would have to choose a less crowded route.
In this respect, Chen Ye was somewhat lucky.
His predecessor had worked as a servant in the Gao family for several years and was very familiar with the inner and outer courtyards.
In my memory, there was a hidden path leading outside.
Without delay, Chen Ye left the inner courtyard without any major incidents and, based on his memory, slipped into a secluded path.