Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 615

Chapter 615: De’an

A bucket of cold water was poured over Xiao Zheng, waking him up.

The nights in early February were still chilly.

Xiao Zheng shivered, his head spinning. He asked in a low voice, “Who’s it?”

“It seems Minister Xiao’s truly confused.” Pei Que splashed another bucket of water on Xiao Zheng, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Hearing Pei Que’s voice, Xiao Zheng gasped. Only after realizing he was bound did he kick his legs in alarm, trying to break free. “Help!”

“Shh…” Pei Que put a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. “Minister Xiao, do not shout. Your brothers are all asleep in this desolate wilderness. Shouting now will only summon wild animals.”

Xiao Zheng turned his head left and right; all his subordinates within sight were fast asleep.

He angrily demanded, “Pei Que, what exactly have you done to us? Do you know that if we cannot return to the capital, your entire family will be hunted down, and the rest of the Pei family in the capital will be implicated!”

Pei Que nodded, indicating he knew. His left hand was constantly gripping his right wrist; although he felt nothing, it made him feel like his right hand was still there.

“That’s why I did not kill you,” Pei Que smiled, a sly glint in his glassy eyes. “I gave you advice during the day; now it’s your turn to repay me.”

Knocking out Xiao Zheng and his men was not just about teaching Xiao Zheng a lesson.

It was still about a ten-day journey to Huludao. If Xiao Zheng did not succeed, they would continue to try.

To avoid trouble, Pei Que decided to strike first. He was no saint.

“Of the twenty men you brought, fifteen were sleazy, and I’ve dealt with them all for you,” Pei Que said in the calmest tone, uttering the harshest words. “But do not worry, I will not touch you, because I still need you to return to the capital and report back.”

“Oh, and those men Yun Xingbang sent, they are probably in dire straits themselves now. I’ve returned all the poison you used.” Pei Que revealed a satisfied smile.

In a life-or-death struggle, Pei Que would not let anyone go.

He drew his dagger, brandishing it at Xiao Zheng’s face, before lowering it after noticing Xiao Zheng’s growing fear.

“Why are you trembling so much?” Pei Que laughed. “I told you, I will not kill you.”

“Then…then what do you want me to do?” Xiao Zheng regretted his earlier overconfidence, completely unaware that Pei Que would turn the tables on him, leading to his imprisonment.

“Once we reach Huludao, I need you to make arrangements for us. And upon returning to the capital, say I’m still recovering from serious injuries, and An Zhi caught a cold. Although you did not kill us, we will not live more than a few days,” Pei Que said.

“But what if you do not die later?” Xiao Zheng was not entirely brainless.

If Pei Que recovered and caused trouble again, Xiao Zheng’s head would be in danger.

Pei Que placed the dagger back against Xiao Zheng’s neck. “If you do not do as I say, you will die now. Once you return to the capital, as long as you become the commander and control the entire Imperial Guards, who can touch you?”

The sharp point of the dagger pierced Xiao Zheng’s skin, instantly clearing his chaotic mind.

Just then, Pei Que forcefully shoved a pill into Xiao Zheng’s mouth.

“Cough, cough!” Xiao Zheng’s throat was burned. “What…what did you give me?”

“Poison, a deadly poison,” Pei Que said. “This kind of poison will make you feel fine normally, but you must take the antidote every two weeks. Otherwise, you will die from rotting intestines. If you do not believe me, try not taking the antidote after two weeks. You will feel excruciating pain, and then you will know to obey.”

Having said this, Pei Que ignored Xiao Zheng, whose clothes were mostly soaked, and got up to return to his tent.

An Zhi and the others had heard the entire conversation between Pei Que and Xiao Zheng.

Upon entering the tent, Pei Que explained, “The poison was given by He Xun. When he left the capital, did he not leave us a box of poison and antidote? I had Shuo Feng and the others take it with them.”

Hearing this, An Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. “This way, the journey ahead will be a little safer.”

It would indeed be a little better, but that only dealt with the Yun family; there were still the Xu family’s hidden members. However, Pei Que would not tell An Zhi this; he did not want her to worry.

After a night passed, the morning dew enveloped the entire mountain forest.

After getting up, Pei Que released the pale-faced Xiao Zheng. “From the capital to here, you’ve used so many underhanded tactics. Letting you freeze all night is not unreasonable. Go and start a fire to warm yourself up; do not waste time, we still need to continue our journey.”

Xiao Zheng was now terrified at the sight of Pei Que’s face.

Back in the capital, there was a saying: never offend Pei Que. Xiao Zheng had assumed that since Pei Que was already down on his luck, he would not be in any major trouble, but he had not expected suffering such a severe blow.

However, Pei Que had done something to his advantage: the Imperial Guards he had dealt with were all people bribed by the Xu family. Without those people monitoring him within the Imperial Guards, things would be easier for him in the future.

After regrouping, the group, now fifteen people short, left together, one after another.

The surviving Imperial Guards had also been poisoned by Pei Que, so Pei Que was now the leader. Even Xiao Zheng walked at the back of the group, far away from Pei Que.

After traveling for four days, Pei Que rented a carriage in a nearby town after leaving the mountains. Four more days passed, and they were almost at Huludao. Before entering the island, Pei Que and his group needed to sign a document in the nearby De’an County.

Therefore, upon arriving in De’an County, Pei Que and his group could not stay at the inn. The county magistrate, Hu Ling’an, was a dark-skinned, thin man with beady eyes that could not look away from An Zhi.

In the side room, Hu Ling’an asked Xiao Zheng with great confusion, “Sir, is not Pei Que a criminal? How can a criminal stay in a guest room? Should he not be imprisoned?”

For the past eight days, Xiao Zheng had been sleepless. Later, upon learning that the masked man sent by Yun Xingbang was indeed dead, his heart sank completely.

“Do not worry about it. Just send them to the island early tomorrow morning, and do not let them come down again.”

Huludao originally had an official government office, but the officials there were later beaten to death by the local people, so no officials were willing to go to the island. Therefore, Huludao was placed under the jurisdiction of the magistrate of De’an County. However, Hu Ling’an did not dare to interfere much in Huludao’s affairs, only collecting some boat taxes at the dock every day.

Hu Ling’an said thoughtfully, “Not to mention that Madam of Pei, even the two maids they brought are really beautiful. I’ve lived half my life and never seen such beautiful girls.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zheng smiled disdainfully. If Hu Ling’an dared to touch Binglu and the other two, Pei Que could castrate Hu Ling’an directly. But he did not intend to remind Hu Ling’an; he harbored resentment towards Pei Que for poisoning him and wanted to see Pei Que suffer.