Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 365: Chapter 2 Who is Cao Yongchang?

Chapter 365: Chapter 2 Who is Cao Yongchang?

Cha Xiaodao hugged her shoulders and sized up the boy in front of her, called Cao Yongchang.

He was dressed in a well-tailored cotton shirt, thick with padding, and had a blue cloth headband with a swastika pattern. Kidnapped by two people of unknown origin, he remained calm and composed, although his occasionally clenched fists betrayed that he wasn’t as tranquil inside.

“So, you want me to…”

Cha Xiaodao pointed to herself, and then to the child perched on horseback.

Li Yan nodded.

Cha Xiaodao spoke softly to Li Yan, “Having a road permit should make it not too different, but traveling with such a child will delay us at least ten days to half a month. Do we also have to take him to Dragon Tiger Mountain? Besides, isn’t it more troublesome if such a young child slips up and says something?”

In Cha Xiaodao’s opinion, Li Yan was an official after all, carrying with him the Liaodong General’s authority and military tokens. Moreover, with his support and the “ghost”‘s road permit, who would dare question her identity in these exhausting travels?

But Li Yan shook his head after looking at the child, “But to let him go and report to the authorities would be troublesome too. In this ice and snow, where would you have him go? The child is clever and judges well; he knows the times and won’t be a hindrance.”

He didn’t lower his voice, and Cao Yongchang heard everything clearly.

“But still…”

Although Cha Xiaodao hesitated, to her surprise, the child rolled his eyes, jumped down from the horse, and gave a deep bow to Li Yan and Cha Xiaodao.

“Whether you’re soldiers or bandits, divine or ghostly, Yongchang will not pry. I only ask that you bury my dear uncle, and from then on, Yongchang will follow your orders.”

Seeing this, Cha Xiaodao felt somewhat relieved. She mentally gave the Cao boy kudos. For a child of thirteen or fourteen to speak such words was indeed no easy feat.

Li Yan, on the other hand, was surprised. When he first met the boy, during a life and death moment, the child dared to bury himself among the corpses, brandishing a sharp knife, the cunning and fierceness almost spilling out of his eyes—not out of feigned courage out of fear. If not for his attire being starkly different from the bandits, and hiding early in the pile of bodies, Li Yan might have been tempted to kill him on the spot.

Yet in this moment, the Cao boy had become deferential and innocent, his plea to bury his uncle eliciting sympathy, revealing him to be someone with depth.

Thinking about all this, Li Yan’s gaze naturally fell on Cao Yongchang, sending a jolt through him.

Li Yan smiled, clapped Cha Xiaodao on the shoulder, “Come on, let’s bury the bodies.”

The three of them, along with one horse, followed the tracks back through the snow. Cao Yongchang was hurried along by Li Yan. Now revisiting this place, he first checked on the fate of the fierce bandits rather than looking for his uncle’s body.

Although Li Yan had not been very meticulous, merely hacking a few times while on horseback, each of the dozen or so bandits had met a gruesome end, the large wounds on their bodies chilling to behold.

Cao Yongchang, having looked at the corpses and then at Li Yan, grimaced privately.

After taking care of the corpses of the travelers attacked near the carriage, Cha Xiaodao also stripped a robe from one of the bodies to change into, cursing herself for her foolishness. Knowing beforehand that there was no Earth Endurance arranged identity, purchasing a set of ancient attire online for a hundred bucks would’ve been better than nothing.

Li Yan took a cursory glance at the dressing and attire of these dead bodies: a coachman, a pair of opera performers with a bundle full of costumes, a robust man with a full beard whose livelihood couldn’t be discerned, and Cao Yongchang’s uncle, a scrawny middle-aged man with a neck wrung by the bandits.

“What was your uncle’s name?”

Li Yan asked casually.

“Zhengsheng, Cao Zhengsheng. He ran a tobacco shop in Tongzhou.”

Li Yan found an account book in the clothes of the body, indeed containing tobacco records. With his exceptional sense of smell, he could also detect the scent of tobacco from under the corpse’s nails, silently nodding in acknowledgment.

However, the road permit did not specify the owner’s name, which came as a surprise to Li Yan.

The three people didn’t take long to bury the several bodies, mainly because Li Cha’s movements were too swift to seem human. The Cao boy noticed this and his gaze flickered.

Li Yan looked down at the mounded earth for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, “Why do you speak with a Yangzhou accent?”

Cao Yongchang replied unhurriedly, “I grew up in Yangzhou since I was young. After my father passed away, I went to live with my uncle, who was doing business in Tongzhou.”

“So, you have no family left?”

Cao Yongchang sadly shook his head.

“How old are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“We are officials on a mission, and due to urgent matters, we need to use your uncle’s road permit. Don’t inquire about the details. As a young child, you can’t guarantee you won’t be carried off by a wolf staying here. Come with us, and once our business is done, I will send you back to Tongzhou.”

After a thousand thanks, Cao Yongchang tentatively asked, “Gentlemen, I’ve traveled from south to north with my uncle before, and now that it’s not during the Hongwu years anymore, if one wishes to enter the city, are there still people checking the road passes? Actually…”

“We’re going to Guangning Guard,” Li Yan replied. “It’s a military stronghold, not just for entering the city but even when encountering patrols, a road pass is needed.”

Cao Yongchang uttered an “oh,” revealing nothing.

The three agreed on their story: while on his way to fulfill his duty, Guard Governor Li Yan rescued the nephew and uncle of the Cao family from horse bandits. The two men intended to travel from Liaozuo to Guangning Guard to collect a debt and decided to entrust themselves to Li Yan for the journey.

That night, Li Yan took care of Cao Yongchang, lighting a bonfire for him, and then fell deeply asleep leaning against a tree trunk. Cha Xiaodao did similarly; after repeatedly expressing his thanks, Cao Yongchang slept in front of the bonfire until late at night.

Both Li Cha had good sleep habits, never snoring; even when looking at them straight on, most people wouldn’t dare assert that they were fast asleep.

The night was dense; after tossing and turning for a while, Cao Yongchang suddenly opened his eyes, his brows deeply furrowed. He sat up slowly, and the crackling bonfire cast a long shadow of him.

He pulled a cow-ear knife from his deerskin boots and clutched it in his hand, slowly getting to his feet, the knife tip pointed toward Li Yan, his steps retreating slowly.

One step, two steps.

Cao Yongchang turned and bolted.

“Where are you going?”

The half-asleep Li Yan, resting against the tree trunk, opened one eye.

In his dream, Cha Xiaodao let out a heavy sigh, waved his hand at Li Yan, and turned over to continue sleeping.

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Li Yan understood Cha’s intention: “Let the kid go, it’ll save us the trouble. If he runs, what can he do to us anyway?”

But Li Yan found the boy somewhat amusing, and the name Cao Yongchang sounded familiar; he really didn’t want to just let the kid go.

Cao Yongchang…who was this?

The boy stood firm, his eyebrows raised, his back turned to Li Yan, his face full of ferocity and slickness, yet his tone betrayed none of it, still bland with a hint of grogginess from just waking up: “Going to pee.”

“Go ahead, remember to come back,” Li Yan said with a smile.

“Uh-huh,”

Cao Yongchang wasn’t foolish; with no villages ahead or shops behind, and the others having the advantage of a four-legged horse, he wouldn’t get far. Soon enough, he returned obediently to sleep.

…

Silent all the way, Cao Yongchang tried to escape several times, but Li Yan discretely pulled him back each time. Finally, the three of them reached the gates of Guangning Guard.

The Gatekeeper Officer respectfully handed back the seal to Li Yan. A soldier guided them: “Lord Governor, General Li has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Li Yan nodded, made a gesture to Xiaodao, and walked forward.

The queue outside the city gate wasn’t long; right behind Li Yan were the unperturbed Xiaodao and the uneasy Cao Yongchang uncle and “nephew.”

With a road pass in hand, the gate officers didn’t make it difficult for them, merely scanning Cao Yongchang’s face before ignoring them.

No sooner had Li Yan led the horse a few steps forward when he heard a loud shout from behind: “That kid, stop!”

Li Yan turned around, a not very tall Cao Yongchang had suddenly kicked a soldier in the groin and cursed, “Damn your father!”

Immediately following with a somersault, he overturned a handcart, dashing into the noisy crowd inside the city!

“Capture the fugitive!”

The Gatekeeper Officer shouted.

A gust of wind seemed to come from nowhere, blowing a wanted notice into the air, which Li Yan snatched from the breeze.

“Cao Yongchang, from Yangzhou Yuxi Town. A young ruffian known for his fierce brawls killed a man in a street fight. A warrant has been issued for his arrest…”

Li Yan blinked, not shocked but amused; he finally remembered who this Cao Yongchang was.