Notes on Longevity

Chapter 31 The Playful Girl Jie Xiaoshuang, and the Pear Garden Disciples Sending You'an

Under a bright moon and gentle breeze, in a large alley in the north of the city, several masked men in black stood at the entrance of a narrow alley, their eyes fixed on Yang Youan, who had his back to them.

In front of Yang Youan stood a man with a sword across his hand and a lantern in his hand. He was speaking to Yang Youan, but they could not hear what he was saying.

Soon, the man put down his knife, and a girl who looked about twelve or thirteen years old appeared in their narrow field of vision.

The girl lowered her head, and the man said something to another alleyway. Then, another man carrying a lantern and a knife appeared and walked behind the two of them.

Yang Youan walked up to the man, who turned around with the girl and followed the man in front. Yang Youan followed closely behind.

Then the men in black saw a dozen or so men, also carrying knives, emerge from the alleyway. They were sweating profusely. "Boss, thank goodness we stopped you just now, otherwise we would have been in big trouble."

The leader of the men in black stared at the group of people who were turning into another alley, and he was also sweating bullets at his own actions.

Just now, when the leader of the men in the dark saw Yang Youan, a surge of resentment welled up in his heart. He was about to draw his knife and walk into the narrow alley when he was stopped by the others.

"That kid's really lucky, he managed to get away." One of the men in black remarked.

"Then, boss, shall we go back?" As soon as he said this, the others echoed his sentiment.

"Yes, let's go back."

The leader of the men in black stared at the now-dark alleyway and coldly snorted, "We'd better not run into him again!" With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

"Hey boss, do you know how to get out of here?"

After the group caught up, one of the men in black walking beside him asked.

Upon hearing this, the leader of the men in black immediately stopped, frowned at him, and cursed angrily, "Can't you find someone?"

He gave an awkward chuckle, only to be slapped in the face by his boss.

On the other side, after exiting the narrow alley, the group followed the girl's instructions, wandered around in circles, and finally emerged.

"Miss, how about we get a different tailor next time?" the man complained to the girl with a distressed expression. He really, really didn't want to come to this place again. Not only was this place confusing, but the walls and buildings throughout the entire area were all similar, making it easy to get lost. The worst part was that seeing too much of this stuff made him dizzy, lightheaded, and nauseous. He couldn't understand what the people who built this place were thinking.

"Okay, okay, you won't come next time." The girl walked out of the alley and onto the wide road, skipping and hopping along, showing her lively spirit.

Yang Youan followed behind the group, looking somewhat embarrassed at the two people talking. He wanted to get back to the inn as soon as possible, but because of what had happened today, he didn't know how to bring it up.

"By the way, since you are a scholar, and the imperial examinations are over and the results have been announced, you should be at an inn at this time. How did you get targeted by villains?" The girl stopped and turned around, looking at Yang You'an with a puzzled expression.

Yang Youan also stopped, his face pale in the moonlight and candlelight. He looked at the girl awkwardly, bowed, and said, "I don't know either. I just failed the imperial examination and thought I'd come out to relax. I was just about to return to the inn when they suddenly appeared and put a knife to my neck, demanding money from me."

"I see," the girl said, a thoughtful look on her face. "How many bad guys are there?"

“Five,” Yang Youan replied.

"Five?" The girl was shocked, and even the young man next to her looked at Yang Youan in disbelief.

"With a knife to your neck, how did you escape, young master?" He looked at Yang You'an's delicate face and slender body, scrutinizing him curiously. But no matter how he looked or thought, he couldn't figure out how Yang You'an had escaped from several thugs wielding knives. "When I was young, I went hunting in the mountains with my uncle. In addition, the imperial examination included the Six Arts. I took advantage of one of them not paying attention, punched him, and escaped."

Yang Youan said to the man.

"I see." The girl nodded after hearing this, and was about to turn around and continue walking forward when Yang Youan called her back.

"May I ask, Miss, I have just come out of that enchanting alley and am quite disoriented. Which direction should I go in the west of the city?"

Yang Youan asked awkwardly.

After Yang Youan called her back, the girl turned around again, and burst out laughing when she heard what Yang Youan said.

"Just turn around and keep walking backwards, that's all."

The girl smiled, which only made Yang Youan's situation more awkward. He thanked the girl and was about to turn and leave when the man overheard him saying to the girl, "Miss, how about I have a few people escort him?"

Upon hearing this, the young woman frowned and nodded, clearly understanding what the man meant. She then said to Yang Youan, "That's true. You were just chased by villains. If you were to go back alone now, the consequences of encountering them again would be unimaginable. I'll have a few people escort you back."

"This..." Yang Youan was a little flustered. If he hadn't met them just now, he might have been captured by those bandits. "I'd better not disturb you any longer, Miss. I'll just be careful on my way back."

"You bookworm, what's wrong with you? My young lady said she wanted to give it to you and you're not happy about it?" The man next to the girl came to Yang You'an's side, put the hand holding the knife on his neck, and stared at him fiercely.

Yang Youan was startled by the man's sudden action and expression, and quickly explained to him, "Of course not, I never thought of that."

"Then stop talking nonsense. Come on! You guys take this young master back to the inn."

The man pointed randomly at the group of people behind Yang You'an. Then he heard them answer yes.

The young girl also came to Yang Youan and bowed to him: "Young master, there is no need to refuse. It is getting late. Let my brothers take you home."

Seeing this, especially the man with his hand on his neck, Yang Youan knew he couldn't refuse. But it was for the best; being alone was indeed quite dangerous. If he hadn't stumbled upon that alleyway, he might have been caught.

"I am deeply grateful," Yang Youan said, bowing to the young woman. "May I ask your name and where you live, Miss? I will certainly visit you tomorrow to repay your life-saving grace."

"My name is Xie Xiaoshuang. I live in Liyuan, five miles north of the city. If you don't mind that I'm just an actress, I'd like to invite you to watch a play tomorrow."

As soon as Xie Xiaoshuang finished speaking, Yang Youan was very puzzled. He was puzzled as to why someone from the Peking Opera circle would be called "Miss" and why there were so many guards with knives.

"Young Master, please go back and rest first." Xie Xiaoshuang saw the doubt in Yang Youan's heart and said to him, "You will understand when you come again tomorrow."

After Xie Xiaoshuang finished speaking, she turned and left, and the man followed her.

Apart from a few people who were pointed at by the man and told to take Yang Youan back to the inn, the people behind him also followed closely.

"Please, young master."

Yang Youan turned around, looked at the remaining three people, nodded, walked to the front of the group, and headed towards the inn.

(End of this chapter)