"Ah, ah, ah! It burns, burns... it's burning me alive! Ouch, water, quickly douse me with water!~"
Guo Laosi’s hair was singed, smoke billowed from his entire body, and he rushed to a villager, snatching the water bucket and dousing himself.
The old man, also blackened all over and covered in soot, ran out and sat on the ground, panting heavily…
"You damned wretch, you actually set my house on fire! You just wait, I'll find you even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth!~" the old man cursed loudly.
It turned out that he and his son had only been knocked unconscious, not killed…
When the head suffers a strong impact, it experiences severe oxygen deprivation and enters a state of low blood volume or hypoxia. In such conditions, breathing becomes very weak, and it can even lead to cardiac arrest and cessation of breathing.
Upon receiving external stimulation, they would suddenly wake up.
For instance, a burn from the fire caused the father and son to jolt awake and then bolt out like rabbits…
"Alas, they didn't burn to death, what a wasted excitement!~"
"Who's saying they didn't? You father and son always do wicked things, I thought heaven had opened its eyes!"
"Since your house is gone, you father and son should get out of Guo Village, or we'll report you to the county yamen!"
Most villagers watched with schadenfreude, as they weren't good people themselves…
If Guo Laosi and his son were driven out of the village, their competition for any young women or married women who came to the village in the future would be less.
Hearing this, Guo Laosi put his hands on his hips and shouted, "Why should I leave? This is my home!~"
"Your home has been burned to ashes, and you two are so lazy. Are you planning to rebuild it yourselves in the middle of winter?"
"That's right, you should just scram. Don't you see everyone is disgusted by you? You have no self-awareness at all…"
The old man was furious, arguing with the villagers for a few more words, but to no avail.
Helpless, he left the village with Guo Laosi and went to wander.
At the same time, fueled by alcohol, Yun Sanman made his way to the local county yamen…
It wasn't even dawn yet, and only an old gatekeeper was on duty at the yamen. Yun Sanman knocked twice, irritating the old man, "Oh, if you want to complain, you have to wait until dawn! Our county magistrate is sleeping!~"
Yun Sanman pursed his lips, "I'm not here to complain, I'm here to..."
"No matter what you're here for, you have to wait until dawn. If you dare to knock again, I'll have your hands chopped off, hmph!~" the old man said, then slammed the door shut and went back to sleep.
Yun Sanman lingered at the gate for a while before finding an inn nearby to stay in…
Perhaps due to too much psychological pressure, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He finally drifted off as dawn broke.
He slept restlessly, having many nightmares. He dreamed that Shangguan Fang'er was captured by bandits and violated terribly, and then Guo Laosi and his son came to claim his life, strangling him and choking him with ropes…
When Yun Sanman woke up, it was already past noon.
"Oh dear, how could I have slept until now!~" Yun Sanman patted his forehead, quickly put on his clothes, and rushed out of the inn.
He had intended to buy some steamed buns, but thinking that he was about to be beheaded, he no longer cared about the buns…
Outside the yamen, people came and went. Occasionally, a few constables on horseback galloped past, as if something had happened.
"Excuse me, has the county magistrate arrived?" Yun Sanman asked, stopping a constable at the entrance.
The constable glanced at him from head to toe and asked, "He arrived long ago. Do you need something from our lord?"
Yun Sanman rubbed his hands, "It's just, it's just that last night, two people died in Guo Village…"
"You mean the fire in Guo Village, right?" Before Yun Sanman could finish, the constable said with a smile, "The fire has been put out. Those father and son are truly tough, they escaped such a big fire. They're like burnt, unpeeled rotten eggs, haha!~"
Yun Sanman: "???"
What the heck?
Two people escaped from the fire?
Does this mean Guo Laosi and his son weren't killed by him?
Yun Sanman was filled with doubt. He grabbed the constable's hand and asked urgently, "Officer, you… you didn't make a mistake, did you? It's just, it's just that family that caught fire, they lived with a father and son, they, they really didn't die?"
"They didn't die!~" The constable pulled his hand away, looking curious. "Why? Do you really wish they had burned to death?"
"No… no, haha, it's good they didn't die, it's good they didn't die, haha!~" Yun Sanman burst into laughter, his gloomy mood of the entire night finally clearing up.
Constable: "???"
What's wrong with this person?
Judging by his accent, he's not from around here. Why is he so concerned about Guo Village?
"Officer, I'm in a good mood today. Come, I'll treat you to a drink…" Yun Sanman grabbed the constable and headed towards a small tavern.
The constable was startled. "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Let go, I still need to apprehend criminals!~"
This morning, several women had reported that someone in Guo Village had been kidnapping women and drugging young women and married women passing by for years. They were on their way to investigate this matter.
Yun Sanman smiled and nodded, "Alright, you go about your business!"
He felt truly free of guilt…
He wondered where his elder brother and Fang'er had reached. If he could catch up to them, he could continue his leather trade.
Yun Sanman, as if reborn, ambled out of the county town and slowly walked towards Dashui Village.
Shortly after he left the county town, he saw a troop of horsemen galloping along the official road…
The middle-aged man at the forefront wore armor, had a square face, and a stern look in his eyes. The soldiers behind him all held banners and carried sabers at their waists. The biting cold wind howled past, and the character 'Gu' on the banners fluttered in the wind.
The troop flashed past, and Yun Sanman stood frozen, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
He seemed to have seen the man leading the troop somewhere before…
He pondered as he walked, then suddenly stopped and turned back, "Ha, isn't that the person I met in the county of the prefectural governor!~"
Why was he here?
It was understandable, though. He had traveled almost all over the Liang Kingdom searching for his relatives, so it wasn't strange to meet him here.
But why did he look like he was about to go to the front lines to fight?
At the same time, Xiao Xi Tian was dozing in the carriage…
She had been away from home for several days. According to Sister Shanshan, they would arrive in half a day.
The brazier contained glowing charcoal, making Xiao Xi Tian's little face blush and her sleep warm.
Du Tie Shan gently patted her back, singing a lullaby she didn't understand.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted and slowly came to a halt…