Chapter Nine: The Hero Reveals Himself

The Imperial Street was the most bustling and prosperous thoroughfare in Bianliang, and it also boasted the best law and order. Patrolmen and soldiers could be seen everywhere among the crowds, making the likelihood of any incident occurring extremely slim.

Thus, when Zhao Yu realized he was being surrounded, he instantly understood that the earlier commotion with the startled horse must have been deliberately orchestrated by these people. But was their true target himself, or the girl beside him?

Though he had only exchanged a few brief words with the girl, he could already sense that her identity was far from ordinary. Aside from the usual skirmishes with local ruffians, the most powerful person he had recently offended was Gao Qiu; but Gao Qiu couldn’t possibly have traced him so quickly, nor did he likely have the guts to make a move in secret. Therefore, these people must be after the girl.

“Brat, this has nothing to do with you, get lost—”

Before the burly man could finish, another interrupted, “Enough with the nonsense, take them both.”

This confirmed Zhao Yu’s suspicions: he was not their target, but they intended to take him along as well—to silence him, clearly.

The men fanned out, blocking Zhao Yu and the girl against the side of the street. Their waists bulged suspiciously, evidently concealing weapons. After speaking, they began to close in.

Zhao Yu knew his own limits; only a fool would try to fight head-on. As the fierce faces drew nearer, he suddenly pointed behind one of the men, exclaiming in delight, “Monk, come save me!”

The events that followed happened in the blink of an eye. The men seemed eager for a quick resolution—after all, this was the heavily guarded capital of the Song Dynasty, and they were even more tense than Zhao Yu. Hearing his shout, they instinctively glanced in the direction he pointed.

At that moment, Zhao Yu swung his arm and hurled a small bundle at one man’s face. With a dull thud, the bundle struck and burst, releasing a choking white smoke.

“Close your eyes, duck down, follow me!”

As the white smoke billowed, Zhao Yu swiftly spoke, grabbed the girl's hand, and darted into a nearby alley, crouching low as he ran. Had he surrendered, they would likely have dragged him into this same alley, the nearest place to hide.

The assailants reacted quickly; realizing there was no one where Zhao Yu had pointed, they knew they’d been tricked. But they had not expected anyone to be carrying lime. By the time they understood, the street was shrouded in white, and Zhao Yu and the girl had already vanished into the alley.

“That little thief—when I catch him, I’ll skin him alive! After them!”

Four or five sturdy men stumbled through the lime, cursing and waving it away as they chased into the alley. The commotion had drawn the attention of passersby, but most, seeing it did not concern them, simply looked and continued on their way.

Just as the two groups entered the alley, the burly monk who had watched Zhao Yu earlier outside the Kaifeng prefecture, as well as the handsome man, appeared at the spot where Zhao Yu and the girl had just stood.

“Brother, did you hear someone calling for me just now?”

“I think so—someone seemed to call for you. Huh, why is there so much lime here?”

The handsome man frowned at the scattered lime, exchanged a glance with the monk, then both looked toward the alley, their expressions suddenly grave.

As fate would have it, the bag of lime Zhao Yu carried was originally meant as a precaution should he have trouble with Li Yan. He had glimpsed a monk in the crowd earlier and called out impulsively, never expecting that the monk and the handsome man were indeed nearby and had heard him. Surely, this was destiny.

Streetwise and practiced at fleeing from stronger foes, Zhao Yu now ran faster than a rabbit. The girl kept pace, and together they rushed blindly through the twisting alleys, eventually losing track of where they were. Leaning against a wall, Zhao Yu listened—there were no footsteps behind them, and it seemed they had shaken their pursuers.

Before he could speak, the girl suddenly yanked her hand from his and snapped, “Don’t your Han people say men and women should not touch? Why did you grab me?”

Zhao Yu rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Had I known you’d be so ungrateful, I wouldn’t have bothered with your mess. You’ve delayed my important business, and you have the gall to blame me? Truly, you don’t know a good turn from a bad one. Who are you, anyway? Why are they after you?”

The girl blinked, her mood shifting abruptly. She smiled sweetly, “Why didn’t you reveal your own identity just now? If they knew who you were, they wouldn’t have dared trouble you.”

“You know who I am?”

Even as he asked, Zhao Yu realized the answer. The girl had heard him call out for the Crown Prince, and the prince had called him brother; so, deducing his identity was not difficult.

Sure enough, the girl sneered, “A loafing prince with no ambition—what’s so special about that?”

Zhao Yu looked her up and down, then a thought struck him. “Those men—were they Jurchens?”

The Jurchens were on the rise, currently battling the Khitan Liao Dynasty in the north, so it was plausible that Jurchens might pursue a Khitan noble in the capital. Still, Zhao Yu sensed there was more to this than met the eye.

“Well, you’re smarter than you look. Can you guess who I am?”

Before the girl finished speaking, a cold laugh echoed above them.

“What does it matter if you guess right? Both of you are dead anyway.”

As the words faded, several black-clad figures leapt down from the wall, surrounding Zhao Yu and the girl to prevent any escape.

The girl seemed unfazed, as if used to such danger. She darted behind Zhao Yu, peered out from behind him, and taunted, “Do you know who he is? If you harm him, none of you will leave alive.”

Zhao Yu could only smile bitterly to himself. Auntie, is this really the time to boast for me? Can’t you see they mean to kill us both?

He was a bit of a rogue at heart—he knew begging was useless; surrendering was out of the question. Glancing at the man who’d been hit by the lime, Zhao Yu suddenly quipped, “Brother, did you just try to steal some flour? Why else would you be so white?”

“I’ll chop you to pieces!”

The man roared and brandished his knife, but when he saw Zhao Yu’s hand slip into his robe, he halted instinctively—could that scoundrel have more lime? Lime wasn’t lethal, but it was certainly a hassle.

“No more games. Finish him now,” growled the leader. He’d seen through Zhao Yu’s bluff—besides bravado, the youth had no real skill.

The man struck by the lime thought the same. He’d been caught off guard before; now prepared, why should he fear a repeat? He hesitated no longer and swung his blade at Zhao Yu’s head.

Zhao Yu had no more lime, but he did have a dagger. Seeing the blade descending, he steeled himself to dodge and counterattack, determined to take at least one with him if it came to that. Suddenly, a roar echoed beside him.

“Bullying the weak—how shameless! I’m here to teach you a lesson!”

With the shout, a burly figure dropped from above. Without any visible movement, the knife-wielding man suddenly spewed blood and was sent flying…