Chapter Forty-Four: Things Don't Go As Planned

Baozi absentmindedly murmured an agreement and followed behind Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi instinctively called out, “Beqio, let’s go.” Only after the words left his mouth did he remember—this was no longer his Beqio.

“Don’t call it Beqio anymore,” Baozi said. “If you keep saying it, you’ll start mixing them up.”

“Then let’s call it Xunfeng,” Zhou Yi replied. When Beqio was still around, he hadn’t paid much attention, but only after its departure did he realize just how important it had been—how deeply it had become a part of his life. That sort of place in his heart could never be replaced.

Xicheng District, Beijing—Fulai Inn. After three days of hurried travel, the two arrived in Beijing, thoroughly exhausted. Baozi refused to go any farther once they reached Fulai Inn. “Brother Yi, let’s get a night’s rest before we start searching again. We haven’t caught up to that Zhang’s evidence this whole way—maybe he hasn’t even come to Beijing.”

“We’ll find him in Beijing for sure,” Zhou Yi said as he walked into the inn.

“How?” Baozi asked, trailing behind.

Zhou Yi glanced back at Xunfeng, who nuzzled Zhou Yi’s trouser leg affectionately. “Everyone these days has cut off their queue, but he still keeps his. He must be one of the Xuantong Emperor’s queue soldiers. We’ll go straight to the palace.”

“The palace?” Baozi stared wide-eyed at Zhou Yi. “Are you feverish? Seeking revenge in the palace is just courting death!”

Zhou Yi stroked Xunfeng’s head and ignored Baozi’s objection. “Waiter, bring us two dishes of greens, four steamed buns, and a live chicken.”

“Brother Yi, I’m talking to you—are you really going to the palace? The Xuantong Emperor is still there; the two of us going for revenge is a death wish.” Baozi pressed again when Zhou Yi didn’t respond.

“Let’s eat first. We’ll talk after,” Zhou Yi said, glancing at Baozi. With the inn bustling with people, this was no place for such talk.

Baozi looked around. Already, two tables of diners were sneaking glances at them. When Baozi caught their eyes, they quickly raised their cups and toasted their companions.

Clearly, their earlier conversation had not been quiet enough, and someone had overheard. Baozi lowered his head and said nothing as the food arrived. “Waiter, where’s the live chicken I ordered? Bring one here.”

The waiter looked at Zhou Yi. “Live chicken? We don’t have any. This is a place for meals and lodging, not for selling raw food.”

Zhou Yi tossed a silver coin to the waiter. No more words were needed; the waiter beamed and hurried off to make arrangements.

“Hurry up and eat. Afterward, get some rest. We’ll search again tomorrow,” Zhou Yi said, chewing on a steamed bun.

The live chicken, of course, was for Xunfeng. As a vessel spirit inhabiting Beqio’s body—a soul returned to flesh—it now required sustenance and could not go without food.

Before long, the waiter brought out two live chickens and handed them to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi took Xunfeng out of the inn to a secluded alley and tossed the chickens to him.

Xunfeng bit down, killing both chickens in an instant, then began devouring them. Zhou Yi dared not leave; Xunfeng already looked strange enough, and if he wasn’t there, trouble could easily arise.

But idle chatter can always be overheard, especially when feeding animals blood and meat in a secluded spot. In the capital, it wasn’t unusual for the wealthy to feed their pets fresh meat, but Zhou Yi’s countryman’s attire stood out. An outsider, leading a beast with a wolf’s body and four hooved feet—such a creature was bound to attract attention.

Glancing back, he saw a crowd had already gathered, staring and whispering. Zhou Yi frowned. Seeing that Xunfeng had nearly finished the chickens, he turned to lead him back to the inn.

As Zhou Yi moved, the onlookers instinctively backed away, pointing and whispering. “What kind of animal is that?”

“Looks like a wolf to me.”

“But wolves don’t have hooves—could it be a monster?” an old woman exclaimed, pointing at Xunfeng. At her words, the onlookers broke into shouts, fleeing and yelling about a monster in their midst.

Such ignorant people, their ugliness on full display. Zhou Yi’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t linger, returning to the inn with Xunfeng.

He had barely taken a bite of steamed bun when a commotion erupted outside. Looking over, he saw a mob brandishing shovels and hoes, shouting about killing a monster.

“What monster are you talking about?” Baozi set down his chopsticks.

“They saw Xunfeng eating meat, that’s why,” Zhou Yi replied.

“I’ll go drive them off,” Baozi said, heading for the door, but Zhou Yi quickly grabbed his arm.

“Go upstairs—don’t cause trouble.”

By now, the mob had surrounded the inn’s entrance, a few burly men gripping pitchforks and shovels, ready to make a scene.

“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know whose inn this is?” the waiter barked, blocking the doorway with a stern face.

“There’s a monster in your inn! Aren’t you afraid it’ll get up in the night and eat you all? Turn it over now!” one of the men shouted, pointing at the waiter.

Xunfeng understood every word. Being called a monster made him angry; he fixed the man with a fierce stare, baring his teeth in warning.

Zhou Yi glanced at the man, his lips curving in contempt. “Xunfeng, let’s go upstairs.” With that, the two headed up.

“We can’t let that monster escape! If it gets away, Xicheng will suffer tonight—kill it!” the man cried, brandishing his shovel as he charged into the inn.

The deep-rooted flaws of these people—their instinct to avoid trouble unless it’s their own—were plain to see. This man was deliberately stirring up trouble against Xunfeng. Zhou Yi frowned, but there was no time to think.

The mob pushed into the inn, blocking Zhou Yi and Baozi’s path.

“Whose servant are you?” Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes.

The man, hearing Zhou Yi ask about his background, craned his neck and snapped, “You’re the damn servant! Everyone, kill the monster! That beast is the one that eats people at night—if we don’t kill it, no one knows whose family will suffer tonight!” He lunged at Xunfeng with his shovel.

Being called a monster had long since angered Xunfeng. As the man charged, Xunfeng dug his hind legs into the ground and leapt with a howl. In a flash, he knocked the man to the ground.

Xunfeng’s jaws opened wide, aiming for the man’s throat. No one doubted that those sharp fangs would pierce the man’s windpipe in the next instant.

“Xunfeng, stop!” At the critical moment, Zhou Yi shouted.

He and Baozi had come to the capital for vengeance, but now trouble had found them. If Xunfeng wasn’t stopped, who knew what disaster might follow.

At Zhou Yi’s command, Xunfeng froze. He turned to look at Zhou Yi, eyes full of confusion, but he obeyed and let the man go.

As Xunfeng released him, the man’s legs trembled uncontrollably. A faint stench of urine filled the inn—he had wet himself in terror.

“Get out, and be quick about it. I can’t guarantee he’ll listen to me next time. And for the record, the monster you claim eats people at night isn’t Xunfeng,” Zhou Yi said coldly.

Seeing Xunfeng’s ferocity and hearing his explanation, the crowd lowered their farm tools and hurried home.

Zhou Yi knew that sometimes, clearing up a few misunderstandings was enough—there was no need to escalate every conflict. Yet things rarely went as one wished; there would always be someone who refused to let him be.

“That creature has memorized your faces. If you leave now, it’ll come for you tonight,” someone sneered from the crowd.

During the New Year, I played too much and my grades have plummeted miserably. I know I’ve been slacking these past couple days, not writing as I should. I just finished this chapter and uploaded it—didn’t even go to my cousin’s wedding, stayed home to build up my manuscript. Once I have enough drafted, I’ll try to update more frequently.