Chapter 29: Transport Street (Part I)

Murong Feiyan however found the words of the doctor from Yi Yuan Tang confusing, secretly thinking, what medical skill does he understand? Righteous action? Him? I believe he relies on power to bully people, but saying he treats illness and saves people—unless the sun rises in the west!

Hu Xiaotian squatted before a prisoner, giving him a sinister look; this prisoner was exactly the one he had stabbed in the throat with a bamboo tube the previous night, and the prisoner clearly recognized Hu Xiaotian as the culprit, hating him intensely, his eyes glaring ferociously.

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "These days nothing is easy; being a bandit is merely for wealth, but risking one's life for money—isn't that hardly worthwhile?"

The two bandits exchanged a glance, then both glared ferociously at Hu Xiaotian; the bandit whose throat was unharmed and whose face was full of whiskers said, "If you're going to kill, just kill—no more talk!"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled; last night this bandit had been especially tough, indeed showing some spine, and after all this time he still showed no sign of weakening. He said disdainfully, "You broke into the Minister's Residence at night intending to take my life—killing you ten times would still be justified."

Murong Feiyan listened on the side, secretly sighing, this fellow was indeed spouting nonsense again; although the two bandits were guilty, they did not deserve death, he was clearly just scaremongering.

The bandit sneered, "You think I'm easily scared? According to Dakang law we shouldn't even be liable for death, right?"

Hu Xiaotian clicked his tongue in praise, "Looks like you know a bit of law—you're not a legal ignoramus. That makes things more troublesome: knowing the law and breaking it incurs a heavier penalty; you might have hoped to live, but now there's only a dead end."

The bandit knew he was being threatened, snorted, and shut his mouth, saying nothing more.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I merely feel sorry for you; it's rare these days to find bandits who understand the law. Although I don't know you two, I can tell you are outstanding figures among bandits—young, handsome, highly skilled in martial arts, and well versed in law. Only by studying law and knowing it can one learn how to exploit its loopholes. Though you are thieves, you differ from ordinary bandits; you have brains, and with your intelligence you originally hoped to achieve something in your bandit career, even accomplish great deeds. It's a pity you capsized in the little river ditch this time, and I deeply regret it for you."

Murong Feiyan listening on the side found it both laughable and exasperating; Hu Xiaotian was too adept at twisting arguments, his theory was unheard of, unseen, and he actually praised the two bandits—listening to his words, it seemed he felt regret for their capture.

The two bandits simply kept silent, saying nothing.

Hu Xiaotian added, "Bandits as clever as you shouldn't be used by others; you think you're brave and righteous, but you don't realize that last night, when you sneaked into my home, someone had already tipped me off—otherwise how would I have detected your intrusion immediately?"

Murong Feiyan blinked, "He got advance notice? Why didn't he say anything last night? This brat certainly knows but doesn't report—I'll settle the score with him later!"

The bandits' eyes also showed some astonishment; Hu Xiaotian was basically talking nonsense, yet his lies sounded highly credible, and the bandits themselves wondered why their plot had been exposed before it even began—how, just as they poked a hole in the window paper with a bamboo tube and were about to blow incense inside, someone slapped the tube back into their throats? How could the opponent always be one step ahead? After all this, it turned out someone had already leaked the information, and they had been sold out.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I know the feeling of being betrayed is unpleasant; I feel bad too. That person deliberately leaked the information to me, urging me to muster all the household servants to capture you, while he took advantage of our focus on you to steal our treasures and set fire to the Gathering Elegant Pavilion—in this we are both victims."

The two bandits simultaneously pressed their lips; they were imprisoned, and it now seemed they had indeed been set up, making escape even harder.

Hu Xiaotian said, "How about we make a deal?"

The bandit with a whiskered face said, "Don't try to sweet‑talk us; you're just trying to fool us—do you really think we're three‑year‑olds?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Those who know me know I'm most reasonable; I won't make things difficult for you, I just want to make this clear. If this case cannot trace the mastermind, my Hu family will not let it rest. You surely know what kind of person my father is—Jingzhao Prefecture will certainly demand an explanation from us. If they truly cannot find the mastermind, the only outcome will be to pin everything on you, and I'm not afraid you'll deny it. Besides, the Murong Catcher Head beside me has mastered eighteen hundred kinds of criminal law and one hundred seventy‑two ways of death; getting you to tell the truth wouldn't be easy."

Murong Feiyan glared at him fiercely; truly talking out of his hat—when did he ever master so many kinds of criminal law?

Hu Xiaotian added, "Do you want to sample all eighteen hundred criminal punishments before you die?"

The bandits' faces changed; the clean‑shaven bandit, meeting Hu Xiaotian's cold gaze, was so frightened he plopped down on the ground.

Hu Xiaotian stopped the threats, stood up and said, "Think it over—will you take the blame for another, or honestly confess the truth? Your choice decides your fate." He turned to leave.

A hoarse voice said, "If we tell the truth, can you guarantee we won't die?" The speaker was precisely the one whose throat Hu Xiaotian had injured.

The whiskered bandit shouted, "Don't believe him; he's just scaremongering."

Hu Xiaotian suddenly turned, threw a fierce hook that smashed the whiskered bandit's jaw, knocking him out cold; this punch completely took Murong Feiyan by surprise, and before she could intervene it was too late. Hu Xiaotian turned back, gave her a discreet look, and said, "Drag him out and kill him."

Murong Feiyan immediately understood his intent; although they were constables, they had no authority to execute prisoners at will, let alone these two who hadn't even been tried. Hu Xiaotian's real aim wasn't to kill, but to frighten the other bandit.

In this situation, Murong Feiyan could only go along with Hu Xiaotian's actions; she summoned two constables, dragged the already‑unconscious bandit out, and of course didn't really kill him—she sent him to another cell to be locked up. The other bandit, whose throat was injured, was already terrified; seeing his companion felled by a punch and dragged away, he was utterly terrified, his mental defenses completely collapsed.

Hu Xiaotian stared at him coldly and said, "Life or death rests entirely in your single thought."

The bandit trembled, "You promise not to kill me…"

Hu Xiaotian snorted, "Love to talk or not!" He turned to leave, and the bandit wailed, "I'll confess, I'll confess! Zhao Zhenghao hired us, saying he'd kidnap you for a sum of silver, and that there's his inside man in your household…"

At this point Murong Feiyan couldn't help but admire Hu Xiaotian's wit and eloquence; this fellow used both soft and hard tactics, and without even bringing out torture devices he frightened the bandit into spilling everything he knew. She glared at the bandit and demanded, "Where can we find Zhao Zhenghao?"

The bandit stammered, "I don't know… I… I only know he has a friend named Mo Shaoji, a horse trader on Transport Street… perhaps you could find some clues by seeking him."

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan walked out of the cell; outside, the sky had somehow cleared. Stepping from the dark dungeon into bright sunlight, their eyes struggled to adjust, and they almost simultaneously narrowed them.

Murong Feiyan shaded her eyes with a hand, glanced at Hu Xiaotian, and said, "You've got a knack for this—you actually managed to scare that bandit into such a state."

Hu Xiaotian smiled lightly, "Nothing special. As a constable you don't even grasp the basics: the two bandits must be held separately. Keeping them together lets them communicate, support, and monitor each other, making it twice as hard to break their psychological defenses. Last night's events clearly show they were betrayed; they actually already realized that, they just didn't want to admit it. All I did was help them recognize the reality of being sold out, so they'd resent the true mastermind behind it—why would they keep silent for someone who's done them such harm?"

Although Murong Feiyan said nothing, she truly admired his cleverness; having witnessed him break the bandits' mental defenses with his silver tongue, she gained a deeper understanding of his deceit and cunning. Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she looked at Hu Xiaotian's bright, smiling face and softly asked, "Was there really someone who tipped you off earlier?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, "Just a trick to get them to speak the truth."

Murong Feiyan gave an 'oh', half‑believing, half‑doubting, and asked, "What exactly did your household lose?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "You've known me this long—don't you realize I never tell the truth?"

Murong Feiyan was infuriated to the point of near collapse, she snapped, "Withholding information…"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I've done you such a big favor—shouldn't you be thanking me instead of repaying kindness with enmity? Though we aren't friends yet, we could become good partners. Shall we hurry to Transport Street to find Mo Shaolin? If luck is on our side, this case might be solved today, with all the credit going to you."

Murong Feiyan said, "When I handle a case, I most dislike outsiders meddling!"