Chapter 144: Xi'an Incident 4

At 2 a. m. in Huaqing Pool, the moonlight was hazy. Li Yuxuan was lying in his nightclothes when a burst of rapid gunfire jolted him awake. He rolled over, sprang up, and grabbed the pistol beside his pillow.

"Chairman! The Northeast Army has rebelled!" the Detachment Leader slammed the door open, his face covered in blood, "Liu Duoquan's troops have surrounded Huaqing Pool!"

Li Yuxuan's heart sank; he knew the Xi'an Incident had indeed occurred. He hurried through the corridor as the gunfire drew nearer, the guard's resistance being gradually shattered.

Confirming the event had unfolded, Li Yuxuan quietly ordered someone to summon Huang Wei. Soon enough, Huang Wei arrived.

"Chairman, the Fifth Army and the Eighteenth Army are already in position, should we…"

"Hold fire!" Li Yuxuan cut him off, "Wait for my signal."

Huang Wei was puzzled: "But the principal…"

"If I tell you to wait, then wait!" Li Yuxuan glared at him, "Remember, without my order, not a single soldier may move!"

"Yes!" Huang Wei saluted and stepped back.

"Where's the principal?" he seized a panicked attendant.

"In… in the Five Halls…"

Li Yuxuan crouched low and rushed toward the Five Halls, bullets whistling past him. He pushed open the door to find the principal in pajamas, fumbling to pull a coat over himself.

"Jingxing! What… what's happening?" the principal's voice trembled with rare panic.

"Young Master, there's no time to explain!" Li Yuxuan grabbed him, "Come with me quickly!"

The two leapt out of the back window of the Five Halls. The three‑meter‑high wall loomed steeply in the darkness.

"I… I can't jump down!" the principal stared at the drop, his voice shaking.

Without hesitation, Li Yuxuan vaulted down first, then spread his arms at the bottom: "Young Master, jump! I'll catch you!"

The principal closed his eyes and leapt, landing hard on Li Yuxuan. A "Crunch!" rang out, and both heard the crisp snap of twisted ankles.

"Damn! My foot!" the principal cried out in pain.

"Hang on, Young Master!" Li Yuxuan steadied him, "We have to run up the hill!"

The principal hobbled for a while, then suddenly stopped: "Jingxing, I can't keep moving, you go first."

Li Yuxuan was about to answer when his eyes suddenly brightened: "Young Master, look over there!"

Midway up the mountain, a massive boulder flickered in the moonlight, and beside it lay a narrow stone crevice.

"We can hide here!" Li Yuxuan helped the principal squeeze into the crevice.

The crevice was pitifully narrow; the principal barely squeezed in, while Li Yuxuan could only half‑crouch at the opening.

"Jingxing, what will you do?" the principal asked anxiously.

"Young Master, don't worry," Li Yuxuan patted his chest, "I'll guard you. Besides, this crevice is so small that if I tried to squeeze in too, we'd both end up looking like two monster infants."

The principal gave a wry smile: "At a time like this, you still have the energy to joke."

Around five in the morning, Sun Mingjiu led a search team up the mountain. The Northeast Army guard company commander held a flashlight, carefully checking every possible hiding spot.

"Principal! Army Commander Li! Stop hiding! We won't hurt you!" Sun Mingjiu's shout echoed through the valley.

Inside the crevice, the principal trembled with anxiety. Li Yuxuan, however, remained calm and even had the leisure to adjust his collar.

"Found it! Here!" a soldier shouted suddenly.

Sun Mingjiu hurried over, the flashlight beam piercing the crevice. When he saw the scene inside, he was stunned.

The principal was curled deep in the crevice, his pajamas smeared with mud and a few scratches on his face. Li Yuxuan sat at the opening like a heroic guardian, as if protecting a treasure.

"Company commander," Li Yuxuan began, "could you move your flashlight a bit? It's dazzling."

Sun Mingjiu snapped back to his senses and quickly saluted, "Principal, Army Commander Li, apologies. Please come back to the city with us."

The road down the mountain was especially treacherous, particularly for the principal with a sprained ankle. Sun Mingjiu tried to fetch a stretcher, but Li Yuxuan stopped him.

"No need for that hassle," Li Yuxuan crouched, "Come, Young Master, I'll carry you."

The principal's old face flushed: "What a disgrace!"

"Oh dear, what era is this, you still fuss over that," Li Yuxuan said without hesitation, hoisting the principal onto his back, "Consider it like when I carried you up the back hill of Xikou when you were a child."

The remark evoked memories, and the principal smiled, "Back then you weren't as robust as you are now."

"Exactly," Li Yuxuan said as he walked, "Back then carrying you up the mountain left me panting. Now, look at me, carrying you while chatting with the company commander!"

Sun Mingjiu stood by, mouth agape. He had expected fierce resistance, but instead the two heavyweights were chatting on the mountain path.

At the entrance of Huaqing Pool, a car was already waiting. Sun Mingjiu was about to ask the principal to board, but Li Yuxuan stopped him.

"Wait a moment," Li Yuxuan examined the car, "Is this vehicle safe?"

"Army Commander Li, rest assured, this is the best car of our Northeast Army," Sun Mingjiu assured.

Li Yuxuan inspected the car meticulously, then pointed at the principal's pajamas, "Going into the city dressed like this, is that appropriate?"

Only then did everyone notice the principal was still in pajamas and slippers, looking like an elderly gentleman lost during morning exercise.

Sun Mingjiu hurriedly fetched a military coat. Li Yuxuan personally helped the principal put it on, carefully buttoning each button.

"All right," Li Yuxuan stepped back, satisfied, "Now that's much more presentable."

The principal gave a wry smile and shook his head, "Jingxing, Jingxing, we've both become prisoners beneath the stairs, yet you still fuss over this."

"Of course," Li Yuxuan said earnestly, "Even as prisoners beneath the stairs, you're still my Young Master!"

The words rang out with authority, and even the surrounding Northeast Army soldiers couldn't help but salute solemnly, as the car slowly drove toward Xi'an City.