After tricking Shen Youran out of an access token, Sun Yixie did not rush off to the courtyard where the captives were held. Instead, he returned to his room and ordered the Tianqi Gang underlings to boil hot water and carry in a large wooden tub, announcing that he was going to bathe and change his clothes.
This move served a dual purpose. First, Sun Yixie could use the bath as cover to quietly prepare the items he would need for his upcoming operation. Second, it meant playing the part to the hilt, convincing outsiders that what he intended to do later was anything but an idle boast.
One had to admit... he handled this detail brilliantly.
Once they had cooled down, Gu Qiying and Shen Youran had indeed grown slightly suspicious of Sun Yixie's request. If Brother Sun had grabbed the token and bolted straight for Chun Kong's quarters, they might very well have suspected he was feigning an appetite for men to pull some trick and rescue him.
Yet when Gu and Shen heard their subordinates report that Sun Yixie, unhurried after receiving the token, had chosen to go back to his room and take a bath first, even the two of them became convinced... this fellow surnamed Sun really did swing that way.
In the blink of an eye, the midnight hour arrived.
Having finished his bath, Sun Yixie donned a clean set of clothes. With a lantern in his right hand and a Tianqi Gang access token tucked into the left side of his sash, he strolled out of his room, beaming from ear to ear.
Outside the door, several Tianqi Gang underlings saw him emerge, each bowing, scraping, and wearing a pleasant, fawning smile.
From these lackeys' perspective, even if Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai had not fully earned Gang Leader Shen's trust, they were at least considered the gang leader's brothers on the surface for now. In any case, their standing was higher than that of minions controlled by gu, so offending them was out of the question.
Moreover, word of Sun Yixie's particular predilection had spread among the Tianqi Gang members over the preceding hours, so the looks they gave him had taken on a whole new flavor...
And so, having left his quarters, Sun Yixie swaggered all the way over to the compound of courtyards where the hostages were kept.
The courtyards used by the Tianqi Gang to hold captives had naturally been prepared well in advance. There were five in total, built side by side. Each courtyard consisted of several dozen small rooms whose walls were constructed from solid stone and fitted with iron doors. Every door was specially equipped with an integrated pin-tumbler lock rather than a padlock, because padlocks could be sheared apart with a single strike from a blade; even if forged from hardy material, they were easily broken by someone wielding a masterwork weapon. An integrated lock was different—the mechanism was built directly into the door. Forcing it without a key required destroying the entire door or even breaching the stone wall, a far more arduous task.
Before long, guided by an underling, Sun Yixie arrived before the room holding Chun Kong.
Calling it a room was generous; it was really just a cramped cubicle of five or six square meters. A small transom window was cut into the wall beside the door, ensuring daylight could enter and nights would not be pitch-black. Inside sat nothing more than a single desk—not even a prayer mat or cushion was provided. If an inmate wanted to sleep, they had to lie on the floor alongside the desk; if nature called, they had to relieve themselves in a bucket tucked into the corner.
Never mind interrogation under torture; confinement in these conditions alone... was already a form of torment for most.
In fact, at this very moment, not a single one of the captured martial artists was asleep; none even felt like sleeping.
Naturally, this was fully within Gu Qiying and Shen Youran's expectations. Anyone who had innocently attended a Heroes Banquet only to suddenly find themselves poisoned, thrown into prison, and threatened into betraying their sect's martial arts and deepest secrets would hardly be getting any sleep either.
Creak—
As the iron door hinges turned, they let out an ear-grating screech.
"Hey, what are you standing there for?" Sun Yixie stood at the doorway, making no rush to enter. Instead, he looked at the lackey who had unlocked the door and demanded in a righteous, assertive tone, "Give me the key."
"Uh... well..." The request clearly put the underling in a difficult spot.
"What's the matter?" Seeing this, Sun Yixie pressed aggressively. "If you don't give me the key, how am I supposed to get out once I'm done?"
"Um..." the lackey whispered, "you could just call for me through the door..."
"Pah!" Sun Yixie spat. "You fucking planning to linger outside the door and eavesdrop?"
The underling felt deeply aggrieved, thinking, You think I want to listen? The problem is that according to the rules, I can't just hand over this key to anyone.
The fellow's misgivings were not unfounded. There were five detention courtyards, and each was watched by only four guards. (Since the hostages were poisoned with Bliss Gu, weighed down with shackles, and locked in reinforced stone rooms, there really was no need for a large guard force.) The keys carried by these four guards were all different, each corresponding to the locks along one row of cells in the yard. In other words, the key he carried did not just open Chun Kong's room; it opened an entire row of cells in this courtyard.
"Well..." Although intensely displeased, the lackey did not dare defy Sun Yixie to his face, and could only reply, "Young Hero Sun, how about you give me a time, and when it's up, I'll come back..."
"Ha? What kind of talk is that? How long something like this takes... can anyone put an exact clock on it?" Reaching this point, Sun Yixie put on a show of suddenly remembering something and added, "Oh, right! Are the keys to his handcuffs and shackles the same as the one for this door?"
Without suspecting anything, the lackey answered truthfully, "Of course not. The keys to their handcuffs and shackles are kept in the storeroom precisely to keep them from slipping away when the door opens."
This answer matched Sun Yixie's prior guess. Having obtained the intel he wanted, he narrowed his eyes, a grin curling at the corner of his mouth as he continued, "Then what the hell are you sweating for? Think about it, brother... Even if he manages to snatch the door key from me, he still can't unlock his handcuffs and shackles. In that state, even if he breaks out of the room, what could he possibly do?"
Hearing this, the underling thought it over and found it made sense. Right as he wavered in hesitation, Sun Yixie suddenly draped an arm around his shoulder, wearing a leering grin. "Or... if you're still worried, why don't you come inside with me? The three of us can get nice and cozy together..."
"No, no, no..." Goosebumps instantly broke out over the underling's entire body. He ducked his head, jerked back to escape Brother Sun's clutches, and handed over the key without another word. "Young Hero Sun, please, take your time! I'm leaving right now, right now..."
Accepting the key, Sun Yixie watched the underling's retreating figure with a cold sneer, turned, stepped into the room, and pulled the door shut behind him.
Inside, Chun Kong had heard their conversation long before, but he could not make heads or tails of it. Remarks like "all done" and "the three of us can get nice and cozy together"—no matter how hard he racked his brain, he could not fathom what kind of underworld jargon that was.
Now that Sun Yixie strode inside, Chun Kong showed little reaction, remaining seated in meditation as he spoke in an icy tone: "Amitābha... Young Master Sun, to what do I owe the honor of your late-night visit?"
Even when facing a stranger, Chun Kong would not normally speak in such a frigid manner. Without a doubt, it was because Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai had publicly sided with Shen Youran earlier, prompting this hostility in Chun Kong.
"I've come to ask for your help," Sun Yixie said, already unfastening his robes.
Chun Kong found Brother Sun's actions rather baffling, but he did not press immediately, instead replying, "Since Young Master Sun and Young Master Huang have resolved to abet evil and serve as claws for the tiger... if you have need of assistance, you ought to seek Sect Leader Shen. This poor monk is currently in the grip of others, reduced to a prisoner in chains; what help could I possibly offer you?" He paused. "Of course, if Young Master Sun has come in an attempt to lobby me, I urge you not to waste your breath. We disciples of Shaolin are upright and open; we harbor no secrets to disclose. As for our martial techniques and cultivation methods..."
Before he could finish, Sun Yixie had already stripped off his outer robe, retrieved three or four sealed silver phials from his bosom, and lined them up across the desk.
Chun Kong's first thought was: Is he preparing to use some poison to interrogate me through the night?
Yet Sun Yixie quickly spoke up, shattering that suspicion: "Here's the plan. In a bit, I'll unlock the door and head out, leaving it ajar for you. You crouch inside and wait for my signal. Once I lure the nearby guards over, we'll coordinate and take them all down fast..."
"Young Master Sun... you..." Hearing this, Chun Kong finally caught on. With an expression of doubt, he asked, "Are you... trying to help me escape?"
"No shit," Sun Yixie retorted. "Did you think I came here to chat?"
Chun Kong harbored suspicions at first, but upon reflection, in his current state, there seemed to be no reason for Sun Yixie to put on such an act.
Thus, after a few moments of silence, Chun Kong continued, "Could it be... earlier at the Heroes Banquet, you and Young Master Huang were..."
"Of course it was an act!" Knowing what Chun Kong was about to say, Sun Yixie cut right in. "If the two of us hadn't decisively 'switched sides' on the spot, we might've been thrown behind bars right alongside you lot, and then who'd be around to save your hides?" At that point, he could not resist cursing, "Fucking hell, it gives me chills just thinking back on it... Lucky thing Brother Huang and I were quick on our feet. If we'd been half a step slower back then, that kid Lei Buji would probably have been beaten into a cripple."
Hearing this, Chun Kong's expression shifted several times. Hurriedly collecting his thoughts, he bowed his head and offered a deep salute. "Amitābha... Sadhu, sadhu! It turns out this poor monk had wronged Young Master Sun and Young Master Huang. The two of you possess extraordinary wit, know when to yield and when to stand tall, bore humiliation for a greater cause, and acted with profound righteousness... Truly heroes of our time! This poor monk is ashamed... deeply ashamed..."
While they spoke, Sun Yixie had already mixed the liquids from the small silver phials into a slightly larger bottle. Immediately, a pungent, acrid vapor rose from inside.
"Don't sniff it. Hold out your chains, and keep your hands back." Time was short, and Sun Yixie had no leisure to entertain his compliments, offering only curt instructions.
Chun Kong was an intelligent man and obeyed immediately without another word.
Before long, using this freshly mixed corrosive solution, Sun Yixie dissolved right through the iron chains connecting Chun Kong's hand and leg shackles.
He then sealed the bottle, waved his sleeve to disperse the fumes, and added, "This stuff has to be mixed fresh on the spot. On top of that, materials were tight, so Brother Huang could only whip up this small amount on short notice. I can only free two people at most, and you're the first..."
Saying this, he gave the coat he had shed a sharp flick, turning it inside out. When he did, Chun Kong was struck dumb—the inner lining of Sun Yixie's garment was actually a map.
"This is a layout of the Justice Sect... or rather, what's now called the Tianqi Gang. It marks the locations of their sentry posts and patrol routes—the fruit of Brother Huang and me casing the joint for days..." As Sun Yixie spoke, he fished another key from his robe. "And this is the key to their storeroom's main gate. We quietly took an impression of the original in a clay mold and paid a blacksmith in the city to forge a duplicate..."
Indeed, by this point, it was surely obvious... Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai's initial stay at the Justice Sect and their daily "aimless rambling" had all been calculated... Having guarded against Shen Youran from the very beginning, they had naturally made preparations early on to guard against the unexpected.
"I've always heard Little Master Chun Kong is exceptionally clever, so I reckon it won't take you long to memorize what's on this map..." As Sun Yixie spoke, he smoothed out the coat across the desk and held up the lantern to illuminate it for Chun Kong. "Study it now while you can... In a bit, once the two of us deal with the guards in this courtyard, you'll take this key, slip over to the storeroom following the map, and steal the keys to everyone's shackles. While you're gone, I'll free one more helper, and the two of us will break through the guards and doors in the other courtyards first."
Sun Yixie had planned thoroughly. He had chosen to rescue Chun Kong first not merely because Chun Kong's wits and martial skills met his criteria, but even more because... compared to anyone else, this young monk had the lowest probability of ditching everyone and slipping away on his own.
If he had instead freed someone like the second-in-command of the Water Transport Gang, that fellow would likely never bother sneaking into the storeroom for keys and would simply bolt for the exit alone. What martial heroes? What brothers of the jianghu? When push came to shove, there were plenty who would abandon their own flesh and blood without a second thought.
Although Chun Kong had a reputation for brilliance, his kind of quick learning—the sort of "cleverness" that allowed him to memorize scriptures at a single glance—was entirely different from Sun Yixie's street-smart wisdom and shrewd grasp of human nature.
At this moment, hearing Sun Yixie's meticulous plan and all the preparations he and Huang Donglai had completed beforehand, Chun Kong was utterly astounded.
Chun Kong thought to himself: Just when on earth did you two start suspecting Shen Youran? From the sound of it... did you come to this Youth Heroes Assembly purely aiming to murder the host?
Still, Chun Kong had no time right now to pry into such matters. He focused his eyes on the map and began committing it to memory. In roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had imprinted every detail of the map into his mind.
In the interim, the two exchanged a few more words and made several other preparations.
When Sun Yixie decided it was time to move, he packed up his things, threw his coat back on, used the key to unlock the door, and stepped out.
There were originally supposed to be four guards for this courtyard: two stationed outside flanking the courtyard gate, and two patrolling inside. But since the fellow who had given Sun Yixie the key had been scared off, three men were now standing outside the courtyard gate, leaving only one guard inside the courtyard.
That lone guard inside the courtyard was not patrolling either. He had deliberately stationed himself in the corner farthest from Chun Kong's room, terrified that hearing something he shouldn't might render him impotent.
When Sun Yixie emerged from the room, the guard naturally saw him, but showed no reaction.
Sun Yixie swept his gaze across the courtyard. Seeing that circumstances were even better than anticipated, he felt even more confident.
A few seconds later, Sun Yixie stood there and waved with a smile toward the guard in the distant corner.
Under his stare, the poor fellow felt his skin crawl, but he had no choice but to carry his lantern over. "Young Hero Sun... are you... all done?"
"Yeah, all done," Sun Yixie replied. He even puffed out his chest, tilted his head back, drew a deep breath, and put on a face that suggested he hadn't had quite enough.
The guard could not help but avert his face and lower his head, not daring to look Sun Yixie in the eyes. "Then... do you have any orders for me now?"
Before his words had even finished leaving his mouth, Sun Yixie suddenly lunged forward, clamping a rag soaked in knockout drug right over his face.
Barely making a sound, the guard passed out cold, utterly incapacitated.
"All right, come on out." Sun Yixie had originally thought he might face two or even three men upon exiting, which was why he had planned to stage a joint surprise attack with Chun Kong. He hadn't expected there would only be one, allowing him to handle it entirely on his own.
"Amitābha." Chun Kong stepped out of the room right behind him.
By now, the four severed lengths of chain dangling from Chun Kong's wrists and ankles had been tightly bound to his limbs with strips of cloth, preventing them from clanking as he moved.
And so, with Sun Yixie holding the lantern out in front and Chun Kong trailing in the shadows, the two approached the three remaining guards outside the courtyard gate...
Chapter 58