Scourge Messenger

Chapter 225 Return to Chang'an
Chang'an Military Government, West Gate.

Li Bao stood by the brazier, craning his neck and eagerly waiting. The old hand Han Ya next to him chuckled and said, "It's rare to see someone so impatient while on guard duty."

Li Bao's face was flushed red under the fire pit: "I was just thinking about whether to go back to sleep or go have a drink later."

"How about going to Red Candle Street?" Han Ya stroked his chin. "Don't worry, with Brother Ya leading the way, I guarantee you'll find a woman you'll crave."

Red Candle Street was a famous street in Chang'an County known for its romantic pursuits, offering everything from high-end to low-end establishments. Every night, red candles were lit outside each building, resembling the candlelight of a wedding night. Han Ya, over forty years old and still a bachelor, spent all his salary on Red Candle Street. On his days off, he was a wedding man every night, making him a well-known "commentator" in the military headquarters. When training was boring, everyone would pass the time by listening to Han Ya's stories of his wedding nights.

"I wouldn't dare! Leaving the military headquarters without permission would be punished!"

"How about we go together during my vacation in a couple of days?" Han Ya tempted. "The girl I met last time, wow, her face was so tender you could squeeze water out of it, and her butt was big and white. When she screamed, she was like a female cat, clinging to you tightly. Want to take you to try her out?"

Although Han Ya's description was crude and simplistic, it was still a stimulating story for a greenhorn like Li Bao. He shook his head vigorously: "No way! I want to save my spirit jade to buy cultivation techniques, and I want to become a masked guard!"

"Hey, what's so great about being a masked guard? You have to go through fire and water in the secret realm. It would be so much better to stay in Chang'an Prefecture for the rest of your life, with food, drink and safety." Han Ya said, "Why do you still need to save up spirit jade to buy cultivation techniques? Judging from your name, aren't you a member of the Li family? Ordinary people can't get into Chang'an Prefecture."

As the capital's military headquarters, it doesn't require fighting in secret realms, yet the salary is paid in full. How could such a cushy job possibly fall into the hands of ordinary people? The Chang'an Military Headquarters doesn't recruit from outside; even the floor sweepers are people with connections.

“My grandfather was a servant in the Tang State Duke’s mansion and was given the surname Li. My parents spent a lot of money to send me to the military mansion.” Li Bao honestly said, “My family has no money to buy cultivation techniques, so we can only rely on my stored spirit jade.”

"Your parents sent you in hoping you'd just coast through life, so why are you buying cultivation techniques? What if you become a messenger and get sent out to fight in secret realms?"

"How can I exchange battle merits for tokens if I don't fight in secret realms?" Li Bao had his own thoughts: "Since there is a chance to become a garrison soldier, of course I can't miss it. What's the point of being an ordinary person in this life?"

Han Ya shook his head: "Sigh, you'll understand when you get to my age. What's the point of being a messenger or a mortal? It's good enough if you can live an ordinary life."

Li Bao didn't refute, but his expression clearly showed that he didn't agree at all. Han Ya wasn't surprised either; young people always think they're special, always believing that as long as they set their sights on a goal, they can get on the right track... But in reality, they often don't even know where the road is, being swept around by the tides of the world, unknowingly ending up with a body full of illness and nothing to show for it.

Suddenly, Li Bao straightened up, and Han Ya turned his head to look, seeing a carriage emerging from the street corner. The carriage wasn't particularly large, just a two-horse, four-wheeled carriage, but the two leading horses were both large, pure white horses with manes that shimmered like snow in the moonlight; the carriage was adorned with eight orange lanterns, which rotated continuously as the carriage moved, casting different shadows and keeping the carriage in a dreamlike, mysterious, and ambiguous atmosphere.

As the carriage drew closer, they saw more details: a woodblock print was prominently displayed on the outside of the carriage. They couldn't understand it, but they knew it depicted a man and woman embracing on a bridge made of magpies. Two wind chimes hung from the front of the carriage, tinkling melodiously as it moved.

A flag hung from the top of the carriage, bearing the character 'moon', written in a graceful and frivolous style... At this moment, Han Ya and Li Bao seemed to have become cultured men, able to discern the quality of calligraphy.

Although they hadn't yet seen the inside of the carriage, the two guards were already on edge, their hearts pounding.

"Stop!" Han Ya reached out to stop the carriage. "Who goes there?"

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the West Gate. The driver was a young coachman and a pale-faced servant. The servant rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile on his face: "Gentlemen, inside is Miss Quan from the Quan family of Xijiangyue. She's on a date with Commander Li tonight to enjoy the moon and discuss poetry and literature. Would you like to report this?"

"We want to take a look."

“No problem, but… if everyone from Quan comes out and is seen by others, it won’t be good for Commander Li. Please look through the window.”

Han Ya and Li Bao walked to the carriage and, under the watchful eye of the servant, carefully lifted the curtain.

The first thing you smell is the swirling smoke of incense, but it's not at all garish; instead, it's refreshing and invigorating, seemingly the scent of lilacs. The carriage is brightly lit, with countless lanterns lit up. The walls and ceiling are covered in white silk, and the floor is a plush white carpet. The only two colorful things are the Izumi family and their maids.

Ms. Quan sat on a soft seat, draped in a wide, long-sleeved, colorful robe and wearing a black veil hat that concealed her face. What made the two guards' blood boil was that her legs, clad in stockings, were fully exposed, being massaged in the arms of a maid, as if she had no clothing at all beneath the colorful robe.

“You two,” Izumi’s voice was very magnetic, “you’ve had a good night.

"It's no trouble at all," Li Bao said hastily, his face flushed and he dared not look any further. "You can go now." Inside the carriage, there was only Quan Dajia and her maid, so there was no need for inspection.

"Why is your maid wearing something black?" Han Ya asked sharply.

“Xiao Shang is blind. Her eyes never move, which frightens customers, so I bought this to cover her eyes.” Quan Dajia reached out and ruffled the maid’s hair. The maid lowered her head in gratitude. Anyone would think they were a pair of mistress and servant with a very close relationship. After the carriage entered the military mansion, Han Ya and Li Bao were still unable to forget it for a long time. They twitched their nostrils and inhaled the fragrance left by the carriage, as if this would bring them closer to the beauty.

"What a beautiful girl...and so kind..."

"Indeed, those long legs could definitely crush me."

……

...

"You're blind, aren't you? You're blind, aren't you?"

"Shut up, little maid, just obediently massage my legs!"

Inside the carriage, Shang Xinlei was making a fuss because of Yan Qing's words. Yan Qing naturally didn't tolerate her, and the two of them were bickering in the cramped space of the carriage. Outside, Ying Rushi whispered, "Stop making noise, we're at the next sentry post!"

Then Yan Qing immediately put on a long-sleeved colorful dress and stuffed her legs into Shang Xinlei's arms to sell benefits.

That's right, this is the plan they devised in fifteen minutes. All three of them have a way to show themselves, but Yan Qing has no way to disguise himself and is unwilling to show his face. So, the role of the girl naturally falls to him, because only the girl can openly wear the black veil and hat. After all, she is Commander Li's bride tonight, and it is not something that lowly soldiers can see.
But that wasn't enough to be safe. What if someone insisted on looking? So Yan Qing had to expose her legs, creating the illusion that there was no clothing under her colorful clothes. This way, if the soldiers looked at her for too long, they would have to consider whether Commander Li would make things difficult for them, and they would naturally let her pass quickly.

Incidentally, the long-sleeved colorful dress and stockings were provided by Shang Xinlei. Actually, Yaoshi Yuan's clothes would have been more suitable in terms of figure, but her clothes were all made by tailors in Chang'an, so it's better to be safe than sorry; secondly, smaller clothes might be more effective.

As expected, they proceeded smoothly from there, even taking in the most troublesome bunker in the plan. However, Yan Qing's legs were almost red from Shang Xinlei's pinching, and when he tried to pull away, she held him tightly in her arms. Yan Qing could feel a soft, bouncy ball pressing against his calves. This bastard was taking the opportunity to get revenge; it seemed like I had done something to her legs… I think I did.

Outside the courtyard of the commander's room, two guards gestured to stop the carriage, indicating that only the young lady could come in with them, and everyone else had to wait outside.

It is here.

"Wait a moment, everyone is changing their shoes." Ying Ru said as she walked to the side of the guards, glancing at the patrol that had just passed by on the bunker. On the other side, Yao Shiyuan also silently got off the carriage and pretended to feed the horse.

"Everyone from Quan is coming out." As Shang Xinlei's voice rang out from inside, the two guards subconsciously looked at the carriage's rolled-up curtain. At the same time, Ying Rushi and Yaoshi Yuan conjured up weapons and attacked simultaneously.

Ying struck three times, and Yaoshi struck twice, breaking through their protective barrier before the guards could react. Then, the two of them struck simultaneously, almost breaking the back of their necks and causing them to fall into a coma!

They had already confirmed that the guards outside Li Long's residence were all first-rank soldiers; after all, using second-rank soldiers for night duty was far too extravagant. To Yao Shiyuan and Ying Rushi, the veiled helmets of first-rank soldiers were practically no different from walnut shells!

Fully armed Yan Qing and Shang Xinlei immediately jumped out of the carriage and helped carry the two soldiers into the shadows, where they tied them up.

This won't be a secret for long. The patrols on the bunker will soon discover that the two guards are not on duty. However, given the laxity of the Chang'an military government, this will buy at least fifteen to half an hour. After all, everyone knows that Li Long goes to see girls every night. Unless something very urgent happens, no one would choose this time to disturb the commander.

And all the thieves need is this time difference!

As they approached the commander's room, the four put on their masks. Yan Qing glanced at Yao Shiyuan, who nodded and stopped walking. Only Yan Qing, Ying Rushi, and Shang Xinlei's footsteps were clearly audible. Yan Qing went over and knocked on the door, saying in a low voice, "Commander Li, Xijiang Yuequan has come to keep our appointment."

Inside the room, 'Rising Dragon Hand' Li Long was handling official business when he heard a knock on the door. He immediately stood up and walked over quickly, saying, "Coming."

Before opening the door, Li Long suddenly felt a sense of unease—wait, usually the doorman would knock and announce his presence, why was there no doorman this time? They would never let go of such an opportunity to show themselves in front of me!
Meanwhile, the thieves, who had their ears pressed against the wall, realized something was wrong when they heard Li Long's footsteps stop at the door but he didn't open it.

The moment Li Long's retreating footsteps were heard, Yao Shiyuan kicked open the door, and Ying Rushi rushed into the room first!

However, it was too late. Li Long had already reached the huge alarm bell in the room and punched it with all his might!

The alarm bell vibrated violently, its deafening roar like thunder ripping through the night sky!

(End of this chapter)