Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 9 Miss Ye?
The so-called "Eight Wards" are, to put it bluntly, the gaps between the two city walls.

Only after passing through another city gate can one be considered to have entered the outer city.

It has been ten years. The inner city has been taxed, but the outer city still looks much the same as when Pei Xia left.

The houses are still low, and along the wide and bright avenue, the deep and narrow alleys seem to be perpetually dark.

The common people hurried past the street. Most of them were manual laborers, porters, and errand boys, and they all lived very hard lives.

It's not surprising. You know, Pei Xia, the son of the prime minister, isn't he also rushing to do work for money?
Holding Lu Li's feet, Pei Xia looked at the young man walking ahead and asked, "I haven't asked your name yet?"

"Ye Lu".

The man turned and glanced at him: "And you?"

Pei Xia smiled and said, "Chen Guanhai."

There is nothing we can do about it.

This guy named Ye Lu is willing to pay fifty taels; who knows if he's going to kill someone or commit arson.

Even if neither of those are true, it wouldn't look good if word got out that the son of a prime minister was doing private work for someone else.

Xiao Chen is a good fit. He's just a disciple of the Holy Palace, doesn't like to talk, and it's normal for him to occasionally go out and kill or set fires.

The outer city was very large, and the two of them had been walking for an hour, without Ye Lu slowing down at all.

Lu Li's soft belly pressed against Pei Xia's head, already making a steady "gurgling" sound, and she was completely weak, nestled on his head.

Pei Xia couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going? What are we going to do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Lu stopped in his tracks.

He pointed to a spot not far away: "We're here."

It was a large, four-panel gate with an old plaque hanging above it, bearing four powerful characters: Jiangchao Academy.

Pei Xia looked troubled, leaned closer to Ye Lu, and whispered, "Isn't burning down the academy a bit too immoral?"

Ye Lu looked at him in astonishment: "Who said we were going to burn down the academy?"

"Then what do you want from me?"

Ye Lu lowered his eyelids slightly, a hint of coldness in his expression: "My young lady is studying at the academy, and she has been coming back frequently with injuries lately. I suspect someone is bullying her at the academy."

Pei Xia immediately realized: "Oh, as a guard in the family, you can't openly fight with others, so you wanted to find someone to stand up for your young lady?"

Ye Lu took out a fifty-tael silver note from his belt, stuffed it into Pei Xia's hand, and instructed, "Don't cause any deaths."

Pei Xia took the silver note with a grin: "Aren't you afraid I'll take the money and run away?"

"afraid."

After Ye Lu finished speaking, he reached out and took Lu Li off Pei Xia's neck.

He carried the little girl, who was already weak from hunger, in one hand: "She'll stay with me."

Pei Xia didn't have any objections.

Fifty taels of silver is enough to buy two maids in the Eight Great Wards; there's no need to use it to trick Lu Li.

Furthermore, the Pei family's black pears aren't too afraid of this.

Pei Xia only asked, "I don't know what your young lady looks like either?"

Ye Lu brushed aside his long bangs and told him earnestly, "The one who looks the poorest in the crowd."

Such a confident description made it hard for Pei Xia not to nod in agreement.

Jiangchao Academy, among the many schools in Beishi City, is second only to the Imperial College and Honghu Academy in the inner city. Most of the students who can study here are children of minor officials, wealthy merchants, or scholars of some status. They are not necessarily prominent, but at least they are from respectable families.

Considering that hitting someone in public would definitely have a bad impact, and in order not to cause trouble for Xiao Chen, Pei Xia tore off a corner of her clothes and covered her face as soon as she entered the academy.

Then he quietly squatted down at the school gate.

Before long, a crowd of people appeared at the school, and many young students dressed in Confucian robes emerged. Pei Xia, hiding in a corner, darted around with her eyes darting about, and soon spotted a simply dressed girl.

From a distance, Pei Xia couldn't see her face clearly, only that there were several patches on her loose scholar's robe. Although she had tried to use pieces of fabric of the same color, they were still quite noticeable.

After looking around, this girl stood out as the most shabby; I'm sure I'm not mistaken.

However... no one has bothered her as she walked out of the school.

Damn it, I didn't explain things clearly to that kid Ye Lu earlier. What will happen if we come back empty-handed?

Just as Pei Xia was muttering to herself, a short man suddenly darted over to the girl's side.

Pei Xia saw him lean against the girl, whispering something to her. Then the girl's expression changed, and she turned and followed the short man into the grove of trees next to the academy.

Hmm...hmm? A grove of trees?!
Startled, Pei Xia quickly covered her face and, under the watchful eyes of dozens of students, passed through the academy gate and then crept into the grove.

Before even seeing anyone, you could hear muffled sounds of fists and kicks, and someone's pitiful sobs.

Pei Xia sighed, jumped out from the corner, and shouted, "Stop!"

Pei Xia was stunned when the three students who were beating someone turned around.

On the left is the short man who delivered the message, on the right is a tall, thin young man, and in the very center is the girl in the patched scholar's robe.

The girl looked to be two or three years younger than Pei Xia. She had long, soft hair, delicate eyebrows, clear eyes, and a pert nose with glossy pink lips. Her beautiful features made Pei Xia stare in surprise.

But soon, he came to his senses.

Yes, it's Xiumei, and she's frowning right now.

His eyes were also clear, yet a fierce glint swirled within them.

Her small, cute nose was emitting heavy breaths, while her two delicate lips were stretched into a ferocious grin.

She grabbed the man on the ground by the collar, and as if in a show of defiance, punched him again in front of Pei Xia before standing up and clapping her hands.

"What, you even brought in help?"

The girl's voice was clear and melodious, like water splashing in a clear pond: "You dare to give me a punch?"

Looking at the small gash on her hand from the beating, Pei Xia gradually began to understand where the "injury" Ye Lu mentioned came from.

He tilted his head and looked at the guy behind the girl who was curled up in a ball after being beaten up: "Why did you hit him?"

Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask.

The girl tidied her long, flowing hair and tilted her head slightly to look at him: "Or are you here to find something on me? You're not one of Yang Xu's men, are you?"

Who is Yang Xu?

Before Pei Xia could speak, the girl sneered to herself, "Why doesn't he just kill me? There's no one around here anyway. He could just tie me up in a sack, throw me into some alley in the outer city, and then wipe me off with a knife. That would be the end of it. Why bother with all this scheming here?"

“I…” Pei Xia tried to explain.

As soon as she spoke, a sudden sense of oppression made Pei Xia frown.

Suddenly, the branches parted in the woods, and a dark figure darted out with lightning speed.

Right in front of Pei Xia, he knocked the girl unconscious, then took out a sack and started stuffing her inside.

While pretending, she looked up at Pei Xia, who was also masked, and said sternly, "Aren't you going to help?!"

Pei Xia pointed to herself.

“It’s you,” the man said impatiently, “weren’t you sent by Yang Xu to help?”

"I……"

Pei Xia hesitated for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Yes, it is."

(End of this chapter)