Hot flashes

After a long while, his wife spoke.

"What... what should we do?"

The old man frowned and thought for a while.

"Report this to the authorities," he said. "The government is offering a reward of one hundred taels of silver."

My wife's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.

"But...but this sleeping potion..."

The old man said, "Then let's just say we discovered he was a fugitive and arrested him. We won't mention the medicine again, will we?"

My wife thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"Shall we go now?"

The old man looked at the sky outside.

"It's almost dawn, we'll go when it's light. You stay here and keep watch, I'll go call the eldest and second eldest brothers over."

His wife responded.

The old man turned and left.

The woodshed fell silent. The old woman sat by the door, clutching the bundle, her eyes fixed on the two bound men.

Zhou Heng's eyelashes fluttered.

He slowly opened his eyes.

His head was still spinning, and his temples were throbbing as if someone was hitting him with a hammer. He moved his wrist and found that it was being strangled by a rope, which was painfully tight.

Memories slowly surfaced.

That bowl of porridge. That caramelized aroma. And then...and then I remember nothing more.

He suddenly raised his head and looked to the side.

Xiao Jue was tied to another pillar, his head bowed, still unconscious. Moonlight streamed in through the broken window of the woodshed, falling on his pale face.

Zhou Heng struggled for a moment, but the rope tightened even more.

Footsteps came from the doorway.

There are two people.

Zhou Heng quickly closed his eyes and lowered his head.

The door was pushed open, and two young men walked in. One was taller, and the other shorter; both looked somewhat like the old man. They walked to the doorway and spoke a few words to the old man's wife, their voices so low that the content was inaudible.

After a while, the taller one took a few steps into the woodshed and stopped in front of Zhou Heng.

He squatted down, reached out and pinched Zhou Heng's chin, lifting his face up.

Zhou Heng closed his eyes and remained motionless.

"Mother," the tall man's voice rang out, "this one is really handsome."

My wife came over and took a look.

"She is good-looking."

The tall man released his grip, stood up, and walked back to the door.

"That wanted criminal is worth a hundred taels," he said. "And this one?"

The shorter man chuckled.

"Selling them to Nanfeng Pavilion can also make a profit."

My wife was stunned for a moment.

"Nanfeng Pavilion?"

"Yes," the shorter man said, "those places in the city prefer girls with delicate skin and tender flesh. If they're pretty and look young, they can fetch a good price."

The old man looked at Zhou Heng, then at the two other people.

"We'll have to wait for the officials to arrive. Let's deal with the fugitive first, and then we'll talk about this later."

The tall man nodded.

The three of them left, and the door closed again.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Zhou Heng opened his eyes.

He looked down at the ropes binding him, then at Xiao Jue, who was still unconscious beside him.

Nanfeng Pavilion.

He remembered the meaning of that word, and his stomach churned.

He took a deep breath and began to struggle. The rope dug into his flesh, causing sharp pain, but he didn't care. He twisted his wrists, trying to loosen the rope.

"Don't move."

Zhou Heng paused for a moment and looked at Xiao Jue.

Xiao Jue's head was still lowered, but his eyes were already open. Those eyes shone brightly in the darkness, like two quenched knives.

Zhou Heng lowered his voice: "You're awake?"

Xiao Jue did not answer. His gaze fell on Zhou Heng, looking him up and down.

"Did they touch you?"

Zhou Heng paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"No. I just pinched my chin."

Xiao Jue's eyes darkened for a moment.

He didn't say anything more and began to untie the ropes binding his hands. His movements were much more efficient than Zhou Heng's; he loosened the ropes in a few moments and pulled his wrists out of the loops.

Then he stood up, walked to Zhou Heng's side, squatted down, and untied the rope for him.

Zhou Heng lowered his voice: "There are people guarding outside."

Xiao Jue grunted in response, but didn't stop what he was doing.

The rope was untied. Zhou Heng moved his wrists, which had gone numb from being tied, and stood up.

Xiao Jue walked to the door and listened for a while.

Voices could be heard coming from outside.

"...We'll go when it's light. You two keep an eye on them. Don't let them escape."

"Don't worry, Father, he won't run away."

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Xiao Jue returned to Zhou Heng's side and lowered his voice.

"Walk."

Zhou Heng nodded.

The two tiptoed to the door. Xiao Jue reached out and gently pushed the door. The door was bolted from the outside and wouldn't budge.

Xiao Jue's gaze swept around the woodshed.

window.

A few rotten wooden sticks were stuck in the broken window. He walked over, grabbed one of them, and pulled hard. The stick came out with a snap.

Zhou Heng climbed out of that window. Xiao Jue followed closely behind.

The two landed behind the house. The moonlight illuminated the yard brightly, with little obstruction.

"Let's go," Xiao Jue said in a low voice.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud shout came from behind him.

"stop!"

It was the tall man's voice.

The two of them took off running.

Hurried footsteps sounded behind him. The two brothers came running out, knives in their hands.

Xiao Jue pulled Zhou Heng and ran out of the village. Zhou Heng staggered, his legs still weak. The effects of the medicine hadn't fully worn off, and every step felt like walking on cotton.

The footsteps behind me grew closer.

"Stop right there! If you don't stop, I'll kill you!"

Zhou Heng's heart tightened when he heard the voice. He gritted his teeth and ran as fast as he could.

A dark figure rushed in from the side.

He's tall.