Chapter 825: Chapter 825: Stinging Caterpillar and Seven-Step Snake
After Guo Shun left the city guard, he waited at the north gate, pondering the next course of action. With the goods already in trouble, the smuggling matter must be dealt with promptly. If he waited to see Guo Neng before acting, it might be too late. However, such a significant matter was not within his decision-making powers, which is why he had to write that letter to Guo Neng to dispel people’s suspicions.
The Guo family’s business was vast, and the regions of Jinling, Yangzhou, and Suzhou were their most valued areas. To facilitate cargo transport and conduct secret activities, the Guo family had shops in all major ports and towns in this region. The impounded goods had connections with some shops, and to prevent people from tracing these connections, he had to prioritize urgent measures, setting aside other considerations.
After waiting at the north gate for a while, just as Guo Shun was about to give up, he finally spotted the little Beggar. He hadn’t expected the little Beggar to be so perceptive. As soon as he saw her, the little Beggar noticed him as well.
What surprised him even more was that a commotion suddenly broke out at the city gate. The little Beggar slipped into the crowd like a loach and vanished. By the time he reached the gate, the traffic of carts and horses had resumed, and the person was nowhere to be found.
He cursed a few times, but fortunately, he had previously instructed others to search the city. If his guess was correct, the little Beggar intended to head north, though he wasn’t sure where.
On this trip, he planned to travel north along the Guxi River, then make his way to the Jinling and Yangzhou areas, stopping at various places along the way. Perhaps, by some means, they would cross paths with the little Beggar, and it wouldn’t be too late to act then. He had already given out these instructions in advance.
Then he rode his horse with a group to the ferry at Guxi River Town to handle the aftermath of another shop. Upon arrival at the ferry, he received news that the mysterious individual might be going to Xuanzhou.
This discovery delayed him quite a bit in Guxi River Town. In the end, the delay was futile. The Prefect of Xuanzhou, incompetent as always, made a grand spectacle along the way. Meanwhile, Minister Xie might have gone incognito and disappeared without a trace. Nevertheless, with the government’s movement attracting attention, perhaps it could provide some cover.
Guo Shun continued heading north, subconsciously searching for signs of the remnant; however, he found nothing. Along the way, he spotted a broken carriage.
As he passed by, he took a special look; the carriage was so gaudy it made an impression on him. He had seen it at Xuanzhou Prefecture City gate; the man and woman with it looked to be low-class people, whom he regarded with disdain.
If things progressed smoothly next, he planned to travel by boat at the confluence of Guxi River and Yangtze River, to continue towards Jinling and Yangzhou. The ferry port would be at Dangtu Town.
For the past few days, Second Master Liu had been feeling uneasy, not just uneasy but quite vexed.
With Cui Sanniang closely watching over Xiao Hehe, he could only glance a few times to satisfy his craving. But Xiao Hua Mei was different. That little one, so pitiful, every time he saw her, he wanted to caress and console her tenderly.
Every night was his most pleasurable time, pulling the little one into the carriage, the bushes, behind trees, into the guest room, enjoying her to the fullest, utterly entranced.
Yet, these days, every time he tried to go near, something would happen.
Once, when they were resting, he found it unbearable, unable to hold back his urge to indulge with Xiao Hua Mei in the carriage.
Just as he brought Xiao Hua Mei to the carriage, attempting to forcibly lift her into it, the previously docile horse inexplicably panicked. Its hooves kicked back, almost hitting him.
If he hadn’t dodged quickly, he might’ve been seriously injured. Not only that, but the horse startled and took off. He ran and shouted himself tired to finally calm the horse, losing all interest in the process.
On another occasion, as he was bringing Xiao Hua Mei behind the bushes, before he could make his move, he suddenly felt his inner thigh itch and sting. Though it was usually itchy, it wasn’t like this—a burning itch accompanied by a crawling sensation like... like...
He reached to touch it—damn it, there was a bug!
Through the pants, he felt something squirming and prickly, alarming him greatly. He hurriedly removed his pants to shake it off.
To his surprise, a green, venomous stinging caterpillar fell to the ground, its origin a mystery, possibly picked up from the grass.
He stomped it to death, then noticed his leg had a red swollen mark. Previously, his mind was only on Xiao Hua Mei, ignoring it, letting the caterpillar climb along his pant leg. It wasn’t until it reached that sensitive spot he felt it.
The caterpillar’s path left a hot, itchy, and swollen trace, his hand tingling from the touch. Fortunately, the pants provided some barrier, otherwise, his hand would’ve swelled up.
By then, he no longer had any desire to relish with Xiao Hua Mei, hurriedly seeking water to wash up. After much effort and applying soothing balm, he found slight relief, yet it hadn’t fully healed.
If he hadn’t discovered it early enough, his manhood might’ve been stung, and that would’ve been the end of it.
Ultimately, that incident wasn’t severe, endured with patience, it passed.
But this recent time was serious, nearly costing him his life!
Taking Xiao Hua Mei back to the guest room, ready for pleasure, he, feeling itch from abstinence, set the room dimming the lantern for the right ambiance.
But as soon as his pants were off, something felt off, as if there was a slight noise in the room.
In their line of work, vigilance is key. He immediately suspected a thief, cursing them for their misfortune to cross him.
Second Master Liu quickly dressed, fetched his weapon, searching the room but finding no intruders, bewildering him. He turned up the lantern, suddenly spotting a small three to four-inch snake crawling in the room, appearing freshly hatched.
Relieved, he realized it was a highly venomous viper, one bite could kill within the hour, not even divine intervention could save, yet even a small one packed a punch, lethal for most.
He promptly killed it, thinking it over, was about to continue when something felt amiss, searching thoroughly, he found a young viper under the bed. Had it crawled onto the bed and bitten him, the consequences would be dire.
Sweating coldly, he lost the will for carnal pursuits, searched the entire room, uncovering several more, not daring to sleep the whole night, fearing he’d missed one.
This guest room might’ve been harboring a snake nest, these young ones recently hatched, his ill luck to encounter them. However, given their secretive trade, causing a midnight scene wasn’t ideal, so he refrained from confronting the innkeeper.
Before leaving, he left the innkeeper a parting token, ensuring their displeasure.
These last few days were a streak of misfortune, nothing went smooth.
Only seeing Xiao Hehe’s face lifted Second Master Liu’s spirits a little.
Cracking the whip to hurry the horse, he spoke to the child beside him, "Xiao Hehe, have you ever taken a boat? Once we board at Dangtu Town, the journey will swift onward."