Chapter 84: 84, Midnight gunshot

"Liu Yuan, you mustn't go out alone these days," Xiao Yu Jie said in the dim room: "If something happens to you, how will I explain it to your brother?"

"Don't worry, I won't," Yan Liu Yuan replied, trusting her more and more lately, for Li Xiao Yu had never abandoned him even in days when she could have left him to fend for himself.

Just days ago, burning with fever, Xiao Yu Jie could have taken the money and fled, yet she did not.

In his sleep, a refreshing towel always wiped his face and underarms to cool him, and he could even hear a gentle song, like the lullabies of his childhood in his mother's arms, as warm as the ocean.

Yan Liu Yuan had never known such tenderness; even Ren Xiao Su had given him much warmth, but that youth always offered a retreating back to chase, never an embrace.

"Mhm," Xiao Yu Jie relaxed upon hearing his agreement, then suddenly added, "Since you're well, you must attend class tomorrow to catch up on the lessons you've missed."

Yan Liu Yuan paled in shock: "You don't have to do this, Sister Yu—my brother isn't even home!"

"That won't do," Xiao Yu Jie said: "If Ren Xiao Su returns to find your studies neglected, it will be my responsibility. He entrusted me with this before he left."

"What? He never mentioned such a thing!" Yan Liu Yuan wailed: "I never heard him speak of it!"

Xiao Yu Jie chuckled on the floor: "Regardless, you will obey."

Yan Liu Yuan gazed at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, yet a faint smile tugged at his lips. At that moment, he heard footsteps in the courtyard—not one person, but several!

Xiao Yu Jie heard the commotion too, but instead of her usual timid self, she drew a bone knife from beneath her pillow, gritting her teeth: "Stay still and don't move!"

In the gloom, Yan Liu Yuan could see her trembling slightly. They both knew that anyone climbing the courtyard wall at this hour meant ill intent, and with Ren Xiao Su absent, Xiao Yu Jie felt compelled to shield Yan Liu Yuan.

The next instant, three burly men kicked open their door. Two lunged to pin Xiao Yu Jie to the ground, while the third brandished a bone knife and charged toward Yan Liu Yuan on the bed.

Though Xiao Yu Jie wielded the knife, the disparity in strength between a woman and grown men was insurmountable!

One thug groaned as if pierced by the blade, but another kicked the knife from her grasp!

Under the moonlight, Yan Liu Yuan glimpsed their faces—idle ruffians from the market town. Never had he imagined they would target the academy!

Perhaps they had heard of Ren Xiao Su's recent earnings from his clinic and, with him absent, sought to prey on the vulnerable.

Xiao Yu Jie had been frugal, haggling over vegetables and even gathering wild herbs to feign poverty. Yet Yan Liu Yuan's illness demanded nourishment, and she ultimately purchased meat, drawing unwanted attention.

This was the terror of a household without men—Yan Liu Yuan, though male, was too young to command respect.

Now, with rumored wealth and the academy offering no barrier, the thugs pressed their assault.

At the same time, Yan Liu Yuan heard the door to the neighboring room kicked open—someone was attacking Zhang Jinglin too! These men were brazen, daring to strike even the academy's master, silencing witnesses to their crimes.

Then, a gunshot echoed in the night. The thug rushing toward Yan Liu Yuan stared in disbelief at the black muzzle before him, then down at his own spurting wound. How had Yan Liu Yuan come to hold a gun?

Had they known, they would never have dared—guns were forbidden in the market town, and those who crafted crude ones had been confiscated by the authorities.

All in the room stared at Yan Liu Yuan in shock, even Xiao Yu Jie unprepared for this turn.

In a heartbeat, six gunshots rang out. After slaying one, Yan Liu Yuan showed no fear, firing again to kill the two men atop Xiao Yu Jie.

Each shot seemed to drag him deeper into darkness—for survival in this world demanded bloodshed.

He leapt from bed toward the door. The two thugs who had stormed Zhang Jinglin's room fled at the sound of gunfire, but it was too late!

Two more shots rang out—Yan Liu Yuan had slain five men within a minute! The gunfire reverberated through the air like anguished cries and roars of fury.

Zhang Jinglin emerged from the neighboring room, staring at Yan Liu Yuan as if seeing him anew.

He knew Ren Xiao Su was ruthless, and that Yan Liu Yuan, raised in his shadow, commanded respect even among older students.

Yet what thirteen-year-old could wield a gun and kill?

There he stood, breathing heavily in the blood-soaked doorway, calm yet for the slight tremor in his hands—revealing his fear.

Xiao Yu Jie stepped out, embracing him: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

Though Yan Liu Yuan had saved them all, in her arms he found unexpected solace, the chill on his skin melting into warmth.

The gunfire boomed clear and sharp, rousing the entire market town. All emerged to gaze toward the academy, unsure of the chaos.

The authorities had already returned to their stronghold—why gunfire? In the minds of refugees, firearms were the domain of powerful figures, not common folk.

Zhang Jinglin sighed at the sight of Yan Liu Yuan's gun: "This was left by Ren Xiao Su? You went to retrieve it this afternoon?"

"Yes," Yan Liu Yuan replied: "Xiao Yu Jie and I will leave the town at once. We won't burden you."

When Ren Xiao Su departed, he had indeed gone to the hiding place, but instead of taking the gun, he marked the spot and left it for Yan Liu Yuan.

He had whispered instructions before leaving: once he was gone, retrieve the gun, use it against insurmountable danger, then flee to the wilderness, where a hidden cave awaited.

When his affairs were settled, he would find him.