Chapter 57: Reinforcements

The search perimeter of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was gradually expanding. The three of them had to maintain a brisk pace while remaining constantly on guard against the impending searches, keeping their nerves stretched to the absolute limit. Furthermore, both men had been subjected to torture, making their movement sluggish. Seeing the squads of searchers multiplying within the official residence and hearing shouts dangerously close by, Gu Yu felt a surge of anxious helplessness.

Spotting a cluster of buildings up ahead, behind which loomed a towering perimeter wall free of patrolling Embroidered Uniform Guards for the moment, Gu Yu pointed toward the wall. "Circumvent around to the back..."

Before his voice even trailed off, a man emerged from one of the houses, spotting the three figures hurrying past. "Who goes there?!"

Terrified out of their wits, and watching the man draw closer, Gu Yu managed to squeeze out a strained smile. "Brother, it's us. Friends."

A suspicious look crossed the man's face as he eyed the three of them. "If you're friends, why are you slinking around like ghosts, and not even carrying a torch?" His right hand rested on his waist, clearly keeping his guard up.

Hardening his resolve, Gu Yu said, "We have an urgent matter that brooks no delay. And you aren't carrying one either, are you?" Just as he spoke, a burst of footsteps echoed from the distance, followed immediately by shouts: "This section hasn't been searched yet! Zhang Liang, take your men inside!"

Hearing the commotion, the man furrowed his brow. "What is the meaning of this? There's been an incessant racket ever since a moment ago..."

Tang Haiqiu, standing silently behind Gu Yu, had been watching the man intently. Seeing his attention diverted, Tang Haiqiu suddenly lunged from Gu Yu's side, his right hand sweeping across Gu Yu's waist to snatch the hilt of the blade tucked there. Gu Yu felt a sudden gust of wind brush past him as Tang Haiqiu swiftly hurled himself at the man, startling Gu Yu into shouting a warning: "Don't hurt him!"

At the sound of movement, the man whipped his head around, only to be met with a flash of dark shadow. Tang Haiqiu drove a blade straight into his chest, eliciting a sharp scream as the man stumbled backward. Tang Haiqiu pressed the attack, slashing out with his sword!

"Stop!" Gu Yu cried out in horror, but Tang Haiqiu had already sliced across the man's throat!

Startled, Li Fu let out a yelp, instinctively throwing his hands up over his eyes. Panting heavily, Tang Haiqiu thrust the steel saber back at Gu Yu, who numbly took it back while staring at the corpse on the ground. Tang Haiqiu then unbuckled the dead man's scabbarded saber, strapped it to his own waist, turned around, and glared at Gu Yu. "Are we leaving now, or are you waiting to have your throat slit?"

***

The shouting in the distance drew ever closer. "Where's that commotion? Zhang Liang, have you found anyone?" This was followed by a fresh cascade of footsteps.

Gritting his teeth, Gu Yu stared fixedly at Tang Haiqiu before suddenly grabbing Li Fu by the arm. "Follow me!" With a cold, sneering laugh, Tang Haiqiu trailed behind the two of them as they skirted around the back of the buildings toward the perimeter wall.

Zhang Liang, a junior officer under Zhou Qingbo, had led a squad of a dozen men guided by the sounds straight to the scene. They found a corpse sprawled on the ground, its chest soaked in blood, already completely lifeless. In an instant, his eyes ignited with fury. "Not only did they break into the Imperial Prison, but they've murdered one of our Northern Bureau brothers! Splendid, simply splendid!" Drawing a whistle from his tunic, he blew a sharp note into the gathered air. Like a sudden crackle of thunder in the pitch-black sky, the sound reverberated across the heavens!

Taking the lead, he rushed off in pursuit. Not far away, Zhou Qingbo halted and looked toward the source of the whistle. "Zhang Liang has found them! After them!"

The three of them had not run far when the sound of footsteps erupted behind them. Looking back repeatedly, Li Fu stammered in panic, "We're done for, we're done for, we've been spotted! Will one of you put me out of my misery? That Imperial Prison makes life worse than death; I refuse to go through that again."

"Shut your trap," Gu Yu snapped furiously, keeping his eyes locked on the top of the perimeter wall. After running another dozen paces or so, he spotted a crooked pine tree leaning over the ramparts. The wall was rarely cleaned, leaving weeds and wildflowers sprouting from its crevices. This crooked pine was merely a few feet tall, growing precariously from the top of the wall. Gu Yu pursed his lips and let out a crisp whistle.

Outside the wall, Wu Haichao was crouching down in the alleyway. Hearing the signal from within, he pulled a flying tiger claw from his tunic.

This item was a specialized breaching tool issued by the authorities to law enforcement agencies. Its tip was forged from pure steel into a sharp, durable tiger-claw grapple capable of catching onto tiny crevices, while its rear was attached to a long, thick hemp rope, primarily used for scaling high cliffs or breaching walled compounds. Such equipment was far from common, but after Gu Yu subjected him to a mixture of intimidation and enticement earlier that day, Wu Haichao had felt compelled to requisition the apparatus from the Shuntian Prefecture yamen, along with an additional single-shot crossbow.

Quickly mounting the flying tiger claw onto the crossbow mechanism and squinting one eye to take aim, he squeezed the trigger. With a soft thud, the claw was propelled upward, clearing the wall with the long hemp rope trailing behind it.

On the other side, an anxious Gu Yu looked up just in time to see an object fly over the wall, swing back down in an arc, and slam heavily against the brickwork. Gu Yu rushed over, picked up the flying tiger claw, and gave the hemp rope a fierce tug. Wu Haichao, feeling the tension from beyond the wall, muttered a curse under his breath as he wrapped the other end of the rope around his waist and gave it a hard yank in return.

A wave of joy washed over Gu Yu. He hooked the tiger claw around his own waist and turned to Tang Haiqiu and Li Fu. "Climb up, now!"

***

The two of them had been standing there in a daze, snapping back to reality only at his words. Tang Haiqiu lunged forward in a single bound, reaching out with both hands to grab the rope as he said excitedly, "You actually pulled it off."

"Li Fu, you first!" Gu Yu took a step back. Tang Haiqiu’s smile froze, and he awkwardly withdrew his hands.

With a mournful expression, Li Fu whimpered, "I don't know how."

"You'd better learn right now," Gu Yu said bluntly. "It's a matter of life and death. If you don't know how, you'll be going back to the Imperial Prison for torture." These words provided Li Fu with immense motivation. He grabbed the rope with both hands, braced his legs against the wall, and alternated pulling with his arms, slowly hoisting his body upward.

Outside the wall, Wu Haichao distinctly felt the burden. Dragged forward a step by Li Fu's weight, he hastily leaned his upper body backward to arrest his momentum.

Li Fu’s body swayed mid-air, but once he managed to steady himself, a smug grin crept across his face. Gritting his teeth in fury, Tang Haiqiu barked, "Useless coward, keep climbing!" Without another word, Li Fu held his breath and scrambled upward. By the time he neared the top of the wall, he was panting heavily. Intending to pause for a breath, he glanced downward and his expression shifted drastically. "Oh no, they're right behind us!"

Before his words faded, an Embroidered Uniform Guard suddenly burst into view, brandishing a naked blade as he charged straight at Gu Yu!

Realizing the danger, Tang Haiqiu made a split-second decision, leaping into the air and grabbing hold of the rope.

"Get down!" Gu Yu shouted in alarm, his face draining of color.

The combined weight of the two men instantly transferred to the other side of the wall. In a flash, Wu Haichao felt his waist tighten as he was violently yanked forward onto the ground as if caught in a gale-force wind. Quick-witted in emergencies, he immediately rolled in the direction of the drag, wrapping as much of the hemp rope around his body as possible. After being dragged several feet, he slammed into the perimeter wall with a loud thud, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Without a moment's hesitation, he twisted his body onto his back, pressing his spine flat against the ground while his hands locked onto the rope with all his might and his feet braced high against the wall. The hemp rope hummed, stretched taut as a bowstring!