An Oriental Odyssey

    The young man and his companions left the messed up trafficker's stall, walked along the winding streets of the ghost market, looked up and saw a small shop, which was dark, its entrance was covered by a curtain with a blood-red thread embroidered on it. The two stopped. The young man's companion brought out a black metal snake-shaped ornament from his sleeve, the shape looked exactly the same as the embroidered snake on the curtain.

    He smiled: "It's almost the same."

    The young man turned his head to look at his companion's face, his mind wandering. Other people don't look good if they don't smile, but this person was still a bit good-looking even when not when smiling. It must be because he has long eyebrows, straight and thin, and the tight corners of his mouth seem to have been drawn by fine brushwork.

    This man's eyes were still studying the small snake-shaped ornament in his hand when he asked: "Ye Yuan'an, what are you looking at?"

    Yuan'an asked: "Zhao Lanzhi, can we be regarded as partners?"

    He sneered, his eyes were still not on Ye Yuan'an, but this time he really smiled: "In your dreams."

    Let's rewind to two days ago, late at night in Luoyang's county prison.  

    Zhao Lanzhi, the head constable, was interrogating a salt smuggler who had just been arrested. 

    Zhao Lanzhi was in his twenties. He originally served in the military at the border but was then transferred to Luoyang county's police bureau office and has been working here for less than a year. This person's appearance looks exceptionally young and tender, there was no trace of the seasoned and fierce looks of the other officers of the police bureau. If you did not pay close attention to the broad shoulders forged from his year-round martial arts training or his taut face that was tightly squashed like a tiger's, he would clearly be a well-favoured handsome government officer.

    The salt dealer looked down on this person and was very arrogant, he laughed: "Even if you've caught me, I have nothing important to say ah! It's just selling salt, what's the issue? It's just making money, what's the issue there? Grandpa, what I spend in a day is more than you earn in the whole year! What's there to say? I'm afraid if I talk it'll scare you to death! Hahahahahaha!

    Subordinate Xiao Hu said: "My lord, let's just use torture, hm?"

    Zhao Lanzhi added charcoal to the stove while quietly saying: "This man dared to buy and sell salt privately, this person is not afraid of losing his head. Look at the scars on his body, he has suffered a lot before and has seen the world. Even if he committed a crime, he can still be considered a man, even if he is afraid of torture, he will not show it. You see, this prison is getting hotter and hotter. We don't need to treat prisoners badly, let alone if he hasn't been convicted yet, just him some water."

    Xiao Hu didn't understand his superior's intention, but he got water and was about to give it to the salt dealer. But then Zhao Lanzhi stopped him and grabbed two large handfuls of salt from the evidence on the side and put it in the water. Then he squeezed the salt dealer's nose to force his mouth open and poured the water into his mouth and slowly said: "Taste the good thing you sell yourself. How many people can't eat it, yet you make money on this! Come on, enjoy it!"

    The salt dealer shook his head and struggled, but he couldn't avoid it. Originally, the cell had a charcoal basin burning, now that he had gulped down a large amount of saltwater. He was suddenly very thirsty, it was unbearable. His whole body seemed to be burning to death from the inside out. Watching his captors leisurely drinking water, he couldn't stand it anymore: "Let me some."

    Zhao Lanzhi hovered a large glass of water in front of his mouth: "Come on, where did your ship of private salt come from and where did it go? I'll immediately give you water to drink"

    This scene of Zhao Lanzhi interrogating the salt dealer was thus witnessed by Ye Yuan'an.

    Where was she at the time?    

    On the beam above the prison cell, where the fire's light did not reach, she was dressed in dark clothes and was hiding in the darkness.

      There are really various methods. Yuan'an shook her head, thinking to herself. No matter what happens, one must not fall into the hands of this person. She would rather die than suffer from this torture. She then turned his head and crawled lightly along the beam to the area above another cell block. It was the death row cell with two female prisoners who were about to lose their heads.

    One woman committed adultery with someone and killed her husband. She was caught and sentenced to be beheaded. She was to be executed the next day. The woman swallowed a few bites of her food, and then looked at the other person, licked her mouth and asked, "Hey, do you want to eat this?"

    The other death row prisoner was a young girl in her teens named Xiao Yu, she was crying hoarsely: "I don't want to eat this! I didn't kill anyone! I didn't kill my master! I don't want to die!"

    The woman didn't care about the grievance of the other person. She only heard the other party say they were not eating, so she picked up the food and continued to eat, she swallowed a big mouthful, choked, raised her head and suddenly her soul was frightened. Just then a silver-white hand skeleton hand grabbed the young girl's shoulder and was quietly lifting her up. Xiao Yu seemed to be petrified too, holding her breath and gathering her voice, not daring to make a noise.

    The woman cried: "Ah, it's haunted! Haunted!"

    The salt dealer was about to confess, suddenly there was such a commotion from the death row, Zhao Lanzhi and others immediately rushed over just in time to see Xiao Yu, a death row prisoner being dragged up by a silver-white skeleton hand, she was already two-feet off the ground. Xiao Hu was shocked: "I heard people say that the death row area is not clean, and today I am really seeing that it's haunted?!"

    "Nonsense!" Zhao Lanzhi shouted in a calm voice. He opened the cell door and flew up using the wall, but then he saw the skeleton hand was moving faster. In the blink of an eye, the criminal Xiao Yu was already firmly captured by the dark shadow on the beam. The silver-white skeleton in his hand was actually a delicate spry rope!

    Zhao Lanzhi shouted: Who is it?! Who dared to rob the prison?!"

    It was Yuan'an who robbed the prison. The person had already arrived, and she was proud in her heart. Who would talk nonsense? There was a small ventilation window on the roof of the prison, Yuan'an came in through there. The moment she grabbed Xiao Yu, she used her qinggong skills and quickly jumped out. Zhao Lanzhi followed closely behind.

    Under the moonlight, in the night, Yuan'an held Xiao Yu in front of her and jumped from one beam to another. The wind was at Zhao Lanzhi's feet. After a few jumps, he had almost closed the distance. Yuan'an was gasping for breath, and her throat was on fire. She thought to herself that this old man in the police bureau really had some martial skill. But if she wasn't carrying someone in her arms, how would he have gotten the opportunity to catch up? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he drew his sword and slashed at her. Yuan'an's hair stood up and she misstepped and slipped, she rolled and stood up again, still holding Xiao Yu in her arms, she stood face to face with her opponent. 

    Zhao Lanzhi also stopped and lowered his sword: "How bold, you dared to break into the prison to steal a prisoner? Who are you? Take off the mask and speak."

    Yuan'an didn't speak, she just nodded to show compliance and obedience, she held out her small hand and went to remove the mask, but then she suddenly opened her sleeves and disappeared before Zhao Lanzhi's eyes in one swift movement!

    Zhao Lanzhi was shocked. The two people he had just clearly watching jumping about like grasshoppers, how did they just disappear? Could this place really be haunted? But ghosts have no weight. Just now, the feet of the man misstepping on the beam made a loud noise. This three-legged cat's achievement can be considered the work of a master, but why were they suddenly gone? Zhao Lanzhi lowered his head and turned around in place several times, unable to figure it out. He swung the sword in his hand a few times as well, but he did not touch anything. 

    If she had been staying still like this, Yuan'an might not have been able to avoid Zhao Lanzhi.

    Her dark clothes were originally made by an expert. Under her armpits was a cloak big enough for two people. There was a special coating on the outside that reflected light. It was not a problem during the day, but when used at night, it actually worked like a cloak of invisibility. Yuan'an wrapped herself and Xiao Yu in this invisible suit, but in fact, she was right beside Zhao Lanzhi, quieting her breath and moving along with him, hiding well.

It was just that Yuan'an was a person with an innate personality flaw, she loves to laugh at people the most. She was hiding in her invisible cloak, but when she saw the constable frowning in bewilderment, she already thought it was amusing. Seeing him swinging his knife in the air and cutting around, she couldn't help wanting to laugh even more. Zhao Lanzhi stood there with his sword, scratching his chin and pondering, then he angrily said: "Evil ways."

Yuan'an finally couldn't help it and she laughed out loud in the end.