Chapter Seventy-Five: Rescue Beneath the Eagle

“If you’re here to ransom someone from the Guo clan, you’d better leave,” the old man said calmly, his gaze fixed on the churning waves below the cliff, as if admiring their tumult.

“Why is that?” Meng Di asked in surprise. “Is ransom forbidden because you bear a grudge against the Guo clan?”

“A blood feud!” The old man suddenly turned, his beard and brows white as snow, fury bristling from every strand.

“Uncle Wang!” Su’er gasped, covering her mouth.

So this was the missing old servant. Meng Di’s mind raced; he drew his sword across his body, barring Su’er’s way. When Tian Rangju died, this man had mysteriously vanished, raising suspicion.

The old man abruptly bowed deeply and began, “Miss, for the sake of my master, I will not trouble you. But from today on, the bond between servant and mistress is severed. Take care of yourself.”

Su’er had been lost in thoughts of her departed father, her mind clouded. Now, hearing such heartless words from the old servant who had cared for her since childhood, she was shaken to the core and nearly collapsed, only to be caught by Meng Di.

“Was it you in the forest earlier?” Meng Di stared at the old man, his eyes bright.

“Yes, it was me,” the old man replied, a trace of reluctance flickering in his eyes.

“Are you involved in my father-in-law’s death?”

“Father-in-law? So you’ve married into the Guo clan.” The old man sighed in sorrow. “A daughter must eventually leave her home. If my master knew this in the afterlife, how would his heart break?”

He drew a deep breath and shouted, “The deeds of the Guo clan—how can you ask as if you don’t know?”

Meng Di sensed something was amiss. The old man’s bearing was noble; he was not the sort to betray his master. He kept mentioning the Guo clan—could there be some misunderstanding?

Su’er, regaining some composure, hastened to explain, “Uncle Wang, my husband is not a member of the Guo clan. His name is Meng Di, a minister of the state of Lu.”

“Is that true?” Now it was the old man’s turn to be surprised.

Su’er briefly recounted the past. Tears welled in the old man’s eyes as he knelt to the ground, choking, “I have wronged you, Miss!”

Su’er hurried to help him up, joy brightening her heart; Meng Di smiled from the side.

“Miss, you’ve brought your husband to pay respects. If my master knew in the afterlife, he would surely be comforted.” The old man seemed to remember his purpose. “Miss, did you say your husband came to ransom someone from the Guo clan?”

Meng Di nodded.

“It can’t be done. The Guo and Gao clans took my master’s life. Now that a son of the Guo clan has fallen into my hands, I shall kill him to soothe my master’s spirit.”

“Uncle Wang, you mustn’t kill the Guo young master yet. There are many mysteries surrounding my father-in-law’s death.”

Tian clan’s involvement had left Meng Di with many doubts about Tian Rangju; to unravel the truth, he needed to start with Guo Yuan.

The old man saw Su’er nod in agreement and was somewhat convinced, but he shook his head. “It’s too late. Look.”

He pointed; following his gesture, they saw a protrusion on the cliff shaped like a bird’s beak, with several wooden stakes jutting out. Someone was tied to one of them, but from afar, it was impossible to see clearly.

“This is the real Hawk’s Beak Cliff. At noon each day, the eagles come to feed.”

Already the sun was high; the cries of eagles could be heard in the distance, and several black dots appeared in the sky.

“Uncle Wang, quickly, let him down!”

“Miss, it’s too late. Though Hawk’s Beak Cliff looks close, it’s impossible to reach it in less than half an hour. Besides, the Guo clan is surely involved in my master’s death—they are not wrongly accused.” The old man spoke with hatred.

As he finished, the black figures in the sky suddenly grew larger and soon hovered above the stakes, circling and screeching.

A black eagle dove sharply, then soared upward. A heart-rending scream rang out from the stake.

“Good!” A chorus of cheers rose from the beach below. Looking down, heads swarmed densely—it was a crowd of pirates watching the spectacle.

Meng Di wasted no time. He unstrung the Sun-shooting Bow, settled into a strong stance, left arm holding the bow, right hand on the string, breath held in stillness.

The old man was startled, looking at Su’er in confusion. At such a distance, the figure was barely visible—how could an arrow reach so far?

In the blink of an eye, another black eagle swooped down to the stake, about to pounce—when suddenly it gave a plaintive cry and crashed to the ground.

The old man’s mouth fell open in disbelief as he stared at the humming empty string in Meng Di’s hand.

Meng Di pressed on, his hands never faltering. Arrows flashed in succession, eagles plummeted from the sky one after another. The remaining birds sensed danger, chirped in alarm, soared high, circled the stakes several times, then abruptly departed.

Even with Meng Di’s great strength, such intense archery took its toll. His right hand trembled, sweat beaded on his brow. Su’er tenderly wiped it away with her sleeve.

“Sir… you are truly heroic!” The old man finally exclaimed in awe.

Because of the view, none of the pirates on the beach could see the scene of shooting the eagles clearly. After a brief commotion, the clever ones turned their attention to the cliff.

With a sweep of the old man’s sleeve, the uproar ceased, and soon the crowd dispersed.

“Sir, Miss, please follow me.” The old man’s words were now full of genuine respect; the archery display had won him over completely.

Beneath the cliff lay a natural cave, used as the pirates’ lair, rough in its furnishings. Once Meng Di and Su’er were seated, the old man sent someone to bring Guo Yuan back.

Su’er, impatient, asked about her father’s poisoning.

“The details I do not know,” the old man replied, ashamed.

Back then, Su’er was absorbed in swordsmanship and unaware that after her father’s dismissal, he spent his days at home composing military treatises. During that time, strangers often came probing and seeking his secrets.

Tian Rangju must have sensed something. One day, upon returning home, he handed a book to his loyal servant Wang and ordered him to leave Linzi, never to return. Wang was reluctant.

“This is an order. Do you dare disobey?” Tian Rangju governed his household by military law; none dared oppose him. Wang had no choice but to ask how to handle the treatise.

“I had intended to present it to the king, but now I fear I may never meet him again. This book is called ‘The Sima Laws,’ recording all I have learned in my life. In the future, it may be given to a wise ruler.” Tian Rangju sighed in sorrow.

After leaving Linzi, Wang had nowhere to go and returned to his old home in Langya. He had once been a notorious pirate along the Eastern Sea, later subdued by Tian Rangju, serving loyally at his side. The leaders under Tian Rangju’s command gradually returned as well after he left the army.

When news of Tian Rangju’s sudden death reached Langya, Wang disregarded the prohibition and snuck back to Linzi. After investigation, he learned of the poisoning, and that Su’er had vanished after settling her father’s affairs. Disheartened, he returned to the coast, rallied his old followers, and resumed his pirate life.

“My master, during his lifetime, never made personal enemies. If there is a murderer, it must come from the Guo or Gao clans,” the old man stated firmly.

Meng Di shook his head slightly. The Guo and Gao clans had indeed resented the rise of the Tian clan and suppressed it repeatedly, but Tian Rangju had already been dismissed from his position as Grand Marshal and posed no further threat. Why would they need to resort to murder? Moreover, with Tian Rangju’s caution, how could he have been so easily poisoned?

For now, all was speculation; neither side could convince the other. Reluctantly, the old man agreed to investigate further before passing judgment.