Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Too Clever for One’s Own Good
Jiang Li looked at her, confused.
A look of disgust and grief appeared on Yu Shuzhen’s face. "Except for Xiao Nian, all his younger siblings are here."
Yu Huannian’s eyes flickered when he heard Yu Shuzhen’s words, but he knew the reason. "Mom, they were the ones in the wrong."
"I worked my fingers to the bone to raise them, but they followed that beast Zhang Daqiang in mocking and cursing me."
Yu Shuzhen took a deep breath, her eyes fierce and resolute. "I will absolutely not give birth to a sharp blade that stabs at me, so I turned them into fertilizer too."
It was because of this incident that the people of Zhaozi Village thought she was insane. They no longer dared to cross her, and everyone called her a madwoman.
Her hands had long been stained with blood. She had become the very person she detested most. She couldn’t accept what she had become.
There was no going back for her.
"Aunt Yu, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I came back too late. If only I could have come back sooner..."
Yu Shuzhen hugged her. "Silly child, what could you have changed by coming back? You have to live well. Live well in my place."
From the day she knew there was no going back, she had already made her plans. It was Jiang Li who helped her get through the most difficult times. The day Jiang Li left, her heart left with her.
"Aunt Yu..."
Jiang Li wanted to say more, but her consciousness was fading, bit by bit, until she lost it completely.
"Xiao Nian, don’t wait any longer. Take Little Rou and Little Li and leave today. Go as far as you can, and don’t look back."
Yu Shuzhen clutched the flute in her hand. She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Yu Huannian gently laid Jiang Li down, knelt, and kowtowed several times to Yu Shuzhen. "Mom, take care!"
Yu Huannian picked Jiang Li up onto his back and started down the mountain.
Ning Rou was terrified when she realized Yu Huannian and the others had gone out. In the pitch-black night, she lay with her eyes wide open, too scared to sleep. Every tiny sound seemed to magnify, feeding the fear in her heart.
’It’s okay, it’s okay. Yu Huannian and Auntie will be back soon. In just two more days, I can leave this place and go find my brother.’
Suddenly, a noise came from outside. Her heart leaped into her throat.
"Little Rou, I’m back."
Ning Rou didn’t relax until she heard Yu Huannian’s voice. The door opened, and Yu Huannian came in, carrying the unconscious Jiang Li, whom he placed on her bed.
Ning Rou watched this scene, confused.
"Little Rou, we’re leaving tonight. Are you scared?"
Hearing his words, Ning Rou felt a sudden surge of strength. She shook her head at him. "I’m not scared!"
Yu Huannian pocketed the bank card. "Let’s go. Stay close to me."
Ning Rou jumped off the bed, went to the kitchen to pack some food, and followed him out.
"Huan Nian, isn’t Auntie coming with us?" Ning Rou glanced back at the small house.
"I’ll get you two out first, then come back for Mom."
"Okay!" Ning Rou stuck close behind Yu Huannian, heading deep into the mountains.
When she was first abducted and brought here, she had been ready to kill herself. But then she met Aunt Yu and Yu Huannian. At first, Yu Huannian was very harsh with her, and she was still determined to escape.
That was until she was caught by the villagers and almost beaten to death. It was Aunt Yu and Yu Huannian who stepped in and saved her. After that, she was kept locked up in the house, unable to go anywhere.
But they weren’t cruel to her. On the contrary, they treated her well, though she occasionally had to put on an act.
"Huan Nian, if we make it out this time... can we be together?"
Yu Huannian, with Jiang Li on his back, stiffened. He turned to look at her eyes, which seemed exceptionally bright in the darkness.
"Let’s just get out first."
Yu Huannian led the two of them, following the path out from memory.
Not long after they left, Liu Deceng arrived at the Yu Family’s home with a menacing crowd.
"BANG! BANG! BANG! Jiang Li, you jinx, get out here! We’re going to burn you as a sacrifice to the heavens today!" Liu Deceng pounded on the door in front of him.
"Village Chief, you think Jiang Li and the others are hiding on purpose?" a villager behind him asked, staring at the door, itching to kick it down.
Liu Deceng frowned, hesitating for only two seconds before kicking the door open in the next instant.
"AHH!!"
The crowd pointed their flashlights and stumbled back in terror. A cleaver, glinting coldly, had struck his leg.
Liu Deceng fell to the ground, clutching his injured leg, a cold sweat breaking out from the pain. Just as his back leaned against the doorframe, a THWACK sounded. Another cleaver fell, and the heavy blade sliced clean through Liu Deceng’s leg.
The pain was so intense that Liu Deceng couldn’t even draw a breath before passing out. The crowd behind him, witnessing the bloody scene, recoiled in fear.
"This... this must be Yu Huannian’s doing, right? He used to set traps in the mountains to hunt..."
Someone in the crowd said with trembling lips, staring in horror at the fallen cleaver. It was thicker than a thumb, its edge sharpened to a gleam, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.
"What are you gaping at? Get him to the clinic, now!"
A group of them hurriedly carried Liu Deceng to the clinic. One person who went inside saw that the house was completely empty. Not a single person was there.
"This is bad! There’s no one here! They must have run for it!"
"You two, take the Village Chief to the clinic! The rest of you, come with me to search the mountain! When we find them, we kill them on sight!"
A one-eyed man’s gaze glinted maliciously. Yu Huannian had blinded him last year—this was the perfect chance for revenge!
In the mountains, Yu Huannian heard the distant screams and knew things had gone wrong.
"They must have noticed. We need to hide first. We’ll leave after they’re gone."
The villagers had numbers on their side; he couldn’t fight them all. Even with Jiang Li...
’Forget it,’ he thought. ’It’s probably best if she just stays calm for now.’
Yu Huannian led Ning Rou to a hiding spot they had prepared long ago. In all their years here, they hadn’t been idle; they had made preparations for their escape.
The cave was right next to a waterfall, on a steep cliff face, covered by a dense curtain of vines. The villagers shouldn’t be able to spot it.
Inside, there was a stockpile of provisions: dried rations, fried noodles, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. It was at least enough to wait out the search.
Yu Huannian laid Jiang Li on a pile of dry grass, then went to the cave entrance. He rearranged the disturbed vines and blocked the opening with a rock.
"It’s okay now. Get some sleep."
Yu Huannian looked at Ning Rou reassuringly. His gaze then fell on Jiang Li. Finally, he pulled out a piece of cloth and gagged her, preventing her from waking up and ruining things by screaming.
「C City」
Zhao Shuo rushed over to Zhou Tiancheng. "Captain Zhou, we’ve found Miss Jiang’s location."
Zhou Tiancheng looked up at him, then tapped his phone, signaling him to communicate through text.
Zhao Shuo sent the locked location directly to him. "South City, Reed Town in Hongya County. There are several scattered villages nearby like Yellow Field Village and Little Sea Society, but the location doesn’t have a specific place name on the map. It looks like it’s in the mountains."
"I also looked into it, and some of the more remote villages around there don’t even have internet access, so I can only guess the approximate location."
"Okay. Who else knows about this?"
"No one."
"Good."
Zhou Tiancheng put his phone away. ’If Qinghe and I go,’ he thought, ’I’m afraid we’ll attract the attention of Xu Yongkang and Wang Xiangming.’
He took out his phone and sent a message to Lu Xingye: "Xingye, how are things on your end? We’ve found Jiang Li’s location."
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