Chapter 19

If he had been a bit smarter, he wouldn't have fallen for my trick. Would you say that was my fault?

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Fang Ji handed her a spoon. "It'll cool down in a bit."

"I... I really didn't expect..." Fang Qing smiled and placed her hand on Fang Ji's shoulder. "You..."

Lin Lang's face turned red. "Sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Fang Qing intended to tease him, but when she heard his words, she restrained her smile. She pulled her chair closer to him, looking serious. "Lin Lang, I misunderstood you yesterday, and I also need to apologize to you! If you're mad at me, can you just give me a light smack or two?!"

Lin Lang blinked, recalling what Fang Ji had said last night. A smile finally appeared at the corner of his lips. "...I'm not angry."

Fang Ji pulled Fang Qing back and then turned to Lin Lang with an awkward smile. "Lin Lang, don't mind her. My sister has a unique personality. Do you still consider joining us?"

Lin Lang looked up at Fang Ji. "Are you planning to leave soon?"

Fang Ji's expression darkened slightly. "As I told you yesterday, even now, I don't have complete certainty that I can get her out safely."

Lin Lang blinked. "Why not?"

"'Eyes are everywhere here,'" Fang Ji said. "That's what the human trafficker who brought Fang Qing here said. She was probably recaptured before because someone in the village tipped them off."

Lin Lang's gaze shifted. "Are you saying that the human trafficker who brought Fang Qing here was already dead?"

Fang Ji nodded. Fang Qing glanced at him and changed the topic. "Last year, when I went to town to report to the police, I used a phone from a repair shop. I hid in a secluded spot behind the shop, and when night fell completely, Guo Nan(her husband) and his men found where I was hiding. They captured me and brought me back. It wasn't until the next afternoon that the young man responsible for answering the phone realized I was missing. He came alone to look for me. You all know what happened next."

Fang Ji said, "The reputation of Shangyang Village allows them to have connections even in town, indicating that there are many trafficked women in the town."

Lin Lang's heart sank slightly. He pondered for a moment and said, "I'm not very familiar with the terrain outside the village, but I can at least escort you to a safe place..."

"No!" Fang Qing interrupted him abruptly. "Either I stab you with a knife, and my brother and I leave, or you come with us. Those are the only two choices! I should've been dead on New Year's Eve. They spared me to keep the child alive. If this child is also gone, would they spare you?"

"It's okay," Lin Lang said. "My father won't kill me..."

Fang Qing's expression changed, and she exclaimed urgently, "Are you going to be grateful just because he won't kill you? How can you be so obedient? If one day he beats you to death, will you just let it happen without resisting?!"

Fang Ji quickly grabbed her arm. "Fang Qing, stop!"

Lin Lang looked up and met her gaze. He said, "...Thank you."

Fang Qing choked up and scolded, "Thank you for what?!"

"I said my father won't kill me because he still needs me to take care of him. Regardless, he's still my father. I don't want to leave without saying a word, and I don't want to expose you to him either." Lin Lang lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do yet."

Fang Qing snorted through her nose. "We didn't say we'd not wait for you to decide! If we leave and Fang Ji gets killed, you won't even know! Figure it out on your own!"

***

On a scorching summer noon, the sun beat down upon the mountain, filling the air with an invisible fire. The ground was like an oven, threatening to evaporate every living thing.

A hunched figure cast a long shadow as it walked alone on the rugged mountain path. Struggling to continue, she finally reached out and grabbed a low tree for support. Her back leaned against the trunk, and the dappled sunlight landed on her sweaty and pale face.

Her eyes teared up from staring into the light for so long. Her head tilted slightly back, her mouth wide open, as if she were drowning in an invisible wave of heat, gasping for air.

"Grandma."

A sudden voice echoed, causing her shoulders to shake. When she squinted and looked more closely, she saw a person standing in front of her. She stared at him in a daze, and a glint of recognition appeared in her cloudy eyes. She trembled as she said, "Doctor... Doctor Fang!"

Her eye sockets were sunken, her cheekbones protruding, and the dry, wrinkled skin on her face seemed to have been drained of blood and flesh. She had become even thinner since the last time Fang Ji saw her. Her movements carried the unmistakable aura of impending death.

Fang Ji helped her up and smiled slightly. "Sorry, I'm a bit late."

"No, it's fine! Doctor Fang, you're the only one I have!" Old lady Wang held onto his sleeve tightly. "They... they don't believe... cough... cough!"

Midway through her sentence, a fit of coughing burst from her throat, turning her cheeks red. She held her chest, panting heavily like someone out of breath, before finally recovering.

Fang Ji patted her back gently, and his voice softened. "Grandma, hold on a bit longer. I'll definitely take you to see him today, alright?"

Tears welled up in the corners of old lady Wang's eyes as she wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. She said hoarsely, "Doctor Fang, when I close my eyes, I have nightmares. I dream that Quan'er won't come back... He's been missing for days, and I've searched every inch of this place. Tell me, where could he have gone?"

Fang Ji consoled her. "Grandma, don't worry. Not finding him doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. As I mentioned before, maybe he was taken away by wolves to be raised like Lin Lang. Isn't that possible?"

She hesitated for a moment, and a glint of recognition flashed in her cloudy eyes. "Yes, yes! You told me that!" With tears and a smile, she continued, "I had such a handsome son from a young age. People in the village wanted to make him their godson. But I didn't agree!"

Fang Ji chuckled. "Let me take you around this area. Your eyesight isn't good, maybe you didn't notice everything. I'll help you look, and maybe we'll find something."

"Okay! Okay!" Old lady Wang's chest felt warm, and she gained a bit of strength. She followed closely behind Fang Ji, chattering as she went, "My eyes are no good! I can't see things clearly. No one believes me, so I have to search bit by bit. Doctor Fang, you're really kind!"

Fang Ji asked, "Have you been coming here to search every day?"

"Yes!" Old lady Wang said, "I wake up early in the morning, make a couple of flatbreads, and head up the mountain when the sun is just rising. Since my eyes are bad, I have to bend down and look carefully. When I can't walk anymore, I come back."

"That's really tough. Have you found any clues?"

A strange expression flashed across old lady Wang's face, and her voice dropped. "Well... not really..."

Suddenly, a gust of wind rose, carrying an invisible wave of heat. Old lady Wang's throat tightened, and she felt as if each breath carried a scorching sensation. She gasped for air, her cheeks streaming with sweat that gathered at her jawline before falling onto the cracked ground and dissipating into the air.

The ground beneath her seemed to shake. Her vision darkened, and her legs trembled. She gasped and called out to Fang Ji, wanting him to lend her a hand. However, it seemed her voice was too weak, and Fang Ji, oblivious, continued walking without turning back. Unable to hold on any longer, she grabbed onto a nearby tree for support.

"Grandma!" Suddenly, she heard Fang Ji call out. "Come and see what this is!"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she rushed over, her knees supporting her body as she hurried to Fang Ji's side. Following his pointing finger, she looked down the edge of the cliff. Her heart sank as she saw the scene before her.

It was as if a scene from a dream was replaying before her eyes. Her mind buzzed, and she collapsed to the ground, trembling hands picking up a bloodstained cloth shoe. She choked on her words, tears forming as she whispered, "Quan'er!"

Fang Ji pointed again towards the cliff edge. "Grandma, come take a look. There's someone down there."

Wang Grandma's pupils shrank. She forced herself to look down, but fear seemed to paralyze her, leaving her shaking in place. Seeing her motionless, Fang Ji added, "It seems like they're still moving."

Old lady Wang's heart raced, and she summoned her strength, crawling to the edge of the cliff to peer down. However, all she could see were rocks and vegetation, and there was no sign of a person. Confused, she hesitated. But before she could react, someone suddenly grabbed her hair.

Her scalp felt like it was being lifted by an immense force. She cried out in pain, her head forced backward, and she caught sight of Fang Ji's eyes.

Fang Ji's lips curved into a smile as he looked down at her frightened face. He said slowly, "Grandma, how about I send you down to accompany him?"

"What... what?!" Old lady Wang's heart skipped a beat. Anxiously, she said, "Let go! Quan'er..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a flash of silver erupted before her eyes, as if something had covered her sight. She instinctively reached up to her face, blood oozing between her fingers. The pain seared through her nerves, and a cry of agony escaped her lips.

"Hush!" A hand covered her mouth tightly, and Fang Ji's voice whispered in her ear, "Grandma, lower your voice. Listen carefully."

Just as he spoke, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from below the cliff.

The voice that used to call her "Mom" with a childish tone, the voice she had thought about countless times in her dreams, was now undergoing some kind of torture, crying out in a broken and despairing manner, one scream after another. It felt as though it was tearing her heart apart. She screamed in agony, shouting, "Quan'er!"

Fang Ji let go of her and allowed her to crawl to the edge of the cliff, extending her arm downward in the direction of the cries. Her body was mostly suspended in the air, and it seemed like she was about to fall. Fang Ji quickly grabbed her foot, pulling her back. "Grandma, be careful not to fall!"

"You... it's you!" Old lady Wang gritted her teeth angrily. "Let go of me!"

Fang Ji held onto her ankle and chuckled. "Grandma, your son is still down there enduring torment. How do you have the energy to scold me?"

"Let him go!" Old lady Wang let out a piercing scream. "Let him go!"

"As for him," Fang Ji leaned in closer, speaking slowly into old lady Wang's ear, "he's already dead."

Old lady Wang was momentarily stunned, but the next second, something cold was stuffed into her ear. The agonized screams of Wang Quan echoed into her ear from that device, the repeated cries resonating with the cries below, leaving her frozen in place.

"This is a recording, made by Quan'er before he died," Fang Ji stared at her pale face, saying, "Grandma, it's often said that a son resembles his mother. The expression on his face before he died is almost identical to yours now."

Old lady Wang let out a sound of despair, her voice hoarse as she said, "You! You beast! You killed my son!"

Fang Ji sneered, "I simply told him that as long as he cut out the parasites from his body himself, I would sew him back up. He believed me and slowly cut open his own stomach, only to be devoured by rats in the end. If he had been a bit smarter, he wouldn't have fallen for it. Do you think that makes me responsible?"

"I... I'll kill you... I..." Old lady Wang extended a bloody hand, her voice growing more muddled, "I... will send you to hell..."

"Hell it is then," Fang Ji laughed softly, gently holding her hand, "Even in hell, I'll see him once and kill him once."

Old lady Wang's cheek twitched slightly, and her body convulsed, as if she was making one final struggle against death. Fang Ji quietly watched her, feeling her hand gradually go limp. He casually wiped the blood from the knife onto her clothes.

As evening approached, the last trace of crimson light brushed across old lady Wang's face, and the setting sun sank beneath the dark mountain peaks.

The room was shrouded in darkness, with no light to be seen. Fang Ji lifted the curtain and stepped over the threshold, only to hear Lin Lang's voice speaking in a hushed tone, "Back already?"

Fang Ji's heart skipped a beat when he saw Lin Lang sitting in a chair in the room, looking at him.

Fang Ji hesitated for a moment, then instinctively sniffed the air. The faint scent of blood seemed to linger in his nose, almost imperceptible. He gave a dry laugh and asked, "You're not asleep yet?"

Lin Lang made a sound of agreement. "Do you want to take a bath? There's still hot water in the kitchen."

Fang Ji nodded slightly and then inquired, "You didn't follow me this time?"

"No. Only that one time. I won't again in the future," Lin Lang stood up and walked to Fang Ji, reaching out as if to hold his hand. "I was afraid you'd be angry."

Fang Ji was taken aback and involuntarily pulled his hand back, turning to say, "I'm going to take a bath."

He left the room, and as he washed, he took his time, rubbing his skin until it turned red. He spent over an hour before finally stepping out.

When Fang Ji returned, Lin Lang had already laid down, his face toward the wall, and his even breathing was audible. Fang Ji let out a slight sigh of relief, quietly lay down with his back to Lin Lang, pressing his body tightly against the edge of the bed. It was a single bed, but there was enough space for almost an extra person between them.

Fang Ji was exhausted. He closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness gradually blur. In a daze, his tense body suddenly relaxed, and he unconsciously leaned towards the edge of the bed. With a start, he opened his eyes wide, realizing that he was about to fall off.

Just then, he felt a firm grip around his waist, an arm wrapping around him and pulling him back from the edge. He turned over, and someone held him tightly in their embrace.

In the darkness, Lin Lang gazed steadily at his face, gradually lowering his body.

A hand suddenly pressed against Fang Ji's chest. Lin Lang's movement halted, and he opened his eyes, looking at Fang Ji's face.

"Lin Lang," Fang Ji pursed his lips, saying, "I might not be as good as you imagine."

Lin Lang stared into his eyes and said, "You told me to believe in my own eyes."

Fang Ji choked up, paused for a moment, and continued, "I've killed people."

He lowered his gaze, avoiding Lin Lang's eyes, and added, "...more than one."

Lin Lang made a sound of acknowledgment and asked, "What else?"

Fang Ji was taken aback, looking at his face in astonishment. Lin Lang's expression remained calm, without a hint of surprise.

"I... I once wanted to use you."

"And now? Do I still have value to you?"

Fang Ji hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand. "I won't treat you like that anymore."

Lin Lang's eyes flickered slightly. He gently held Fang Ji's hand and lowered his head to press a kiss onto his palm. "As long as you can all leave safely, I don't care."

"How do you know we can leave safely? Maybe things will be exposed, and Fand Qing and I will end up dead in some mountain ravine."

"I'll go with you. I'll take you to a safe place."

"And then? You'll come back alone, right?"

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Lang finally nodded.

"But outside the mountains, it's a dangerous place too. I'm so timid and weak, you see, even the dogs from the Feng family can bully me..."

Lin Lang was momentarily stunned, his expression subtly changing, at a loss for words.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Fang Ji's lips. Suddenly, he reached up and hooked his arm around Lin Lang's neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss. Lin Lang was taken aback and before he could react, Fang Ji pushed him back gently, saying, "Sleep now!"

Fang Ji slept until the afternoon. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Lang and Fang Qing standing by his bedside, their eyes fixed on his face. He was startled, completely awake now.

Lin Lang saw Fang Ji waking up and got up to warm some food in the kitchen.

Fang Qing breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to sleep to death."

Fang Ji's head throbbed, and his limbs felt weak, as if they had lost all strength. He said, "I slept too late. My head is throbbing..."

Fang Qing reached out to touch his forehead. He didn't have a fever. Fang Ji took her hand, looking down and noticing that there were still faint red marks left from her frostbite. He frowned. "Why hasn't this disappeared yet after so long? Did you use the ointment regularly?"

"I forgot," Fang Qing waved her hand dismissively. "It's almost healed. It's just a minor injury..."

"That won't do," Fang Ji sat up and retrieved the ointment for frostbite again. He warmed the cold ointment in his hand and applied it carefully to the slightly red skin on her hand. "It's healing too slowly..."

"You're being too delicate," Fang Qing said. "I used to dislike wearing gloves. Isn't it the same every winter?"

Fang Ji fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Once we get back home, if you're willing to have the child, then have it. If not, you can terminate the pregnancy. It doesn't matter if you haven't found a job yet. I'll support you..."

Fang Qing's eyes flickered as she watched Fang Ji's expression. Seeing that he seemed to be clouded with something, she pressed her lips together and said, "Brother, it's different when you're in love!"

Fang Ji's eye twitched, and he lowered his voice. "Who's in love? Don't talk nonsense!"

Fang Qing burst into laughter. "Don't bother trying so hard. Just charm him and get it over with. I can't stand his long-windedness. Nobody would be surprised if he was beaten to death by his father one day."

Fang Ji couldn't help but chuckle. "We don't know anything about his past. If you're anxious, you're just anxious for yourself. Don't take your frustrations out on him!"

"You're actually biased towards him?!" Fang Qing exclaimed in a mournful tone, pouncing on Fang Ji and pinching his face, while Fang Ji laughed and let her have her fun. Just then, a loud bang resounded from outside the door, and the sound of footsteps grew closer. Fang Ji's expression changed, and he raised his hand to gently push Fang Qing aside. Fang Qing stood up, returning to the room without making a sound.

Fang Ji looked up and saw Feng You bursting in, carrying someone in his arms, wrapped in a blanket. He was running and shouting, "Fang Ji!"

It seemed like he had rushed all the way here. Sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his clothes, and his pants and knees were smeared with mud. As soon as he spotted Fang Ji, he rushed over in a fluster, not paying attention to the doorstep. He stumbled and fell forward.

The fall was quite hard. Both his knees hit the ground, but he didn't even let out a cry. He instinctively tightened his arms around the person in his embrace, shielding them tightly.

Fang Ji quickly helped him up and looked at the pale, thin arm that was partially exposed from the blanket. There was a bruise on the wrist, and he exclaimed, "What happened?"

Feng You lifted his gaze, his eyes fixed on Fang Ji. His voice was already tinged with a sob as he said, "Yan... Yanzi, she..."

Fang Ji's heart skipped a beat. He reached out and lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing Yanzi curled up, her wet hair sticking to her colorless face. Fang Ji's breath caught, and he reached out to touch her pulse. However, as soon as his fingertip touched her neck, she suddenly convulsed and shrank back, letting out a scream and trembling violently.

Fang Ji's movement halted, and he quickly withdrew his hand. He looked at Feng You and asked, "What happened to her?!"

"When I came home just now, I saw her huddled in the bed and not moving. She wouldn't come out when I called her. She said her stomach hurt. I saw the pants in the basin under the bed, stained with blood. I thought it was... her period, so I didn't want to embarrass her. But she didn't come out for a long time, and she was shivering. That's when I realized something was wrong, so I pulled back the covers and took a look..." Feng You said, tears falling from his eyes. "She's injured! Her wrists and ankles are all bruised and turning purple. It looks like she's been grabbed! I tried asking her, but she wouldn't say anything, just crying. I... I didn't know what else to do..."

As he spoke, his gaze passed over Fang Qing's shoulder, and he suddenly saw Fang Qing sitting on the bed in the inner room. His gaze froze, and he got up, rushing into the inner room. He placed Yanzi next to her and pleaded, "A Shui! Can you help me? Can you take a look at her? I'm afraid... I'm afraid she might have more injuries!"

Fang Qing's expression remained calm. She lifted her eyelids coolly, casting a glance at him, and said coldly, "Isn't there a single woman left in Shangyang Village? You want a murderer to examine your sister? Aren't you afraid I'll go crazy and strangle her?"

"No! We can't let anyone in the village know about this!" Feng You's face filled with fear. "If one person knows, everyone will know! Yanzi's life will be ruined! What's the point of her future then?" The corner of the blanket suddenly trembled, but Feng You didn't notice. He continued, "A Shui, you're a woman too! You should know... If they find out, how will she ever get married?"

Before he could finish, he received a blow to his face. He fell backward, blood spurting from his mouth, and staggered to his feet, his eyes filled with shock.

Fang Ji came out of the inner room and closed the door. He squatted down and grabbed Feng You's shoulders, whispering, "Feng You, calm down first. Acting like this will only frighten Yanzi, understand? Adjust your breathing first, sit down, and tell me slowly."

Feng You nodded blankly, his gaze still fixed on the door of the inner room.

Fang Ji helped him to a chair and asked, "When did you notice that she had stomach pain?"

"Just now, around two in the afternoon."

"Did she go out in the afternoon?"

"I... I don't know. I wasn't home then. In the afternoon, she usually stays at home cleaning up the house, picking vegetables, and preparing dinner..." He paused, seeming to remember something. His eyes widened slightly, and he muttered to himself, "When I came back, I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. She always prepares the vegetables around that time, but today she didn't. She should have... She would've given Lin Qiang some food at noon..."

Feng You stood up suddenly, grabbed Lin Lang's collar, and gritted his teeth, "Was it your father?!"

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Tn: I just noticed something but I won't mention it.

Anyway, that escalated quickly...