Chapter 21

Guo Laosan's eyes flashed with a malicious glint, and he pointed a finger at Fang Qing's stomach, saying with a sinister tone, "Cut it open directly, I only want the child!"

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Lin Lang abruptly stood up and grabbed the wrist of the person. With a swift tug, the person's elbow scraped against the broken glass along the window sill, and blood gushed out.

The person let out a painful scream, attempting to pull their hand back, but Lin Lang used a twisting motion to bend their arm backward at a strange angle. There was a distinct snap, and the person's forearm was bent unnaturally backward. The cries from outside the window instantly changed tone.

Lin Lang released the hand, coldly addressing the darkness outside, "Get lost!"

He quickly pulled his arm back, and in the darkness, there was a murmur of hushed voices. Then, with a thud, the warehouse door violently shook. It seemed like something heavy had slammed against it. A man's voice came from outside the door, "Fang Ji..."

It was Feng Bao Nan.

Fang Ji stood up, grabbed Lin Lang, and signaled him not to move.

There was a moment of silence outside, and Feng Bao Nan's voice echoed once more, "I know you're inside, Fang Ji. You think this door can withstand a few axe strikes?"

In the silence of the rainy night, the door remained unresponsive. Seemingly frustrated, with a bang, the door was kicked open.

In the rain-soaked night, dozens of men, drenched to the bone, stood outside the door. They held various tools like axes and hoes, forming a human wall that kept out even the wind and rain. The air inside the warehouse suddenly felt oppressively humid.

Feng Bao Nan squinted his eyes, and his gaze, sharp as nails, locked onto Fang Ji. He smirked malevolently, "Fang Ji, you're the savior of our village. How could you sneak away without a word?"

Fang Ji's face showed a slight surprise, "Village head Feng, where did this 'Ah Shui' come from? I've never heard of her."

"F***ing nonsense!" Guo Laosan squeezed his round body out of the crowd and shouted loudly, "Ah Shui killed my son! Even if she's dead, she must die in front of me!"

"Fang Ji, don't play dumb with me!" Feng Bao Nan's face turned grim, "You turned our village into this mess, and you want to run away?"

"What about Wang Quan?" Fang Ji raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his lips, "Didn't you tell the villagers that he was taken away by wolves?"

"You dare mention Wang Quan again?!" Feng Bao Nan's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, "When I found him later, he... he was no longer recognizable! Fang Ji, don't you have nightmares at night? Aren't you afraid of retribution?!"

Fang Ji smiled, a genuine smile, and stared directly into Feng Bao Nan's eyes, "You're not afraid, so why should I be?"

Feng Bao Nan's eyes turned cold, "Alright! You said it!" With a wave of his hand, two men with knives rushed toward Fang Ji.

Lin Lang stepped forward, blocking in front of Fang Ji, grabbed one man by the throat, and slammed him to the ground. He snatched the knife from the man's hand and was about to deal with the other assailant when he felt something wet on his back. A salty, metallic smell wafted into his nose, and his heart skipped a beat. He glanced up and saw Fang Ji with one hand pressing the back of the man's head and the other hand twisting the man's wrist. He drove the blade into the man's throat, cutting it open. Blood splattered on Fang Ji's face as he calmly withdrew the knife. He then raised his knee and struck the man's lower body, causing him to fall to the ground. The man convulsed for a few moments and then lay still.

There was a moment of silence in the air as everyone stared at the lifeless body on the ground. The blood beneath him wound its way through the gaps in the floor, creating a red pool. The blood-tinged breeze entered their sweat-soaked pores, sending a bone-chilling coldness deep into their hearts, causing everyone to shiver.

Fang Ji wiped away the blood on his face with a casual gesture, raised his head, and scanned the crowd. He slowly began to laugh, "You brought this upon yourselves, don't blame me!"

With that, he charged into the crowd, grabbing the person in front of him, and swung his knife at their head without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, cries of agony echoed in all directions. Clubs tangled in the melee as the people were bewildered by this recklessly savage fighting style. To avoid his knife strikes, they became more hesitant and fumbled, backing away step by step. In a short time, the human wall was shattered, and five or six men fell to the ground.

In the chaos, someone slipped along the edge of the door, trying to break in. Fang Ji's expression changed suddenly, and he turned around, catching the person by the back of his neck. Unexpectedly, he was hit hard from behind. Fang Ji's vision darkened as he tasted the metallic tang of blood in his throat. He bit down on his teeth and swallowed the blood in small, painful gulps. Just as he finished dealing with that person, another attacker came at him from an angle. However, before Fang Ji could react, Lin Lang suddenly pushed him aside. In the next moment, with a sharp bang, a gunshot rang out, and Fang Ji was pushed back a few steps by Lin Lang.

The air was filled with a faint scent of gunpowder, and Fang Ji's heart skipped a beat. He saw a familiar face in the crowd. Beneath the slightly raised clothing, there was a dark muzzle. A wisp of bluish-white gun smoke drifted through the dark rainy curtain.

"Doctor Fang, it's been a while!" Li Zhu walked out of the crowd, his gaze fixed on Fang Ji. His eyes contained a mocking smile, and the barrel of a homemade gun was aimed straight at the center of Fang Ji's forehead. "I've been thinking about you and A Shui day and night!"

With the situation suddenly reversed, the people around fixed their eyes on Fang Ji with poisonous glares.

Feng Bao Nan's face turned pale, and he quickly lowered the gun. He glanced around and saw that there were no outsiders. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Li Zhu. Angrily, he said, "Li Zhu! Did I ask you to intervene?!"

Li Zhu was disgusted by Feng Bao Nan's hypocritical attitude, and a sinister look flashed in his eyes. He sneered, "Do you think they would obediently listen to you? Just kill them directly!"

"Shut up! It's not your turn to command me!" Feng Bao Nan's gaze turned cold as he snatched the gun back. He looked at Fang Ji and said in a low voice, "Fang Ji, come with us for a while."

Fang Ji raised an eyebrow and sneered, "What if I refuse?"

Feng Bao Nan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled softly. In a low voice, he said, "Fang Ji, don't be nervous. The things you did, we should handle them through the public security authorities. But before that, you need to take me to find the bodies of those deceased so that I can give their families an explanation." He aimed the gun at Fang Ji's thigh and said, "You'd better behave, or I'll break your leg. We'll have to carry you up the mountain."

Lin Lang heard this and raised his head, his gaze locked onto Feng Bao Nan. He said, "Do you dare?!"

He tried to get up, but Fang Ji hurriedly pushed him back down.

Li Zhu turned and glared at Lin Lang, scolding, "You ungrateful bastard! Your father is missing! He was probably killed by this Fang guy, and you're protecting him?!"

Lin Lang fixed his gaze on Feng Bao Nan's face and said, "My father... did something that harmed the Feng family. I've temporarily detained him."

"Is he still alive?!" Feng Bao Nan's eyes changed, and he urgently asked, "Fang Ji, take me to find him, right now!"

"Village head Feng, calm down a bit. The mountain road is slippery in the rain, and it's risky to bring the villagers here. Why not wait until the weather clears up? If you're worried, you can tie me up," Fang Ji raised his hand in a surrendering gesture. "How about that?"

With a sharp gunshot, a bullet whizzed past Fang Ji's face, embedding itself into the wall. Feng Bao Nan's eyes turned bloodshot, and he shouted angrily, "We're leaving now! Don't waste any more time, or I'll blow your brains out!"

Fang Ji raised one hand in a sign of surrender, saying, "Alright, alright! Village head Feng, don't get angry! I'll go with you!" He released Lin Lang and stood up. Just as he was about to leave, his arm was suddenly pulled back. Fang Ji looked back, and it was Fang Qing who held onto his arm. She looked past Fang Ji's shoulder and said to Feng Bao Nan, "I'm going too."

"It was me who hid them," Lin Lang said breathlessly, "Fang... Fang Ji didn't know... I'll go with you..."

Feng Bao Nan's expression darkened, his tone sinister, "Did I tell you to move?!" He paused, then turned to the villagers behind him, "Li Zhu and I will go. The rest of you stay and watch them!"

"It's okay, so many people are watching. They wouldn't dare to do anything. At most, they'll break my arms or legs. If they really kill me, won't they have to compensate for that? No one would make a losing deal, right?" Fang Ji took his arm back from Fang Qing's grasp, pushed her wet hair aside, and smiled, "I'll be back after a quick trip."

"Fang Ji!" Lin Lang suddenly shouted, but Fang Ji didn't look back and continued walking away.

Lin Lang struggled to get up, staring at Fang Ji's receding figure. Then he raised his voice again, "If... if something happens to you, I... I won't live either!"

Fang Ji's heart skipped a beat. He saw the villagers' expressions slightly change. He turned around, looked at Lin Lang with disdain, and his voice oozed disgust, "Save it. You have the nerve to talk about protecting us? You couldn't protect us and even got my sister hurt! Useless piece of trash!"

Lin Lang stared at Fang Ji's face. A faint smile appeared on his pale face, and he stumbled towards Fang Ji, leaving a trail of crimson footprints.

Fang Ji's lips tightened, and he instinctively wanted to step back. But Lin Lang suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him towards himself. Lin Lang lowered his head and kissed Fang Ji's lips.

Fang Ji was momentarily surprised, pushing Lin Lang away instinctively. Lin Lang released him, gazing into his eyes and smiling, "I'm not easily deceived anymore, Fang Ji."

Fang Ji's expression changed, and he turned away, seeing the villagers' expressions shift with a hint of disdain. He gritted his teeth and said, "You fool..."

However, Lin Lang just chuckled, "It was hard enough to trick me back, and now you're changing your mind. You're no smarter than I am."

Fang Ji's gaze shifted, and he smiled too. He turned his head to look at Lin Lang's face, as if he wanted to imprint his features deeply in his heart.

"Hurry up! What the hell are you standing around for?!" Feng Bao Nan's voice came from behind. Fang Ji turned back and walked out of the door.

The dark night swallowed Fang Ji like a wet, massive snake. Fang Qing stared with wide eyes, watching him disappear from her sight. Suddenly, she felt a cramp in her belly, and her vision blurred. She collapsed onto the bed, cold sweat streaming down her forehead. She retched repeatedly, her body convulsing.

Clutching the bed edge, she gasped for air, and suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head to see a vague figure moving closer, and a strong smell of alcohol washed over her. A hand moved down her shoulder, caressing her waist through her clothes.

Suppressing her urge to vomit, she clenched her fist and punched the person in the eye. Caught off guard, he stumbled back, clutching his rear. He cried out in pain, glaring at Fang Qing with venomous eyes and cursing, "Damn it! You bitch!"

It was Guo Laosan's voice.

Before he could say anything else, he charged at Fang Qing again, grabbing her throat. Just as he was about to slap her, his wrist was suddenly caught. He didn't even realize what had happened before a force sent him tumbling back to the ground.

This time, he fell hard, blood streaming from his mouth and nose. He let out a cry of pain, clutching his rear, while his gaze fixated on Fang Qing with a poisonous look. "Damn it! You filthy bitch!"

It was Lin Lang's voice.

Furious, he struggled a few times but couldn't break free. He looked up with a hateful glare and spat, "You son of a...! Who asked you to interfere?!"

Without a gun, the crowd gathered outside the door, their gazes watchful and fixed on Lin Lang. They were all on guard, not daring to approach.

"Fuck! Bunch of cowards!" Guo Laosan cursed, gritting his teeth and struggling. However, he couldn't break free. He suddenly felt a few drops of liquid on his back—sticky and warm, with body temperature. It was blood.

At the same time, the force that bound him was gradually weakening. He stopped struggling and listened intently. He sensed that Lin Lang's breath was becoming more rapid, a sign of his weakening strength. Guo Laosan understood, and as if resigned to his fate, he lay motionless on the ground.

The earlier struggle had aggravated his wound, and blood was now flowing down Lin Lang's shoulder and waist, staining most of his body red. Cold sweat seeped into his eyes, causing him to blink involuntarily. Just then, the person beneath him suddenly rolled to the side. Lin Lang was caught off guard and toppled to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Guo Laosan managed to get free. He aimed a kick at Lin Lang's injured side. Lin Lang's vision went black, and he curled up in agony on the ground. Guo Laosan chuckled and was about to kick again, but his scalp suddenly tightened. Fang Qing had grabbed his hair and pulled him backward.

Cursing, Guo Laosan used his weight to forcefully push her against the wall. Fang Qing let out a muffled groan, collapsing heavily to the ground and coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"You bitch!" Guo Laosan's eyes turned red. He grabbed her hair and forced her face up. Fang Qing's eyes rolled back, her face ashen. She seemed to have lost consciousness. Guo Laosan's gaze fell on her slightly parted lips, and his throat tightened. He leaned in to kiss her but was suddenly met with her face ramming into his. His vision went dark, and his lips stung painfully. He instinctively pushed her away, and a chunk of his lip flesh separated along with Fang Qing.

(Tn: You read that right, she bit his lip.)

Guo Laosan let out a miserable cry, quickly covering his mouth. Blood seeped through his fingers, and he stared at her with a pair of bloodshot eyes. In a fit of rage, he slapped her across the face, his anger boiling over. He turned away, covering his bleeding lips, and shouted at the crowd, "Where's the midwife?! Get over here!"

A small, hunched figure emerged from the crowd—a frail-looking old woman. Her eyes were cast downward, avoiding direct eye contact. She seemed uneasy, as if witnessing such a scene for the first time. Her face was as pale as paper, and she slowly approached Guo Laosan, trembling as she asked, "What... what's happening?!"

A glint of malice flashed in Guo Laosan's eyes. He raised his hand and pointed at Fang Qing's belly, his voice sinister, "Cut it open, I just want the child!"