The Transaction

Translator: Cinder Translations

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As for Jiang Cheng's actions, neither Chen Xiaomeng nor Zhou Rong made any attempt to stop him. On the contrary, if Jiang Cheng had not acted, they would have used their own methods to make the girl speak.

Although the house the girl mentioned was dilapidated, the dried chili peppers hanging under the eaves and the vegetables planted in the yard indicated that there were adults in the house.

The girl didn't expect Jiang Cheng to change his demeanor so quickly and act so fiercely. Her eyes instantly reddened, and just as she was about to cry, she heard Jiang Cheng's slow voice: "If you dare cry, I'll have this lady destroy the vegetables your family has planted."

Upon hearing this, the girl was too scared to cry.

For her, this threat was more terrifying than being beaten because her family relied on those vegetables for survival.

Hunger had been a constant in her life since she could remember.

"No," the girl said, her eyes blurry with tears, but she didn't dare to let them fall. Her small face contorted in distress as she looked pitiful. "Those were planted by my mother. Please, don't destroy them."

Jiang Cheng set the girl back on the ground. She wanted to turn and run back to her house, but knowing that she could run away while the vegetables couldn't, she dared not flee.

"We'll make a deal," Jiang Cheng bent down, looking into her eyes calmly. "Every time you answer a question, I'll give you half a steamed bun. How about that?"

"Okay," the girl answered, her voice timid.

"Only you and your mother live there, right?"

"There's also my grandmother," the girl said, pressing her lips together, "But she's very sick and needs my mother to go up the mountain to get medicine for her."

"What about your father?"

The girl stared at Jiang Cheng, her eyes seemingly full of emotions.

Jiang Cheng pulled the half-steamed bun from his pocket and slipped it back into the girl's, making her immediately say, "Hong Hong never met her father, but my mother said he went to a big city. When I grow up, he will come back and buy me lots and lots of white steamed buns."

Her eyes gleamed, but the others' expressions dimmed.

It seemed that white steamed buns were the limit of the girl's imagination.

And the others knew that her father would probably never return.

He must have already died at the hands of Zhao Xiangmei.

"Is your mother and grandmother both at home?" Jiang Cheng asked.

The girl nodded.

At this point, Zhou Rong suddenly noticed that the sun had already set halfway, and only a sliver remained visible over the mountain.

Night was fast approaching.

Jiang Cheng took another steamed bun from his pocket and handed it to the girl. "We're going back now," he said. "I'll be here waiting for you tomorrow evening. The usual deal: one question, half a steamed bun."

"But..." The girl looked at the whole bun in her hands, then raised her eyes to look at Jiang Cheng, asking in confusion, "Can you give me half more?"

"This half is a deposit," Jiang Cheng said without turning back, then turned and ran toward the place they were staying.

Just before the sun completely disappeared behind the mountain, the three finally entered the house. On the old wooden table, there was a black pot and several sets of chopsticks.

"Mr. Yin," Li Lu, who was still suffering from her leg injury, warmly greeted them. "Come eat, the soup is still hot. The village chief just sent someone with it."

Zhou Rong scanned the empty house, where only Li Lu was sitting by the edge of the kang.

"Where are Pei Qian and Jiang Zhongyi?"

"Pei Qian and Jiang Zhongyi said they were going to walk around the yard," Li Lu said, then seemed to realize something, her pupils widening. "Wait, didn't you see them when you came in?"

Of course, they hadn't.

"When did they leave?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"About... 15 minutes ago," Li Lu also realized the seriousness of the situation. Her face lost some color, turning pale. "They left before eating."

Chen Xiaomeng turned and opened the door. Li Lu, peering through the door, saw that it was already completely dark outside.

The night here was dangerous, and it was clear that if they hadn't come back yet, something must have happened.

But according to Li Lu, they left 15 minutes ago, which meant they must have noticed it was getting dark and wouldn't have gone far.

They must have been delayed or distracted by something unexpected.

And nearby, there was something that could have drawn their attention... In a flash, the three of them simultaneously thought of a building.

The largest, abandoned, and sealed-off building in the yard.

"Miss Xiao Longnu," Zhou Rong quickly said to Chen Xiaomeng, "Please stay here with Li Lu. Mr. Yin and I will go check it out."

This time, Chen Xiaomeng didn't insist on following. She agreed without hesitation to stay behind.

Li Lu nodded apologetically to everyone, understanding that her presence was holding the group back.

Zhou Rong opened the door and, while walking outside, said, "Mr. Yin, we need to hurry."

But to their surprise, Jiang Cheng didn't move. He just stared at Chen Xiaomeng and Li Lu, then suddenly spoke, "Maybe I should stay. I'm better at taking care of people."

He paused for a moment, then said formally, "I'm a doctor."

"Heh," Chen Xiaomeng sneered coldly, giving no face as she retorted, "Please respect the medical profession. They would never accept someone like you."

Just as Jiang Cheng kept pestering Chen Xiaomeng about staying with her, they suddenly heard a loud crash.

"Bang!"

The sound was deep and muffled, as if something heavy had fallen, not far away.

The three immediately turned and ran outside. Li Lu, though curious, knew she wouldn't be of much use and might slow them down.

A few seconds later, a shrill scream was heard.

The voice was deep and raspy, suggesting someone older. The three immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Pei Qian.

Whatever had caused him to scream like that, they were all eager to find out.

Jiang Cheng returned to the room, grabbed the oil lamp from the table, and then headed in the direction of the scream. Zhou Rong followed closely behind, and after a moment of hesitation, Chen Xiaomeng decided to join them.

Their judgment was correct. The two had indeed gone to the abandoned building in the yard, and the scream had come from there.

The dim light barely lit the way ahead, barely dispersing the darkness around them. The night air was thick with an unsettling scent.

Jiang Cheng paused.

He slowly took a deep breath, his expression changing.

The unsettling scent was unmistakable—he could smell blood.

But even more unsettling than that was Pei Qian. His scream had only lasted a brief moment, and then, suddenly, it stopped.

The surroundings became eerily silent.

(End of the Chapter)

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