Chapter 2 A New Arrival

Chapter 2 A New Arrival

The boy's demeanor made her feel as if she had been reincarnated into a world of ghosts and monsters, where pushing open this door would unleash an overwhelming horde of demons and spirits.

But the boy said, "They're all... kidnappers. The entire Zhou Village, they're all kidnappers."

"They're all in it together, covering for each other... If you try to escape, you'll be caught and brought back." Fear lingered deep in the boy's eyes: "No one has been able to leave here over the years; there's no escaping."

The girl looked at the tightly closed door.

It seemed not to be a world of ghosts and monsters.

But it was even more absurd and terrifying than that.

A cold wind blew, clearing her mind further and giving her a clearer understanding of the situation.

She looked at the boy: "You were kidnapped too—"

In the deepening twilight, the boy nodded, his round eyes resembling those of a puppy trapped in a cage, pitiful and harmless.

"And yet you dared to help me tie them up."

The boy whispered, "I... I can't beat you."

The girl looked at the boy, who was only slightly shorter than herself and clearly used to doing heavy labor—

Her current body was too weak, and subduing the two earlier had mostly been due to clever tactics and sheer determination.

The child couldn't beat her, but it was the fear of trying to resist that held him back.

This was a sickness, one that needed curing.

The girl turned and returned to the main hall.

The boy hurried after her.

The couple, bound hand and foot, had already woken up. The bloodied woman, still under the influence of drugs, could only lie there moaning weakly, while the man was trying to break free from the ropes, to no avail.

The method of tying the ropes was taught by him to the boy, who usually helped him with such tasks, and now it was being used against him.

"Traitorous dog! Untie me right now!" Upon seeing the boy enter, the man's fury erupted, his eyes filled with malice: "I raised you for so many years, and you repay me like this! This time, I'll break your legs!"

Fear flashed in the boy's eyes, remembering the pain and despair of being beaten, and his face turned pale.

In the next moment, the long stick that was often used on him appeared before him.

The boy instinctively took a step back.

"Break his leg," the girl said, leaving no room for argument: "Now."

The boy looked at her in disbelief.

"Or I'll break yours." The girl handed him the stick with one hand, while holding a bloody dagger in the other.

Her long hair hung loosely, her skin was extremely pale, and her pupils were pitch black, making her look like a statue of white jade devoid of emotion or fear.

When she spoke those threatening words, no one dared to doubt her.

The boy's lips trembled as he took the stick.

"You dare!" The man, enraged by the challenge to his authority, struggled fiercely until his face and neck turned red, his eyes fixed menacingly on the boy.

"Do it." The girl's voice was calm but sounded like a death sentence.

The boy took two steps forward, gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes as he swung the stick at the man.

The stick hit the man's shoulder, causing him to yell in pain.

"Missed." The girl reminded him.

The boy mustered the courage to open his eyes slightly and aimed for the man's leg again.

"Do it again."

One strike after another, the man's curses gradually weakened, leaving only cries of pain.

"Stop, stop..." The woman beside him pleaded weakly, her voice trembling: "He's your father, who raised you like his own son. How could you turn against us? You were an orphan, and we took you in out of kindness, raising you as our own, hoping you'd take care of us in our old age. But you've turned out to be an ungrateful wolf!"

The boy's lips quivered, unsure what to say.

The girl understood the situation.

They had committed too many sins and couldn't bear children, so they kept the kidnapped child to raise as their own.

"Don't worry, I'm here to see you off." The girl squatted down beside them.

"What... What are you going to do?" The woman asked, trembling as the dagger approached her face.

"I ask, you answer." The girl looked at her: "Where did you bring me from?"

Confused by the strange question, the woman answered immediately due to the dagger near her eye: "Beijing... the capital..."

"Who ordered you to do this?"

Ordered?

What need is there for orders for such deeds!

The cold tip of the knife pressed against her eye, and the woman's tongue trembled: "...No one ordered us. During the Lantern Festival, we specifically targeted young women without companions!"

"No... it was I who saved you!" The man with the broken leg had lost his earlier bravado and now hastily said, "On the night of the Lantern Festival, you fell into the river. There wasn't a soul around; you were about to drown, but I pulled you out!"

To express her gratitude, the girl turned the dagger towards him: "Do you know how I ended up in the water?"

Though this body was not originally hers, since she had taken it over, it was best to understand everything to prevent future troubles.

Being new here, she needed to know her enemy as well as herself and assess the situation.

"How would I know? I just happened to be there... happened to save you!" The man felt a hint of suspicion—how could she not remember how she fell into the water?

Thinking about her sudden change in behavior and courage, which was completely different from the trembling beauty he had encountered on the road, the man couldn't help but feel an inexplicable eeriness from the face that could have made him a fortune.

A chill ran down his spine.

The voice that sent chills through him asked, "Then answer what you do know—apart from me and him, how many others have you abducted and harmed over the years?"

The man and the woman exchanged a glance, both momentarily speechless: "Such things... who keeps count..."

The girl's eyes grew colder as she said to the boy, "Get me some paper and ink."

Although this place was not a scholar's residence, they clearly pretended to run a funeral business. In the hall, there were boxes filled with small trinkets—indicating that the man usually disguised himself as a peddler, traveling around while secretly abducting people.

Thus, they were not short of paper and ink, and the boy quickly fetched them.

The girl looked at the two of them: "Where, when, whom did you abduct and harm? Are they alive or dead? Where did you sell them? Tell me everything you can remember."

The woman stared at her: "You... are you going to report us to the authorities?"

Without answering, the girl simply said, "Also, tell me about anyone else in the village involved in these deeds."

A trace of disdain flashed in the woman's eyes, but before she could speak, the man nudged her lightly from behind.

Both their hands were tied behind their backs, and they thought no one noticed their subtle movements.

The woman understood and, under the threat of the dagger, began to recount everything.

Following her account, the girl wrote for two full pages before putting down the pen.

As she put down the pen, she lifted the dagger and slashed the man's arm deeply, cutting into his flesh and injuring his tendons, causing blood to gush out.

The man screamed in pain: "...I've told you everything, why are you still hurting me!"

"Press their fingers onto the paper with their blood," the girl stood up.

The boy complied without hesitation and proceeded to do so.

Standing in front of them, the girl lowered her gaze and asked one last question: "Where were you planning to take me tonight?"

Fearing the dagger in her hand and wanting to avoid further pain, the woman truthfully replied, "...to Liu Ke Lane in the city, to a wealthy man's house!"

"What is this wealthy man's name?"

"I truly don't know! We've never seen him!" The woman lamented, "We only know he's a generous wealthy man. Over the years, whenever we found beautiful young women in our village, we would send their portraits for him to choose. If he liked them, he'd give us a deposit. If not, we'd sell them elsewhere... but all dealings were done by his servants, and we never dared to inquire about his identity."

The girl picked up a receipt near the woman's feet, opened it, and asked, "Is this the deposit receipt?"

The woman hurriedly confirmed, "Yes, yes."

The receipt was simple, without any names, indicating that such illegal activities didn't require formalities. It also showed that the wealthy man was not worried about the traffickers running away with the deposit—given the hundred taels paid, this "wealthy man" must be someone of significant status.

The girl pondered and put the receipt away.

Then she looked at the woman: "What about the sixty taels deposit?"

The woman was stunned—wanting both life and money!

"Hand it over." The girl's eyes showed little patience.

The woman reluctantly said, "It's in a box under the bed inside the room...!"

Once they escaped, she would make this cursed little wretch pay!

Not to mention whether they could escape Zhou Village, did this little wretch really think reporting to the authorities would guarantee her safety!

"Alright, knock them out." The girl turned and walked into the room, instructing, "Use as much medicine as necessary; if they die, it doesn't matter."

The owner of this body probably died from an overdose of knockout drugs.

The couple's cries of resistance soon faded.

The girl pulled out the box from under the bed and found silver notes, coins, jewelry, travel permits, and drugged handkerchiefs used for trafficking.

As she sorted through the items, the boy came in and quietly asked, "What should we do next?"

"Find me a set of men's clothes that fit, and bring your belongings."

The boy didn't ask more, nodded, and ran out.

When he returned, he carried a set of clothes and a kitchen knife.

The girl took the clothes and looked at the kitchen knife in his hand: "You're bringing this?"

The boy nodded: "I only know how to cook, and I only need this."

Looking at the knife meant for cooking, the girl paused.

This child, clearly inexperienced and unaware of practical planning, was so detached from reality yet so full of it.

She couldn't help but ask, "Did you bring any money?"

“I have some.” The boy pulled out an object from his chest and asked, “Is this enough?”

Looking at the copper coin, the girl said, “...If we don’t use any at all, it should be enough.”

The boy exclaimed, “Ah! Then I’ll go find more!”

He ran out again. When he returned, the girl had already come out from the inner room, wearing a man’s robe, her black hair tied up, and her eyebrows smoothed out with something unknown. Her skin tone had also darkened considerably.

The boy was momentarily stunned, wondering how she managed to transform so quickly, and even her gait resembled that of a young man.

Coming back to his senses, he followed her and asked, “So... are we going to the government office now?”

“No,” the girl lifted two burlap sacks. “Put them in here.”

...