Chapter 101: Rescue

Chapter 101: Rescue

In the courtyard with asbestos tiles, Qin Hai sat by the window idly smoking a cigarette.

He didn’t want to go next door to check things out, as he was a public figure and feared being recognized by Xu Aizhou's daughter.

Even though Spirit Fox had already decided to kill Xu Aizhou's daughter eventually, there was always the possibility of unexpected events.

After over a week of captivity, what if Xu Aizhou's daughter was rescued?

You never know.

So it was best to play it safe and not let her see his face.

Crash!

A heavy object fell to the ground next door.

Everyone in the courtyard looked toward the small room.

Just then, the guy at the edge quickly sniffed the air, "What's burning?"

Qin Hai also smelled it, something like burning sugarcane leaves.

He looked over the courtyard wall and saw thick smoke rising outside.

Was something on fire outside?

This wasn’t right!

"Go see what’s going on!" Qin Hai ordered.

The guy at the edge quickly opened the gate and cautiously peeked outside.

Two cars were parked in front of the gate, but the guards and drivers were nowhere to be seen.

The thick smoke was coming from behind the cars, like a big fire was burning there.

Bang! A shot rang out!

The bullet slammed into the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The guy tried to duck inside but was too slow and got hit, falling behind the door.

Another guard, a burly guy, pulled out his gun and ran over.

Qin Hai rushed out of the room, drawing his gun as quickly as possible.

"Pei Xing! Pei Xing! Get out here now!" Qin Hai stood outside the left door, pounding on it.

The door was locked from the inside and wouldn’t move no matter how hard he shoved.

Damn it, A Xi must’ve turned traitor!

Pei Xing was likely dead in there!

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Someone on the courtyard wall sprayed them with submachine gun fire!

The two guards in the courtyard were instantly neutralized.

Qin Hai reacted immediately, jumping through the window into the room on the right.

The room on the right was fairly spacious, but it only had one window facing the courtyard.

Getting out seemed next to impossible.

Climbing to heaven?

Qin Hai scanned the room and looked up at the roof.

It was an asbestos tile roof, very low, and should be easy to pry open.

He quickly dragged the table against the wall and placed a stool on top.

After jumping onto the table and stepping on the stool, he could just reach the beam, forcing the asbestos tile open.

With a firm push, the tile lifted open.

There were hurried footsteps in the courtyard outside. Qin Hai shoved the tile aside, grabbed the beam, and climbed out.

He climbed out too hastily, his face scraping against the edge of the asbestos tile, nearly scraping off a layer of skin.

The strong, cold wind on the roof stung his injured face, making him grimace.

He rushed forward and jumped onto the hillside behind, plunging into the grass.

Just as he plunged in, he bumped into something, and in the next moment, a knife stabbed toward him. Qin Hai dodged back, tumbling backward.

He raised his gun and fired wildly, but in close combat, holding a gun was not advantageous at all.

Soon, his hands were pinned down, and someone else's knife was already at his neck.

He finally got a clear look at the other person's face.

It was none other than Cui Yuan.

Qin Hai recognized him.

"You?"

Cui Yuan sneered: "I could have shot you dead, but I heard that the captains of the Confidentiality Bureau are very capable, so I wanted to see for myself, to see how much you're really worth. Unfortunately, I gave you so many chances, and you didn't even have the strength to fight back... what a disappointment!"

He sneered mercilessly.

Qin Hai was beyond caring whether it was mockery or ridicule; he tried to negotiate with Cui Yuan: "I heard you work for the Bamboo Faction, you're also working for someone else, it's all for money. I'll give you whatever you want, just let me go."

Cui Yuan looked at him coldly: "Do you think I need your money?"

Qin Hai: "I'll give you twenty grand! Twenty grand to buy my life! Just let me go."

Cui Yuan shook his head: "Your life isn't worth twenty grand."

Qin Hai was too nervous, seemingly not understanding: "Fifty grand! I'll give you all my savings."

Cui Yuan: "Can't you understand plain speech? If you're not even worth 20 grand, how can you be worth 50 grand?"

Qin Hai: "..."

Cui Yuan's sharp knife pressed in a bit further: "I just want you to die knowing exactly why! From top to bottom, your Confidential Department is a bunch of useless trash!"

Qin Hai swallowed hard, not daring to move: "What deep grudge do you have against the Confidential Department? I can help you."

Cui Yuan: "You dying knowing the truth is already a big help to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Hai desperately rolled to the right...

The knife at his neck stabbed into the ground.

Qin Hai fired a shot at Cui Yuan—bang!—but it missed!

Cui Yuan kicked him, pinning him down once more!

Whoosh... boom!

A signal flare soared into the sky. In his final moments, Qin Hai made one last contribution to the Confidential Department.

As the signal flare's sharp whistle echoed, Cui Yuan's lips twisted into a smirk. With one hand gripping Qin Hai's neck and the other pressing a gun to his forehead, he said, "Now you get why I kept you alive this long, don't you?"

Blood dripped from Qin Hai's mouth as he gasped, suddenly realizing, "You wanted me to fire the flare?"

Cui Yuan sneered, "Not completely clueless, are you?"

"Why would you do this?"

Cui Yuan leaned in and whispered two words into his ear.

Qin Hai stared in shock, about to speak, when—bang!—Cui Yuan pulled the trigger.

Cui Yuan ended his life!

Qin Hai never imagined this trip would be his last.

He had let his guard down.

*

The journey from Zhao's Garden to Baolian Temple takes over an hour.

Brother Bing and his team took a boat to the island home to Baolian Mountain. When they reached the dock, Shen Te had a car waiting for them.

They sped off toward Baolian Mountain.

As they neared the mountain, they hit roadwork, and the narrow path was gridlocked.

They'd crawled less than 200 meters in ten minutes.

Worried about delays, Brother Bing decided not to wait. He split the group in two—one team ran ahead while the other stayed with the car.

In a private dining room at the vegetarian spot near Baolian Temple, Mrs. Peng had laid out a feast of vegetarian dishes.

*

The restaurant owner, a lay disciple of Baolian Temple, goes by Brother Cao.

When Brother Cao heard VIPs were coming, he personally came to welcome them.

The service was extremely attentive, with almost every dish carefully explained. Encouraging Mrs. Xu to eat a bit, her complexion brightened a little.

Mrs. Peng asked him, “What did Brother Cao do before?”

Brother Cao smiled and said, “I used to be a cook. When I came to Baolian Temple to study Buddhism, I found that there were few vegetarian eateries nearby, and those that existed mostly served seafood. So, I simply opened this vegetarian eatery.”

“It tastes really good,” Mrs. Peng said, eating heartily. She served Mrs. Xu a spoonful of tofu, “Try this, it's really tasty.”

Brother Cao introduced, “This is Dongpo tofu, our most famous dish.”

Mrs. Xu picked up a small thin slice and politely asked, “Is this mock meat?”

“This is winter bamboo shoots. Please give it a try, Mrs. Xu!”

Mrs. Xu took a bite. In fact, she couldn't taste anything now, but Mrs. Peng was so kind, and Brother Cao was so enthusiastic. She didn't want to seem ungrateful, so after eating, she forced a smile and said, “It's quite flavorful.”

Mrs. Peng kept glancing towards the door, “Why is Mrs. Zhao taking so long in the restroom?”

Mrs. Xu also worried, “This private room is a bit of a maze. Could she have gotten lost?”

Brother Cao smiled, “She shouldn't have any trouble. We have staff to show her the way.”

Just then, Lin Yufan returned.

“We thought you got lost?”

Lin Yufan smiled sheepishly, “No. A waiter showed me the way.”

She then whispered into Mrs. Xu's ear, “I went to pump some milk.”

“What?” Mrs. Peng asked, curious.

Lin Yufan whispered a few words to her as well.

Mrs. Xu felt guilty, “I didn't expect to delay until noon today. Mrs. Zhao, I'm really sorry. Maybe you should go ahead and head back. Your little one might be crying from hunger.”

Yuanbao had cow's milk, so he wouldn't go hungry, but Lin Yufan really wanted to go back.

“Then I'll go ahead and head back.”

Mrs. Peng urged her, “You didn't eat much just now. Have a little more, so you don't get hungry on the way. It's almost one by the time you get home.”

Mrs. Xu agreed, “Yes, let them get the car ready first. Have a little more, this Dongpo tofu is really delicious.”

Lin Yufan glanced around; the ladies' attendants were dining in the next room, and there were four or five waiters standing at the door...

She smiled and obliged, taking a few bites.

Just then, someone came in and whispered something to Mrs. Peng.

Mrs. Peng's expression remained normal. After the person left, she smiled at Brother Cao, “Let's have dessert.”

Brother Cao ordered dessert to be served.

Mrs. Peng said, “Their two-tone red bean soup is delicious. Mrs. Luo insisted we try a bowl when we visit.”

As she spoke, Brother Cao personally brought in three bowls of red bean soup, serving each of them one by one.

Mrs. Peng started eating first, and Mrs. Xu also picked up her bowl to eat.

Mrs. Peng remarked, "Hmm. The taste is really unique, with a hint of osmanthus fragrance."

Mrs. Xu was distracted and remained silent.

Lin Yufan took a spoonful to her mouth. Before even tasting it, she smelled a strong osmanthus fragrance.

The scent was so strong it seemed to drown out all other flavors.

Lin Yufan coughed, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and then smiled. "It's too sweet."

Mrs. Peng took a few more bites. "It's the sweetness that makes it good."

Lin Yufan stirred her red bean soup, eating a few bites with her mouth covered.

Soon, Mrs. Xu said, "I'm still feeling a little dizzy. I want to sleep for a while."

With that, Mrs. Xu rested her head on the table, mumbling softly, half-asleep.

Their attendants were in another room, having been arranged to have lunch early.

No one checked on Mrs. Xu as she lay there.

Lin Yufan rested her forehead in her hand. "I'm so sleepy too. Why do I suddenly feel so sleepy?"

With that, she also rested her head on the table.

*

It was very quiet around them.

Lin Yufan finally opened her eyes, alert.

It was completely dark around her. If she wasn't mistaken, this should be a basement.

The basement air was freezing.

She sat with her hands tied behind the chair, her feet also bound with rope. She slightly moved her hands and touched another pair.

She knew that behind her, Mrs. Xu was to the left and Mrs. Peng to the right.

They were tied together in a triangular formation.

"Where is this? Help!" Mrs. Peng screamed.

Lin Yufan asked, "Mrs. Peng, is that you?"

"It's me, oh my, Mrs. Zhao, what's happening? Weren't we just having vegetarian food?" Mrs. Peng's voice was almost crying.

In the darkness, Lin Yufan's face was expressionless; she knew everything that had happened along the way.

But her voice was as tense and confused as Mrs. Peng's. "I don't know, is it just the two of us?"

"Cough cough cough! It's so cold." Mrs. Xu also woke up.

"Mrs. Xu, are you here too? Oh my, have we been kidnapped?" Mrs. Peng shouted again.

Mrs. Xu was still groggy. "What's going on, why is there no light? Why can't I move?"

Lin Yufan quickly asked, "Mrs. Xu, are you okay? We must have been kidnapped."

"What should we do?" Mrs. Peng shouted outside, "Is anyone out there? Help! Can anyone hear me?"

No one answered.

*

The news of Xu Yinger's successful rescue quickly reached Zhao Zhiao.

Guang Touli's men acted prematurely, ignoring his orders!

This put Lin Yufan and Mrs. Xu, who were worshiping Buddha on the mountain, in grave danger.

It was unclear if A Bing had made it to Baolian Temple in time.

Zhao Zhiao didn’t have time to figure out who had disobeyed orders. He left Ms. Guan in charge of the Zhao family garden and went to find Xu Aizhou.

If something went wrong, Xu Aizhou would be the first to know.

Sure enough, as soon as he arrived at the Xu residence, Xu Aizhou, still basking in the joy of rescuing his daughter, was thanking him when the phone rang.

Xu Aizhou stiffened as he answered the phone. "I need to hear their voices... alright, I’ll wait for your call."

After hanging up, he turned to Zhao Zhiao and said urgently, "My wife, your wife, and Mrs. Peng—they’ve all been kidnapped!"

"They’re demanding I arrange for a cargo ship to set sail immediately."

Zhao Zhiao was ready. "Once we hear their voices, we’ll let the cargo ship set sail."

As long as the ship hasn’t reached Taiwan, we can turn it around anytime.

He quickly called Shen Te. "Get everyone ready and block the docks at the foot of Baolian Mountain."

Keep them confined around Bailian Mountain—the tighter the area, the better.

*

Once the kidnappers call, clarify the situation, then head to Baolian Mountain with the team.

The basement was freezing in January.

They were bundled up, but still shivered from the cold.

Lin Yufan twisted her wrist gently. When she went to the restroom earlier, she’d hidden a small blade in her sleeve above her wrist.

She could reach the blade easily—she’d tested the spot before hiding it.

Luckily, when they tied her up, they missed the blade hidden in her sleeve.

She pulled out the blade and started slowly cutting through the ropes binding her hands.

Once Mrs. Xu understood the situation, she felt terrible. "They were after me, not you. I’ve gotten you both into this mess."

Mrs. Peng reassured her, "This isn’t your fault. We chose to come."

Lin Yufan, sawing at the rope, added, "This is on the kidnappers, Mrs. Xu. Don’t blame yourself."

Mrs. Xu whispered tearfully, "I don’t know how Yinger is doing. At least I have you two, but she’s all alone with those kidnappers. I’m so scared..."

Mrs. Peng said, "Don’t worry. The kidnappers are after your family—they must want something. Now that they’ve taken you too, it’s probably because Yinger’s been rescued, and they’re desperate."

Lin Yufan sighed in relief. "You’re right, Mrs. Peng. You’re so sharp. I’m younger, but in moments like this, my mind just goes blank."

Mrs. Peng joked, "When we get out, Mrs. Zhao, you’ll have material for a new novel."

As they were talking, lights suddenly appeared outside.

"Someone's coming!"

Lin Yufan quickly stopped what she was doing and tucked the blade back into her sleeve.

Watching the lights grow brighter and the footsteps closer, the three women who had been talking loudly fell silent.