Chapter 142 19

Chapter 142

Li Shang emerged from Village Head Ding's house, the snowstorm showing no signs of abating, snowflakes swirling with a rustling sound.

By now, many of the village's able-bodied young men had already headed towards the snowy mountains, leaving the alleys quieter and more desolate than usual.

The cold wind quickly brought Li Shang back to his senses.

He organized his thoughts; there were two tasks at hand.

First, he needed to find a vehicle, even if it was just a motorcycle. Although those people were too preoccupied to deal with him now, it was only a matter of time before they came for him. Walking on these heavily snowed streets, he would be caught before he even left the village.

Whether he needed to find He Lin, rush to the nearest police station for backup, or even go to Xincheng, transportation was essential.

Second, he needed to verify the truth of Village Head Ding's words and ascertain the true severity of the situation.

There were still some unconfirmed points in Ding Sheng's account. He needed to find a cooperative informant to complete the information.

Both tasks pointed in the same direction: his best option was to go to the village's central convenience store and find Zhou Xian, who had initially provided them with information.

With this thought, Li Shang turned and walked alone into the village.

The streets were bitterly cold. He had been frozen in the ice cave at noon and was now running a fever, making him shiver. Despite this, he maintained a swift pace.

At this moment, Li Shang's mind was exceptionally clear.

After reviewing the documents and hearing Village Head Ding's story, Li Shang suddenly formed a bolder hypothesis—it seemed he was uncovering more of the truth...

The convenience store was soon in sight. At this hour, it was closed, but the lights were still on, indicating that the occupants were still awake.

Li Shang knocked on the door. After a moment, a woman's voice called out, "Just a moment."

Zhou Xian opened the door. She had expected a villager in urgent need of something, and seeing Li Shang standing there, she paused in surprise.

The woman, who had been preparing for bed, had merely thrown on a coat, her hair slightly disheveled. She asked cautiously, "Are you here to ask me about Jiang Lai?"

Li Shang shook his head. Without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point: "I wanted to ask about your previous police report."

The mention of her report made Zhou Xian's face blanch—it was a painful scar on her heart.

She glanced inside the room, then stepped out and stood in the snow.

Zhou Xian clearly did not want the man inside to overhear their conversation.

The woman nodded slightly.

Li Shang got straight to the point: "Today, I saw the police station's previous records. Two years ago, you reported being assaulted?"

Zhou Xian let out another soft "mm-hmm."

Li Shang continued, "Afterward, you were punished by them? And then you didn’t press charges..."

Zhou Xian's eyelashes fluttered, tears welling in her eyes, and she nodded gently again.

Li Shang asked, "I understand that these incidents have occurred multiple times in the village."

Zhou Xian nodded again, then turned her head and said, "What I experienced was similar to what they encountered before."

By "they," she meant Jiang Lai, Jiang Waner, and other women in the village.

"That child—was it with your husband, or..." Li Shang paused before asking, "from the Jiang family..."

"You... you found out?" The tears that had been trembling in Zhou Xian's eyes suddenly fell. She opened her mouth as if to say something but remained silent under Li Shang's steady gaze.

After a brief standoff, the woman finally yielded to Li Shang's eyes, her face pale as she revealed the answer: "Yes, that man is not my child's father. The child is Jiang Ruoyu's."

This was something Li Shang had pieced together on his way.

Earlier, he had seen Zhou Xian playing with a rattle drum, which was almost identical to the handmade wooden toys, kites, and bamboo dragonflies found in Jiang Ruoyu's home.

The young and beautiful Zhou Xian, a victim at the time, was forced to marry that man. A year later, she gave birth to a boy, but the child's fair complexion was distinctly different from her husband's.

They had seen photos of Jiang Ruoyu with his family in his home, including one where he was happily holding a baby. Based on the timeline, no baby had been born in the Jiang family at that time.

The child's appearance resembled Zhou Xian's son.

Moreover, other photos of Jiang Ruoyu holding children were also highly suspicious.

Why was Zhou Xian able to run a convenience store in the village? Why did she have a car, and surveillance cameras front and back? Why did she give them that surveillance video? Why did she want them to find Jiang Lai?

All because of this answer.

Because that child was Jiang Ruoyu's.

She was essentially the old man's kept mistress. The man by her side was merely her husband in name, while she herself suffered abuse from the old man.

They had initially thought Jiang Ruoyu was just an eccentric old man who got along well with the village children.

But in reality, those innocent childish voices called him "Grandpa."

How many of his descendants were there in this village?

Zhou Xian continued, "They claim it's for the village's future. Everyone in the village who can marry must marry. Women are treated like livestock." She took a deep breath, her voice low and hoarse, tinged with bitterness. "When that happened, my first reaction was to report it to the police. But after understanding the situation, the officers said there was insufficient evidence. Then I was punished..."

At this point, the woman trembled, large tears streaming down her face as she recalled the painful memory: "Do you know what those beasts did? In the dead of winter, they tied me up and stuffed me into the Female Infant Tower in the wasteland, locking me in there for an entire night!"

Zhou Xian took another deep breath before continuing, "I was relatively lucky—I was just traumatized and often have nightmares. One girl went mad after spending a night there, and another lost a foot due to prolonged exposure and restricted blood flow from being tied up."

Hearing this, Li Shang's brow furrowed deeply.

On his way over, he had seen those Female Infant Towers—sturdy gray structures that once held the bodies of infant girls. Years ago, countless young lives had been cast into those towers, ending their brief and humble existences.

Years later, the villagers had turned them into prisons for women.

The cramped space, barely large enough for one person, was dark, damp, filthy, and reeked of insects and rot. Women were tied up and shoved inside, forced to gaze out through a small window.

The air carried the stench of decay from the bones of long-dead girls, and the view outside was an endless expanse of icy wilderness.

Surrounded by cold, fear, and resentment, these women endured the world's cruelty, waiting for fate to take its course.

People would freeze, and some would break from fear.

Not for a moment, but for an entire night.

All because they refused to marry the men of the village.

What kind of inhuman torture was this?

So, the driver wasn't lying; when he got out of the car, he really heard crying coming from the tower...

Large, pure white snowflakes fell on Zhou Xian's face, and the orange-yellow streetlights made the tears on her face glisten. Her face was pale from the cold, and she was just one of the many victims in the village.

Zhou Xian continued, "After being locked up for a night, I never wanted to experience that feeling again. My parents said that if I refused to marry, they would act as if I were dead. They even went to my workplace and spread rumors that I'd been assaulted... I had no choice but to compromise and return to this village with my parents. Later, I found out that my parents had already taken money to marry me off."

"Aside from that incident, which was done by my current husband, he never touched me again. Almost every week after that, Jiang Ruoyu would come..."

"The Jiang family has the most people in the entire village, and many of them listen to him. His word alone put me in charge of running this small supermarket. Here, if Jiang Ruoyu likes someone, that person can strut around town. On the other hand, if someone offends him, their life is over."

The woman gritted her teeth as she spoke: "Jiang Ruoyu always says he treats me well, but I hate him every single moment! He ruined my entire life. I’m stuck here forever, unable to leave."

"Later, I became pregnant..."

"Last year during the New Year, when Jiang Lai came home, I saw what happened in the surveillance footage and knew that she had encountered the same thing I did back then. Even though Jiang Ruoyu is her biological grandfather, he showed her no mercy."

"I hope you crack this case. I hope you can catch those devils."

At this point, she covered her face and said, "Some people have tried to resist, but we can’t do it alone. There was once a girl who was assaulted and tried to post online calling for help, but she was quickly discovered. They forced her to delete the post and chopped off her fingers! Slowly, the women left in the village no longer dared to resist. After having children and growing older, they become mothers and forget their own experiences, blending into the village!"

"I don’t want to become like that." Her shoulders trembled. "Everything I’ve said is true. You can take the child for testing..."

Hearing this, Li Shang lowered his eyelashes and heaved a sigh.

Those women seemed to have been devoured by this village.

From young girls not allowed to study, to girls forced into marriage through violation, to matchmakers who would stop at nothing, and even white-collar women who went missing after returning home to visit relatives.

All the clues finally came together during their investigation.

So, that’s why the woman on the street went mad.

So, that’s why Zhou Xian said, "You must find Jiang Lai."

So, that’s why the bride was crying.

So, that’s why Jiang Lai fled like she did back then.

And this might only be the tip of the iceberg beneath the seemingly prosperous surface of Hanhua Village.

Here, there is no freedom or flowers, only endless ice and snow, and a cold that cuts to the bone.

If they hadn’t come here, the secrets of Hanhua Village might have remained hidden for much longer.

At this moment, Li Shang only felt that they had arrived too late, which was why so many tragedies had occurred here.

Li Shang coughed a couple of times lightly; the rushing around in the snow seemed to have made his fever spike. He said to Zhou Xian, "We’ve found some evidence regarding Jiang Lai’s disappearance. But they took my colleague. Can I borrow your car?"

"Okay," Zhou Xian agreed without hesitation. Then, looking at Li Shang, she hesitated for a moment and said, "I’ll drive you. The roads are slippery after the snow."

The car’s tires were outfitted with special anti-skid chains, something only those accustomed to driving on ice and snow could handle.

From the woman’s expression and tone, Li Shang could tell she truly hated Jiang Ruoyu.

He didn’t refuse Zhou Xian’s help and asked, "But won’t this get you in trouble..."

He was worried about the woman’s child and her future, as they might still have to live in the village.

Zhou Xian gently shook her head at him and said firmly, "The child is a Jiang, and he’s a son. They’re willing to kill girls, but they value sons, especially young ones. As for me..." The woman smiled bitterly, a determined glint in her eyes, "I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. How is my life now any different from death?"

Even if she had compromised temporarily, she had always been waiting for this opportunity.

Her body may have been subjugated, but her spirit never would.

No freedom, rather death.

Li Shang understood Zhou Xian's resolve as a woman.

He said, "Thank you."

Zhou Xian wiped her tears: "You don’t need to thank me. Jiang Lai’s disappearance is definitely connected to that old beast. If you can catch him and save me from that old pervert’s humiliation, that would be the best repayment for me."

The woman went back to her room to put on a coat, then came out with the car keys and started the car.

As the night deepened, the snow continued to fall, but the wind had let up some. With the windshield wipers on, they could see the road ahead.

She asked Li Shang, "Where to now?"

Li Shang pointed toward Beiwang Peak: "First, to find my colleague."

Zhou Xian turned on the headlights, started the car, and the tires left tracks in the snow as they drove along the village’s winding path toward the snowy mountains.

.

Meanwhile, at the clearing under the snowy mountains, Jiang Jingde looked at He Lin, who had taken the knife he offered.

Someone was pointing a gun at him, and with so many of them around, Jiang Jingde wasn’t afraid of what this cop might do.

His father’s orders were to get Jiang Lai’s phone and then kill both policemen, making sure they didn't make it out of the village alive.

But Jiang Jingde wasn’t in a hurry to kill him; dealing with Jiang Waner first was the priority.

Now that communications were cut off, these outsiders were like fish in a barrel, with no chance of escape.

He wanted to toy with them, give them hope, then crush it and revel in their despair.

Like a cat playing with a mouse it had caught.

So, he didn’t care that his lie was clumsy. Even if the other saw through it, what could they do? They were still just fish on the chopping block, at their mercy.

They had dealt with many police from the countryside and Xin City; many were just ordinary people, just as scared to die. Up against all of us, what could one person do?

Jiang Jingde asked Jiang Waner, "Before you die, is there anything you want to say?"

He wanted to hear the woman beg for mercy.

Jiang Waner had been crying and trembling with fear when she saw her parents leave earlier, but by now, her tears seemed to have dried up in the wind and snow. She glared resentfully at her uncle and asked, "Did Jiang Lai say anything before she died? Did she beg you?"

Jiang Jingde’s face darkened as he admitted: "No."

Jiang Lai remained stubborn and resilient until the end.

She didn’t yield or beg.

Remembering that scene, Jiang Jingde seethed with anger. He had always obeyed his father’s words like gospel, never daring to disobey. Who was Jiang Lai—just a granddaughter—to act that way? She never showed her grandfather proper respect and always opposed whatever he told her to do.

So, she got what was coming to her.

Then he turned his gaze to Jiang Waner before him.

This girl was too stubborn, even more so than her cousin. What happened at the wedding funeral banquet could've been swept under the rug if she had just kept quiet, but she had to say it in public. That was an outright defiance, a slap in the face to the Jiang family.

A defiant younger generation like this isn't even worth mourning if they die.

"Sister Jiang Lai didn't beg for mercy," Jiang Waner said with a hint of a defiant smile, raising her face and narrowing her eyes at him. "Then I won't either."

Another one!

Sure enough, she’s following the example—just as insolent.

Jiang Lai deserved to die, and so does Jiang Waner.

Jiang Jingde was so enraged he wanted to slap her face, but his hand was suddenly gripped tightly—it was Officer He...

He Lin said, "She's about to die—why waste your anger on her? Let me take the first hit."

With that, He Lin showed no mercy, kicking Jiang Waner so hard that he forced her to her knees in the snow.

Jiang Jingde: "..."

He hadn’t expected He Lin to adapt so quickly and obediently, already making his pledge of loyalty.

Taken by surprise, Jiang Waner knelt in the snow and looked up at He Lin in fear.

He Lin moved closer to Jiang Waner, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her body lower.

He moved to face her, looking down at the girl.

He gestured decisively with the knife in his hand, though he sounded apologetic: "I’m really sorry, but there’s no other way. Police work is just a job—I can't risk my life for this case."

He Lin seemed to have found the right spot to strike, still talking as he spoke: "Besides, even if I don’t hurt you, someone else will kill you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he plunged the knife decisively and without hesitation straight toward the woman’s chest.

Jiang Waner let out a shrill scream.

The act shocked Jiang Jingde—he had only asked He Lin to injure her, not kill her on the spot. But given He Lin’s brutal move, it seemed they wouldn’t even need to step in.

Jiang Waner’s body jerked and collapsed uncontrollably. He Lin followed, crouching down beside her.

As his center of gravity shifted, the man holding the gun was a split-second too slow, didn't have time to aim at He Lin.

In that instant, He Lin suddenly snapped his head up and hurled the knife.

The blade sliced through the air in the swirling snow, arcing in a parabola. The gunman, unprepared, was struck squarely by the knife and dropped like a stone, his gun falling into the snow and kicking up a puff of snow.

In truth, from the moment He Lin approached Jiang Waner and placed his hand on her shoulder, he had deliberately dug his fingers in. Even when he kicked her, it seemed forceful but actually struck a nerve, numbing her.

Jiang Waner, having interacted with He Lin the most, knew how he operated and immediately understood.

He Lin wanted her to play along in an act.

When He Lin thrust the knife, it appeared forceful but was actually a fake move. The blade was tilted downward, braced against Jiang Waner’s ribs without piercing her—only tearing through her thick down jacket.

Jiang Waner’s scream and collapse were so realistic it stunned them briefly.

He Lin capitalized on their hesitation to strike, taking down his target accurately.

With the gunman subdued, He Lin had no holds barred.

He produced an ice blade hidden in his sleeve, pulled Jiang Waner to her feet from the snow, and sliced through the ropes binding her hands. Jiang Waner quickly dove behind the crowd.

At the foot of the snow-covered mountain, chaos and darkness took over—no one had time to worry about her now.

Being too close to the mountain made shooting dangerous. Brandishing the ice blade, He Lin advanced quickly, meeting the charging Jiang family head-on.

Capture the leader first—He Lin made a beeline for Jiang Jingde.

Several young men beside Jiang Jingde moved to intercept He Lin.

Fearlessly, He Lin swung his leg, scattering snow everywhere as his lightning-fast kick connected with one man’s face. The man fell, spitting blood.

Almost immediately, another attacked silently from behind. But He Lin was prepared, jabbing backward with the ice blade and gashing the man’s side.

The man yelped in pain, clutching his wound as he staggered back.

Before He Lin could catch his breath, someone else aimed a swift kick at his chest.

He Lin raised his arm to block, then seized the man’s leg and shoved him back forcefully.

The man fell backward, crashing into the snow and sending up a wave of white.

The Jiang family, numerous and fierce, soon surrounded He Lin.

Fearless, He Lin brandished the ice blade—its front razor-sharp, its back serrated, designed to break ice but also an effective weapon.

As He Lin swung, the blade glinted, slicing through several men’s clothes in an instant.

Warm blood stained the pure white snow.

At the same time, He Lin used sweeping kicks to scatter snow, creating clouds of white that obscured the enemy’s vision.

The Jiang family members encircled him but couldn’t get close.

Unfortunately, the bitter cold meant everyone was bundled up, and the thick snow cushioned falls. Even at full strength, He Lin soon found those he’d knocked down climbing back to their feet.

Amid the swirling snow and flying white, He Lin dodged and weaved through their attacks, striking swiftly and without holding back—aiming for vital areas like the head, face, and neck.

In moments, he’d taken down several more. He kicked away a man trying to block him and charged toward Jiang Jingde.

He Lin’s ice blade slashed toward Jiang Jingde’s neck. The man couldn’t dodge in time—his ear was injured, blood smearing half his face.

But in his panic, Jiang Jingde managed to grab the shotgun lying in the snow.

Flying snow and flowing blood blurred Jiang Jingde’s vision, but he raised the gun recklessly, ready to pull the trigger. The long, black barrel was instantly seized by He Lin.

In desperation, He Lin forced the barrel upward.

Jiang Jingde, completely unhinged, squeezed the trigger hard. The raised shotgun fired several rounds—into the tranquil mountain behind them.

Bang, bang, bang—the gunshots echoed at the mountain’s base.

The bullets’ impact pierced the thick snow layers. The massive accumulation, once stable, now trembled—its fragile balance shattered instantly.

After the gunfire, the mountain emitted a deep, strange groan—like the sigh of an awakened mountain god whispering in their ears.

This was the wrath of the mountain god!

Hearing the sound, Jiang Jingde, still holding the gun, froze. His face instantly went pale, drained of color.

He Lin’s expression changed. He snatched the gun and threw it to the ground.

Glancing back at the cascading avalanche, he had just enough time to shout to Jiang Waner: "Run!"