Chapter Forty-Two: All Must Die

The man's gaze grew as sharp as a blade, as if he wished to tear Hong Chen apart. To be honest, Hong Chen found himself in a bind. Under these circumstances, if he had access to medical bloodletting equipment in a pharmacy, given his medical skills, he could have drawn the blood with a needle without even removing her clothes. But to suck the blood through the fabric with his mouth? Not only was it exceedingly difficult, but why should he demean himself so?

“If you think that's inappropriate, then I’ll use the needle. I can extract about fifty or sixty percent of the poison; the rest will remain in her body. Whether she survives will depend on her own immune system,” Hong Chen said, spreading his hands helplessly.

The sharpness in the man's eyes gradually faded. He glanced at the girl's pale face, gritted his teeth, and asked, “Are you certain your method can cure her completely?”

Hong Chen nodded his assent.

The man hesitated a moment longer, then a look of resolve flashed in his eyes. “As I said, if you can’t cure her, you’ll pay with your life. Go ahead.”

Hong Chen wasted no words. He pulled back half the blanket and removed the girl’s tracksuit. Seeing she wore only a thin undergarment, he turned her onto her stomach, baring her back, and pushed the undergarment up to her neck. The man, who had been watching closely, silently turned away, as if to avoid witnessing something inappropriate.

(Abridged to avoid unnecessary detail.)

A faint fragrance drifted into Hong Chen’s nostrils, and before his eyes was a scene of fair and delicate skin. His heart could not help but stir, but he quickly suppressed it, focusing his mind. A silver needle danced between his fingers, and he precisely inserted it into the point on her back.

In two minutes, he had placed nine needles. Thin streams of crimson blood seeped along their shafts. After waiting half a minute, he pulled out one needle, pressed his mouth to the spot, and drew out a rush of poisoned blood.

So it went, needle after needle; extracting the tainted blood each time. After five minutes, he was finished. He pulled a packet of wipes from his pocket and cleaned the blood from her back, then helped her put her undergarment back on.

When Hong Chen turned the girl over, not only had her complexion regained its color, it was now even rosier than usual, the flush spreading up her neck and to her earlobes. Her eyes were open—a pair of lively eyes, dark as the purest black pearls, shy and spirited.

Being stared at so intently, Hong Chen felt a bit awkward. He smiled gently and said, “The poison in your body has been expelled. Lie still and don’t move. I’ll give you a few more needles, and your fever will soon subside.”

The girl nodded quietly. Hong Chen wasted no time; he placed eleven needles in her head and body. When he finished, he let out a breath and smiled. “All done. Your fever will be gone in half an hour.”

He covered her with the blanket, then turned to see the man had already faced them again, watching him for answers. Hong Chen nodded. “She’s fine now. In a while, give her something to eat and plenty of water. She hasn't eaten in over twenty hours and is very weak.”

As he spoke, he took out a pack of cigarettes and gestured toward the warehouse door. The man understood, came over and checked the girl’s forehead, comparing it to his own. Finding her temperature much lower, he finally relaxed, and went outside with Hong Chen for a smoke.

Hong Chen handed the man a cigarette, lit one for himself, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Once her fever breaks, I can leave, right?”

The man slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay with us for a few days.”

Hong Chen frowned slightly, smoked in silence for a moment, then suddenly asked, “You’re not planning to kill me to keep your secret, are you?”

The man seemed unsurprised by Hong Chen’s suspicion and shook his head again. “Don’t worry. I won’t repay kindness with betrayal. But so long as you do as I say. If you step out of line, I won’t show mercy… Come on, let’s go back inside.”

He flicked away his half-smoked cigarette and turned back toward the warehouse. Hong Chen shrugged and followed.

About fifteen minutes later, the girl’s fever had dropped to only a faint trace. The man, finally at ease, took bread and water from his pocket to feed her, his eyes gentler than before.

Seeing this, Hong Chen reconsidered his previous suspicions of kidnapping. The two clearly knew each other well, perhaps even intimately. The man appeared just over thirty, the girl not yet twenty. It was unlikely they were lovers—more probably siblings.

“Are you two brother and sister?” Hong Chen inquired. Before the man could answer, the girl nodded and gave Hong Chen a gentle smile. Her smile was exquisite—not the flamboyance of a peony, but the quiet purity of a newly-bloomed lotus, fresh and graceful, innocent and serene.

Hong Chen was about to say more when his attention was suddenly caught by something at the warehouse entrance. Barely a heartbeat behind him, the man turned sharply as well, his gentle look vanishing, replaced by a blade’s cold edge.

The girl seemed to sense it too, her face growing tense.

Several figures slipped inside—four men and a woman, all dressed in black. Their leader was compact and muscular, his eyes cold and predatory, like a wolf from the wilds. His gaze swept past Hong Chen as if he didn’t exist and fixed on the man, then pointed at the girl. In a hoarse voice he said, “Tank, this game is over. She’s nothing to you. Hand her over, and I’ll let you and Qiu go.”

“She’s my brother’s sister. My brother entrusted me with her life; I will not let anyone harm her. Tu Lang, if you want her, you’ll have to kill me first!” Tank’s face was set with unwavering resolve. As soon as he finished speaking, he charged forward.

Tu Lang and two men moved to meet him, and a fierce fight broke out. The remaining man and woman held their ground, wary as though expecting danger to strike at any moment.

Hong Chen cast a nonchalant glance in a certain direction, lit another cigarette, and assumed the air of a spectator.

A moment later, from the direction Hong Chen had glanced, a figure shot from the darkness, swift as a released arrow. Even though the waiting man and woman had been on guard, the woman was felled by a single, lethal stroke.

But the attacker paid a price as well, struck by a savage punch from the man, flying through the air in an arc before crashing heavily to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

“Sister Qiu!” the girl cried, her eyes filling with tears. Ignoring her weakness, she struggled to rise from the bed.

Tank swept his arm in a mighty arc, forcing his three opponents to retreat. He turned, looked straight at Hong Chen, madness flickering in his eyes. “I’ll clear a path! Take Xiaoyun and get out of here!”

Hong Chen pointed to himself, half amused, half exasperated. What did this have to do with him?

“No, I’m not leaving! If we die, we die together!” Before Hong Chen could answer, the girl stubbornly refused, her face set with unshakable resolve.

Tank started to argue, but a rush of wind behind him forced him back into battle. The woman named Qiu, injured but undaunted, rose and threw herself once more into the fray.

Two against four—soon both Tank and Qiu were coughing blood. Rather than fight to the death, they withdrew to the girl’s side. Tank shoved the girl toward Hong Chen, his eyes wild, and shouted, “Xiaoyun is in your care! Please, take her!”

The girl stumbled into Hong Chen’s arms and tried to pull away, but Qiu, seemingly prepared, darted over and struck the girl on the neck, knocking her unconscious. She gave Hong Chen a hurried gesture to leave, her beautiful face stern, her eyes a mix of warning and desperate pleading.

Hong Chen ignored her, his eyes flicking over her face with sudden surprise. “You’re mute, aren’t you?”

Qiu’s eyes flashed coldly. She gestured again, urging him to go.

“Don’t be delusional. The two of you are gravely injured. I could deal with you myself—it would just take a little time. In fact, I’ve been lurking nearby for over an hour, waiting for everyone to gather. I wanted to avoid exactly what you were planning: one of you fighting to the death while the other escapes with her. Give it up. No one’s leaving tonight. You’ll all die!” Tu Lang bared his teeth in a chilling smile, waving his hand.

At his signal, two of his companions broke off and took position at the warehouse door, left and right, standing guard like two stone sentinels, sealing the only exit.

Tank and Qiu’s faces changed drastically, their hearts sinking.

At that moment, Hong Chen’s disgruntled voice rang out. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? ‘You’ll all die,’ does that include me? I have nothing to do with your fight—I’m just an innocent bystander here.”