Chapter 32: “After” Fear

Thud!

Jiang Che felt himself slammed down hard once again. Just moments ago, after much hesitation, the man in the black robe had still thrown him into the basement.

The fall was painful enough to make him grunt softly, and before he could even recover, the darkness suddenly exploded with the heart-wrenching cry of an infant!

As if frightened by its own noise, the child began to wail loudly.

It was clear that this group had already captured a child.

Just as Jiang Che’s irritation grew with the incessant crying and he was about to figure out how to get up and soothe the child to stop its crying, the wails lasted only a few cries before quickly falling silent.

Only then could Jiang Che carefully take in his surroundings.

The cold floor beneath him and the damp, earthy smell immediately filled his nostrils.

Not far from him, two breaths could be heard. Jiang Che held his breath and listened intently.

One breath was light and shallow, brief and lacking the “weight” of an adult’s presence.

The other was completely different—long, clear, carrying the delicate lightness unique to a young woman, very much like that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.

At this moment, the faint firelight in the cold, damp basement illuminated the figures of three people.

Jiang Che’s hands were bound behind his back, his mouth gagged with a tattered cloth that muffled his speech.

Not far from him, sitting on the cold ground, was a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, in the prime of her youth.

She wore a plain pale pink cloth garment, made from coarse fabric and utterly simple, with not a single pattern.

She looked exactly like a servant or an ordinary village girl.

Unconsciously, she tucked her hair behind her ear and carefully rocked the baby in her arms, trying to soothe it.

Yet, for some reason, she never uttered a single word the entire time.

Meanwhile, inside the wooden house, the man in the black robe was opening the door to leave.

“You two stay here and keep watch! I’m going to report to my master. If you come back and the person’s gone, don’t expect a single penny from me!”

“All right, all right. They’re not going anywhere. Hurry up, or if that Chief of Lingjian Peak really comes crashing in, we won’t be responsible for you—after all, you were the one who tied him up.”

Wu Qing waved his hand casually, signaling the black-robed man to hurry up and leave.

Although angry, the man in black only had the strength of an early Foundation Establishment Stage, so after considering, he decided not to cause trouble with these two brothers and slammed the door on his way out.

Seeing this, Wu Qing wasn’t upset either. He put away the fan in his hand and rummaged through a few things inside the house before heading toward the basement.

“Old Meng, watch from upstairs. I’ll go down and take a look.”

“Sure, boss, but do you really trust that guy? What if he backs out later? This job is so easy and profitable—I’m honestly uneasy about it.”

Wu Meng looked at Wu Qing, his eyes showing a rare glint of wisdom.

“Don’t worry. If they don’t pay up, we’ll just release the child.”

“Okay.”

After saying this, Wu Qing carried some items and moved toward the basement.

The noise quickly caught Jiang Che’s attention. He immediately relaxed his body again and pretended to still be unconscious.

But Wu Qing saw through the act right away.

“All right, little brother, stop pretending to sleep. Get up and eat something.”

He crouched down and pulled the torn cloth from Jiang Che’s mouth.

Wu Qing squatted in front of Jiang Che with his signature, friendly smile—hardly like an accomplice of kidnappers.

Jiang Che, however, refused to respond.

Unfazed, Wu Qing took out a small bundle.

Inside were a piece of oiled paper wrapping and a small leather pouch.

He skillfully unwrapped a layer of oiled paper to reveal several warm shaobing (baked flatbreads), their aroma slowly spreading through the stuffy basement.

“Here, after all that struggling, you must be hungry. Eat something to settle your stomach.”

He handed the oiled paper to Jiang Che, but noticing the bound hands, he hesitated.

Instead of feeding Jiang Che directly, he turned toward the girl sitting in the corner, gently cradling the infant.

“Here, Xiao Yaba, take care of this little brother and feed him a bit.”

Wu Qing placed the bread into the mute girl’s hand.

“Also, feed the little one some goat’s milk.”

He then pulled out the small leather pouch filled with liquid—obviously goat’s milk.

Xiao Yaba set down the baby in her arms, stood up, and took both items.

She walked over to Jiang Che and gently helped him sit up.

Feeling the gentle aura of the girl beside him, Jiang Che’s vigilance relaxed somewhat.

But he was still surprised by Wu Qing’s nickname for her—didn’t expect she was mute.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

Wu Qing was momentarily stunned by Jiang Che’s composure. He had expected the boy to be trembling in fear, but Jiang Che’s behavior was unlike someone his age.

Could disability really make a person so much more mature?

Seeing Jiang Che refuse the food, Xiao Yaba didn’t leave either but stayed to support him as he sat there.

“All right, if he doesn’t want it, that’s fine. Let’s feed the baby first, or it’ll start crying again.”

At this, Xiao Yaba quietly went to the side and began feeding the infant.

Jiang Che’s legs were not bound, so he was able to sit upright.

Once steady, he spoke.

“Are you human traffickers?”

Wu Qing was somewhat surprised by Jiang Che’s directness.

“Not really. My brother and I were just hired by that guy as bodyguards. So if you want revenge later, don’t come looking for me and my brother. Besides, I even gave you some bread, right?”

Hearing this, Jiang Che understood immediately—this man had come down to make peace with him and probably bore no ill intent.

“You’ve got it wrong. I have nothing to do with the Chief of Lingjian Peak you mentioned, but you’d better leave here soon. Otherwise, if she finds you, she probably won’t give you a chance to explain.”

Wu Qing frowned, not understanding Jiang Che’s meaning. Could it be that the woman would kill them without a word?

Only Jiang Che knew that recently Lin Yin’s emotional state had fluctuated wildly—so much so that she had nearly killed him herself.

It seemed the heart demon was having a severe impact on Lin Yin.

Wu Qing rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment.

“Probably… she won’t come that soon. Don’t underestimate the guy who tied you up; he’s got some skills. His name is Xie Xuan, a Jizhen Xiu. To put it simply, he’s an Xie Xiu.

The kind who sacrifices lives to enhance his cultivation or perform formation magic.

He used several people’s lives to create a formation in this house that blocks any spiritual detection. Your master hasn’t arrived yet—probably because of that formation.”

Jiang Che was shocked upon hearing this, wondering why such an Xie Xiu would exist within Shenxiao Sect territory.

But he soon calmed down—after all, he wasn’t a disciple of Shenxiao Sect and didn’t need to worry about it.

What he needed to worry about now was how not to be turned into a Furnace by that sick freak.

And judging by what that freak said, Jiang Che was going to be offered as a Furnace to his master—some old man who must be a hundred or eighty years old?

Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

“But don’t worry,” Wu Qing continued, “From what I know, his master only has cultivation around the Golden Core Stage or maybe the Nascent Soul Stage. He probably wouldn’t dare provoke that Chief of Lingjian Peak. I’d guess that when she comes back, she’ll release you.”