178: conquer

Late at night, at Sister Qin's home.

Everything was deathly silent, with only the occasional sound of wind drifting in from outside the window.

Bai Jie lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Li Zhan's figure, the misunderstanding in the darkness that night, and those absurd dreams... played over and over in her mind like a revolving lantern, leaving her agitated, while her body inexplicably felt a surge of emptiness and heat.

Just then, an extremely faint sound of a key turning came from outside the door, followed by the sound of the door being pushed open and then gently closed.

Bai Jie's heart skipped a beat; at this hour, it could only be Li Zhan who had returned!

Her breathing instantly became rapid, and she pricked up her ears, catching every movement outside the door.

Hearing the sound of a coat being tossed casually onto the sofa, and the sound of his footsteps walking toward the bathroom... her heart hammered like a drum.

A crazy, shameful thought bubbled up uncontrollably: would he... would he do something tonight...?

This thought made her blush, yet it also carried a fatal temptation.

As if possessed, she climbed out of bed on tiptoe, barefoot, and crept to the bedroom door like a thief.

Her fingers trembling, she reached for the small lock knob.

After a fleeting moment of internal struggle, she bit her lower lip and, with an almost imperceptible "click," unlocked the door.

After doing this, she turned and scrambled back to bed like a startled rabbit, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt. Her heart pounded wildly, and she gasped for air, feeling both frightened and vaguely expectant.

Outside the door, Li Zhan, who had just taken a quick shower and was still damp and smelling of alcohol, was walking past Bai Jie's door while drying his hair with a towel.

That extremely faint yet distinct sound of the lock clicking open seemed exceptionally abrupt in the quiet night.

Li Zhan's footsteps stopped instantly.

He stood outside the door, stunned for a moment, then, as if realizing something, the corners of his mouth curled into an uncontrollable, knowing smirk.

Alcohol amplified his desires and weakened his restraint...

Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed his palm against the door and applied a little force—the door slid open silently, revealing a crack.

The room was pitch black, but he could clearly hear the sound of rapid, albeit suppressed, breathing coming from the bed.

He didn't turn on the light, nor did he speak; he slipped into the room silently and gently closed the door behind him.

In the darkness, Bai Jie felt a tall shadow loom over her, carrying the fresh scent of a recent shower, a faint smell of alcohol, and that intense masculine pheromone that she both feared and was obsessed with.

She tensed up, her fingers gripping the edge of the quilt tightly, and she subconsciously covered her mouth, terrified of making a sound that might wake Sister Qin and Xiao Qian next door.

Li Zhan sat on the edge of the bed; he could feel the violent trembling of the body beside him.

He did not rush to pull back the quilt; instead, he reached out, accurately found her covered mouth, and gently removed her hand from it.

Bai Jie was so nervous she could barely breathe, yet she couldn't summon the slightest thought of resistance.

Then, his hand did not pull away but instead caressed her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her burning skin before slowly moving downward, tracing her slender neck and collarbone...

Throughout the whole process, the two did not say a word.

There were only the sounds of suppressed breathing and the faint rustle of fabric intertwining in the darkness...

Four o'clock in the morning, Guangxi, Guilin, Huajiang Township, Li Zhan's hometown...

This was the time of day when people were in their deepest sleep.

The cold wind cut like a knife; the village was pitch black and silent.

Four dark figures crept silently to the outside of the courtyard with the wooden dummy.

The courtyard gate was indeed left ajar.

The man in the lead sneered inwardly and signaled; the group carefully pushed open the courtyard gate, slipped inside, and then gently closed the gate behind them.

The courtyard was pitch black and terrifyingly silent.

However, just as they adjusted to the darkness and prepared to sneak toward the house—"Bang!" The courtyard gate was slammed shut from the outside and bolted!

High-powered flashlights lit up instantly, and blinding beams of light completely engulfed them!

There, in the courtyard, stood an elderly man, lean and vigorous, dressed in a navy blue martial arts robe, standing like a pine tree with eyes as sharp as lightning.

Behind him stood five or six sturdy young men, each with cold eyes and steaming bodies, clearly having been waiting there for a long time!

An invisible murderous aura permeated the air...

"We have been waiting for you for a long time."

The old man's voice was low, yet it sounded like cold iron rubbing against iron, making one's hair stand on end in the cold night.

The men's legs turned to jelly; they finally realized that they had fallen into a trap from the very beginning.

That damn old man... there was absolutely no room to resist...

The old man didn't even lift a finger; he just gave a slight nod.

The sturdy young men pounced like cheetahs, their strikes precise and ruthless; in a few moves, they knocked the four uninvited guests to the ground, dislocated their jaws, and tied them up securely.

The old man paced over to the men, who were sprawled on the ground like dead dogs, and said to his disciples in a cold voice, "Drag them to the back mountain and bury them."

He spat out the words calmly, as if talking about disposing of trash.

The four men were terrified out of their wits, "We're being buried just like that?"

They soiled themselves and struggled and whimpered frantically.

Master seemed to remember something else and said to his disciples, "You lot haven't seen blood yet; take turns practicing on them when the time comes. Remember, before you kill them, find out clearly who sent them and what they came here to do."

He paused and added, "Once you've found out... go tell your sister-in-law when it's light out, and have them give your senior brother a call."

"Yes! Master!" the disciples replied solemnly, their eyes filled with an eager desire for practice.

The men were in utter despair, their faces smeared with tears and snot.

They could never have imagined that they would die inexplicably in this backwater, without even completing their mission, and be used as teaching tools!

Who the hell said the local customs here were simple and honest? This is f***ing savage...

On the cold back mountain... there was only the biting sound of the wind, the occasional dull thud, and a few desperate whimpers muffled by covered mouths...

Soon, it returned to silence, as if nothing had ever happened...