Chapter Thirty-Seven: Another Storm Arises

Zhang Qinglin stared at the River Sacrifice Map, lost in thought. Beside him, Wanqing and Cheng Che rolled up the painting. Suddenly, Jiang Xinyue appeared at the doorway, her expression flustered. Seeing the others busy, she hesitated, wanting to approach but afraid of disturbing them.

Cheng Che caught sight of Jiang Xinyue at the door and quickly asked, "Xinyue? Why are you up?"

"Brother Qinglin... um... Dazhuang, he..." Jiang Xinyue remained at the threshold, stammering, unable to finish her sentence.

Zhang Qinglin broke from his reverie, walked to the door, and asked, "What happened to Dazhuang?"

Even after asking twice, Jiang Xinyue faltered. Without waiting any longer, Zhang Qinglin stepped outside and headed swiftly toward another room.

"Xinyue, what exactly is going on?" Cheng Che pressed her.

Following behind Zhang Qinglin, Jiang Xinyue explained, "I... I didn't mean to say those things. I never expected he would just run off..."

Dazhuang had run away because Jiang Xinyue had said, "It's all because of you. If not for you, none of this would have happened. You're a burden; please stop dragging everyone down."

She had imagined her muttered words would fall on deaf ears, believing Dazhuang to be a simpleton. Yet, before she finished, Dazhuang glared at her, turned on his heel, and dashed out. She had given chase, but he had vanished without a trace.

Zhang Qinglin did not scold Jiang Xinyue. He called Cheng Che to help search for Dazhuang, and Wanqing went to seek information from Zhao Ruilong.

Siyue County was a small town, its streets crisscrossed in a confusing maze. Zhang Qinglin searched several streets without success. As dusk settled, he returned to the courtyard. Just as he entered, Cheng Che rushed in urgently.

"Something's wrong—Dazhuang has been taken!"

Zhang Qinglin was startled. "Did you see who took him?"

Cheng Che shook his head. He hadn't seen the faces clearly. By the time he caught up, they had bundled Dazhuang into a van and sped north. But from what he glimpsed of those in the vehicle, he was almost certain one of them was Old Seven.

The two did not enter the house. As they discussed how to track down Old Seven, Jiang Xinyue ran out, her hands trembling, holding several photographs up to Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che. She exclaimed in shock, "Brother Qinglin, look! What's going on? Why would Dazhuang have photos of my father?"

Zhang Qinglin took the yellowed, timeworn photos from her. In the black-and-white images, Uncle Jiang looked young and innocent.

It was indeed strange. Uncle Jiang's family had always lived at Zhangjia Tower. Why would Dazhuang have pictures of him?

A screech of brakes sounded at the gate. Wanqing, sitting at the driver’s seat, rolled down the window and urged, "Pack up quickly and get in the car."

Wanqing had gathered that Boss Ma and his men had already left Siyue County, and Old Seven had indeed kidnapped Dazhuang.

The car sped through shadowed woods, veered onto the national highway, and soon saw a black sedan and a van pass ahead.

"That's the van," Cheng Che pointed.

Wanqing shifted gears, pressed the accelerator, and the car shot forward, doggedly pursuing the two vehicles.

The sky grew ever darker, and the cars ahead raced into the mountains that seemed to blend into the indigo night.

The convoy wound through steep, rocky slopes. Zhang Qinglin’s car followed at a cautious distance. After about an hour, Boss Ma’s car turned into a village. From afar, they saw him park near a dilapidated factory and step out, dragging Dazhuang with them.

Several men stood at the factory entrance. Zhang Qinglin immediately recognized the foremost man—it was Lord Wu from the Black Mine. Lord Wu's presence confirmed Wanqing's words; now, the priority was to rescue Dazhuang.

Zhang Qinglin handed the River Sacrifice Map to Jiang Xinyue, instructing Cheng Che to protect her and the map, then he and Wanqing got out. Among the four, Wanqing had the best skills, but Boss Ma's side had numbers, so she couldn't go alone. Zhang Qinglin nodded to Wanqing, and together they slipped to the back door of the factory, prying open the iron lock.

Cautiously, in the dark, they followed the murmurs, locating a lit iron door. Hiding behind it, they peered through a crack to see Boss Ma and Lord Wu seated at a table; Dazhuang was bound on the floor nearby. Zhang Qinglin scanned the room, but saw no sign of Old Seven. Then he heard someone say, "I've brought all the equipment, just waiting for your instructions, Brother Sake. Have you pinpointed the exact location?"

Lord Wu took a swig of liquor, turned to ask Sake.

Sake rubbed his head, his voice hushed. "Though we don't have the Apocalypse Map, we have a living map. Once we get him to talk, finding the tomb entrance will be no problem."

Lord Wu eyed Dazhuang with curiosity, stood, and tugged his hair for a closer look. "Isn't this kid from the Wu family? Wu Sixth Lord’s nephew, right? Brother Sake, you’re not joking, are you? You brought a fool for this deal—can we really pull it off?"

Dazhuang lifted his head, his two black eyes fixed on Lord Wu’s face, his lips twitching as if he might leap up and bite his throat at any moment.

"Hey, don’t underestimate him. Old Seven never lies. This kid, just like Wu Sixth Lord, pretends to be a fool and dupes everyone."

"Hard to believe he's faking. Hmph, treat him well. I won’t believe he won’t talk," Lord Wu straightened and said.

Sake rose from the table and cautioned against violence.

At that moment, Old Seven hurried in, whispered something to Sake, who glanced at Dazhuang and waved his hand. The group filed out of the factory, and a car drove off.

Zhang Qinglin and Wanqing followed, only to see several burly men approaching—they realized Old Seven had known they were trailing all along.

Wanqing lashed out, kicking the nearest man and gripping his shoulder, shouting to Zhang Qinglin, "Run!"

Suddenly, a black sedan shot toward them—Cheng Che was at the wheel, charging straight at the group. Zhang Qinglin and Wanqing jumped into the car, and Cheng Che swerved, aiming directly at the attackers.

They sped along the rugged mountain road for over an hour, never glimpsing Old Seven’s vehicles.

The car stopped halfway up the mountainside. The morning sun was already rising, its rays filtering through the windows. Zhang Qinglin opened his eyes, roused Cheng Che and the others, and pressed onward.

There was only one road leading out of that village into the mountains. Zhang Qinglin was certain Old Seven’s car was just ahead.