Translator: CinderTL
"Do rich women really enjoy knot-tying?" Chen Qiang asked.
"Well..." Huai Yi hesitated before saying, "Yes, some do. Chen Qiang, I can vouch for that."
"Hurry up, we still have to travel," Zhao Xingguo urged, feeling uncomfortable with the Night Watcher's involvement. Even if they survived, they wouldn't dare confront the Night Watcher if they reneged on their deal.
"Little one," Pi Ruan said, quickly approaching the boy. He took the boy's hand, gave him a gentle hug, and whispered a few words in his ear. "Don't dwell on what happened earlier, and don't hold a grudge against Uncle. Uncle is a man of his word."
Whether terrified by Pi Ruan's earlier hostage-taking or simply overwhelmed, the boy continued to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes fixed on Pi Ruan as if he were a monster.
"We have to go now. May your journey be safe," the leading man said, pointing them toward a shortcut. "Follow this path for about half an hour, and you'll see the mine entrance."
Jiang Cheng and the others bid farewell and departed, but this time their group had gained a new member: Pi Ruan. He refused to leave, and Jiang Cheng worried about him encountering danger alone on the mountain.
In the end, Lin Wan'er made the final decision. Pi Ruan could stay, but he had to follow orders and keep his mouth shut.
"Understood, Boss Lin," Pi Ruan said, bowing and scraping. "I know the rules. This time, consider me an investor. If we find gold, I'll provide manpower and equipment. I won't be greedy—50% is enough."
"Heh," Fu Fu said, her black bag slung over her shoulder. "Aren't you afraid you'll find the gold but never get to spend it?"
"What kind of girl has such a foul mouth? Didn't your parents teach you how to speak?" Pi Ruan retorted, hands on his hips.
Less than a few minutes later, Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped, claiming he'd left something in the previous tent and turned to go back for it.
"Dr. Jiang," Pi Ruan hurried forward, forcing a smile. "Let me go with you. It's safer to have company in these deep mountains and forests."
Jiang Cheng looked at Pi Ruan for two seconds. "No need," he said, then turned and walked away.
Pi Ruan quickened his pace, still trying to persuade him, but Fatty pulled him back. "Brother Pi Ruan, the doctor will be faster alone. Don't bother him."
In a few breaths, Jiang Cheng had disappeared from sight.
Pi Ruan gazed at the vanishing figure, something flickering in his eyes.
Near the tent, the burly man was directing everyone to clear the traces of their presence and reset some of the traps. Seeing Jiang Cheng return, he looked surprised. "Why are you back?"
Jiang Cheng ignored him, immediately seeking out the boy nearby.
The boy's face was etched with terror at Jiang Cheng's return. He kept glancing nervously over Jiang Cheng's shoulder.
"What did that man say to you just now?" Jiang Cheng asked bluntly.
He had seen Pi Ruan whisper something in the boy's ear during their embrace. At the same time, the boy had wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant, not daring to utter another word.
The boy trembled at the question, shaking his head frantically. "No, I don't know anything."
Jiang Cheng frowned slightly. He had only returned to probe the boy, but it seemed there was indeed something amiss.
To be honest, he still trusted Pi Ruan. After all, they had been together for a long time.
But recent events had made him cautious.
Most importantly, the middle-aged man had determined that the Fatty he had always suspected was innocent.
The middle-aged man had even sent Jiang Cheng the Fatty's background information.
After a brief examination, Jiang Cheng found nothing amiss.
But if Fatty was innocent, then whose eyes had been lurking in the shadows, watching him all this time?
Long ago, Jiang Cheng had sensed in his nightmares that some of the people he encountered seemed intimately familiar with him, as if they knew him from real life. They understood his habits, even how he would react when faced with problems.
Few people knew him so well—he could count them on one hand, with Pi Ruan barely making the cut.
Chen Qiang's words had served as a wake-up call. Sometimes, outsiders see things more clearly.
Thinking this, Jiang Cheng knelt down to face the boy. The boy's eyes were filled with terror, his hands twisting nervously.
"No matter what that person said, you don't have to listen," Jiang Cheng said gravely. "I can help you. But if you don't cooperate, I'll call him back right now and tell him you've told me everything."
"No, don't!" The boy broke down completely, sobbing. "I didn't say anything! You're lying!"
Jiang Cheng didn't waste time arguing. He turned as if to leave, but the next second, the boy burst into tears, clutching Jiang Cheng's sleeve and sobbing, "He said I should watch my mouth, or he'd kill my whole family!"
Jiang Cheng frowned at this, but the leader of the men froze. He glanced at Jiang Cheng, then turned to comfort the boy. "Don't be afraid, Uncle Feng is here. He won't let him hurt you. What exactly happened?"
The boy finally calmed down and began to recount the events. "At first, Second Uncle Liu, Brother Qian, and I were watching him. After a while, Second Uncle Liu told me to go gather some firewood nearby."
"But when I returned with the firewood, I found Second Uncle Liu and Brother Qian lying unconscious in the clearing outside the tent."
"A man was standing with his back to me, tying them up with rope."
There was no doubt this man was Pi Ruan. But so far, aside from the oddity of Pi Ruan being able to knock out two guards, Jiang Cheng couldn't see anything that would have terrified the boy so much.
"And then?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Then..." The boy seemed to relive the scene, his face turning deathly pale. "Then..."
The boy suddenly raised his head, staring into Jiang Cheng's eyes. His eyes were bloodshot. "He was facing away from me. I... I saw something fall from in front of him—a large piece. But then he picked it up. That's when I noticed his hands... they were covered in blood!"
"I couldn't help it. I took a sharp step back, snapping a twig under my foot and making a noise."
"He noticed me!"
"He turned around abruptly. His face... his face was rotting away!" The boy's voice rose to a shrill pitch. "Half his rotting skin was peeling off, his nose was hanging from his lip, and yellow pus was oozing from his eyes, revealing white bone around the eye sockets!"
"Just now... just now he picked up his own rotten face!"
"He's still trying to stick it back on with his hands!"
"He's not human!" The boy clawed at his own face, leaving bloody streaks. "He's a Ghost! A Ghost!"
"The Rotten-Faced Ghost!"
The boy's cries were barely audible. "He wasn't just trying to kidnap me. He was really going to kill me to silence me! If you hadn't arrived just a moment later, he would have killed me!"
(End of the Chapter)
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