Man D took a phone out of his pocket, dialed a number, and said, "Hello, Brother Wu, we've already taken care of it. What should we do next?"
After a brief conversation, Man D hung up. The others immediately crowded around and asked, "Well? How is it?"
Man D instructed, "The boss told us not to touch them no matter what. Did you all hear that? Before they wake up, cover their eyes so they can't see our faces. Keep them for a few days and then let them go. We follow the boss's orders to the letter—everyone got that?"
"What a shame… such fine goods, and we can't touch them," Man A muttered under his breath.
Man D suddenly pointed at him and snapped, "Especially you—watch yourself. If you ruin the boss's plan, we're all dead. Brother Wu will be here at three in the morning. Stay sharp, and if anything happens, report it to him."
With that, they immediately got to work, covering the unconscious Gu Caini and Long Minmin's eyes with black cloth and tying their hands behind their backs.
Hearing this, Shi Aotian knew the women weren't in immediate danger, so he quietly left. He wanted to see exactly who the mastermind behind all this was.
When Shi Aotian returned home, Dongfang Qing was already waiting for him inside.
"Where have you been?" Dongfang Qing asked anxiously.
"I… I…" Shi Aotian hesitated for a moment, then took a pendant from his pocket and held it out to her. "This is for you."
He had originally planned to give it to her tomorrow, but because of what happened with Gu Caini, he had to give it early—he had more important things to do tomorrow, and it might be delayed.
"What are you giving this to me for?" Dongfang Qing asked with a smile, looking at the pendant in Shi Aotian's hand.
"Tomorrow's your birthday, so I… I…" Shi Aotian didn't quite know how to say it. "Sorry, I peeked at your ID card and saw that your birthday's tomorrow, so I bought this for you."
"Birthday? I'd even forgotten," Dongfang Qing exclaimed. Then she took the pendant happily and said, "Thank you, I really like it. Help me put it on."
Shi Aotian's heart skipped a beat. Put it on her?
"Hurry up, I can't do it myself. Help me," Dongfang Qing urged cheerfully.
Startled out of his daze, Shi Aotian walked over clumsily, slipped the pendant over her neck, and fastened it while breathing in her alluring scent.
Dongfang Qing's heart was pounding. She could feel her own heartbeat, and even more clearly, the sound of Shi Aotian's breathing behind her. The primal scent he carried made her dizzy once more.
Shi Aotian gently let go of the pendant. Dongfang Qing suddenly turned around and hugged him tightly, saying shyly, "You're so good to me."
But Shi Aotian, who in his heart still thought of her as his long-lost sister, froze, feeling deeply confused. He was no longer sure if what he was doing was right.
Dongfang Qing quickly stepped back and asked, "Where did you get the money?"
Shi Aotian hadn't had time to think before blurting out, "Prize fights." The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it—his straightforward nature had betrayed him again.
"Prize fights?" Dongfang Qing frowned.
Knowing he could no longer hide it, Shi Aotian admitted calmly, "I fought in underground matches. I don't have an ID card, so I couldn't find work. I knew your birthday was coming, so the only way to make money for your gift was this way."
Hearing this, Dongfang Qing felt a wave of emotion in her heart and asked softly, "Were you hurt?"
Shi Aotian lowered his head like a child who had made a mistake in front of his sister and shook it. "No, they weren't my match."
Dongfang Qing hugged Shi Aotian again, speaking with excitement, "Thank you… thank you. But don't go fight again in the future. If you want to make money, I can help you."
Shi Aotian was touched. That warm embrace once again made him think of his sister. Without realizing it, his arms wrapped around her as he silently called out in his heart: Sister, you've come back. I can feel it.
Lost in Shi Aotian's embrace, Dongfang Qing couldn't help but give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Blushing, she slipped out of his arms and said, "I'm going back to school. You should get some rest—tomorrow I have a lot to do."
Shi Aotian just stared at her blankly and nodded.
Dongfang Qing smiled, walked to the door, and turned back to say, "I want to finish my work ahead of time, so tomorrow night you can celebrate my birthday with me." With that, she ran out quickly.
After watching her leave, Shi Aotian sat on the sofa in a daze. For Dongfang Qing, he had already decided to rescue Gu Caini—that would be the best birthday gift he could give her.
After midnight, the streets grew quiet, with fewer and fewer people around. Many shops had already closed. Shi Aotian came to a shopping mall. He wanted to change his clothes—or rather, put on something that would hide his appearance completely. Only that way could he move freely and make full use of his abilities without revealing his identity.
With a light squeeze of his hands, he crushed the lock on the mall's back door. The inside was pitch dark, but Shi Aotian, whose eyes had long adapted to seeing in darkness, quickly leaped inside. He bounced off the walls as he moved forward, his speed increasing with each jump. It had been a long time since he had felt this exhilaration, and now his playful side was fully awakened—he jumped faster and faster until he reached his peak state.
While moving, Shi Aotian began looking for clothes that would fit him. He finally picked out a black leather trench coat, a tight black T-shirt, black pants, and a pair of black leather shoes. On his way out, he also grabbed a pair of black sunglasses and a stylish black hat. Then, like a gust of wind, he slipped out of the mall, climbed up a hidden tree, and changed into his new outfit, stashing his old clothes high in the branches.
When he jumped down from the tree, it was as if he had become a different person—there was only one word to describe him: cool. The all-black outfit perfectly outlined his tall, sharp figure.
With these clothes on, Shi Aotian felt like he was under a protective shield. He darted madly between the gaps of tall buildings, moving at incredible speed.
"Daddy! I just saw Batman!" cried a little boy living on the thirteenth floor, startled by the sight of Shi Aotian flashing past the window. He shook his sleeping father's arm excitedly.
"Sweetheart, if you don't go to sleep, Batman will come and take you away," his father mumbled groggily.
Hearing this, the little boy's face turned pale. He quickly pulled the blanket over himself and said nervously, "I'm already asleep."
Children are always this adorable. If, when he grows up, he still remembers tonight, he'll probably believe he saw a UFO, not Batman.
In just twenty minutes, Shi Aotian had retraced his steps to the abandoned factory. He leapt lightly onto a nearby tree and quietly observed everything inside and around the factory. He was waiting for the man they called "Brother Wu" to appear.
By now, Gu Caini and Long Minmin had regained consciousness. Blindfolded and unaware of where they were, they huddled together in fear, struggling desperately. Their mouths were stuffed with cloth, and muffled "mmph, mmph" sounds came out—it was obvious they were calling for help.
The factory had been abandoned for a long time, and being in the suburbs, few people ever came here. Yue San's arrangement was meticulous, but not flawless. Everything was clearly visible to Shi Aotian from his vantage point.
Long Haotian realized that both of his daughters had not come home, so he sent people out frantically to search for them. The worry in his heart was beyond words.
"Stop crying, you're making my head ache," Long Haotian said irritably, lighting a cigarette and snapping slightly at his wife, who was sobbing uncontrollably.
Hearing this, his wife restrained herself a little and fell silent.
"If I find out who's behind this, I'll skin him alive," Long Haotian burst out. His years of underworld experience told him this was no ordinary kidnapping. The kidnappers hadn't called for so long—there had to be some other motive. How could he not be anxious? After retiring from the jianghu for so many years, such a thing suddenly happening only made his mood heavier.
"I've already sent people to search. You should rest first. I'll stay here and wait. It'll be fine," Long Haotian said gently, trying to comfort her.
"No, I want to wait here," his wife insisted.
Long Haotian didn't argue further and let her be. He sat on the sofa, frowning deeply, chain-smoking.
By now it was late at night. Shi Aotian had been perched in the tree like a statue for two hours, watching. Yue San's men still hadn't gone to sleep—they were playing cards, waiting for the "Brother Wu" they had mentioned to arrive.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the distance. Instinctively, Shi Aotian shrank back, hiding himself behind the thick leaves. The sound of a speeding car came closer, then stopped. Doors opened. Shi Aotian peeked out and saw four burly men get out of the vehicle and head toward the abandoned warehouse.
One of them must be "Brother Wu," Shi Aotian thought. Not knowing which one he was yet, he decided to stay put and observe for a while longer.
Inside the warehouse, Men A, B, C, and D had already become alert when they heard the sound of a car. They looked out through the window, and seeing it was their own people, they relaxed and went downstairs to open the door.
"Brother Wu," the four of them greeted in unison.
"Mm," Xiao Wu responded. "How are they?"
One of the men said, "They cried themselves tired and fell asleep. I'll take you up to see them." He led the way upstairs.
The others followed. Xiao Wu glanced at Gu Caini and Long Minmin, sleeping side by side, and asked in a low voice, "You didn't do anything to them, right?"
"No—absolutely not. The boss ordered us not to touch them, we wouldn't dare," Man A replied quickly.
"Good. Everything goes according to the boss's plan. Let's go downstairs to talk," Xiao Wu said quietly, afraid of waking the two women. He led the group back down.
Shi Aotian heard every word. Now he knew who "Brother Wu" was, and from their conversation, it was clear Wu wasn't the mastermind—someone else was pulling the strings.
With that in mind, Shi Aotian leapt down from the tree and quietly approached the factory. He had made up his mind—he would rescue Gu and Long first, before anything else could happen to them.
Back downstairs, Xiao Wu instructed, "The boss says you're to treat them well. If they lose even a single hair, none of you will live to see another day. Understand what you're supposed to do?"
"Got it," the four men chorused.
"When the job's done, you'll be well rewarded," Xiao Wu said before turning toward the door. One of his men went to open it for him.
"What's the hold-up? Why are you just standing there blocking the door?" another of Xiao Wu's men barked at the one opening it.
Seeing that he didn't respond, the man with a bit of a temper walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and was about to ask why he wasn't moving when, at that very touch, the man at the door suddenly fell backward. Everyone instinctively took a step back.
With a thud, the doorkeeper collapsed to the ground, and in an instant, blood spurted from his neck like a fountain, splattering all over the others.
They all stared at the corpse in shock, minds blank, unable to utter a word.
Xiao Wu was the first to react. Having seen his share of the world, he barked, "Draw your weapons! Stay sharp—someone's lying in ambush!"
The others snapped out of their daze, yanking pistols from their waistbands and scanning the surroundings. Xiao Wu's first thought was that Long Haotian must have found this place and sent someone to ambush them.
"Quick, upstairs! Check on those two girls!" Xiao Wu ran up first, and the others followed.
The noise downstairs had already woken Gu Caini and Long Minmin. With their mouths and eyes still covered, they couldn't call for help. Hearing the rush of footsteps coming upstairs, they huddled together in fear.
As Xiao Wu reached the top, he thought to himself: They're still here. What's going on? This isn't Long Haotian's style—he wouldn't sneak around like this.
"Hey! Has anyone seen Xiao Hei? Why hasn't he come up?" Xiao Wu quickly asked after counting heads. Xiao Hei was the man who had patted the doorkeeper's shoulder. In truth, the moment he did that, Shi Aotian—moving like the wind—had already slit his throat. That was why he had stood motionless all this time.
"Looks like he's still down there," said Young Man B, who was at the back of the group.
Xiao Wu's heart tightened. He pointed at one of his own men and ordered, "Go down and check."
"Me?" The man instantly felt his blood run cold.
"When I tell you to go, you go. Cut the crap," Xiao Wu snapped. He had been running around all this time without even seeing the enemy's shadow.
The man could only steel himself and start down the stairs, clutching his gun tightly from time to time. He hadn't even reached the bottom when he saw Xiao Hei still standing with his back to him by the door. "Brother Wu, Xiao Hei's just standing there at the door, not responding," he called out nervously.
"Go take a closer look, then come back and tell me," Xiao Wu's voice ordered from upstairs.
The man swallowed hard, sweat dripping from his forehead as he glanced around. Aside from a narrow beam of light shining in from the doorway, everything was pitch-black. The short distance felt unbearably long.
When he reached the bottom, he caught sight of the corpse on the floor and felt a wave of nausea and dread. Stepping up to Xiao Hei, he called softly, "Xiao Hei… Xiao Hei." When there was no response, he took a small step forward, about to pat him.
Just then, a gust of wind seemed to blow in from the doorway, sending a chill straight through him. In that instant, Xiao Hei toppled forward into the wind, and blood gushed from his neck like water from a burst pipe, flooding the floor around him.
"Ahhh!" the man screamed, his courage shattering. Somehow finding strength he didn't know he had, he bolted up the stairs.
Hearing his scream, the men upstairs froze in fear. Then came the pounding sound of someone charging up the stairs. Everyone tightened their grip on their pistols and aimed at the stairwell.
When they saw it was their own companion, they breathed a little easier and began to lower their guns—only for a sudden jet of blood to spray from his neck, splattering the wall. He tumbled backward down the stairs.
In truth, when he had been about to pat Xiao Hei, that "gust of wind" from the doorway wasn't natural—it was caused by Shi Aotian's blade slicing through the air in a lightning-fast strike from the darkness. In that instant, the man was already dead. But Shi Aotian's technique and speed were so sharp that the wound hadn't opened immediately. When the man turned to run upstairs in panic, the rush of blood from his accelerated heartbeat caused the wound to split, creating the gruesome scene they had just witnessed.
Xiao Wu and the four men—A, B, C, and D—were so terrified that their faces turned pale green, quickly retreating backward. The three dead men were all Xiao Wu's subordinates, and he hadn't expected them to be wiped out in an instant. This made him recall what Yue San had said about the Black List. He prayed desperately that this person wasn't a Black List assassin—otherwise, with his own strength, it would be like trying to stop a chariot with an ant's arm.
"Hurry up and drag those two girls over here," Xiao Wu said nervously, a plan forming in his mind as he decided to gamble.
The still-shaken A, B, C, and D snapped out of their daze and dragged Gu Cainai and Long Minmin over to Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu glanced around nervously, then raised the gun in his hand and aimed it at Gu Cainai, shouting, "Come out! I don't care who you are—if you want to save these two girls, you'd better come out right now!" The other four men understood immediately, hurriedly pointing their guns at the two women's heads, waiting for a response.
The surroundings fell silent, with no movement whatsoever. With guns pressed to their heads, Gu and Long were so frightened they didn't dare breathe.
"I'll count to three. If you still don't come out, I'll kill them," Xiao Wu threatened, secretly hoping the man was here to save the two girls—because that would mean he might still have a chance to live. If not, he was certain he was doomed. Thinking of this, he could only stake everything on this gamble.
"One… two…" Xiao Wu counted slowly, his eyes darting around the area. Just as he was about to say "three," the sound of footsteps came from the stairwell—someone was coming up. Everyone instantly understood and aimed their guns at the second-floor stairway.
Shi Aotian slowly walked up the stairs, finally appearing before them. At this moment, Xiao Wu was completely certain that the newcomer had come to rescue the two girls in his hands. A smug smile flashed across his face—having these two girls was like holding a trump card, and that meant the man would have no choice but to obey.