The dense rain pattered against the canvas canopy with a soft rustling sound.

Cao Yanhua lay on the ground, bound like a zongzi dumpling, his mouth stuffed with cloth. Rainwater had seeped in from outside, soaking his entire back.

Outside, the atmosphere was lively—glasses clinking and voices roaring—he could imagine the joyous scene. But Cao Yanhua felt as though he were lying in a grave.

His emotions swung between extremes. One moment, he thought everyone had probably been killed because of him, and he had nothing to live for—perhaps a flash flood should come and wash them all away, burying them cleanly. The next moment, he felt it would be too unjust to die like this; if he died, he should at least take someone down with him, not let Ya Feng off so easily.

Yes, he had fallen into Ya Feng’s hands.

Cao Yanhua regretted it to his core.

He had sneaked into the village and, having assumed the entire village was suspect, hadn’t contacted Qing Shan in advance. Utilizing the wall-climbing technique he’d just learned, he entered the backyard when no one was looking and encountered Ya Feng first.

The young girl, hearing the commotion, turned pale with fright and desperately shrank into a corner of the bed. Cao Yanhua’s heart softened at this sight. He quickly explained his identity, saying he was Qing Shan’s cousin from the city.

Ya Feng covered her mouth and began to cry, then rolled up her sleeves to show him the wounds on her arms. Cao Yanhua’s head throbbed with anger. His suspicions about Ya Feng being left unguarded in the backyard completely vanished; instead, he felt the villagers were despicable, torturing this poor girl until she had no courage to run away or resist.

He immediately decided to help Ya Feng escape.

They arranged the bedding to look as if Ya Feng were still sleeping, ensuring it wouldn’t be discovered for a while. With too many eyes at the village entrance, they took a small path up the mountain, planning to get over it first.

Ya Feng remained cooperative throughout, gritting her teeth as they climbed walls and hills. Her pitiful appearance tugged at his heartstrings. He must have been blinded by infatuation, even worrying about her future livelihood, thinking that if she had nowhere to go, he could introduce her to Uncle Zheng for work…

Then everything changed suddenly.

By then, they had climbed halfway up the mountain, not far from the cave where he was later imprisoned. Ya Feng stopped and asked him: “Are you alone?”

The implication seemed to be that his rescue plan wasn’t thorough enough, that he should have brought more people for support.

Cao Yanhua didn’t think much of it and explained that his friends were also concerned, and he had come in first to scout the situation.

Ya Feng said, “So if you don’t make it out, they’ll come looking for you, right?”

Her expression was odd, her tone completely changed, as if she were a different person. Cao Yanhua grew wary. Just as he was about to ask what she meant, Ya Feng’s expression changed, and she reached for the top of his head.

Everything went wrong. Cao Yanhua, now on high alert, swung a fist to block her. Ya Feng didn’t dodge but caught his fist with one hand.

The scene was almost comical in retrospect. He was sturdy and plump, his fist like a clay bowl, while Ya Feng’s hand was small, slender, and snow-white. Yet when she gripped his fist, her fingers were like iron.

Cao Yanhua cried out in pain. Ya Feng suddenly released him, then struck his head hard with the back of her hand. Cao Yanhua’s vision went black, and he collapsed immediately.

He didn’t completely lose consciousness, though. In his hazy state, he saw Ya Feng grabbing his pant leg, dragging him into the cave.

How could such a thin, small girl possess such strength? As she bound him with rope, Cao Yanhua’s veins bulged on his forehead from the tightness.

Ya Feng stuffed the cloth into his mouth, her face expressionless, and said: “Two more.”

Two more? Which two? Cao Yanhua couldn’t understand. Even more puzzling was why Ya Feng would turn against him when he had come with good intentions to rescue her.

Then, a few days later, Mu Dai fell through the trapdoor right before his eyes.

The hole must have been very deep. After a long time, Cao Yanhua finally heard a faint impact.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he felt like dying. Ya Feng emerged from the darkness with a smile, saying: “The second one.”

Then she left. Near dawn, she returned with an eerie smile, holding up three fingers to him, saying: “You all aren’t that impressive, are you?”

Cao Yanhua’s heart felt as cold as an ice cellar. By this point, he vaguely guessed that the matter was related to the evil bamboo slips.

But he still clung to hope. After all, there were five people on his side. He didn’t know who the third person was, but he prayed it wasn’t Luo Ren. As long as his “Knife Brother” was around, there was still hope.

However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Luo Ren, right before his eyes, suffered the same fate as Mu Dai. What made it even more unacceptable was that this time, the person accompanying Ya Feng to deal with Luo Ren was Qing Shan.

Ya Feng, like a gecko with suction cups on its abdomen, clung tightly to the trapdoor, outmaneuvering Luo Ren while safely returning to the ground herself. Cao Yanhua stared at her, his mind blank.

He thought that they had probably all been wiped out.

Was Ya Feng really that formidable? Upon reflection, perhaps not. In a direct fight, she might not be as dangerous as Old Clam, Wild Man, or Xiang Si’lan. But one by one, through surprise attacks, they had all fallen.

Cao Yanhua was overwhelmed with grief. Through blurry eyes, he heard Qing Shan excitedly ask Ya Feng: “Why is my cousin here?”

Someone was lifting the canvas outside, making rustling sounds. Cao Yanhua stared at that spot: what now, was Qing Shan bringing him wedding wine?

Because of Cao Yanhua, Qing Shan and Ya Feng argued over one point, but in the end, it seemed Qing Shan went along with Ya Feng’s wishes. Qing Shan would occasionally come up the mountain to bring him some food and chat with him. But when he spoke, it was as if Cao Yanhua had taken a wrong turn. Despite Cao Yanhua’s curses or pleas based on their family relationship, Qing Shan remained resolute. When pressed, he would only say one thing:

—”You and the others are different. Ya Feng is keeping you alive…”

Was he influenced by the evil bamboo slip? Or brainwashed?

The canvas was suddenly pulled back with a whoosh, and surprisingly, it wasn’t Qing Shan who entered.

It was a tall, large woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a suit and skirt with light makeup. Despite her build, her face was quite pleasant.

Was she an accomplice of Ya Feng? But this woman seemed somewhat familiar.

Cao Jinhua was also startled to see Cao Yanhua in such a state. Although she had some mental preparation based on what she had overheard earlier, she still hadn’t expected to find him so thoroughly bound.

Had she stumbled upon some secret?

This thought made her both nervous and afraid, and she stammered: “You… Cao Tudun?”

At this voice, Cao Yanhua suddenly remembered who she was.

Judging from Cao Jinhua’s expression, half hesitant and half nervous, she didn’t seem to be in collusion with Qing Shan. Cao Yanhua suddenly felt a glimmer of hope and nodded desperately.

Cao Jinhua’s heart was racing: “Why… why did Qing Shan tie you up?”

Cao Yanhua desperately gestured towards the cloth stuffed in his mouth. After a moment of hesitation, Cao Jinhua tremblingly helped remove it.

Cao Yanhua took deep breaths: “Sister Jinhua, let’s put aside our past grievances. This is a matter of life and death. Free me first.”

Cao Jinhua remained silent. Thinking about it carefully, Cao Yanhua had run away from home long ago and might have learned bad habits outside. As for Qing Shan… in recent years, she had met him several times. If forced to choose, she would rather trust Qing Shan more.

But to tie someone up like this was too extreme…

Cao Jinhua was undecided, but every minute of delay meant more danger. Cao Yanhua was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead.

Yet he still spoke to her politely: “Sister Jinhua, trust me. If I’m lying, may I be hit by a car when I leave? We grew up together as neighbors. I’m telling you, Qing Shan is not himself right now…”

With a thud, Cao Jinhua suddenly rolled her eyes, then her legs gave way, and she slowly collapsed.

Cao Yanhua’s heart sank. It was over. Before he could escape, another person had been sacrificed.

Then his eyes widened in shock.

Behind Cao Jinhua stood Yan Hongsha, holding a rolling pin. Who knows which stove she had taken it from? Looking quite pleased with herself, when she saw Cao Yanhua looking at her, she proudly rested the rolling pin on her shoulder.

She said, “Fatty Cao, you poor thing, excited to see me?”

Cao Yanhua opened and closed his mouth, then suddenly burst into tears.

Yan Hongsha thought to herself, look at your lack of composure—Yi Wansan didn’t cry even when he was buried in the earth for so long.

She knew that delays could lead to problems, so she quickly crouched down, keeping an eye on all directions while rapidly untying Cao Yanhua: “I found Yi Wansan, dug him out of the earth. He’s now outside the village. I haven’t found Mu Dai and Luo Ren yet. Do you have any news?”

Cao Yanhua nodded, then shook his head.

Yan Hongsha was irritated: “Do you have news or not?”

Cao Yanhua summarized: “The last time I saw them, they were both in the cave. They both fell into the trap. That hole… is quite deep, maybe…”

His emotions were uncontrollable, his voice breaking with a sob. Yan Hongsha paused, then, after a moment, gritted her teeth and removed the last coil of rope from Cao Yanhua’s body.

She said, “We don’t know if they’re dead yet. When I saw Yi Wansan, he was barely alive, but he turned out fine, didn’t he?”

Cao Yanhua kicked off the ropes, then looked worriedly at Cao Jinhua on the ground: “What about her?”

Yan Hongsha frowned: “I’m thinking.”

When she had approached, she heard Cao Yanhua asking Cao Jinhua to release him, but she didn’t have time to understand the full context—she had knocked her out first and dealt with the consequences later.

Just like when she had tested Ya Feng, acting on impulse without much thought. But in retrospect, there were many issues to consider.

If they left Cao Jinhua here, when she woke up and Qing Shan asked her what happened, he would know that someone else had come to the village and rescued Cao Yanhua.

And she had just tested Ya Feng, who would certainly be suspicious. If she couldn’t provide Ya Feng with a suspicious person to focus on, Ya Feng might suspect her.

Yi Wansan had instructed: “Hongsha, you’re our trump card now. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s best not to reveal yourself.”

Yan Hongsha sat back down at the banquet table, pressing her wound firmly with a tissue, then wrapping it with a plastic bag to ensure there would be no blood smell before casually picking up her chopsticks to continue eating.

The newlyweds, surrounded by their best man and bridesmaids, approached this table. Seventh Auntie led the way, looking somewhat displeased when they got close: “Jinhua, where is Jinhua?”

Unable to find her but not wanting to neglect the guests, she quickly introduced people based on memory: this is so-and-so, this is so-and-so. When it came to Yan Hongsha, she said: “This is Jinhua’s colleague who arrived this morning to deliver some materials. She was about to leave, but because of the wedding, we insisted she stay.”

Qing Shan quickly nodded in acknowledgment, but Ya Feng’s gaze was deep, looking Yan Hongsha up and down several times.

Yan Hongsha’s heart was racing, but her face remained all smiles. Just as she was about to stand up with her wine glass, a loud crash came from the distance.

As if planned, the pile of materials under the canopy collapsed, scattering stacked tables and chairs everywhere. Qing Shan’s expression changed instantly, and he pushed past nearby people and ran in that direction.

How could it have collapsed for no reason? It seemed like a bad omen, as if predicting that the newlyweds wouldn’t last and would split up. Seventh Auntie was concerned inwardly but didn’t show it outwardly, quickly calling people over to help.

After a while, Qing Shan returned with a strange expression and pulled Ya Feng aside to talk.

Yan Hongsha deliberately inched her chair closer to them, a little at a time.

She heard Ya Feng speaking in a lowered voice, unable to hide her anger: “I knew something was wrong. So it was his doing! You brought him here without telling me!”

Yan Hongsha felt relieved. Noticing that about half the banquet had been consumed, she deliberately picked up her briefcase and said goodbye to Seventh Auntie.

She said: “I can’t find Jenny, and there are matters at the company. I have to go back.”

The banquet wasn’t over, and there was no one available to see her off. Seventh Auntie said many polite words and forced a bag of food on her—red eggs, wedding candies, and pancakes printed with mandarin duck patterns.

It would be impolite to refuse, and refusing might also arouse suspicion. Yan Hongsha took the bag casually and left, deliberately walking past Qing Shan and Ya Feng to say goodbye, wishing them a harmonious marriage and early childbirth.

The couple smiled perfunctorily, perhaps distracted by what was on their minds—neither of their expressions looked particularly good.

Yan Hongsha walked with her head held high, carrying the large plastic bag, strolling through the village. As she approached the village entrance, she broke into a run. Cao Yanhua peeked out from behind a boulder, waving to her: “Sister Hongsha, here, here.”

“Did you find my bag?”

“Found it, pressed under a rock, just a bit wet.”

Cao Jinhua was leaning against the rock, her head drooping, still unconscious. Cao Yanhua complained: “Carrying her here nearly killed me.”

Yan Hongsha kicked off her wedge heels, took out her own shoes from the bag and changed into them, then quickly changed out of her small suit. She stuffed all the changed, unused clothes and the briefcase under the rock, covering them with soil mounded from outside.

She asked: “How far is the cave?”

Cao Yanhua pointed: “Halfway up the mountain.”

Yan Hongsha looked up. Cao Yanhua had mentioned that the hole was very deep. In that moment of looking up, many unpleasant images flashed through her mind.

She shook her head vigorously, trying desperately to shake them away, and said: “Let’s go.”