How did Cao Jiefang get here? Wasn’t Zheng Mingshan supposed to have taken it to Uncle Zheng’s place?

But Luo Ren had no time to think about this—the chicken could go wherever it wanted.

Cao Jiefang, however, was bright-eyed and enthusiastic, rushing over in a flash, stretching its neck and raising its head toward Luo Ren.

Luo Ren was irritated and pushed it aside with his hand: “Move away.”

But Cao Jiefang was persistent, flapping its wings and following him again, circling around him, stretching its neck and raising its head, as if asking for a kiss.

Luo Ren understood—its beak was wrapped with transparent tape so that it couldn’t remove itself. It had probably been hungry for hours, so seeing Luo Ren was like seeing family, and it kept raising its head, waiting for help.

Such a large chicken constantly hovering nearby was extremely distracting. Luo Ren wanted to kick it away, but feared its small frame couldn’t withstand the force. After several attempts, he finally couldn’t bear it anymore, grabbed it, yanked on the tape, and ripped it off with force, then shoved the chicken away.

Cao Jiefang rolled on the ground before standing up. The annoying tape had finally been removed, which was truly refreshing.

It didn’t know what Luo Ren was searching for as he scoured the area, only that he was a friend, so it followed him wherever he went, occasionally turning around to look for food. Several times, it even darted ahead of Luo Ren.

Luo Ren’s palms were sweating. He felt his search method wasn’t working, but he couldn’t think of a better approach.

At that moment, his gaze suddenly noticed something strange.

It was Cao Jiefang, originally pecking for food near a tree, when suddenly all its feathers stood on end, even the feathers on its neck were bristling—the perfect image of a fighting cock.

What was wrong? There didn’t seem to be any living creatures in front or behind that tree.

Luo Ren cursed himself for being distracted and was about to continue when Cao Jiefang let out a sharp “Hey… doh… loh,” in a tone unlike its usual one.

Animals are always more sensitive than humans. Had it discovered something? Luo Ren hesitantly took a couple of steps toward the tree and suddenly glimpsed something that made his heart jolt. He quickly crouched down.

Generally, trees that have grown for some years have vertical cracks in their bark, but near the roots, something strange was happening—the vertical patterns were turning horizontal. At first glance, it looked like worms squirming.

No wonder Cao Jiefang was so frightened.

This wasn’t reasonable or possible. Luo Ren quickly moved to another tree, and near its roots, the vertical patterns were also turning horizontal, like…

In a flash of insight, a scene suddenly appeared in Luo Ren’s mind.

It was back in Cao Family Village, at night. He was staying at Qing Shan’s house. The rain was heavy, water had pooled in the courtyard, and then, he suddenly saw Yi Wansan struggling to emerge from the center of the water surface, reaching out to him for help.

Later, he and Mu Dai speculated that since Yi Wansan was of the “water” element among the “gold, wood, water, fire, earth,” when his life was threatened, he could seek help from the outside world through interconnected water surfaces.

So now?

Luo Ren’s mind was racing rapidly.

Mu Dai was of the “wood” element, and this was a forest. The distance between trees wasn’t far. Below the soil, roots could extend very long, and one could even say that tree roots underground held hands with each other, forming an interconnected network.

Mu Dai was buried underground, and she could utilize the trees, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

So, the strange changes in the tree trunks and bark had a 90% chance of pointing him in the right direction!

Luo Ren hesitated no more, quickly rushing in that direction, occasionally stumbling to a halt to check the changes in nearby tree roots, before finally throwing himself down on a patch of open ground, desperately brushing away the surface branches and leaves.

He was right—one glance showed this soil had been dug up.

Luo Ren used his hands to dig, and since the soil hadn’t been packed hard, he soon touched something—a silver whistle with a flat, round white pearl attached to it. This was the necklace Mu Dai wore.

Luo Ren’s eyes grew moist. He reached behind her and forcefully pulled her entire body out. First, he checked her breathing—there was warmth. Her cheeks were still warm, and her chest had a heartbeat, but she wouldn’t wake up. She had likely been injected with some drug.

Luo Ren’s heart settled back into place. Only then did he feel weakness in his limbs. His legs weakened, and he fell to his knees, embracing Mu Dai, pressing her head against his chest, almost using his body and hands to shield all her vital areas.

The Leopard, of course, was hiding nearby with ease, waiting for his exhaustion. She wouldn’t let him take Mu Dai away. Given the Leopard’s character, she might even take a sniper shot, finishing Mu Dai in his arms at his most vulnerable moment. He had to guard against all these possibilities.

Mu Dai had been injected with a drug, which also aligned with the Leopard’s consistent calculation, because Mu Dai was a combat asset. If Luo Ren found her and freed her, she would immediately join his forces. But once she lost her consciousness and fighting ability, she would become Luo Ren’s burden.

Luo Ren asked her softly: “Mu Dai, can you hear me speaking?”

He felt her breathing might be rapid, or perhaps not. The forest was frighteningly quiet. Not far away, Cao Jiefang held its tail high, lowering its head to peck here and there.

The Leopard finally appeared.

Dressed all in black, facing the gradually fading sunlight, she was like a ghost approaching at dusk.

Past events, new grievances, and old hatreds, Luo Ren asked her: “Where are my brothers’ remains?”

The Leopard giggled and said: “You mean them?”

Ground into powder and used to fertilize flowers. Luo, do you remember my residence, with a garden? When you return with me, you’ll see how beautifully the flowers have bloomed this year.”

“Let Mu Dai go. The grudge between us shouldn’t involve innocent people.”

The Leopard sneered: “Luo, you’re like a naive child. The grudge between two people is like radiation waves, always affecting everyone around. Like your little daughter, your brothers—why would she be an exception?”

Luo Ren lowered his head, kissed Mu Dai’s forehead, then lay her back down before standing up.

The Leopard looked at him questioningly.

Luo Ren said, “Look, I’m standing between you and her.”

“So?”

“So before you can harm Mu Dai, you’ll have to kill me first. As long as I’m alive, you can’t cross this line.”

The Leopard smiled contemptuously.

“Is this a promise, Luo?”

“When have you ever kept one? Did you ever tell your beautiful little daughter, ‘Daddy will protect you,’ and what was the result?”

“You brought your men, charged into my territory, and what happened? You walked away alive; they died.”

Her smile widened: “This time, you still won’t succeed.”

Luo Ren laughed loudly. Before his laughter subsided, his dagger was unsheathed, its gleaming blade slicing across both his palms, then thrown straight at the Leopard. At the same time, his entire body lunged toward her like a fierce beast.

The Leopard sneered and sidestepped, but Luo Ren had calculated everything. His lunging direction was precisely where the Leopard would dodge. The timing was perfect; he almost crashed right into her, then quickly locked her throat.

His blood-covered hand pressed against the Leopard’s throat. Her skin seemed to be corroded, with wisps of smoke escaping.

The Leopard smiled, reached out, grabbed Luo Ren’s arm, and twisted it outward.

Like Ya Feng, her strength was astonishingly great. But unlike Ya Feng, the Leopard was a formidable fighter herself. She would never take ordinary pain seriously.

Luo Ren’s mind raced. Suddenly, he slammed his head against the Leopard’s, while sweeping his leg forcefully, knocking the Leopard down to the ground. Both of them touched the ground almost simultaneously and stood back up at the same time, not far apart, facing each other with cold smiles.

They seemed evenly matched, but Luo Ren felt something was off: the Leopard seemed to be holding back. Why?

He made up his mind, caring no more.

He had a grudge with her; he would stake his life on it. By fighting, there was still a glimmer of hope. If he didn’t fight, his Tasha and his brothers would have died in vain, and he couldn’t protect Mu Dai either.

Luo Ren gritted his teeth and charged again.

The Leopard’s limbs were like forged steel, with terrifying speed. Fighting her was like a cat toying with a mouse, or a martial arts master playing with a novice disciple. She didn’t fear his blows, always smiling, with deep and lingering meaning in her single eye.

Cao Jiefang flapped its wings in terror, running and flying about in panic, too frightened to even make a sound.

Suddenly, a figure flipped into the forest, shouting: “Luo!”

It was Qing Mu!

He had understood what Luo Ren meant.

—Want to eat out tonight? For a change of taste.

Luo Ren had previously instructed him not to leave Ju San Suiyuan without urgent matters.

In the rush, Luo Ren couldn’t think of a better method, but fortunately, Qing Mu had understood.

Luo Ren felt a surge of blood to his chest. For a moment, it was as if he had returned to the Philippines, to that battlefield of carnage. Each of his brothers who had gone through life and death with him, whether Qing Mu or Eurys, could understand what to do next with just a glance from him.

Luo Ren shouted: “Take Mu Dai and go!”

At the same time, he swept his leg to knock down the Leopard. The Leopard rose with astonishing speed. Luo Ren, enduring her heavy blow to his chest and abdomen, grappled with her. Glancing over, he saw Qing Mu hesitating and angrily shouted: “This is an order!”

This wasn’t just a fight; it was a war. In war, there’s bloodshed and death, as well as strategic objectives. His objective was to get Mu Dai out, regardless of the process, only caring about the result.

Stop being so damn hesitant, this is an order.

Qing Mu gritted his teeth, quickly ran to Mu Dai’s side, hoisted her onto his shoulder, took one last look at Luo Ren, and rushed toward the edge of the forest.

Luo Ren used all his strength to flip the Leopard down once more, his palm turning to reveal a bloody dagger.

The Leopard looked at him with a smile, not struggling, and said: “Luo, kill me.”

Luo Ren’s mind was buzzing, with countless voices echoing in his ears.

—Eurys said: Luo, I can’t learn to swim, I’ll drown.

—In the morning, in the misty forest, his brother said, Luo, count me in, count me in too.

—At the port at midnight, Tasha clung to his arm, saying: Daddy, will you come to Australia to see me…

Luo Ren’s eyes were bloodshot as the dagger fell.

Suddenly, a childish voice came from behind: “Daddy!”

Qing Mu gritted his teeth and ran at full speed. Just as he was about to exit the forest, his body suddenly jolted.

He heard gunshots.

More than one.

Qing Mu looked back toward the depths of the forest, as if returning to the jungles of the Philippines during their campaigns.

After the gunshots, everything went quiet. There was no sound, no one pursued.

He stood for a while, then suddenly turned around and strode back. The external steel frame on his leg made a creaking sound, as if it couldn’t bear the pressure of his heavy steps.

Luo Ren had fallen.

He didn’t know how many bullets had hit him. There was blood all around; his entire body lay in a pool of blood. His eyes were open, his chest heaving violently.

The Leopard sat on the ground, leisurely reaching out to pluck a fragment of leaf from her hair.

And standing beside Luo Ren was that little girl…

Qing Mu suddenly felt the whole world turn gray.

It was Tasha, Tasha holding a gun. More than a year ago, he had retrieved a rainbow hairpin mixed with bone fragments from a mastiff’s stomach—that was his last connection to Tasha.

The Leopard gave a slight yawn, stood up from the ground, and smiled at Qing Mu.

She said, “Two people, you can only take one away. Choose.”

Qing Mu’s face showed no expression. His Adam’s apple didn’t move at all. After a while, his hand loosened, and Mu Dai slid down from his body.