Chapter 28: Dad! Kill him!

When Ma Qibo arrived at the rest tent with his men, he could hear indescribable sounds before he even reached the entrance. Naturally, he recognized his own daughter’s voice, and his face darkened instantly.

The busybodies following him exchanged glances, their eyes filled with mockery. They were quite pleased to see Ma Qibo humiliated; after all, he was not a particularly decent man. If not for the resources he controlled, who would bother to kiss up to him? Although life was difficult and people no longer valued appearances as much as they once did, many still held onto old habits and perspectives that were hard to shed.

What Ma Zhen was doing was neither a trivial matter nor one of great consequence; it all depended on how Ma Qibo chose to view it. However, it was clear that Ma Qibo was a man who cared deeply about his reputation, and his expression betrayed his fury. He paid no mind to the onlookers, strode into the tent, and barked orders for his men to pull Ma Zhen and Chen Yuanlin apart. Only then did his subordinates dare to move.

Several men stepped forward and forcibly hauled Chen Yuanlin off, revealing Ma Zhen underneath, her body covered in bruises—a sight both violent and cruel. Someone draped a blanket over her to shield her from the prying, mocking eyes of the crowd.

The shock of the situation had long since sobered Ma Zhen, but after being held down for so long, she remained somewhat dazed. Now that her captor had been pulled away, she stared blankly at the ceiling of the tent, unable to process what had happened. She looked so pitiful that even Ma Qibo hesitated to scold her. It was upon seeing her state that his rage cooled slightly, and he soon sensed that something was wrong. Given Ma Zhen’s infatuation with Li Wangcheng, she would never have done such a thing today; there had to be a conspiracy.

He shifted his gaze to Chen Yuanlin, who was being held nearby. His men, finding his nakedness unsightly, had thrown a pair of trousers on him to cover the essentials. Even so, Ma Qibo looked at him with utter disgust, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at a corpse.

"Master Ma, this smell..." someone nearby whispered in his ear.

Through the parted tent flap, the cold wind swept away the cloying, carnal scent, revealing a different, peculiar odor. It was a subtle, sickly-sweet fragrance that only those who frequently handled or used the substance would recognize—and Ma Qibo and some of his men were among them.

Ma Qibo smelled it too. His eyes darkened, and he gestured for his men to step forward and investigate who had been using his supply. Just as the subordinate approached Ma Zhen, she suddenly snapped back to reality and let out a piercing shriek.

"Ah!" Ma Zhen screamed, clutching the blanket as she sat up and scrambled away. The terror on her face made it clear she had been deeply frightened. Her reaction proved she wasn't the one who had taken the drug; it must have been Chen Yuanlin.

"Someone, take the young lady back to her tent," Ma Qibo ordered, wanting her out of sight now that he knew she hadn't used the substance herself.

"Dad! Kill him! Kill him!" Ma Zhen shouted, her face contorted with rage as she pointed at the shivering Chen Yuanlin, the memory of her ordeal fresh in her mind.

"Shut up!" Ma Qibo snapped impatiently. "Isn't it embarrassing enough already?" With a wave of his hand, he had his men drag her away.

Clinging to the blanket to hide her shame, Ma Zhen wanted nothing more than to kill Chen Yuanlin, but reality offered no such opportunity. She was forced to comply with her father's orders. However, as she was carried out of the tent and saw Li Wangcheng standing outside, her already frayed nerves finally shattered. By the time she was a good distance away, she began to wail, her cries loud enough that the entire camp could likely hear them. Inside the tent, Ma Qibo’s expression grew even darker.

While Chen Yuanlin’s fate hung in the balance, Fang Yun, with Xiao Qing’s help, successfully reached the edge of the cliff. Along the way, they had overheard whispers about the scandal involving Ma Zhen. Upon arriving, they heard Ma Zhen’s wailing from afar. It was those very cries that gave hope to Fang Yun, who had been struggling with how to bypass the guards at the cliffside.

Hearing the commotion, some of the guards stationed at the cliff edge had left to investigate. Fewer than ten remained. Fang Yun watched them, unsure of what to do.

"Sister, are you going over there?" Xiao Qing whispered.

"Yes, but if I go, I'll definitely be caught, so I'm trying to think of a way," Fang Yun replied, her eyes fixed on the cliff. Xiao Qing looked over, thoughtful, and reached up to touch her chest.

After a long moment, as if she had made a decision, Xiao Qing unfastened her clothing and whispered something under her breath. Feeling a stir of movement, Fang Yun turned to look and saw a dark shadow dart past her eyes. She stared at Xiao Qing, confused, just as a commotion broke out. Before she could ask what had flown by, she looked back to see a small black cat harassing the guards.

"Ah! This little beast has sharp claws! If I catch you, I'll skin you alive!" a guard roared in pain after being scratched.

Seeing that the moment was right, the black cat turned and bolted into the distance, nimbly dodging the guards' reaching hands. Fang Yun watched in alarm, remaining frozen even as the cat lured a portion of the guards away in the opposite direction.

"Sister, watch for your chance; there's only one," Xiao Qing said suddenly.

Fang Yun looked down, about to ask what she meant, when Xiao Qing dashed out into the guards' line of sight. A guard shouted a command, and Xiao Qing immediately turned and ran.

"We'll chase her! You lot, search the area thoroughly—there must be accomplices!"

"Yes!"

The guards' voices brought Fang Yun back to her senses. She watched as the group split again; two guards chased after Xiao Qing, while the remaining three began a methodical search of all nearby hiding spots.

Hidden behind a giant rock, Fang Yun’s heart hammered against her ribs. Her hand, gripping a knife, was slick with nervous sweat. Less than five paces away, a man with a gun was closing in on her. She had been careless; she knew her own limitations, yet she had come alone to strike at the heart of Ma Qibo’s operation.

She closed her eyes, and Xiao Qing’s smiling face flashed before her. In both her past life and this one, Xiao Qing had risked everything to help her. In her previous life, Xiao Qing had succeeded; there was no reason she should let Xiao Qing’s sacrifice go to waste in this one. This time, she would take Xiao Qing with her!