Ji Xi was missing.
But no one seemed inclined to look for him.
Ji Wanting was taking an afternoon nap, so Mu Xiu stripped off his shirt and went outside to chop firewood.
By his calculations, Ji Tingzhou should have received the gift he sent by now.
To the outside world, Mu Xiu did seem like a machine—indifferent to everything except Ji Wanting.
But that didn’t mean he was a fool blind to the signs of betrayal.
Just as he raised the axe—
A sudden knock echoed at the gate.
Mu Xiu’s swing halted mid-air.
The visitor couldn’t possibly be Ji Xi.
"Hello! Anyone home?"
A bright, girlish voice called from beyond the wall.
Mu Xiu’s expression darkened.
"Or should we just invite ourselves in?"
A man’s voice, laced with mockery, cut in.
Then, with a commanding tone: "Kick it open."
The girl’s voice protested, "Why me? Dad, your legs are longer—wouldn’t it be easier for you?"
"My shoes would get dirty."
"…Isn’t that what shoe soles are for?"
Mu Xiu shifted his stance, shoulders tensing as he hurled the axe through the air. It struck the wooden gate with a sharp crack, splitting the already flimsy door in two. The halves collapsed inward.
On the other side, Ji Nian blinked in surprise, her gaze locking onto Mu Xiu’s bare torso.
Her eyes trailed downward, about to count his abs, when two hands abruptly shot out—one from each side—blocking her view.
Chen Mo shot Ji Tingzhou a glare. "This is what happens when you waste time talking."
Ji Tingzhou returned the look with a cold glance.
As the two seemed poised to bicker further, Mu Xiu grabbed another axe and strode forward without hesitation.
Clearly, the plan had gone awry.
Ji Tingzhou had come in person.
And brought a child and some pretty boy along.
"Never took you for an animal back then," Ji Tingzhou sneered, eyeing Mu Xiu with disgust. "But now that you’ve learned to wear human skin, the stench of rot is unmistakable."
Mu Xiu remained unfazed.
Ji Tingzhou wasn’t surprised.
He’d always been like this.
No matter how Ji Wanting’s lackeys insulted or abused him, Mu Xiu clung like an unshakable shadow. Even when they broke his leg, he’d drag himself along behind the group, limping but never leaving.
Back then, a younger Ji Tingzhou had found it revolting.
Now, the disgust had only grown.
"Go play somewhere else," he said, nudging Ji Nian toward Chen Mo before stepping forward alone.
Chen Mo bristled.
After all these years, facing the enemy he’d longed to destroy, the hatred in his chest finally had a target.
But Chen Mo also knew his combat skills were useless here.
Ji Nian pried Chen Mo’s fingers from her eyes and peeked around.
"Uncle, you’re tall—do you see Shen Qingtang anywhere?"
Chen Mo barely managed to focus. "No. Maybe she’s inside."
Ji Nian clenched her fists, willing this confrontation to end so she could rush in and find Shen Qingtang.
The reason the three of them were here traced back to just a few hours earlier—
"He’s been sedated. He’s asleep now."
"The injuries aren’t life-threatening—just surface wounds. With his healing and the recovery serum, he’ll be fine soon."
"But he can’t push himself today. If the wounds reopen and he loses more blood, it won’t be a joke."
Ji Nian nodded in understanding.
She glanced at the sleeping Wei Yang, tucking the blanket tighter around him.
"Rest well, Wei Yang," she whispered before leaving the room.
After the chaos, Ji Nian had returned with a severely injured Wei Yang.
Zhiliao and Ji Tingzhou were nowhere to be found. At first, Ji Nian had worried when she couldn’t reach them, but Zhiliao’s call soon put her at ease.
She’d known all along—the man in that video couldn’t possibly be Ji Tingzhou.
System: [How did you figure it out?]
[Because Ji Tingzhou doesn’t have neck wrinkles.]
Ji Nian shrugged.
Her father’s skin was as smooth as a twenty-year-old’s. Nothing like the deep creases on the man in the video.
System: […]
An answer it hadn’t anticipated.
"Where’s Shen Qingtang?"
Ji Nian searched the house but found no trace of her. She turned to a servant.
The servant lowered her voice. "She went to her room and hasn’t come out."
Ji Nian fetched a pot of calming herbal tea and headed to Shen Qingtang’s room.
She wondered if the earlier events had frightened her.
After knocking repeatedly with no response, Ji Nian’s unease grew. She pushed the door open and scanned the room—empty.
She immediately dialed Shen Qingtang’s number, only for the ringtone to sound nearby.
Her phone lay on the sofa. Ji Nian ended the call, the lock screen lighting up with a photo of eight-year-old Ji Nian and Shen Qingtang.
Without hesitation, she ordered the surveillance footage reviewed.
The cameras showed Shen Qingtang fleeing in a panic, alone.
Ji Nian led a team along the path she’d taken.
They hadn’t gone far when the kidnapper, realizing he was outnumbered, stopped in a wooded area near the Ji estate.
With an unconscious Shen Qingtang in his grip, he smirked at Ji Nian. "Well, well. The young miss of the Ji family."
Ji Nian studied the man holding Shen Qingtang hostage.
Unkempt, age indeterminate, his gaze crawling over her in a way that made her skin prickle.
"What do you want?"
She signaled her team to step back, her voice steady despite her small frame.
The man let out a grating laugh.
"What do I want?"
His eyes roamed over Ji Nian’s pale hands, slender legs, his voice thick with perverse hunger.
"How about… a piece of you? In exchange for her."
Ji Nian didn’t hesitate. "Deal."
Behind her, You Er stiffened. The others glared, fists clenched.
How had this man slipped past them? How had he taken Shen Qingtang without anyone noticing?
This was their failure.
If not for Ji Nian’s quick thinking, no one would’ve realized Shen Qingtang was gone.
"Young Miss!" someone protested.
They couldn’t stand by and watch her mutilate herself.
You Er’s rage burned hot.
Damn it—where were the snipers?
Ji Nian raised a hand to calm them. "It’s fine. One less limb is a fair trade for Shen Qingtang."
The man’s grin widened, saliva glistening at the corners of his mouth.
He watched, enthralled, as Ji Nian drew a dagger from somewhere on her person.
The promise of her flesh—bloody, warm—drove him into a frenzy.
"And which part will you give me, little miss?"
Her fingers were exquisite—perfect for his collection.
Her legs would be a prize, though she likely wouldn’t part with those.
If she offered hair, he’d slit Shen Qingtang’s throat right then.
He wanted meat. Bone. A piece of her that would bleed.
How stunning she’d look, crimson spilling over that porcelain skin.
And oh, how Ji Tingzhou would rage when he saw his precious child—broken.
The thought alone made him tremble with glee.
The blade spun once in his hand, its cold gleam tracing a graceful arc.
Then he heard Ji Nian blurt out without hesitation:
"Hemorrhoids."
