Chapter Seventeen: The Great Escape

I was utterly shocked.

“Liao Xiaoqin, you…”

My sister-in-law’s delicate face turned stern as she lowered her voice.

“Shut up!”

She ignored me and began peering out the window of the guard shed.

A few minutes later, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

Outside the orange grove, four hurried figures approached.

Leading them was a middle-aged monk, clad in saffron robes, holding a pair of large bronze cymbals.

Beside him was a dwarf-like man with long hair and beard, carrying a sword nearly as tall as himself.

The other two were shaved-headed brutes, their faces hardened with scars and muscles bulging even through their clothes.

Under the dim moonlight, the group resembled relentless specters, their footsteps pounding as they charged toward the guard shed.

Someone was indeed following us!

A chill ran down my spine. I immediately grabbed a long wooden stick nearby.

Liao Xiaoqin’s eyes were cold and sharp, fixed intently outside. With a disdainful snort, she seized the moment and yanked a thick ox tendon rope beside her.

“Crack!”

A sharp sound rang out.

Suddenly, about ten meters in front of the guard shed, a large wooden board flipped upward.

A hidden pit trap!

The four men, caught off guard by their reckless sprint, all tumbled into the pit.

Miserable screams echoed from the bottom.

My sister-in-law quickly turned to me, issuing orders.

“Carry her on your back and leave through the back door!”

She pushed her wheelchair forward first, heading for the guard shed’s rear exit.

Seeing the grave look on her face, I didn’t hesitate. I hoisted Xu Qingguo onto my back, pushed my sister-in-law’s wheelchair with one hand, and kicked open the back door before sprinting out.

Though the orange grove was just packed earth, it was relatively flat. Within minutes, we had passed the large outer fence and entered the village.

Liao Xiaoqin kept instructing me to change directions, weaving through several alleyways until we reached a public restroom.

Parked nearby was a four-wheeled wooden cart, its bed covered with racks of fermented black beans and a pile of straw on the ground.

Liao Xiaoqin was concise.

“There are clothes and hoods in the cart. Dress up quickly. We’ll put ourselves on the cart, cover with straw, then place the bean racks on top.”

“Afterward, throw the wheelchair in the toilet and leave through the Guan Gong Temple alley. Move fast!”

I immediately found the clothes and hood on the cart and dressed as quickly as possible, then placed the two women on the cart. I covered them with straw, arranged the bean racks on top, tossed the wheelchair into the restroom, and pushed the cart swiftly toward the Guan Gong Temple alley.

The pungent scent of fermented black beans wafted into my nose.

It was unbearably foul!

Yet the stench sharpened my mind.

Though I didn’t yet understand why, the appearance and attire of the four pursuers made it clear—they were men from the underworld.

There was no doubt: our enemies had arrived!

Approaching the Guan Gong Temple alley entrance, I saw six vehicles parked along the main road, all flashing hazard lights under the night sky. Over ten rough-looking men were smoking and chatting, seemingly blocking the path.

This was the only exit from the village!

I quietly wiped some dirt on my face and slowed down, pushing the cart casually past them.

I was completely changed, wearing the black gauze hood that shielded me from the smell and looked like a common villager making fermented black beans.

Before the cart even drew near, the men covered their mouths and noses, making way.

“Damn, what a foul stench!”

“Is that thing filled with shit or what?”

“Get lost!”

“…”

Liao Xiaoqin was incredibly clever.

Whether or not the four men in the pit could climb out soon, if they did, they would desperately search the village—but they would never suspect our escape method.

I pushed the cart smoothly out of the alley.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, a voice called from behind.

My heart sank as I tensed my hand, ready to retaliate by throwing the rotten bean racks at them if they tried anything.

The leader approached hesitantly, speaking fluent Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

“Hey, handsome, where are you pushing that at this hour?”

Feigning poor hearing, I responded in a local dialect with a hoarse voice.

“Move it!”

He frowned and lifted his hand to flip the bean racks.

“Clang clang clang…”

Suddenly, a Nokia ringtone cut through the night.

The man paused, pulled out his phone, and answered. After a brief conversation, his expression darkened. He turned sharply and shouted to his men.

“The witch is on the run! Leave six men at the alley entrance; the rest, come with me into the village to search!”

They charged into the village like madmen.

Seeing their panic, I quickly pushed the cart off the main road toward the river.

Liao Xiaoqin swept away the straw and bean racks, sitting up.

“Call a taxi! Find a farmhouse!”

No sooner had she spoken than she gently patted Xu Qingguo’s body.

“Miss Xu, I’m sorry, but it’s unavoidable!”

Xu Qingguo’s face flushed painfully as she clutched her chest and coughed violently.

I hurriedly flagged down a taxi.

We boarded quickly and sped away to a farmhouse on the northern outskirts of the city, checking in immediately.

Once inside the room, everyone finally exhaled in relief.

I asked Liao Xiaoqin, “Who were those people just now?”

She waved off the question lightly.

“No one important. Just a bunch of gong-beaters.”

In local slang, “gong-beaters” referred to thugs and underworld scum.

That was impossible!

However, my sister-in-law deliberately used the euphemism, likely because Xu Qingguo was present and it was improper to speak plainly.

I understood instantly and stopped pressing. Instead, I turned to Xu Qingguo.

“Miss Xu, this is my sister-in-law. She’s been paralyzed in her legs for two years.”

Xu Qingguo crossed her arms, gazing at me coldly, her eyes filled with displeasure.

She was upset.

Understandably so.

She had come to receive treatment, only to be silenced and immobilized, endure an attack, and be subjected to the stench of rotten beans. Anyone would be frustrated.

Seeing this, Liao Xiaoqin raised her eyebrows and smiled mischievously. She took Xu Qingguo’s hands and seated her at the bedside, her tone softening.

“I often hear people say that Miss Xu of the Xu Group is a rare blossom in Jiangxi’s traditional medicine world. I never expected her to be so beautiful—heaven has been too kind!”

Perhaps Liao Xiaoqin’s strong presence or the timely compliment made Miss Xu, who had been so tense, blush faintly with embarrassment.

“Not at all! You, sister, are the true beauty.”

Liao Xiaoqin pursed her lips and sighed.

“I’m a cripple. No need for your sympathy, Doctor Xu.”

Xu Qingguo lowered her gaze and examined my sister-in-law’s legs seriously, frowning slightly.

“It’s alright. Let me take her pulse first.”

I couldn’t understand the strange way women communicated.

In just a few words, not only did they exchange compliments, but they also began treating an illness?

Seeing me stand there dumbfounded, Liao Xiaoqin pointed with a slender finger and lifted her chin.

“Doctor Xu’s acupuncture skills are peerless. What are you waiting for? Stand guard!”

I grumbled silently that they were both formidable queens I dared not offend. Lighting a cigarette, I waited outside the door.

That vigil lasted well into the late night.

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from inside the room!