Chapter 884: The Teacher’s Will

The last subway of the night arrived at the station.

Tao Yueyue left the platform with the sparse crowd, her face showing a mix of excitement, anxiety, and anticipation. During the days she had been running away from home, her mind had been in turmoil. Just as Gu You had said, once you kill someone, there’s no going back. The image of Liang Zuoming’s death replayed in her mind like an obsessive thought.

It wasn’t until she saw the news report earlier that she finally felt a sense of relief from her guilt. Liang Zuoming hadn’t died because of her. Heaven had given her a chance; he had been killed by someone else, not her!

Leaving the subway station, the early summer streets were bustling. The subway fare had used up her last few coins. She decided to walk the rest of the way home.

She quickened her pace, each step bringing her closer to home and Uncle Chen.

Finally, she saw the lights of her neighborhood. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she wiped them away. Suddenly, a thought struck her: could this be a trap? Was the news just a ploy to lure her back?

But she quickly dismissed this idea. Uncle Chen would never do such a thing. He would never betray her trust.

Crossing the street, she was almost at the gate of her complex. The balding security guard stood at the entrance, yawning and chatting with a woman selling roasted sweet potatoes. She wondered if the guard, who greeted her every day, would be surprised to see her in this state.

A van blocked her path. Tao Yueyue didn’t think much of it and walked around the back. As she reached the middle of the street, the van’s door suddenly slid open. Rapid footsteps approached her from behind. Before she could turn around, a chloroform-soaked cloth was pressed over her nose and mouth. She looked up to see a grinning face as her vision blurred.

When she woke up, a fire flickered in front of her, making it hard to open her eyes. She was lying on sandy ground, unbound. They were at a secluded riverbank, with cars passing on a distant bridge, like a glowing river. The man who had kidnapped her sat by the fire, poking it with a stick. His face was both familiar and strange.

The effects of the anesthetic hadn’t fully worn off. Tao Yueyue struggled to sit up and asked, “Who are you?”

“Even though I’ve had some surgeries, you should know who I am. We met when you were very young…” The man pulled out a knife. “‘Little girl, choose one—your mom or you.'”

Fear gripped Tao Yueyue’s heart, making it hard to breathe. She whispered the name, “Zhou Xiao!?”

He grinned, his savage smile bringing back the memories she most wanted to forget. She got up to run but fell, her mouth filling with sand. She kept crawling desperately towards the river, willing to face any danger to escape.

Zhou Xiao stuck the knife in the sand, walked over, picked her up, and carried her back. He sat back down, saying, “Do I need to use brute force to establish my authority? How does your Uncle Song treat you? If you obey and don’t run, I won’t hurt you. Are you hungry?”

Only then did she notice the smell of meat from the fire, but she had no appetite. She stared into Zhou Xiao’s firelit eyes and asked, “Why did you kidnap me? To use me against Uncle Chen?”

“Haha!” Zhou Xiao laughed loudly. “Use you against him? He’s nothing! From the start, he was never our opponent. He’s just a small-time cop, not worthy of being our opponent.”

Zhou Xiao pulled out a foil-wrapped package from the fire. As the cold wind hit it, the foil cooled quickly. He unwrapped it to reveal a lamb leg, slicing off pieces with his knife and eating them efficiently, showing his skill with the blade. His eyes occasionally glanced at the distant city lights.

Tao Yueyue observed her surroundings. A van was parked nearby with the words “Buy old appliances and furniture” on it. A steep path led to the road above, where cars passed by.

She clenched a handful of sand, planning her escape. She would throw the sand in Zhou Xiao’s eyes and run to the van. She might not be able to drive it, but she could hide inside and lock the doors.

No, the best plan was to run to the road and call for help. As long as she stood in front of people and under surveillance cameras, Zhou Xiao wouldn’t dare to act.

Her throat dry with tension, Zhou Xiao turned to her and coldly said, “Planning to blind me with sand and run?”

Gulp.

Tao Yueyue swallowed nervously, her eyes darting around.

“You can try. But let’s make a deal. If you fail to escape, I’ll cut a piece off you each time!” Zhou Xiao waved the knife, smiling. “Make sure you plan well because you have limited chances.”

Tao Yueyue looked up, seeing pedestrians on the road above. Zhou Xiao seemed to read her mind, saying, “Shouting for help won’t work either.”

He sliced off a piece of lamb and held it to her mouth.

The thought of not being able to go home and see Uncle Chen filled her with despair. She wanted to knock the meat away or spit at him but knew the consequences of resisting. Though smart, she was also very scared of pain.

Endure! Wait for a chance to escape!

She opened her mouth and ate the meat. Zhou Xiao praised, “Good girl!”

“Why did you kidnap me?” she asked.

“Take a guess.”

“Because I’m the only one alive who’s seen your face? So you want to kill me to silence me?”

“If that were the case, you’d already be in the fire…” Zhou Xiao raised the lamb leg. “I’ve been wanted for years and changed my face several times. Do you think I care about that? If I wanted, I could walk past the police and even greet them! Other fugitives run to the mountains, but I stay in Long’an, knowing its streets like the back of my hand. This is my home. The police will never find me.”

Tao Yueyue looked at his boastful face across the fire. “I can’t guess.”

Tearing meat from the bone with his teeth, Zhou Xiao chewed loudly, the sound of cartilage cracking. His smile faded, “I’ve faced setbacks. I thought I had surpassed my teacher, but reality hit me hard. Even though he’s gone, his teachings are still valuable! I should have followed his advice, carried out his will. Tao Yueyue, you are part of his will!”