God-Level All-rounder Expert
Chapter 381 - 405: Into the Ditch

Chapter 381: Chapter 405: Into the Ditch

Jiang Lili’s expression rapidly changed as Fang Yi spoke coldly, "Do you not plan to speak, or are you planning to say you don’t know?"

Suddenly guessed by Fang Yi, Jiang Lili was shocked.

In fact, Jiang Lili had already been somewhat intimidated by Fang Yi. That night at the Xuanhua Pavilion, Fang Yi’s forcefulness and overbearingness made Jiang Lili feel that despite having connections, she probably couldn’t win against Fang Yi.

Now, faced with Fang Yi’s fierce grin, Jiang Lili stammered, "I... I..."

Fang Yi said coldly, "Stop beating around the bush. I know Kong Mingkai’s father is backing you. You just need to say whether he’s the one behind this or not, and I’ll let you go. Otherwise..."

Jiang Lili couldn’t help but ask, "What are you going to do?"

Fang Yi said with a taunting tone, "Although I don’t have much interest in a woman like you, once the lights are off, it’s all the same." This was clearly a threat.

Jiang Lili involuntarily stepped back, seeing Fang Yi’s threatening smile and his anger; eventually, she was scared.

In this secluded place, with no one else around, she couldn’t stop Fang Yi. If he really forced himself on her, even if she was in the right, she couldn’t clear her name. With no other choice, Jiang Lili reluctantly nodded.

Fang Yi sneered and turned to leave. As he reached the doorway, he suddenly turned his head back and said, "Jiang Lili, I’m warning you one last time, it’s best if you don’t provoke Xu He in the future, or even Kong Mingkai’s father won’t be able to protect you."

Having said that, Fang Yi left; he didn’t have time to waste words with Jiang Lili.

Back in his red Audi, Fang Yi drove slower this time because he couldn’t think of any place Xu He could go.

If it really came down to it, Fang Yi was considering asking for help, perhaps from Zhao Guosheng. With the Dragon Team backing him, with how formidable they were, finding one person wouldn’t be difficult, be it in Moon City or even deep in the mountains.

But now wasn’t the time to resort to that. Fang Yi thought hard and then it came to him—he thought of a place.

The next moment, Fang Yi called Wu Han.

"How’s it going, Mr. Fang? Have you found Xu He?"

"Not yet... By the way, which small mountain village was Xu He originally from?" asked Fang Yi.

"You suspect... Hmm, alright, I’ll tell you. Take this down."

After hanging up, Fang Yi drove straight out of Moon City and headed again for Southern Domain City.

By the time Fang Yi arrived in Southern Domain City, it was already approaching evening. Such back and forth between Moon City and Southern Domain City would dizzy anyone, but luckily, Fang Yi was physically fit and felt no distress.

During the journey, Fang Yi stopped at a gas station to fill the tank and then headed directly to a small town in Southern Domain. Upon reaching the town, he dashed directly toward a small mountain village.

By this time, it had already grown dark.

There was a concrete road leading to the small mountain village, but halfway, it was broken.

The strong headlights turned on. Over the uneven muddy road, even though Fang Yi drove an Audi sports car, it was extremely bumpy, bouncing like a ride in an amusement park. Along the sides of the road, mountains gradually appeared; they were entering a mountainous area.

He was on the right path, but he didn’t know how much farther he had to go. So in the black night, a red Audi was like a flat boat on the dark ocean, unaffected by storms, but ever bobbing and swaying forward, never resting.

...

Qingshan Village.

Surrounded by continuous mountains, lush and robustly green, it nestled like a basin, home to dozens of families.

At night, the lights had gradually gone out.

Electricity had reached the area; it wasn’t too poor, it was just that the roads were inaccessible, and most villagers still lived in single-story houses, with only a few families in multi-story buildings.

In front of one building, with walls around the courtyard, a fresh and graceful woman had taken off her gorgeous dress and changed into plain clothes. She rolled up her trouser legs, took off her shoes, and barefooted, placed her snow-white tender feet into the cool water of a wooden tub.

Feeling the chill of the water, a slight smile appeared on her face; the well water at home for washing feet was colder than the city water, much cooler. On such a scorching summer day, it felt wonderfully comfortable.

An old man, hunched over, stepped out of the house and lay down on a wicker chair. Then he tapped a smoking pipe against the ground and rolled up some hemp leaves, packing them into the pipe before shakily lighting it.

After taking a couple of puffs, he began to cough. Xu He, seeing this, couldn’t help but say, "Grandpa, smoke less."

Old man Xu chuckled, "Granddaughter, this smoke is grandpa’s life. It’s not about smoking less, but to smoke comfortably. Same as life, living it fully, that’s what life’s about."

Xu He, not fully comprehending, replied, "Grandpa’s words are still the same as before."

The old man smiled, not expecting his granddaughter to understand, and turned to look at her soaking her feet, "Hehe, aren’t you busy with work? How come you suddenly came back? Did you run into some trouble?"

Xu He pursed her lips and smiled, "Nothing much, I’ve finished my work and came back for a vacation for a few days."

The old man Xu nodded and said, "I won’t ask too much. After all, you’ve grown up, and you’ll have to handle your own affairs. There are still many years ahead; you’ll need to cross those hurdles yourself."

Xu He took a deep breath, nodded firmly, and replied with emphasis, "Hmm!"

Then Xu He propped her arms on her knees, rested her chin in her hands, and looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled like blinking eyes, exceptionally pretty.

Being back here, Xu He felt as if she had cleansed away the city’s contaminations, her body and mind becoming pure again, exceptionally comfortable.

At that moment, someone came over with a flashlight, standing at the iron gate outside the wall and shouted loudly, "Old Master Xu, are you home?"

Old man Xu also shouted back, "Yes, what’s up?"

The person outside said, "Did Xu He come back home? A young man flipped his car in the ditch outside the village, and he said he’s here to find Xu He."

Old man Xu was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at his granddaughter.

He saw Xu He, without even wiping her feet dry, put on a pair of sandals and got up to leave.

"Hehe, it’s dark outside, take the flashlight with you," reminded old man Xu.

Xu He had to turn back into the house to grab the flashlight and then hurried outside, running fast. Watching Xu He’s slightly anxious face, old man Xu smiled faintly and continued lying on the wicker chair, smoking.

Outside Qingshan Village, on the road leading to the village, there was a discreet ditch. There, many onlookers had gathered—villagers both old and young, plus children from who knows which family who had also come to gawk, squeezing through the crowd.

Fang Yi, his face smeared with dirt, looked at the surrounding villagers and couldn’t help but inwardly sigh. It wasn’t just in the city; even in this remote village, the penchant for spectating was deeply etched into their bones.

Turning back to glance at the red Audi in the ditch, Fang Yi was utterly speechless.