love on the turquoise land

Chapter 65

After chatting with Lin Xirou, Xiong Hei happened to finish dealing with the matter on the side of the Gouya, and came over to take Yan Tuo to see Jiang Baichuan.

In front of Xiong Hei, Yan Tuo became much more relaxed when performing. He walked with his head drooped, sighed frequently, and finally leaned against the side wall and squatted down in frustration.

Xiong Hei was puzzled. "What's wrong with you? You're about to seek revenge and beat that guy. Why the long face?"

Yan Tuo said, "I told Aunt Lin about it, and she told me to give up on it."

After thinking for a while, Xiong Hei understood. He felt sorry and somewhat amused when looking at Yan Tuo. He walked over, squatted down beside Yan Tuo, and even offered him a cigarette. "Want one?"

Yan Tuo shook his head.

Xiong Hei lit one for himself and slowly exhaled smoke.

Yan Tuo glanced at the bulging veins on his wrist and asked, "Tell me, is it because of bloodline, Brother Xiong? Where am I lacking in bloodline?"

Xiong Hei spat out, "You're just too picky." Then he turned to Yan Tuo and said, "You, with money and life to spend, instead of enjoying it while you can, why do you come to us seeking hardship? What are you after?"

Yan Tuo smiled, "Brother Xiong, you don't understand. It's always the case of wanting what we don't have. Those without money seek wealth, those without life seek health. But for those with both, they seek peace and longevity. If I didn't know it was possible, I wouldn't strive for it so hard. But after trying for so long, I'm told it's hopeless..." Getting closer to Xiong Hei, he lowered his voice, "Brother Xiong, do I really have no chance? Is there no hope at all?"

Lin Xirou's mouth was sealed, but Xiong Hei's brain, occupied by meat and squeezing out space for survival, often leaked out a sentence or two. Clues like these, even one or two words, were useful.

After a moment, Xiong Hei said, "Ah, Yan Tuo, let me ask you, you want peace and longevity for the sake of indulging, right? That's true, isn't it?"

Yan Tuo nodded. "But if you can never indulge again, if you can't even see the damn sun, what's the point of having peace and longevity, right?" He patted Yan Tuo's back and stood up in one go, "Let's go, while you're in a bad mood, let's take it out on that guy."

***

Yan Tuo already knew in advance that Jiang Baichuan's condition was no medical treatment, no food, no water. But even though he was mentally prepared, when he stepped inside, he was still overwhelmed by the stench.

The place where Jiang Baichuan was kept was similar to where Gouya was held. From the outside, it looked like a cultivation room, but you had to enter through a hidden door: this kind of dark room was small, with no ventilation ducts. Even an ordinary person locked inside would feel stuffy, let alone someone who was injured, with festering wounds, and still defecating and urinating inside.

Yan Tuo couldn't endure it and quickly closed the door, stepping back outside. He blinked several times in succession—there was no light in the dark room, and upon recollection, he only saw a dirty lump lying in the mess, vaguely resembling a person, but he couldn't make out anything else clearly.

Xiong Hei chuckled from outside, "How was it? Feeling satisfied?"

Yan Tuo said, "Feels like I died in there."

"Died?" Xiong Hei was startled. "That's impossible. He was moving in the morning."

Although he said that, he was still worried. Holding a loose grass fork in his hand, he covered his nose and went in to poke at the person, then retreated. "He's not dead. Scared me for a moment."