Chapter 14

The view of Jianghai City by night was gorgeous. A popular saying that went around was that one should work to the bones in Jianghai City during the day and cherish the city by night. This was due to the scintillating lights that decorated the entire city after sunset, which also, in turn, gave it its nickname as the Nightless City.

Jianghai City was a world for the rich, and as long as one wielded enough capital, they could obtain anything they wished. For this reason, the city was also labeled as the Dream Capital.

“I greatly appreciate your help today, Brother Xu,” Xia Tian thanked Xu Dechuan who was currently driving the BMW.

It was at this point that Ye Qingxue and Bingxin noticed Xu Dechuan, who was currently driving the car. Ye Qingxue was originally planning to grill Xia Tian about the abrupt turn of events, but she now understood that it had something to do with the driver.

“You don’t need to be so formal with me. So, where are all of you headed to next?” Elder Xu gave a warm smile.

“Xia Tian, mind explaining what’s going on? Also, I’m returning this bracelet to you.” Ye Qingxue was well aware that Xia Tian was poor, and as such, there was a high probability that he had borrowed the precious item. Although she adored the bracelet, she still needed to return it.

“Cousin, this is my personal gift to you, so why are you rejecting it?” Xia Tian once again placed the bracelet on top of Ye Qingxue’s palm.

“Nono, this item is too valuable. You must’ve borrowed it from somewhere, right? You should return it quickly.” Ye Qingxue eyed Xia Tian with a face full of worry. She had already experienced her fill of joy for today, and on top of that, Xia Tian had also helped her in ridding off her pursuers.

“Relax, I didn’t borrow it. It truly belongs to me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Brother Xu here yourself.”

“Miss Ye, the Blood Gemstone Bracelet you’re holding does indeed belong to Brother Xia Tian. It’s something that he obtained from the Antique Enthusiast Street.” Pausing briefly, Elder Xu continued, “The Blood Gemstone Bracelet carries many functionalities, but its potential would be squandered if you were to wear it like any other ornament. When you return home, make sure to feed 3 drops of your blood to the bracelet once every month. Do this for a year, and the bracelet would fuse with your vitality, allowing it to nourish you.”

“You heard what Brother Xu said, right? Make sure to take good care of it.” Xia Tian’s lips curled upwards, and he asked, “Brother Xu, are you certain that 3 drops a month is enough?”

“Yep,” replied Elder Xu.

“Once every month?” Xia Tian prodded on.

“Correct.” Elder Xu nodded his head.

“Whew, what a relief. I can’t bear the thought of injuring my cousin every time the bracelet needs feeding.” With that, the atmosphere within the car froze.

“Are you asking to be punched again?” The lady-like aura that Ye Qingxue was portraying dissipated, revealing a female who was cracking her knuckles. Xia Tian was well aware that this was his demonic cousin’s true form.

Whenever she was out of the house, Ye Qingxue would portray the appearance of an innocent goddess, but at home, she was an absolute beast of a brawl queen. Xia Tian had been severely tormented by Ye Qingxue over the years, and as such, he constantly treated her as the reincarnation of the devil. It was for this reason that he dared not decline Ye Qingxue’s request for him to act as her boyfriend.

“Hahaha, Brother Xia Tian, you’re overthinking it. The menstrual blood of a woman would also excrete all the toxins along with it. If you were to drip this blood onto the Blood Gemstone Bracelet, it would definitely be corrupted,” Elder Xu mused upon hearing Xia Tian’s words. He was quite knowledgeable about matters like these.

Upon hearing the words, Ye Qingxue’s face turned beet red. She shot a vicious glare at Xia Tian as if warning him about the punishment that awaited him back home.

“Xia Tian, I’ll tell Qingxue to let you off if you can guess the color of my undershirt,” interjected Bingxin. She felt as if there was some secret to Xia Tian, and as such, she decided to use this opportunity to investigate further.

Xia Tian did not even think twice. He was originally deliberating on how to deal with his cousin, but upon hearing Bingxin’s words, he immediately activated his Insight and stated with zero hesitation, “Pikachu.”

However, Xia Tian immediately regretted his words after speaking them. After all, Bingxin was clothed even more conservatively today, and forget Pikachu, it was also impossible to see the pink undershirt she was wearing.

It was at this point that Ye Qingxue and Bingxin shot quizzical views at Xia Tian. Ye Qingxue could not understand how Xia Tian could have done it, whereas Bingxin appeared to have some sort of revelation, as she gave a mysterious chuckle.

“Hoho, is my guess correct?” Xia Tian smiled wryly before hurriedly adding on, “I see, so Sister Bingxin likes to wear cute stuff like this.”

Had Xia Tian not put it that way, he definitely would have aroused the suspicion of others. Although they would have not guessed that he possessed his Insight, it was not good for them to think that he had a perverted hobby as well. After all, he was well aware of how scary his cousin could be.

“Oh, so it was just as a guess.” Ye Qingxue heaved a long sigh. She had initially assumed Xia Tian to have some sort of illicit relationship with Bingxin, but once she heard that it was a guess, she suddenly felt much happier for no clear reason.

Qingxue had noticed earlier that Bingxin was looking at Xia Tian with a dreamy look. Due to this, she had been led to suspect the two to have something between one another. However, now that she thought back on it, that would be illogical, as the two had only met twice before.

Something was wrong with her, as she was feeling a certain way towards Xia Tian despite the latter being her cousin.

‘Was it truly a guess?’ Bingxin gave a mental chuckle. She did not believe Xia Tian’s words. Just like the last time, she had already properly checked her attire, and there was no way that Xia Tian could have seen it. Despite that, Xia Tian’s words were still spot on.

This was enough to arouse Bingxin’s interest in Xia Tian even further.

Feeling guilty, Xia Tian’s vision drifted to the view outside the car’s windows. It was at this point that he noticed something amiss with a certain vehicle. He activated his Insight, and what he saw made him paused slightly. Inside the vehicle were Ceng Rou and her daughter, kidnapped by four people clad in black, each holding a gun.

‘After thinking back on how she treated me, maybe I should just let her be.’ Xia Tian recalled the events within the hospital.

‘No, the child is innocent.’ After a brief mental conundrum, Xia Tian’s eyes were suddenly filled with vigor. He turned towards Elder Xu and shouted, “Brother Xu, turn around and catch up to the van with the number plate 542B.”

Xia Tian had to admit though, Elder Xu was a seasoned veteran in tasks like these. Upon hearing Xia Tian’s request, he immediately located the nearest U-turn and blazed full speed ahead ignoring all traffic lights. He could sense the urgency in Xia Tian’s voice, after all.

“Xia Tian, what’s the deal?” Ye Qingxue stared confusedly at Xia Tian, but at the moment, Xia Tian was wearing a grave expression.

“Brother Xu, I want you to bring these two to a safe space after you’ve caught up with the van.” Xia Tian did not bother to give an explanation and had instead issued a request to Elder Xu.

“Do you need me to arrange reinforcements?” asked Xu Dechuan.

“There’s not enough time, and it’s easier to operate solo.” Xia Tian was scrunching his brows.

Although Ye Qingxue had no clue as to what was going on, she was certain that there was an element of danger. She interjected, “No, you’re not allowed to go.”

At present, Xia Tian had no confidence in his plan. Although his body had been strengthened, he was no Shaolin expert. Further exacerbating his situation was that all four of the enemies held guns of their own. If he were to face them head-on, the odds of him emerging victorious were lower than 10% as no matter how powerful his body had become, he was not impervious to bullets, and no matter how fast he was, he was still no match for flying pieces of lead.

Despite that, he was not about to let the cute little girl get murdered before his very eyes. He might have been put off his Ceng Rou’s pushiness, but there was no real grudge between them.

“I would stand a higher chance if I go alone. If you guys were to follow along, we’ll definitely die,” said Xia Tian to Ye Qingxue with a serious expression. “Brother Xu, please call the police. Tell them that Ceng Rou of the Ceng Corporation and her daughter have been kidnapped.”

“Say what?” Everyone finally understood why Xia Tian was so desperate.

The name, Ceng Rou was something like a household name within Jianghai City. She was the idol of many women out there, as she had turned the Ceng Corporation into an invincible business empire by the age of thirty. Although her empire was unable to face the Big Four Families of Jianghai City head-on, she was still a reputable figure in the business world.

“Elder Xu, make sure to report to the police with a public phone, and make sure to do it anonymously.” Xia Tian did not want any trouble and he did not wish for the police to know of his exploits if he managed to save the mother and daughter.

“It’s too dangerous. I won’t allow it.” Now that Ye Qingxue was aware of the severity of the situation, she was even more adamant to prevent Xia Tian from going.

“Cousin, please believe in me.” Xia Tian embraced Ye Qingxue, which in turn had caused her to turn stiff. This was the warmest hug that she had ever received, and at that moment, she really wished that Xia Tian was not her cousin.

Meanwhile, inside the van with the number plate, 542B…

Ceng Rou was extremely terrified. She had no idea who these people were, and it was these very people that had nabbed her daughter while she was playing outdoors. Her daughter was her sole pillar of mental support, and Ceng Rou’s greatest fear was for anything to happen to her.

Throughout the years, Ceng Rou had been regarded as a strong-willed woman to the outside world. However, only Ceng Rou herself had understood how much hardship she had to endure. As a matter of fact, the reason she had put up this brave front was to avoid others seeing the fragile side of her.

The moment Ceng Rou and her daughter had been captured, all Ceng Rou could feel was helplessness. She had truly believed that no one would come to her rescue, as those old geezers back home had wished an early death for her so that they could obtain the family fortune for themselves. As such, she truly believed that there was no one who truly cared for her.

Ceng Rou did not fear death. To her, death was actually a form of escape. However, she could not die here, as she still had a daughter. If she were to die here, her daughter would be reduced to an orphan, and when that time came, she would be subject to the oppression of others.

“Who are you people? I’ll give you guys money, so please just let us go.” Within Ceng Rou’s worldview, there was not a single problem that could not be solved with money. After all, there was nothing else the kidnappers could stand to gain from capturing them, and since she believed that everyone in this world loved money, she thought that she could buy them off.

It was at this point, however, that Ceng Rou suddenly recalled the weirdo from the hospital.

“He’s probably the only one who’s averse to money.” Ceng Rou had no clue as to why she had recalled the weirdo, and with a shake of her head, her thoughts finally returned to reality.

“Mrs. Ceng, I’m well aware that you’re rich, and money is naturally one of our demands as well. Nevertheless, before that, we have something else that we wish to do.” One of the black-clothed men swept his gaze at Ceng Rou, and his gaze had told her all that she needed to know.