Love on the Turquoise Land

Jiang Baichuan laughed heartily: "Angry? Whether you're angry or not, things have already come to this."

Que Cha glared at him: "You're really ruthless. What if Yan Tuo's group retaliates against her? Weren't you the one who said she was useful? How can you push her into danger if she's useful?"

Jiang Baichuan casually turned off the bathroom light and wrapped an arm around Que Cha's waist as they walked downstairs: "You just don't understand. I kept three people in custody, but couldn't get anything out of them. What's the use of holding them? To catch big fish, you need to muddy the waters. Letting people go is exactly how you stir up the deep pool."

"Besides, how can you call me ruthless? Sure, I pushed her out there, but I also warned her in time and promised full support, didn't I? If she's willing, she can hide here as long as she wants—I'll treat her like a goddess."

Nie Jiuluo was a good blade, but this blade preferred to stay sheathed. If you wanted to use her, you had to ask for her opinion—far too inconvenient.

With the current situation unclear and the enemy's background unknown, it was best to push Nie Jiuluo out to test the waters. If she was truly gold, she wouldn't fear the fire. If not, there was no point in coddling her. Maybe with her back against the wall and no way out, she'd take the plunge and join his side?

As he pondered this, his phone buzzed—a message from Nie Jiuluo.

Jiang Baichuan glanced at Que Cha.

Understanding the hint, Que Cha turned around, presenting the back of her head to show she wouldn't peek.

Jiang Baichuan opened the message.

—If Yan Tuo finds me, I'll handle it myself.

Jiang Baichuan didn't reply. He watched the message self-destruct, snorted through his nose, and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Impressive. She didn't want his help.

In his dazed state, Yan Tuo felt like a steamed roll: stretched, bent, folded, and carefully adorned with scallions for aesthetic appeal.

Next step—into the steamer, he thought.

But instead of a steamer, the faint sounds of scissors and tweezers gradually grew clearer in his ears.

Yan Tuo opened his eyes and saw the irregular, ice-like glass surface of the lava lamp hanging from the ceiling.

This was his room.

It must be nighttime because the lamp was on, casting a molten yellow glow. Once lit, the lamp lost its charm—Yan Tuo preferred it unlit, resembling a floating, futuristic stone with a cold, metallic sheen.

Lü Xian was wiping his hands with an alcohol swab. Hearing movement, he smiled at Yan Tuo: "Awake?"

Lü Xian was a man in his late twenties, of average height. Thanks to a comfortable life, his waistline was already trending toward a spare tire. His most distinctive feature was his face—the kind mothers-in-law adored. He'd had three girlfriends, and while the breakups were amicable, their mothers were invariably heartbroken, as if they'd lost the world's best son-in-law.

Yan Tuo mumbled a response, his mind blank, unable to recall what had happened.

Lü Xian said, "You've been asleep for days. Yan Tuo, you really went through hell this time."Really? Yan Tuo began to recall certain things: the wild flax field, the canvas bag, the tip of the stainless steel arrow aimed at him in Que Cha's hand, the dirty soles of Da Tou's sneakers kicking wildly at him, and... Nie Jiuluo.

Yes, Nie Jiuluo.

Thinking of this woman, he became fully awake, his gaze darkening.

Lü Xian pointed to a neatly bandaged area on the front of his thigh: "This part, wasn't it burned by iron? The flesh is necrotic, and the smell of decay—whew, another two days and maggots would've started growing."

Yan Tuo felt nauseated: "Do you have to describe it in such detail? Isn't it disgusting?"

Lü Xian, however, was enthusiastic: "But there's good news."

He leaned closer to Yan Tuo, gesturing vaguely from the right side of his neck to his jawline: "Here, there's a wound. The scar will definitely stay. But luckily, it's not on your face. Usually, it won't be visible, and even if it is, it won't mar your handsome looks. In fact, it adds a bit of rugged heroism."

Yan Tuo: "Screw you."

Lü Xian feigned surprise: "You mind? Well, no worries. By middle age, you can grow a big beard. With enough facial hair, it'll cover right up..."

He stopped abruptly because Yan Tuo had braced his hands at his sides.

Experience told Lü Xian that when Yan Tuo assumed this posture, the next move was usually to stand up—and that often meant a beating was coming. Of course, given Yan Tuo's current injuries, it was probably just for show.

Knowing when to quit, Lü Xian pressed the wireless call button hanging around his neck: "Lin Ling, Yan Tuo's awake."

Lin Ling's voice came through almost immediately: "Got it, I'll be right there."

Lü Xian winked at Yan Tuo and began packing up the medical kit, ready to make his exit. Suddenly, Yan Tuo thought of something: "Where's Aunt Lin?"

Without looking up, Lü Xian replied: "You mean my goddess? She went to the farm."

Yan Tuo fell silent.

Back in the day, his father, Yan Huanshan, had prospered in business and, following the trend, became passionate about philanthropy, establishing a scholarship fund. Lü Xian was one of the beneficiaries. A medical student, he trained at a major hospital after graduation while also being employed by Yan Tuo's company. The man was sharp—turning a blind eye when necessary. As he put it, wealthy people and big corporations inevitably had some underhanded dealings, requiring off-the-books medical assistance now and then. Reciprocating the favor, he reasoned that since the scholarship had shaped him, it was only fair to give back with his skills.

But Yan Tuo suspected Lü Xian's willingness to bend the rules—and the fact that none of his three girlfriends lasted—had a lot to do with his infatuation with Lin Xirou. He idolized her as his goddess, often teasing Yan Tuo: "Look at you, around the same age, yet she's senior to you and way more capable. On paper, you're the legal representative, but in reality, she's the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, paving the way for you. How did you ever deserve such a goddess of an aunt?"

No sooner had Lü Xian left than Lin Ling arrived, carrying a vase of freshly arranged flowers—vibrant blooms with lush green leaves and delicate stamens. Placing it on the table instantly breathed life into the room.

Yan Tuo remarked, "Looks nice."

Recalling the recent past—living in the dim underground cell of the pig farm, with Sun Zhou's agonized screams often ringing in his ears...

Compared to now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Lin Ling pulled up a chair and sat down: "I called Aunt Lin. She was already on her way back and should be here in about half an hour."Yan Tuo gave a hum. "She went to the farm?"

The farm referred to the Chinese medicinal herb plantation registered under his name.

Lin Ling nodded. "She took Gou Ya with her."

"What for?"

Lin Ling chuckled softly, lowering her voice. "What for... would they let me know?"

At these words, both of them fell silent for a moment.

After a pause, Yan Tuo changed the subject. "What about Sun Zhou?"

Lin Ling looked puzzled. "What Sun Zhou?"

Yan Tuo: "The one locked up with me."

Lin Ling: "The one locked up with you was Gou Ya, wasn't it?"

There seemed to be some discrepancy here. They needed to sort it out from both sides. Yan Tuo motioned for Lin Ling to speak first.

The situation wasn't too complicated. When a grown man suddenly goes missing, waiting a day or two is understandable, but after three to five days, you start searching.

Adding to this, Lin Xirou had received a call from Yan Tuo's phone during this period. The caller claimed to have found the phone and asked who she was and how to return it.

Lin Xirou replied that she was a hospital caregiver and provided the company address (which could be found online anyway), asking the caller to mail the phone back. She promised the owner would show gratitude upon his return. Strangely, the call was abruptly disconnected, and the phone could never be reached again after that.

At first, no one suspected foul play. They limited their efforts to phone inquiries, but as they dug deeper, things seemed increasingly off. The disappearance was too thorough—it didn't seem like an ordinary case of going missing.

Lin Xirou first sent her capable assistant Xiong Hei with a team to Shihé County to search in person. When that yielded no results, she grew anxious and went there herself with Lin Ling.

Lin Ling said, "With no leads left, we had no choice but to offer a reward. Of course, Aunt Lin couldn't appear publicly, so I handled it as the company assistant."

At this point, Lin Ling snorted. "After screening, three people met with me in person. You can usually tell if someone's suspicious just by meeting and talking to them—the driver Lao Qian and the old man who ran the inn were both straightforward. They recorded videos when asked and left happily after getting their money."

"But that Da Tou guy was nothing but trouble. He refused the meeting location I set, saying it wasn't safe and insisting on his own spot. He wouldn't show ID, claiming privacy concerns. He also refused to record a video, saying it violated his portrait rights."

Yan Tuo understood immediately. "He was deliberately trying to engage with you to dig up information about us."

Lin Ling nodded. "That wasn't all. After the meeting, he tailed me. Aunt Lin said we should turn the tables and had Xiong Hei follow him instead. That led us straight to Banya."

"You know Xiong Hei—hot-tempered and ruthless. Seeing you and Gou Ya in such a state, he completely lost it. Not only did he burn down the pig farm, but he also pushed a woman into the fire."

Yan Tuo was taken aback. "How old was she?"

"Mid-forties to fifties, they said."

That was probably Hua Saozi. Yan Tuo fell silent for a long moment before saying, "Xiong Hei shouldn't have done that."

Lin Ling agreed, "Yeah, Aunt Lin chewed him out for it. His actions destroyed all the leads and alerted the enemy. That Da Tou guy vanished without a trace."

Something flickered in Yan Tuo's mind—too fleeting to grasp. He asked instinctively, "All the leads are gone?""That's right," Lin Ling still sounded indignant as she recounted it now. "That village barely had any residents to begin with, and hardly anyone came to help put out the fire. From what we gathered, the pig farm was rented by outsiders—no names or details known. The only person who stopped the car was an idiot. Don’t you think Xiong Hei was just being reckless? Just because that woman bit a chunk of flesh off his arm, he threw her into the fire—at least he should’ve tried to get some information out of her first."

Yan Tuo remained silent, his mind still lingering on the phrase "all leads are gone."

Lin Ling didn’t notice his unusual reaction. "Thankfully, there’s still you. If you hadn’t woken up, we’d truly be at a dead end."

Yan Tuo’s lips felt dry. "Did Gou Ya say anything?"

Lin Ling shook her head, lowering her voice again. "I didn’t see him, but I heard from Xiong Hei’s people that Gou Ya might be dead—not sure if it’s true. Do you remember when we were on the second underground level of the farm..."

She didn’t finish, suddenly shuddering and glancing uneasily toward the door.

Yan Tuo said quietly, "That matter—best not to bring it up if possible."

Lin Ling quickly nodded, as if deliberately lightening the heavy topic. "By the way, why did you ditch that pretty girl?"

Yan Tuo was confused. "What do you mean, 'ditch'?"

Lin Ling smirked, pulling out her phone and showing him a photo. "This Miss Nie. At first, we really had no leads, and Aunt Lin even suggested investigating her."

Then Da Tou showed up, and following the trail, they found Yan Tuo and Gou Ya. Nie Jiuluo’s lead was naturally dismissed as having no value and dropped.

Yan Tuo stared at the photo. It wasn’t just a simple picture but a magazine spread. Nie Jiuluo wore a classic blue cotton tank top and black gathered harem pants, barefoot as she leaned against an old-fashioned wooden window frame, her head slightly lowered in thoughtful contemplation. Outside the window, blurred greenery framed her, and her hands were smeared with mud.

There was a casual, effortless beauty to it—a successful candid shot capturing a moment of work.

"From a magazine?"

Lin Ling nodded. "She’s quite famous in the sculpture circle. Found a lot about her online."

Yan Tuo’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. Ignoring his physical discomfort, he propped himself up with his arms. "Actually, she..."

Before he could finish, the door swung open abruptly.

Whether here or at the plantation, only one person would barge in without knocking.

Lin Ling stiffened and immediately stood up. "Aunt Lin."

It was Lin Xirou, looking hurried and travel-worn, yet her radiant beauty remained undiminished despite the worry etched on her brow.

Behind her stood Xiong Hei, towering like an iron pillar. Though it was already jacket weather, he wore only a tight white T-shirt with "Try Me" printed on it, stretched taut over his dark, muscular frame. His right forearm was thickly bandaged—likely where the chunk of flesh had been bitten off.

Yan Tuo lay back on the bed and also greeted her. "Aunt Lin."

Lin Xirou smiled as she walked over and sat by Yan Tuo’s bedside. "Finally awake. I just ran into Lü Xian, and he said it’s nothing serious. You’ll recover after some rest."

As she spoke, she reached out to caress Yan Tuo’s face.

He instinctively wanted to pull away but restrained himself.

Lin Ling interjected, "Aunt Lin, you came at the right time. I was just telling him about how we found him and was about to ask him about Natou’s side."Lin Xirou gave a soft hum. "Xiao Tuo, Aunt Lin has something important to ask you."

The room fell silent at her words. Xiong Hei, standing guard by the door, glanced at it before clicking the lock shut with a sharp "clack."

Yan Tuo was the first to speak. "Didn't Gou Ya tell you?"

Lin Xirou sighed. "You've suffered this time, but compared to Gou Ya, it's nothing. He won't wake up for three to five months. Tell me, who hurt him?"

As she spoke the last sentence, she withdrew her hand, brushing against Yan Tuo's cheek in the process. He noticed her fingertips were colder than they had been moments ago.

Suddenly, the fragments in his mind became clear: "All the leads are gone," "Luckily, we still have you," "Gou Ya won't wake up for months..."

In other words, whatever he said now would be taken as truth, unchallenged.

His heart pounded violently. Swallowing hard, he made his decision at the last moment. "I didn't see anything."

Xiong Hei interjected, "There are five cells under the pig farm. He and Gou Ya weren't kept together. They probably didn't know what happened to each other."

Lin Xirou pressed further, "How did you end up in their hands?"

Yan Tuo replied, "It was really unexpected. On my way back, my navigation malfunctioned, and I took a wrong turn—ended up in Banya."

"I got out to ask for directions, just that. But when I got back in the car, three... no, four people suddenly attacked me. One of them jabbed a needle into the back of my neck—must have been some kind of anesthetic. I blacked out almost immediately. When I woke up, I was already underground at the pig farm."