Love on the Turquoise Land

After finishing her conversation with Lin Xirou, Xiong Hei happened to have wrapped up matters with Gou Ya and came to take Yan Tuo to see Jiang Baichuan.

In front of Xiong Hei, Yan Tuo could "perform" much more freely. He walked with his head hanging low, sighing heavily, and eventually leaned against the wall before squatting down in frustration.

Xiong Hei was baffled: "What's wrong with you? You're about to get revenge and beat that bastard up. What's with that look?"

Yan Tuo said, "I told Aunt Lin directly, and she told me to give up on this idea."

Xiong Hei thought for a moment and understood. Looking at Yan Tuo, he found him both pitiful and laughable. He walked over and squatted beside Yan Tuo, offering him a cigarette: "Want one?"

Yan Tuo shook his head.

Xiong Hei lit one for himself and slowly exhaled smoke.

Yan Tuo glanced sideways at the bulging veins on Xiong Hei's wrist: "She told me it's because of bloodline. Brother Xiong, what's wrong with my bloodline?"

Xiong Hei spat out: "Damn it, the grass is always greener on the other side."

Then he turned to Yan Tuo: "Look at you. You've got money and the life to spend it. Instead of enjoying the good times, you insist on suffering and struggling to join us. What's the point?"

Yan Tuo smiled: "Brother Xiong, you don’t get it. It's always about wanting what you don’t have. The poor want wealth, the sick want health, and those with money and health want safety and longevity—if there were no way, fine. But knowing there is, how could I not try? And after all that effort, I’m told it’s hopeless..."

He leaned closer to Xiong Hei and lowered his voice: "Brother Xiong, am I really out of luck? No hope at all?"

Lin Xirou’s lips were sealed tight, but Xiong Hei’s brain, crowded with muscle, often let slip a word or two—when it came to clues, even a single word was valuable. After all, the puzzle he was piecing together about the Dixingren was still incomplete. Every extra piece counted.

Xiong Hei said, "Hey, Yan Tuo, let me ask you—wanting safety and longevity, isn’t it all about enjoying life, right?"

Yan Tuo nodded. "Exactly."

"Then what if you couldn’t enjoy anything anymore? Not even see the damn sun. What’s the point of safety and longevity then, huh?"

He patted Yan Tuo’s back and stood up: "Come on, take out your bad mood on that bastard."

Yan Tuo already knew Jiang Baichuan’s condition: "no medical treatment, no food, no water." But even with some mental preparation, the moment he stepped inside, the stench was so overpowering he could barely keep his eyes open.

The place where Jiang Baichuan was held was similar to Gou Ya’s cell—outwardly a cultivation room, accessible only through a hidden door. These hidden chambers were small, with no ventilation. Even an ordinary person locked inside would reek, let alone a wounded man with festering injuries who had to relieve himself in the same room.

Yan Tuo couldn’t take it. He quickly shut the door and stepped back, blinking rapidly. The cell was unlit, and in hindsight, all he saw was a filthy, crumpled figure lying in the mess, vaguely human-shaped. Nothing else was clear.

Xiong Hei chuckled outside: "Well? Feeling better now?"

Yan Tuo said, "Is he dead?"

"Dead?" Xiong Hei was startled. "No way, he was still moving this morning.""Words are easy, but I'm still not at ease," he muttered, grabbing a soil-turning hayfork to poke at the man while covering his nose. He quickly retreated. "Not dead. Scared me."

It seemed Jiang Baichuan still had his uses and wouldn't be killed anytime soon. Yan Tuo covered his nose with his hand. "Brother Xiong, get me a mask."

Xiong Hei was puzzled. "Huh?"

"It stinks. How am I supposed to go in there? What if I beat him so hard I make myself puke?"

Xiong Hei rolled his eyes. "So damn picky."

As soon as Xiong Hei left the cultivation room, Yan Tuo pushed open the hidden door, fumbled for the light switch, and crouched down, suppressing his nausea to shake Jiang Baichuan's shoulder. "Jiang Baichuan?"

Jiang Baichuan shifted slightly and slowly raised his head.

Before, Jiang Baichuan had seemed ageless—not because he looked young, but because his privileged life kept him spirited and well-groomed. But now, stripped of all external support and tortured, "old age" had overtaken him overnight, making him look over a decade older than his actual age.

Squinting with cloudy eyes, he mumbled, "Huh?"

Yan Tuo whispered, "If you want less suffering, play dead. The closer you look to dying, the better."

Jiang Baichuan stared blankly, then gradually recognized him. "You're... that...?"

Just then, the door outside creaked. Yan Tuo lowered his voice and spoke rapidly, "You know how to scream, right? Make it as agonizing as possible."

With that, he stood abruptly and kicked Jiang Baichuan in the stomach, roaring, "Go to hell!"

The curse was vicious, but the kick wasn’t hard. At first, Jiang Baichuan didn’t react, but after a pause, he clutched his stomach, letting out a hoarse, pained cry, and crawled toward the corner.

Footsteps hurried outside. Soon, Xiong Hei peeked in, handing over a mask while warning, "Just rough him up a bit. Don’t kill him."

Yan Tuo snatched the mask, glaring at Xiong Hei with a ferocious look that suggested he might turn on him next. "This is all your fault—you left him half-dead. I can’t even hit him properly."

He gestured impatiently. "Give me a cigarette and a lighter. The stench is unbearable."

Xiong Hei handed them over, about to say more, but Yan Tuo kicked the door shut.

The hidden room was tiny. The door slammed so hard the whole space seemed to tremble.

Yan Tuo lit the cigarette, waving it around like incense to disperse the smoke. He then crouched, checking under the door gap before glancing at Jiang Baichuan, who sat huddled in the corner, stunned. Mouthing the words, he signaled: Scream.

Jiang Baichuan understood, letting out another terrified wail, his voice trembling as he begged, "No more... please..."

Outside, Xiong Hei, listening at the door, was satisfied. "Yan Tuo’s got a real temper when he flips," he mused.

He knocked. "Yan Tuo, ten minutes."

Yan Tuo grunted. Watching the shadows under the door vanish and hearing the outer door close, he finally relaxed. Standing, he walked to Jiang Baichuan, flipping the cigarette around—offering it. "Want a smoke?"Jiang Baichuan looked up at him, then at the door, trembling as he reached out to take it. He stuffed it into his mouth, greedily inhaling a deep drag before slowly exhaling.

Then he raised his head again, staring at Yan Tuo in confusion.

These past few days, Yan Tuo had been the only one among this group to show him even a shred of kindness. But why?

Yan Tuo said, "There's a Miss Nie..."

Jiang Baichuan shuddered violently, forgetting to exhale the smoke and swallowing it hard.

"If you want to send her a message, I can pass it along for you."

Jiang Baichuan froze for a moment before realizing he was choking. He coughed several times, and after calming down, he rasped, "I see. No wonder..."

Yan Tuo raised a finger to his lips in a quieting gesture.

Jiang Baichuan swallowed hard and said nothing more, only trembling as he sucked desperately on the cigarette butt.

No wonder. No wonder after Yan Tuo escaped, Hua Saozi was burned, Crippled Father was tied up, yet Nie Jiuluo—who should have been the first to be affected—remained safe and sound.

What was Yan Tuo's stance? Was he a pawn? Were these words just a trick to test him? Should he respond or stay silent?

Jiang Baichuan was extremely tense.

Yan Tuo could guess all these thoughts. "Who I am doesn't concern you. All you need to know is that I can see her and can relay your message. Whether you want to send one is up to you. Ten minutes is short—think it over. This is your only chance. Once it's gone, it's gone."

Jiang Baichuan's mind raced.

—Yan Tuo could indeed see Nie Jiuluo. He had known about her from the start.

—Though his motives were unclear, perhaps... he could be trusted to pass along a message. If he were truly aligned with Lin Xirou and the others, Nie Jiuluo would have been in trouble long ago.

—When he was captured, he had been completely in the dark, and he was sure Xing Shen and the others were just as clueless. After several rounds of interrogation, he now had a rough idea of what this was all about. The others needed to know the truth...

Jiang Baichuan hesitantly lifted his head.

That night, Yan Tuo stayed over at the farm. First, because there was no need to rush back the same day, and second, because the matter with Gou Ya wasn't fully resolved yet. A wounded tongue made speaking difficult, but not impossible—the real test would come at midnight tonight.

The farm had a dedicated two-story guesthouse, and since Lin Xirou often stayed there, its facilities rivaled those of a hotel. The first floor housed a dining area, reading room, gym, and bar, while the second floor was entirely for lodging.

Yan Tuo noticed that initially, only Li Yueying, due to poor health, was resting in her room while the others were busy outside. But after nine o'clock, they began returning one by one. The first thing each did upon entering their room was take a shower—he could hear the sound of running water through the walls.

He stayed in his room, turning up the TV volume to give the impression that this was just an ordinary night for him.

At half past ten, he made two calls.

One to Lin Ling, confirming that the storage room was undisturbed.

Another to Liu Changxi, asking about Nie Jiuluo's condition. Liu Changxi said he was still busy at the shop and would send a message once he got back.

That likely meant everything was fine. If anything had happened, the confinement nanny would have alerted Liu Changxi immediately.

After the calls, Yan Tuo set his phone to silent and turned off the lights to sleep.Going to bed was real, but sleeping was fake. He lay fully dressed, eyes open, fingers lightly tapping at his side, waiting for time to pass minute by minute.

Around 11:15, the sound of doors opening and closing came from outside. Yan Tuo quickly sat up, moved silently to the door, and peered through the peephole.

First, he saw Xiong Hei, looking much neater than during the day—his chin clean-shaven and his hair smoothly combed.

Not at all like his usual style.

Next was Feng Mi, who took him a moment to recognize. Her dreadlocks had been undone, and she had straightened her hair with a flat iron, giving her a plain, simple look. Compared to her usual heavy makeup, she now seemed much more innocent.

Then came Yang Zheng supporting Li Yueying. Yang Zheng was likely the last to shower, his hair still damp. Li Yueying, probably trying to mask her sickly appearance, had applied a light layer of powder. Though the powder on her wrinkled face looked a bit odd, it did brighten her complexion.

Bringing up the rear was Lin Xirou, dressed in a black overcoat, her long hair neatly coiled into a tight bun. This added an air of authority she didn’t usually have.

As she passed Yan Tuo’s door, she glanced toward it.

Their eyes seemed to meet, and Yan Tuo’s mind jolted—he nearly flinched away instinctively. But then he remembered this was just a peephole, and since he was supposedly "asleep," the view from the other side would be pitch black no matter what.

Holding his breath, he stood perfectly still.

A shadow flickered—Feng Mi had doubled back, affectionately linking arms with Lin Xirou. She jerked her chin toward the door and said, "Aunt Lin, your godson really keeps old people’s hours. I never go to bed before 3 a.m."

Once the group had descended the stairs, Yan Tuo quickly retreated to the window, lifting a corner of the curtain.

Sure enough, under the cover of night, five figures moved in a staggered line, their flashlight beams erratic as they headed toward the pitch-black main building.

Exiting through the door would trigger the hallway surveillance, so Yan Tuo quietly opened the window, gripped the sill, lowered himself down, then took a breath and let go, landing softly.

The best-case scenario would be following them to the underground second level, but that was too risky. He’d have to play it by ear—most likely, he’d have to give up.

At the very least, he needed to stay near the side door to eavesdrop on their conversation when they came back out. Their tone might give him clues—if Gou Ya had exposed him, he’d bolt straight for his car and flee overnight.

...

With Li Yueying slowing the group down, Yan Tuo caught up quickly. Her intermittent coughing helped mask his already light footsteps.

He could even faintly hear their conversation.

Lin Xirou: "Is the Heaven-Born Fire ready?"

Xiong Hei: "Yes, we set up a dedicated room with multiple oil lamps lit. They won’t all go out."

Feng Mi interjected coolly, "If they do, we’re screwed. Might as well wait till tomorrow."

Xiong Hei snapped, "Can’t you say something nice?"

Lin Xirou: "Are all the night-shift staff cleared out?"

Xiong Hei: "Yes, they’re gone. One more thing, Lin-jie—should we cut the power or just turn off the lights?"

Yang Zheng: "I say cut it. We’re sending someone off here—it’s already slapdash enough. Let’s not make it worse."

...

Heaven-Born Fire. Cutting the power. Turning off the lights.It sounded like this "death penalty" was quite intricate. Yan Tuo's heart raced: if they pulled the switch and turned off the lights, did that mean his chances of sneaking into the underground second level had significantly increased?

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a faint light flickering in his pocket.

Damn, it was his phone!

Thankfully, he had set it to silent beforehand, but even this faint glow was nerve-wracking. If it had flashed like this during a "switch-off, lights-out" pitch-black scenario, wouldn't he have been...

Yan Tuo quickly ducked behind a tree, retrieving his phone while keeping an eye on the movements of those people ahead.

Liu Changxi.

Seriously, why call at a time like this? Yan Tuo was tempted to hang up, but worried Nie Jiuluo might have an emergency. Gritting his teeth, he answered, whispering a barely audible "Hello."

There wasn't even a "Hello" in response. Yan Tuo thought Liu Changxi might have dialed by mistake and was about to hang up when something suddenly struck him.

He could hear very faint breathing.

"Miss Nie?"

Sure enough, Nie Jiuluo's voice came through, weak but audible: "Busy... with something? Your voice... is so low..."

Yan Tuo hummed in agreement. "Yeah, tailing a few people... Earthfiends."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Yeah."

"Phone... on silent?"

Yan Tuo couldn't help but smile. "Yeah."

He glanced ahead—thankfully, with Li Yueying leading, they hadn't gone far.

"Wearing... a long coat? The hem... might snag on things, make noise."

Yan Tuo instinctively looked down. He was indeed wearing an overcoat. "Got it."

"Gotta go. Wait for... your safe return. Be careful."

Yan Tuo paused mid-step, about to reply with an "Okay," but the call had already ended.

This was the first time someone had told him to "be careful." Even Lin Ling had never said that—he usually informed her after the fact, rarely giving advance notice.

And it was also the first time someone had asked him to report back safely.