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"Otherwise?" Song Jiu shot her a glance and said, "Going out now would only mean death. Once they finish their work, I will kill that guy to avenge them."
"What good would that do?"
"At least they can leave here alive."
Yang Chun Yue shook her head in disbelief, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Those bald men have been castrated and tortured. She won't kill them; she wants to turn them into slaves." Song Jiu's voice was low and calm, though inside he felt immense sorrow. People are ultimately selfish; if Jiao Ziqian were tied up there, Song Jiu might recklessly rush in. But since Jiao Ziqian was not present, it was unwise to act against overwhelming odds.
"Do you think they will still have the courage to live after being tortured like that?" Yang Chun Yue found Song Jiu's coldness unbelievable, repeating the question over and over, murmuring, "They are your companions. Just imagine if you were tied up there; would they ignore you?"
Song Jiu had no rebuttal, forcing himself not to listen to her words. He watched helplessly as the second Foreigner had his manhood severed by a bald man, blood spraying across the latter's face. The screams resumed, and Red Mother seemed intent on making them suffer, waiting until the Foreigner's cries turned hoarse before waving her hand, signaling for the bald man to cut out their tongues.
"I can't watch this anymore." Yang Chun Yue's face showed determination as she snatched back her handgun and said firmly, "I can't be as cold-blooded as you. I might die, but I can't remain indifferent."
"It's unnecessary; they are not your companions." Song Jiu suppressed his anger, forcing his voice to sound calm.
"They are living people." Yang Chun Yue shot him a disdainful glance, took a deep breath, suddenly breaking free from Song Jiu's grip and leaping out from behind the boulder.
Song Jiu clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to follow her. He took several deep breaths, mentally reminding himself to stay calm.
Yang Chun Yue's sudden appearance startled the crowd; an unfamiliar woman jumping out was quite unexpected. Gaining some courage, she stepped forward with her gun in hand and trembled as she said, "Stop! You can't treat them like this."
Red Mother was momentarily taken aback and raised her hand to signal the bald man to lower his weapon. She adjusted her stone mirror and asked curiously, "Who are you?"
"I'm here to find someone." Yang Chun Yue struggled to control her fear. She realized that these women were completely naked, covered in strange tattoos she couldn't understand, seemingly unfazed by their bodies being exposed to the bald man's gaze. Scanning the crowd, she called out, "Where is my friend? Where is Ying Dou Dou?"
Red Mother displayed a look of sudden realization, shifting her hefty body into a different position. "You're here looking for Doudou, aren't you? Doudou was killed by those men you sympathize with, she died a terrible death."
"Impossible!" Yang Chun Yue felt as if struck by lightning; the calm facade she had forced herself to maintain shattered in an instant.
"Who told you Doudou was here? How did you get in?" Red Mother wore a benevolent smile, her red lips parting as she comforted, "Good child, there's no need to be afraid."
Yang Chun Yue felt a flicker of doubt, instinctively taking a few steps back. Her mind was blank. Could it be that Song Jiu was the real deceiver? It had to be that way; otherwise, how could he remain indifferent while his companions suffered?
Song Jiu sighed silently, knowing he was likely to be betrayed. He tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, mentally reciting a few names, preparing to fight for his life.
"No one brought me here," Yang Chun Yue managed to hold back her panic. The scene before her exceeded her comprehension, making her wary of trusting anyone. Although Song Jiu didn’t seem like a good person, these women were clearly not kind either.
"Where did he tell you? Tell me," Red Mother suddenly posed a question.
"I don’t know! What do you mean by 'he'? I don’t understand what you're saying." Yang Chun Yue momentarily lost her focus, almost letting something slip. Though she quickly covered it up, it was clear that Red Mother had caught on to her stammering.
"Good child, you don’t need to cover for him. Your friend was killed by his people. Do you want to be used by him too?" Red Mother leaned back in her chair and waved her hand, signaling several bald men to approach. "You should rest and eat something. You're a good child; you can't bear to see bloodshed."
"I-I won’t go." Yang Chun Yue suddenly panicked and retreated repeatedly. "I came to find my companions."
"We are your companions," one woman spoke soothingly. "This is a place for sisters; we help each other and support one another in life. Don’t worry; no one here dares to bully you." Her tone suddenly turned sharp as she scolded, "You filthy insects! Can’t you see you've already frightened the mistress?"
The two bald men approaching Yang Chun Yue trembled and quickly knelt on the ground covered with rubble, bowing their heads repeatedly while mumbling incoherently. Soon enough, they were bleeding from their foreheads.
Yang Chun Yue was utterly bewildered; her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the boulder behind her in search of help. Although she clutched a gun in her hand, she couldn’t lift her arm at all. This poor girl had been rendered speechless by the situation before her.
"Stop! You don’t have to do this! Get up!" Yang Chun Yue waved her hands repeatedly, wanting to help the bald men but too afraid to approach them. Looking back at Red Mother, she saw another wave of her hand signal five or six bald men holding guns stepping forward toward the boulder behind her. Clearly, her brief glance had already revealed her position.
Yang Chun Yue sensed that something was amiss in the dark passage. Regardless of who was real or fake between Song Jiu and Red Mother, she did not want to be the cause of any bloodshed. However, the situation had already spiraled beyond her control, and her own safety was at stake. Fortunately, Red Mother did not intend to make things difficult for Yang Chun Yue; she neither urged nor pressured her. As Yang Chun Yue stepped back, Red Mother did not allow the bald man to pursue her, as if she were completely inconsequential, letting her come and go freely.
The bald men surrounded the boulder, making strange noises. Suddenly, two of them lunged toward the back.
Yang Chun Yue nervously closed her eyes, but the anticipated struggle did not occur. Instead, the two bald men jumped out with puzzled expressions, babbling incoherently and waving their hands.
"Hey," Yang Chun Yue blinked in surprise and shifted her feet to look behind the boulder, where there was nothing but emptiness—no one was there.
Red Mother’s gaze was piercing as she paused for a moment before smiling and saying, “Good girl, do you believe it now? You’ve been deceived by a man.”
“I... I...” Yang Chun Yue stammered for a long time but could not articulate anything coherent. Her mind was in chaos, leaving her speechless. Could it be that she had truly been played? Did Song Jiu run away just to trick her into coming here?
Just as Yang Chun Yue's thoughts raced, two women hurriedly entered from the back of the cave and whispered something to Red Mother. Red Mother’s brow twitched as she quietly instructed a few words. The women nodded and turned to leave the cave with some members of the Bald Gang.
“Good girl, come over to Red Mother,” Red Mother said as she stood up with the help of the two women. She waved at Yang Chun Yue and softly said, “The ones who harmed Doudou are outside. They want to find this place; do you understand?”
“I... I don’t understand.” At this moment, Yang Chun Yue began to lean toward Red Mother. The sudden retreat of Song Jiu shocked her greatly; she never expected him to be so cowardly.
“Look around; these girls are just like you and Doudou. Those men do not speak a single truth; they only want to invade here and impose upon everyone what they did to Doudou. Good girl, your enemies are them, not us.”
Red Mother's voice carried a convincing sense of safety that almost reminded Yang Chun Yue of her late mother. Thoughts of her abandoned male companion and Song Jiu flooded her mind. Yang Chun Yue wavered and began to believe; she looked at the men tied to the wooden frame with eyes that no longer held sympathy but rather a hint of disgust.
“They are the ones who killed Doudou,” tears streamed down Yang Chun Yue's cheeks as she could not bear to think about the suffering her companion endured.
Red Mother sighed deeply, seemingly on the verge of tears herself as she weakly sank back into her chair and lamented, “Doudou was kind-hearted, just like you—sympathetic toward them—and look what happened.”
“Good sister, come quickly; let’s go back and tell Us,” a woman adorned with a Big Peony embroidery approached gracefully, supporting the dazed Yang Chun Yue and leading her to Red Mother's side.
Red Mother waved her hand, and several bald men squatted down to lift the large bench, turning around as if they were returning home.
“W-what about those murderers?” Yang Chun Yue looked at the people on the rack with tear-filled eyes, gritting her teeth and saying, “We can't just let them go.”
“Good child, don't worry, Doudou won't die in vain.” Red Mother reached out to stroke Yang Chun Yue's hair, a smile blooming at the corner of her blood-red lips that only other women could understand.
In a dark corner of Dark River, Song Jiu sighed helplessly. Wasn't it said that women were the best at scheming against each other? Yang Chun Yue didn't seem foolish; she had been brainwashed so easily. But it was for the best—regardless of whether she was truly naive or not, at least those people seemed unwilling to continue their torment. The group left the cave, leaving only a few bald men to guard Chu Guangxu and the others, which actually provided them some convenience.
Song Jiu knew this was a critical moment. The brainwashed Yang Chun Yue was likely informing Red Mother of her situation. Once Red Mother learned of the escape route, she would definitely send people to pursue them. Alone and outnumbered, Song Jiu couldn't take on the bald men and could only seize this opportunity to find some help. Unfortunately, two of the more capable fighters, Foreigner, had already been incapacitated.
Song Jiu stealthily returned to the boulder area. With Red Mother and her group gone, there were fewer torches, and the light dimmed significantly. Song Jiu hid in a dark corner of the rocky wall, moving cautiously step by step. Taking advantage of the bald men's gaze being elsewhere, he stealthily threw a small stone that hit Direct Descendant Young Man.
The young man had already been terrified by the gruesome sight caused by Foreigner, and at that moment, he was somewhat dazed, failing to notice the stone that landed on him. However, Chu Guangxu, who was nearby, had sharp senses and frowned as he turned his gaze toward the sound.
Hiding in the shadows, Song Jiu saw him squinting in this direction and quickly poked his head out to make a gesture. Chu Guangxu paused for a moment before his face lit up with joy; it was unclear whether he understood Song Jiu's meaning. Suddenly changing his expression, he began to wail loudly. The few bald men sitting idly around the wooden frame were annoyed by his cries and picked up stones to throw at him while shouting for him to be quiet. But Chu Guangxu, quick-witted as ever, did not stop; he continued to wail desperately while exchanging glances with another Foreigner and the young man.
The two were puzzled by his frantic behavior and thought he had lost his mind from fear. Out of camaraderie, they began to comfort him with useless words about dying together in solidarity, trying to alleviate his stress. Chu Guangxu rolled his eyes at their attempts but ignored their reassurances and continued making noise to attract the bald men's attention.
Song Jiu chuckled softly in the dark corner before gripping his dagger and darting out from hiding. He quickly approached the wooden frame and covered the mouth of one bald man sitting on the ground throwing stones from behind. With a swift motion of his dagger across the man's neck, he then rushed toward the wooden frame and plunged his bloodied blade into the back of another bald man who was facing away from him.
This was Song Jiu's maximum speed; despite his agility, he couldn't take down all five men in an instant. The remaining three bald men sensed something was wrong and grabbed their Dog Stick, surrounding him while calling for reinforcements. Without flinching or dodging, Song Jiu took a blow from a flying Dog Stick, slashing through the ropes binding Chu Guangxu. As soon as he was free, Chu Guangxu lunged at one bald man to help relieve some pressure and seized the opportunity to grab a Dog Stick, starting to fight back.
Seeing their situation turn dire, two bald men attempted to retreat to report back. This time, however, Song Jiu did not let them escape; with shoes on his feet, he moved swiftly and caught up with one of them, delivering a fatal blow. The slender bald man stood no chance against such an attack and fell lifelessly to the ground within moments.
Having freed several others, Chu Guangxu noticed that two injured Foreigners were somewhat dazed. It seemed that Red Mother had no intention of letting them receive medical attention; she clearly wanted them to perish on their own. Blood filled their mouths as they struggled to speak; even if they tried to raise their hands toward their necks where they had been cut.
Understanding their plight, Song Jiu realized that both men had suffered grievous injuries—one had lost his vital parts while the other could barely speak due to losing his tongue. Even if he took them away now, they likely wouldn't survive long enough for help. Rather than allowing them to suffer further while alive, it would be kinder to grant them peace.
The fortunate survivor among the Foreigners, indifferent towards life and death now, drew a cross over his chest with trembling hands. He took hold of the dagger intending to end his partner's suffering but was stopped by Song Jiu.
The Foreigner looked at him in confusion, while Song Jiu furrowed his brow and said, "Give them a chance for revenge."
The others exchanged glances, unsure of what he meant.
"Come on, get up." Song Jiu bent down to carry one of the Foreigners and gritted his teeth as he headed toward the tunnel leading to the Feasting Cave.
Chu Guangxu was taken aback for a moment but soon understood Song Jiu's intention. Shocked, he couldn't help but feel a bit wary of him. He silently sighed a few times and helped the Young Man support another dazed Foreigner.
It was unclear whether Red Mother had become overly confident, but there were surprisingly no guards left in this tunnel. From a distance, they could see the flickering firelight in the large cave where many bald heads were gathered, busy with something. Song Jiu calculated the time; it had been less than half a day since the previous banquet. Surely, they wouldn't start another meaningless feast again.
The group stealthily approached the cave tunnel and leaned the two battered Foreigners against the rock wall. The surviving Foreigner whispered a few words in their native language, and a glimmer of light flashed in their murky eyes. They smiled faintly and struggled to give Song Jiu a thumbs-up.
Song Jiu felt a surge of emotions inside. He smiled back at them, waved the dagger in his hand, and threw them an inquiring look.
"Eon."
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