Chapter 06

All around, even the wind fell silent for a moment.

Ruan Nianchu pursed her lips, looking at Li Teng without speaking, her eyes filled with confusion and inquiry. The umbrella knife in his hand was given by the grandfather, but she couldn’t figure out where the one in her hand came from.

The other party remained calm, and after scrutinizing the umbrella knife in his hand for a few seconds, he coldly shifted his gaze upward, looking at her with a slightly chilly tone, “Did you touch my things?”

“…I didn’t mean to,” Ruan Nianchu explained with a slight glint in her eyes. “I found this knife when I was cleaning the room. I just wanted to use it for self-defense.”

Without saying a word, Li Teng smoked and stared at her, his gaze assessing.

Ruan Nianchu continued, “You haven’t answered me.”

He replied indifferently, “Answer what.”

Her grip on the knife handle tightened slightly. “Two umbrella knives. The one in your hand was given by your grandfather, so how did I get the one in my hand?”

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Nk Mldt qzknjle vbl nktyalvvl ypb. “Ebyv eslp kv byhl vs es okvb usw?”

Swyd Lkydnbw ckv bla zkr, tzydnle yaswde, yde vbld zsolale bla hsknl, “Ps usw jdso vbyv vbkp kp y xkzkvyau jdkql qasx vbl Ubkdlpl Gka Wsanl?”

Tl pnsqqle, lmwekdt y alclzzkswp elxlydsa. “Slyzzu kxralppkhl.”

Tla casop qwaasole lhld vktbvla. “Ebu es usw byhl kv?”

Mbl vbknj nzswep ycshl olal czsod yoyu cu vbl okde, alhlyzkdt vbl xssd. Mbl qykdv xssdzktbv prkzzle shla vbl ldvkal assq. Nk Mldt’p qynl oyp byzq kd vbl zktbv yde byzq kd vbl pbyeso, nsze yde kdekqqlaldv, pbsokdt ds lmralppksd.

Wsa y xsxldv, bl rkdnble vbl nktyalvvl cwvv yde nypwyzzu vbalo kv esod. Qzydnkdt yv bla, bl pxkajle, “Rd swa zkdl sq osaj, vbl xsal rlsrzl usw jkzz, vbl xsal svblap qlya usw.” Gp bl prsjl, bl pdyvnble vbl wxcalzzy jdkql qasx bla byde, olktble kv, yde bkp pxkzl clnyxl eyaj yde nawlz. “Gqvla pzywtbvlakdt y zyxc, usw’hl tsv vs vyjl psxl prskzp sq oya, esd’v usw vbkdj?”

Swyd Lkydnbw’p bydep valxczle, bla tygl pbkqvkdt qasx nsdqwpksd vs pbsnj, yde qkdyzzu vwadkdt kdvs ydtla. Fbl tzyale yv bkx, nzldnbkdt bla vllvb vktbvzu.

Gqvla y obkzl, pbl xydytle vs piwllgl swv y qlo valxczkdt osaep, “Zsw okzz qynl alvakcwvksd qsa vbkp.”

“Is that so?” Li Teng sneered, reclining on the roof, using his arm as a pillow, gazing directly at the night sky. He spoke casually, “Do you really believe in such a thing as retribution?”

Her tone turned scornful, “Of course.”

He chuckled lightly without saying a word, his eyes colder and deeper.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Whether it was out of anger, fear, or perhaps finding an outlet for release, Ruan Nianchu almost blurted out, “You do so many outrageous things, you’ll definitely go to hell in when you die.”

Surprisingly, Li Teng showed no sign of anger. “Isn’t it this place?”

“…,” Ruan Nianchu was speechless.

This was the first conversation she had with this man in several days, and to be honest, it wasn’t pleasant. Initially, she had suspicions about his identity, thinking he was different from the others. He had saved her several times, proving that he still had a conscience, and with that military knife of unknown origin… she thought he might know the owner of that knife, or at least have some connection to them.

Ruan Nianchu had intended to request him to spare her.

Unfortunately, the origin of the knife disappointed her. It was just a spoils of war from one of their violent acts, and the original owner of the knife had likely fallen victim to their brutality.

She lowered her gaze, silent for a moment, and began to move, preparing to descend from the roof. However, just as she grabbed the eaves, the man unexpectedly spoke, saying, “Ruan Nianchu. Like you, I am Chinese.”

“…,” Ruan Nianchu’s movements abruptly paused, and she turned to look at him.

Li Teng remained composed. “It seems my hometown is in the northern part of China. When I was ten, I was sold to Cambodia. Grandfather took me in and made me his boy scout. So, in this lifetime, I can only serve him.”

Listening, she felt a bit uncomfortable. Her fingers unconsciously tightened, and her nails scraped across the bamboo, leaving a few white scratches.

The wind blew quietly, and on the rooftop, the girl’s jet-black hair fluttered in the breeze.

Suddenly, Li Teng raised his eyelids, glanced at her, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Do you really believe that?”

Ruan Nianchu was stunned.

Li Teng pulled out a lighter, lit a cigarette, squinted his eyes, and said, “I’m telling this story for the first time. Made it up in two minutes.”

“You…” Ruan Nianchu was speechless, feeling both incredulous and frustrated. She clenched her fists and exclaimed, “You actually made up such a story to deceive me? Are you that bored?”

After all, she was just a young girl, and in her angry state, her eyes widened, her cheeks puffed up, giving her the appearance of a goldfish used for decoration in a fish tank. He stared at her intently, squinted his eyes, exhaled smoke, and the bluish-white mist blurred that delicate face. He said, “Who said I was bored behind my back?”

This time, Ruan Nianchu didn’t want to engage in conversation at all. She didn’t recall the conversation she had with little Tori that day. She muttered a curse under her breath. Turning away, she clumsily climbed down.

Li Teng was smoking leisurely, calmly watching for a moment. He raised an eyebrow half a beat later, and said, “Need help?”

“No.” She was furious, refusing without hesitation, using both hands and feet in a comical and cute manner. Unexpectedly, halfway down, her foot slipped, and she rolled down the roof.

“…,” Li Teng’s eyes suddenly chilled, furrowing his brows. He swiftly flipped over and jumped down. Upon closer inspection, the girl had fallen directly into a pile of dry straw on the ground, with most of her body stuck inside. Her face, hair, everything covered in golden dry straw, looking pitiful.

A fleeting hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. With his hands in his pockets, he took a couple of steps forward, casually standing in front of the straw pile. Biting his cigarette, he asked her for the second time, “Need help?”

“… No.” Ruan Nianchu felt embarrassed, her tone more resentful than before. It took her a while to climb out of the straw pile, and after standing still for a moment, she patted her head and brushed off the straw. Then, she glared at him, turned around, and headed back inside.

“Hey,” Li Teng called out to her.

She paused, turning her head in confusion. In the moonlight, he took a step closer, his gaze fixed on her fair face. In an instant, he raised his right hand and reached towards her.

Ruan Nianchu froze.

Just a moment before his fingertips touched her cheek, she snapped back to reality. In a panic, she instinctively turned her head and stepped back. Li Teng’s hand hung in mid-air, and her soft hair slipped through the gaps between his fingers.

The surrounding air suddenly became still.

After a short moment, he withdrew his hand, pointing to her head, and said coldly, “Weeds.”

“…,” she awkwardly nodded. “Oh.”

Li Teng didn’t say anything more; he turned and walked away.

Ruan Nianchu stood in place for a moment, patting her head to carefully clean the remaining straw. Then, she returned to her room.

The rice flowers in the broken vase had already begun to wither. She half-lay on the table, looking at the flowers, when suddenly, a snippet of conversation inexplicably popped into her mind.

Ruan Nianchu’s expression changed slightly. She remembered.

Li Teng said she talked behind his back, saying he was boring… A few days ago in the afternoon, she was bored and had quite a conversation with a boy named Tori. Did he hear everything?

“…,” her heart tightened, and her gaze unconsciously fell on the bundle of rice flowers. In a flash, a ridiculous guess crossed her mind.

~

The next day at noon, Ruan Nianchu saw Tori again. The boy brought her food.

Still shaken by the events of the previous night, she couldn’t help but ask the boy, “Where did you go yesterday?”

Tori stretched lazily, thought for a moment, and managed to squeeze out a few awkward words, “I… went out…”

Ruan Nianchu nodded. Tori seemed clueless, so it appeared that what happened yesterday had nothing to do with him. Slightly relieved, she smiled and picked up her chopsticks to eat.

The man whose finger was severed by Li Teng, named Nata, was an important elite member of the Tuwa Group. Furious and unable to bear the humiliation, he lodged a formal complaint with Tuwa, seeking justice from the patriarch. So, in the evening, Tuwa summoned both Li Teng and Nata.

However, the unfolding of events took everyone by surprise.

In the dispute with Li Teng, Nata lost control and accidentally shattered Tuwa’s favorite Guanyin statue. Tuwa killed him, didn’t bother wrapping the body, and threw it directly into the Mekong River. In the early morning, Ruan Nianchu heard someone banging on Aunt Xin’s door, with rough movements that echoed loudly. It startled a chorus of barking dogs.

“Aunty Xin! Aunty Xin!” The man at the door had a rough voice, speaking in Khmer. “There’s blood all over Grandpa’s house. Hurry up and clean it.”

“Got it.”

A few minutes later, the elderly woman, hunched over, came out holding a broom and mop, her expression indifferent.

Ruan Nianchu looked at the pitch-black sky outside the window, not knowing what had happened but feeling an unsettling chill down her spine.

At Tuwa’s place.

Aunt Xin, bent at the waist, cleaned up the blood on the floor and quickly left. Tuwa half-closed his eyes, sat on a chair, played with a string of beeswax beads, and occasionally made a soft clinking sound.

In a moment, Tuwa said, “Seven days from now, BOSS is going to negotiate a big deal with the Spaniards. For safety reasons, BOSS has chosen our place for the meeting. Lee, inform the brothers to get ready.”

Li Teng nodded, “Yes.”

“Nata has been with me for eight years. His death is not easy for me either,” Tuwa pretended to express regret. “Decide how to handle Nata’s subordinates. Although those young guys are not very capable, they should still be able to help you to some extent.”

Li Teng lowered his gaze, expressionless. “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Tuwa opened his eyes, walked slowly to Li Teng while holding his prayer beads, and smiled, “Seven days later, when meeting BOSS, I will make sure to introduce you properly. In this day and age, there are not many young people as capable as you. If you catch BOSS’s attention, kid, your future will be limitless.”

“Grandpa is joking,” Li Teng said, “Without Grandpa, there would be no me.”

In a great mood, Grandpa patted his shoulder, “Reciprocate kindness; I appreciate that about you. Work hard. You and I are like father and son, and I won’t treat you unfairly.”

Li Teng curved his lips, a faint smile in his eyes, which became even colder.

*

After this, the jungle experienced two days of torrential rain.

Ruan Nianchu didn’t see Li Teng again. This was already her fourteenth day of being kidnapped, and what made it even more despairing was that she still couldn’t figure out how to escape.

She hadn’t received any new rice flowers. The few bundles in the vase had all withered.

Everything seemed to have fallen into a terrifying deadlock.

On this day, life continued mysteriously and ordinarily. At noon, Tori brought her lunch. In the afternoon, she carried a stool and sat by Aunt Xin’s door, watching her sew clothes. And just like that, the sun once again set behind the western mountains.

After having dinner and waiting for a while, anticipating that Li Teng probably wouldn’t return tonight, she prepared to wash up, locked the door, and went to sleep.

What woke her up was a series of knocks. Knock, knock, slow and rhythmic.

“…,” Ruan Nianchu frowned, and the hairs on her body stood on end as she stood up instantly. Alert and cautious, she said in a low voice, “Who is outside?”

A deep voice came from behind the door, very familiar and filled with evident fatigue. “Me.”

It was Li Teng. Ruan Nianchu’s eyes flickered slightly. She got out of bed and went to unlock the door.

Opening the door, she indeed saw a figure outside. The surroundings were pitch black, and she couldn’t see the face, only a tall and large silhouette. Without much thought, she lowered her head and moved aside to let him in.

Li Teng shifted, unexpectedly, his body suddenly leaned forward. Startled, Ruan Nianchu reached out instinctively to support him. His arm unconsciously crossed her shoulders, and then, almost half of his weight pressed down on her.

“…Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Ruan Nianchu was taken aback, her whole being enveloped in his shadow. She staggered, almost struggling to stand.

The breath above her head was heavy, murky, and scorching. Sensing something, she reached out and touched his waist, feeling wet, hot, and sticky.

It was all blood.

---

Sansukini: Be kind and don’t give 1 star reviews. Lol. Btw, I initially found this novel at jjwxc’s top ranking list, It was in the Top 10. I was just looking around for something to read for myself, and I was curious about the title (Half Yin) plus I like military novels. Anyway, I have never given 1 star reviews to any novels ever. I just drop it if it’s not up to my taste. Just think about the time the translator spent working on the novels. Sorry for ranting again. Give 5-stars or… or… Nothing ฅ(=ዎܫዎ=)∫

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