"The Mortal Chapter Of Qing Zhuan" - Chapter 12
The Ill-Fated Beauty
After a warm spring night, Cheng Yugang finally signed his name on the project proposal, “Sandmouth Mountain Development Agreement.”
The dust had settled. Sandmouth Mountain’s final usage rights, development funds, and future shareholdings all belonged to the Lin family.
As for the Long family, this event led directly to their downfall. In the days that followed, there were a series of bizarre deaths.
That’s right, the four men were behind it. Luan Qingfeng sharpened his knife on a stone. “I’ve waited so long, and finally this day has come! Long Yan, your grandpa is here! Are you ready to die?!”
Qin Shaojie and the other two brothers didn’t speak but sighed.
Qin Shaojie said, “Ah Feng, our great revenge is about to be avenged. The Lin family was indispensable in this. Why don’t we go pay our respects to Young Master Lin?”
Luan Qingfeng ran his finger along the blade’s edge. “Of course we’re going. We must go congratulate Young Master Lin on his success!” The four of them then went to the Lin family’s mansion.
Lin Fengnian saw them and smiled. “Four brothers, welcome! Please, come in!”
Luan Qingfeng cupped his hands and bowed. “Congratulations, Young Master Lin! Congratulations on securing the project!”
Qin Shaojie and the other two followed suit. Lin Fengnian had a banquet prepared. Zhao Fangshuo grabbed a chicken leg and was about to put it in his mouth when Luan Qingfeng spoke. “Thank you, Young Master Lin, for this grand feast. However, we have some private business that isn’t fully resolved. How about we come back and drink with you after we’ve dealt with Long Yan?”
Lin Fengnian’s expression showed a trace of respect. He cupped his hands and bowed. “Brother Luan, if you and your brothers can help my Lin family eliminate the Long family’s remnants, I, Lin, will treat you four as my own brothers in Yancheng from now on! I’ll be counting on you!”
The four exchanged glances, confirmed their shared intention, and bowed together. “Young Master Lin, you’re too kind!”
That night, the moon was hauntingly white, and an eerie silence hung in the air. The streets, which should have been bustling with villagers gossiping, were completely empty. The Long family had scattered like monkeys when the tree fell. Only a servant named Ah Jun remained to protect Long Yan.
Long Ting had gone to find He Zhenwei and so had escaped. When one of the maidservants by Long Ting’s mother screamed, the men brutally attacked the girl in front of her.
Luan Qingfeng cursed at the girl. “You little b1tch, what did you call me before? Say it!” The girl cried out, “It wasn’t me! The young master made me say it! If I didn’t listen, I would have died!”
Luan Qingfeng pinched her face and said viciously, “Is that so? Then what do you think are your chances of living now, you little b1tch?! I’ll kill you for cursing at me! For cursing at me! Huh? You little b1tch, you must be in heaven right now, huh? Answer me! Speak up!”
The poor girl underneath him was being ravaged and tormented.
Meanwhile, Sun Youwei and his brother watched eagerly, licking their lips. Zhao Fangshuo asked, “Brother Feng, are you done? Hurry up and let us have a taste too!”
With a final thrust, Luan Qingfeng stood up. “Go on, brothers, have fun. This is a gift from Madam Long! Hahahaha!”
Long Ting’s mother, Madam Long, was in tears, sobbing softly. Luan Qingfeng sidled up to her. “Oh, look, she’s crying! Madam Long, are you crying because no one understands you in your old age? Hahahahaha!”
Madam Long cursed. “You beasts! You will get your comeuppance one day! Amitabha! Amitabha!”
Qin Shaojie walked over to her and whispered in her ear. “I heard Madam Long was a great beauty when she was young! You’re only in your forties now, and you still have that charm! You spend all your days in this dim room praying. Have you been longing for…”
He then reached out and pinched her hard, saying in a wicked voice, “Mmm, not bad! You’ve had two children, but your skin is still so smooth! It’s rare!”
He then wrapped her wrist with a string of Buddhist beads and pinned her to the ground with his foot.
Madam Long yelled, “Let go of me, you subhuman beast!”
At that moment, Long Yan and Ah Jun heard the commotion and ran in. Long Yan roared, “You animals! I’ll kill you today! I’ll kill you! Ah! Mom! Let go of my mom!”
Ah Jun and Sun Youwei got into a fight. Luan Qingfeng, taking advantage of the moment when Long Yan rushed to hit Qin Shaojie, ran behind him and cleanly plunged a knife into his heart. Luan Qingfeng then whispered in his ear, “Grandson! Scream! Why aren’t you screaming?! Isn’t that what you always loved to say? Scream for your grandpa!”
He then stabbed him four or five more times before stopping.
Meanwhile, Qin Shaojie held Madam Long’s head, forcing her to watch her son die in front of her. At the same time, he increased the torment on her, brutalizing the woman.
Madam Long let out muffled groans of pain. He continued to whip her. “Scream! The more you scream, the harder I’ll punish you! Come on, Madam! Hahaha…”
Ah Jun, seeing Long Yan covered in bl00d, screamed, “Young Master, Young Master!” He, too, would die and be with his young master forever. The maidservant, who had been brutalized by the other two brothers, was exhausted and lay naked on the ground like a dead dog.
Meanwhile, the neighbors all held a flyer that read, “Stay indoors tonight; violators will be at their own risk!”
Everyone sighed. “Ah! Joy ends and sorrow begins. We are reminded that good fortune has its limits!” “A great family was destroyed by a woman! Ah!” “The Long family brought this upon themselves! It serves them right!”
The four men returned to the Lin family with Long Yan’s head. Young Master Lin, who was drinking tea, stood up to greet them when he heard footsteps. “Four brothers, you must be tired!”
Zhao Fangshuo threw the head on the dinner table. “Young Master Lin, this is Young Master Long! The brothers brought him back for you!”
Lin Fengnian’s lips curled up slightly as he bowed. “Four brothers, please, take a seat of honor!”
At that moment, Old Master Lin also came out. The four men quickly stood up and bowed.
Luan Qingfeng said with a fawning expression, “Good fortune to you, Old Master Lin!” The other three respectfully echoed him.
Today, Old Master Lin was dressed differently than usual. He wore a black and gold mandarin jacket, a jade thumb ring, and a rare vintage jade pendant around his neck.
The old master sat down and waved his hand. “Young men, you’ve worked hard today. Please, sit down, sit down!” Everyone took their seats.
Old Master Lin glanced at Long Yan’s head, frowning slightly. Lin Fengnian quickly had someone take it away.
During the meal, Old Master Lin expressed his intention to recruit the four men. “When I was young, I learned to read faces from a master. I see that you four are destined for great wealth! It is fate that we meet here today. If you don’t mind, why not work for my Lin family? You will be well-paid! What do you think?” The four men immediately knelt and thanked him.
Long Ting, who had been turned away by He Zhenwei, returned home the next morning to find bl00d everywhere and bodies scattered on the ground. She covered her mouth and sobbed uncontrollably.
She knelt beside her mother’s body and slapped herself, regretting her words. She held her mother’s cold body and wailed.
She remembered saying, “Why don’t you die! Why couldn’t it be you who died! You’re a jinx, you ruined the family!”
She hated herself so much. She looked at the wounds on her brother’s body, and seeing his face mutilated, she was so heartbroken that she fainted. When she woke up, she saw people stealing things from her home and began to scream at them.
When she threw the last vase at one of the looters, there was nothing left to throw. She then knelt on the ground and cried. After crying for what felt like an eternity, she called a number she hadn’t dialed in a long time.
On the other end of the line, a voice answered, “Hello, Tingting, what’s wrong? What happened?”
Long Ting cried, “Hanxiao, I have nothing left! I have nothing left! Aaaah! Wuwuwu! Hanxiao! Save me!”
Liu Hanxiao, unaware of the gravity of the situation, tried to soothe her. “Tingting, don’t cry. What happened? I’ll come back tomorrow. Just wait for me!”
The next day, when Long Ting saw Liu Hanxiao, she pitifully threw herself into her arms and sobbed. “It must have been Lin Fengnian! It must have been him! He destroyed my family!”
Liu Hanxiao looked at the white funeral cloths, the memorial tablets, and the coffins, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions. She felt a sense of relief that the people who had killed her mother were dead, so her hatred was gone.
But when she looked at Long Ting, who had saved her countless times, and saw her swollen, red eyes, she remembered her past self. If not for Lin Fengnian’s rescue, she would have been dead long ago.
Now that the Long family had been wiped out, with only Long Ting remaining, if the Lin family found out she was still alive, they would surely find a way to kill her.
She was conflicted. Looking at Long Ting, who had gone through the same things as her, and hearing her heartbreaking cries, her heart was in agony.
She could only hug and comfort her. “Tingting, we don’t know who is behind this yet. Don’t let hatred blind you.”
Long Ting stared at her fiercely. “Liu Hanxiao! Don’t forget, your biological father’s last name is Long! Not Lin!”
Liu Hanxiao quickly interrupted. “Don’t say it! I don’t want to hear his name again!”
Long Ting slumped to the ground, a portrait of sorrow in her white mourning clothes.
Just then, someone pushed the door open. It was the four men again. When they saw the two beauties, they froze. The four of them walked toward them, their eyes glinting. Zhao Fangshuo was about to charge at Liu Hanxiao, but Luan Qingfeng stopped him, whispering, “You idiot, are you looking for a death wish?! Have you lost your mind?! She’s Lin Fengnian’s woman! How dare you touch her?”
A confused Zhao Fangshuo scratched his head and turned his attention to Long Ting. Liu Hanxiao tried to stop them but was knocked unconscious with a single slap and dragged to the side of the coffin.
Long Ting wasn’t so lucky. Zhao Fangshuo tore her mourning clothes.
Luan Qingfeng grabbed her by the neck. “Miss Long, don’t you love being with men? Was He Zhenwei enough for you? Why don’t you have some fun with the brothers today… Hahahaha…”
The four men swarmed her. She screamed in pain, “Let go of me, you animals! Help…”
After being defiled by the four beasts, she was killed in front of her dead family’s memorial tablets. Liu Hanxiao, who had just woken up, witnessed the entire scene. Her eyes wide with horror, she asked, “Are you… Lin Fengnian’s men?”
They nodded. Luan Qingfeng laughed. “Young Master Lin has been incredibly kind to us! Besides, the Long family has done so many evil things. They have oppressed the common people and terrorized this area. They deserved this! Let’s go, Miss Liu. Young Master Lin has been missing you so much!”
They returned to the Lin family mansion. When Lin Fengnian saw Liu Hanxiao after so long, he was both joyful and hesitant. He asked the four men, “Is it all taken care of?”
Luan Qingfeng nodded. “Don’t worry, Brother Lin!” Lin Fengnian then gestured for them to leave.
A smile was almost overflowing from his face. He walked straight toward her, holding her hand. “Hanxiao, how have you been?”
Liu Hanxiao looked at him coldly, pulling her hand away. “Fengnian, was it really you? You shouldn’t have done this! The Long family may have done evil things, but the law should have dealt with them. This kind of action…”
Lin Fengnian looked at her, hurt, and tried to explain. “Hanxiao, listen to me…”
Liu Hanxiao’s lips trembled as she sobbed. “Why, why?”
He took a step toward her, but she tried to back away, step by step. It broke Lin Fengnian’s heart.
He could no longer control his emotions. He had to hold her, even if misunderstandings kept them apart.
Lin Fengnian pulled her into his arms. “Hanxiao, don’t you know?! How much I hated seeing the Long family trying to kill you! Now the Long family is completely gone. It’s a way of giving your mother justice in the afterlife!”
Liu Hanxiao pushed him away. “Even if the Long family deserved to die, Long Ting was kind to me. And I am, after all, Long Zhenyun’s daughter! Now that the Long family is gone, I feel so sad inside, as if something has been taken from me!”
Lin Fengnian looked at her, heartbroken, and wanted to comfort her, but she pushed him away again.
She said, “I’m sorry, Fengnian! I think we’re no longer on the same path. Take care, Fengnian…”
Lin Fengnian stared at her in a daze, listening to her words. He was in a daze as she walked away. Her words echoed in his ears: “I’m sorry, Fengnian! I think we’re no longer on the same path. Take care, Fengnian…”
From that moment on, Liu Hanxiao and Lin Fengnian’s relationship was completely shattered. Lin Fengnian didn’t know that this would be the last time they would ever see each other.
Their conversation was overheard by Old Master Lin, Lin Yulong. When he learned that Liu Hanxiao was Long Zhen’s daughter, his eyes became sharp and filled with hatred.
He immediately called for the four idiots. “Qingfeng, you brothers have worked hard these past few days! Take this!”
The four men were overjoyed at the sight of the money.
Just as Qin Shaojie was about to take it, Old Master Lin gave him a piercing glare that startled him.
Then Old Master Lin smiled kindly. “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. If you help me get rid of one more person, I’ll find you jobs in the city, solve your housing and transportation problems, and give you this amount of money…”
Luan Qingfeng and Qin Shaojie looked at each other. Luan Qingfeng asked, “Old Master, who is this person that you’re willing to pay so much for?”
The old master sighed, covering his face. “My Lin family has been officials for generations! We have produced countless brilliant men, but now we’re about to be ruined by a woman! It’s truly heartbreaking!”
Luan Qingfeng whispered to Qin Shaojie, “It must be Liu Hanxiao! I’ve been lucky enough to hear the story between her and Lin Fengnian!”
Qin Shaojie asked, “What? This old man clearly wants to kill with a borrowed knife! If Lin Fengnian finds out it was us, he’ll send people to kill us!”
Luan Qingfeng said, “Right now, let’s just get the money and then find a way to escape!” Qin Shaojie nodded.
The two of them watched Zhao Fangshuo and his brother comforting Old Master Lin and tried to figure out a way to get away.
Qin Shaojie said, “This matter isn’t that simple. We should just tell Lin Fengnian and let him handle it! That way, he might remember our kindness and help us out.”
As they were discussing, Old Master Lin asked, “Qingfeng! What do you think?”
The idiot Zhao Fangshuo nodded and agreed. “Don’t worry, Old Master Lin. Just tell us. Our brothers will handle it for you. You can count on us!”
Old Master Lin smiled and patted Zhao Fangshuo on the shoulder. “Good, good, good. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me!”
At that moment, Luan Qingfeng interrupted. “Old Master Lin, can we have the money…”
Old Master Lin laughed. “Oh, oh, oh, that’s right. The money. Take it, take it! There’s more to come after you get the job done! Hahahaha! I’m waiting for your good news!”
Back at the temple, Luan Qingfeng and Qin Shaojie beat Zhao Fangshuo up. Luan Qingfeng said angrily, “You idiot! You’re usually so quiet, but today you just had to make a scene! Do you even know who he wants us to kill?!”
A confused Zhao Fangshuo asked, “Who?”
Qin Shaojie grabbed his ear and whispered ominously, “Liu… Han… Xiao!”
He was so scared that he was on the verge of tears. He asked in a panic, “What should we do?! Boss, Brother Feng! What are we going to do?!”
Sun Youwei frowned and asked softly, “Brothers, what if we just run? Let’s run now while no one’s here! If we don’t, we’ll lose our lives!”
Qin Shaojie exhaled a large puff of smoke. “Let’s just hint at the situation to Lin Fengnian! Otherwise, we’ll lose both sides.”
Luan Qingfeng also lit a cigarette and sighed. “At this point, that’s all we can do! We’ll have that Lin guy prepare a car and four new IDs for us. We’ll take the money and leave Yancheng and never come back!”
When Lin Fengnian learned about the situation, he was shocked. He grabbed Luan Qingfeng’s collar and asked, “Did you guys leak the secret? How did my father know that Hanxiao was Long Zhenyun’s daughter?”
Sun Youwei mumbled to the side, “You guys were arguing in the yard, and someone heard you! Who else’s fault is it? Hurry up and help us get out of Yancheng! We’re never coming back! What a cursed place!”
Lin Fengnian secretly sent people to help Liu Hanxiao go abroad, but what he didn’t know was that his father had already bribed his men. Before she could even leave Yancheng, Liu Hanxiao was killed on the same road where Lin Fengnian had once saved her.
And Old Master Lin had already anticipated that the four men would leak the secret. So, he twisted the story and hired people to put on a show for Lin Fengnian, proving that he didn’t kill Liu Hanxiao. He claimed that the four men were insatiably greedy, both informing on them for money and killing Liu Hanxiao for more money.
When Lin Fengnian heard the news of Liu Hanxiao’s death, he lost his mind. Without asking for details, he sent people to hunt down the four idiots.
And that’s why the four men ended up in our village, looking so disheveled. They had been on the run the entire time! But the things they did in the village would ultimately not escape the arm of the law. As the saying goes, the net of justice is wide, and nothing escapes it.