Chapter 168

Xu Damao stood up slowly, his feet numb. He stomped his feet while memorizing the features of this small courtyard in his mind.

Once the tingling numbness passed, he quietly circled to the back street and found the back wall of the small courtyard.

He jumped with all his might and climbed over the low back wall. He slowly approached the back wall of the main room, pressing his ear against the cold brick wall.

The sounds from inside the room came through without missing a beat.

"Junior Sister, it's been so many years, I haven't heard you sing opera again. Sing a piece for me!" Luo Jiangtao's voice carried a sense of longing.

"Senior Brother, are you telling the truth?" Cui Xiu said with a coquettish pout.

"Why would I lie to you!"

"To tell you the truth, ever since I parted from you, I haven't sung opera again. My voice and my stage movements have all grown rusty."

"Sing a piece!" Luo Jiangtao encouraged: "It's been so many years, I often dream of us singing opera side by side. Back then, you always wore a long, jet-black braid that would swing back and forth when you walked. It was truly beautiful!"

Cui Xiu felt a sudden ache in her nose from this unexpected confession, and her eyes turned red immediately.

She sobbed once and said with a nasal tone: "Then... I will sing a piece from Dingjun Mountain."

"Good! That piece is good!" Luo Jiangtao immediately began to keep time.

Following that, a cadence-filled, clear, and mellow singing voice poured out: "This letter comes at just the right time, Heaven helps Huang Zhong achieve merit. Standing at the camp gate, I shout aloud, all you young soldiers listen to the root of the matter. First beat of the drum, prepare the battle meal; second beat of the drum, tighten the battle robes..."

At the base of the wall, Xu Damao felt his heart shrink violently, as if it had been gripped by a hand.

That was a strange voice he had never heard before. From childhood to adulthood, his mother had never even hummed a small tune in front of him, yet at this moment, in front of this man, she sang with such tenderness and devotion, every word and phrase piercing his heart like a needle.

"Good! Sung well, even more flavorful than in the past!" Luo Jiangtao said sincerely.

"Senior Brother, when did you learn to flatter people like this!" Cui Xiu's voice carried a smile, a lightness that had never existed at home.

"People always change. I am no longer that silly boy who could give up everything just to sing opera."

"I don't think you've changed," her voice lowered, carrying a hint of lingering affection, "at least your appearance hasn't changed much, in fact... in fact, you look even better than before."

At the base of the wall, Xu Damao's breathing suddenly became rapid; his chest heaved violently, as if he were about to lose his next breath.

That nameless fire rushed straight to the top of his head, burning until his internal organs ached.

He could no longer listen and used his hands to block his ears tightly.

Then, some unbearable sounds came through vaguely and intermittently.

Xu Damao covered his ears even harder, curling his whole body into a ball, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Time passed very slowly in the torment. As if it were as long as a century, a dry, light "creak—" sound finally came from the Qianmen.

Footsteps sounded, and Luo Jiangtao and Cui Xiu walked out together, talking.

Xu Damao suddenly let go of his hands, his ears buzzing from the prolonged pressure.

His eyes were bloodshot as he looked around, dragged a worn-out bamboo basket from a corner, and turned it upside down under the wall. When he stepped on it, the basket let out an unbearable "creak."

He didn't care about much else, grabbed the windowsill with his hands, flipped over, and rolled into the room.

The room was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

The room was simply furnished but kept tidy, except for the bedding on the kang, which was in disarray, reminding him of what had just happened.

Xu Damao panted heavily and pulled the Pistol from his bosom.

He disengaged the safety; the light "click" sound was very obvious in the silent room.

The weight of the gun pressed heavily into his palm, but his hand was shaking uncontrollably.

He bit his lower lip hard until he tasted blood in his mouth, only then slowly suppressing his pounding heart.

Just at this moment, footsteps returned, moving from far to near, heading toward the door.

Xu Damao held his breath instantly, and the muscles all over his body tightened.

Luo Jiangtao outside the door seemed to have sensed something. He did not open the door directly but picked up a rolling pin from the stove to push the door open, while hiding behind the wall himself.

"Creak!"

The door had just been pushed open a crack.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out.

The bullet pierced the door frame, carrying splinters of the wooden door, and embedded itself in the opposite wall.

Xu Damao's pistol shook violently, nearly slipping from his hand.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" He pulled the trigger repeatedly until all the bullets were spent.

"Click—" The crisp sound of an empty chamber made his heart go cold.

Sweat dripped down from his forehead; he dared not stay and pushed the door open to run outside.

There was actually no one in the main room.

He had actually not hit anyone.

"Damn it... where did that bastard hide..." Xu Damao cursed, panting heavily.

Before he finished speaking, three people suddenly burst into the front courtyard. Their movements were swift, and they were clearly holding guns. The dark muzzles instantly pointed at him, blocking his path.

Xu Damao was scared out of his wits and almost instinctively threw the empty gun in his hand to the ground, making a crisp "clatter" sound.

The three men saw his appearance clearly, and a flash of disappointment seemed to pass through their eyes, but their movements did not hesitate in the slightest.

Two of them rushed up like hungry tigers, instantly tackling him to the ground. The third person quickly pulled out a thick hemp Rope and, in a few swift motions, tied his wrists behind his back, binding them tightly. The Rope dug into his skin, causing a sharp pain.

The leader was a man with a big beard, who said coldly: "You two take him to the car first. I'm going to see the Boss."

A black cloth hood was suddenly pulled over his head, and he felt as if the whole world had gone dark.

Xu Damao was roughly dragged up from the ground by two people, dragged like a dead dog, and shoved into a cold car that smelled of engine oil.

"What are you doing? Why are you kidnapping me? Let me go!" Xu Damao shouted in the car, hoping that people on the street could hear his cries and help him.

"Shout again! And I'll kill you!" a cold voice said from beside him.

Xu Damao stopped shouting immediately and asked: "Who are you people? Are you my stepfather's men?"

"You kid are something else, still talking about a stepfather. When you wanted to kill him, did you think about him being your stepfather?"

Before long, the bearded man also came out from the courtyard; he pulled open the car door and sat inside, causing the carriage to sink slightly.

He gave a brief order to the driver: "Take a detour, send this kid straight to the detention center."

Hearing this, Xu Damao panicked instantly: "Sir, spare me! I came to see my future stepfather. I saw a gun in his house and just picked it up to play with it, I didn't expect it to go off... I really didn't hit anyone! Let me go!"

"You kid are quite clever, coming up with a story so quickly." The bearded man sneered, "However, it's too late."