“Did you get the item?”
Tang Yubo looked at Fang Yi, who stood trembling before him, and asked.
Fang Yi shook her head and haltingly recounted what had happened.
Tang Yubo found it strange—could it be that someone had cast a spell on the accessory?
After pondering for a while, he waited until Fang Yi left and then went to the sealed private room downstairs.
Ni Yuan, seeing Tang Yubo after several days, grew flustered, unsure what cruel methods he would use against him this time.
Tang Yubo looked down condescendingly at Ni Yuan, who lay on the ground barely clinging to life, and stepped on his head. “Tell me, how can your daughter’s accessory be removed?”
“I don’t know!”
Thinking Ni Yuan was unwilling to reveal the method, Tang Yubo picked up the Barbed Whip nearby and lashed him violently again.
By the time he grew tired, he realized Ni Yuan had once again fallen unconscious. After a moment of thought, Tang Yubo decided he had to take matters into his own hands.
“Ni Manxin, are you free tonight? I’d like to invite you to dinner,” Tang Yubo asked over the phone.
Ni Manxin replied, “Sure, where?”
“At the same place we ate last time. Same time, same location—I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Okay.”
Tang Yubo hung up the phone, a sinister smile curling on his lips.
Ni Manxin arrived at the restaurant as agreed and immediately spotted Tang Yubo sitting by the window. She greeted him warmly and walked over.
Tang Yubo handed her a drink from the table. “Have a drink and rest for a bit. We’ll order later.”
Without much suspicion, Ni Manxin quickly downed the plum juice on the table.
Tang Yubo had heard her mention before that plum juice was her favorite drink, which was why he had specifically chosen it for her today.
“Ni Manxin, I have a lead on your father. Do you want to go find him?”
“Really? Tang Yubo, you’re not lying to me, are you?”
Hearing his words, Ni Manxin immediately grabbed his sleeve, her expression tense with anxiety.
After nearly two months without any news of her father, she had finally received word today.
Tang Yubo took Ni Manxin’s hand and led her toward the entrance of the hall. Eager to see her father, she followed his steps without another word, arriving at the casino where Ni Yuan was being held.
By then, Ni Manxin felt her limbs growing weak and her body losing strength. Tang Yubo caught her in his arms and carried her into a luxurious private room.
Though her body was weak, Ni Manxin’s mind remained clear.
Watching Tang Yubo’s actions, she grew uneasy—was he planning to…?
Tang Yubo sat on the edge of the bed, not even glancing at her, and got straight to the point. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you. Just listen to me, and I’ll treat you well. If you don’t cooperate, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Ni Manxin asked, “You tricked me into coming here today? Why? Didn’t you say you were taking me to see my father? You…!”
Tang Yubo reached out and touched Ni Manxin’s face. “I did say I’d bring you to your father, but I’ve changed my mind. If you really want to see him, take off the pendant you’re wearing and give it to me. Then I’ll take you to him immediately.”
Ni Manxin suddenly understood—Tang Yubo had been getting close to her for the sake of the accessory. First, it was Fang Yi, and now him. Could there be some hidden secret within this accessory?
“Tang Yubo, have you known all along where my father is? So…”Tang Yubo casually pulled over a chair from the side and sat down, his eyes fixed on Ni Manxin with a deadly glare.
This was the first time she had seen such a ferocious expression on Tang Yubo’s face. Unable to help herself, she tightly clutched the corner of her clothes as she stared back at him.
“That’s right. Not only do I know where your father is, but I also know exactly how he’s doing. I’ll be straight with you—if you obediently hand over the accessory, I’ll release both you and your father immediately. If you refuse, I’ll kill him first.”
Ni Manxin couldn’t believe such cruel words had come from Tang Yubo’s mouth.
She recalled how the Tang Yubo she usually spent time with was sunny and playful, yet the man before her now was so dark and ruthless.
“Take me to see my father first. I need to confirm he’s unharmed before I’ll give you the accessory.”
Tang Yubo replied, “Fine, I’ll take you to him, just as you wish.”
Ni Manxin stumbled after Tang Yubo into a dimly lit corridor on the first floor, where a compartment door, nearly indistinguishable from the wall, suddenly swung open.
Before she could carefully observe the room, she rushed toward the person lying on the floor.
Ni Manxin stepped forward, half-kneeling on the ground, and with trembling hands, she cradled Ni Yuan, who lay motionless, in her arms.
She noticed his light-colored trousers were stained with blood, and though the surrounding floor had been cleaned, the strong scent of blood still lingered in the air. It was clear that his suffering had persisted for more than just a day or two.
“Dad, Dad, I’m here! Dad, you’ve suffered so much!”
The faint voice of his daughter reached Ni Yuan’s ears as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The daughter he never thought he would see again in this lifetime was now gazing at him with anxious eyes.
He reached out to touch her cheek. It seemed she had been doing well these days—her face had filled out a bit. That was good!
“Alright, you’ve seen him. Isn’t it time you handed over the item?”
Suppressing her discomfort, Ni Manxin slowly turned around and saw Tang Yubo sitting coldly on a nearby sofa. At that moment, he felt both unfamiliar and terrifying to her.
“Child, don’t listen to him. He’s a monster! I may not know what this is, but I know it’s your lifeline.
If he went to such lengths to get close to you for it, then it must be no ordinary object. You mustn’t hand it over so easily!” her father said, his voice trembling.
Upon hearing this, Tang Yubo’s face instantly darkened. He stood up abruptly and delivered a fierce kick to Ni Yuan’s abdomen, not stopping until the man coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The moment Tang Yubo kicked her father for the first time, Ni Manxin wanted to shield him and take the blow herself. But she found herself trapped as if by invisible chains—unable to scream or move, forced to watch helplessly as her father was beaten until he spat blood.
At that moment, she was filled with hatred for Tang Yubo.
Tang Yubo bent down, gripping Ni Yuan’s hair tightly, and said, “A mere mortal like you dares to oppose me? She’s not even your biological daughter—why protect her so fiercely? Tell her to hand over the item, and I might spare both your lives. How about that?”
Ni Yuan lay on the floor and let out a few bitter laughs before struggling to stand and approach Ni Manxin.
It was then that Ni Manxin realized she could move her hands and feet again. Remembering his earlier words, her eyes widened with even greater fear.
“Who are you really? You’re not Tang Yubo, are you?” Ni Manxin ventured to guess.
To his surprise, this girl had actually seen through his true identity. He was utterly astonished.
“Little girl, I didn’t expect you to be quite clever. Hand over the item quickly, and I’ll spare your lives. How about that?”
Ni Manxin answered irrelevantly: “What happened to Tang Yubo?”
“That good-for-nothing died long ago, right when he said he was going to find some Taoist priest. Enough, your questions should be over now. Hurry up!” the man said impatiently.
Ni Manxin couldn’t help but cover the pendant on her neck, wondering why he was so persistently fixated on obtaining this accessory.