130. Meeting Again

Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing turned simultaneously toward the source of the exclamation, catching sight of a figure bolting into the distance. Without a word, the two men gave chase, leaving Nie Zheng standing where he was, still gripping his blade. Uncle Wen’s body stiffened before toppling backward. At the same moment, Nie Zheng collapsed to the ground, clutching his knife tightly, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and in the end, it was impossible to tell whether the liquid streaming down his cheeks was his own grief or the blood of Uncle Wen.

Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing caught up with the fugitive in no time. The man was running for his life, his arms dangling uselessly at his sides. He was no match for their speed. Zhang Xuan slammed his foot into the man’s back, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt. "Running, are you? You’ve lost your hands, so you’ve decided you don’t need your legs either?"

The man looked up, shaking his head like a rattling drum. It was clear he realized the young master had identified him. "I need them! I need my hands and feet! I didn't see anything, I swear! I was just passing by, young master, please spare me!" The man they had cornered was none other than the camp supervisor whose hands Zhang Xuan had crippled that afternoon. He had originally left, but upon hearing a cry near where he had encountered the others, curiosity had drawn him back. He arrived just in time to see the boy he had met earlier, accompanied by a stranger and the child who had escaped the camp two days prior. He watched as the child drove a blade into the man he had just been speaking to. The other three men were already lying on the ground, clearly beyond saving. The sight had forced an involuntary gasp from his throat. Now, he was consumed by regret. Why hadn't he just walked back to the camp? Why had he turned back? Seeing the ruthless efficiency of these attackers, he knew his fate was likely sealed. He only hoped they hadn't overheard his earlier conversation with the human traffickers; if they had, his end would be far worse than theirs.

What he didn't know was that Zhang Xuan had already placed him on his list of those to be liquidated. Zhang Xuan had intended to track him down as soon as Nie Zheng had his revenge. After all, how far could a man without hands possibly get?

"Passing by?" Zhang Xuan mocked, watching the supervisor tremble in terror. "Didn't I try to use that pathetic excuse this afternoon? Didn't you say nobody would believe it?" He gestured sharply. "Get up. We’re heading back."

"Back where? Young master, I know where the mountain fortress you were asking about is. I’ll take you there. I can sneak you inside—how about that? Just let me go," the supervisor pleaded, looking at Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing with pathetic, watery eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, or I’ll dig your eyes out. We are going back to where you cried out, obviously. Do you think I’m stupid enough to follow you to your base? I wouldn't know how to get out of there alive." Zhang Xuan was revolted by the man’s gaze; ever since learning of his atrocities, he felt his skin crawl whenever the man looked at him.

"You wouldn't get out, of course. No matter how skilled you are, you can't fight twenty men at once!" The supervisor kept this thought to himself. Cowed by Zhang Xuan’s threat, he obediently trailed them back to where Nie Zheng sat. There was no choice; with Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing flanking him, escape was impossible. He had never regretted anything more in his life.

Returning to the scene, Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing looked at the trembling Nie Zheng. Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a pang of doubt—was this right? Had he been too cruel to the boy? Though, in truth, Nie Zheng was a year older than Zhang Xuan; he only looked small due to malnutrition or perhaps because he hadn't yet hit his growth spurt.

In the flickering torchlight, the supervisor saw the four bodies on the ground and Nie Zheng kneeling among them. He realized that the men he had just been issuing orders to were now separated from him by the veil of death. Terrified that he would suffer the same fate, he scrambled to his knees and crawled toward Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing. "Young master, little heroes, I am innocent! I just watched the camp; my only job was to look after the children. I never had anything to do with the trafficking! Please, I beg you, spare me!"

Zhang Xuan looked down at the man and patted his cheek gently. "Don't worry, you won't end up like them." The supervisor felt a heavy stone lift from his heart; he knew that this young man, for all his ruthlessness, kept his word.

Yang Zaixing frowned, confused by Zhang Xuan’s promise. He had seen the fury in Zhang Xuan’s eyes when he learned the supervisor had taken the children away that night. Still, he asked no questions; his third brother always had his own reasons. Nie Zheng looked up, caught the supervisor’s gaze, and offered a faint smile. "You came back," he whispered softly. "Now that I'm right in front of you, can you pay me my two months' wages? If you were going to pay them, you'll have to give it to me instead."

Upon hearing this, the supervisor collapsed onto his backside, utterly shattered.