Chapter 313 - 311: Imprisonment and Abuse

As they passed a room with its door tightly shut, Yang Xun faintly heard the extremely quiet sound of sobbing coming from inside.

He stopped in his tracks and shot a glance at Sun Rao.

Sun Rao understood. She pressed her back against the wall, keeping a vigilant watch on both ends of the corridor.

Yang Xun approached the door. He was just about to pick the lock when a flurry of footsteps suddenly echoed from the end of the hall. A middle-aged woman in a maid’s uniform approached with a tray in her hands. On it rested a bowl of porridge and a few side dishes.

Yang Xun and Sun Rao exchanged a glance and immediately hid themselves.

The maid stopped in front of the closed door, pulled out a key, and unlocked it. Yang Xun pricked up his ears. The crying was much clearer now.

"Nanny Yu, please let me out. I’m begging you."

At the sound of that voice, Yang Xun’s brows knitted together. He could never mistake it—that was Zhao Linglong.

"Miss Linglong, just be a good girl and stay put. I can’t let you go." With that, the maid set the tray down and turned to leave.

Yang Xun’s eyes darkened. In the blink of an eye, he darted right in front of the maid.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock, and she opened her mouth to scream. He delivered a swift chop to the side of her neck. Before she could even let out a gasp, she slumped limply to the floor.

Yang Xun caught her falling body, then turned to Sun Rao. "Drag her inside."

Sun Rao stepped forward and hauled the maid into the room. Her movements were crisp and efficient, without the slightest hesitation. The two of them quickly slipped inside and shut the door behind them, leaving the hallway as peaceful as if nothing had ever happened.

Once inside, the sight before him made Yang Xun’s pupils constrict.

Zhao Linglong was sitting on a narrow single bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. A slender iron chain was shackled to her ankle, with the other end secured to an iron ring on the bedpost.

She was wearing an old nightgown dotted with bloodstains, her hair disheveled and wild. A few scabbed scratches marred her cheeks, and her eyes were terribly red and swollen. The moment the door opened, she flinched and shrank back into the corner of the bed like a frightened little beast.

But when her gaze landed on the familiar figure standing in the doorway, she froze. Large tears immediately welled up in her amber eyes and streamed down her face.

"Yang Xun..."

Her voice was hoarse and trembling, thick with the sobbing relief of a survivor. "What took you so long? I thought I’d never see you again... SOB..."

Yang Xun hurried over to the bed and gently took her hands in his. His voice was low yet incredibly tender. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

Unable to hold back any longer, Zhao Linglong threw herself into his arms. Her shoulders trembled violently as she let out stifled, broken sobs.

Watching the two of them embrace, Sun Rao felt a pang of jealousy. She spoke up, "Ah Xun, I’ll step out and scout the situation."

Yang Xun nodded. He gently patted Zhao Linglong’s back until her emotions had somewhat settled before asking in a low voice, "What exactly happened? Where’s your father?"

Between hitches of breath, Zhao Linglong answered haltingly. "When I got back, my father was already gravely ill... Not only was his leg injured, but his internal organs were also damaged. Combined with some of his pre-existing conditions, he was in terrible shape.

"Believing his days were numbered, he wanted to draft a will leaving all his assets to me. He said he built his wealth back when he was still with my mother, so it was only right to pass everything down to me.

"But my stepmother overheard him. She... she got into a huge argument with him. After she provoked him so much that he passed out, she ordered her people to lock me up in here."

She continued to weep in Yang Xun’s embrace, as if she were trying to vent all the agonizing grievances she had suffered over the past few days.

"During the time I’ve been locked up, Zhao Lili came to see me frequently.

"She said they were going to marry me off to that idiot from the Zhou family to bear sons for him... When I refused, she whipped me."

As she spoke, she pushed up her sleeves, revealing a crisscross of dark, purplish bruises all over her arms.

Yang Xun’s gaze turned chillingly cold the instant he saw those wounds. However, he didn’t say much; he merely reached out and wiped the tears from her face. "I’m here now. Everyone who dared to hurt you will pay the price."

"I was so scared. This isn’t a dream, is it?" Zhao Linglong’s body trembled as she burrowed deeper into his embrace, desperately needing to confirm that this was reality and not just an illusion.

"Silly girl, I’m sorry. I should have realized something was wrong much sooner. I’m sorry you had to suffer so much."

Yang Xun’s face was filled with self-reproach. He glanced down at the iron chain around her ankle. The chain itself wasn’t particularly thick, but the padlock was exceptionally sturdy.

Yang Xun channeled his True Qi. Gripping both ends of the chain with his bare hands, he gave a violent yank.

CRACK.

With a sharp snap, the iron link shattered.

Zhao Linglong’s eyes flushed red once more. She tried to stand up, but with a broken chunk of the shackle still hanging from her ankle, she stumbled slightly. Yang Xun quickly reached out to steady her. Back when she was in Zhonghai, she had finally put on a healthy bit of weight. Yet after being back for only a few days, she had drastically thinned out again.

His heart ached for her. Wasting no time, he circulated his Cultivation Technique to heal the wounds on her body.

A moment later, Yang Xun asked softly, "Do your injuries still hurt?"

"They don’t hurt anymore. Xun, you’re amazing." Zhao Linglong smiled at him. On her fair, delicate face, a harsh slap mark stood out glaringly.

Yang Xun’s gaze turned dangerously dark as he wondered how he would deal with Zhao Lili later. He reached out and affectionately rubbed Zhao Linglong’s head, only to see her eyes redden once again, brimming with unshed tears.

"There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. With me here, no one will ever make you suffer again.

"Since your stepmother is so fond of that idiot son, we’ll just have her own daughter marry him and carry on their family line."

Hearing this, Zhao Linglong shook her head. "That’s not what I’m afraid of. I’m worried about my father. His condition was already terrible a few days ago. It’s been so long now... I’m terrified that he might have already..."

"He hasn’t." Yang Xun immediately comforted her. "Take me to him. As long as he still has a single breath left in his body, I can absolutely save his life."

Zhao Linglong wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "Okay! Let’s go find him right now."

Yang Xun took the lead, stepping out of the room to scan their surroundings. Just then, Sun Rao walked over to them.

She lowered her voice and said, "There’s a room over there guarded by two bodyguards. The man you’re looking for is highly likely to be inside."

"Let’s go take a look."

The three of them quieted their footsteps and headed in that direction together.

Zhao Hongshan’s room was located on the opposite wing of the villa. It sat at the very end of the corridor, its door tightly shut. Two bodyguards in black suits were stationed outside. They were heavily built, clearly trained fighters at a mere glance.

Yang Xun didn’t even break his stride; he marched straight toward the door.

Both bodyguards noticed him at the same time. One of them quickly stepped forward, throwing out an arm to block his path. "Who are you? Stay back!"

Yang Xun didn’t waste his breath. With a flick of his right wrist, two silver needles appeared, pinched securely between his fingers.

He raised his arm slightly. In a movement so fast it was nearly invisible, the silver needles shot out silently, piercing accurately into the acupoints on the sides of both bodyguards’ necks.

The two men stiffened at almost exactly the same time, their eyes widening in shock. Before they could muster any sort of reaction, they toppled straight backward.