Chapter 18 — Picking Up a Stranger
“You think I’d give you a chance to stand up?”
Looking coldly down into the wolf’s unseeing, lifeless eyes, Ling Jingxuan’s voice was soft yet chilling, like a demonic whisper from the deepest depths of hell.
Awooo!
Awooo!
Two round, black heads suddenly emerged from the grass. The next second, two more wolf cubs, each with a tuft of white fur on their heads, emerged from the grass—four snow-white paws, entirely black, looking like little dogs. The cubs, still unsteady on their feet, stumbled and pounced on the dead black wolf, nuzzling its belly and suckling at its swollen teats.
The scene was indescribably moving, yet also deeply sorrowful. Little did anyone know, it was this scene that prevented Ling Jingxuan from bringing his scythe down on the two wolf cubs, for they reminded him of his two little buns.
“Daddy…are they…wolves?”
Having confirmed the mother wolf was dead, the two little ones, supporting each other, cautiously approached, their identical eyes fixed on the still-nursing wolf cubs, a mixture of fear, curiosity, and inquiry.
“Hmm, you like them?”
Nodding, Ling Jingxuan glanced back at them, hastily wiping the blood from his face. The two children exchanged a look, nodding and shaking their heads in unison, “No, we don’t want them.”
Who knew if they’d bite when they grew up? Although they looked really cute now.
“Hehe…if you like them, take them home. We don’t even know if they’ll survive. Hurry up, the blood will attract wild animals. Let’s get ready to go down the mountain.”
With that, Ling Jingxuan grabbed the two wolf cubs and tossed them to them. He glanced at the mother wolf, feeling a pang of regret. Although the fur was useless, the meat was edible. If he hadn’t had so much food, he would have liked to take some meat home for a treat.
Throughout, Ling Jingxuan’s gaze never once fell upon the dying, blood-soaked figure.
“Daddy, what about him?”
Holding the wolf cub, Da Baozi turned and frowned as he passed the bloodied man lying motionless on the ground.
Ling Jingxuan, carrying a bamboo basket on his back and several large bundles in his hands, glanced at him coldly and scoffed, “Whatever. Don’t worry, he won’t die for now.” He didn’t know about later. Judging by the amount of blood he’d lost, he could only hold on for about an hour, provided the smell of blood didn’t attract other wild animals. So, the conclusion was that he was doomed.
“He’s not dead yet?”
Hearing this, Da Baozi let out a sharp cry and bent down. Xiao Baozi also ran over eagerly. Ling Jingxuan’s forehead darkened, “What are you doing? You’re already in dire straits yourself and you still want to save him?”
Even on a main road, let alone in this wild beast-infested jungle, he had no intention of saving anyone.
“How can we just stand by and watch him die? Daddy, come help us quickly! He’s bleeding so much!”
No one knew where he got the courage. He had been wailing in fear at first but now he was actually putting down his wolf cub and moving the bloodied body on the ground. Even the little dumpling was helping. Ling Jingxuan strode over and stood before them, his voice stern. “Little dumplings, before you try to save him, think about your situation. Think about your capabilities. Do you think the few of us can take him back?”
Call him cold-blooded or heartless, that’s just who he is. He would never invite trouble, especially since they were too weak and frail to save him.
“But he’ll die, Daddy, let’s save him!”
Even the older dumpling, though seemingly mature, was only five years old. How could a five-year-old understand everything he meant? All he knew was that they couldn’t just stand by and watch him die.
“Daddy, please save him, okay?”
The little dumpling blinked at him, his eyes filled with nothing but a plea for help.
“Fine, I give up. You’re the ones who have to save him, so don’t regret it later. Let me take a look first.”
Even the most hard-hearted person couldn’t resist their pleas. Ling Jingxuan stared at them intently for a long time, then sighed helplessly, squatted down to put down his things and approached them. The two boys immediately broke into smiles and obediently stepped aside.
“This face… um…”
When Ling Jingxuan laboriously turned the man’s body over and saw his face, which, although slightly dirty, had no marks, he froze. Fragmented images suddenly flashed through his mind.
“No… please, no…”
“Ah ah…”
“Hmm…”
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“Damn it! Finish him off!”
“Yes…”
Along with the appearance of the image, two completely different voices appeared: the former passionate and sensual, the latter cold and ruthless. The original owner’s buried memories were awakened. It turned out that he had been raped years ago, dragged into the woods of Xiaogong Mountain by an exceptionally handsome but savage and powerful man whose identity he didn’t know. Without a word, the man penetrated his body. Afterwards, as he was about to lose consciousness after satisfying his lust, several other men arrived. He vaguely heard the man ordering his subordinates to finish him off.
As for why he didn’t die, perhaps those men thought he had no chance of survival, or perhaps they unusually showed mercy. When he woke up, there was no one around. Traumatized, he dared not tell anyone and could only hide his sadness and humiliation, secretly returning home. Unexpectedly, a few months later, his belly grew large.
No wonder he had no memory of that man; it turned out… He initially thought the original owner had been used and abandoned by a scumbag, but he never expected… he had encountered something worse than a beast! Damn it, even he wouldn’t want to remember this rapist.
“Daddy, what’s wrong? What… Dad, his face… seems familiar.”
Seeing him standing there dumbfounded for a long time without moving, the little dumpling, holding the wolf cub, stepped forward. Upon seeing the man’s face, his small, sword-like eyebrows suddenly furrowed. He felt that the face was familiar, but couldn’t quite place it.
Of course he seems familiar, isn’t he a carbon copy of you two?
Regaining his senses, Ling Jingxuan rolled his eyes in annoyance. His luck was unbelievable. He even managed to pick up a wild man while gathering herbs on the mountain. Damn it, the worst part was that he had no choice but to save him. Not only because he had promised the little dumpling but also because he wanted to find out what really happened back then, clear the original owner’s name and incidentally help the two dumplings figure out their origins.
“Xiao Wen, Xiao Wu, you two go back and wait. When you see your Third Uncle, quietly bring him up the mountain. Remember, don’t let anyone find out.”
The man is unconscious; there’s no use worrying about it. Ling Jingxuan, while tearing at the smooth fabric of the man’s body, instructed the two boys without looking up. They needed to stop the bleeding first. It would be even better if they could wake him up but that would be difficult. He had lost too much blood, and they didn’t know if he had any other fatal wounds. Besides, he had practically nothing on him except the herbs he had just gathered. The chances of waking him up were practically zero.
“No, what will you do if we leave?”
Compared to saving the man, the eldest boy clearly cared more about his father’s life or death, his tone filled with barely concealed agitation. Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help but sigh deeply again, looking up at him, “I need to stop his bleeding. There’s no use of you staying here. Besides, I can’t carry him back alone. Xiao Wen, you’re the ones who insisted on saving him. If you regret it now, we can just abandon him.”
His seemingly cold and ruthless words were actually just a provocation. After seeing the man’s face and those images, he couldn’t possibly abandon him any longer.
“I… Daddy, wait for us. I’ll bring Third Uncle soon. Xiao Wu, let’s go.” Ling Wen looked at him then down at the unconscious man, gritted his teeth, grabbed Ling Wu, and turned to leave.
“But, Daddy…”
“Xiao Baozi, be good. Go and come back quickly. Daddy will wait for you here.”
Xiao Baozi, being pulled away, pouted and kept looking back. Ling Jingxuan tried to put on a reassuring smile until their figures disappeared into the woods. Only then did his expression harden and he resumed his treatment. He secretly vowed that when the man woke up, he would torture him severely. Damn it, rape is one thing but trying to kill him to silence him? Call him cold-blooded and ruthless? He was even more cruel and heartless.
He’s here! He’s HERE!! ₍₍⚞(˶>ᗜ<˶)⚟⁾⁾
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
