Chapter 112 Xia Qianqian's Secret Exposed

Number 8's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Rebellion! Rebellion! Hold her down!"

The men in blue overalls suddenly snapped out of their daze and rushed onto the stage to grab Xia Qianqian. But Xia Qianqian was like an eel; after spitting out her vomit, she suddenly found her strength and ducked away.

"You should be investigating the Xia family. Find out where they got their gold bars. That's evidence of their crimes!" Xia Qianqian's voice was firm and resolute.

The crowd erupted in chaos, their slogans turning into skepticism and angry shouts as they surged toward the stage. Xia Wenwen, squeezed in the middle, was covered in filth, her hair disheveled, and all traces of her earlier smugness were gone.

Under the old locust tree in the southeast corner of the square, Lu Zheng slowly put down the white towel in his hand, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, and turned to disappear into the crowd.

Next, it's their turn.

Number 8's expression changed drastically. Looking at the crowd surging towards the podium like a tidal wave, he roared, "Stop right there! Take another step forward, and I'll shoot!"

The man in blue overalls next to him immediately raised his gun, the dark muzzle pointed at the chaotic crowd. But before they could pull the trigger, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the west side of the square—

"stop!"

Before the roar had even faded, a group of burly men broke through the crowd. The leader was none other than the Revolutionary Committee members, followed by Lu Zheng's brothers. These men were all carrying weapons, clearly having come prepared in advance.

Number 8's pupils constricted sharply; he hadn't expected them to choose today to make their move.

But what terrified him even more was yet to come.

Suddenly, another group of men surged out from behind those burly men. Leading them was none other than Song Qiang, Number 3's trusted confidant! Number 3, that smiling tiger, had always been ambitious and unwilling to be subordinate to Numbers 1 and 2. He only regretted that his territory was too small, and had even set his sights on this place!

"Number 3 wants to seize territory?" Number 8 questioned sharply. He knew that although his influence was established in the provincial capital, in terms of sheer strength, he was no match for them!

"Comrade No. 8, don't put it so harshly." Song Qiang suddenly laughed. "We're just 'passing through' Nancheng. We heard that someone was carrying out a 'wrongful conviction,' so we came here to 'help' maintain order."

He deliberately emphasized the words "passing by" and "helping," but his eyes were fixed on Number 8 like a venomous snake. "But you, who indiscriminately kill innocent people, aren't you afraid that Number 1 will find out and skin you alive?"

"Bullshit!" Number 8 roared, drawing his pistol and pointing it at Song Qiang. "This is Nancheng! My territory! Number 3, if you want to interfere, you'd better ask the gun in my hand for permission first!"

It is unclear who fired first. Bullets whizzed through the crowd, causing people to scream and scatter in panic. Cries, gunshots, and the clanging of metal filled the air.

Although the men on team number 3 arrived hastily, they were all well-trained veterans with accurate marksmanship and excellent teamwork; the men on team number 8 had the advantage of being on home ground, familiar with the terrain, and were well-prepared—the two sides instantly descended into a chaotic battle.

The moment the battle began, Xia Qianqian was about to hide in Peach Blossom Spring when suddenly a familiar figure broke through the hail of bullets, opened his arms and tightly protected her in his embrace.

"Lu Zheng?" Xia Qianqian was stunned. Her nose bumped against his blood-stained chest, and she smelled the familiar scent of soap mixed with gunpowder. Tears suddenly welled up without warning.

She didn't cry when she was arrested, she didn't cry when eggs were thrown at her, and she didn't even shed a tear when facing a gun—because she had her paradise, her way out. But now, with Lu Zheng's warm chest pressed against her face, and his usually steady hands trembling slightly, she suddenly felt like a lost child. All her strength crumbled instantly, and she cried her heart out.

"Don't cry, don't cry." Lu Zheng panicked. He had never seen Xia Qianqian cry like this before. He awkwardly raised his hand to wipe her tears. "I'm sorry I'm late and made you suffer... It's alright now, Qianqian, I'll take you away."

He grabbed her hand and tried to run towards the alley entrance, but Xia Qianqian grabbed his hand instead. She looked at him through teary eyes, and before Lu Zheng could react, the two of them disappeared from the spot.

Gunfire erupted across the square, bullets whistling through the air. No one noticed the two figures embracing below the platform vanish into thin air. Except for Xia Wenwen, who was hiding behind the canvas.

She saw the white light with her own eyes, saw Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng evaporate like water vapor, and let out an angry scream.

"Xia Qianqian! How dare you steal Peach Blossom Spring!"

Gold bars were her bargaining chip for turning her life around, but Peach Blossom Spring... that was the foundation of her livelihood! That should have been hers!

Whether she was feigning friendship with Number 8 or secretly planning to escape Nancheng, Xia Wenwen always had confidence. She had already sent someone to the black market to find that ring. Once she got her hands on it, with the secrets inside the ring, she could live a prosperous life anywhere.

For some reason, Xia Wenwen never received the ring in this life, but she never panicked.

She always felt that she was the chosen one, and that the ring could only be hers.

But at this moment, looking at the place where Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng disappeared, Xia Wenwen's mind went blank as if she had been hit by a heavy hammer. What else could it be but the power of the ring that made them disappear into thin air?!

That bitch Xia Qianqian! She actually got the ring a long time ago?!

"Heh...hehe..." Xia Wenwen suddenly chuckled, feeling as if a huge hole had been ripped out of her heart, with cold wind howling in—the gold bars were gone, Backer No. 8 was about to collapse, and even her last hope had been taken away by Xia Qianqian!

What did she have left? She had nothing left!

"What are you all standing there for?!" Mr. Xia squeezed next to his daughter without anyone noticing. "Number 8 can't hold on any longer! If we don't leave now, we'll both be buried with him!"

The Xia family was able to survive for so many years in the chaos of war thanks to Mr. Xia's keen eye for danger.

But just as they retreated to the edge of the square, a thunderous roar suddenly came from behind them—

"Stop right there! Number 8's lackey, trying to run away?!"

The roar made Xia Wenwen slip and almost fall into the garbage heap. She turned around and saw it was Peng Fei.

He had seen clearly how Xia Wenwen bullied Sister-in-law Qianqian on the denunciation platform! Now that he saw them trying to slip away, both old and new grudges surged up, and he immediately raised his steel pipe and roared.

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! We were coerced by Number 8!"

But who would believe that?

Seeing people rushing towards her, Xia Wenwen screamed in fright, covered her head and squatted on the ground, her legs trembling like a leaf—it's over, there's no way to escape!

This commotion happened to be noticed by number 8.

He was being forced to retreat step by step by the scarred man. Seeing that the attention of number 3 was completely drawn to the Xia family father and daughter, number 8 suddenly curled up a cold smile.

"Retreat! Now!" he suddenly shouted, turned around sharply, and, under the cover of his subordinates, rushed to the other side.

Xia Qianqian was unaware of the chaos outside; at that moment, she and Lu Zheng appeared in Peach Blossom Spring.