Chapter 94 The Basement

When Cheng Ying woke up, she found herself in a car.

She leaned against the car window, watching the car drive through a remote suburb. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt that the place looked familiar. Suddenly she remembered that this was the place where Wei Mucheng had imprisoned her in the basement of the villa in the suburbs of Beijing in her previous life.

Her pupils dilated and contracted sharply. She turned her head and saw Wei Muchen, who was driving in the driver's seat.

"Wei Muchen? What are you doing here?!" Cheng Ying sat up and found herself bound hand and foot with ropes. Her head was still very dizzy, which was obviously a side effect of being drugged.

Memories from before she fainted flooded back, filling her with dread. "Did you instigate Huang Cuizhi to drug me?! Where are you taking me?"

Wei Muchen turned the steering wheel, spun around a dirt road, glanced at her, and said, "I told you, you can't escape my grasp. You can only be mine. I'm going to hide you away so that you can never leave me for the rest of your life."

Cheng Ying glared angrily, "You're a lunatic! Are you trying to imprison me? Don't you know what you're doing is illegal! Aren't you afraid your father will find out and shoot you dead?!"

Wei Muchen scoffed, "If I hide you, who can find you? So what if the old man knows I've locked you up? Does he think he'd beat his own son to death for an outsider like you?"

Cheng Ying's blood froze, and she forced herself to calm down: "Wei Muchen, I advise you to let me go, otherwise if Long Buxi comes, with his ruthlessness, he will definitely take your life, and even a god can't save you then!"

"Your so-called fiancé is nothing but a country bumpkin. He doesn't even know Chinese characters or the city streets. How could he possibly find you and come to your rescue? Don't even dream about it!" Wei Muchen sneered as he stopped the car, opened the door, and lifted her out of the car.

Cheng Ying struggled desperately: "Don't touch me! Wei Muchen, you'll regret this!"

"Regret? The word 'regret' doesn't exist in my dictionary." Without saying another word, Wei Muchen forcefully pressed down her struggling body and walked towards a gray-white detached villa area.

**

Under the bright sun, in Pucang Village, the old clan chief lay on a wooden bed, his face ashen, barely clinging to life, as he entrusted his future to Long Buxi, Gasu, and some other respected elders in the village.

A strange medicinal smell permeated the room. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, but inside, the light was dim, giving people an inexplicable sense of coldness.

Long Buxi stood by the wooden bed, listening expressionlessly as the old clan chief muttered, "Arno, promise me, remove the curse from Sailan, take good care of her for me, and the village is in your hands... I'm begging you, otherwise I'll die with my eyes open in disgrace..."

Long Buxi didn't even lift her eyelids, just staring blankly at him until he breathed his last, without agreeing to any of the things he had said.

The elders standing nearby, seeing his expressionless face, wanted to accuse him of being cold-blooded and ruthless, but were also afraid that he would turn his back on them and use the Gu worms against them. They all had a hesitant expression, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't.

After hesitating for a long time, an elder finally asked, "Arno, the old clan chief has died. According to the rules of our village, you should collect the old clan chief's remains, erect a monument, and then gather the whole village to hold a celebration for your inauguration as clan chief."

Just as Long Buxi was about to speak, the silver bell on his left wrist suddenly rang.

"Ring ring—ring ring—"

The sound of the bells ringing without wind was especially clear in the quiet room.

Everyone's expression changed, and they all looked at Long Buxi.

The bell on Long Buxi's wrist rarely rings; if it does, something bad is sure to happen.

They wanted to know why his bell had suddenly rung.

The moment Long Buxi heard the bell ring, his brow twitched. He raised his left hand, looked at his bell, and called to Alan, "Sensitize the Gu worms around Cheng Ying and see what's going on."

Alan flew onto his shoulder and squeaked, closing her tiny eyes, no bigger than sesame seeds, to sense the Gu worms a hundred miles away.

Soon, it opened its eyes and squeaked anxiously a few times, as if it were trying to say something to Long Buxi.

Long Buxi's face darkened, and she stepped outside.

"Arno, where are you going?" the elder called out to him.

"Find someone," Long Buxi said without turning her head.

The elder stopped him, saying, "The old clan chief has just passed away, and we need you to preside over the funeral. At this critical juncture, who could be more important than the old clan chief's affairs?"

Long Buxi turned her head to look at him, her voice laced with sarcasm, "No one in this world is more important than the old patriarch. The person I'm looking for is more important than my own life."

He left in a hurry, leaving the elders looking at each other, unsure of what to do.

Gasu, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "The person that Arno is so anxious to go out and find must be the postman who is so dear to him. The elders can handle the old patriarch's matter themselves; there's no need to wait for him to come back and deal with it."

**

In the dimly lit basement, Cheng Ying woke up again, staring wide-eyed at the familiar scene before her in disbelief.

Because the furnishings in the basement were exactly the same as those in the basement where she was imprisoned by Wei Muchen in her previous life.

The familiar old-fashioned radio, the worn-out wardrobe and ornaments, the brand-new big bed, the large clock on the wall, and so on, were all exactly the same as the furnishings in my previous life.

When Cheng Ying saw this scene, she felt a chill run down her spine. She felt as if she were in a dream, still living in her previous life, imprisoned here by Wei Muchen, with no way to escape.

Huang Cuizhi and her mother-in-law put some kind of drug in the leftover food, causing her to wake up feeling weak and unable to resist or escape. She could only watch helplessly as Wei Muchen carried her into the basement and tied her hands and feet to the iron chains at the head of the bed.

Wei Muchen seemed afraid that she would run away, so he got some pills from somewhere and forced them into her mouth. She was now dizzy and felt very tired, and it was difficult for her to even open her eyes.

She turned her head with difficulty, looking around, but Wei Muchen was not in the basement. She didn't know where he had gone.

She tried to move her body, but as soon as she did, she fell back onto the headboard, as she had absolutely no strength left.

However, after moving around, she felt no discomfort and her clothes were still on, so she was not likely to have been assaulted by Wei Muchen.

Cheng Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

As she struggled to lean against the headboard, pondering how to escape, the basement entrance opened.

Wei Muchen walked in from the entrance, carrying an enamel water cup. Seeing that she was awake, he walked up to her and asked, "Awake? Look at all the furnishings and decorations in this basement. Are they exactly the same as before?"

Was it before? Was he testing her again?

Cheng Ying frowned but remained silent.

Wei Muchen placed the water glass on the bedside table on the left, sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her, saying, "It's okay if you don't speak or admit it. I know you've been reborn like me, and you have memories of your past life, which is why you suddenly broke up with me, suddenly hated me so much, and turned around to get engaged to someone else. But none of that matters. You're in my territory now, and I have plenty of time to play with you slowly, get to know you slowly, and make you completely change your mind."

Cheng Ying couldn't keep up the act any longer and retorted without hesitation, "You're really sick! Why are you bothering me like this? Don't use your so-called love and affection as an excuse to pretend to be affectionate in front of me. Your sick behavior only disgusts me! Not to mention this life, even in the past life or the next life, I would never change my mind and be with a scumbag like you! I really regret not killing you with one blow!"

In her past life, it was on this very bed that she took advantage of his inattention and stabbed him in the heart with a knife, leaving a pool of blood on the bed and nearly killing him!

Wei Muchen suddenly leaned closer to her, bracing himself against the headboard with both hands, trapping her in his arms. His face was almost touching hers as he looked at her with deep eyes and said, "You finally admit that you've been reborn just like me. Since you've been reborn too, you should know what kind of temper I have! Don't say those things to provoke me, or you should know what will happen to you."

Cheng Ying paused for a moment, then stared back at him coldly, "What exactly do you want?"

Wei Muchen slowly backed away, sitting opposite her as if admiring some masterpiece. "You really like that Miao man named Long Buxi, don't you? Tell me, if he came looking for you, and I crippled him, making him watch me and you making love in front of him every day, how would he feel? It would be very painful, wouldn't it?"

Cheng Ying's pupils dilated. "Are you crazy? Do you think his identity as the young chief of the Miao tribe is a joke? You dare to lay a hand on him? Aren't you afraid that if the people in his village find out, they will use the entire village's strength to take your life?"

"What you said is really unpleasant." Wei Muchen gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "If he dares to come, I'm confident I can make sure he doesn't leave. With him in my hands, would his people dare to mess with me? If you say another word for him, I'll slash his face again. Who told him to use that devilish face to seduce you!"

Cheng Ying knew he was crazy now, and he would definitely do what he said.

Although she knew in her heart that Long Buxi was no match for Wei Muchen in a one-on-one fight, if Long Buxi used Gu worms against Wei Muchen, Wei Muchen would be no match for her and would be completely controlled by Long Buxi.

But at this critical moment, she wouldn't say anything to provoke Wei Muchen, lest he do something rash, so she chose to remain silent.

Seeing that she was silent again, Wei Muchen moved closer to her and said, "Now, let's do something fun."

Cheng Ying was startled and looked up at him. "You're not going to lay a hand on a woman who can't even kill a chicken, are you?"

"Make a move? I just haven't touched you in so long, I miss you a little." Wei Muchen smiled, reached out and pinched her chin, then kissed her lips fiercely.

Cheng Ying, drawing strength from who-knows-where, desperately dodged his lips, shouting, "Wei Muchen, don't make me hate you even more!"

Wei Muchen paused, staring at her pale neck that she had turned away. Suddenly, he abandoned his kiss and opened his mouth, biting a red mark hard on the left side of her neck. He whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I won't take you before your sweetheart arrives. If I take you now, no one will appreciate your pained expression, which would be such a waste. You will be mine sooner or later. You can't escape or struggle if you want."

The intense pain in her neck made Cheng Ying feel uncomfortable and nauseous, and she also felt chills all over her body.

She dared not utter a sound or express any dissatisfaction, for fear of angering Wei Muchen and causing him to change his mind and execute her on the spot.

Seeing that she had her eyes closed and showed no sign of resistance or displeasure, Wei Muchen smiled slightly, handed her the glass of water, and said gently, "You've been unconscious for almost three days. You must be thirsty. Open your mouth and drink some water."

Cheng Ying opened her eyes and obediently opened her mouth to drink water.

Seeing how obedient she was, Wei Muchen smiled with pleasure and gently kissed her forehead. "That's a good girl. Remember, going against me will end badly."

Cheng Ying lowered her eyes, suppressing her discomfort, and remained silent, as if she had resigned herself to her fate.