In the cellar.
Xu Mingli clenched his fists tightly, barely daring to breathe loudly.
He was tidying up his things inside when he vaguely heard a knocking sound. He immediately became alert, wondering if someone had come to the wrong house. But to his surprise, after peeking through the window for a short while, he saw a group of men quietly surrounding him, which terrified him so much that his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
He originally intended to escape by climbing over the back wall, but as soon as he reached the backyard, he saw several dark figures climbing in, carrying weapons. He had no choice but to turn around and rush back into the house, lift the wooden planks in the corner of the wall, and crawl into the cellar that had been prepared beforehand.
The cellar was dark and damp, with only a sliver of light coming in through the ventilation hole above.
Xu Mingli leaned against the cold earthen wall, his mind a jumbled mess.
He never expected that Xu Xinghe would find this place so quickly!
When he learned that Jiang Linchuan and Xu Xinghe had left Heilongjiang Province to carry out a mission, he stayed in the city, wearing a mask and changing into different clothes every day to wander around the marriage registration office, just in case the two suddenly came back to get their marriage certificate.
That day, he saw Xu Xinghe and Jiang Linchuan get out of the car and were about to enter the Civil Affairs Bureau, which made him extremely anxious.
Once the two of them get their marriage certificate, it will be difficult for him to obtain the Xu family's assets!
Time was too tight, so he had no choice but to take the risk.
First, he deliberately pulled off his face mask and waved it in front of Xu Xinghe, knowing that if she saw his face, she would definitely come after him.
Then, taking advantage of the gap between her and Jiang Linchuan's search in the alley, she quickly found the registration office staff she had bribed beforehand, lied that there was an emergency at home, and hurriedly took them away, which is why the two of them were unable to get their marriage certificate that day.
He thought that if he hid in this courtyard, no one would find him.
After all, who would notice a yard that has been uninhabited for a long time?
Even if there are some trampling marks on the grass on the wall, people would probably assume that someone went in to steal something.
He never went out after that day, so how did he still get found?
Xu Mingli frowned, repeatedly recalling his whereabouts.
Previously, she would hide her face and stake out near the Civil Affairs Bureau every day, changing into different clothes. After she showed up, she never even left the house. What went wrong?
Could it be Feng Qiushi?
Yes, she was the only one who sent him something during that time!
Could it be that she leaked the address to Xu Xinghe?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suppressed it.
Feng Qiushi was still under his control and didn't dare to betray him.
Just as he was lost in thought, footsteps came from above the cellar, along with Xu Xinghe's cold voice, which startled him so much that he quickly covered his mouth and shrank into the corner.
"The house is so clean inside, but the yard is deliberately left with weeds, and there's a lock on the door. It's obvious that someone deliberately made it look abandoned."
Xu Xinghe walked into the room, her gaze sweeping over the furnishings.
A wooden bed, a table, and two chairs—simple yet spotless, with an enamel mug on the table.
She walked over, reached out and touched the outside of the enamel mug, feeling the warmth on her fingertips.
The water in the jar wasn't completely cooled, indicating that the people in the house had just left not long ago.
"Are you sure no one ran out of the yard?" Xu Xinghe turned to ask his underlings behind him, his tone serious.
"Don't worry, Miss Xu!" the henchmen immediately replied. "We've been keeping an eye on things since we came in. With so many of us, we could see even a fly fly away!"
"That's good." Xu Xinghe nodded, her eyes sharpening. "Since no one ran out, he must still be inside. Everyone search carefully, don't miss any corner, especially closets and under the bed where people can hide. But be careful, this person is dangerous, he might have a weapon."
"Yes!" the men replied in unison and immediately dispersed.
Some searched through cabinets, some crouched down to check under the bed, and others knocked on the walls to see if there were any hidden compartments.
Zhang Cishu followed Xu Xinghe, his eyes scanning every corner of the room warily, his hand discreetly placed on his waist, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
Xu Mingli, who was in the cellar, heard Xu Xinghe's words clearly. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his throat!
As Xu Xinghe followed the men searching the house, her steps inadvertently paused when her gaze swept over the corner of the wall.
She recalled that when she touched the enamel mug earlier, the mug was still very hot, which meant that the person had been gone for no more than ten minutes. In such a short time, it was impossible for the person to disappear into thin air unless there was a hidden door or a cellar in the house.
She walked on without making a sound, gently stamping her feet as she went.
When she stomped her feet on the ground, the sound was dull, but when she walked closer to the corner of the wall, the sound under her feet suddenly changed, with a hollow echo, completely different from the surrounding ground.
Xu Xinghe felt a chill and immediately gave Zhang Cishu a wink, indicating that there was open ground beneath his feet.
Zhang Cishu instantly understood, and his hand, which had been hanging by his side, quietly reached for his waist and drew out a sharp dagger.
The blade gleamed coldly in the dim light. He slowed his steps and moved slowly toward the corner of the wall.
Several experienced men nearby also sensed something was wrong and tacitly surrounded them in a fan shape, gripping their short sticks tightly and staring warily at the ground, not daring to breathe.
Xu Xinghe took a step back, wanting the men to carefully pry open the wooden planks on the ground. Xu Mingli, lying in the cold cellar, could see a circle of figures surrounding him through the gaps in the planks. Knowing that he could no longer hide, a flash of madness appeared in his eyes.
Since we can't escape, let's take someone down with us!
If you don't live, Xu Xinghe won't live either!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, the wooden planks in the corner were suddenly pushed open, and Xu Mingli's hand reached out from the cellar, grabbing Xu Xinghe's ankle precisely like an eagle's claw.
Caught off guard, Xu Xinghe was pulled off balance by his immense strength and fell towards the cellar entrance.
"Xinghe!" Zhang Cishu exclaimed and was about to jump down to save the person.
"No one is allowed in!" Xu Mingli shouted frantically, grabbing Xu Xinghe's waist tightly with his other hand and pressing her against him. A rusty dagger had appeared in his hand, pressed against Xu Xinghe's neck. "If she takes another step forward, I'll kill her!"
Zhang Cishu stopped abruptly, and the men dared not make any rash moves, keeping their eyes fixed on the cellar entrance. The atmosphere was extremely tense.
"Xu Xinghe, tell them not to come in!"
Xu Xinghe wasn't afraid at all and said calmly, "None of you should come in."
The next second.
The cellar door was closed.
The room wasn't too dark, and Xu Xinghe adjusted to it in just a few seconds.
She was pinned to the cold ground by Xu Mingli, and could clearly smell the musty and sweaty odor emanating from him.
Xu Mingli's body was trembling, not from fear, but from madness.
"Xu Xinghe, it's all your fault!" Xu Mingli's voice was hoarse and venomous as he frantically tore at Xu Xinghe's long dress with his other hand. "If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this? My arm is crippled, my leg is broken, I can't even walk steadily, I'm a useless person! Since you won't let me have a good life, I won't let you have a good life either! Today I will force myself on you and see if Jiang Linchuan will still want you! After I have you, I will use you to threaten him to let me go!"
His laughter was terrifying. He ripped off the hem of his long dress and said, "Xu Xinghe, you've ruined me. If I have to die one day, I'll drag you down to hell with me!"
Xu Xinghe calmly looked at him, a dagger appeared out of thin air in her hand, and without hesitation, she stabbed it hard into Xu Mingli's shoulder!
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