The car arrived at the winery. Brother Bao and Lan Ya weren't there yet, so I got out and told Jing Lei to go ahead and get busy, saying I'd wait for them.
As Jing Lei's car drove away, I went into the workshop to check on the workers' setup.
Right now, we were primarily using several warehouses, the raw material and finished product storage. The brewing workshop wasn't being used; the boilers and pipelines were too complicated inside, and there wasn't much space, making its utilization rather low.
I watched the workers clearing out unused items. The warehouses were almost completely emptied. Some areas had platforms set up, which could be used to place rough jade or semi-rough jade.
More space was taken up by the open ground, which had many grid squares drawn on it, for displaying fully-gambled rough stones from different mines.
The rough stones with the outer layer still intact were the most captivating. Gambling genes were inherent in people's bones, and the gambling nature of rough stones tapped into this very psychology, promising sudden riches! It was something that drove people to obsession and madness.
The trucks and Brother Bao still hadn't arrived, so I walked out of the warehouse towards the main gate to meet them.
Just then, two black business vans suddenly rushed in from outside, speeding directly towards me.
I confirmed these weren't Brother Bao's or Lan Ya's cars, and the speed indicated they weren't our people. It was clear they had hostile intentions.
I quickly stepped back a few paces, standing on the sidewalk. The two cars didn't slow down at all until they reached me, at which point they slammed on the brakes. With a sharp squeal from the brake discs, the vehicles came to a halt.
If I hadn't dodged, they probably would have run me over.
The doors of both cars opened simultaneously, and over a dozen men in black, armed with steel pipes, emerged and fanned out, surrounding me.
Even guessing with my toes, I knew these were Prince's men.
Behind me was a man-made river, three meters wide and two meters deep, with a strong, rapid current.
This channel was the water source the winery used for brewing, fed from the mountain. The water was very clear, but the current was too fast; anyone falling in wouldn't have time to struggle before being swept into the river.
Retreat was almost impossible. My first priority was to get away from the riverbank, to avoid falling in during the fight.
They advanced with determined steps, clearly intent on taking me down.
I didn't believe over a dozen people couldn't handle one person.
I assumed a fighting stance, spotted a gap in the middle, and lunged forward. Caught off guard by my charge, they quickly tightened their encirclement, swinging their pipes at my head.
I took several hits, but gritting my teeth against the pain, I found one man and struck him several times in the stomach, simultaneously snatching his pipe.
Wielding the pipe, I fought them on both sides, timing it with Brother Bao's expected arrival.
There were too many of them; I could only try to stall them. If I really fought, I wouldn't last long.
I weaved and dodged, striking left and right, using hit-and-run tactics to make them chase me and buy time. Though it was exhausting, it allowed me to take fewer blows.
Prince was after my life, dead set on eliminating me, though he'd never succeeded.
I felt I was starting to falter, my stamina waning, my running speed slowing. But these thugs were like bulls, relentlessly swinging their pipes and pursuing me, closing in. They were about to trap me within their circle.
If they didn't arrive soon, I feared I wouldn't see them at all.
I could already sense death approaching, the first time I'd felt the fear of it.
I was afraid of dying, incredibly so. Jing Lei's devotion, Lan Ya's passion, Xiao Hong's gentleness – all made me cling to this world. I didn't want to leave them; I wanted to live for a very long time, to have many children with them, earn a lot of money, build many houses, and enjoy the happiness of a family with grandchildren.
I hadn't yet repaid my parents for their kindness, they hadn't lived a good life, I hadn't fulfilled my mission, I couldn't die.
But Prince clearly had no intention of letting my wishes come true. He had dug my grave and was waiting for me to descend into hell.
I watched helplessly as those men swung their pipes with all their might and came at me.
Even then, I still hadn't seen Brother Bao or Lan Ya. Even if Wen Siqiang had arrived, it might have eased the situation, but none of that happened. Only countless pipes descended upon my head and body.
I didn't know how many blows I took or how long it lasted. I lost consciousness, thinking I was dead, or close to it.
My awareness blurred, and I couldn't distinguish whether I was alive or dead.
Until I heard distant voices, very faint, like the buzzing of mosquitoes.
I tried hard to open my eyes, but couldn't. It felt like only a slit was opening.
My face seemed to be bound by something, very tight, constricting me and squeezing my features together.
I heard someone say, "He's awake. I see his eyes moving, and his lips are moving too."
I couldn't tell who it was. The voice was very soft, as if speaking from a courtyard.
Trying harder to open my eyes, I finally saw some shapes. Many faces were in front of me, somewhat familiar, but I couldn't recall who they were.
We definitely knew each other, but I couldn't recall their names or where I'd seen them.
Painfully, I closed my eyes. Where was I? Why were so many people here?
I remembered taking many blows, but I didn't know why this had happened.
I tried to clear my head, but couldn't. I could hear them talking, and I wanted to speak too, but couldn't open my mouth, nor did I know what to say.
Helpless, I could only listen to them. I also heard someone say the patient needed rest and it was best not to disturb him.
Patient? Was I in a hospital? Who was the patient? Me? Was I just a patient, not dead? Then why couldn't I speak or move, and why didn't I recognize them?
The more I thought, the more confused I became, so I stopped trying. Later, I felt like I had arrived on a hillside covered in short grass, with no trees, but many graves, very tall and large ones.
Had I truly died? Had I entered another world? Why was this world so vast and empty, with no one in sight, or even a ghost, just me alone?
Who was I? Why had I died? And why did that voice say I was a patient? Or perhaps it wasn't talking about me at all. I was just a wandering spirit, happening to drift by.
Being a ghost might be good, able to float like the wind, going wherever I pleased. But I wanted to be a conscious ghost. A ghost who didn't even know who they were was painful. I didn't want that.
I started trying to recall who I was, but couldn't. There was absolutely no memory.
I drifted past the graves. These graves were ancient, from many years ago. I couldn't read the inscriptions on the tombstones, nor did I know whose they were.
Then I saw an open grave, with freshly dug earth. This must be mine, dug and waiting for me to lie in it.
I looked at the tombstone placed in front of it: "Tomb of Li Hua." My name was Li Hua? Who was Li Hua? Was that my name in a past life?
I wasn't sure if the name on this tombstone was truly mine.