Chapter 1 The Sound

"Thud!"

The man's head was smashed, leaving a splash of bright red on the wall.

Jiang Cheng had no intention of stopping.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Blow after blow, the splattering blood stained the wall, resembling a bloody totem from ancient times.

Jiang Cheng released his grip on the man's hair, and the mangled, unrecognizable figure slumped to the ground with a "thump," like a puddle of mud.

Half of the man's head was caved in, the red and white viscous matter mixing together, still flowing outwards.

Jiang Cheng wiped his hands on his clothes, then turned his head to look at the village chief and the others, his eyes as calm as the night before a storm.

Everyone was stunned by the performances of Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng, especially the former. Just one look from him was enough to scare them from rushing forward, their throats involuntarily bobbing.

They had once prided themselves on being ruthless, killing anyone who discovered the secrets of Small Stone Creek Village without hesitation. Many innocent souls were already buried in the Qian family's mansion.

But only today did they realize that their ruthlessness was like child's play in front of the man a few meters away.

He was truly ruthless.

Ruthless to the bone.

"Are you... alright?" Chen Xiaomeng asked in a low voice.

She didn't think Jiang Cheng was injured, because it was a complete rout. She asked the question more to ease her anxiety.

The terrifying aura emanating from Jiang Cheng made it hard for her to breathe.

Jiang Cheng looked at his hands, rubbed two fingers together, and suddenly said, "A bit sticky."

Chen Xiaomeng felt a chill down her spine.

"How long are you going to keep this guy?" He turned his gaze to the bearded man huddled on the ground.

After seeing Jiang Cheng's performance, the bearded man had entered a state of feigned death. He endured the excruciating pain without a sound, lying on the ground as obediently as a dead pig, but Jiang Cheng still noticed him.

His heart was about to leap out of his chest.

"You... you can't kill me!" The bearded man shouted in fear. "My dad is the village chief! If you kill me, my dad won't let you get away with it!"

Jiang Cheng smiled, revealing a row of white teeth on his blood-stained face. "As if I'd let your dad get away with it."

Hearing this, Chen Xiaomeng's face was filled with worry. The man was clearly not acting rationally. Although the village chief and the others had suffered a loss in the first wave of attacks, they had the advantage of terrain and the element of surprise.

If Jiang Cheng attacked the village chief directly, even if he had three heads and six arms, he would be surrounded and killed miserably.

Chen Xiaomeng didn't mind Jiang Cheng dying, but not now.

Once Jiang Cheng was finished, she would be next.

"Don't be impulsive," Chen Xiaomeng tried to dissuade him. She swallowed and said softly, "Let's spare his life for now. After we find the mechanism to open the door, you can do whatever you want."

The village chief's facade was also crumbling. He only had this one son who could carry on the family line. If anything happened to him, his family would be finished.

For mountain people who valued lineage above all else, this would be a catastrophe.

The village chief said in a hoarse voice, "Don't hurt my Sanya. As long as you release him, any... any conditions are negotiable."

Chen Xiaomeng was really afraid that Jiang Cheng would make some strange request that would lead to a mutually destructive outcome, so she immediately interjected, "Releasing him isn't impossible, but first you have to tell me how to open the door behind us."

Hearing this, something flashed in the village chief's eyes.

Chen Xiaomeng immediately became vigilant and said, "I'm warning you, don't try any tricks!"

She brought the sharp end of the wooden hairpin close to the bearded man's eye, scaring him so much that he almost wet himself, and he begged his father to agree to their demands quickly.

"This..." The village chief hesitated for a moment, then replied, "This is no problem, but you have to release him first."

Chen Xiaomeng sneered and directly pierced the bearded man's hand with the wooden hairpin, pinning his hand to the ground.

"Aaaah!"

A scream rang out, and the village chief, frantic to protect his son, waved his hands and said, "Enough, enough! For fairness, we can send two people to help you open the door, right?"

He licked his dry lips and continued, "After the door is open, you give me back my son."

"No way!"

"Then just one person!" The village chief's expression gradually darkened, and it was clear that the cunning old man's limited patience was about to run out.

Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath. "Deal!"

She thought she could handle just one person. Once the door was open, she would go straight into the secret room and leave through the iron door.

As for what Jiang Cheng did after that, it had nothing to do with her.

The village chief and the others huddled together, whispering to each other. Chen Xiaomeng narrowed her eyes, and soon someone walked over.

Jiang Cheng stared at him expressionlessly.

It was the man who had been carrying the load on a shoulder pole to deliver their meals. Jiang Cheng had even secretly given him a steamed bun.

This dark-skinned man was noticeably different from the others in the village. There was no madness in his eyes, but a calmness like Jiang Cheng's.

He also spoke very little, mostly staying alone quietly. When Jiang Cheng gave him the steamed bun, he only smiled.

He was nearly 2 meters tall, with a robust build. The dark, gleaming muscles under his clothes bulged like small hills.

His approach put some pressure on Chen Xiaomeng.

The village chief and the others clearly had other ideas, but Chen Xiaomeng had no better option at the moment. She grabbed the bearded man and dragged him to the door.

She remained cautious.

Jiang Cheng poured the kerosene out of the kerosene lamp and onto the quilts that had been brought out, then took out a box of matches from his pocket.

His actions immediately caused panic among the village chief and the others.

The inn was almost entirely built of wood, not to mention the furniture and floors. If it really caught fire, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Jiang Cheng was clearly telling them that if they tried any tricks, they would all die together.

The village chief's face was so dark that it could drip water.

The tall, strong man slowly walked over, lifting the hem of his rough clothes as he walked to prove that he was not carrying any weapons.

But this also inadvertently revealed his muscular physique.

He was strong, very strong.

When he reached Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng even had to look up at him.

He slowly turned around to show that there were no weapons hidden behind him either.

Then he turned back, walked to the wall that was painted black, bent down, and poked something at the corner of the wall. The wall suddenly trembled, and then a crack appeared.

The secret door... opened.

Chen Xiaomeng's face lit up again.

Then the man stepped back, seemingly indicating that Jiang Cheng, who had been staring at him from behind, should open the door himself.

"I know what you're thinking," Jiang Cheng said to him after a few seconds of silence, "you want to take advantage of me opening the door to ambush me from behind."