Big Boss – Chapter 74

A soul out of place

“Shh…” Shi Li covered her mouth.

Ye Youqing also knew that it was not appropriate to make any noise at this time. She suppressed her anger and sighed, removed Shi Li’s arm, and silently walked towards the door. She crossed two thresholds, took the tray from the person outside, and walked back in.

She placed the tray on the square table.

“Come, come, try this.” The Second King took the porcelain plate and placed it in front of Ci Ke.

Ci Ke shook her head.

“I know you are very unaccustomed to my mountain stronghold, but as long as you ask, I can send you any delicacies or luxurious items from the outside world,” the Second King said, waving his hand to signal Shi Li to take away the tea snacks.

“But if you want to leave, I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Although the man spoke with a smile, his speech inexplicably slowed, creating a sense of oppression.

Ci Ke, however, showed no change in expression. She simply put down her bowl and chopsticks, as if she hadn’t heard him.

“In my stronghold, no one who comes ever leaves. Moreover, I really like you. As long as you obediently listen, you won’t have to worry about anything,” the Second King continued, then lifted his robe and stood up.

“I’ve ordered a new place to be managed like the one down the mountain. If you’re tired, you can go rest,” the Second King said.

Ci Ke stood up, her gaze sweeping across the man’s scarred face. Her eyes were very calm, but the next moment she lowered her eyes, seemingly frightened, and stepped back.

The Second King saw her reaction and nodded in satisfaction.

Ye Youqing, however, took in her changing expressions. Unsure of what she was thinking, her heart was on edge.

“Fairy Sister, this way, please.” The man pointed outside the door, guiding Ci Ke step by step away. Ye Youqing wanted to follow, but was stopped by a glance from the Second King, so she had to stay where she was, watching their figures disappear around the corner.

Ye Youqing visibly grew anxious, wanting to follow secretly. But then the scarred man from before stepped in, pointing to the mess on the square table. “You two clean this up and take the dishes to the kitchen. You’re lucky; the Second King might still have use for you, so you don’t have to go back to work underground for now.”

“After cleaning up, go to the second large house on the east side. It will be your lodging from now on, and someone will arrange what you do in the future.” With that, he hurried away.

Ye Youqing and Shi Li exchanged glances, then lowered their heads to clean up the table.

After taking the items to the kitchen, Ye Youqing stood on a bridge-like staircase, looking around. She saw a tile-roofed house standing on one side of the mountainside, very different from the wooden houses beside it. Even the windows had lotus-colored curtains, swaying in the wind.

Two guards in black stood straight at the door.

It seemed Ci Ke was already imprisoned. Ye Youqing bit her lip as she looked, not noticing that her nails were digging into her palm until the pain brought her back to her senses.

“There are guards at the door. We can’t act rashly during the day. Moreover, Ci Ke is smart and won’t put herself in danger,” Shi Li said softly, rolling up her sleeves after placing the dishes.

“I know.” Ye Youqing moved her gaze and wiped the water on her hand onto her clothes.

Shi Li looked at her, her eyes filled with a different emotion, and tentatively asked, “Since you know Ci Ke won’t be in trouble for a while, why are you so distracted?”

“When was I distracted?” Ye Youqing said, walking towards the house the scarred guard had pointed out. She missed a step on the stairs and stumbled a few steps before steadying herself.

Turning back, Shi Li was standing with her arms crossed, looking down at her. “Isn’t this being distracted?”

Ye Youqing closed her eyes and sighed. At this time, there were few people around in the stronghold, so the two of them could speak a few more words.

“That man clearly intends to force Ci Ke into marriage. His mood swings show he’s not a gentleman. Who knows what he might do? No matter how clever Ci Ke is, she might still be bullied,” Ye Youqing said in a low voice, descending the stairs.

She found it difficult to describe her feelings. When she saw that man wanting to touch Ci Ke, her usual calmness seemed to fly away.

But how could she tell Shi Li? Admit that she had already marked Ci Ke as her own, unwilling to let anyone else touch her?

Shi Li followed, her footsteps tapping behind.

The two walked down the stairs in silence, approaching a long house set in a mountain crevice. The house was much longer than usual, with doors at both ends, and a complex, overwhelming smell wafting out.

There was the smell of food, a faint herbal scent, and the stench of unwashed feet, all mixed together, bringing tears to their eyes.

Ye Youqing couldn’t help but hold her breath. She stood at the door for a while, waiting to adjust before walking in. Inside, the space was much narrower than it appeared from outside. There were sleeping platforms on both sides and a passage in the middle, littered with shoes and socks.

There were also half-eaten fruits on the sleeping platforms. Although it was messy and dirty, the overall condition was much better than underground. At least the platforms had cotton quilts and it wasn’t so damp and cold.

There were even two windows for lighting, though they were closed, causing the stifling smell.

Even Shi Li couldn’t stand it, waving her hand in front of her nose as she went to open the windows. The summer breeze, carrying the scent of grass and trees, finally brought some relief.

At this time, there was no one around. The house was empty. Ye Youqing inspected it and was about to say something when she suddenly heard some grunts, mixed with bangs and curses.

“What’s going on?” Shi Li asked.

Ye Youqing shook her head and tiptoed towards the sound. She went outside, turned a corner along the house, and walked around some scattered rocks.

The sound was coming from behind the wall. Ye Youqing stopped, pressed her back against the wall, and listened carefully.

“These are the things the Second King specially brought to please the beauty. Now that you’ve broken them, how am I supposed to explain to the Second King?” The speaker seemed extremely angry. As soon as he finished speaking, he kicked a few more times, the muffled sound indicating he was kicking a person.

“Brother, I didn’t mean to. I’m a cripple with bad legs. It was only because you pushed me…” A timid voice responded, trembling with fear. It sounded like a young man, very familiar.

Ah Chi? Ye Youqing looked back at Shi Li, mouthing the name to her.

“So it’s all my fault?” The man roared, but stopped kicking. He walked around, picked up an arm-thick wooden stick, and dragged it towards Ah Chi.

From the sound of it, Ah Chi was terrified. He scrambled to his feet along the wall, his voice shaking with pleas, “Brother, I was wrong. Please don’t…”

Seeing the man raise the stick, Ye Youqing quickly kicked a rock with her toe, sending it rolling to the man’s feet.

“Who’s there!” The man immediately stopped, shouting towards them.

Ye Youqing stepped out cautiously. Seeing the man’s expression change, she quickly raised her hands above her head, smiling apologetically. “We’re new here, just passing by.”

“New?” The man was burly, with triangular eyes that looked extremely fierce. He lowered the stick. “Where are you from?”

“We’re here on the Second King’s orders, to serve the beauty,” Ye Youqing said, faking a smile and slowly approaching as she saw the man wasn’t too defensive.

The entire stronghold should be aware of the Second King’s regard for Ci Ke. Therefore, the man didn’t think much of it and just waved his hand, saying, “Then hurry and get out of here. Don’t be a nuisance.”

Ah Chi, seeing Ye Youqing’s face, felt both relieved and anxious. He quickly put his hands together in a prayer gesture, out of the man’s sight, as if fearing Ye Youqing would abandon him.

Ye Youqing frowned secretly and continued forward. “I heard you mention something was broken just now. What is it?”

The man raised his chin irritably, pointing to a tray thrown to the side. On the tray lay a set of snow-white clothes, with a conspicuous stain in the most prominent place.

“You can’t even hold onto a piece of clothing properly. I might as well cripple your hands too and make you a complete waste!” The man, growing angrier as he spoke, pushed Ah Chi down and raised a stick to hit him. Ye Youqing quickly intervened.

“No, no, no! Even if you beat him to death, how would you explain it to the Second King?” Ye Youqing had never smiled so apologetically at anyone in her life, her face stiff with the effort.

“Regardless, I’ll be punished anyway. At least let me vent my anger!” The man spat to the side.

“To tell you the truth, my family used to be in the clothing business before I came here. Why don’t you let me take a look and see if there’s any way to fix it?” Ye Youqing said, slowly approaching the tray.

The man, worried about being punished, didn’t stop her but suspiciously watched Ye Youqing for a while before saying, “Go ahead.”

Ye Youqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, bent down to pick up the clothes. They were made of the finest silk, feeling like water in her hands. She unfolded the dress and saw that the stain was an oil spot, right at the hem.

After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, “Do you have a pair of scissors?”

The man smacked his lips, tossed the stick aside, went into the house, and brought out a pair of scissors, throwing them to Ye Youqing.

Ye Youqing lowered her head and quickly cut out the stained part, shaping it into a four-petal leaf, revealing the light yellow lining underneath.

Finding it too plain, she cut out two more pieces on the side.

When she finished, she stood up, clapped her hands, and handed the dress to the man, saying, “It’s done. Just show it to the girl. She’ll surely be satisfied. As long as she’s happy, why would the Second King blame you?”

The man scrutinized the dress with a tilted mouth for a long time, then suspiciously asked, “Really? What’s your name? If I still get punished, I’ll come back and break both of your arms.”

“My name is Xiao Jiu. Don’t worry,” Ye Youqing said with a smile.

The man, half believing and half doubting, folded the dress and hurried away with the tray. After his figure disappeared, a sound came from the side. Ah Chi was sitting against the wall, his face covered in sweat.

Ye Youqing dropped her smile, rubbed her stiff face, and strode over to him, squatting down with Shi Li.

“Will it work?” Shi Li asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry, she knows what she’s doing,” Ye Youqing said in a low voice, then patted Ah Chi’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Ah Chi shook his head, wiping the sweat from his face. His narrow eyes closed slightly as he gasped and shook his head.

Then, his look of having narrowly escaped death disappeared, replaced by excitement. He opened his eyes and grabbed Ye Youqing’s arm. “Thank you!”

“As long as you’re okay,” Ye Youqing said, shaking her head and standing up, reaching out to pull him up. “Let’s go back and rest.”

Ah Chi limped along with her towards the door. Before entering, he suddenly grabbed Ye Youqing’s hands, his eyes shining.

This expression looked even more familiar. As Ye Youqing thought of this, she paused slightly.

“If you hadn’t come, my hands would have been crippled. I have no way to repay such a great kindness. How about I acknowledge you as my big brother from now on?” Ah Chi said excitedly.