Footsteps could be heard in the middle of the night. In the remote area of Qingqiu, seeing men in hiking uniforms around wasn't out of place at all.
Pain spread throughout his body and the intense pain caused him to heave for breath.
Zhao Yichen had no idea what time it was, but given how dark the place was, he assumed that it was around midnight. The coldness of the night seeped through his bloody clothes, as his feet sunk into the mud, fully aware that he was being dragged while he struggled to keep his consciousness.
He could taste the metallic blood in his mouth as he took a deep breath. His sides were aching terribly, no doubt that they managed to break his ribs.
He could hear the laughter of the men who had kidnapped him as they dragged his badly beaten body through the forest in the middle of nowhere. He just got back from the States a week ago and he couldn't believe his luck when the car he was in was hijacked along the way.
Ha. Zhao Yichen had no doubt that this was arranged by his second uncle and his other cousins. To think that they would target him as soon as he stepped back into Jiang City.
Were they really that desperate to eliminate their competition for the succession of the next heir of the family?
Ah, he was about to die miserably anyway. What was the point in wondering who the perpetrator of this crime against him was?
His whole body was aching and Zhao Yichen was sure that his right shoulder had been dislocated after a week of full torture in the hands of these men.
"Don't worry, Fourth Master. We are about to arrive at our destination soon." Zhao Yichen heard one of his kidnappers say with a malicious tone in his voice.
"If you were really that smart as some people claim you to be, you shouldn't have come back to Jiang City and offend our boss." Another one followed with laughter. There was no doubt that they were truly looking down on him.
Zhao Yichen sneered in his heart and cursed his second uncle and his devious cousins to the heavens. Wasn't it enough that they instigated and killed his father twenty years ago and now they want to kill him too?
It wasn't like he wasn't aware of the danger that awaits his return when he decided to come back from abroad. But with his ailing grandfather's delicate condition, how could he ignore the old man's wish?
He had decided to come a week early before his estimated arrival but who would have thought that there was a rat in his group who dared to sell the information of his whereabouts.
There were only a few people who knew that he would come early. This only happened because he lowered his guard and trusted the wrong person, but who could it be?
Zhao Yichen didn't have many followers, in fact, he only had a couple of men serving under him. He had treated everyone with respect and equally so for someone to betray him like this, what could be the reason?
Still, Zhao Yichen swore that if there was a chance that he survived today, he would make them pay for their sins and betrayal. However, with his right eye swollen, he could barely see where they were going and he didn't have enough strength to even lift a finger.
His whole body ached so much that he was at the point of almost losing his consciousness anytime soon. This was the first time he was subjected to this kind of torture and he briefly wondered if this was the same thing they had done to his father decades ago. His father's remains were never found and he was presumed dead by everyone since his disappearance.
"We are here." He heard one of them say before his whole body was thrown forward. Zhao Yichen grunted but refused to admit defeat as his eyes flashed with determination and defiance.
He refused to accept that he would die like this. Never like this. Not until he claimed justice for his father's death.
"Fourth Master, you can only blame yourself for being stupid." They laughed at him. "Do you really think that the Old Master is still capable of protecting you? Aren't you just stupid?"
Zhao Yichen pressed his lips into a thin line, forcing himself to sit up. His eyes burned with intense hate and despair. He knew, of course. He also knew the danger that awaited his return. It was just that he didn't expect someone close to him would betray him and sell him to his enemies.
"It's alright, Fourth Master. You won't have to suffer for too long. Our master was quite pleased already." Zhao Yichen heard before a single gunshot could be heard, breaking the silence of the night.
His body dropped on the ground as he started to bleed to death. The four men who kidnapped him seemed pleased with the current state as they casually sat on the boulders surrounding the ground he slumped on.
Their constant chatter and laughter reached his ears, but their voices started to tune down as his consciousness started to slip from his grasp.
To die like this… he couldn't accept it at all! There were so many things he had yet to accomplish. He cannot die just yet!
'If there're any deities out there who could hear me, please help me this once. I'll give everything that I have in return!' He screamed in his head, knowing that it was impossible. There couldn't be anyone who could save him from death anymore.
'Little human, I hear you…' A voice of a woman echoed in mind, which made Zhao Yichen wonder that he was losing his mind. 'I'm not a deity. At least, not yet, but I can help you…"
'Tell me you agree, Contractor and I shall grant your wish.' The woman's voice had a seductive tone lacing it. It was like she was just next to him, whispering sweet words right in his ear.