Chapter 202: Terror on a Snowy Night
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“Don’t worry, I’ve left guards at the mansion,” Rong Che reassured with a smile before departing. His thoughts lingered on Shi Yun, planning to return and comfort her once his tasks were complete. He feared someone else might reach her first.
Chao Chao glanced around, noting the increased security.
“Why all the fuss for an old woman like me?” Madam Xu chuckled. “Would a rapist really be interested in a woman in her thirties?” she teased.
As Deng Zhi removed hairpins from Madam Xu’s hair, she replied, “Madam, you underestimate the situation. Neglected and overworked in the household of Marquis Zhongyong, your health had declined. But since the separation, you’ve been looking better every day. And I’ve heard… this rapist is different. He doesn’t target young maidens but prefers young married women. Rumor has it, four women have already fallen victim, all around thirty-four years old.” There was speculation he was searching for something, which worried Deng Zhi.
“We have Chao Chao’s secret guards and General Rong’s men in the mansion,” Deng Zhi tried to reassure herself.
Still uneasy, Deng Zhi stood guard outside all night. But after staying up through New Year’s Eve, she began to doze off in the early hours.
Chao Chao yawned, nestled in bed, drifting in and out of sleep as the cold wind howled outside. The room was warm, but the little one struggled to keep her eyes open. At some point, heavy snow began to fall again, blanketing the trees in white. The world seemed wrapped in peaceful stillness.
But the room grew cooler, and Chao Chao curled up tighter. Suddenly, she awoke with a start, eyes wide with fear, panting heavily. The candles had gone out, and the coal in the brazier was cold. This had never happened before.
Dressed only in a thin nightgown, Chao Chao felt the eerie stillness. She slid off the bed, “Sister Yuhua?” No response. “Uncle Guard?” Still nothing. Pale-faced, Chao Chao moved a stool to the door and opened it.
Outside, the snowstorm raged, everything cloaked in white. The usual patrolling guards were absent, leaving only silence.
Barefoot, Chao Chao stepped into the snow, shivering. Each step was a struggle as she tried to lift her feet from the deep snow. Too small to navigate easily, she stumbled towards Madam Xu’s room. “Mama, Mama, Mama…” She found a maid lying in the snow, unconscious and frozen. Chao Chao hurried to the main courtyard, finding maids sprawled on the ground, thankfully only knocked out. However, the guards bore thin, bloody lines on their necks, as if their throats had been slit in an instant.
The tension in the main courtyard was palpable. Deng Zhi stood before Madam Xu, her voice pleading, “I’m younger than Madam, let me serve you. Please spare Madam.”
“Deng Zhi, no! We won’t beg him!” Madam Xu’s hands were ice-cold as she clutched Deng Zhi, stopping her from stepping forward.
The man, cloaked in black, was ruthless. Madam Xu knew if he was here, the defenses had been breached. His voice was hoarse, his long knife dripping with blood. “You’re thirty-four?” he pointed at Madam Xu.
Taking a deep breath, Madam Xu confirmed, “Yes.” Her heart felt as cold as ice.
“Thirty-four, born in winter. Have you seen this?” His pale fingers held out a paper with a drawing of a jade pendant. Madam Xu’s eyes widened at the sight of the dragon-cloud patterned jade pendant, the Xu family’s heirloom. She quickly lowered her gaze, “No, never.”
Deng Zhi gasped, catching the man’s attention. Before she could speak, he was in front of her, gripping her throat. “You’ve seen the pendant, haven’t you? Where is it?”
Lifted off the ground, Deng Zhi struggled, slapping at his arm. But he remained unmoved.
“The pendant is yours, isn’t it?” He stared at Madam Xu with madness in his eyes.
“Run… Ma’am… run…” Deng Zhi’s eyes were bloodshot as she struggled under that chokehold.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“I finally found you! You were hiding here!” The man’s face was unnaturally pale, his expression crazed.
Madam Xu made a dash for the door. But before she could escape, the man flung Deng Zhi at her, knocking her down.
“Deng Zhi, Deng Zhi!” Madam Xu cried, clutching Deng Zhi, tears streaming down her face. “Who are you? I have no quarrel with you, why harm me?” Madam Xu sobbed, seeing the horrible marks on Deng Zhi’s neck. “I’ve lived a good life, never making enemies. Who are you?” She now realized that the previous victims were merely collateral damage.
His voice was icy, filled with malice. “Why? Because you deserve to die, you shouldn’t have been born! Give me the pendant!” He stepped closer, his knife dripping with blood. “I’ve searched for years, and you were hiding here! How dare you make me search so long.”
Madam Xu, lying on the ground, retreated step by step. “Do you have a grudge against the Xu family?” She forced herself to stay calm. Her back was soaked with sweat, her body cold.
He sneered. “The Xu family? What do they matter? They’re not worthy of being our enemies. Clearly, the Xu family hid the truth well. They never told you were adopted?” He laughed coldly.
Madam Xu was stunned. Adopted? She wasn’t the biological daughter of the Xu family? The family had three sons and one daughter, and she was the only daughter, doted on more than her brothers! “How, how could that be? Impossible!” Madam Xu shook her head frantically.
“Believe it or not, tonight, you won’t leave this place alive!” He smiled cruelly. “Hand over the pendant, and I’ll give you a quick death.”
Madam Xu bit her lip. She had given the pendant to Chao Chao; she couldn’t let him find her! His eyes lingered on Madam Xu’s figure, filled with madness.
“Since that’s the case, don’t blame me! Never thought I’d get to sleep with such noble blood…” He looked her over, grabbing her and tearing at her clothes, exposing her shoulder.
Just then, a soft knock on the door echoed through the room. “Mama… Mama, are you sleeping?” Chao Chao’s innocent voice, mingled with the wind, made Madam Xu shiver. She stopped screaming, stopped resisting, clutching the man’s hand. The once-calm Madam Xu now looked terrified, her vulnerability exposed.
what the, it got from 0 to 100 real quick