Glorious Tales

Chapter 0007: The Secret Prison

Yang Ning was not concerned with who was behind Xiao Yishui; his only focus was on finding Xiao Die.

The night had grown deep, and the mansion was eerily quiet.

Yang Ning stepped out of the back courtyard but was at a loss as to Xiao Die's whereabouts. The mansion was vast, with courtyards connected to one another, making it difficult to know where Xiao Yishui might be carrying Madam Hua.

He moved cautiously along a narrow path, his footsteps barely making a sound. Suddenly, he heard a noise ahead. With a swift motion, he hid behind a tree and peered out. Under the moonlight, he saw a tall man in black, humming a tune as he walked along a small path, his waist adorned with a knife. The man walked past Yang Ning, oblivious to his presence, and turned into another path.

Yang Ning crouched down and silently followed. After a few twists and turns, he spotted a courtyard gate ahead. The man in black appeared unaware of being followed. As he neared the gate, Yang Ning saw another figure approach, also dressed in black, who immediately started scolding: "Damn it, why did you take so long to get here?"

The man being followed by Yang Ning laughed and replied, "What’s the rush? With a whole bunch of little girls around, why are you so worked up?"

The newcomer grumbled, "So what? You can look but not touch. I’d rather not see them at all. Old Xing, be careful. You’re up to no good again, aren’t you? You’ve brought four more today. What are you planning? You know what will happen if even one hair of those girls goes missing."

Old Xing chuckled, "Enough of the nonsense. I’m just worried about you losing control and getting yourself killed." He waved his hand dismissively. "Go on, I’ve got it covered here. Get here early tomorrow. Don’t keep me waiting."

The man stretched and yawned, then said, "I’m off. Be careful tonight. If we lose another person, we’re all in trouble." Without another word, he strolled back in the direction he came. Yang Ning, already prepared, hid to the side and watched as the man passed by. When he checked the courtyard gate again, Old Xing had already entered.

The area grew quiet once more. Yang Ning furrowed his brow, wondering if Xiao Die was among the "lively little girls" the man had mentioned.

What he had seen and heard earlier had already suggested something was off about this place, and the sight of the man wearing a knife only confirmed his suspicions about the hidden dangers within the mansion.

He waited until he was certain no one else was around, then approached the gate. Peeking inside, he saw a spacious courtyard. At the left corner, there was a row of small houses—three or four rooms—and to the right, a stable housing two fine horses.

In front of the row of houses was a chair, with a small table placed in front of it. Old Xing was sitting in the chair, his legs resting on the table. Under the moonlight, Yang Ning saw a gleaming large knife lying on the table.

Yang Ning realized with certainty that the girls were being held captive in the row of houses, and that Old Xing and others were on watch, as if guarding prisoners.

The Hua Mansion, indeed, held many secrets.

He didn’t know if Xiao Die was inside, but if she was, how had she managed to leave the stable that night?

The only potential escape route seemed to be through a hole behind the flowerbed in the back courtyard.

However, to reach that hole, he would first need to get out of the stable courtyard. There appeared to be guards within, making it no simple task to sneak out.

Yang Ning pondered his next move.

To get close to the houses and find Xiao Die, he would have to get past Old Xing. At the moment, Old Xing was sitting in the middle of the courtyard. The moment Yang Ning stepped in, he would be spotted. If Old Xing shouted, others would quickly rush over, and Yang Ning was unsure of how many people were inside. A commotion could easily lead to his capture.

Just as he was deep in thought, Old Xing suddenly stood up and began walking toward him.

Yang Ning immediately pressed himself against the wall, wondering if Old Xing had noticed him.

He waited for a moment but saw Old Xing only walk back to his chair, humming a tune and adjusting his pants. Yang Ning relaxed; it seemed the man had merely gone to relieve himself.

After adjusting his pants, Old Xing started back toward the chair when a voice suddenly called out from behind, "Old Xing, come here for a moment…"

Old Xing frowned and looked around. "Who’s there?"

"Old Xing, come here…" The voice repeated. It was unclear, muffled, and Old Xing assumed it was one of his companions. Without suspecting anyone had sneaked into the mansion, he casually stepped out, looking around. Seeing no one, he scowled, "Who’s there?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Ning struck him with a brick. The blow sent Old Xing crashing to the ground, his head spinning and his vision blurring.

Yang Ning sighed, "Such a big man, and he can’t even take one brick."

He discarded the brick and dragged Old Xing’s heavy body inside. Although Yang Ning’s combat skills from his previous life were sharp, his current body was still young and not yet physically strong. Dragging Old Xing proved difficult.

Eventually, he managed to pull Old Xing to the corner of the courtyard wall. Worried he might wake up, Yang Ning gave him a few punches to the head, ensuring he remained unconscious for a while.

As he glanced around, he noticed a keychain hanging from Old Xing’s waist, with five or six keys on it. Yang Ning quickly grabbed it and rushed to the row of houses on the left.

The first house was locked, and after peeking through the door c***k, Yang Ning saw a dark, cluttered interior with some musical instruments, but no people.

He moved to the second house, which was also locked. This time, he could make out several figures inside, though they were eerily silent.

Before he could speak, he heard faint sobbing from the next room. Moving quietly, he followed the sound and found several figures huddled together inside, crying.

"Don’t cry, everyone…" A soft voice soothed them. "You can cry all you want, but we can’t leave. If they hear us, they’ll punish us with a whip…"

"Don’t cry. I’ve been here for three months and haven’t left once. They promised I could visit my father twice a month, but I don’t even know how he’s doing anymore…"

The girl tried to comfort the others, but her own voice broke with sobs.

Yang Ning furrowed his brow. Without hesitation, he took the keys and began trying them on the lock. The old-fashioned lock was unfamiliar to him, and he wasn’t sure which key was for this door, so he tried them one by one. The sound of rattling keys was enough to stop the sobbing inside.

When the door finally opened, the girls huddled in the corner, clearly terrified.

Yang Ning closed the door behind him and softly asked, "Is Xiao Die here?"

At first, the girls thought the man was one of the black-clad guards, but as they saw the young, slender figure, their fear began to subside, replaced by confusion. A slightly older girl, mustering her courage, asked, "Who are you?"

"You don’t need to be afraid. I’m not from the mansion," Yang Ning said, stepping closer. The girls, still wary, stayed huddled together.

"Are you one of the guards?" one of the younger girls asked. "How did you get in?"

"Forget about me for now. I need to know—do you know Xiaodie?" Yang Ning’s worry deepened as he looked at the girls' plight.

It was now clear that the biggest mystery of the Hua Mansion was the captivity of these girls, but why were they being held here?

One of the younger girls timidly spoke up from the back, "Xiao Die isn’t here…"

Yang Ning turned to see a girl around eleven or twelve years old, who seemed to know Xiao Die. He moved closer, asking, "Do you know Xiao Die?"

The girl nodded, still frightened. "Xiao Die… she’s very kind to me…"

Yang Ning, relieved to hear news of Xiao Die, asked, "Where is she now?"

"I… I don’t know," the girl replied, her head down. "I haven’t seen her for days."

"Why are you looking for Xiao Die?" The older girl asked again, her voice filled with suspicion.

Yang Ning hesitated before answering, "I’m Xiao Die’s friend… well, I should say, her older brother."

"Ah?" The younger girl’s eyes widened, her face full of surprise. "You… you’re her brother?"