CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 119; TAKE HIM..

It was subtle, but enough for Shen Xiao to realize this was not a man to measure by normal means.

The child shifted again in her father’s arms, murmuring something too soft to hear. Jin Shuren lowered his head slightly, his tone dipping to something almost tender. "Rest. I will be done here soon baby."

When he looked up again, that softness was gone, replaced by the full, cold weight of the man whispered about in the underworld.

"Shen Xiao," Jin Shuren said, stepping forward, "you are going to give me exactly what I came for. Or..." His gaze slid to Bai Zhi without lingering. "...you will watch your world burn."

Jin Shuren didn’t need to raise his voice. It was loud enough.

"Take him," he said, his tone calm but edged with absolute authority.

Two of the black-clad operatives moved instantly, their grips like iron as they seized Shen Xiao’s arms.

He didn’t go quietly.

The first man caught a sharp elbow to the ribs, the breath driven out of him in a grunt. Shen Xiao twisted hard, using the moment to slam his shoulder into the second man’s sternum. The impact sent him staggering back a step, rifle swinging dangerously.

Another operative moved in fast, but Shen Xiao pivoted, catching the man’s wrist and wrenching it down, forcing the muzzle toward the floor before the gun could discharge.

The room erupted into movement, boots pounding, rifles raised. Scarface barked, "Stand down!" but Shen Xiao was already moving again, a coiled spring of precision and fury.

Then came the sharp click of a safety being switched off.

Shen Xiao froze when he felt it, the cold, unyielding steel of a pistol’s muzzle pressing against the side of his head.

Jin Zhou stood behind him, his stance unhurried, his finger steady on the trigger. "Enough," he said, his voice low, almost bored. "You are breathing because he allows it."

Shen Xiao’s breathing was harsh, his eyes flicking toward Jin Shuren. The masked man hadn’t moved an inch, his jade mask tilted ever so slightly as he watched, his daughter still nestled in his arms like the chaos meant nothing.

"Upstairs! Now!" Jin Shuren said, the word carrying more weight than a shout.

The operatives moved in again, this time with weapons angled just enough to make resistance a gamble even Shen Xiao wasn’t willing to take, not yet.

Dragged forward, his muscles still taut with the urge to fight, he was forced toward the staircase. Each step upward felt heavier, his mind racing not with fear.

They haven’t told him what even brought them over.

"You know this is trespassing!" He was mad but he couldn’t win a fight against all these armed men.

No one responded and no one looked at him. It felt like he was talking to himself...

He resisted at first, muscles straining, but the cold barrel of a rifle pressed against his ribs made him still.

Bai Zhi’s muffled cry filled the room, but neither Jin Shuren nor Jin Zhou looked her way. Their focus was fixed entirely on Shen Xiao.

Bai Zhi was sad and frustrated. She had thought Shen Xiao was the most powerful man, but hadn’t expected someone like this to exist! The man she admires should be this powerful.

Shen Xiao wondered what they were going to do upstairs... And they weren’t saying what they had come over for..

Jin Zhou stepped closer, his mouth near the Underworld Lord’s ear as he spoke low enough that only he could hear, "That’s the room she has been locked in, but we haven’t confirmed if she is in there."

Jin Shuren’s gaze sharpened, the shadows in the corners of the room seeming to lean closer. "Then let’s not keep her waiting."

The operatives dragged Shen Xiao forward. His footsteps were heavy, his eyes darting once to Bai Zhi before the men hauled him toward the stairs. The undercurrent of fury in his expression was unmistakable.

They moved through the hall in a disciplined silence, boots muted on the thick carpet. The sterile glow of the lights made the shadows along the walls unnaturally sharp, like blades waiting to cut.

The corridor narrowed near the far end, the air colder somehow. At the very last stretch, they reached it, a steel door disguised in dark wood paneling, no handle, no visible keyhole, only a small biometric scanner at eye level.

Shen Xiao’s jaw clenched realizing where they were headed! Did they know Yueyao? "You think you can just walk in?"

"We don’t think," Jin Shuren replied, stepping into view behind him, his daughter still resting in his arms. "We decide."

Jin Zhou gave a sharp nod to the men. "Hold him steady."

One operative grabbed the back of Shen Xiao’s head, another tightened the grip on his shoulder. The scanner’s faint blue light hummed to life.

"Open it," Jin Shuren ordered, each word quiet yet heavy enough to sink into the bone.

Shen Xiao’s pulse pounded in his ears. He knew exactly what was behind that door. That was his wife....

The cold glass of the scanner kissed his retina, sending a faint sting up the nerve. He forced himself not to blink. A single, soft chime broke the silence, deceptively gentle, like a drop of water before a flood.

Somewhere inside the door, gears stirred. Locks groaned and slid free with a deep, mechanical clunk that seemed to echo in his ribs. His pulse quickened. There was no turning back now.

The door slid open with a hiss, and the stale air of confinement spilled into the corridor.

Inside, the dim light revealed a narrow room. And chained to the far wall, half-shielded by shadows.....

Yueyao.

The sound dragged her from the fog like a hook through flesh.

Her head lifted by degrees, every motion heavy, her hair clinging damply to her temple.

Her eyes, glassy with exhaustion yet sharpened by something raw and unyielding, locked onto Shen Xiao, with pure hatred and disgust....