Sorry, I don’t like being taken advantage of.

“Tell me…”
A murmured voice lingered at his ear, laced with an uncanny, almost magical power, compelling him to speak, to confess.
“The formula is…”
Qin Xiaofan’s lips parted and closed, and under Mengyao’s gaze—alight with excitement and anticipation—he suddenly smiled.
He lowered his head.
Cold eyes fixed on Mengyao cradled in his arms, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.
The smile was abrupt, jarring.
A vicious grin, mingled with mockery and a barely concealed murderous intent!
In that instant, Mengyao, lying in Qin Xiaofan’s embrace, froze. Her face was stricken with terror and disbelief as she stared up at him, as though looking at a demon.
“No… impossible…”
“This can’t be!”
Mengyao screamed in horror.
In a flash, the dream collapsed.
The entire kaleidoscopic world shattered like a mirror, all color and shape falling away, everything dissolving into oblivion.
Inside the cave.
Mengyao’s eyes flew open and she bolted upright.
Without a second thought, she leapt to her feet and ran for the mouth of the cave, desperate to escape.
But—
How could a woman like her possibly outrun Qin Xiaofan?
Perched on a rock, Qin Xiaofan rose slowly, watching her frantic flight without the slightest urgency. He even stretched lazily, as if unconcerned.
Soon enough, Mengyao’s figure vanished entirely from his sight.
Only then did Qin Xiaofan get to his feet with lazy indifference.
Stepping forward, the rock beneath his foot cracked straight through.
In the next heartbeat, he shot out of the cave like a cannonball.
The explosion of his movement startled everyone awake.
About half a minute later, Qin Xiaofan returned from outside.
Draped over his shoulder was a delicate young woman—Mengyao. Her eyes were closed, and she was unconscious; clearly, Qin Xiaofan had knocked her out.
Bang!
Showing no mercy, he tossed her straight onto the ground.
Looking down at Mengyao, Qin Xiaofan shook his head in disappointment.
He’d allowed her that head start out of the cave simply to see if she had any accomplices.
After all, when people are desperate, they instinctively seek help.

Or perhaps, if she did have an accomplice, seeing her in danger would prompt them to reveal themselves—either way, Qin Xiaofan would be satisfied with the outcome.
A clean sweep would be best.
Yet at the crucial moment, Mengyao clearly grasped Qin Xiaofan’s intention.
She understood she couldn’t escape, that even with help she’d never get away. So instead, she stopped just outside the village, letting Qin Xiaofan catch up and seize her.
But this action was a silent message to Qin Xiaofan: she did have an accomplice—and if he killed her, he’d never learn who it was.
At that moment, everyone around was left bewildered.
They stared at the unconscious girl on the ground, their faces painted with strange expressions, wondering if Qin Xiaofan had suddenly been overcome by desire.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. She’s a member of the Change of Heaven. Of that, I’m now certain.”
Everyone was stunned.
It was hard to believe that this delicate, charming girl could be part of the Change of Heaven. But Qin Xiaofan’s certainty left no room for doubt—he must have had proof.
Indeed.
The night before, when Qin Xiaofan once again found himself trapped in that strange dream, he sensed something was wrong.
Each dream was identical.
Such abnormality could only mean something sinister was at work.
At that point, he was convinced: it had to be an ability at play!
Mengyao’s power was never about connecting to the network—it was about connecting to others’ dreams…
And tonight, when Mengyao questioned him in the dream about the formula for the Water of Civilization, Qin Xiaofan confirmed her identity as a Change of Heaven operative.
Now, Mengyao was tightly bound with vines by Qin Xiaofan, then propped upright and lashed to a wooden cross.
After finishing, Qin Xiaofan thought for a moment and said,
“Big Voice, call everyone here.”
A burly, stubbled man nodded at once.
Big Voice was his nickname, and his power matched his name.
At this, everyone silently clapped their hands over their ears.
Big Voice took a few steps outside, drew in a deep breath, and faced the village to bellow, “Assemble—now!”
His voice thundered like the heavens splitting open, making everyone’s scalp tingle.
In the night, villagers streamed out from their wooden houses, uncertain what had happened but not daring to delay. They hurried to the cave entrance.
The crowd filed inside in an orderly fashion.
Seeing Mengyao bound, they all wore expressions of shock.
Qin Xiaofan’s eyes were sharp, carefully studying their reactions, hoping to ferret out Mengyao’s accomplice from any subtle change.
But he was disappointed.
Everyone’s response was entirely normal.
Some were surprised, others confused.

Some even wore odd expressions, suspecting that Qin Xiaofan was indulging in some kind of bondage play, and had gathered everyone for an orgy…
Qin Xiaofan frowned.
That left only two possibilities: either Mengyao had no accomplice at all, or the accomplice was a cunning master of disguise.
Qin Xiaofan leaned toward the latter possibility.
But, with no results, he gave a brief explanation and waved the crowd away.
Inside the cave was another, smaller cavern.
It had been newly dug, intended for food storage, but now Qin Xiaofan locked Mengyao inside, turning it temporarily into an interrogation chamber.
Xiaoyan stood guard at the entrance, preventing anyone else from approaching.
The interrogation began.
Splash!
A bowl of water slapped across Mengyao’s face, jolting her awake and soaking her thin clothes.
“Cough, cough…”
Choking on the water, Mengyao awoke with a fit of violent coughing.
Qin Xiaofan stepped forward, lifting her delicate chin, and spoke in an unhurried tone, “Let’s hear it—do you have any accomplices, and how did you use Fat Bubble’s hand to revive Scarface A?”
Mengyao was silent.
Her hair, wet from the water, clung to her smooth cheeks.
Her vacant eyes gradually cleared, then turned sharp with malice as she glared furiously at Qin Xiaofan.
“Speak.”
Qin Xiaofan prompted her again.
Still, Mengyao gave no response, staring daggers at him; if looks could kill, Qin Xiaofan would have died a hundred times over.
He released her chin,
then let out a cold chuckle. With two fingers, he pinched her soft cheek, distorting her icy expression.
It was as if punishing a disobedient child.
The sharp pain brought tears to Mengyao’s eyes.
“It hurts! Let go! Let go!”
Qin Xiaofan released her, lightly tapping her exquisite face, his expression supremely arrogant—a scene straight out of a villain’s playbook.
“See? If you can’t stand the pain, don’t bother pretending to be tough in front of me. Just be honest and tell me everything.”
Mengyao bit her lip.
Finally, with unwillingness in her voice, she said,
“I can tell you some things, but first—can you tell me how, in the dream I created, you managed to regain consciousness?”
Qin Xiaofan smiled.
“Sorry, I’m not the type to take a loss. If we’re to trade information, you’ll have to tell me first how you revived Scarface A.”