Hai Dongyang wanted to say something, but upon meeting the mad old man's unquestionable gaze, he chickened out. He pulled Hai Yixiao's hand and left without looking back. "Many thanks, senior!"
Hai Mianyi and Hai Mi'er were stunned. "Dad..."
They had been ruthlessly abandoned by their own father...
Although Hai Mianyi was adopted, she had always felt Hai Dongyang was closer than a biological father. She never expected this.
And Hai Mi'er was his biological daughter, but what did that matter? A daughter could never rise, a testament to the family's tradition of passing down skills only to males, and the eternal patriarchal norm.
Hai Yixiao struggled desperately to break free from Hai Dongyang's grip. "Dad! What are you doing? Let go of me! I have to save Mianyi and my sister!"
Hai Dongyang didn't stop, fearing the mad old man would go back on his word the next moment. "Don't be foolish! You are the Hai family's only descendant. If you go back now, let alone them, neither of us will survive!"
Thinking about it, perhaps his father was right, but Hai Yixiao, regardless of the consequences, insisted on returning.
Hai Dongyang had no choice but to knock him out, risking a concussion, and carry him away.
The mad old man sneered, releasing two chains that directly bound Hai Mianyi and Hai Mi'er's necks. They were utterly defenseless.
Seeing the mad old man dragging the two girls back, Ming Zhi Tian and Ao Zihua also obediently allowed the chains to secure their necks.
The two chains bound Ming Zhi Tian with Hai Mianyi, and Ao Zihua with Hai Mi'er.
Initially, Ming Zhi Tian and Hai Mianyi were back to back. She felt a strange warmth and a peculiar charm.
Hai Mianyi's face flushed. She quickly turned and pushed Ming Zhi Tian away. Ming Zhi Tian shrugged as if nothing had happened.
Hai Mi'er was smaller than Hai Mianyi, so there were no sparks between her and Ao Zihua.
Hai Mianyi looked at the mad old man with hatred. "Old man, where are you taking us?"
"Slap!" Like lightning, the mad old man struck without hesitation. Even if she was a woman, he wouldn't be called the 'mad old man' otherwise.
"I hate it most when people call me old man."
Hai Mianyi immediately became obedient. "Then... where are we going? Please let us go, or the Hai family won't let you off."
The mad old man laughed heartily. "The Hai family? In the entire Northern Desert, no one dares to trouble me."
Hai Mi'er pouted angrily. "Bad guy! Why did you capture us? My dad won't let you go!"
The mad old man wasn't angered. Instead, he found her adorable. "Heh heh, of course I captured you to be medicine people."
"What? Wuwuwu... I don't want to be a medicine person, Sister Mianyi, he's a bad guy, a big bad guy!" Hai Mi'er cried softly.
The mad old man ignored them, pulling the four people bound by chains, and immediately set off.
Ao Zihua tried to strike up a conversation. "My name is Ao Zihua, and the handsome guy next to me is Ming Zhi Tian. What are your names, two sisters?"
Hai Mianyi rolled her eyes at him. "You're calling us sisters! I'm older than you."
Ao Zihua saw that she had all the curves, and almost drooled. "Indeed big... indeed big..."
Hai Mianyi quickly covered herself with both hands and shrank back, then raised her fist. "What are you looking at, pervert? If you keep looking, believe it or not, I'll knock out your front teeth!"
Ao Zihua quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be nonchalant. Hai Mi'er covered her mouth and chuckled. "Don't mind them, my sister is just like this. My name is Hai Mi'er, and my sister is Hai Mianyi. Please guide us."
Ao Zihua forced a smile. "Guide... guide us..."
...
Hai Family—
In the hall, Hai Dongyang, with his severed arm, lay on a stretcher, on the verge of death, clearly due to excessive blood loss.
Although his wounds had been bandaged, he was still very weak. Hai Yixiao, the only one who knew the truth, had to explain the entire sequence of events to the elders of the various families.
Looking at Hai Qian's corpse, Hai Zhongchi was heartbroken. "Aaaah! Who?! Who killed my son!"
Upon learning it was the mad old man, Hai Zhongchi froze. He didn't dare seek revenge and could only accept his fate, because even if the family poured all their resources, they couldn't shake the mad old man one bit.