Chapter 177: Wild Child

On the day of her departure, she left behind harsh threats, swearing she would make Fang Pingxi's father pay a heavy price.

The malice in her eyes and words made Fang Pingxi’s father cautious enough to file this official record.

He had anticipated that if that vicious woman chose to make a move against them, she would certainly not spare the lawyer who drafted the will.

Therefore, he had placed a backup copy of the will in a safe deposit box at a bank.

This type of will was quite special; its creation required the participation of a specific class of spiritual professionals, and the testator had to personally imprint their divine sense into the document, making forgery impossible.

Thus, it remained legally valid even without notarization.

Fang Pingxi felt a surge of excitement, believing that a turning point had arrived in his destiny.

At the same time, he was deeply moved by his father’s profound foresight.

A loving father plans deeply for his children's future.

Composing his surging emotions, he took the emergency money his father had prepared for him and hailed a cab directly to the nearest police station.

There, he recounted everything he had experienced to the officers.

The police officer comforted him, assuring him that justice would definitely be served, and took the special will from Fang Pingxi's hands before walking out the door.

Half an hour later, Fang Pingxi saw his aunt.

She stared at him with an extremely malicious gaze and, without saying a word, dragged him outside.

Terrified, Fang Pingxi cried and struggled wildly, but not a single police officer came forward to inquire about the situation or stop the aunt’s actions.

Just like that, he was shoved into a car. While he fought back with punches and kicks, his aunt’s lover knocked him unconscious with a chemical spray.

When he regained consciousness, he was inside a swaying vehicle, with unfamiliar mountain forests visible outside the window.

He tried to move, but could not lift a single finger.

In a hazy state, he clearly caught the conversation coming from the front seats.

"How much do we have to pay those bastards?"

"Three million hush money per person, and there are eight officers in that station."

"Damn it, that's insanely ruthless."

"Doesn't matter, it's easy money anyway. Once we deal with this brat, we'll report him missing. We'll grease some palms, officially declare him dead, and then all the property will be ours."

"Haha! Once we liquidate the assets, where should we go to enjoy ourselves?"

"How about spending a month in the Sakura Empire first? I heard they have mixed-gender hot springs there?"

"Oh, you're so bad~ Then hurry up and finish this; we need to return the car, catch the teleportation array, and head back to Luzhou."

"Small problem."

"..."

The more Fang Pingxi listened, the colder his heart became. He wanted to get up and escape, but he could not muster even a shred of strength.

He could only watch helplessly as he was thrown into an earthen pit, followed by large mounds of sandy soil being shoveled down over him.

The engine roared to life, and the sound of the vehicle driving away gradually faded into the distance.

His consciousness blurred bit by bit.

When he woke up again, he found himself amidst a wooded area.

Not far in front of him, a campfire was crackling brightly, surrounded by a group of ragged children.

As it turned out, his aunt’s lover had been lazy and simply tossed him into an existing pit before burying him.

That pit was one the feral children had specifically dug to trap rabbits.

Not long after Fang Pingxi was buried, they came to check upon hearing the sound of the car and dug open the newly filled pit.

That was what saved Fang Pingxi's life.

From then on, he lived together with these feral children in that mountain forest.

He had just experienced the loss of both parents, the betrayal of a relative, and witnessed the collapse of the idealized image of justice.

He felt the outside world was far too cruel and terrifying, so he had no desire to return to it.

Moreover, according to the feral children, he was now hundreds of thousands of miles away from Luzhou, making any attempt to return practically impossible.

Fortunately, his life in the forest was not too bad. Although he occasionally went hungry, he was at least no longer swept up in those dangerous whirlpools.

This band of wild children consisted of youngsters from nearby villages who had lost their support systems for various reasons and gradually gathered together.

They knew how to hunt, fish, and forage for wild fruits.

When food was truly scarce, they would sneak into the villages to steal.

Living from hand to mouth, they managed to scrape by.

Fang Pingxi lived like this alongside them until he turned fourteen.

As he grew older, he grew weary of days plagued by hunger and was no longer as fearful of the outside world.

Therefore, bidding farewell to the forest along with two close friends among the feral children, he set out to make his way in the cities.

Along the way, they scavenged for recyclables and rummaged through restaurant dumpsters, living as vagrants.

This wandering lifestyle lasted for three years.

During these three years, one of his friends died from eating poisonous food.

Another friend managed to find a job as a waiter in a small town and stayed behind.

Only he continued walking blindly without any destination.

Suddenly, one day, a whim struck him, and he wanted to return to Luzhou to take a look.

He wanted to see the London plane trees of his hometown and hear the familiar local accents and tones.

With this thought in mind, he set off on the road.

These three years of vagrancy had given him plenty of experience. He would help drivers resting at gas stations wash their cars in exchange for a ride.

He would also slip in at the tail end of mercenary and professional traveling parties to hitch a ride on teleportation arrays.

Walking and traveling this way, he finally returned to Luzhou.

Seven or eight years had passed, and the city in his memories had undergone quite a few changes.

Standing on the street, feeling emotional about the relentless march of time, he decided to visit his old home first.

Returning to the familiar residence, he discovered that the outer walls had been repainted, and the London plane tree in the courtyard—which his mother had loved so much—was nowhere to be seen.

Peering through the iron railings, he saw a child running happily across the lawn.

For a moment, he lost himself, as if he had been pulled back to that afternoon many years ago.

He stared blankly at the child until the child noticed him.

The child’s panicked cries summoned his father.

Seeing that Fang Pingxi was dressed in tattered clothes, the man told the child to go back inside and sternly questioned his intentions.

After a moment of thought, Fang Pingxi asked, "Did a family by the surname of Fang used to live here?"

The man was startled, his expression softening slightly. "Yes, I bought this house from them."

"It was sold very cheaply. The female owner seemed very eager to unload it, saying her family had suffered a tragedy and she couldn't bear to stay in this old house anymore, fearing it would bring back painful memories."

Fang Pingxi sneered inwardly.

The man looked Fang Pingxi up and down. "What? Are you looking for them? Are you a friend of theirs?"

"I am..." Fang Pingxi was momentarily at a loss for words.

"No matter who you are, if you're looking for their family members, you're bound to be disappointed. I have no contact with them," the man said. "The only one I know anything about is the female owner."

"She died in a hotel from an overdose of addictive drugs. I saw it on the news."

At this, a look of contempt crossed the man's face. "That woman was far too promiscuous; when she died, there were three men lying beside her."

When Fang Pingxi heard that the vicious woman might already be dead, he froze completely.

"Dead?" he thought to himself. "That venomous bitch who tormented me just died like that?"

Fang Pingxi turned around and walked away.

Seeing him come inexplicably and leave just as inexplicably, the man cursed him as a lunatic.

Yet Fang Pingxi remained completely oblivious, walking away with hasty steps.