They had only taken this job for the money. But now the money was gone, and their lives were on the line. What was left to keep secret? The kidnappers spilled everything like beans from a tipped basket.
"We came from Guangcheng," the leader confessed. "Took on a bounty from the black market, said we'd get a huge reward if we kidnapped you."
Song Miaozhu's brows furrowed. "A bounty? What is this, a drama? Who's still doing old-school bounties in this day and age?"
"Lady, you don't get it," the leader said quickly. "Guangcheng's not like the mainland. It's close to the border. Everyone looking to pull off one last big job and escape overseas ends up there."
The man's accent confirmed it. These guys were definitely from the south.
"So you don't even know who posted the bounty?" Song Miaozhu's tone darkened.
The leader saw his chance for survival and scrambled to answer. "We don't know who it is, but if we go back to Guangcheng we can lure them out! That kind of bounty isn't something just anyone can post. They've got connections! Look, we're just in it for the money. We usually keep things low-key. If we'd known you were this dangerous, we'd have never touched this job!"
"That guy set us up. Help us get revenge, and we'll give you everything we know!"
Song Miaozhu fell silent, deep in thought.
"A bounty posted in Guangcheng?" That didn't line up. Most of the people she'd offended were in the capital, not way out south.
And based on what this guy said, it sounded like whoever posted the bounty had some serious pull in the black market there. But why Guangcheng? No one from the capital with real influence would bother expanding into such a chaotic place, would they?
There was something about Guangcheng that tugged at her memory, like a puzzle piece just out of place. With the rise of spiritual energy, enemies hidden in the shadows felt more dangerous than ever. She couldn't afford to leave this one buried.
Looking again at the kneeling, trembling kidnappers—still scheming behind their pitiful groveling—Song Miaozhu gave a small signal. A little paper servant carried over some instant noodle cups and fruit knives.
The sight of those white paper people solemnly lugging cups and blades shut the men up instantly. They began to shake uncontrollably.
Everything they'd seen tonight had already shattered their worldview.
"Each of you, give me some blood and a lock of hair. Do that, and I'll let you go back to Guangcheng."
Once she had their blood and hair, they might as well be fish on a chopping block. With her little paper servants watching them, there would be no escape. She could use them as bait to draw out whoever was behind the bounty.
Having already witnessed Song Miaozhu's strange and terrifying abilities, none of the kidnappers dared to move. Their minds ran wild with fear.
Her voice turned cold. "Or would you rather be beast food tonight?"
Morning wasn't far off. Zhao Huoyan could be showing up soon. She needed to wrap this up and get her house in order. The kidnappers realized they had no choice. They already saw her as more ruthless and unfathomable than any gang boss from Guangcheng. And they fully believed she'd follow through with her threats.
At this point, staying alive a little longer was the best they could hope for. The leader gritted his teeth, then reached for the fruit knife and made the cut. A little paper servant took his blood-filled cup and the lock of hair he'd sliced off. More paper servants waited in front of the others. Seeing the leader comply, they followed suit without hesitation.
Soon, all seven samples were collected.
Right in front of them, Song Miaozhu crafted seven new little paper people. She infused them with blood and hair, creating proper curse dolls. Then, she dipped a needle in rooster blood, pricked each doll lightly, and murmured a quiet incantation.
Instantly, all seven men collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
The leader managed to lift his head. The paper figure labeled "Kidnapper Leader," the one made with his own blood and hair, had been pricked exactly where he now felt a searing, stabbing pain.
"Witchcraft…" he gasped.
Now he truly hated whoever had posted that bounty. If not for them, they wouldn't have crossed paths with such a terrifying woman.
"You'll take one of my little paper servants with you," Song Miaozhu said flatly. "It'll keep watch. If I learn that any of you have leaked my secrets, or done anything against me, you'll die in agony. Just like that."
She gave them a long, cold look. "My patience has limits. Don't test them."
With that, seven little paper servants leapt into motion, hopping lightly onto the men and slipping into their clothing. The kidnappers froze, feeling as though a blade now hung over each of their heads.
"Get lost," Song Miaozhu said at last, waving them off.
Freed, they scrambled to their feet and ran—not for the open front door, but straight for the wall. Without tools to climb and in a panic, they failed again and again to get over it. The wall had been reinforced—by Song Miaozhu, naturally.
She stared at them, speechless. How had idiots like this even survived in the criminal black market?
Eventually, working together, they hoisted the smallest one—Old Seven—up onto the wall. He managed to pull the ladder over from the other side, and finally, one by one, they escaped.
Only after they were gone did Song Miaozhu let her little paper servants close the door behind them. Then, she turned to clean the chaos they had left behind.
By the time morning light began to creep in, her courtyard was back to its original state.
Fortunately, the paper servants had been clever, leading the intruders in circles. Aside from a broken lock on one side room, nothing else had been damaged. Outwardly, there were no signs of trouble. If Zhao Huoyan came by, she wouldn't need to explain anything.
After a final inspection, Song Miaozhu turned to the forty-nine paper soldiers still standing in a tight cluster.
She beckoned with a finger.
In an instant, they shrank back into seven-inch paper figures, caught by an invisible current and drawn into her palm. They stacked neatly into a bundle. These paper soldiers, created through the Secret Art of Paper Crafting, consumed more spiritual power than her little paper servants.
When not in use, she returned them to their dormant form to conserve energy.
Their spiritual nature was focused solely on combat. In battle, they were agile and deadly, capable of overwhelming multiple opponents at once and coordinating with each other. But when it came to anything else, they became slow and stiff.
That was fine. She had her little paper servants for daily chores. The soldiers were only needed when it came time to fight. She placed them into a specially prepared yin-wood box. When the time came, she could take them out and breathe a puff of air, and they would once again become towering warriors.