CHAPTER 97 — The Child Returned
The rain had slowed to a heavy mist by the time Mu Lingchen reached the rocky shelf where Rui lay curled like a wounded bird. Yunxi's breath echoed harshly through the headset as she waited above, every second stretching like torture.
"Lingchen… do you see him?" she whispered.
He didn't answer right away.
Because the sight broke him.
Rui was huddled on his side, tiny arms wrapped around himself, shaking so hard his whole body trembled. His cheek was streaked with dirt and tears, his little sweater ripped at the shoulder. But his chest—
It rose and fell.
Alive.
Lingchen's own heartbeat stuttered violently. He swallowed, voice thick.
"I see him, Yunxi."
The sound Yunxi made in the headset wasn't a sob — but a breath of pure, shattering relief.
Lingchen moved slowly, mindful of the slippery rocks beneath his boots. One wrong sound, one sudden movement, could startle Rui or loosen the unstable stones.
"Baby…" he called softly, kneeling beside the child. "It's Daddy. I'm here."
Rui flinched, letting out a frightened whimper.
"Don't—don't hurt me… please don't…"
Lingchen froze.
His chest split open.
"Rui…" he whispered, voice breaking, "Daddy would never hurt you. Never. I'm here to take you home."
Rui's lashes fluttered weakly. He blinked up slowly.
"Da…ddy?"
Lingchen nodded fast, blinking back the burn of tears.
"Yes. Daddy's here."
Rui reached out a trembling hand — and Lingchen caught it immediately, holding it in both of his much larger ones.
"Don't let go…" Rui sobbed. "Don't leave me…"
"Never," Lingchen said, his voice shaking. "I'll never leave you. I promise."
Above, Yunxi pressed her fist against her mouth, tears streaming silently. Every word was a knife and a balm all at once.
Lingchen checked Rui's arms and legs carefully. Scrapes, bruises… but no broken bones. Nothing fatal. Just pain, fear, and a few deeper cuts that would need stitching.
"Yunxi," Lingchen said into the headset, "he's hurt, but not critically. We're bringing him up."
A choked breath answered him.
"Bring him home," she whispered.
Lingchen cradled Rui gently against his chest, one hand supporting the boy's back, the other shielding his head from the rain and stray stones.
"Ready to ascend," he signaled.
The rope tightened.
Slowly, carefully, they began rising.
Rui clung to him desperately, burying his tear-soaked face in Lingchen's neck.
"Daddy… Daddy… I was scared…"
Lingchen pressed a kiss to Rui's hair.
"I know, baby. I know. You're safe now. You're so brave."
Halfway up, Yunxi appeared at the top of the cliff, kneeling dangerously close to the edge. Her eyes were swollen, face pale, but the fire in her gaze was fierce.
"Give him to me," she said, voice trembling.
As Lingchen reached the ledge, she reached down without a second of hesitation.
She didn't care about mud.
She didn't care about the unstable ground.
She didn't care that her arms were shaking.
She only cared about one thing.
"Rui…" she whispered, pulling him into her arms.
The moment Rui recognized her scent, her warmth, her heartbeat—
He broke.
"MOMMY!"
His scream tore through the rain as he wrapped his arms around her neck so tight she gasped.
Yunxi cradled him, pressing kiss after desperate kiss onto his forehead, hair, cheeks.
"My baby—my sweet baby—Mommy's here, Mommy's here—"
Her tears soaked his face, mingling with his own.
Lingchen climbed fully over the ledge and collapsed to his knees beside them, exhaustion and relief crashing into him all at once.
Rui hiccupped between sobs.
"Mama… Mama don't go… Roulan said you wouldn't come… she said you didn't want me…"
Yunxi froze.
Her hands tightened.
Her breath fractured.
And then—
"No," she whispered fiercely, pulling Rui even closer. "I would cross the world for you. I would tear mountains apart for you. I will always come for you."
Rui clung harder, trembling.
"She hit me… she said she hates me… she said she wished I wasn't born…"
Yunxi's entire body went cold.
Lingchen's face darkened with murderous rage.
"She will never touch you again," Yunxi whispered, voice steady but deadly. "Never."
Lingchen placed a hand on Rui's back, rubbing gentle circles.
"You're safe now," he murmured. "No one will hurt you again. Daddy promises."
Rui lifted his head, tiny face streaked with tears and mud.
"Daddy kept me safe… Mommy came for me…" He sniffled, almost smiling. "I knew you would come."
Those words shattered them.
Police officers stepped back, giving the family space, some wiping their eyes quietly. Even seasoned men felt their throats tighten at the sight.
Lingchen gathered both Yunxi and Rui into his arms, holding them tightly under the gray, rainy sky.
"This is the last time," Lingchen vowed quietly. "The last time anyone takes our child."
Yunxi nodded, still shaking.
"She'll pay," she whispered. "I swear she'll pay."
And as if summoned by their hatred—
Officers dragged Roulan up the ravine on the opposite side, wrists bound, hair plastered to her face, slipping and screaming curses.
"THIS ISN'T OVER!" she shrieked, thrashing. "THE SHI FAMILY WILL BURN WITH ME! YOU'LL ALL FALL TOGETHER!"
Her voice echoed through the quarry.
Yunxi's head slowly turned.
Her expression—
Cold.
Unforgiving.
Deadly calm.
The expression of someone who had been hunted her whole life.
And was finally ready to hunt back.
Lingchen pulled Rui closer, shielding his ears.
The police shoved Roulan into a vehicle, but her shrill voice kept tearing through the rain.
"THE SHI FAMILY HAS SKELETONS! I'M NOT DYING ALONE! YOU HEAR ME, SHI YUNXI?! I'LL DRAG EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM DOWN!"
Yunxi didn't flinch.
She only whispered:
"Good."
Because she had been waiting for this.
For the truth.
For the reckoning.
For the freedom she and her children deserved.
Lingchen wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her gently toward the waiting cars.
"Let's take our son home," he murmured.
Yunxi nodded, kissing Rui's forehead again.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Home."
But deep in her heart, something dark unfurled.
A storm.
The Shi family had hidden their crimes for decades.
And now?
Roulan was about to expose everything.
And Yunxi would be the one to finish the job.