chapter 40 Burglary 1

"Don't, don't come over!" In the master bedroom on the second floor, under the dim light, Cindy Ye lay on the bed with a pale face. A dark aura was gathered on her forehead. Cold sweat streamed down her face, and she was murmuring in pain and fear. In her nightmare, she saw the wicked and gruesome Luca Li, stretching out his clawed hand to pounce on her. Cindy Ye struggled continuously, running through the dark forest, filled with fear. It seemed like from all directions, there were the evil smiles of Luca Li, reaching out with their claws towards her, shouting, "Run, baby, hehe, I've got you, give it to me hahaha." "Ah, please don’t!" Cindy Ye suddenly opened her eyes in terror, sitting up and embracing the man in front of her tightly, as if grabbing a lifesaving straw, shivering uncontrollably. Sitting on the bed, Noah Jiang was taken aback when she suddenly clung to him. Holding a yellow talisman in his hands, he was unsure where to place them. Seeing Cindy Ye, who was like a frightened bird diving into his embrace, Noah Jiang smiled faintly. He knew she had had a nightmare. He gently placed the yellow talisman on her back, suppressing the evil aura within her. Cindy Ye's eyebrows were tightly knitted in pain, but gradually, they relaxed. Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. But in the next moment, she felt something and abruptly pushed the man away from her. "Wake up." "Slap!" Before Noah Jiang could speak, she slapped him across the face. Stunned, he looked at Cindy Ye, whose face was dark with fury. Her eyes were glaring at him with a mix of embarrassment and anger. This bastard had sneaked into her room while she was asleep, with dubious intentions. "Get out!" Seeing Noah Jiang sitting on the bed, holding his slapped face in a daze, Cindy Ye yelled in anger, throwing a pillow at him. Catching the pillow, Noah Jiang immediately realized that she must have misunderstood his intentions. "I..." "Go away!" Seeing she wasn't letting him explain, Noah Jiang sighed, shook his head with a bitter smile, and left the room. "Damn it, he's getting bolder by the day." Watching Noah Jiang leave, Cindy Ye heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing herself wearing only a white slip nightdress, she was genuinely worried that this scoundrel might have had ulterior motives. Noah Jiang didn't care what Cindy Ye thought of him. However, to break the curse on her, he had to find the person who had cursed her. He knew Cindy Ye had a feud with Luca Li. It was probably him who had someone put a spell on her. But with Cindy Ye being so uncooperative, Noah Jiang was a bit frustrated. For now, the yellow talisman could suppress the evil aura in her body, ensuring nothing would happen to her for a while. "Heh, let her suffer a bit then." Noah Jiang chuckled and began to cultivate. On the second floor, Cindy Ye felt much better, her headache and spirits lifted. However, she was still exhausted and went back to sleep. Yet, in the villa's courtyard, four uninvited guests arrived. It was Jared Wang, along with Logan and two young men. They took advantage of the darkness, avoiding the patrolling security of the villa area, sneaking into the courtyard. "Lionel, you guard the door. Logan, Alfie, let's go up first and make sure not to alert anyone in the neighbouring villas." Jared Wang crouched and looked around the villa courtyard anxiously, instructing Logan and the others. "What if we encounter Leo Zhang's daughter and son-in-law?" Logan asked. "Bind them directly." Jared Wang said with a cold smirk. "Alright, let's move." Logan and the others nodded, immediately put on masks, left one person to guard the entrance, and two followed Jared Wang into the villa. The three of them moved cautiously on the ground floor, confirming that someone was in the room on the left. "Yes, this should be Noah Jiang's room." Jared Wang stared at Noah Jiang's room, then quickly glanced upstairs, saying, "Let's go. Search upstairs. The painting should be there." The three of them quickly moved up the stairs. Seeing the room right opposite the stairwell, Jared Wang, Logan, and Alfie exchanged glances, signalling each other to split up and search. Jared Wang approached that room, carefully opened the door, and saw the dim light inside. Crouching, he was suddenly startled when the room's main light was turned on, revealing Cindy Ye sitting up on the bed angrily, "How dare you come in, believe it or not, I..." Suddenly, Cindy Ye realized that the intruder was not Noah. She looked stunned. Jared Wang was also taken aback, equally shocked. The two stared at each other for about ten seconds. Recovering, Cindy Ye exclaimed nervously, "Who are you?" "Not good." Jared Wang reacted quickly, rushing over to cover Cindy Ye's mouth and pinning her to the bed. He pulled out a small knife and held it to her throat. Terrified, Cindy Ye turned pale, her face filled with fear as she struggled. However, Jared Wang firmly held her down, demanding, "Quick, where's the painting? Speak or I'll take your life." "Mmm!" With her mouth covered by him, Cindy Ye's eyes widened in terror. She was unsure what painting Jared Wang was referring to. "If you don't want to die, don't scream." Jared Wang threatened Cindy Ye with the knife against her fair neck, allowing her to breathe before sternly asking, "Tell me, where is the 'Divine Land Landscape Picture'? Bring it to me, or don't blame me for being rude." Cindy Ye looked tense. Facing the slightly overweight man wearing a mask, she initially thought he was sent by Luca Li to intimidate her. However, his mention of the 'Divine Land Landscape Picture' left her puzzled. She shook her head nervously, "I don't know what you're talking about." "Damn it, playing dumb with me? Your father bought that painting at the Xiguan Antique City this noon, the 'Divine Land Landscape Picture'. Give it to me now, or I'll really kill you." Jared Wang shouted at Cindy Ye, becoming more aggressive. Cindy Ye's face tensed up, but her confusion only deepened. She had been at the company all day and came straight to her room to sleep when she returned. She had no idea about the 'Divine Land Landscape Picture'. Struggling to stay calm, Cindy Ye, facing what appeared to be a burglar, earnestly said, "I genuinely don't know about any painting. If you're here to steal a painting, I can take you to my father's study. All his paintings are there." Jared Wang's eyes were wide open, staring at Cindy Ye, the tip of the knife in his hand pointing at her. "Don't play any tricks on me. I'm here just for the painting. If you don't want to die, be honest with me." "Okay." Cindy Ye nodded, looking at the knife in Jared Wang's hand. She cautiously got off the bed and was led out of the room. Only then did Cindy Ye see two other men wearing masks, which made her even more nervous. It was the first time her home had been burgled. What infuriated Cindy Ye even more was that Noah Jiang, who was downstairs, hadn't noticed these intruders. Coincidentally, after finishing his practice, Noah Jiang felt a little hungry and came out to get something to eat. As he walked into the living room, he suddenly sensed something and looked up at the second-floor corridor. He saw Cindy Ye being held by a masked man with a knife to her neck, and there were two other masked men as well. This left Noah Jiang stunned, staring at them. "Don't just stand there, run!" Seeing Noah Jiang standing still, Cindy Ye shouted anxiously, "Quickly, call the police!" "Quick, grab that guy!" Jared Wang was also in a hurry and immediately shouted to Logan and the others. Immediately, two men rushed downstairs, and Oscar from outside also entered. The three of them quickly surrounded Noah Jiang. Seeing this, Cindy Ye felt both anxious and angry, completely disappointed in him. However, Noah Jiang was inexplicably happy because Cindy Ye didn't ask him to save her first; she wanted him to run away first. "Kid, if you don't want to die, don't resist. Just put your hands on your head and squat down," Logan said, pulling out a dagger and approaching Noah Jiang. "From your tone, you don't sound like a cop, but you've probably been arrested before, right?" Noah Jiang looked at Logan and the others, his expression gentle, and he said with a smile. "Damn it, I told you to put your hands on your head and squat down right now, did you hear me?" Logan was furious, obviously hit by Noah Jiang's words. He moved to grab Noah Jiang's arm to restrain him. However, Noah Jiang grabbed his wrist instead and twisted it with a swift motion. "Ah!" Logan screamed. Upstairs, Cindy Ye stared in astonishment, watching as Noah Jiang quickly subdued the man. She found it incredible, her eyes filled with surprise.