Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 308 Being controlled by others
"No!" An Tong quickly denied.

Yan Ciwan did not press further. Instead, she walked up to Adan, held a mutton pie to her lips, and said, "Since your husband said that these mutton pies have no added ingredients, you should eat them all."

Adan refused to open her mouth, so Fu Bai forcibly pried it open and Yan Ciwan stuffed a mutton pie into her mouth.
An Tong couldn't see what was happening behind him, but he could hear A Dan's painful sobs. He was extremely anxious and shouted, "Don't make things difficult for A Dan! She doesn't know anything!"

Yan Ciwan stopped what she was doing: "I'll give you one last chance. Did you put datura in this mutton pie?"

An Tong didn't want to admit it, but in the current situation, if he didn't tell the truth, both he and A Dan would be in danger.

After a fierce internal struggle, he finally nodded.

"Yes."

Yan Ciwan glanced at Fu Bai, who understood and immediately released A Dan.

As soon as he was free, Adan couldn't wait to spit out all the mutton patties in his mouth.

An Tong strained to turn around and look back: "Wife, are you alright?"

Adan said weakly, "I'm fine."

Yan Ciwan sat down on the edge of the well, holding a bamboo tray, a spot directly facing An Tong.

She asked, "How many datura flowers do you have left?"

"We added all the remaining datura to the mutton patties, and now we have no more datura left."

Yan Ciwan said with a half-smile, "Daphne must be very expensive. You've really gone to great lengths to deal with me."

An Tong pursed his lips and remained silent. He was originally very distressed, but now, compared to those material possessions, preserving his life was more important.

Yan Ciwan asked, "You should still be ordering more, right? When will the next batch of Datura stramonium arrive in Chang'an?"

An Tong remained silent for a while before saying, "The middle of next month."

"When you transport goods to Daye, they should have undergone multiple checks along the way. How can you guarantee that the 'Yang Jin Hua' (a type of brothel) won't be discovered?"

"I do not know."

Yan Ciwan raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"

An Tong emphasized, "I really don't know! I transported the goods according to the route arranged by the shaman, and it always went very smoothly without any problems. In return, the Five Gods Church would take 70% of the datura each time it was delivered."

Yan Ciwan narrowed her eyes: "So, you mean the Five Gods Sect ended up taking the lion's share of the Datura straits you worked so hard to transport?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. The reason we were able to gain a foothold in Chang'an was because of the protection of the Five Gods Sect. Since we depended on the Five Gods Sect for survival, we could only do what the shaman said."

Yan Ciwan sensed resentment in his words and asked, "Do you want to break free from the control of the Five Gods Sect?"

An Tong was clearly taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head: "I don't want to."

Yan Ciwan sensed his insincerity and pressed him further, "Does the Five Gods Sect have some kind of leverage over you?"

Before An Tong could answer, A Dan suddenly spoke up: "Enough nonsense, you just want to know where the sorcerer is, right? We're not going to tell you. If you want to kill us, then do it now!"

Upon hearing this, An Tong lowered his head even further. Seeing this, Yan Ciwan was almost certain that she had guessed correctly.

She casually placed the bamboo tray on the ground, stood up, walked to An Tong, and said slowly, "For the past ten years or so, you have risked a great deal to transport Datura straits, but the lion's share has ended up in the pockets of the Five Gods Sect. If it was just to survive by relying on the Five Gods Sect, then why are you now willing to die rather than reveal the whereabouts of the shaman? What makes you serve the Five Gods Sect for more than ten years, even at the cost of your own lives?"

An Tong remained silent, while A Dan continued to shout, "Stop babbling! If you're going to kill or torture someone, just do it already!"

Yan Ciwan continued her analysis, seemingly oblivious to her own concerns: "If it's not for money, nor for survival, then it can only be to protect someone. Is that person your parents? Or your children?"

When An Tong heard the word "child," his body stiffened, and A Dan also seemed to be choked, becoming extremely quiet.

Yan Ciwan's face showed understanding: "It seems I guessed right. Your child is in the hands of the sorcerer. In order to protect your child, you have no choice but to work for the sorcerer."

An Tong suddenly raised his head, his eyes red and glaring at Yan Ciwan.

Yan Ciwan was not afraid at all. She asked, "Don't you want to rescue the child? Do you want your child to be controlled by others for the rest of his life?"

An Tong's lips trembled, and it took him a long time to finally manage to utter a single sentence.

"I do not know what you're talking about."

Yan Ciwan said, "Actually, my situation is the same as yours. My family members have also been captured by the sorcerer. If you can cooperate with me, we can rescue our family members together. In the future, once we are freed from the control of the Five Gods Sect, your children can return to your side, and the three of you can live happily together. Wouldn't that be better?"

An Tong smiled wryly, clearly thinking that she had made it sound too easy and that things couldn't possibly go so smoothly.

Yan Ciwan walked halfway around the stone mill and came to stand in front of Adan.

It is said that children are flesh of their mothers' bodies, and compared to fathers, Adan, as a mother, is definitely more likely to soften her heart and waver when it comes to children.

Yan Ciwan looked at Adan and asked, "Is your child a son or a daughter?"

Adan avoided her gaze and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't ask anymore. I'm just a worthless life anyway. Take it if you want."

"Aren't you worried about your child's safety? If you, his mother, are gone, who will protect him wholeheartedly in the future? What if he gets hurt in the future?"

"Stop talking!"

Yan Ciwan continued, "The reason the sorcerer is still keeping your child is because you two still have value to him. Once he has squeezed you dry, or once you are dead, do you think the sorcerer will continue to feed and drink your child for free? Is the sorcerer that kind of kind person?"

Adan tried to cover her ears, but her hands were tied and she couldn't move.

Her body trembled violently, and the veins on her forehead bulged, as if she was trying her best to endure something. But Yan Ciwan's words kept swirling in her mind, like a curse torment her mind and bring her to the brink of emotional collapse.

Yan Ciwan softened her voice and asked, "Do you want to cooperate with me? This might be your only chance to save your child. Think it through before you make a decision."

"I……"

As soon as Adan uttered a single word, Yan Ciwan felt a strong wind approaching from behind, and her intuition told her that there was danger!
Without a second thought, she drew her Ning Dao and swept the blade across.

With a crisp clang, the blade struck a silver needle.

The silver needle was deflected and pierced the tree trunk.

This scene immediately reminded Yan Ciwan of the time in Yizhou when someone tried to kill the female shop owner to silence her, using the same method.