Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 157: Bargaining Chip

His voice was low, but tinged with a sliver of hope. "Not a single drop of blood. That means the village chief probably isn’t hurt, at least not seriously."

Song Qingya’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"That’s right!"

She looked up abruptly, her voice filled with a new firmness and conviction. "He must have left this cloth on purpose to let us know he was here, to show us the way!"

"Ajin wouldn’t have just dropped it for no reason... He must be waiting for us!"

She shot to her feet and, without a moment’s hesitation, bolted in the direction the footprints led.

"Ajin! Ajin! Where are you?"

She shouted as she ran.

Seeing this, Cheng Peng’s heart tightened, and he hurried after her.

He watched Song Qingya’s thin yet stubborn figure and couldn’t help but raise his voice to persuade her.

"Ma’am, you’re pregnant! The mountain path is uneven, what if you slip... Why don’t you go back to camp and wait for news? I’ll take some men to find the village chief right away. I promise we’ll bring him back!"

But Song Qingya didn’t even turn her head.

"No!"

"I have to find him myself! I have to see with my own eyes that he’s safe! As long as he’s still in this forest, I can’t stop!"

"Ma’am..." Cheng Peng wanted to try persuading her again, but he swallowed his words.

"Ajin! Ajin, where are you? Ajin!"

She called out again and again, her voice piercing through the woods.

Cheng Peng sighed helplessly and could only quicken his pace to keep up.

He clenched his jaw. No matter what, he had to protect Song Qingya. He couldn’t let anything happen to her.

He would give his own life before he let anything happen to the village chief’s family.

Song Chenglu had been circling the forest for over an hour but still hadn’t seen a sign of Fei Jin.

She stopped, leaning against a tree trunk to catch her breath, her tone full of complaint and anxiety.

"Honestly, where did he run off to now without even saying a word?"

"So infuriating!" she muttered under her breath.

"It’s all Fei Jin’s fault for running around like that. Now I have to suffer out here in the sun because of him."

She grumbled, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead.

’I knew I shouldn’t have come to this godforsaken place for such a trivial matter. It’s so hot and stuffy.’

She had originally schemed that if she could find Fei Jin, she could use the prestige of having rescued him to finally one-up Song Qingya.

Just as she was grumbling, Wang Kang and a few of his men appeared, also searching the woods.

Wang Kang’s face was grim, a ruthless look in his eyes.

He had just received word that Fei Jin hadn’t died. He’d been half-blown to bits and had still managed to escape.

"Hmph, soldiers just have all the luck. Can’t even kill one with a bomb."

Wang Kang cursed under his breath.

He had personally arranged that explosion. Its power was considerable; logically, no one should have been able to escape alive.

But Fei Jin, against all odds, had survived and fled.

’If he manages to regroup his men, wouldn’t all my planning these past few days be for nothing?’

Wang Kang cursed silently and quickened his pace.

’Once I catch Fei Jin, I can use him as a bargaining chip to command the entire group.’

’By then, with supplies in hand and a hostage by my side, who would dare to disobey me, Wang Kang?’

’The granary, the stronghold, the women...’

’This whole territory will be mine for the taking!’

Suddenly, he heard a woman’s voice complaining not far away, muttering the name "Fei Jin."

Wang Kang stopped dead in his tracks, straining to listen.

’Fei Jin’s woman?’

Wang Kang’s eyes lit up, and his heart began to pound.

He immediately began to sneak toward the source of the sound.

His men behind him also slowed their pace, holding their breath.

Peeking through the bushes, he saw a woman in a flashy, patterned shirt standing there with an impatient look on her face.

"Tsk tsk, dressed like that, she must be from the city. She’s got to be connected to Fei Jin!"

’This confirms it,’ Wang Kang thought, a smug smile creeping onto his lips.

’A woman from the city, looking for Fei Jin out here in the middle of nowhere... their relationship must be special.’

His expression immediately changed to a friendly smile as he ambled over, trying to look warm.

"Miss, are you looking for someone out here too?"

He wanted to fish for information, hoping to find out where Fei Jin was hiding or if she knew any clues.

Song Chenglu was already annoyed, and being suddenly interrupted made her even angrier.

She was already dizzy from the sun and in a terrible mood. She was in no state to deal with a stranger.

She whipped her head around and saw a man in a gray uniform.

"Don’t bother me, go away!"

Song Chenglu’s expression was sour, her tone harsh.

Wang Kang hadn’t expected to be rebuffed so sharply. The smile froze on his face.

’This woman has quite an attitude, not giving me any face at all.’

But the more arrogant she acted, the more convinced Wang Kang was that her relationship with Fei Jin was unusual.

’An ordinary person wouldn’t dare speak to me like that.’

’Not unless they had powerful backing. And her only backer here was probably Fei Jin.’

"I’m talking to you! Don’t be so high and mighty!"

He lunged forward and grabbed Song Chenglu’s arm.

Song Chenglu jumped, her whole body freezing in shock.

’This man’s mood changes on a dime, and he dares to get physical!’

Her eyes went wide as she hissed in pain. Her wrist throbbed, and she couldn’t move it at all.

"What are you doing? Let go! You hooligan! You brute!"

She shrieked, her voice piercing and tinged with tears.

She struggled desperately, trying to shake his hand off, but he was too strong. She couldn’t break free.

Her curses made Wang Kang’s anger flare up.

"Behave! Don’t try any tricks on me!"

"You..." Song Chenglu’s whole body trembled, frightened by his sudden ferocity.

"I’m asking you, can you write?"

Wang Kang stared at her intently.

Song Chenglu’s struggling slowed. The pain in her arm sobered her slightly.

"I... I can."

She finally spoke, her voice so faint it was almost inaudible.

Wang Kang grinned with satisfaction.

He let go of her and casually pulled a piece of paper and a pen from his inner pocket.

He thrust the paper and pen at her.

"Good that you’re literate."

"Saves me the trouble of teaching you."

"What... what do you want me to write?"

Song Chenglu stared at the paper and pen but didn’t reach out to take them.

"I’m giving you a chance. Write a letter to Fei Jin’s men."

Wang Kang said coldly, "Tell them to bring their people and come see me."

"Tell them to bring their people and come see me,"

he repeated.

Song Chenglu trembled slightly, not from the cold, but from fear.

"As long as they come, I’ll let you go."

Wang Kang’s tone suddenly softened, but the insidious nature hidden within it was even more unsettling.

Wang Kang leaned close to her ear. "Otherwise... if Fei Jin dies, that child in your belly will be gone, too. Do you think he’d be able to rest in peace?"

Hearing the words "Fei Jin’s child" made Song Chenglu’s mind go blank.

She finally understood. The man before her was the one in charge of this area, holding the power of life and death in his hands.

But more importantly, he had mistaken her for Fei Jin’s woman!

He had gotten her identity wrong and thought she was carrying Fei Jin’s child!

"I’m... not..."

Song Chenglu had just started to speak when she cut herself off.

’Wait—’ An idea suddenly sparked in her mind.

’Could this be an opportunity?’