Chapter 15 – Su Rong Is Locked Away

Before Su Rong could say anything, Liu Xu laughed.
“I was joking. What danger could there be in broad daylight? I know a place with tons of raw stones. People go there every day to gamble on jade.”
Her tone carried a hint of mystery. “That place… people call it the Ghost Market. But it’s a bit far, so sit tight!”

The Ghost Market was set up in the western outskirts, inside an abandoned old bazaar. The raw stone trade took place underground on the second basement level. By the time they arrived, the place was already bustling. Dozens of stalls were arranged in a circle, each lit with a mining lamp wrapped in red silk.

The constant sound of stone-cutting mixed with loud chatter. Dust and grit filled the air, along with a mix of unpleasant odors, pressing down heavily on anyone who entered. No wonder people called it the Ghost Market—it didn’t feel like a place meant for the living.

Both Su Rong and Liu Xu put on masks and walked around the stalls.

Liu Xu grew dizzy and stifled. “So? Anything you like?”

Su Rong shook his head and walked around the stalls one by one. His eyes stopped at a piece of rough head covering material in the corner of stall number two. “This is it.”
“This one.”

Liu Xu pinched her nose against the pungent smell, nearly gagging.
“You want that useless rock?”

“We can only take a gamble.”

Su Rong called the stall owner. “I want this piece. How much?”

The rough stone was covered in a thick crust, its insides a complete mystery. Risky—but cheap.

The vendor, a tattooed man with a blue dragon inked across his arm, immediately saw she was just a young girl despite her mask.
“You sure about this? Little miss, we’ve got rules here. Cash and goods, no refunds, no exchanges.”

“I understand. Just tell me the price.”

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, the vendor said lazily,
“How about this—flat price, a hundred thousand. Consider it making a friend.”

Liu Xu’s eyes widened.
“What?! A hundred thousand for that piece of junk? You trying to rob us?”

The vendor chuckled.
“This place is called the black market. Didn’t you know?”

Su Rong thought for a moment. “Fifty thousand.”

The vendor countered, “If it cuts open into jade, you add another hundred thousand. Deal?”

Her tone hardened.
“One price only. Fifty thousand. Take it or leave it.”

The vendor’s expression carried an unreadable smile.
“Since you’re a little girl, I’ll take the loss. Sold. But remember—pay first, then we cut.”

Su Rong transferred fifty thousand through WeChat.

News spread fast—a young girl had just bought a stone. A crowd gathered, laughing and mocking that nothing good could come from such a rock. Some accused the boss of ripping her off, charging fifty thousand for trash.

The vendor only sneered. “Don’t you people know what a black market is?”

He handed the stone to an old craftsman. As the saw teeth bit into the crust, Su Rong’s heartbeat quickened. Surrounded by curious onlookers, she suddenly shouted—

“Wait!”

The craftsman paused. “What’s wrong?”

“Please stop. I’ll take it home and have someone else cut it.”

This place was crawling with shady characters. If the stone revealed anything valuable, she’d be marked immediately. Better to stay low-key.

The vendor bagged the stone and handed it to her. “Want to see anything else? My stall once cut open a priceless gem.”

Su Rong shook her head and continued browsing. She wasn’t fully confident about that piece, so she bought two more—three stones in total, costing her two hundred thousand. She was betting everything on this gamble.

Liu Xu soon complained, “I need the restroom.”

Carrying the stones, Su Rong accompanied her until they found a dimly lit bathroom.

“You go, I’ll wait outside.”

“It stinks! If I could hold it, I wouldn’t use this one. Might take a while—wait patiently!” Liu Xu muttered as she went in.

The lighting was gloomy, with small partitioned rooms nearby, cold and unsettling. Su Rong stood there when suddenly she sensed someone behind her. She whipped around, but before she could react, a heavy blow struck her shoulder—

Everything went black.

When Liu Xu came out, the hallway was empty. Su Rong was gone.

She called out, “Su Rong… Rong Rong…” but no reply came.

She pulled out her phone, but there was no signal underground. Panic rising, she rushed back to the stalls, asking anyone she could,
“Have you seen my friend? The girl who came with me?”

But everyone was busy choosing stones. With so many people around, who would notice one missing girl?

Maybe Su Rong had left first? Maybe she couldn’t stand the damp, foul air?

Liu Xu hurried back to the surface. At least her phone signal returned. She called Su Rong several times—no answer.

Her fear deepened. She knew Su Rong well; she wouldn’t just abandon her. Something had happened.

She ran another circuit of the market, even checking the small locked rooms by the restroom. Some doors opened, others were locked tight. She banged hard, but there was no response.

Breathless, she returned upstairs. The first thought was to contact Su Heng—but she remembered how the Su family treated Su Rong. Better not.

Instead, she found the front desk number of Shengshi Group online and asked to be transferred to Leng Xiao. Sometimes outsiders could be more reliable.

Luckily, Leng Xiao was in the office and answered. Liu Xu, flustered and panicked, explained everything, begging for help. After all, Su Rong had gone to the Ghost Market to buy jade as a gift for Sheng Qiye.

Leng Xiao told her not to panic, that he’d get back to her. He hung up and reported to Sheng Qiye.

“Boss, Su Rong is missing. According to Liu Xu, she thought you might know Divine Doctor Hua, and in order to prepare a worthy gift for you, she went to the Ghost Market to buy raw stones…”

Sheng Qiye frowned. How did Su Rong know about his connection to Hua? He hated being morally cornered.

“If someone’s missing, then call the police. We’re not the police station—we don’t look for people.”

Leng Xiao nodded. “Understood. I’ll tell Liu Xu.”

But Sheng Qiye hesitated, then said,
“Forget it. Tell her we’ll head over.”

He stood, muttering, “What’s a young girl doing in the Ghost Market anyway?”

Once in the car, he added,
“Send more people. Check all the nearby surveillance. If necessary, call the police.”

Meanwhile, Su Rong slowly woke up. Darkness surrounded her. She pulled off her mask, gasping for breath, terror flooding her chest. She stood, reaching out in all directions.

The space was small, crammed with broken tables and chairs covered in thick dust—clearly unused for ages.

Where am I? Still in the Ghost Market? Or somewhere else? Who brought me here? Why?

Her foot nudged against three stones—the ones she had just bought. So whoever locked her up hadn’t taken them. Then… why abduct her?

Su Rong had severe claustrophobia. Fear wrapped around her like chains. Her chest tightened, she couldn’t breathe, her body shook uncontrollably.

In her panic, she found the door and pounded hard.

“Open up! Let me out! Let me out! Liu Xu! Liu Xu, where are you?!”

Her cries echoed but no one answered.

Sweat soaked her body, her limbs trembling as her strength faded. She couldn’t hold on much longer…