Chapter 193: Chapter 123: Something Happened
Time flew, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
As expected, Yin’s Cloth Shop returned to its former tranquility, with no one coming to cause trouble anymore.
On this day, Wang Xiufen and Zhu Shichang paid another visit.
The moment she sat down, Wang Xiufen brought up the old subject again. "Uncle, Aunt, have you given any more thought to the matter of the Tributor? It’s not too late to switch! I even had Shichang find you a Bone Forging Realm expert. His price is much more reasonable than the last one!"
Yin Rong smiled relaxedly. "Xiufen, Shichang, I appreciate the kind thought, but it’s really not necessary. Look, for the past half-month, the shop has been perfectly peaceful. It just goes to show that Jiang Che is quite capable!"
Yin Yingying chimed in, "That’s right, Cousin, Brother-in-law. Jiang Che is very powerful. His status as a Cangyun Sect disciple must have intimidated those bad guys."
Hearing this, Wang Xiufen scoffed. "Oh, my dear silly cousin! Uncle! You can’t possibly believe that Force Integration brat had anything to do with it, can you?"
The three members of the Yin Family were rather surprised. They exchanged glances, wondering why Wang Xiufen would say such a thing.
Zhu Shichang, who had been sipping his tea slowly, picked up the conversation. "Uncle, I take it you haven’t been following the news in the city recently? In the East Market Street area, the Black Wolf Gang, the Poisonous Snake Gang... a total of eight gangs have had their leaders and core members all slaughtered in the past half-month!"
"Slaughtered?! Who... Who did it?" Yin Rong asked in shock.
Yin Yingying was also stunned.
She suddenly recalled the scene of Jiang Che killing the Wuxiang Alliance expert that day.
’Could it be Jiang Che?’ Her eyes lit up.
But Wang Xiufen cut in, her expression animated. "I heard it was a Knight calling himself Meng Hao! He specifically targets those wicked, irredeemable villains! Now all those gangs are leaderless, and their underlings are too busy fighting amongst themselves for power to bother the cloth shop. But once they sort things out and a new gang emerges, is that Meng Hao fellow going to stand guard over the shop and kill people every day?"
Hearing that it was someone named Meng Hao, Yin Yingying felt a pang of disappointment. But on second thought, she still felt that Jiang Che must have played a part as well.
Zhu Shichang set down his teacup, his small eyes gleaming shrewdly, and tried to persuade them again. "Uncle, relying on luck isn’t a long-term solution. You really need to hire a True expert who can hold the fort. This new person I’ve found is an absolute bargain..."
Yin Rong and Yin Yingying exchanged a glance. Yin Rong shook his head again, his tone firm. "I believe in Jiang Che. Even if this Knight, Meng Hao, is the one who solved the problem for now, Jiang Che is still the Yin Family’s Tributor. If new trouble arises, he will definitely act. Perhaps once his Cultivation improves and he reaches the Bone Forging Realm, we’ll have nothing left to worry about!"
Seeing how stubborn they were, the expressions on Wang Xiufen and Zhu Shichang’s faces turned sour.
The real reason they were so eager to act as go-betweens for Yin Rong was that Zhu Shichang could collect a hefty referral fee.
He used the Zhu Family’s name to get acquainted with the Stewards of several major sects.
This was especially true for the Taiyuan Sect and the Profound Sound Sect.
He had already connected many merchants with Tributors, making a fortune in the process.
Yin Rong’s family was new to Cangzhou and hadn’t established themselves yet, but their cloth shop was doing well and turning a handsome profit.
This made him burn with eagerness to arrange the Tributor affair for them.
He just never expected someone named Jiang Che to stick his nose in and ruin his plans!
After a few more attempts at persuasion, they saw that Yin Rong was unwavering and could only rise to leave, looking resentful.
Once outside the Yin Mansion, Wang Xiufen couldn’t help but mutter a complaint, "No good deed goes unpunished! Just you wait, they’ll live to regret this!"
Zhu Shichang snorted coldly. "Once those gangs get a new leader, or that Jiang Che shows his incompetence, they’ll learn their lesson! If they come begging us then, the price won’t be what it is now!"
The two of them walked away, grumbling in dissatisfaction.
...
...
...
Another month passed without notice.
Cangyun Sect, the Inner Courtyard Disciple Dormitory Area.
Jiang Che was in his courtyard, practicing his Fist Technique.
The wind from his fists howled, and as his Qi Force circulated, one could faintly hear the sound of wind and thunder.
After completing a set of the Fist Technique, he slowly relaxed his stance, his breath long and steady.
The opening of Cloud Mist Ridge was drawing nearer, and he was contemplating how to sign up.
He decided he would go in person this time and try to gather as much as possible.
If he had the chance, he wanted to see if he could find any with their roots completely intact to try and cultivate them back here.
That way, he wouldn’t have to rely on Cloud Mist Ridge!
’It’s just that the slots will probably be hard to get again this time...’ he mused.
By convention, the slots for the Cloud Mist Ridge trial were always reserved for disciples with powerful family backgrounds.
However, Jiang Che hadn’t given up hope entirely.
After all, a common disciple had managed to win a spot in the lottery last year.
The probability was extremely low, but there was at least a sliver of a chance.
’I’ll try my luck first,’ Jiang Che thought.
If his luck turned out to be poor, he had a backup plan.
At worst, he would just have to spend money to buy an accompanying slot.
He just didn’t know how high the price would be driven...
As he was mulling over these troublesome matters, someone suddenly began pounding urgently on his courtyard gate.
Jiang Che’s brow furrowed slightly as he strode over to open it.
The moment he opened the gate, a young woman stumbled inside!
The young woman wore a green dress. She was cute, with a bit of baby fat on her cheeks.
It was Yin Yingying.
But now, her hair was a mess, her eyes were brimming with tears, and her face was a mask of terror and helplessness.
"Yingying? What’s wrong?" Jiang Che’s heart sank as a bad feeling washed over him.
Seeing Jiang Che, Yin Yingying looked as though she was clutching at her last hope. She grabbed his arm and cried:
"My father! My father, he... he was on his way to a business meeting when he was kidnapped! The kidnappers sent a messenger demanding a ransom of ten thousand taels of gold! My mother was desperate to save him, so she had Uncle Wang take the ten thousand taels of gold we scraped together to the designated drop-off point... But then... but then..." Her words dissolved into choked sobs.
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