Chapter 194: Chapter 123: Something Happened
She was sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling slightly.
Jiang Che’s eyes hardened, and he asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Where is Uncle Wang?"
Yin Yingying broke down, crying, "Uncle Wang was captured, too! Those goddamn bandits! They said... they said ten thousand gold wasn’t enough! They want another ten thousand! If not... they’ll kill my father and Uncle Wang! *Sob*... Jiang Che, what are we going to do? My mother already fainted from the shock..."
Jiang Che felt a surge of frustration.
’Why didn’t she come directly to me from the start? Did she think the enemy was too strong for me to handle? Or did she just panic and lose her head?’
He suppressed this trace of annoyance. Saving them was the priority now.
Jiang Che gently patted Yin Yingying’s back, trying to calm her down.
At the same time, he said in a deep voice, "Don’t panic! Yingying, look at me! Crying won’t solve anything. Tell me, who are they? Where are they?"
Yin Yingying looked into Jiang Che’s eyes. Seeing his steady gaze and confident expression, she couldn’t help but feel a little safer.
She answered between sobs, "It’s a new group of vicious bandits called the ’Iron Bone Gang’! The person who delivered the message said their leader is a Bone Forging Realm expert! He also has five subordinates at Great Success in Force Integration! They’re extremely vicious! The location is ’Old Locust Slope’ west of the city. The kidnappers are still there, waiting for the second ransom payment!"
’The Iron Bone Gang? The Bone Forging Realm? Five at Great Success in Force Integration?’
Jiang Che’s eyes narrowed slightly. This new group of bandits was indeed quite strong.
’But it’s not like I’ve never killed a Bone Forging expert before!’
’Daring to touch Yin’s Cloth Shop... they must have a death wish!’
"Alright, I understand."
Jiang Che nodded and said in a deep voice, "I’ll go take care of it now. You go home first and comfort your mother. Remember, don’t go anywhere! Wait for my news!"
Yin Yingying looked at Jiang Che and saw that the confidence in his eyes wasn’t feigned, which calmed her heart a little more.
However, she was still worried and said, "Jiang Che, you... be careful! They have a Bone Forging Realm expert..."
A smile curved Jiang Che’s lips. He patted her head and said confidently, "Don’t be afraid! They’re just a few petty thieves. I can take care of them in a jiffy! Just wait for me to come back!"
Hearing Jiang Che speak so confidently, Yin Yingying finally felt relieved.
She wiped her tears and said, "Okay, I’ll wait for you to come back!"
With that, she left.
Jiang Che wasted no time.
He returned to his room, changed into dark attire suited for action, grabbed some gear he might need, and then set out.
...
「The Yin Family Residence.」
At this moment, the entire estate was shrouded in an atmosphere of gloom and despair.
Mrs. Yin had already woken up.
She was leaning against the couch, her face ashen, constantly wiping her tears and muttering, "My husband..."
She was clearly at her wit’s end and completely panicked.
Just then, Wang Xiufen and Zhu Shichang heard the news and hurried over.
As soon as they entered, Wang Xiufen saw Mrs. Yin’s state and immediately rushed to the side of the couch, forcing a look of deep concern and anxiety onto her face.
"Aunt! Aunt, you must take care of yourself!" Wang Xiufen said, holding Mrs. Yin’s cold hand, her voice tinged with tears. "Damn it! How could something like this happen! Uncle is such a good person..."
Zhu Shichang also stood to the side with a grave expression, sighing. "Alas, a disaster out of the blue! Aunt, rest assured, we came as soon as we heard the news! What’s the situation now? What did the kidnappers say?"
Seeing her relatives, Mrs. Yin felt as if she had found her pillar of support. Her tears flowed even more freely as she, between sobs, haltingly recounted the story again: Father Yin’s kidnapping, Steward Wang being captured while delivering the ransom, and the kidnappers demanding more money with the threat of killing the hostages.
"Where’s Yingying? Where did she go?" Wang Xiufen said, looking around.
"Yingying... Yingying went to the Cangyun Sect to ask for Jiang Che’s help..."
However, Mrs. Yin’s tone was dejected, and she seemed to have little confidence in Jiang Che’s ability to rescue Yin Rong and Uncle Wang.
Wang Xiufen and Zhu Shichang exchanged a look, an imperceptible, complex glint flashing in their eyes.
Zhu Shichang slapped his thigh hard. "Oh, Aunt! You... how could you be so foolish!" he exclaimed, his tone full of anguish. "With something this huge, why didn’t you consult us first? And you even let Yingying go find that Jiang Che?!"
Wang Xiufen immediately chimed in, her tone full of complaint, "Exactly, Aunt! How could you still be counting on that Jiang Che? He’s just a greenhorn who’s barely reached Force Integration! The other side has a great expert of the Bone Forging Realm in charge! And five masters at Great Success in Force Integration! Even if that kid goes, what good will he be? It’s like throwing a meat bun at a dog—he’ll never come back! Not only will he be throwing his life away for nothing, but he’ll only provoke the fury of the bandits! It’s over, it’s over... I’m afraid Uncle and Uncle Wang are... as good as dead!"
As she spoke, she also squeezed out a few tears, as if she could already foresee the worst possible outcome.
Mrs. Yin, who already had little faith in Jiang Che, turned pale as a sheet upon hearing them speak:
"Ah? Then... then what do we do? Xiufen, Shichang, you... you have to think of something! Save my husband!"
Zhu Shichang straightened his back, his expression grave. "Aunt! The situation is extremely critical right now! Time is of the essence for Uncle and Uncle Wang! Relying on that Jiang Che, or scraping together another ten thousand gold to send over—both are dead ends! At this point, there’s only one path we can take!"
"Wha... what path?" Mrs. Yin asked urgently, as if grasping at the last straw.
"We ask for an expert from the Taiyuan Sect to intervene!" Zhu Shichang said decisively. "I happen to know a Steward from the Taiyuan Sect, Lord Zhao! He is a Late-stage Bone Forging Realm expert! He’s been famous for many years, his strength is formidable, and his name carries great weight in Cangzhou! As long as he’s willing to step in and show the Taiyuan Sect’s banner, then no matter how ferocious the Iron Bone Gang is, they’ll have to weigh the consequences of offending the Taiyuan Sect! There’s a great chance we can rescue Uncle and Uncle Wang!"
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