Chapter 285: Chapter 125: I Am No Saint, Yet I Have a Chivalrous Heart (Part 2)
Yang Jing retracted his gaze and walked over to the hanging young woman.
Her breathing was already incredibly faint. If not for a tenacious sliver of life force keeping her alive, she would have long since died like the other three.
He reached out and flicked the rope with his finger. As his Inner Strength flowed through it, the thick cord snapped.
Yang Jing caught the woman as she fell, holding her gently in his arms. Her body was light as a feather, and where he touched her, he felt nothing but hot bloodstains and cold wounds.
He gently and carefully laid the woman on the ground.
Perhaps it was the slight jolt of being laid down, or perhaps it was the will to survive, but the woman’s eyes slowly fluttered open a sliver.
Through her hazy vision, she saw a blurry figure looking down at her. Though she couldn’t keep her eyes open or see clearly, she could still faintly make out some sounds.
’He... he’s the one who just burst in... Did he save me?’
Her consciousness drifted between lucidity and a deep fog. Using the last of her strength, her lips trembled, and a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz escaped. "Th-thank you... for saving me, benefactor... May... may I ask... your name... so that in the future..."
Though her voice was weak, her articulation was clear, carrying a gentle refinement and decorum not found in a simple village girl.
Yang Jing felt a stir in his heart.
’This woman’s speech and bearing aren’t that of an ordinary farm girl. She’s more like a young lady from a wealthy or official family who has fallen on hard times.’
Yang Jing didn’t answer right away, his gaze falling on the woman’s paper-white face.
Her breathing was faint and sporadic; she was clearly on the verge of death.
If he delayed any longer, she would be beyond saving, even if he got her to a clinic. After a moment of deliberation, he took a lustrous white jade bottle from within his robes.
He uncorked the bottle, and a crisp, bitter medicinal aroma filled the air.
Yang Jing tipped out a single, pale green pill about the size of a pigeon’s egg. A faint luster seemed to flow across its surface. It was a Rejuvenation Pill, something he hadn’t used in a long time, renowned for its excellent healing properties.
He also possessed the Hundred Herbs Spirit Pill, a medicine with healing effects ten, even a hundred times more potent than the Rejuvenation Pill. But that treasured Spirit Pill was of great use to him personally, not to mention exceedingly rare and precious. Yang Jing had no intention of using it on a stranger.
He carefully tucked the pill into the woman’s mouth. Placing a fingertip gently on her throat, he channeled a sliver of his Inner Strength into her, helping her swallow.
While a Rejuvenation Pill wasn’t cheap, for someone of his current standing, the cost was negligible.
Besides, with no clinics nearby, this was the only way to save her.
Once swallowed, the pill quickly dissolved into a warm current that spread slowly throughout the woman’s body.
Her previously shallow, rapid breaths gradually grew steadier, and a faint hint of color returned to her face.
Just then, a clamor of footsteps sounded from outside the door, accompanied by the flickering light of torches.
Yang Jing looked up to see a River Gang patrol at the doorway. They gripped their spears tightly, their faces filled with horror as they stared into the room. The one-eyed man’s corpse, the blood on the floor, and the stranger standing in the middle of it all sent a violent shock through them.
"M-murder!" one of the patrolmen finally reacted, crying out in shock.
"We found the killer!"
"He’s in here!"
The other patrolmen quickly joined in the shouting, like a flock of startled birds.
They had clearly, instinctively, mistaken Yang Jing for the murderer who had been on a savage killing spree throughout the stronghold for the past several days.
Yang Jing’s brow furrowed. He was just about to speak when he saw the patrolmen react as if facing a great enemy, raising their spears to point at him. Two of them even turned and fled, screaming as they ran.
Yang Jing shook his head with a sigh of resignation. He decided there was no point in rushing to leave now.
His gaze fell back to the woman. Seeing her breathing grow increasingly steady, he knew the Rejuvenation Pill was working and breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He decided to wait here for Li Tieyun.
With his current power, he had no reason to fear the River Gang. Besides, he was on good terms with Li Tieyun and knew the man wasn’t someone who would blindly aid evildoers without distinguishing right from wrong.
Furthermore, at his current level and status, even the Yuhe County Magistrate’s Mansion and the Six Great Families had to show him considerable respect and treat him as a guest of honor. A mere River Gang was certainly not enough to intimidate him.
Before long, the entire River Gang Stronghold had erupted into chaos.
Cries of "We’ve found the killer!" echoed one after another, shattering the night’s silence. Torches flared to life all around, and shadowy figures darted about as experts from all corners of the stronghold rushed toward the disturbance.
In the side courtyard where the Jiang Family was lodged, the Jiang Family Third Elder heard the commotion. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. With a blur of motion, he shot toward the rear of the stronghold like a gale of wind.
’He’d see for himself just who was so brazen as to commit murder right under his nose!’
Li Tieyun and several other River Gang leaders also rushed over, their expressions grim and their steps hurried.
The shadow of death that had hung over them for days had been suffocating. The news that the "killer" was now cornered in a room was, paradoxically, a relief.
...
「In the dense forest outside the River Gang Stronghold.」
A figure lurked in the shadows. It was Li Hongyu, second-in-command of the Flying Horse Thieves.
His eyes were locked on the stronghold, burning with the flames of vengeance. The short blade in his hand glinted coldly under the moonlight.
Not far from him lay the corpses of several River Gang members. They were all men who had recently tried to sneak out of the stronghold, only to be silently slaughtered by him the moment they stepped outside the gates.
He didn’t even give them a chance to run. This was his most brutal form of revenge against the River Gang.
It was for this very reason that the men inside the stronghold grew increasingly desperate. Some, knowing death was inescapable, simply gave in to madness—committing wanton acts of violence before their own impending doom, just like the one-eyed man.
Suddenly, Li Hongyu saw a surge of torchlight from within the stronghold, and the clamor of voices reached a fever pitch. Clearly, a major disturbance was underway.
He froze, nonplussed. ’I haven’t even made my move tonight. Why is the stronghold in such chaos?’
