Chapter 49: Chapter 49: People from Xiangcheng Have Arrived

A Cheng asked a few more questions. Seeing that the two men truly had no more answers, he finally stopped the interrogation.

"Since you had the guts to grab one of our people, you can stay here in the basement and think about what you’ve done," A Cheng said coldly to the two men. He then shackled them with iron chains and left the basement with Uncle Tian.

"Ah, please, let us go! We’ll never do it again!"

But no matter how the two men begged for mercy, A Cheng and Uncle Tian ignored them, simply leaving them behind. The basement was very soundproof; no matter how much they pleaded and cried, no one outside would hear them.

"Uncle Tian, about this situation..." Once they were out of the basement, A Cheng looked at Uncle Tian. "People from Xiangcheng have arrived. I’m afraid things won’t be peaceful from now on."

"I’ll go talk to the Young Master," Uncle Tian said with a frown.

"Okay," A Cheng nodded quickly.

Uncle Tian added a warning, "Have someone look into those people. Also, be more cautious with the black market business. Don’t give anyone leverage against us."

"Got it. Don’t worry, Uncle Tian, I’ll be careful."

Uncle Tian nodded and left the courtyard. He wound his way through the alleyways before finally stopping in front of an unassuming courtyard and knocking on the door.

A man in his twenties with a buzz cut opened the door. Seeing Uncle Tian, he asked, "Uncle Tian, what brings you here so late?"

"I’m here on a small matter," Uncle Tian replied, then asked in a low voice, "Where is the Young Master?"

"He’s in the study."

"Alright, I know the way. I’ll go myself."

"Okay."

The courtyard looked completely unremarkable from the outside. But once inside, the interior was an elegant contrast to its plain exterior. Hardwood floors, curio shelves, and mahogany furniture—every detail exuded sophistication and grace.

Uncle Tian made his way to the study, knowing the path well. The lights were on inside, where a man in velvet pajamas was sitting behind a desk, reading. The soft light illuminated his face, highlighting his near-perfect jawline. Beneath a pair of sharp, straight brows were narrow, upturned eyes. He had a high-bridged nose and well-defined lips that were pressed together lightly, accentuating his cold and distant aura.

Hearing the sound, the man looked up toward the study door and asked, "Uncle Tian, is something the matter?"

"Yes, Young Master. It’s an urgent matter," Uncle Tian said quickly.

"Uncle Tian, I’ve told you before, we’re not in Xiangcheng anymore. You don’t have to call me ’Young Master.’ Just call me Zhi Han," An Zhihan said, gesturing for Uncle Tian to sit down.

"Alright, I’ll listen to the Young Master," Uncle Tian said with a smile as he sat down.

An Zhihan gave Uncle Tian a look.

Uncle Tian slapped his forehead. "Ah, old habits. Zhi Han."

An Zhihan nodded and got back to the point. "Uncle Tian, what is it?"

"People from Xiangcheng have arrived."

"It was only a matter of time." An Zhihan was not at all surprised. "The Old Master is no longer lucid. They suspect that the clues to what he buried back then are in my hands. They might even suspect the items themselves are buried somewhere around here."

"Exactly," Uncle Tian said. "They hired two local thugs and had them kidnap a young man from A Cheng’s side, a kid named Zhang Erlai, and take him into the mountains."

"And the boy? Was he rescued?" An Zhihan asked.

"Yes, he was. A young woman rescued him. She even helped Zhang Erlai drag the two thugs out of the mountains." Uncle Tian nodded. "According to the thugs, their employers told them to grab him and wait in the mountains. I suspect they were planning to search for something up there."

"Remind A Cheng to send the young woman a thank-you gift. She helped us, so we can’t be impolite," An Zhihan said. "Ultimately, Zhang Erlai was captured because of us. Tell A Cheng to give him some money to soothe his nerves."

"Okay." Uncle Tian nodded. "I’ll make a note of it."

After speaking, Uncle Tian frowned. "Zhi Han, I’m afraid those people won’t give up so easily."

"Their kidnapping plot was exposed this time, so they won’t make any more rash moves. For now, they don’t dare confront us head-on," An Zhihan said faintly. "The Old Master may not be lucid, but the Old Matriarch is still around. If they make too big a scene and she finds out, they’ll be in for a world of hurt."

Uncle Tian sighed. "Zhi Han, the Old Matriarch still cares about you."

"She’s just wracked with guilt." An Zhihan lowered his gaze. "If she and the Old Master hadn’t been so unjust back then, my parents wouldn’t have died so tragically. And..."

An Zhihan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, not continuing. After a long moment, he said, "It’s getting late. You should go home and rest, Uncle Tian."

"Alright. I’ll help you to the bedroom."

"Okay."

An Zhihan picked up the crutches beside him. Leaning on them, he moved to sit in the wheelchair placed nearby. Uncle Tian hurried forward to help. Once An Zhihan was settled, Uncle Tian pushed the wheelchair toward the bedroom.

Sitting in the wheelchair, An Zhihan unconsciously squeezed his numb legs. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes hiding the emotion within them...

Meanwhile, at the spot where Zhang Erlai had been captured, a man was in a thundering rage, pointing at another man and cursing him out. "What kind of idiots did you find? They couldn’t even keep an eye on one person!"

"Brother Sheng, someone must have rescued him. I don’t think the two thugs got away either," the man being yelled at said quietly, unable to lift his head.

When Su Qing rescued Zhang Erlai, she hadn’t deliberately covered her tracks. The cut ropes, the drag marks, the jumble of footprints—everything indicated what had happened there.

"I’m not blind," the man called Brother Sheng snapped.

Brother Sheng stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the surroundings in vexation. His face was grim, a clear sign of his terrible mood.

"Brother Sheng, why don’t we find someone else and try to grab another person?" another man suggested in a low voice.

"Grab my ass," Brother Sheng said angrily. "By now, they probably know people from our side are here. If we make another rash move and piss them off, and this gets back to the Old Matriarch, every last one of us will have hell to pay."

One of the men muttered, "I don’t get it. He’s just a crippled Young Master. What are the First and Second Masters so afraid of?"

Hearing this, Brother Sheng smacked the man on the back of the head. "What the hell do you know?"

The man who was hit quickly lowered his head and didn’t dare say another word.

Brother Sheng stared at the surroundings, his fists clenching and unclenching. After a long moment, he said, "Lay low for the next few days."

"Yes, sir."

Su Qing had no idea that simply by saving Zhang Erlai, she had set off such a long chain of events. After she saw Zhang Erlai and his group take the two unconscious men away, she re-entered the mountains. She followed the outer edge of Baihua Mountain, gathering some mushrooms and wild fruits as she headed toward Lihua Village.

By the time she reached Lihua Village, it was the middle of the night. Su Qing didn’t take the main road through the village. Instead, she took a detour, planning to circle around from the back to get to her house. She didn’t want to be seen by anyone who might be up late. After all, a young woman wandering around in the dead of night—it wouldn’t sound good.

Su Qing didn’t go out of her way to build a certain reputation, but she was still mindful of things she should be.

But what Su Qing didn’t expect was that by taking this little detour, she would happen to overhear a scheme.