Chapter 67: Mu Rong Shu was kidnapped

Hei She Hui introduced Yan Wan to someone he called Brother Long, who was the chief of the underground organizations and secret societies in Jiang Nan City.

"Brother Long, apparently I have an ex-classmate who has a business proposition for you."

"Oh? Really?"

Yan Wan took a deep breath, then she boldly approached Brother Long. Taking the money from her wallet, she offered him.

"Here is fifty thousand yuan. I would like to hire Brother Long for something."

In addition to the thirty thousand yuan she had swindled her mother out of, Yan Wan had taken out another twenty thousand yuan from her own savings, and thus she had a grand total of fifty thousand. Since this was her life savings, she personally thought that it had best be worth it. Otherwise she would become broke for nothing.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I would like to hire Brother Long to kidnap someone for me." She took her smartphone out and showed him a photograph of her cousin, Mu Rong Shu.

"Who…?"

"This is Mu Rong Shu, my cousin. She will be in Jiang Nan City for a couple of days, but you have to move quickly or she will return to Cheng Shi City soon. You can kidnap her, and do whatever you want to her."

Brother Long stared at Yan Wan with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure? This is your own cousin you're talking about, you know?"

"So what?"

"When I, Master Long, kidnaps somebody, it won't end there, you know? People tend to lose a hand or leg. Soemtimes they might even lose their lives."

"I know. That's exactly what I want."

Brother Long shook his head in amazement. This girl was really ruthless to the extent where even a hardened criminal like him was taken aback. "What kind of grudge do you have with your cousin, to the point where you'll sell out your own blood and flesh and hire someone to kidnap and mutilate or even murder her?"

"Brother Long, I always have a bad relationship with her, I don't consider her a cousin at all." Yan Wan sneered. "Right now, she is showing off how rich she is in front of me, and she even caused me to lose my boyfriend. I want her to pay for her arrogance, and at the same time, allow Brother Long to earn some money."

"Okay, you can leave now," Brother Long replied coldly. "I only came out to eat. The money I make have nothing to do with you. But rest assured, your cousin will end up the way you want her to. Just wait for the news."

"Of course." Yan Wan turned pale and quickly ran off, much to the laughter of the thugs in the room.

"Boss, why did you just let her go like that? You should at least ask her to service us, after making such a request."

"Yeah, she looks quite pretty…not playing with her…what a waste."

"Shut up, all of you. Even if we are criminals, we till have standards. Besides, you saw how slutty she is. You want to get STD from fucking her?"

That shut them all up. Brother Long then turned to Hei She Hui and grinned.

"Thank you, little bro. To think you helped me make some cash."

"Not at all, Brother Long."

"Well, anyway, we should get to work as soon as possible, right?" Brother Long smirked, and then turned away. "We'll move out tomorrow."

*

The next morning, Mu Rong Shu left to visit her mother's old home. We originally intended to return home later that night, but Tang Li wanted to discuss business with me before we returned to Cheng Shi City. I had agreed graciously after seeking the approval of my wife.

"Don't worry. I always wanted to return to the village where my mother grew up."

Mu Rong Shu assured me, but the fact that she sprang this as a last minute thing without mentioning it at all durng the week we spent here probably meant that she simply used this as an excuse to allow me to conduct business with Tang Li. I couldn't help but be grateful to her.

"What's the matter, Tang Li?" I asked when I was seated comfortably inside his office. He smiled guiltily.

"Sorry, Mr. Zhao, but I need your help."

"What sort of help?"

"I'm sure Mr. Zhao knows about the Summoner War that is currently going on, right? In fact, you are probably even involved in it, and even won a few victories."

"Oh, yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say I won a few victories, but yes, I did end up fighting a few summoners."

"Mr. Zhao is too humble. We have heard of several of your feats."

I tensed up at that. Nobody was supposed to know that Mu Rong Shu, the Huang siblings and I had defeated Wang Ni Tian and Wang Ling Er. If news of that leaked out, then we would be in trouble. The Wang family would stop at nothing to kill us.

The whole reason why Mu Rong Shu and I had visited Jiang Nan City for a week, to get away from Cheng Shi City, was to keep a low profile and give off the impression that we hadn't been involved in any major conflicts against powerful summoners. And to rip off I am Han San Qian, while at it, but that was another story (quite literally).

Tang Li must have noticed the subtlee change in my mood, for he quickly raised his hands. "We just heard that you scored a victory at the City Square, beat off Liang Cai Gui and Yue Fei, allied with the Huang family, and even defeated Sha Ren Gui and Liu Shi Fu."

There was no mention of the Wang family, to my relief.

"Oh, yeah. That."

"Well…in any case, one of those summoners had arrived here in Jiang Nan City. I'm hoping you can help me take care of him before you return to Cheng Shi City. I tried fighting him, but his summoned spirit is pretty…troublesome. Not to mention, enigmatic."

"Oh? What kind of summoned spirit can give you so much trouble?" I wondered out loud. Tang Li lowered his head, looking ashamed.

"The name of the summoned spirit is…Li Bai."

*

Mu Rong Shu was visiting her mother's old home in the outskirts of Jiang Nan City. Growing up, her mother had lived in a small, dilapidated house on the edge of the city, but it was close to nature. A forest grew on the highway not over two hundred meters away, the tall grass swaying over a huge field. A small river wove through the paths, a stone bridge arching over it.

As Mu Rong Shu strolled through the dirt track that was worn down by tens of thousands of people moving back and forth in the area over multiple generations, she noticed frolicking children. Even in the present, in the face of rapid modernization, there were still children who enjoyed playing outdoors. She couldn't help but smile, but she didn't join in their fun. She watched from afar, and then continued along the trail that her mother had shown her once before, when she was a kid.

She missed her mother terribly. Both her parents, actually. As much as she loved her grandfather, he could never fill in for her parents.

She continued strolling along the grass before she stopped under one of the many trees that made up the border of the forest.

"You've been following me for a while now," Mu Rong Shu said without turning around. "What can I do to help you?"

"Oh? So you've noticed."

A group of thugs emerged from the forest, having sought shelter from behind the trees. At the head of them was Brother Long, wielding a machete. Mu Rong Shu simply stared at them in amusement, not at all intimidated by their show of force and violence.

"You'll be coming with us, lady."

"What if I say no?"

"Oh? This little spitfire has some spunk in her. I like you, girl." One of the thugs grinned and rubbed his hands. He glanced at Brother Long. "Boss, do you mind?"

"Go ahead and grab her," Brother Long ordered indifferently.

Mu Rong Shu raised an eyebrow at their words. This clearly was an abduction attempt. But who would want to kidnap her? The Wang family?

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

"Stop asking so many questions, pretty lady, and just come with us! We brothers will teach you to have fun!"

The thug grinned in a lascivicious manner and reached out for her. Mu Rong Shu simply stared at him in distaste and grabbed his hand before he could reach her. With a deft flick of her wrist, she broke his fingers and sent him shrieking in agony, clutching his hand. She then kicked him so hard he crashed into a tree and folded over.

The rest of the thugs froze, suddenly realizing that they might have underestimated their target. But Brother Long didn't hesitate.

"Grab her! All of you! Don't take her lightly! Attack her from all directions!"

His subordinates moved as one, Hei She Hui lunging from the right while the rest came from the front or flanked Mu Rong Shu from the left.

They were all fools.

Mu Rong Shu was trained in the killing arts, having been raised in an assassination clan. She had fought cultivators and summoners. She wasn't going to lose to a bunch of ordinary thugs.

Moving swiftly, she struck her palm into the solar plexus of the first guy, causing him to double over. Before he fell, she slammed the heel of her hand into his face and broke his nose. Whirling around, she kicked Hei She Hui in the head, sending him cartwheeling over to land on his face. Dropping to a crouch, she swept the legs of a third thug from under him, and after he crashed on the ground, she stomped on his back, causing him to gurgle in in pain.

Parrying a blow from a fourth thug, she rammed a knee into his groin, causing him to scream in an unnatural pitch. Cracking an elbow into his face, she then spun around to kick a fifth. Jumping up, she then slammed her foot into his jaw, breaking it and dislodging a few teeth. The poor guy fell onto his back. Without hesitation, she whirled around elegantly and kicked a sixth, sending him flying.

"Oh, not bad…"

Brother Long lunged at her, trying to grapple with her, but she was too fast. The silver-haired assassin ducked under his grasp before kicking at his knee. Brother Long grunted as his leg gave way, but he stood strong and threw out another arm. Mu Rong Shu ducked under his punch and retaliated with a kick, her foot breaking his nose.

However, despite his face bloody and nose bleeding, Brother Long seized her foot. He grinned gleefully.

"Got you now…"

He never finished his sentence. Dropping to her hands, Mu Rong Shu then propelled herself forward and planted a foot into his solar plexus, using her full body weight to drive her kick into that weak point. Brother Long cried out and staggered, his hold on her foot loosening for a moment.

That was all Mu Rong Shu needed.

Breaking free from his grasp, she then scissored her legs around his head, her thighs gripping his cheeks freely. Before the bastard could enjoy the sensation, Mu Rong Shu flipped him over and sent him crashing into the ground on his head.

The poor idiot never stood a chance.

When he finally regained consciousness, Mu Rong Shu was standing over the row of trussed up thugs, her arms folded.

"Now…time to answer my questions," she said coldly, her eye gleaming with killing intent. Brother Long, Hei She Hui and the rest of the thugs gulped, feeling a chill run down their spines.

It was at that moment they knew they fucked up.