“There’s no need. I won’t be able to escape in front of you.” Zhou Qian didn’t say anything and returned to the manor. However, his mind was on Cloud River Restaurant. “Senior Brother Meng, you must save Red Rain. You must save her.”
In Zhou Qian’s opinion, it was very difficult for him to save Red Rain. But for Senior Brother Meng, it was nothing.
Chapter 25
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
On the second floor of Cloud River Restaurant.
Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue found a table by the window and sat down. The waiters of the restaurant had already served them warmly. They naturally knew their boss’s son.
“Ah Chuan, look over there,” Liu Qiyue whispered.
Meng Chuan turned to look.
On the second floor of the bustling restaurant sat an expressionless white-robed youth. Beside him was an old servant.
“It’s him?” Meng Chuan recognized him. It was the young man named Yan Jin from the Jadesun Palace. Yan Jin was a very mysterious man, and commoners in Eastcalm Prefecture had virtually never heard of him. However, all five Godfiend clans, the imperial government, and the other upper echelons of Eastcalm Prefecture paid close attention to this peerless genius whose talent was in no way inferior to Meng Chuan’s. Additionally, his status was far superior since Jadesun Palace Lord backed him.
Yan Jin noticed that someone was looking at him and glanced at Meng Chuan.
Meng Chuan smiled as he raised his wine glass and gestured from afar. But Yan Jin turned his head—he couldn’t be bothered.
“How rude.” Liu Qiyue saw this and whispered, “Ah Chuan, ignore him.”
“It’s just his nature,” said Meng Chuan with a smile. Last year at the Demon-Slaying Meet, Yan Jin had only said one sentence to him—that he wasn’t taking advantage of him! He understood the other party’s personality since then.
“You just have a good temper.” Liu Qiyue picked up a large piece of soy sauce pork ribs. “Hmm, your restaurant’s soy sauce pork ribs are better than the ones outside. I drool every time I smell it. This dish is all mine.”
“Don’t worry. Nobody will snatch it from you!” Meng Chuan teased. “Why aren’t you fat when you can eat so much?”
Liu Qiyue raised her brows smugly and continued eating happily.
Just as they were eating, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Young Master Meng Chuan! Young Master Meng Chuan… Please save my sister.” A child’s voice suddenly came from downstairs, filled with anxiety and determination.
A child from an ordinary family truly required a great amount of courage to shout in Eastcalm Prefecture’s best restaurant.
Meng Chuan immediately ordered a waiter on the second floor upon hearing the child’s voice and words. “Bring that child up here.”
“Yes, Young Master.” The waiter quickly left.
Soon—
Wearing ordinary clothes, a dirty-looking child came to the second floor. The child felt somewhat nervous when he arrived at Meng Chuan’s table and saw the luxurious interior.
“Little guy, you’re looking for me?” Meng Chuan smiled at the child.
When Ironborn saw the scion in front of him smiling at him, he calmed down. He immediately knelt and kowtowed. “Greetings ,Young Master Meng. I’m Ironborn. Please save my sister.”
“What happened? Get up and tell me.”
Only then did the child stand up.
“My sister’s name is Red Rain. She’s a maid of a large family clan,” Ironborn said. “She’s very good. Every time she comes back, she will bring delicious food back for me. But today, when she returned, she was abducted by Boss Wei.”
The white-robed youth, Yan Jin—who was at another table—naturally could clearly hear what the child had said with his Mortal Shedding realm prowess. He quietly drank and listened, but his gaze turned colder.
“Why did they kidnap your sister?” Meng Chuan inquired
“They said they wanted to take my sister as payment for a debt,” said Ironborn. “They said that my father owed them 300 taels of silver. However, Father said that he only borrowed 10 taels. At the time, he was half drunk and in the middle of the night. He was tricked into printing his palm on a promissory note stating 100 taels of silver. The debt grew, and it has now become 300 taels.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Chuan nodded. It was common for this to happen to commoners. These were indeed the deceitful things the local ruffians did, but they couldn’t be stopped! This was because those who hadn’t reached the Marrow Cleansing realm were not qualified to serve in the army. Without serving in the military, they were destined never to stand out. The hooligans were gluttonous and lazy, happy when they were imprisoned due to free prison food.
“Did your father sign an indenture contract for his daughter?” pressed Meng Chuan.
“No, he didn’t. My father refused to sign,” the child said hurriedly.
“Oh? A local hooligan dares to abduct?” Meng Chuan was shocked. Hooligans usually did minor crimes; they didn’t have the guts to commit serious crimes! This was because the Imperial Court’s punishment for serious crimes was very severe. The punishment for abduction was the dismemberment of limbs and hard labor. The death penalty was normal if they went too far.
There had to be a reason they dared to commit such crimes.
“What’s Boss Wei’s name? Where does he live?” Meng Chuan asked again. “What background does he have?”
“I’ve only heard that his name is Wei Sandao. He lives at East Willow River. My father said that Boss Wei is a member of the Black Wolf Gang,” the child said hurriedly.
Meng Chuan nodded. “Black Wolf Gang? No wonder.”
With that said, Meng Chuan waved his hand into the distance.
“Young Master.” A young man ran over.
“There’s a lackey of Black Wolf Gang called Wei Sandao. It should be an alias. He lives in the area around East Willow River! Bring him here,” ordered Meng Chuan. “Get a supervisor from the Black Wolf Gang to come over.”
“Yes,” the young man said respectfully.
The white-robed youth, Yan Jin, suddenly appeared in front of the child.
“Little guy, lead the way. I’ll save your sister now,” Yan Jin said calmly.
Ironborn was taken aback.
“Time is of the essence. If we are too late, your sister might be dead,” Yan Jin said coldly. “Lead the way.”
“Alright, alright.” Ironborn became even more worried about his sister when he heard that.
“Ah Chuan, let’s go take a look as well.” Liu Qiyue was eager to see the development.
Meng Chuan was somewhat surprised that this mysterious youth—Yan Jin—abhorred evil. He nodded and said, “Alright, let’s make the trip.”
“I’ll lead the way.” Seeing the mysterious white-robed scion and Young Master Meng follow him, the child grew even more excited.
The old servant came to Yan Jin’s side and whispered, “Young Master, there’s no need for us to bother about this…”
“Heed my commands.” Yan Jin’s voice was a little cold.
The old servant was taken aback and immediately followed without any fuss.
…
Yan Jin was the most passionate. He got the old servant to carry the child and let the child point out the way.
They ran at an extremely fast speed.
“It looks like we don’t need to interfere in this matter anymore.” Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue followed behind.
“Ah Chuan, I always feel that Yan Jin’s temper is a little strange,” Liu Qiyue said in a low voice. “He’s cold, but he’s willing to save someone he doesn’t know. You might say that he hates evil, but he’s been in Eastcalm Prefecture for at least a year, and yet, I’ve never heard of him being chivalrous.”
“He has a strange temper, but he can be considered a good person,” said Meng Chuan with a smile.
Soon—
They had come to the East Willow River.
> “Boss Wei is there.” Ironborn pointed excitedly. “That one.”
Clang!
The gate to the courtyard was pushed open. Yan Jin and his servant went in first, while Meng Chuan and Lu Qiyue followed.
At that moment, three men reeking in alcohol walked out from the main house of the courtyard. The leader of the group was a burly man with his top bare. He held a chicken drumstick in one hand as he walked out, cursing. “Who dares to come to my house and act so insolently? Where did you get the guts—Young Master Meng?”
The moment Boss Wei came out, he saw three youths, an old man, and a child.
Boss Wei immediately recognized Meng Chuan!
The famous figure in Eastcalm Prefecture, one who had the potential to become a Godfiend, the Meng family’s scion… Meng Chuan was simply too famous! As for the local ruffians, they knew quite a bit about the important people in Eastcalm Prefecture. They also knew not to offend them.
Meng Chuan was someone this lackey of the gang clearly had to look up to! Even their gang leader had to lower his head and not show any disrespect. As long as the Meng family was willing, the Black Wolf Gang could be wiped out in one night.
“You abducted his sister?” asked Yan Jin.
Boss Wei glanced at the child and immediately recognized Ironborn.
“I was just following orders.” Boss Wei immediately said obsequiously, “But his sister is no longer with me.”
The old servant took out a token and held it up. “This is Jadesun Palace’s token. Bring this child’s sister back now. If you can’t find her, you will be executed!”
“Jadesun Palace Token?” When Boss Wei saw the two words ‘Jadesun’ on it, his legs couldn’t help but go limp.
In the Eastcalm Prefecture, the five Godfiend clans were not to be trifled with.
But there was something even more terrifying—Jadesun Palace!
The Meng family and Jadesun Palace? Boss Wei’s legs trembled, and his mind went blank.
Chapter 26
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
“And the two of them.” The child in the old servant’s arms pointed at the two other drunkards. “They were there when Boss Wei led his men to abduct my sister.”
“It has nothing to do with us.”
“We just run errands.” The two drunkards didn’t dare make a sound. After being pointed out by Ironborn, they immediately explained in panic.
Yan Jin frowned and shouted, “Where is his sister?”
“This…” Boss Wei and his two subordinates exchanged looks and began to hesitate. The rules of the gang were stringent.
“If we don’t find her, all three of you will die,” Yan Jin said coldly.
“We’ll talk.”
“She has been sent to Idle Stone Garden,” Big Boss Wei and the others hurriedly said.
…
Idle Stone Garden was one of the six major strongholds the Black Wolf Gang specially used to train women. It was located in the northern sector of Eastcalm Prefecture.
Woof! Woof!
The sky was already dark, and dog barks could be heard occasionally from Idle Stone Garden. Clearly, the compound had guards patrolling it.
The Boss Wei trio led the way. Yan Jin, Meng Chuan, and the others also arrived.
“This compound is Idle Stone Garden. There are usually more than a hundred women here. They will be trained. If they have the ability, they will be sent to various upscale brothels. If they can’t handle it, they will send them to some whorehouses,” Boss Wei said with a fawning smile.
“Ah Chuan, that’s interesting. I’ve seen a few upscale brothels in Eastcalm Prefecture from afar. I’ve never seen the place where they train the women…” Liu Qiyue was especially excited. “I’ve long heard that some pitiful women have been abducted here. Now, we’re going to save them. We can’t let any of those evil Black Wolf Gang members off.”
“I’m not going to let off anyone who does evil,” answered Meng Chuan.
“Quick, open the door! It’s me, Wei!” Boss Wei slammed on the door and shouted.
The doors of Idle Stone Garden opened.
The old servant took the initiative to step forward. With a flick of his hand, the two indolent gatekeepers were sent flying. When they struck a wooden pillar or the ground, they vomited blood.
“An attack.”
“Men!”
“Who is so bold?”
“How dare they come to our Black Wolf Gang’s territory and behave atrociously?”
There was a commotion, and people from all over the compound rushed over.
Yan Jin, Meng Chuan, and the others waited at the front yard. Boss Wei and company stood to the side cautiously with their heads bowed. On one side was Jadesun Palace and the Meng family, and on the other was their gang. They were afraid of both!
Very quickly, a group of men appeared. Some of them had quite strong auras and possessed strength at the Marrow Cleansing realm.
The leader of the group was an elderly man in a colorful robe who had reached the Mortal Shedding realm.
“Young Master Meng?” The colorful-robed elder’s face had a cold expression, but upon seeing Meng Chuan, his face immediately bloomed like a flower. “To think that Young Master Meng would come to my humble abode. I’m truly blessed. Young Master Meng, how may I help you? Young Master Meng, please speak your mind.”
“I heard that you abducted women?” Meng Chuan asked.
“No, absolutely not.” The colorful-robbed elder said hurriedly, “Our Black Wolf Gang has always followed the law to a tee. Why would we do something like that?”
Meng Chuan pointed at Boss Wei and the others who had their heads lowered. “They said so.”
The elder glanced at Boss Wei and the others coldly.
“Guardian, this is Young Master Meng. That person is from Jadesun Palace. We didn’t have a choice either,” said Boss Wei with a bitter expression.
“Jadesun Palace?” Only now did the old man take notice of Yan Jin and the old servant.
The old servant took out the Jadesun Palace token and revealed it.
The elder’s heart skipped a beat. The Jadesun Palace has servants and soldiers… But those who can hold the Jadesun Palace’s token are all from the upper echelons. There aren’t more than ten of them! Who are these two? Why haven’t I heard of them?
“This child’s elder sister was sent here about two hours ago by Wei Sandao,” said Meng Chuan.
“Wei Sandao just sent someone here?” The elder turned his head and shouted while blinking slightly at his subordinate.
The subordinate immediately said, “It seems so. I’ll go find her and bring her here.”
“Hurry up!” the elder barked.
The subordinate immediately ran off.
The elder turned his head and smiled at Meng Chuan and company. He immediately said, “Lord of Jadesun Palace and Young Master Meng, don’t worry. Our Black Wolf Gang is very well-behaved. We definitely don’t abduct women.”
“You still refuse to admit it?” Yan Jin’s voice was cold as he swept his gaze across the compound. “His sister was abducted, and there are more than a hundred women in this compound. I’m sure many were abducted here against their will.”
“Absolutely not,” the elderly man said.
“Seven women are living in that building. Take them all out,” instructed the old servant.
“Yes, right away.” The elder nodded and gestured to his subordinates. However, he was secretly shocked. How impressive. He knows that seven women are living inside from hundreds of feet away?
Soon—
Seven women came out. Some looked like young maidens, while others were in their twenties or thirties.
“Did you willingly come here, or were you abducted?” Yan Jin said solemnly, “Just tell me, don’t be afraid. We are from the Jadesun Palace, and this is a scion of the Meng family. The Black Wolf Gang cannot threaten you. You can take revenge if you have a grudge against them. As long as these people v
iolated the law, none of them will escape.”
“Those who violate the laws will not be able to escape,” said Meng Chuan. “This is my promise to you.”
The elder’s eyes narrowed when he heard that. The subordinates behind him looked at each other.
Of the seven women, one of the older ones laughed self-deprecatingly. “Young Masters, all of you have been busy for nothing. All of us sisters came to this place of debauchery because we have nowhere to go. For example, I was abandoned by my husband. I had no place to live, no place to eat, and I was bullied. Only by coming here will I be able to eat to my heart’s content and shelter myself from the elements. Speaking of which, the Black Wolf Gang gave me a way out.”
Yan Jin, Meng Chuan, and Liu Qiyue were stunned.
It was different from what they had imagined.
Another woman also said, “Young Masters, I escaped from disaster and came here. There was nowhere to go, and I was on the brink of starvation. Can you understand what it feels like? It’s useless begging anyone. I was so thin from starvation that I had to sell my body and be despised by everyone. It was the Black Wolf Gang who picked me out from a group of beggars and gave me a way out.”
“My father sold me to repay his debt, and it can be considered as me repaying his kindness for raising me,” a girl said coldly. “As long as I earn money in the brothels and pay off my debt… I can regain my freedom and have some money to live the rest of my life.”
“It’s great here. We have pretty clothes to wear. We have sisters to have fun with. There’s good food, and we don’t need to work hard.” A girl with a baby face smiled brightly. “Why do we need saving?”
…
There was a hidden tunnel in this compound. At the end of the tunnel was a hidden hall.
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