Chapter 29: Captured and Taken to the Bandits’ Lair

“Bring her too—Madam Su must be taken as well. The whole family, neat and tidy.”

He Yuanwai ignored Ji Sang’s words, instead loudly ordering his servants. In his heart, he never regarded Ji Sang as a true master—only a lecherous opportunist hoping to become Su Wan’s stepfather.

Su Wan’s brow twitched, then she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Don’t take my mother! Don’t take my mama, you big bad guy! Boohoo… I will kill you, I will kill you!”

Wang Shun trembled and tightly sealed his lips.

He Yuanwai wasn’t listening to her. The more she screamed, the more determined he was to proceed.

“Only by killing you all will that person truly look up to me, He Yuanwai. Soon, I’ll have you secretly sent to the Black Wind Bandits’ camp.”

Hearing this, Su Wan and Ji Sang were momentarily stunned, then they both smiled.

As suspected, He Yuanwai was secretly in league with the bandits from that day.

Indeed, Su Wan suspected that the man who rode away earlier was connected to the bandits who raided Qinghe Village. To her surprise, the merchant named He was colluding with them.

Wang Shun was furious. “He Yuanwai, you actually conspire with the Black Wind Bandits! You’re not human!” Though he sometimes bullied commoners, it was just empty threats; he would never have dared to collude with bandits.

“I’ll tell my uncle everything, word for word! You’re finished!”

He Yuanwai didn’t worry in the slightest. When Wang Shun suspected his uncle’s involvement, He Yuanwai said, “Little Wang, there’s nothing silver can’t fix in this world. See? These gifts are all for your uncle. I’m sure he’ll love them.”

“No! My uncle’s always been honest; he won’t take your dirty bribes!” Wang Shun yelled.

He Yuanwai laughed heartily, “Oh really? But he’s afraid of death.”

“Crazy man! You’re crazy! Little Shopkeeper, kill him! Kill him!” Wang Shun raged.

Su Wan didn’t even glance at Wang Shun; her gaze was fixed on the jade Buddha among the many treasures. Except for the jade Buddha, none of the other jade pieces contained spirit-gathering stones.

Well, better than nothing.

After about half an hour, Su Fu was forcibly brought over by two servants. When she saw Su Wan inside the iron cage, she was terrified.

“Wanwan, you’ve been captured too? You beasts, let go of my daughter and Mr. Ji! If you want something, come at me!” Su Fu shouted furiously at He Yuanwai.

She had heard that this He Yuanwai was the big boss of He’s Trading Company. She guessed that the reason they were captured was because the grocery shop had encroached on his business.

Thinking of this, Su Fu took a deep breath and said, “As long as you let us go, I’ll close the grocery store tomorrow and never get in your way again.”

But Master He only snorted coldly. “A mere grocery store? Someone like me wouldn’t even give it a second thought. Take them away and lock them up. Once it gets dark, we’ll hit the road.”

“What? Y-You’re planning to kill us! Aren’t you afraid of the authorities? This young man is the nephew of the village head!”

Master He walked away without paying Su Fu’s words any mind.

Su Fu began to cry anxiously. “Wanwan, if we don’t return, your uncle will be worried. If he comes looking and something happens to him, what will we do?”

“Don’t worry, Mother. Uncle isn’t reckless. If he senses something wrong, he’ll stay in Qinghe Village. There are still many people there who need protection.”

Though her daughter’s words made sense, Su Fu’s heart remained heavy with worry.

Night fell quickly. Master He entered the room with his men, let them out of the cage, and tied them up with their hands behind their backs.

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone had their backs turned while heading out, Su Wan quietly used her mind to store all the treasures inside the cage into her spiritual pouch.

“Everyone accounted for? Load them onto the carriage. We’ve got someone waiting five miles outside the village.” Master He had already sent word to the Black Wind Stronghold.

The people at the stronghold were naturally delighted to hear the Su family members had been captured.

The man seated at the head, the scar-faced second-in-command, laughed with great satisfaction. “Xiao Liuzi is not bad, he’s got a sharp eye. Let’s go with that decision. But, don’t kill him — the Su family still has another strong one, Su Mingshan.”

“As long as we kill that brat, the rest won’t be a problem.”

“Understood, understood. Don’t worry, Second Boss.” Xiao Liuzi nodded and bowed to the man at the head. He then turned to look at Su Wan, his gaze extremely vile.

“Mmm-mmm-mmm…” Su Fu, using all her strength, finally spat out the white cloth stuffed in her mouth. She screamed hoarsely, “Don’t touch my daughter! Don’t touch my daughter!”

Blood had begun to seep from the corners of Su Fu’s mouth — at some point, she had bitten herself.

Wang Shun was growing anxious. In his heart, he kept urging Su Wan: Make your move, Little Shopkeeper. If not now, then when?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the sound of a snap rang in his ears — the sound of ropes breaking under internal force.

Su Fu was shocked to see Ji Sang and Su Wan break free of the ropes tying them up. Immediately after, the second-in-command reacted quickly, grabbing the large saber beside him.

“Everyone, attack! Since they want to die, let’s grant their wish. Just leave the woman.” As soon as the second-in-command finished speaking, he leapt into the air, aiming straight for Ji Sang.

But midair, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Looking down, he saw a pillar-like gush of blood spraying from his chest.

Thud… His body crashed heavily onto the stone table, blood gushing from his mouth, his limbs convulsing uncontrollably.

In a matter of moments, his chest was soaked in blood.

“The Second Boss! The Second Boss is dead — he’s dead!” His death was so sudden and unclear, no one had seen how Ji Sang had even made his move.

No matter how many more men rushed in afterward, they were all slaughtered without hesitation.

Wang Shun let out a long breath of relief — his whole body felt drained.