Chapter 417 Truly Afraid of Being Indebted for Favors

Chapter 418 Left on the Ground, No Need to Bother

Qi Xuan chased after them all the way, but Zi Yi Sheng and the others were too fast and had a car. She could only hitch a ride on carts, find ox carts, or get a ride on a bicycle. Her journey was fraught with difficulties.

Because of this, Qi Xuan only knew the city Zi Yi Sheng and the others were going to, but not their exact location.

This was Qi Xuan's first time in Zhen City. Not only was she unfamiliar with the place, but she also had no identification. However, she had brought enough money and coupons this time. Even if she couldn't stay in a guesthouse, she had money to find a place to stay.

Upon receiving the news, Gong Wen Tao immediately set off. Thinking he could help Young Master Zi, he didn't complain about running another trip for Qi Xuan.

It was only when Zi Yi Sheng saw Gong Wen Tao that he learned Qi Xuan had run away again. He had never liked Qi Xuan much to begin with, and now he could be said to loathe her.

"Find her immediately. Whether she's willing or not, control her. If she resists, use the medicine Sheng Ge gave you. Absolutely do not let her appear at the scene; I'm afraid she'll mess things up."

Gong Wen Tao stood with his hands on his hips impatiently. He had thought he might have a chance to participate in the action, but now he was tied down because of some wild girl.

"I'll give her a bit more medicine to make her sleep for two days. When we've safely retreated, I'll bring her along. Let me guard her; I'm afraid I won't be able to resist beating her."

Zi Yi Sheng didn't care what Gong Wen Tao did, as long as Qi Xuan didn't mess up their plans.

"Do as you see fit, just ensure everything is foolproof."

"How is Young Master Shang Yan doing now?"

Zi Yi Sheng shook his head, his expression a little heavy.

"After being captured, they interrogated him. The usual routine, they won't stop until they've tortured him to the bone."

"What do you need me to do?"

Zi Yi Sheng looked at Gong Wen Tao, who seemed energized, with some helplessness.

"Uncle Gong, you've been wronged all these years."

Gong Wen Tao glared at Zi Yi Sheng crossly.

"You know I've been wronged, yet you keep me cooped up every day. At least let me practice my skills, lest my arms and legs rust when my real enemies appear."

"Alright, alright. Come back immediately after you've dealt with Qi Xuan. Then you and A Rong will take the lead."

"Hmph, good that you're showing some conscience, kid."

Gong Wen Tao was like a good "hound." He only needed to visit a few state-run restaurants during meal times to find his target.

Because a girl like Qi Xuan, who had grown up pampered, would definitely not let herself suffer. She would surely think of going to a restaurant to eat when it was time.

Qi Xuan ate her meal without much taste, her eyes constantly scanning the situation outside the window. A fleeting figure made Qi Xuan immediately put down her chopsticks and run out.

"Uncle Gong, Uncle Gong, is that you?"

Gong Wen Tao deliberately ignored Qi Xuan, but maintained a speed that Qi Xuan could catch up to.

After a series of turns, Qi Xuan kept shouting as she chased. She finally saw Gong Wen Tao stop.

"Uncle Gong, why aren't you responding when I call you?"

Gong Wen Tao leaned against the wall, watching Qi Xuan bend over and pant, his eyes full of disgust.

"Uncle Gong, you, right, have you seen my uncle-in-law?"

"Pfft... You call him uncle-in-law so smoothly, but what you're doing isn't human."

Qi Xuan felt that Gong Wen Tao's attitude towards her was very bad now. They hadn't spoken much when they met before, but he had never said such harsh words.

"Uncle Gong, have I done something wrong?"

"You don't know? Why did you come to Zhen City?"

Qi Xuan felt a little guilty, her eyes darting away.

"I, I was just worried about Young Master Shang Yan's situation and wanted to see if I could help. Honestly, I just wanted to help."

"What can you help with? Dragging things down, or asking Shang Yan how he's doing? Shang Yan doesn't seem to like you, does he? I've never seen a girl so eager to throw herself at a man.

Oh, right, I want to ask, when your grandfather was on the verge of death, why didn't I see you venturing out to find medicine? Why is a man you don't even like making you risk yourself time and time again?"

Qi Xuan felt ashamed, but also angry.

"That's my business, none of yours."

"Hmph, do you think I want to manage it! Young Master Zi ordered you to return to Bai Rong Brigade immediately, otherwise don't blame me for being impolite."

Qi Xuan quickly became defensive. What did he mean by impolite?

Gong Wen Tao wouldn't have spoken so much originally. He wanted Qi Xuan to go home on her own, so he wouldn't have to carry this useless person back after they rescued Shang Yan. But now, it seemed his efforts were in vain.

"What do you want to do? Be careful, I'll tell Uncle Ye when I get home that you bullied me."

Gong Wen Tao quickly stepped forward and grabbed Qi Xuan, knocking her out before she could even scream.

"Ye Huai Jin doesn't have jurisdiction over me."

Gong Wen Tao showed no mercy and slung her over his shoulder, leaving quickly. Not long after, he knocked on the door of a courtyard.

The door was quickly opened. Gong Wen Tao, carrying the person, entered a room and threw her directly onto the ground.

"Uncle Gong, is this the person?"

"Mm, I'll give her medicine later. You just need to watch her."

"Just let her lie on the ground like this?"

Gong Wen Tao looked at the floor. Would lying here for two days kill her? Probably not, at most she'd catch a cold.

"Find a blanket to cover her. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Gong Wen Tao took out the powder given by Ye Sheng Ge from his pocket, pried open Qi Xuan's mouth, and poured the medicine in. He also pinched her face and shook it, to prevent any powder from being spat out.

The person standing beside him watched Uncle Gong as if he were feeding medicine to livestock. He really didn't know what a girl had done to offend the Great Devil.

"Kid, if she runs away before I get back, you'll pay with your legs."

"No, no. If she runs away, I'll break my own legs."

Zi Yi Sheng looked at the map in his hand, while A Rong explained.

"The scout said there are six guards at the detention center at night. Boss Shang and Shang Yan are not in the same room. We'll need to find their exact rooms after we get inside."

"That won't work. This detention center has at least forty rooms, all of them enclosed. It'll be too dangerous to pry open all these doors."

"There are six of us going in. We can divide them up, it won't be that many."

Zi Yi Sheng pointed to the kitchen area on the blueprint a few times.

"Uncle Gong is a good cook. Let him find a way to sneak into the kitchen. We must find the exact rooms of the Shang father and son before taking action."

"That will waste another day. I'm afraid Boss Shang's health won't hold up."

Zi Yi Sheng nodded, but did not change his decision.

"Boss Shang's health is much better than Shang Yan's. You should worry about Shang Yan's frail body. A day's delay is not a big deal. After all, those people won't dare to kill them that quickly, not to mention there are dormitories behind the detention center, and there are more than just six people inside."

"Okay, I'll notify Uncle Gong to make preparations as soon as he gets back."

Gong Wen Tao received his mission as soon as he returned. After finding out who the scout at the detention center was, he set off.

Gong Wen Tao took only half a day to figure out the situation at the detention center. He had the scout put some laxatives in the head chef's thermos, and he successfully took over as the substitute cook.

With his excellent cooking skills, he made the staff at the detention center incredibly happy. The diligent Gong Wen Tao even pushed a small food cart to deliver meals for the guards.

Since it was normal for the detained people to be beaten, many couldn't get up to collect their meals themselves. The person with the keys would open the doors and deliver the food.

The moment Gong Wen Tao opened the door to one of the rooms, he saw Shang Yan lying on the ground, covered in blood. If he hadn't looked closely, he would have thought he was dead.

"Yo, can this one still get up to eat?"

"Hmph, what does it matter? He won't be here for many more days anyway."

"Bad people like this should be starved for a few more meals. Maybe they'll be taken away tomorrow."

Shang Yan recognized Gong Wen Tao's voice the moment he spoke. He subtly glanced outside the door, a slight smile curving his lips.

Tomorrow? That's good.

"I want to eat."

"Oh, you can still get up to eat, so you're fine."

"Heh heh, I can eat twenty-three bowls."

Gong Wen Tao pursed his lips and secretly nodded. Boss Shang was in room 23.

"Eat more to have strength to be beaten."

"I will."

Gong Wen Tao followed the person opening doors and walked on. When they reached room 23, he saw Boss Shang was even more severely injured. One leg was clearly twisted, and the man was unconscious.

When Zi Yi Sheng heard about the situation that night, he immediately decided to act. He was afraid Boss Shang would die if they waited any longer.

"We'll act precisely at midnight. Uncle Gong, please deliver some late-night snacks to those people at twelve o'clock. Remember to add more potent ingredients."

"No problem. It's just like making two more dishes."

"We'll split into four groups. One group will go in to rescue the people, one group will clear out the dormitories behind the detention center, another group will be responsible for arrangements and handover, and the last group will take a few more people out."

Zi Yi Sheng handed over a piece of paper with two names and room numbers written on it.

"These two people are also very important. After picking them up, assign a few people to escort them to the countryside in Qi City. Someone will be there to meet them."

In this era, saving one more person is saving one more. If they encountered them, they couldn't just leave them to die. As for the rest, they were either real criminals or people on the opposing side. Their fate was their own.

Zi Yi Sheng sat in the escort vehicle. Their car couldn't get too close to the detention center, as it would surely attract attention. Therefore, after rescuing the people, they still needed to walk a certain distance. During this time, they had to prevent being discovered.

Time ticked by, and Zi Yi Sheng kept checking his watch. This time, it wasn't just about saving people; nearly twenty of his brothers were fighting for their lives. He didn't want any of them to be harmed.

"It's been half an hour. Should we send someone to check?"

Zi Yi Sheng didn't speak. He checked the time again. Ten more minutes!

Ten minutes passed quickly, and still no one returned. The people in several cars couldn't sit still.

"Drive, go directly to provide support."

The car sped forward, and as they neared the detention center, gunshots were heard.

"Charge forward, use guns to cover them!"

Zi Yi Sheng took out the gun from his waist and jumped out as the car reached the main entrance of the detention center, using the car door as cover to fire several shots.

The scene was not as chaotic as imagined. It was just that when Gong Wen Tao and the others came out carrying people, they encountered several people returning from outside. Moreover, the group from the dormitories behind hadn't come out yet, so there was a brief disturbance.

It took five minutes to get the wounded and the team from the dormitories safely into the cars.

The cars disappeared quickly into the night without stopping for a moment.

"Can they still be alive?"

"Cough cough, they must be alive. Otherwise, wouldn't your personal trip be in vain?"

Shang Yan took the cigarette Zi Yi Sheng handed him and took a deep drag. He felt as though his body's injuries didn't hurt as much anymore.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Your father promised me quite a lot."

"Hahahaha, no matter how much he gives, it's worth it. Two lives! It's just a pity about my aunt. She didn't hold on for a few more days."

"What about the bodies? Do you need someone to take them away?"

"My people outside have already taken them. They're buried in the ancestral grave back home."

Before the Shang family incident, they had arranged for people. In case of such a situation, even if the people couldn't be saved, someone would collect their bodies. They couldn't just become wandering spirits.

Shang Yan reached out and touched his uncle's forehead. It was burning hot.

"It will take us a day and a half to get back to Bai Rong Brigade. I'm afraid my uncle won't make it."

Zi Yi Sheng thought of the medicine his little girl had brought him – wound medicine, fever reducers, and precious anti-inflammatories.

"Sheng Ge brought medicine. I'll find it for you. You immediately give it to your uncle."

The medicine Ye Sheng Ge brought for Zi Yi Sheng were all Western medicines bought from a pharmacy in her past life. However, Ye Sheng Ge was afraid of not being able to explain clearly, so she had pre-ground all the medicine into powder. This way, no one would know the original form of the medicine.

There was water prepared in the car, and soon all the medicine that could be given was fed to Boss Shang.

Shang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was alive, he could always get back what they owed.

"I must thank Sheng Ge properly when I get back. I owe her my life twice now."

"No need. You can just return it to me."

Don't think he didn't know Shang Yan's intentions. Even if it was a life-saving debt, he wanted to settle it with himself. Don't think about using it as an opportunity to get close.

Shang Yan was first stunned, then quickly understood what Zi Yi Sheng meant. He smiled helplessly and shook his head.

"You're really interesting. I'm not the kind of person who would steal someone else's partner. Are you that unconfident in yourself?"

"I'm avoiding all trouble, because my little girl really dislikes trouble."

Zi Yi Sheng said it with arrogance, but in reality, his little girl was indeed someone who disliked trouble.

"You guy, I admit, I did like Sheng Ge quite a bit before. Think about it, when I was at my most desperate, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a girl who looked like a fairy, and she bravely saved me. It was hard not to be moved.

But after I knew she was taken, I suppressed it. Although I didn't suppress it successfully, I tried. We were separated for so long, and gradually I truly let go. I can only sincerely wish you both well."

In the darker confines of the car, Zi Yi Sheng listened to Shang Yan's heartfelt words and heard the sincerity.

"You can't pry her away either."

"Yes, yes, yes. Your little girl has you in her heart and eyes. I can only look on with envy, okay? You're really childish."

Speaking of which, Zi Yi Sheng suddenly remembered Qi Xuan, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"The person who admires you has chased all the way to Zhen City. You should cherish her."

Shang Yan was bewildered. He didn't need anyone, no matter who it was.

"It's not you, is it? So you admire me."

"Get lost. That Qi Xuan secretly followed us as soon as she heard you were in danger. Aren't you going to ask if she was in danger and what she did for you?"

Shang Yan felt Zi Yi Sheng was particularly despicable right now, in a way he had never seen before.

"Unnecessary. I don't need to hear it, nor do I want to. No matter what she did, it's not what I want, and her personal actions have nothing to do with me."