Chapter 124: Accomplices of the Drug Dealers [Part 4]

Although Qin Xuan was not currently in a condition to exert his true internal energy recklessly, dealing with ordinary people was still well within his capabilities.

"Shuixian, tell me where they are," Qin Xuan asked.

"They are..." Shuixian started to point out their location, but suddenly blushed. "Master, I don't know the name of that place. But I remember the way. Shall I take you there?"

"It wouldn't be convenient for you to go out, would it?" Qin Xuan frowned. A little fairy as beautiful as her appearing on the streets? She would likely be in the newspapers by tomorrow.

"No... it should be fine, I think," Shuixian said, her face flushed. "I ran all the way back and didn't run into a single person."

"Alright, let's go." Qin Xuan did not hesitate. He knew that Shuixian’s magical powers were weak; although she had managed to drug the group with her pollen, it wouldn't last long. If he went too late, he might lose track of them.

"Then hurry back, both of you. I'll go cook some dishes," Dongfang Qingwan said with a soft smile. Her mood had improved significantly now that Shuixian had returned safely.

Qin Xuan followed Shuixian to the villa entrance. Looking back, he saw Dongfang Qingwan standing gracefully in her green dress, waving. It gave him an illusion—she looked exactly like a wife waiting for her husband’s return.

"Ahem, what are you thinking?" Qin Xuan shook his head quickly and followed Shuixian out the door.

After walking less than a hundred meters along the mountain road, Shuixian turned onto a small trail leading further up the mountain.

"So it was up in the mountains? No wonder you didn't run into anyone on your way back," Qin Xuan remarked with mild surprise.

"Yes. Master..." Shuixian said, speaking with some hesitation as they walked.

"Just say what you need to say. Am I really that scary?" Qin Xuan found it amusing.

"Oh. Actually, I heard them talking. It seems they captured me to threaten you..." Shuixian blushed, feeling very embarrassed as if she had brought trouble upon her master.

"Threaten me?" Qin Xuan pondered silently. There weren't many factions that held a grudge against him, and the Zijin Temple side could basically be ruled out. Since those who captured Shuixian were ordinary people, it was definitely a secular power. The Li family? The underworld? Wang Xiang? Yang Weiyang? Upon closer inspection, there were many possibilities. Rather than guessing, it was better to go see them directly; everything would naturally become clear.

Qin Xuan followed Shuixian along the mountain path until they reached the hillside. Then, Shuixian turned again, ducking into a wooded area to the side.

"We're almost there..." Shuixian whispered as they walked.

Watching her graceful silhouette, Qin Xuan suddenly felt a moment of suspicion. Could this little fairy be leading him into a trap by bringing him to such a remote place? But then he realized that he had already followed her this far, which meant he had already placed his trust in her. Doubting her now was utterly useless.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from the sparse woods ahead, like people talking.

"Master, they seem to have woken up..." Hearing the voices, Shuixian acted like a startled rabbit, hiding behind Qin Xuan.

"Don't be afraid." Qin Xuan offered a word of comfort, then took two steps forward. Sure enough, through the trees, he caught sight of a few figures and leaned against a trunk to listen in.

"Damn it, what just happened?" a rough voice shouted in anger.

"I don't know. Where did that girl go? Why has she vanished?" another voice responded, filled with shock and rage.

"Dammit, why does everything turn so weird whenever we get involved with that kid?" a voice that sounded vaguely familiar muttered.

Qin Xuan peered through a gap in the trees and couldn't help but grin. Wasn't that Brother Qiang from the Black Wolf Gang? He had attacked the villa earlier with Brother Leopard, only for Brother Leopard to be possessed by a ghost cultivator and die, while Brother Qiang had been scared off by Qin Xuan. He hadn't expected to run into him again.

Recently, with the downfall of the Li family, the gangs in the southern part of Jinling had lost their sources of funding and protection from the authorities, making life difficult for them. Some of the more notorious groups had suffered severe blows; for instance, the Iron Flag Society had been forced to disband under the joint pressure of the Zhao and Su families. The Black Wolf Gang, being smaller, hadn't attracted much attention. He hadn't expected them to target Shuixian today.

Thinking he understood the truth, Qin Xuan was about to act when the situation shifted.

He heard a young man with yellow hair next to Brother Qiang say, "This plan was cooked up by your Black Wolf Gang. Now that things have gone wrong, what are we going to do?"

Qin Xuan frowned. Judging by the yellow-haired man’s tone, it seemed more than one faction was involved in this operation.

Brother Qiang snorted coldly, "If a problem arises, we solve it. What’s there to talk about? Everyone, search the area. I don't believe that girl could have run very far."

"Hmph. You’d better get this done quickly. Our Boss Lei can't wait much longer," the yellow-haired man grumbled.

*Boss Lei?* Qin Xuan thought. *Could it be Lei Jinde?* He couldn't think of any other "Lei" connected to him.

"Don't worry," Brother Qiang said confidently. "That kid is extremely weird, but as long as we can force his hand, rescuing your Boss Lei will be a breeze. I just hope your Boss Lei is truly as tough as you say, otherwise my brothers in the Black Wolf Gang won't have anywhere left to operate."

"What's there to worry about? When we were trafficking drugs in Yunnan with Boss Lei, you guys hadn't even graduated yet," the yellow-haired man said disdainfully.

"Even if he was tough, he's still locked up in prison now, isn't he? Forget all that. If you want to succeed, just cooperate and let's get a handle on that kid," Brother Qiang said, walking off on his own to search.

*So that’s it...* Qin Xuan finally understood. They wanted to threaten him into helping them rescue Lei Jinde. He was actually a bit impressed by their audacity. If they really used Shuixian as leverage, Qin Xuan might have actually complied, planning to arrest Lei Jinde again as soon as Shuixian was safe. It wasn't as if it would be the first time he'd caught him anyway.

"Shuixian, there are only about a dozen of them. Stay here and don't wander off, I'm going to finish this," Qin Xuan instructed. Then, with a light step, his figure darted out like a phantom, appearing and disappearing within the woods.

"Ugh..." A muffled groan followed as one of the lackeys was easily knocked unconscious by Qin Xuan. He repeated the process, and within moments, he had systematically neutralized the dozen or so men searching the area.

Qin Xuan piled the unconscious men together and shouted, "Alright, can we talk now?"

The shout startled Brother Qiang and the yellow-haired man, who were searching further away. They rushed back, only to find their subordinates knocked out cold and their target—Qin Xuan—standing right before them.

*What is this? Is he a ghost? How did he knock out so many of our men without a sound?*

"Don't look around. You two are the only ones left awake," Qin Xuan said calmly. "If you don't want to end up like them, answer my questions obediently. Otherwise, I’ll send you both to the afterlife!"

Brother Qiang and the yellow-haired man exchanged a glance and swallowed hard.