Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 313 Rediscovering Childlike Innocence, Kidnapping Tianxue

“Alright,” Yin Tianxue said, “Since you insist on this… every morning, Yin Zhong will definitely have breakfast with my father, because it’s not just breakfast, but also a time to discuss things. At that time, he’s definitely not underground.”

However, that blood python never leaves the underground during the day; you must be careful.

Tong Bo said, "Thank you for the information, Miss."

Yin Tianxue said, "No need to thank me. I don't want the person who just reached a cooperation agreement with me to lose their life in the end."

"I will be careful."

Although he lost to Yin Zhong last night, that battle actually boosted Tong Bo's confidence in himself.

Previously, he was quite confident, but since he had never actually fought against any powerful figures from the outside world, he could only make a vague judgment about his own strength and dared not make a definitive statement.

However, after his battle with Yin Zhong, he can now conclude that his strength is no less than that of any grandmaster.

Especially after unleashing the Dragon God Technique, his strength skyrocketed.

It can be said that if it were just a blood python, Tong Bo would have complete confidence in himself.

Even though this blood python was unusually large and clearly a different species.

But a beast is still a beast. A snake crawling on the ground can never learn light-body skills, let alone transform into a dragon and soar into the sky.

Therefore, Tong Bo, with his exceptional lightness skill and mastery of the Dragon God Technique, had an immense advantage over the snake.

Naturally not afraid.

He feared that Yin Zhong and that snake might join forces.

Therefore, after Yin Tianxue gave a clear time when Yin Zhong would definitely not be in the underground city, Tong Bo immediately made up his mind to venture into the underground city.

Morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

Tong Bo entered the underground city through another secret passage that Yin Tianxue had told him about.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly.

In the underground city, he saw neither Yin Zhong nor the blood python.

In fact, this blood python was injured last night. As a variant species, it possesses extraordinary regenerative abilities, at the cost of energy depletion.

Therefore, the blood python went out to hunt and recover from its injuries last night and has not returned yet.

Naturally, Tong Bo also failed to find Tong Xin.

The entire underground city was now completely empty.

Aside from traversing the entire underground city and memorizing its general layout, Tong Bo gained nothing from this trip.

In the end, they had no choice but to leave.

Then, as I was leaving, I suddenly saw a black figure flash past in front of me.

Tong Bo was taken aback, and instantly sensed a familiar feeling.

It's... that man in black from last night!
This person not only knew more about the Imperial Sword Manor than him, but also entered the dungeon before him.

Perhaps it was at that moment that the other party saw Tong Xin!
Tong Bo immediately used his lightness skill to chase after him.

The man in black headed out of the Imperial Sword Manor, intentionally controlling his speed to keep himself within Tong Bo's line of sight.

Before long, the two of them had left the Imperial Sword Manor.

The man in black suddenly stopped, waiting for Tong Bo to catch up with him.

Tong Bo quickly caught up, maintaining a safe distance.

The man in black asked, "Who is that boy named Tong Xin to you?"

Tong Bo quickly replied, "He is my younger brother."

The man in black said, "You don't need to go down there anymore. I've already rescued him, but he's not in good condition. It took him a whole day to wake up."

"Where is he now?"

He left on his own.

Tong Bo quickly clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your help."

The man in black turned around and said, "Be careful. When I went underground last night, I saw Yin Zhong pour the blood of that giant snake into your brother's body. It seemed like he was performing some kind of terrible ritual."

Having said that, he once again used his lightness skill to transform into a black shadow and disappear into the distance.

When Tong Bo heard the last message he left behind, he couldn't help but frown. By the time he realized what was happening, the man in black had already turned into a black dot on the horizon.

He clasped his hands in a respectful greeting before leaving.

After returning to Sanhuafang, Tong Bo immediately asked Han Batian to help him investigate. This time, they found Tong Xin's whereabouts in less than half an hour.

However, he was caught stealing someone's steamed buns in a bustling city.

Tong Bo and Tong Zhan rushed there immediately and soon found Tong Xin hiding in an abandoned house nearby.

"Big brother! Second brother!"

Overjoyed, Tong Xin rushed up and hugged the two of them, saying, "You finally found me!"

"You still have the nerve to say it!"

Tong Zhan hugged his younger brother, but the joyful smile on his face suddenly turned serious.

Although I care very much.

But in front of his younger brother, Tong Zhan is a traditional, strict older brother, and could even be described as a half-father figure.

Because their father, the clan chief, was seriously ill, the eldest brother, Tong Bo, often had to help and take care of their father.

At this point, the task of taking care of his younger brother naturally fell to Tong Zhan.

The worries of the past few days instantly turned into sternness upon meeting in person.

Tong Zhan said, "I've been telling you to stick close to me, why are you..."

"Hey," Tong Bo interrupted Tong Zhan, asking gently, "Tong Xin, where have you been these past few days?"

Tong Xin laughed and said, "No... I remember... I remember I took a nap, and when I woke up I couldn't see my second brother."

Tong Bo's heart skipped a beat, realizing that what the man said was not a lie.

Four or five days have passed since the two secretly left Shuiyue Cave.

Sleep for four or five days?
This doesn't seem normal at all.

But Tong Bo said nothing. He took the two brothers back to Sanhua Fang and then had Yinxiu examine Tong Xin to see if he really had a problem.

Although Yinxiu was an elder of the Tong clan, he was quite capable, especially in the field of medicine, where he was exceptionally skilled.

However, even with the control methods modified from the martial arts techniques created by another old monster, such as Yin Zhong, they were still helpless against this old monster.

Although some problems could be detected, the cause could not be found, let alone a solution.

Tong Bo was in a state of utter confusion.

But precisely when this collaboration was about to begin, he had no time to let his mind wander.

Because in the afternoon, they were going to abduct Yin Tianxue and begin their operation.

The operation was carried out flawlessly, not only because the kidnapped people cooperated, but also because the timing was perfect.

It happened just a few days after the succession ceremony.

Because of the succession ceremony, Yujian Manor was quite busy in the days before and after that time. Yin Tianxue, who was suffering from a strange illness and did not like crowds, did not leave Yujian Manor for half a month.

It's perfectly reasonable to suddenly want to go out for a stroll, relax, and enjoy the scenery.

No one would think there's anything wrong with this.

Just like no one would have thought that someone would dare to kidnap the young lady of Yujian Manor right at the gate of Yujian Manor!
They learned of this news an hour later.

Even the message wasn't delivered by the Iron Guard, but by a pigeon carrying a ransom note.

"The Blood Ruyi?!"

Upon seeing the extortion letter, Yin Hao angrily exclaimed, "Could it be the force behind the person who stole the Blood Jade Scepter before?"

Yin Zhongdao said, "The succession ceremony had already begun, and the situation was urgent. I took drastic measures and killed the thief, but I don't know if he had any powerful backers. If he did, the possibility is quite high." Because he took out the Blood Ruyi for too short a time, and apart from him, no one knew how he obtained it.

Therefore, Yin Hao always believed that Yin Zhong had killed the thief and retrieved the Blood Ruyi in such a short time.

The trust and blood ties cultivated over the past few decades have given him unwavering trust in Yin Zhong.

After testing it using a secret method and confirming that the Blood Jade Scepter was indeed genuine, no further questions were asked.

Yin Zhong decided to go with the flow and take the other party's guess as true.

"You caused trouble at my Imperial Sword Manor's succession ceremony before, and now you've kidnapped Tianxue... Do you really think my Imperial Sword Manor's five-hundred-year-old reputation came for nothing!"

Yin Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Brother, this force has attacked my Imperial Sword Manor time and time again. I'm afraid they really don't respect the reputation of Imperial Sword Manor. Perhaps they do have some strength."

Yin Hao nodded: "Yes, I know."

He could naturally think of that as well.

The strength of the Imperial Sword Manor is largely public knowledge.

For example, the formidable Iron Guard.

For example, there are two grandmaster-level experts like him and Yin Zhong.

Such strength was definitely not weak within the ancient Shu Kingdom.

However, this force still dares to provoke again and again; it would be impossible without some kind of backing.

But no matter what, Yujian Manor will never yield.

Just as he was about to make a decision, he suddenly remembered something, looked at Yin Tianqi beside him, and asked, "Tianqi, what do you think we should do now?"

Yin Tianqi said, "What else can we do? Let's take out the Blood Ruyi first and ensure Tianxue's safety!"

Yin Hao nodded, thinking to himself that although Tianqi was somewhat naive and his progress was a bit slow, he still valued his family very much.

Based on this alone, he is a qualified estate owner.

Blood Ruyi is important.

But after the other piece of the Blood Ruyi was lost hundreds of years ago, only a single piece remained. It lost its healing effect and became merely a symbol.

In fact, during its five-hundred-year history, Yujian Manor has lost a great deal.

Not every manor lord is wise and powerful.

Yin Tianqi, a manor lord who is somewhat foolish and naive, can actually be considered average in the context of five hundred years of inheritance.

Some landlords always come up with some inexplicable rules.

For example, a short period of time a few hundred years ago, there was a manor lord who established a rule that women were not allowed to practice martial arts.

From today's perspective, this rule is incredibly stupid.

The Yin family of Yujian Manor has a bloodline curse.

Each generation has had a small population.

There were already very few people there, and they even forbade women from practicing martial arts, probably because they were afraid that the Imperial Sword Manor would have too many experts and its position would be too secure.

So this rule was quickly abolished.

Regardless of gender, as long as they are members of the Yin family, they are ultimately connected by blood. The more people who learn martial arts, the greater the hope of a strong person emerging.

Besides these landlords who arbitrarily set up rules, there were also plenty of power struggles and emotional clashes.

Amidst these twists and turns, another blood-red jade scepter disappeared.

Some special traditions have also been lost.

For example, ancient records indicate that the ancestors of the Imperial Sword Manor actually possessed a method for utilizing the Blood Ruyi.

When the two Blood Ruyi are combined, they become a miraculous healing treasure capable of bringing the dead back to life and restoring flesh and bone.

A single one is an extremely powerful weapon.

However, the use of this weapon requires a unique method.

However, this method has long been lost.

Otherwise, even if only one Blood Ruyi remained, it could still be considered one of the strongest assets of the Imperial Sword Manor.

Now, it only has symbolic meaning.

Although it was an heirloom, in Yin Hao's eyes, this purely symbolic heirloom was not as important as his own daughter.

If Yin Tianxue were to see this scene, she would probably be surprised again.

Because she always felt that her father was a rigid person who always followed the rules.

In reality, Yin Hao only follows the rules at certain times.

The so-called rules passed down from ancestors are, in his case, highly flexible.

It depends on whether the specific situation warrants Yin Hao's flexibility.

If it's not worth it, he'll naturally spout off all the rules.

Just like when Yin Tianxue went into a state of demonic possession, he sought out famous doctors for treatment, but she remained unharmed.

When Yin Tianxue brought up the Blood Ruyi, Yin Hao had no choice but to resort to the rules.

Because he knew that the Blood Jade could not save his daughter.

But in order to maintain the legend of the Blood Jade, the only option was to cite the rules.

However, Yin Hao is clearly the typical father who keeps all his good intentions to himself, and doesn't like to talk about them or explain them.

He had no idea what his excuses meant to Yin Tianxue.

But now, Xue Ruyi can truly play its role in this matter.

As a result, the rules that Yin Hao mentioned suddenly became flexible.

Yin Tianqi, being young and impetuous, didn't care about Xue Ruyi at all.

And Yin Zhong, needless to say.

Regardless of whether it's proper or not, that blood-red ruyi was a fake.

He doesn't even care much about genuine products, let alone counterfeit ones.

"Brother, we still need to carefully consider this matter. If the other party takes the Blood Ruyi and returns Tianxue, that would be ideal. But if they refuse to release her or even kill her..."

Yin Hao nodded, agreeing with Yin Zhong's words, but then shook his head and said, "These robbers are not ordinary. They were wary of this, so they directly gave us the location and time of the transaction."

As he spoke, he showed the extortion letter to Yin Zhong.

The letter did indeed specify the time and place directly.

The location is on nearby Gupan Mountain.

It's said to be nearby, but it's actually quite far; it would take about an hour and a half to get there on horseback.

However, the time given in the letter was only two hours.

Even if they ride at full speed, they can only compress the time by half an hour at most.

In other words, at most, they only have one hour to prepare.

Unfortunately, the transaction took place on a dangerous peak, an hour and a half's journey away under normal circumstances.

Given such a distance and time, it's safe to say that the other side had absolutely no chance to prepare for them.

"This group of people has probably been planning this for a long time."

Yin Zhong held the letter tightly and said, "But the more this is the case, the less we can let them lead us by the nose."

"That...I understand, of course," Yin Hao said. "But what can we do in such a short time?"

Yin Zhongdao said, "In any case, strengthening our forces is never a bad thing. Moreover, the enemy is probably already on guard against the two of us. If someone they don't know joins us now, we can use them as a surprise force..."

Yin Hao's eyes lit up: "You mean..."

(End of this chapter)