After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

When Lin Nian woke up, she was tightly bound with hemp rope, and her abdomen was aching slightly.

Although he is usually calm and collected, he is still a young man, and he was terrified when he was kidnapped.

He didn't show it on his face, but quickly closed his eyes after clearly seeing what the two people looked like.

He recognized one of the two robbers in front of him; it was Diao Tong, the bodyguard who had come with him.

Although Diao Tong has an ordinary appearance, he seems like a reliable man.

But he was a real villain. He used to be a bandit in the Jiangzhou area and was well-known in the martial arts world ten years ago.

Unfortunately, they were out of luck and encountered favorable weather in the past two years, which gave the imperial court the resources to send troops to suppress the bandits.

After the mountain stronghold was wiped out, Diao Tong escaped with his brother Wang Wu and continued to make a living by robbing and pillaging.

This time, I managed to sneak into the capital and happened to be working under Yin Shun.

He infiltrated the Lin family mansion under Yin Shun's arrangement and became a guard, all for this day.

In the mountains and forests, Wang Wu didn't need to lower his voice. "Brother, when did that person say they'd come to pick up the goods?"

Diao Tong said, "It'll be soon, just wait a little longer."

"It's going to rain. If he doesn't come soon, we brothers will all get soaked."

Diao Tong scoffed, "Do you know how much this guy is worth?"

"How much?" Wang Wu only listened to Diao Tong and usually acted according to the plan, never asking about these financial matters.

Diao Tong made a gesture.

Wang Wu guessed: "Five hundred taels?"

"Fifty thousand taels."

"What! Fifty thousand taels!" Wang Wu exclaimed in surprise. "This guy is worth that much? I'd gladly jump into the river right now, even if I were soaked to the bone."

"Look at you, so pathetic. You've been with me for so long, and you haven't improved at all," Diao Tong said. "Do you even know who asked us brothers to do this job?"

Wang Wu shook his head.

Diao Tong chuckled. "Have you heard of the Prince of Yiyang?"

"Isn't Prince Yiyang already dead...?"

As soon as Wang Wu finished speaking, Diao Tong smacked him on the head.

"You idiot! The old King Yiyang is dead, but his son has inherited the title." Diao Tong said, "His title can be passed down for three generations. The one who asked us to do this is the eldest son of King Yiyang, the heir apparent Yin Shun."

Wang Wu gasped. "My goodness, he's actually a member of the royal family." He glanced at Lin Nian under the tree. "Then why did the young master tie this boy up?"

Diao Tong rolled his eyes at him.

Wang Wu suddenly realized, "Could he be the Crown Prince's enemy?"

Diao Tong was speechless. "Xiao Wu, can you use your brain for a second? This little beauty is so good-looking, why do you think the young master would kidnap her?"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Wang Wu exclaimed again, suddenly realizing something. "Brother, you mean the young master wants to force himself on this beauty?"

"Humans are just like that, the more they can't get something, the more they want it."

"This young master is quite generous. Fifty thousand taels of silver is enough for us to rebuild our power and influence."

Diao Tong gave a light "hmm".

After a while, Wang Wu asked, "Brother, after we take the money, will we still work for this young master?"

"In our line of work, it's all about ruthless cuts," Diao Tong sneered. "This young master isn't a good person."

"Isn't being generous enough?"

"Once this is done today, this young man will be his man, and our underhanded tactics will be useless," Diao Tong said with a half-smile. "Besides, we know so many of his secrets; who knows if he'll discard us after he's served his purpose?"

"Oh, what should we do then?" Wang Wu said. "How about we run away? We can sell that beauty to a brothel; she'll be worth several thousand taels of silver."

"These days, the bold get rich, the timid starve," Diao Tong said. "Go hide this guy first, and tell him where he is after we get the money, so he won't be ungrateful."

"Big brother is so thoughtful. I'll go right away."

After Wang Wu carried Lin Nian away, Diao Tong sharpened his dagger, waiting for Yin Shun to come looking for him.

On the other side, Yin Shun, panting, asked his servant, "How far are we from the agreed location?"

The servant wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It'll be ready soon."

Yin Shun said with dissatisfaction, "Why make it so far? It's making me breathless."

The servant said, "Young Master, please bear with it for the sake of the beauty. If you get too close, the Lin family might come looking for you, and then all your efforts will be in vain."

"You're right." Yin Shun gasped for breath. "You're still the smartest kid...."

"It's all thanks to your nurturing, Your Highness."

Yin Shun and his servant were completely unaware that a pair of hawk-like eyes were coldly staring at him from the woods behind them.

By the time Yin Shun reached the agreed-upon mountain forest, he had already crossed the territory of Wutou Mountain.

As dusk fell, the dark clouds hung low in the sky, the last rays of sunlight faded, and the entire forest darkened.

The servant helped Yin Shun up, "Young Master, we've arrived."

Yin Shun felt like he was half dead. This mountain forest was unsuitable for carriages and sedan chairs, and it took him two whole hours to get there.

"Diao Tong, where is Lin Nian?" the servant asked loudly.

Diao Tong lit a bonfire, and the firelight reflected on his face, making him look somewhat ferocious in the flickering light.

However, neither Yin Shun nor the servant noticed.

"Did you bring the money?" Diao Tong asked.

The servant looked left and right but couldn't see Lin Nian, so he said, "What kind of status does our young master have? Why would he need your paltry sums? Tell me quickly, where did you hide him?"

Diao Tong said, "I want to see the money first."

The servant was about to utter a few more curses when he saw Yin Shun wave his hand, "Give him the money."

The servant pulled out a stack of silver notes from his pocket. "These are silver notes from Jinwu Silver Shop. They can be exchanged at any branch nationwide."

Diao Tong stepped forward, took the banknote, and carefully examined its authenticity.

Seeing his expression, the servant sneered, "What? Do you think our Prince Yiyang's Mansion would use counterfeit banknotes to cheat people?"

"It's good that it's true." Diao Tong put the silver notes into his clothes without saying anything more.

Seeing that he had taken the money, the servant hurriedly asked, "Where's the young man you were told to arrest? Bring him out right now!"

With his back to the two of them, Diao Tong whistled, "Don't worry, that young man won't get away."

While Diao Tong had his back to them, Yin Shun gave the servant a wink.

The servant pulled a short knife from his waistband and approached Diao Tong without making a sound.

The Prince Yiyang's mansion is no longer as magnificent as it was when the old Prince Yiyang was alive, and 50,000 taels of silver is no small sum.

Diao Tong's guess was correct; Yin Shun indeed had no intention of giving money and was even planning to kill him to silence him.

Diao Tong had anticipated this; he turned and dodged the short knife, the dagger plunging straight into the servant's chest.

The servant died with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Yin Shun was equally incredulous. This servant was the most skilled in martial arts in the Prince of Yiyang's mansion, yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from Diao Tong.

"Brother, let's talk this out..." Before Yin Shun could finish speaking, Diao Tong approached him step by step.

Yin Shun's body had long been weakened by wine and women, and after walking for two hours on mountain roads, his calves were trembling.

Even if they wanted to escape at this point, they wouldn't have the strength.

Diao Tong sneered, "I knew you were going to pull this stunt, and I've been on guard against it all along."

Upon hearing this, Yin Shun's face turned deathly pale. "It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding..."