Two Tasks

"So, you don't actually know if Mr. Lan's child was kidnapped by Boss An's men?"

Xiang Yang rubbed his chin and looked at the nervous expressions of the young man and the large men behind him. These people wanted to use him to overthrow their boss and then leave the Little Knife Society. Once their boss was gone, the Little Knife Society would collapse on its own. At the same time, they didn't want to go to jail for their past crimes of human trafficking and wanted him to help them out.

"It's highly probable. Constable Xiang, as I said at the beginning, Boss An started his career by trafficking people. He's also ruthless and greedy, keeping everything for himself. No one in Anyuan dares to do this except him, so we are ninety percent sure he's responsible."

Seeing that Xiang Yang's expression hadn't softened, the young man continued, "Constable Xiang, you must have guessed that Captain Wang from the county yamen has been keeping an eye on Boss An for a while now, right?

In fact, from the beginning of the case, Boss An was summoned to the yamen by Captain Wang for questioning more than once. However, they never found anything because Boss An hid the trafficked people in a very secret location. Without witnesses or evidence, there was nothing they could do to Boss An.

As I said before, due to Boss An's influence, we also committed a few acts against our conscience. We know some of Boss An's secrets. As long as Constable Xiang can guarantee our safety, we are willing to help you find that place."

The young man spoke with a nervous look, unsure if Xiang Yang would agree or be able to fulfill their request. They were essentially taking a gamble.

Betraying Boss An, leaving the Little Knife Society, avoiding the harassment of the Giant Bear Gang, and not being wanted by the authorities – living openly and honestly under the sun was the only wish of these brothers. And the only person they could rely on was Xiang Yang, whom they had just met and didn't know well.

"Guarantee your safety? To be honest, I really don't know why you have so much confidence in me. I'm just a constable who's been on the job for one day. I'm not as capable as you think."

Xiang Yang truly didn't understand what these people were thinking, treating him like a life-saving straw, unaware that he didn't have much power or influence himself. If he were to solve this case with their help, at most, they would be used as witnesses to reduce their sentences, making them spend a few fewer years in prison.

This was a matter of opportunity, not something that could be decided solely by an encounter.

Firstly, the group led by this young man formed a small clique within the Little Knife Society, sticking together for mutual benefit. They recognized the young man as their leader and were willing to follow him. Therefore, the young man represented the will of this group.

As for the young man himself, he had been in the Little Knife Society for a considerable time. While he hadn't committed murder or arson, he had done many things against his conscience and broken the law. He was tormented internally, and on top of that, he had to passively endure the constant disturbances and provocations from the Giant Bear Gang. The Little Knife Society lacked the strength to confront them directly, and over time, he had become extremely annoyed and was on the verge of a breakdown.

Today, meeting Xiang Yang, who had helped them out and casually advised them to leave the Little Knife Society as soon as possible, spoke to their deepest desires. A surge of emotions overwhelmed his rationality, leading him to place all his hopes on Xiang Yang, seeking a way out.

Hearing Xiang Yang's hesitation, the young man's impulsive feelings gradually subsided, and he began to regret his actions. He looked at Xiang Yang with a flickering gaze, a murderous intent rising within him. If they couldn't achieve their goals, he would have no choice but to kill Xiang Yang and flee, perhaps becoming an outlaw like those in the Black Wind Mountain Stronghold. After all, they were absolutely not going to jail.

Xiang Yang saw the murderous intent in the young man's unprincipled eyes. The large men behind him seemed to sense the shift in atmosphere and began to surround him. Feeling a chill, Xiang Yang drew his Wild Goose Feather Saber, ready to act.

However, the Wordless Book in his mind reacted. A phantom image of a layer of paper with writing peeled away from the depths of his pupils, floating within.

"This is truly troublesome. Reward for rescuing Mr. Lan's only son: Divine Steps Shifting Form. Reward for accepting and fulfilling the requests of the people before me: Golden Dragon Whip Technique."

The Wordless Book issued missions, depending on whether Xiang Yang accepted them. Relaxing his grip on the Wild Goose Feather Saber, Xiang Yang's expression showed hesitation. Divine Steps Shifting Form and Golden Dragon Whip Technique – even without seeing their specific descriptions or cultivation methods, he was no stranger to these martial arts.

Firstly, Divine Steps Shifting Form was a movement technique from the Iron Sword Sect. It played a decisive role in allowing Master Bao, as an ordinary person, to move with such grace and toy with skilled martial artists.

Setting aside Master Bao's enhancements, Divine Steps Shifting Form was inherently profound and advanced, divided into three levels: "Greased Lightning," "Gecko's Wall Crawl," and "Loach's Burrow."

Despite their crude names, these were undoubtedly superior movement techniques. With the addition of internal energy, "Greased Lightning" could cover a thousand miles in a day, surpassing Dai Zong's "Eight Hundred Miles a Day" from the Liangshan Marsh. Of course, this was a general statement; it certainly offered a significant advantage in long-distance pursuits.

"Gecko's Wall Crawl," as the name suggested, allowed one to scale walls and enter houses as if walking on flat ground. If nothing else, mastering this move would greatly simplify the difficulties of stealing jade, seducing women, and robbing the rich to help the poor in the future.

"Loach's Burrow" was purely a defensive movement technique, similar to martial arts like the "Eighteen Falling Leaves of the Touching Cloth." It involved circulating and vibrating internal energy throughout the body, making oneself invulnerable to the enemy while also being unable to harm the enemy. It was a life-saving movement technique.

As for the Golden Dragon Whip Technique, it was the martial art of Ma Wangshen, the third of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. It was of average quality, far inferior to the Hu Family Saber techniques.

Overall, of the two missions and their rewards issued by the Wordless Book this time, only rescuing Mr. Lan's only son to obtain the Divine Steps Shifting Form movement technique was something Xiang Yang could achieve.

As for helping the people before him, Xiang Yang pondered that it was not worth the effort, or rather, it wasn't a matter of worth. He simply couldn't do it. Furthermore, the Golden Dragon Whip Technique held little appeal for him, so he saw no need to waste more thought on it.

Currently, he was neither the son of a county magistrate nor a constable of a county. His influence was too low; he was merely a subordinate. If he were to act on behalf of the public or grovel to Magistrate Li or Captain Wang for these people, they might not even agree.

However, there was one thing he absolutely had to do: rescue Mr. Lan's only son. This would allow him to expand his network, gain recognition in the county yamen, and receive the Divine Steps Shifting Form as a system reward – killing three birds with one stone. He needed to think this through carefully.

As he was thinking, the content of the Heavenly Book changed again, leaving only the mission to rescue Mr. Lan's only son. It was quite humane.

"Ahem, I understand everyone's intentions. It's not that there's no way, but it involves too many aspects. We need to discuss it carefully.

For example, the specific location where Boss An is hiding the people, how to absolve you from this human trafficking case, how to prevent Boss An from retaliating against you, and how to ensure the Giant Bear Gang stops bothering you after the Little Knife Society disbands. These all require careful consideration, so please don't rush."

Xiang Yang's phoenix eyes flickered as he spoke volubly, deceiving these simple-minded individuals. At the very least, he needed to extract the exact location where the people were being held.

Upon hearing Xiang Yang's words, the young man and the seven or eight large men's eyes lit up. It seemed they had found the right person this time. He was considering things even more thoroughly than they were. If they could truly leave the gang disputes without any worries, the money they had earned over the years would be enough for them to live comfortably and securely in Anyuan.