Two Tasks

"So, you don't actually know whether Mr. Lan's child was kidnapped on Boss An's orders?"

Xiang Yang stroked his chin and looked up at the anxious expressions of the young man and the burly men behind him. These people wanted to use his hand to bring down their own boss and leave the Little Knife Society. After all, once their boss was gone, the Little Knife Society would collapse without being attacked. At the same time, they did not want to go to prison for their past crimes of kidnapping and trafficking, so they wanted him to help them out of their predicament.

"It's eight or nine parts out of ten, Constable Xiang. I told you from the start that Boss An built his fortune through human trafficking. He's ruthless and greedy, keeping all the meat for himself. In Anyuan, no one but him would dare do such a thing, so we're ninety percent certain he did it."

At the end of this, seeing that Xiang Yang's expression still had not softened, the young man continued, "Constable Xiang, you must have guessed that Captain Wang of the County Yamen had noticed Boss An long ago, right?"

In fact, ever since the case began, Boss An had been summoned to the yamen by Captain Wang for questioning more than once. Yet nothing had ever come of it, because Boss An hid the trafficked people in an extremely secret location. Without witnesses or physical evidence, there was simply nothing they could do to him.

As I said before, forced by Boss An's power, we also did several things that went against our consciences. 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."

As he spoke, the young man's face was full of unease. He did not know whether Xiang Yang would agree, nor whether Xiang Yang could truly do it. All they could do was gamble everything.

Betray Boss An, leave the Little Knife Society, avoid the Giant Bear Gang's harassment, and avoid being wanted by the authorities as well—living openly beneath the sunlight was the only wish of these few brothers. And the only person they could cling to was Xiang Yang, whom they had just met and scarcely understood.

"Guarantee your safety? To be honest, I really don't know why you have such faith in me. I've only been a constable for one day. I'm not as capable as you imagine."

Xiang Yang truly did not understand what these people were thinking. They treated him as their last straw, yet they did not know that he himself had neither much strength nor much influence. Even if he solved this case with their help, at most he could make them state witnesses and lessen their sentences, sparing them a few years in prison.

This was really a matter of coincidence and circumstance, not something brought about by a single face-to-face encounter.

First, the people led by this young man formed a small clique. Within the Little Knife Society, they had huddled together for warmth. They all recognized the young man as their leader and were willing to follow him, so he represented the wishes of this group.

Then there was the young man himself. He had spent quite some time in the Little Knife Society. He had not murdered or set fires, but he had done plenty of illegal and immoral things. While suffering inwardly, he also had to passively endure the Giant Bear Gang's endless provocations and disruptions. The Little Knife Society lacked the strength to fight them head-on. Over time, he had become sick to death of it all, standing on the brink of collapse.

Today, Xiang Yang had helped them out of trouble and casually advised them to leave the Little Knife Society as soon as possible, voicing what was in their hearts. For a moment, a hundred emotions surged through him, and feeling overwhelmed reason. So he had placed everything on Xiang Yang, hoping to find a way out.

Now, hearing Xiang Yang's evasions, the young man's impulsiveness gradually receded, and regret rose in his heart. His gaze flickered as he looked at Xiang Yang, murder stirring within him. If Xiang Yang truly could not meet their demands, they could only kill him and flee to the ends of the earth. At worst, they could follow the Black Wind Mountain Stronghold's example and take to the hills as outlaws. In any case, they would never sit in a prison cell.

Seeing the murderous glint beneath the young man's shameless gaze, Xiang Yang noticed that the burly men behind him seemed to sense the shift in atmosphere as well. They crowded forward one after another. His heart turned cold, and with a sweep of his Wild Goose Feather Saber, he was about to make his move.

But at that moment, the Wordless Book reacted within his mind. In the depths of his pupils, a layer of snowy-white paper peeled away, revealing a phantom inscribed with words that drifted in the depths of his eyes.

"This really is asking for trouble. Rescue Mr. Lan's only son: reward, Divine Steps Shifting Form. Agree to and fulfill the requests of these people before you: reward, Golden Dragon Whip Technique."

The Wordless Book issued tasks depending on whether Xiang Yang accepted them. Loosening his grip on the Wild Goose Feather Saber, Xiang Yang's expression became somewhat hesitant. Divine Steps Shifting Form and the Golden Dragon Whip Technique—though he had never seen their detailed descriptions or martial arts manuals, he was no stranger to either.

First, Divine Steps Shifting Form was a lightness skill of the Iron Sword Sect. Master Bao, despite being an ordinary man, could roam as freely as a spring breeze and toy with skilled martial artists. This lightness skill had played a decisive role.

Even without Master Bao's advantage, Divine Steps Shifting Form itself was exceptionally profound and ingenious. It was divided into three levels: Oil-Slicked Soles, Lizard Climbing Walls, and Loach Burrowing Technique.

Though the names sounded crude beyond measure, it was absolutely a first-rate lightness skill manual. With inner force to support it, Oil-Slicked Soles could cover a thousand miles in a day, surpassing even Dai Zong, the Divine Traveler Protector of Mount Liang, who traveled eight hundred miles a day. Of course, that was only a general expression; in short, it possessed a tremendous advantage in long-distance travel.

Lizard Climbing Walls, as its name suggested, allowed one to scale walls and enter homes as though walking on level ground. Never mind anything else—once he mastered this move, stealing jade and pilfering fragrance, robbing the rich and aiding the poor, would no longer be too difficult.

Loach Burrowing Technique was purely an evasion art for combat, similar to martial arts like Eighteen Falls Without Touching Clothes. Inner force spun and vibrated throughout the body; the enemy could not hurt him, but he could not hurt the enemy either. It was a life-preserving lightness skill.

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

All in all, of the two tasks issued by the Wordless Book and the two rewards offered, only rescuing Mr. Lan's only son and obtaining the Divine Steps Shifting Form movement art was something Xiang Yang could accomplish.

As for helping the people before him, Xiang Yang considered it and decided it was not worth the loss—or rather, it was not a matter of whether it was worth it. He simply could not do it. Moreover, the Golden Dragon Whip Technique held little appeal for him, so there was no need to waste further thought on it.

Right now, he was neither the county magistrate's son nor the head constable of a county. His voice carried too little weight; he was merely someone else's underling. If he abused public office for private ends, or shamelessly begged Magistrate Li and Captain Wang for the sake of these fellows, they might not agree anyway.

But there was one thing he had to do: rescue Mr. Lan's only son. It would expand his connections, let him make an appearance at the County Yamen, and earn him Divine Steps Shifting Form as a system reward. Killing three birds with one arrow, he needed to think it through carefully.

As he thought this, the contents of the heavenly book changed again, leaving only the task of rescuing Mr. Lan's only son. It was rather humane.

"Ahem. Actually, I understand what you're thinking. It's not as though there is no way, but too many matters are involved, so we need to discuss it carefully.

"For example, the exact place where Boss An is hiding people; how to separate you from this Kidnapping Case; how to prevent Boss An from biting back and accusing you; and how to ensure that the Giant Bear Gang will stop causing you trouble after the Little Knife Society falls apart. All of this needs careful study, so don't panic yet."

Xiang Yang's phoenix eyes flickered as he rattled off a barrage of words, beginning to bluff these simple-minded, brawny fools. At the very least, he had to coax out the exact location where the people were being hidden.

Hearing Xiang Yang's words, the young man and the seven or eight burly men's eyes lit up. It seemed they truly had not found the wrong person this time. He had considered even more than they had. If they could truly leave the gang's conflicts without any lingering worries, the money they had amassed over the years would be enough for them to live comfortably and peacefully in Anyuan.