682: Almost intercepted

Shalu replied, "That young lady seems to be in a great hurry for money, so after we notified you, we first arranged accommodation for her."

"She is now at the Tongfu Inn, two streets south from here. If you had arrived a moment later, she might have already left!"

Xiao Lingchen nodded and said, "Alright! I understand!"

With that said, Xiao Lingchen turned to leave.

However, before leaving, Xiao Lingchen also threw down a Storage Ring.

"Inside, is your remuneration."

Wanbao Pavilion naturally wouldn't help for free. For someone like him who introduces clients, they always take a commission based on the transaction price.

However, for now, they didn't know the final price Xiao Lingchen would settle for, so they naturally didn't know how much commission to take.

But who said Xiao Lingchen was short of money now?

The Spirit Stones contained in that Storage Ring were already sufficient!

Shalu took the Storage Ring, beaming with joy, and watched Xiao Lingchen depart.

And Xiao Lingchen's movements were extremely swift.

In almost a blink of an eye, he arrived at the Tongfu Inn Shalu had mentioned.

Upon his arrival, a young waiter who looked like a scholar greeted him with a smiling face:

"Guest, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?"

Xiao Lingchen said directly, "I'm looking for someone."

Hearing this, the waiter sized Xiao Lingchen up for a moment.

He immediately recognized Xiao Lingchen:

"You must be Xiao Lingchen, right?"

"Steward Sha of Wanbao Pavilion mentioned you to me!"

"Young Lady Xi Yao is currently in Room Jia of the Earth Character section. You can go directly to her!"

Xiao Lingchen nodded and turned to walk towards the stairs.

However, just as he reached the corner of the second floor, he heard a sharp cry of alarm from within Room Jia of the Earth Character section, accompanied by clear sounds of struggle and fear.

"Let go of me! Get out of here!"

Xiao Lingchen's heart tightened. He tapped his toes on the ground, his figure darting to the door, and without hesitation, he slammed his palm against the door panel.

"Bang!"

Amidst flying wood splinters, the scene inside the room came into view.

The room was in disarray. A woman dressed in a plain white long dress was being restrained by two burly men in black.

Her hair was disheveled, a few strands clinging to her sweaty cheeks, yet it could not conceal her stunning face.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes resembled autumn waters.

But at this moment, those eyes were red with fright.

Xiao Lingchen guessed at a glance that the woman was Xi Yao, whom Shalu had spoken of.

"Stop!"

Xiao Lingchen demanded coldly, spiritual Qi already condensed in his palm.

The two burly men in black saw someone intrude, exchanged glances, and one of them suddenly pulled out a short knife, charging directly at Xiao Lingchen!

That burly man in black was quite strong, already at the Middle Stage of the Guiyi Realm.

However, to the current Xiao Lingchen, the Guiyi Realm was no different from an ant!

Xiao Lingchen used his technique.

A sword finger pointed directly at the man's forehead.

The speed was so fast that before he could react, his forehead was instantly pierced, and he died on the spot!

The other burly man in black, seeing this, could not help but show a look of horror in his eyes.

He quickly placed the short knife he held against Xi Yao's fair neck:

"If you know what's good for you, get out! Otherwise, I'll kill her!"

Xiao Lingchen's gaze darkened:

"Let her go, and I can let you die a quick death."

Although he said so verbally, Xiao Lingchen never thought the other party would actually obey.

Therefore, while speaking, Xiao Lingchen also moved to strike him.

But unexpectedly, that burly man in black also guessed Xiao Lingchen's thoughts.

One-hundredth of a second before Xiao Lingchen made his move, he had already unleashed a thick black mist, obscuring the surrounding vision.

And he also took this opportunity to hoist Xi Yao onto his shoulder and break through the window!

"Trying to run?"

Xiao Lingchen snorted coldly, directly activating Instantaneous Movement to pursue him!

The burly man in black was clearly very familiar with the city's terrain, carrying Xi Yao and running wildly through the city.

But how could Xiao Lingchen's Instantaneous Movement be a false reputation?

No matter how the burly man in black tried to escape, he was like a shadow.

"Pfft!"

A surge of spiritual Qi pierced through the burly man in black. He let out a scream, and his speed drastically decreased.

He still wanted to escape.

But the next second, a sword light slashed through his head, and brain matter and blood splattered out.

The burly man in black fell to the ground with a thud, breathless.

Xi Yao, who was already frightened, was left alone, now trembling even more from fear.

After a while, she finally recovered, curtsied deeply to Xiao Lingchen, her voice still trembling:

"Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life... If not for your timely arrival, Xi Yao might have..."

At this point, her eyes reddened, and she couldn't continue speaking.

Xiao Lingchen looked at her pale face and said indifferently, "No need to thank me. Why did those people capture you?"

Xi Yao pursed her lips, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes:

"They... they came for an item on me."

Xiao Lingchen raised an eyebrow and immediately asked, "What they want, is it the Soul-Extending Silk?"

Xi Yao was startled, "How does Young Master know?"

Joy filled Xiao Lingchen's eyes, and his tone became a bit more urgent:

"To be honest, I came to find you precisely for this Soul-Extending Silk."

"I am willing to pay a hefty price for it. No matter how many Spirit Stones you want, or other treasures, as long as I can do it, I will agree."

Xi Yao stared at him blankly, the panic on her face gradually fading, replaced by a complex determination.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly, with a 'thud,' she knelt down before Xiao Lingchen.

Her plain white skirt spread out on the blood-stained ground, becoming stained red with blood.

"Young Master's life-saving grace, Xi Yao has no way to repay."

She looked up at Xiao Lingchen, her eyes no longer showing the timidity from before, only a desperate earnestness:

"Xi Yao can give the Soul-Extending Silk to you for free, without taking a single coin, but..."

"Xi Yao dares to ask Young Master to agree to one thing for her."

Xiao Lingchen helped her up by the arm and said in a deep voice, "You stand up first and speak."

"What is it?"

Xi Yao, however, stubbornly remained kneeling, to show her sincerity.

Her fingertips clutched her skirt tightly, her knuckles turning white:

"I know Young Master is a powerful Cultivator. I hope Young Master can save my Family!"

Her voice trembled, yet every word was clear:

"Young Master may not know, but Xi Yao's Family was originally a prominent Family in Fenglin Country. But half a month ago, the Zhao Family, who had been our generational enemies, actually allied with three other forces and suddenly attacked my Xi Family Family!"

"They first poisoned us at a Family banquet, then besieged us with troops under the cover of night. My Family's disciples were completely unprepared, and more than half of them died or were injured overnight."

"If it weren't for the Old Ancestor of our Family forcefully burning his Lifespan to strike and repel the enemies, my Xi Family Family would probably no longer exist!"

"But the Old Ancestor was already at the end of his rope, and that battle almost exhausted his last shred of vitality. Now he can only hang on by his last breath, and he probably won't last more than three days!"

"The Zhao Family is watching covetously. I secretly ran out this time, wanting to exchange the Soul-Extending Silk left by my mother for some Spirit Stones, both to buy some antidote medicine for my Family members and to seek some experts for help."

"But I never expected... the news of this Soul-Extending Silk to be leaked, attracting those men in black..."