Xie Jiang and Xu Hengyan were followed by Nie Tong and Guang Bai.
Behind Zhu Xuefeng, however, followed a vast contingent of over thirty people.
As they ventured further into the mountains, riding horses became impossible, so they left their mounts outside and proceeded on foot.
The deeper they went, the more vigilant Zhu Xuefeng became.
If it weren't for the presence of Young Master Xu, he might have suspected that Xie Jiang intended to lead him into the deep wilderness and then ruthlessly silence him.
However, although the Xie fellow, relying on Young Master Xu's protection, had become somewhat arrogant and lost sight of his own capabilities, even daring to detain his third brother on a whim.
And even demanding money for his ransom.
But to kill so many of them, he likely lacked the courage for that.
Yet, Zhu Xuefeng couldn't quite understand why, when he asked to see his third brother, the other party was leading him into the deep mountains.
Could the scoundrel named Xie have set up a private prison in these mountains?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became!
Suddenly, everyone caught the aroma of roasted meat. As they walked a bit further, they saw five or six people gathered around a bonfire, roasting meat. kuAiδugg
Upon seeing Xie Jiang among the group, those individuals stood up. "Young Master."
Da Chui happily grabbed two rabbit legs and offered them to Xie Jiang.
Xie Jiang passed one of them to Xu Hengyan.
Xu Hengyan accepted it naturally.
Da Chui had briefly considered giving only one rabbit leg to Xie Jiang. But then he thought, what if Xie Jiang gave the only rabbit leg to Xu Hengyan as well?
To ensure Xie Jiang got to eat a rabbit leg, it was better to let Xu Hengyan have this one.
"Where is my third brother?" Zhu Xuefeng asked, his brow furrowed with impatience.
Nie Tong replied unceremoniously, "What's the rush? We're almost there."
Luo Tie and the others glanced at Zhu Xuefeng's group and knew why their young master had brought them here. They then took the lead, continuing further into the mountains.
Faint cries and howls drifted out, becoming clearer as they moved deeper in.
Zhu Xuefeng became even more certain that they had established a private tribunal in these woods!
Indeed.
As he looked up, he saw people hanging from the trees.
Bound to the thick tree trunks at awkward angles, any passing wild boar could easily take a bite out of a leg.
(╬◣д◢)! That Xie fellow is so ruthless!
Zhu Xuefeng and his men immediately twisted their necks, searching all around for Zhu Xue'er, Zhu's third brother.
As he passed under a tree, Zhu Xuefeng saw that one of the man's feet was gone, leaving only a bloody, mangled mess.
But the man was not dead, he was still clinging to life.
The sounds emanating from his throat made one's bones chill.
At this moment, Zhu Xuefeng still found it hard to believe that Xie Jiang would tie his third brother here in the woods!
But if his third brother wasn't here, why would Xie Jiang bring him in?
"Third brother—"
"Third Young Master—"
"Where is my third brother!" Zhu Xuefeng suddenly turned back, looking at Xie Jiang with fury.
Xie Jiang seemed startled, quickly hiding behind Xu Hengyan, and timidly poked his head out. "Your third brother wasn't tied up by me, why are you asking me?"
Guang Bai silently retreated a few steps, so as not to disturb Young Master Xie's acting.
Facing the cold-faced Xu Hengyan, Zhu Xuefeng dared not act rashly, no matter how angry he was, even if his anger wasn't directed at Xu Hengyan.
"Young Master! Young Master, save me!"
Someone with sharp eyes spotted Zhu Xuefeng's group.
"It's people who were with the Third Young Master!" Zhu Xuefeng's guards recognized them.
Zhu Xuefeng endured his anger and continued searching forward, "Third brother—"
"Brother, brother, elder brother..."
Zhu Xue'er, who had been tortured to the brink of death, finally saw a savior.
"It's the Third Young Master! The Third Young Master is there!"
"Old Third!"
Zhu Xuefeng took three steps and then two, rushing to the tree where Zhu Xue'er was tied. Looking at the man who was almost unrecognizable, he gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.
Zhu Xue'er cried profusely, "Brother, brother... save me! Wuwuwu, I want to go home! I want to go home, ah, elder brother..."
Zhu Xuefeng turned and pointed at Xie Jiang, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably. "You actually dared to torture my third brother! Xie, you're truly something!"
Xie Jiang said nonchalantly, "Your brother had a bit of a serious illness, so I treated him. No need to thank me for doing a good deed."
Guang Bai looked at Zhu Xue'er's miserable state and silently lit three sticks of incense in his heart.
The Xing Shun Earl's Mansion was truly desperate for money, to pick a fight with anyone but Young Master Xie? Was Young Master Xie someone who could be bullied?
Looking at the state of Third Young Master Zhu, one could tell how much he had suffered. He would probably have nightmares at the mere mention of Young Master Xie's name from now on.
Miserable.
But who could be blamed for his own lack of foresight?
Zhu Xuefeng drew his saber and was about to cut the ropes binding Zhu Xue'er when Nie Tong blocked him.
At the same time, the guards brought by Zhu Xuefeng, the lackeys who wanted to rescue Old Third Zhu, were also blocked by Luo Tie and the others.
In tattered clothes and with disheveled hair, Zhu Xue'er, who was suffering a fate worse than death, cried heartbrokenly.
"Elder brother! Elder brother, save me..."
There was no trace of the arrogance he displayed when he came to their door, throwing silver in Xie Jiang's face.
"Brother, elder brother! Save me! I'm dying, elder brother, save me..."
Nie Tong, carrying his saber, arrogantly shouted the price, "Ten thousand one hundred taels of silver."
Luo Tie, raising his voice, chimed in, "I have some here too, one thousand seven hundred and sixty taels!"
Old Third Zhu, along with his sixteen lackeys, was originally to be ransomed for one thousand six hundred taels of silver, but the price had increased.
Zhu Xuefeng was furious. "It was just ten thousand taels a moment ago!"
Nie Tong stood between the two brothers, unyielding. "Who told Young Master Zhu he had a bad memory and insisted I repeat myself? If you ask me to remind you again next time, the price will increase by another ten percent."
Zhu Xuefeng turned to look at Xie Jiang.
Xie Jiang was leisurely gnawing on a rabbit leg.
Seeing Zhu Xuefeng look over, Xie Jiang nodded. "No credit."
How could it be that the Xing Shun Earl's Mansion and Zhu Xuefeng would listen to Xie Jiang's demand for money to ransom someone? Moreover, Xie Jiang had made an exorbitant demand. They were the ones who extorted money from Xie Jiang, how could they be threatened into paying money in return!
Zhu Xuefeng suppressed his anger. "Release my third brother immediately, and let's pretend this incident never happened."
Xie Jiang smiled. "It did happen, and it did happen. No need to force it."
The two sides were at an impasse.
Zhu Xuefeng's expression changed repeatedly. "What exactly do you want?"
"Did you forget your brains at home when you rushed out? Oh, I forgot, perhaps your family hasn't had brains passed down for generations, otherwise, you wouldn't have sent Old Third Zhu to embarrass yourselves."
Zhu Xuefeng's face turned ashen with anger.
"We said it before, money in hand, person in hand. Wasn't it quite satisfying when Old Third Zhu came to deliver money before? But one thousand taels of silver isn't enough? Wouldn't that be trampling the face of the Xing Shun Earl's Mansion on the ground?"
Xie Jiang took a small bite of the rabbit leg, chewing slowly as he spoke, "We just added a bit to the price. No need to thank us for our good deed."
Seeing that the other side clearly would not release the person without payment, Zhu Xuefeng could no longer afford to consider Young Master Xu's presence. He signaled his subordinates and made a move.
For the sake of Young Master Xu, he would not touch the Xie fellow today; he would just take his third brother back.
He would settle the score later!