The morning sun rose and dispersed the mist.
In Eight-Gate Village, the soldiers removed their hazmat suits. They got on their trucks and prepared to leave.
The villagers have all recovered. They left the quarantine tents one by one and returned to their homes.
“Oh, Fellow Cultivator Tang! It’s all thanks to you this time!” At the village entrance, Taoist Mater Qian Ji said gratefully while grabbing Tang Hao’s hands tightly.
The Taoist masters behind him nodded in agreement.
If not for Fellow Cultivator Tang, there might be no other cure for the villagers.
More than three hundred villagers were saved that night. It was a momentous deed!
“You’ve served your country well this time, Fellow Cultivator Tang. I’ll report your good deeds to the authorities and try to apply for an award for you. Oh, and a silk pennant too,” Taoist Master Qian Ji said eagerly.
Tang Hao’s face stiffened and urgently waved his hands. “I don’t need the silk pennant! We’re not in ancient times anymore!”
“You need to! You need to!” Taoist Master Qian Ji insisted.
Tang Hao was helpless.
They chatted for a while more before Taoist Master Qian Ji let Tang Hao go.
Tang Hao returned to his car. He turned around to look at the village one last time before leaving.
He drove along the winding mountain road.
Soon, he entered the highway. He increased the speed and drove back toward Provincial City.
He arrived at Provincial City about three hours later.
When he arrived in his residential area, his phone suddenly rang.
Tang Hao saw that the call was from Liu Bingyao. He was about to answer the call when it abruptly stopped.
Tang Hao was a little surprised. The phone had only rung for about five seconds before she ended the call.
He immediately returned the call, but no one picked it up.
“What’s going on?” Tang Hao was intrigued. He suddenly had an ominous feeling.
For a cultivator, the ominous feeling was usually correct.
Tang Hao parked his car outside of the residential area. His expression was grim. He tried calling the number again but no one picked up.
“Don’t tell me… something really happened?”
The ominous feeling became stronger than ever.
His phone rang again a few minutes later. It was from Liu Bingyao. Tang Hao immediately answered it. Before he could speak, he heard a low, hoarse male voice from the other end.
His tone of voice carried a hint of mockery.
“I’ve been looking for you, Tang kid. This chick is in our hands right now… Tsk tsk! She’s a masterpiece, like a divine fairy. You’re so lucky!”
Tang Hao’s expression became extremely dark and sullen.
His hand grabbed the phone a little tighter. His eyes narrowed and flashed with a shocking coldness.
“Unfortunately for you, your lucky streak is coming to an end. You’ve crossed someone that you shouldn’t have. You should know how this ends for you, right?
“If you want the chick to live, then be a good boy, don’t call the police, and come here by yourself. We will be at the abandoned warehouses in the industrial park in the northern countryside of the city.
“If you don’t come, or if you call the police, then you can say goodbye to the chick forever.”
The voice smirked one last time before ending the call abruptly.
Tang Hao’s expression was chillingly scary as he listened to the busy tone on the phone.
‘If you dare lay a finger on the people close to me, prepare to die!’
Tang Hao’s killing intent was rising rapidly.
‘Who could it be? The Wu family? The Lu family? Or that Fang Qiming?”
The Wu and Lu families were the biggest suspects, but it might also be Fang Qiming. Fang Qiming came from a wealthy family. He had the financial capability to hire someone to kidnap Liu Bingyao.
He was deep in thought when he received a call from Teacher Jiang.
“Tang Hao, just now… I think there’s a car following me. I noticed it quite some time ago. Fortunately, I realized it and managed to shake it off. Do you think that it’s someone hired by that Lu Bin?”
Teacher Jiang still sounded afraid.
Tang Hao’s expression changed. “Where are you now, Teacher Jiang?”
“I’ve just arrived at the university, and I’m hiding in the security post now. I should be fine,” Teacher Jiang said.
“Alright, then you should stay there. Call me immediately if there’s anything. I’m in a little bit of trouble here,” Tang Hao said.
“Alright!” Teacher Jiang replied.
Tang Hao’s expression became grimmer than ever after the call ended.
If Teacher Jiang was also being targeted, then it must not have been Fang Qiming, but instead either the Wu or Lu family.
Lu Bin and Wu Yulian had been remanded for investigation. Who else could it be then?
Tang Hao pondered for a while, then started his car and sped toward the north of the city.
He was extremely worried and also feeling a little guilty of what he had done.
Liu Bingyao was not carrying a blood jade bead. If her kidnappers had sinister intentions, they would most likely succeed.
That was all caused by him. He would be devastated if any harm came to Liu Bingyao.
He floored the accelerator and unleashed the full power of the jade talismans in the car. The car sped forward like lightning.
He arrived at the industrial park in the northern countryside of the city about six minutes later.
When he arrived there, he noticed three black cars coming in from the opposite junction. In the cars were several burly men.
He furrowed his brows after examining each of them.
The people did not seem like gangsters. They were more intimidating and carried an aura that commanded fear.
‘Soldiers!’
The term appeared in Tang Hao’s mind.
Those people must have been ex-soldiers to carry themselves in that imposing manner.
The three cars turned the corner and headed into the industrial park. Tang Hao saw that Liu Bingyao was seated in the second car with duct tape over her mouth.
Next to her was a tall man wearing sunglasses and had a scar on his face.
Tang Hao watched them drive in.
It was rather inconvenient for him to ram his car into theirs. Liu Bingyao was still inside, and they were still on a main road which would attract a lot of attention.
He waited for a minute after the cars went in before he followed behind.
The three cars stopped in front of a warehouse, and the people got out of the cars. The tall and burly men dragged Liu Bingyao out of the car, then pushed her toward the warehouse.
The men ogled at her body and laughed uproariously.
Liu Bingyao’s face was pale. She dared not fight back when she was pushed into the warehouse.
Tang Hao’s expression turned cold. He floored the accelerator and drove the car straight toward the warehouse. At the entrance, he turned the car and rammed at the front door.
Two people were guarding the warehouse entrance. They were stunned when they saw the car suddenly appear in front of them. They did not manage to react in time.
Bang!
One of the people was sent flying about five meters away. His body was twisted when he landed on the floor and he remained motionless.
The car was moving at an incredibly fast speed. A normal person could not survive the impact.
The people in the warehouse were shocked. They turned around to see, while reflexively pulled out their guns and aimed them at Tang Hao.
They were stunned when they noticed the boy sitting in the car.
‘How could that kid arrive so soon?’
Meanwhile, Liu Bingyao seemed to be happy and relieved when she saw Tang Hao arrive.
Then, she became worried. She shook her head urgently at Tang Hao.
A man with a scar on his face held a gun to Liu Bingyao’s head. Then, he looked at Tang Hao and said viciously, “Get out of the car now, kid. No more tricks from you.”
