Upon hearing my words, Xue Dong was stunned, as if struck by lightning. After a few seconds of silence, he said with trembling lips, "You're saying that Miss was captured by the men in black robes? The two sides have been fighting for so many years. If Miss falls into the hands of the men in black robes, isn't that like a lamb being led to the slaughter? Why have you kept such a big thing a secret until now?"

I explained quickly, "Listen to me, things aren't as bad as you think. I have something extremely important to the Black Robe, and they won't act recklessly until they get it! As long as you cooperate with me, there's a chance to rescue Jiang Man!"

"I can't cooperate!"

Xue Dong's attitude changed immediately. He pulled out the satellite phone from his waist and said firmly, "Miss's safety is the bottom line of Tianxia Group. No matter how bold I am, I cannot hide this from President Jiang. This is not about my future, but my life!"

"Xue Dong, listen to me!"

Seeing Xue Dong's state, I grabbed his wrist: "Uncle Tian is far away in Tianjin right now. Even if you call him, it won't do any good except make him worry too! Given Jiang Tianyi's personality, once he finds out that Jiang Man is in trouble, he'll probably spend all his wealth to hire experts to help! Let's not talk about the outcome of doing so, but first of all, it will definitely put enormous pressure on the Black Robe people, making them use Jiang Man as a shield. This will only make her situation more dangerous!"

"There's no point in telling me this. My job is to protect Miss Jiang and report back promptly! You want me to help you keep this from President Jiang? What if things go wrong in the end? How am I supposed to explain myself? Even if I give my life for President Jiang, what good will it do?"

Xue Dong shook his head: "The young lady wasn't lost under my watch. I'm reporting the matter to President Jiang now, and my role from now on will only be that of a search and rescuer! But if I join you in deceiving our superiors and subordinates, then I'll become an accomplice, and the responsibilities involved are completely different!"

After learning of Xue Dong's concerns, I frowned and looked at him: "Are you trying to save people or shirk responsibility?"

"I got to where I am today by working hard for every single opportunity! I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard for. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Xue Dong didn't beat around the bush, but responded very realistically: "My status is different from yours. You have a cooperative relationship with Tianxia Group, while I am an employee of Tianxia Group! You have the right to make your own decisions, but my only duty is to obey! On this point, we are fundamentally different!"

Seeing that Xue Dong wouldn't accept my plan, I had no choice but to use reverse psychology: "So for you, whether or not you can rescue Jiang Man isn't important. The most urgent thing is to minimize your own responsibility, right?"

"Mr. Duan, you are insulting me!"

Upon hearing my words, a flash of anger crossed Xue Dong's eyes: "If I were truly such a snobbish person, President Jiang wouldn't have placed me in this position! I admit I do have some concerns about my future, but the main reason is that I'm afraid if we act rashly and cause any irreparable consequences, I'll be letting down President Jiang's cultivation, and I won't even know how to face him!"

"Xue Dong, I know you've always been loyal to the Jiang family, and that's precisely why I need your cooperation in rescuing Jiang Man! Our current concern isn't how to explain things to Jiang Tianyi, but how to bring Jiang Man back and prevent him from being heartbroken upon hearing this news!"

I looked into Xue Dong's eyes and said very seriously, "You came all the way from Tianjin, so you should know how troublesome it is to bring people here from outside. If you ask Jiang Tianyi for help now, no matter who he sends, they won't be as quick as us. Besides, I'm directly involved in this matter and know the situation better than outsiders. If I can't save people, it will only be more difficult for outsiders to do this! You are my only help right now, but even if you don't help, I will do it myself!"

I think Jiang Tianyi concealed this matter not because he was afraid of holding me responsible, but because the Tianxia Group is simply too large. If this behemoth were to make a move, it would inevitably cause a huge upheaval in the martial arts world, making our rescue operation even more difficult.

After hearing my words, Xue Dong stood there with his fists clenched, his face so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

I took a deep breath and continued, "When I was on the phone with Uncle Tian, ​​I lied to him and said that Jiang Man was waiting for me to come back and pick her up in the mountains. So from his perspective, at least for now, Jiang Man is safe. If you're worried about getting into trouble, you can say that I didn't tell you anything! Xue Dong, I could have lied to you too, but the reason I told you the truth is that only by cooperating with each other can the plan go more smoothly. Do you understand?"

After listening to me, Xue Dong took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took two deep drags, opened his mouth several times, and then swallowed back what he was saying.

I knew he was under tremendous psychological pressure at that moment, so I didn't rush him, but just waited quietly.

Regarding the rescue of Jiang Man, I don't only have Xue Dong as an option; I have several other contingency plans.

At this moment, Song Laosan has taken over the Wei family. If they want to save people, they must cooperate with me and use the three beast heads to negotiate with the man in black robes.

Besides Song Laosan, I even considered calling the snake beauty and asking her for help.

Although I have never interacted with the people from Fengmen Village since arriving in Qingyun Town, I know that they must have already arrived in Ping'an Town and are lying in wait somewhere.

Although there are many backup plans, none of them are as reliable as the Jiang family. Only when everyone is working towards a common goal can I confidently entrust my back to them.

After smoking half a cigarette, Xue Dong finally spoke: "How confident are you about our ability to save the young lady?"

"I can't guarantee that we can rescue her, but I can guarantee 100% that Jiang Man will not be harmed."

I said firmly, "We possess something that is crucial to the Black Robe. As long as I can let them know that it's in my hands, these people will absolutely not harm Jiang Man!"

"You were able to bring us into Fengmen Village back then, which always made me think you were an outstanding person. This time, I'm betting that you can create another miracle."

Xue Dong took a deep breath: "Mr. Duan, I've staked everything on you!"

Seeing that Xue Dong agreed to cooperate, I relaxed: "Things can also be viewed in a positive light. Jiang Man is the successor of Tianxia Group. Everything you are doing now is paving the way for your future!"

"At a time like this, don't give me empty promises."

Xue Dong gave a wry smile: "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"