Chapter 229 Gone Mad
Upon hearing the Li family shout that there were kidnappers, a lot of cursing and shouting arose from the crowd. Just then, a kidnapper was about to cover a little girl's mouth with a handkerchief when he was caught off guard and bitten squarely by the little girl's tiny baby teeth.
The child's loud crying attracted people's attention. The little girl's mother rushed forward and hugged her tightly, while the little girl's father slapped the child thief hard across the face.
"You stole a child! You stole a child! You heartless bastard, you soulless beast!"
The crowd was furious. Even those who hadn't lost their children looked angry. Even when the kidnapper knelt down and begged for mercy, it didn't evoke any pity in them. Instead, it only fueled their anger.
Unable to bear it any longer, seeing the constables approaching, a young man stepped forward, kicked the cripple, and left. Once someone took the lead, several others followed suit, kicking and punching him as well.
When Brother Li and the constable arrived in front of the cripple, he had lost several teeth, his face was swollen, and he could no longer speak clearly.
Seeing this, how could the constable and Brother Li possibly get any more information out of them?
However, when Brother Li found the constable and told him that his child had been stolen, the constable not only notified the Imperial Guards, but also sealed off both ends of the street. One of them even ran towards the gate of the neighborhood to close it. They were sure that if they did this, they would find the kidnapper.
Next, the police, along with the Imperial Guards and the local officials, announced the upcoming street search by banging gongs.
Upon hearing that there were child kidnappers, and more than one, the shopkeeper of a pastry shop stepped forward and said, "Child kidnappers are the most despicable. My shop is not a filthy place where filth is hidden. Soldiers, search freely, search freely."
With someone offering their support, things became much easier.
Brother Li, Brother Li, and Brother Li Dalang followed the soldiers and constables and began searching shops one by one.
When they found the fifth grain and oil shop, they could clearly see that the shop assistant looked flustered and something was wrong, and even the shopkeeper noticed it.
The young man was subdued on the spot, but two slaps were enough to clear his name.
Then, sure enough, in the basement of the grain and oil shop's warehouse, in the place where goods were stored, they found seven or eight children, all of them unconscious.
At that time, because the cave entrance was narrow, Li Dalang took the initiative to put on a rope and take an oil lamp to go down.
When Li Dalang saw the seven or eight little figures lying on the ground, his heart skipped a beat. He squatted down and touched them; they were still breathing, and only then did he feel relieved.
Then, starting from the very top, they searched by the light of the oil lamp, and finally, when they reached the fifth little figure, they found the unconscious Xiao Silang.
Li Dalang held Xiao Silang and wept bitterly.
Next came the matter of rescuing the children. After Li Dalang brought Xiao Silang back, the Li family no longer got involved.
It was only rumored that not only were seven or eight children found in the grain and oil shop that colluded with the servant, but also the servant in a general store at the end of the street had been bribed to provide the kidnappers with warehouse services.
Fortunately, because they were discovered in time, none of the children were transported out of the city.
However, in order to prevent the child from crying, the kidnapper not only used a handkerchief soaked in medicine when stealing the child, but also fed the child medicine when putting the child in the storeroom.
This medicine was no good. Li's father took Xiao Silang's pulse on the spot, and when he got home, he immediately brewed a decoction to treat the symptoms and fed it to him. Even so, Xiao Silang was left to lie weakly in bed for half a month.
Furthermore, although Xiaoshilang recovered afterward, it still damaged his fundamental health, making him unable to practice martial arts and likely affecting his lifespan.
Because of this incident, Brother Li never treated Xiao Silang harshly again. He felt that Xiao Silang was already in such a state, so he should let him enjoy himself for as long as possible.
Li Ersao only hoped that Xiao Silang could live a long and healthy life; all her hopes for her child were pinned on Li Sanlang.
This is why Li Erxiong and Li Ersao, having already had two sons, still wanted to have another child.
The two thought that if they had a daughter, they would find her a good family to marry into, so that she could take care of Xiao Silang.
If she gives birth to a son, that would be wonderful.
From a young age, Kogoro should be told that Koshiro is his older brother and that he should care for and look after him. He doesn't need to control everything, but at least he should be able to feed Koshiro.
...
Li Dalang arrived at the roof of the local earth god temple, shook off the jumbled thoughts in his mind, gripped the dagger tightly, and had only one thought in his mind: he must snatch Xiao Silang back!
Just as the two men in black were arguing about how they had robbed the wrong person and whether or not to kill him, Li Dalang suddenly appeared out of nowhere, brandishing a dagger and stabbing at the man in black who was covering Xiao Silang's mouth.
The knife came so fast and quickly that the man in black threw Xiao Silang forward to avoid it.
Li Dalang quickly stopped and caught the crying Xiao Silang.
"Brother!"
Where is there time to talk to the two brothers?
With a flick of his wrist, Xiao Silang climbed onto Li Dalang's back, his arms firmly around Li Dalang's neck, watching Li Dalang deal with the two men in black.
Xiao Silang was so scared that his eyes were full of tears, but now that he was clinging to Li Dalang's back, his courage was rising again.
"Brother, this man has arrested the wrong person. They intended to arrest someone from the Xing family."
While carrying Xiao Silang on his back, Li Dalang dodged a man's long sword and occasionally struck the man in black with a knife. He even had time to respond to Xiao Silang's question: "Xiao Si, are you alright?"
Xiao Silang shook his head, then realized that Li Dalang couldn't see him, and said, "Brother, I'm fine."
Xiao Silang understood that he was now a burden to Li Dalang, and he wondered if Li Dalang would be the only one to come and save him.
Li Dalang felt the weight on his back. Although he was fighting for his life with two men in black, the sense of relief he felt from losing something and then regaining it still felt somewhat unreal.
Four years ago, Li Dalang lost Xiao Silang and experienced the heartbreak of losing and then finding him again.
Four years later, they pulled the same tactic again.
Li Dalang shouted, "Xiao Si, hold on tight!"
Xiao Silang obediently clung tightly to Li Dalang's arm, and Li Dalang unleashed all the anger that followed his fear onto the two men in black!
These two men in black weren't exactly skilled in fighting. One was good at light footwork and was sent to rescue Xing Jiazi, while the other was intelligent and stayed at the local temple to coordinate and command.
Therefore, at this moment, Li Dalang was indeed able to handle the two of them.
But neither of them were fools; they both heard footsteps outside the temple, which meant Li Erlang must be coming.
Therefore, the two of them were only thinking about escaping. They had already kidnapped the wrong person, so it wouldn't be a problem to let the child go.
But how could Li Dalang let them escape so easily?
With a "thud," came the sound of a dagger piercing flesh.
"Xiao Si, close your eyes."
Xiao Shilang obediently closed his eyes. Since his elder brother thought he couldn't look, then he wouldn't look.
Li Dalang's anger at the man in black for snatching his child finally lessened a little when the knife plunged into the man in black's shoulder.
When Li Erlang jumped down from the courtyard wall and came into the courtyard, he saw a man in black covered in blood lying on the ground, and a figure jumping onto the roof and disappearing into the distance.
Of course, there was also Li Dalang standing in the courtyard, and Xiao Silang, with his eyes closed, on his back.
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