Chapter Fifty: Bizarre Twists and Turns
Just then, Qin Youming suddenly walked out from behind the pillar, cleared his throat, and put on the airs of a county magistrate, "Stop it, all of you."
This is our territory! How dare you engage in armed fighting here? Do you have no respect for the law?
The leader of the men in black sneered, "The law? Our leader's life is more precious than the law! Qin Zhining killed our leader, and she must pay with her life today."
Young Master He also shouted, "County Magistrate Qin, don't favor Qin Zhining! She—she's a heartless slut! Quickly order her arrest and hand her over to me for punishment!"
Qin Youming frowned, his eyes darting back and forth between the man in black and the He family's butler, clearly weighing the pros and cons.
He didn't want to offend the He family, nor did he want to offend these mysterious men in black. So he turned his gaze to Qin Zhining, his tone reproachful: "A-Ning, who exactly did you offend? Hurry up and apologize to them and explain what happened."
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhining couldn't help but laugh, a somewhat desolate laugh. "Apologize? I didn't kill anyone, why should I apologize?"
"Mr. Qin, you heard it yourself. They kidnapped Chen Xiaomei, hurt Chengxuan, and now they're trying to kill me. You won't help me seek justice, fine, but you expect me to apologize to them?"
Qin Youming's face flushed red and then paled as she spoke, but he still forced a smile and said, "But they outnumber us, and we're no match for them right now. Let's give in for now, and when we get back, Dad will help you think of a solution..."
"No need," the young man suddenly spoke, interrupting Qin Youming. He took out a jade pendant from his pocket and handed it to Qin Zhining.
“Miss Qin, take this. If a fight breaks out later, run out of the temple. My men will protect you.”
Qin Zhining's pupils suddenly contracted as she looked at the jade pendant.
The jade pendant is made of mutton-fat white jade and has the character "Su" carved on it. The carving is extremely exquisite and it is clearly not an ordinary object.
She suddenly remembered the time she treated the boy.
Before the boy lost consciousness, he seemed to have murmured things like "Su family" and "half-brother." Combined with this, and considering the jade pendant, a thought surfaced in her mind.
Could this young man be from the Su family of Jiangnan?
The Su family of Jiangnan is a well-known wealthy family with businesses all over the country and immense power. Even the imperial court has to give them some face.
If this young man is indeed a member of the Su family, then his previous refusal to reveal his identity was probably a deliberate attempt to conceal it and avoid unnecessary trouble.
The leader of the men in black also saw the jade pendant, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Are you from the Su family of Jiangnan?"
The young man didn't deny it, but just looked at him coldly, "I don't care what gang you belong to, or what grudges you have with Miss Qin. With me here today, no one can hurt a single hair on her head."
When the He family steward heard the words "Su family of Jiangnan", his legs went weak.
He never expected that this seemingly unremarkable young man was actually a member of the Su family in Jiangnan.
The power of the Su family in Jiangnan is far greater than that of the He family. Not to mention in Lincheng County, even in the capital, few people dare to offend the Su family.
Young Master He panicked, grabbing the arm of the He family's butler, his voice trembling, "Butler, is what he said true? The Su family of Jiangnan..."
The He family steward swallowed hard, no longer daring to be presumptuous, and quickly gave the servants a look, signaling them to put down the sticks they were holding.
The leader of the men in black looked extremely grim.
He never expected to run into the Su family here.
Their leader had instructed them that the killing of Qin Zhining must be carried out cleanly and efficiently, without alerting other forces, especially the Su family of Jiangnan.
But now, not only has the Su family been alarmed, but they've also gotten Qin Zhining under their protection. What are we going to do?
Just as he was hesitating, a sudden sound of horses' hooves came from outside the dilapidated temple, even more frequent than when the He family had come before.
Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, a look of joy appeared on the young man's face. "My men have arrived!"
The leader of the men in black's expression changed. Knowing he couldn't wait any longer, he gave the other two men in black a wink, and the three of them ran towards the back window, hoping to slip away.
Seeing this, the boy drew his bow and shot an arrow straight at the leader of the men in black, but the man dodged it. The three of them quickly disappeared behind the dilapidated temple.
Seeing the man in black run away, the He family steward quickly pulled the third young master of the He family aside and said cautiously to the boy, "Young master, we... we just came to see our young master. Since there's nothing else, we'll be leaving now."
The boy didn't stop them, but said coldly, "If I see you causing trouble for Miss Qin again, it won't be as simple as just breaking your hand."
The He family butler nodded repeatedly, grabbed the third young master of the He family, and quickly ran out, fearing that if they were even a second late, they would be retaliated against by the boy.
The dilapidated temple finally quieted down, leaving only Qin Zhining, the boy, Qin Xiaoxiao, Li Mo, Qin Chengxuan, Chen Xiaomei, and Qin Youming.
Qin Youming looked at the young man with a fawning smile. "Young master, thank you so much for your help today. May I ask your name and address? I will definitely pay you a visit to express my gratitude another day."
The young man ignored him, but turned to Qin Zhining, his tone concerned, "Miss Qin, are you really alright? Would you like to find a place to rest?"
Qin Zhining shook her head, looked at the young man, and asked seriously, "Who exactly are you? Why do you have the jade pendant from the Su family of Jiangnan?"
The young man was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "Miss Qin, my name is actually Su Jin, and I am the eldest son of the Su family in Jiangnan."
Last time in the mountain valley, I didn't tell you my true identity because my half-brother sent people to kill me, and I was afraid of implicating you..."
Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the dilapidated temple. A middle-aged man in a brocade robe strode in and, upon seeing Su Jin, quickly stepped forward: "Young Master, are you alright? We are late."
Su Jin shook her head, "I'm fine, thanks to Miss Qin."
The middle-aged man cupped his hands to Qin Zhining and said respectfully, "Thank you for protecting my young master that day and saving him."
"Is there anything we can help you with, young lady? Just ask, and the Su family will do everything in our power to assist you."
Qin Zhining looked at the middle-aged man, then at Su Jin, and a thought suddenly came to her mind.
Just as she was about to speak, she saw Qin Youming suddenly step forward, take Su Jin's hand, and his smile became even more obsequious. "Young Master Su, so you are the eldest son of the Su family in Jiangnan. I am truly sorry for not recognizing you."
Qin Zhining is my daughter. She is young and doesn't know any better. I hope Mr. Su will take good care of her in the future..."
Su Jin frowned, subtly withdrawing her hand, ignoring Qin Youming's flattery, and simply looked at Qin Zhining, "Miss Qin, please speak freely."
Qin Zhining took a deep breath and looked at Su Jin with a determined gaze. "Young Master Su, I would like to ask you to help me investigate something."
Three days ago, who killed Zhang Laoqi at the mass grave in the west of the city? And who exactly are these men in black?
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