Chapter Fifty-Two: It turns out the reason for the abduction and murder was...
The leader of the men in black stopped and said in a hoarse voice, "Young Master Su, we, the Shadow Assassins, are here to do our bidding. We advise you not to meddle in other people's business."
"Hand over Qin Zhining and leave the jade seal on her, and we might spare your lives."
Su Jin sneered, turned and got off the carriage. A folding fan appeared in her hand, its ribs made of fine steel, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
"The Shadow Killing Hall is getting more and more arrogant. They're blocking the road and killing people in broad daylight. Aren't they afraid of being ridiculed by their fellow martial artists?"
"Laughing?" The man in black sneered. "We only care about money, not people. As long as the employer pays enough, we'd dare to try anything, let alone intercept or kill them. We'd even try to raze the Su family of Jiangnan to the ground."
He waved his hand, "Stop wasting time talking to them, attack! Kill Qin Zhining first, and seize the jade seal."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a dozen men in black pounced on him like hungry wolves.
Su Zhong was the first to step forward, his sword flashing as it collided with the man in black at the front, the clanging of metal making one's ears ache.
The Su family guards were equally formidable, each displaying agility and engaging in fierce combat with the men in black.
Qin Zhining could see clearly from inside the carriage that the Shadow Assassins' moves were ruthless, each strike aimed at vital points, clearly indicating they were seasoned assassins who had worked for many years.
Although the Su family guards were formidable, they were outnumbered. Before long, one of the guards was slashed on the arm, and blood instantly seeped out, staining his sleeve red.
"This can't go on." Qin Zhining was anxious. She knew that Su Jin had put herself in danger to help her, and she couldn't let the Su family get hurt because of her.
She touched the short blade in her bosom, glanced at Qin Chengxuan beside her, and suddenly asked, "Do you still have that fake jade seal?"
Qin Chengxuan paused for a moment, then nodded and took out a warm, smooth white jade seal from his pocket—the seal was almost identical to the real one, except for a tiny chip on the edge, almost invisible unless you looked closely. “What do you want to do?”
This fake seal—I didn't make it for you, but for Aunt An. No matter what, she—she's my birth mother. She did something wrong, her life was in danger, and as her son, I can't just stand by and do nothing, I can't let her just—die like this.”
When the topic of death came up, Qin Chengxuan looked dejected, frustrated, resentful, and somewhat weary with anger at his own incompetence.
Qin Zhining could understand Qin Chengxuan's painstaking efforts to save her son's life.
Although Aunt An was utterly wicked, her son had been quietly trying to save her in his own way, and this filial piety was the most precious thing in the world.
She didn't hide anything from Qin Chengxuan, saying, "Use your jade seal to distract these people, and that will be considered as me acknowledging your kindness."
After thinking for a moment, Qin Zhining lowered her voice again, "Later, I'll throw out the fake jade seal and say it's real. They'll definitely try to steal it."
When the time comes, you can take the opportunity to run east. There's a dilapidated Taoist temple over there. Qin Xiaoxiao and I took shelter from the rain there when we came back before.
No one lives inside; it's safe for now. You must act quickly, taking Chen Xiaomei and Chen Erlang with you.
"And what about you?" Chen Xiaomei asked hurriedly, her eyes full of worry. They were about the same age, and she was afraid that Qin Zhining would be in danger.
"Young Master Su and I will cover our retreat. Don't worry, we'll be fine," Qin Zhining smiled, trying to reassure her.
The Shadow Assassins are so crazy, even if we throw away the fake jade seal, they might not let it go. But so what? It's time to show our true abilities.
Just then, a muffled groan came from outside—Su Zhong had been kicked in the chest by the leader of the men in black, staggering back a few steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Su Jin suddenly unfolded the folding fan in her hand, the tip of the fan aimed straight at the throat of the man in black. The man in black hurriedly dodged, but the tip of the fan still tore through his collar, revealing a hideous scar on his neck.
"There's no time to wait." Qin Zhining took a deep breath, lifted the carriage curtain, and shouted towards the chaotic crowd, "The jade seal you want is here! Whoever grabs it first gets it."
With that, she threw the fake jade seal hard into the distant woods. The jade seal traced a white arc in the air and landed with a "thud" on the grass, standing out conspicuously.
Sure enough, the men in black's eyes lit up when they saw the jade seal. Ignoring the Su family guards around them, they turned and rushed into the woods.
The leader of the men in black was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Qin Zhining to do this. He cursed, "You cunning girl," but hesitated.
The employer repeatedly emphasized the importance of obtaining the jade seal, as he would be unable to fulfill his obligation if someone else stole it.
In the instant he was distracted, Su Jin seized the opportunity, slammed her folding fan shut, and punched him in the chest.
The man in black grunted, took a few steps back, and glared fiercely at Su Jin. "You're ruthless. Get out of here!"
After saying that, he called to the remaining men in black, "Take the jade seal first, then settle accounts with them!"
The dozen or so men in black immediately stopped and ran towards the woods where the jade seal had fallen, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Su Jin breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and turned to look at Qin Zhining. "You're quite clever, but this trick can only last for a while. Once they discover it's a fake jade seal, they'll definitely come after us again."
"I know." Qin Zhining nodded and quickly got out of the car to check on Su Zhong's injuries. "Guard Su, how are you?"
Su Zhong clutched his chest and forced a smile: "Don't worry, Miss, it's an old ailment, nothing serious. It's just that the young master and young lady were frightened."
"It's all my fault, I've dragged you all into this." Qin Zhining felt guilty. If it weren't for her, Su Jin and Su Zhong wouldn't have encountered such danger.
"Don't talk about implicating me, I helped you voluntarily." Su Jin waved her hand, then looked at Qin Chengxuan and the others, "Shall we go to that dilapidated Taoist temple that Miss Qin mentioned earlier?"
"Yes, the sooner the better." Qin Chengxuan nodded, supporting Chen Erlang and pulling Chen Xiaomei along. "Xiaoxiao, stay close to me."
Qin Xiaoxiao nodded, took Li Mo's hand, while Wang Song and Zhao Shu helped the injured Su family guards, and the group headed towards the dilapidated Taoist temple in the east.
On the way, Su Jincai took a moment to ask Qin Zhining, "How did you know that throwing the fake jade seal would distract them?"
"Just guessing," Qin Zhining smiled. "The reason they're so obsessed with the jade seal is probably because they're afraid they won't be able to explain themselves to their employer if they don't get it."
However, I didn't expect them to be so easily fooled. Moreover, these people were just taking advantage of the situation when they were seizing the jade seal; they were simply stealing it as a side benefit.
Actually, their attempt to kill me this time was because I touched someone's pastries and saved the nephew of Minister Zhang, who had been poisoned.
"Oh? Is that so—the people from the Shadow Kill Hall not only accepted the mission to steal the jade seal, but they were actually after you, which means they were crippled, so you wouldn't be able to save people?"
Su Jin sighed, "It seems, Miss Qin, that you've gotten yourself into big trouble by messing with the wrong person."
No wonder those Shadow Killers, upon seeing my Su family from Jiangnan, would leave in groups only to return in others.
"I was just wondering, has the reputation of the Su family of Jiangnan really become so useless? The Shadow Assassin Hall dares to defy convention and openly confront the young master of the Su family? Turns out, the problem lies with you."
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