A man stronger than her willingly becoming Lin Jing's servant? What exactly was his purpose? Was there some hidden agenda? A string of doubts raced through Qing Tan's mind. She immediately dropped everything and rushed toward Lin Jing's quarters. As soon as she pushed the door open, the sight before her struck her like a bolt of lightning.
The seemingly gentle and harmless youth she had just considered as a suitable husband for Lin Jing was now clutching her niece by the throat. When Xiao Yan saw Qing Tan appear at the door, he seemed a bit surprised. Turning to glance at her, he smiled and said, "Miss Qing Tan, you're just in time. I was planning to come find you."
"Who are you really? Why did you sneak into this place?" Qing Tan's pupils contracted slightly at the sight of Lin Jing restrained, but as someone who ruled over an entire region, her mental fortitude wasn't so fragile. She quickly regained her composure.
She knew that with Xiao Yan's strength, if he truly wanted to kill Lin Jing, it would've taken but a flick of his fingers. Though Lin Jing was being held by the neck, her life wasn't in immediate danger. That alone confirmed that he hadn't come with intent to kill—at least not yet.
"Me? I'm just a passing Dou Sheng. As for sneaking in, well… I didn't sneak in, you people brought me in." Xiao Yan glanced at Lin Jing in his grasp and smiled. "Miss Qing Tan, I assume you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your precious niece, would you?"
"What do you want?" Qing Tan's eyes flickered.
"Relax, I'm a very professional person. Just give me one billion Xuan Yuan Pills, and I'll return your dear niece safe and sound," Xiao Yan said with a smile. He had heard Lin Jing mention before that these pills contained a kind of vitality highly effective for healing.
Although he had the Life Spirit Flame within him, the severity of his internal injuries meant that even with pills and his Heavenly Flame, his recovery had been slow. So he had set his sights on the so-called Xuan Yuan Pills. With enough of them, his recovery would accelerate significantly.
As for asking for a billion? That was just him throwing out a ridiculous number to establish momentum. He hadn't expected Qing Tan to actually agree. Yet, to his surprise, she nodded seriously and said, "Alright. I can give you one billion Xuan Yuan Pills. But I don't have that many on hand. You'll need to give me some time."
"…" 'Wait a minute. She actually has that many?!'
Xiao Yan suddenly felt he had undercharged. This woman was definitely loaded. But it was too late to change terms now. Still holding Lin Jing, he said, "Fine. Once you've gathered the full amount, I'll return your niece. In one month, I'll bring her to find you."
"Take good care of her! If she gets so much as a scratch, I'll take your life!" Qing Tan instinctively tried to intercept him, but with Lin Jing's life hanging in the balance, she had no choice but to hold back her impulse. She gritted her teeth and hissed a warning.
"Don't worry. I'm a very ethical kidnapper. I only go for money, not lives." With those words, Xiao Yan disappeared from the Yang Yuan Mine with Lin Jing. If Qing Tan had known what Xiao Yan had done in his past life, she would never have believed that claim. This man once stripped even corpses for value. Only Hun Dai'er knew the extent of his past deeds.
Still, Xiao Yan wasn't lying this time. He genuinely had some fondness for Lin Jing. Though he had no qualms about using ruthless means, he didn't slaughter the innocent. He was simply playing the role of a robber.
Using his soul power to scan the area, Xiao Yan quickly located a well-hidden cave in the nearby mountains and brought Lin Jing there. But once they arrived and he let her go, Lin Jing, clearly unwilling to accept her situation, asked indignantly, "I treated you so well—why did you kidnap me?"
"Miss Lin Jing, there's something you should understand. The world has this thing called betrayal. Just because you treat others well doesn't mean they're obliged to do the same for you." Xiao Yan chuckled and said, "Take those miners for example. You treat them kindly, but if your aunt were to die one day, they'd probably be the first to turn on you."
"I don't believe that!" Lin Jing shook her head firmly. "Don't talk nonsense! They'd never do that to me!"
"Then tell me—before I made a move, did you ever think I'd kidnap you?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.
"Uh… no."
"Exactly. Never assume the best of people, or you'll suffer for it." Xiao Yan mounted a moonlight stone on the cave wall, then pulled a set of bedding from his ring and tossed it to her. "Here. Make do with this."
"You… you're not planning to… do anything, are you?" Lin Jing instinctively backed away a few steps, looking nervous.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Relax. Like I said, I'm a very ethical robber. I only want money, not your body. If I were really after that, I would've acted already. Why go through all this trouble?"
"That's true…" Lin Jing nodded. Despite having been kidnapped, he hadn't done anything inappropriate. Given his strength, she wouldn't have been able to resist him if he had tried. The fact that he hadn't meant he truly did have some… professional ethics?
As Lin Jing let her imagination wander, she suddenly realized she was speaking in his defense. She immediately spat a few times and scolded herself—this guy was a kidnapper, a big bad villain trying to sell her for profit! Why was she speaking up for him?! He was clearly a backstabbing scoundrel!
Muttering those thoughts aloud, Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "Miss Lin Jing, if you think scolding me will solve anything, feel free to continue. Otherwise, save your breath."
"By the way, I'm the petty type. If you keep pushing it, I might just rip your tongue out." Despite the words, his smile only grew more radiant, sending a shiver down Lin Jing's spine.
"You said you wouldn't hurt me!" she protested.
"I did. But only if you didn't piss me off," Xiao Yan replied with a pause. "Besides, haven't you heard of the phrase 'going back on one's word'?"
(End of Chapter)
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