A Shocking Change Arrives: Don't Panic! Who's Stronger at First Sight of the Di

"Knock knock knock!" The door to Song Jiang's room suddenly rang urgently!

Song Qing's voice came from outside the door: "Brother, have you rested? A man who calls himself Wu Xuejiu came to the door, saying he has something urgent to discuss with you! I've already asked him to wait in the hall!"

Song Jiang frowned. Wu Yong's sudden arrival must mean something big or unexpected has happened, but it certainly wouldn't be anything good. He just didn't know what kind of bad thing it was that would make him come all the way from Dongxi Village to find him in the middle of the night. Could it be that something had happened to Chao Gai?

Putting aside his distractions, Song Jiang hurriedly led Hua Rong and Song Qing to the hall, where he saw Wu Yong with a furrowed brow, as flustered as an ant on a hot pan. He was nowhere to be seen as the wise and shrewd man he used to be!

Upon seeing Song Jiang arrive, Wu Yong was overjoyed, like someone who had been walking in the desert for three days without water and suddenly found a spring of sweet water. He rushed over without being able to contain his excitement!

"Clerk!" Wu Yong exclaimed in surprise.

Song Jiang said in a low voice, "Sir, what's the matter? You're so flustered. This isn't like you!"

Wu Yong whispered, "The three Ruan brothers are in trouble!"

Song Jiang was taken aback; this was certainly not good news. However, he calmly asked, "Is it related to that gambling den owner?"

Wu Yong nodded and said, "It was that person who plotted against us in secret!"

It turns out that the gambling den owner was named Lai Wu. Relying on his status as the brother-in-law of Huang An, the military commander of Jizhou Prefecture, he kept twenty or thirty wicked servants and occupied a small island in a lake near Shijie Village, living a very happy life!

However, he was extremely lecherous. Any woman he set his sights on, whether married or not, could not escape his clutches. But he was always very careful and cautious. He would target weak women with no power or influence or poor families. He would ignore any woman with even a little bit of background to avoid getting himself into trouble!

He wouldn't normally abduct women; instead, he would lure their families with gambling, then borrow money at exorbitant interest rates. When the repayment date arrived and the borrowers couldn't pay, he would immediately change his tune!

He was ruthless and cruel. All the women he targeted ended up losing their families and lives. He eventually grew tired of her and sold her into a brothel, suffering a very tragic fate.

"Bang!" Hua Rong slammed his hand on the table, shouting angrily, "Such a scoundrel is truly an outrage against both gods and men!"

Song Jiang, without changing his expression, said, "There are far too many despicable people like this in this world. Brother, there's no need to get angry. We'll just get rid of them!"

Wu Yong sighed, "This time, Lai Wu has set his sights on the daughter of the wealthy Wang family in Jizhou Prefecture. Miss Wang is a beautiful young woman of sixteen, and Lai Wu has become incredibly audacious, setting his sights on her!"

Hua Rong asked in bewilderment, "How dare he target a wealthy family?"

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "It must be that Miss Wang is going somewhere. Lai Wu ordered the three Ruan brothers to do it. After it's done, he can either silence Miss Wang or pin the whole thing on the three Ruan brothers, leaving no one to prove anything!"

Wu Yong nodded and said, "What you say is quite right, Clerk! I heard that Miss Wang is going to the Water God Temple the day after tomorrow to pray for her mother's well-being. This Water God Temple is located on a small island in a lake, and it is said to be very efficacious, with a thriving incense offering tradition!"

Wu Yong paused for a moment and then said, "The mother of the three Ruan brothers was imprisoned by Lai Wu on the island where he lived. The three Ruan brothers had no other choice but to kidnap Miss Wang first, and then exchange her for their mother!"

Song Jiang looked at Hua Rong and said, "Time is of the essence. We should go to Shijie Village now. Sir, go to Dongxi Village and speak with the village head, asking Liu Tang to come along!"

Wu Yong asked, "Does the clerk intend to launch a direct attack on the island in the middle of the lake? This is unacceptable!"

Song Jiang frowned and looked at Wu Yong!

Wu Yong said slowly, "They have crossbows for defense!"

Song Jiang sneered, "That dog Huang An, how dare he be so audacious!"

It turns out that crossbows, like guns in later times, were sensitive and prohibited items for civilians. Ordinary people were not allowed to possess them privately, otherwise they would be exiled or even be executed!

Song Jiang was well aware of the power of crossbows. Song Dynasty crossbows could fire up to eight arrows in succession, with great destructive power and long endurance. Of course, it couldn't be the Divine Arm Crossbow. If Huang An dared to secretly get a Divine Arm Crossbow for his brother-in-law, ten heads wouldn't be enough to cut off!

The Divine Arm Crossbow has a maximum range of 340 paces, can be controlled by one person, and can penetrate heavy armor. It is basically a weapon of mass destruction in this era! Not to mention a mere militia commander, even the prefect of Jizhou would probably not dare to casually deploy the Divine Arm Crossbow from the army!

Song Jiang lowered his head and thought for a moment. If they only had crossbows, it wasn't entirely hopeless. He looked up at Hua Rong and realized that this was the only way.

Having made his calculations, Song Jiang said casually to Wu Yong, "Let's proceed according to the original plan. Brother Hua Rong, come with me to Shijie Village! Tomorrow will be your day to shine!"

At the entrance of Shijie Village, Song Jiang set foot here for the second time, but his mindset was different from the first time. This time, he was there to save lives, and there was no room for error!

A man loitering back and forth at the village entrance caught Song Jiang's attention!

The man was dressed simply, and his face was covered in dust, making him look extremely haggard!

He carried a bow on his back, and his quiver was full of arrows, making him look like a hunter. However, there were no forests or wild beasts around Shijie Village, so his attire seemed rather incongruous!

"Brother, this man's archery skills must be extremely high; he's a master archer!" Hua Rong whispered to Song Jiang.

Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat. Even if Hua Rong himself was the strongest archer, the fact that Hua Rong called him a divine archer meant that he must indeed be a master!

The man whom Hua Rong called a master archer was now like an ant on a hot pan, pacing around in circles, his panic on his face genuine!

Song Jiang stepped forward and said, "Brother, what's wrong? Why don't you tell me and see if I can help?"

Song Jiang's words seemed to have a magical effect. The man glanced at Song Jiang, then at Hua Rong, and calmed down considerably. He said, "My sister and I were passing through this area. I bought some steamed buns in the village for food, and my sister rested here. But when I returned, she was nowhere to be found!"

The man sighed and continued, "I searched everywhere, but I couldn't find a trace of her! My sister and I have been inseparable since we were little; she would never leave without saying goodbye! I asked many people in the village, and they all said they hadn't seen her! But their eyes were shifty; they must know where my sister went! They just won't tell me!"

Just then, an old man slowly walked over, looked at the man with pity, and said, "Brother, take my advice, don't look for your sister anymore! She's been kidnapped!"

Song Jiang glanced at the old man and remained silent. This old man's arrival was strange! Why now of all times? Was he waiting for him?

It wasn't that Song Jiang was too cautious, but rather that people's hearts are unpredictable!

Sure enough, the man said urgently to the old man, "Old man, if you know where my sister is, please tell me. I would be eternally grateful!"

The old man sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to tell, but this person is someone I can't talk to. If I do, I'm finished!"

Song Jiang sneered inwardly. This old man was using a feigned retreat to advance, whetting people's appetites. He must have some ulterior motive, but he didn't know what it was. However, it was definitely not a good thing!

It's not that Song Jiang is overly cautious; rescuing Ruan's mother is a matter of utmost importance, and cannot be taken lightly! This old woman is very suspicious, and we must be careful!

The man took out a few taels of silver and said, "Old man, I don't have much silver on me right now, just this much. If you can rescue my sister, I'm willing to be your slave for three years!"

The old man took the silver and said, "The man who kidnapped your sister is called Lai Wu. He's a notorious local bully. That's all I can tell you. You decide what to do with it!"

The old man didn't leave after he finished speaking; instead, he stayed and watched Song Jiang and the other two!

Song Jiang found it somewhat amusing. If you were to ask someone, a normal person would tell you their name and also tell you where they are and how to find them. But this old man, whether intentionally or unintentionally, concealed the location of Lai Wu's residence!

The man stepped forward and said to Song Jiang, "Thank you both, but this is my own matter, so I won't involve you!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "You don't even know where Lai Wu lives, how are you going to find your sister!"

The man was taken aback, then quickly replied, "Yes! Does this gentleman know?"

Song Jiang was also helpless; this was a case of being blinded by concern, overlooking even the most obvious things. But he still said aloud, "I don't know, but this old man certainly does!"

The old man's face showed a hint of panic, but he still calmly said, "This Lai Wu doesn't live in the village, but on a nearby island!"

Disappointment flashed across the man's face. He couldn't row a boat, and the villagers seemed to be afraid of this Lai Wu, so they certainly wouldn't row him across!

Seeing that the old man showed no sign of leaving, Song Jiang asked, "Is there anything else you need here?"

The old man looked somewhat uneasy and said, "This is Shijie Village. Is there any problem with staying here?"

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "No problem!" Then he prepared to leave with Hua Rong.

The old man quickly spoke up, "Aren't you going to help him? Perhaps we can rid the people of this scourge!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I have no grudge against this Lai Wu, so why should I rid the people of a scourge? What do I care about the lives of others? If you have the ability, then get rid of him yourself. Why put your hopes on others? There are countless injustices in the world. If I were to intervene in every one of them, wouldn't I be able to live a long life just dealing with these things every day?"

These words were harsh, and the man carrying the bow and arrows felt uncomfortable hearing them, but they were all reasonable and difficult to refute!

On the contrary, the old man's face turned red and white in turns, extremely unnatural, and he muttered, "You, you, you!" but could not say anything else!

Song Jiang ignored him and looked at the man carrying a bow and arrows. The man also looked at Song Jiang!

Song Jiang shook his head and left Shijie Village without looking back!

They hadn't walked far when the man caught up and said, "Brothers, please wait!"

Song Jiang turned around and asked with a smile, "What is it?"

The man stepped forward and bowed, saying, "When my brother left, his eyes seemed to be trying to convey something to me, but it was clearly inconvenient with outsiders present, so I followed him!"

Song Jiang smiled and said, "That's quite clever!"

The man continued, "My name is Pang Wanchun, from Huizhou. Due to a severe drought in my home, I had no choice but to wander here with my younger sister. I do not yet know your name, brother!"

Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat; it really was him. He then smiled and said, "My surname is Song, and my given name is Jiang. This is my brother, Hua Rong!"