Chapter Seventy-Six: The Outcast of Martial Arts

“Hello, the items you requested are being prepared. They'll arrive in about three days,” said the staff member from the computer store as he walked over.

Yang Wenhao nodded slightly. “Alright, just call me when they arrive.”

With the computer purchased, there was nothing else he needed to buy. He turned to Yang Ying and asked, “Where are you planning to go now?”

“I don’t know,” Yang Ying replied, shaking her head.

“Why don’t you call your friends over? I’ll treat you all to something to eat,” Yang Wenhao suggested.

“Okay.” Yang Ying nodded and turned to go look for her friends.

Only Zhang Mengyi remained. Zhang Mengyi was extremely shy; she was alright when Yang Ying was around, but now, alone with Yang Wenhao, she seemed even more bashful.

Seeing her like this, Yang Wenhao smiled gently. “Thank you for taking care of Xiao Ying.”

“No… it’s nothing… Actually, Xiao Ying takes care of us,” Zhang Mengyi replied, shaking her head.

Yang Wenhao nodded. With Yang Ying’s outgoing nature, she was always eager to help others, and rarely needed help herself.

Just then, Yang Ying hurriedly ran back in. “Brother!”

Seeing her in such a rush, Yang Wenhao asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“They… they’re gone,” Yang Ying said.

“Gone?” Yang Wenhao frowned. “What about their phones?”

“They’re switched off,” Yang Ying answered.

“Maybe they went home and their phones just ran out of battery?” Yang Wenhao suggested.

Yang Ying shook her head. “No, I just called their families. They haven’t gone home.”

This called for some serious thought.

Two young girls, vanished without a trace.

“We… should call the police,” Zhang Mengyi said.

“That’s all we can do,” Yang Ying agreed.

Reporting to the police was the safest course of action. Even if they went searching themselves, the area was so vast they wouldn’t know where to look.

“You two go to the police. I’ll try to find them myself.”

With that, Yang Wenhao rushed out.

His urgency stemmed from the fact that he now had the location of the two girls.

“Temporary mission: Rescue Li Xuan and Sun Wenjia. Completion rewards one hundred points.”

After a mission was issued, the system provided information about the targets.

An electronic map appeared before Yang Wenhao’s eyes.

On the map were two dots: a red dot marking the target’s location, and a green dot marking Yang Wenhao’s own position.

The red dot was moving quickly, far faster than two girls could travel—it seemed more like the speed of a car.

Yang Wenhao hurriedly stopped a car and gave the driver directions.

“Alright, young man. I used to race at Mount Akina. Buckle up,” the taxi driver said.

The taxi shot forward as if it had twin boosters.

Yang Wenhao was a little stunned—how could an ordinary car go so fast?

Still, speed was good; it might prevent trouble for Yang Ying’s classmates.

Meanwhile, the red dot had already left the city and was heading into the countryside.

Yang Wenhao followed closely.

When the road ended and became a mountain path, Yang Wenhao had the driver wait by the roadside and continued on foot.

He came to a wild mountain called Mingliu Mountain, famous for its abundance of willow trees.

Yang Wenhao remembered bringing Yang Ying here as children. Back then, everything seemed new and exciting.

Recalling those childhood memories, Yang Wenhao also remembered an old, abandoned Taoist temple on the mountain.

As he reminisced, he was already nearing the summit.

If his memory served him right, Li Xuan and Sun Wenjia had been taken to that temple—based on the map, that’s where they were.

Soon, Yang Wenhao arrived at the crumbling temple he remembered.

Ruined walls, lifeless, its history unknown.

Inside, Yang Wenhao sensed four distinct presences; two of them must be Li Xuan and Sun Wenjia.

“Martial artists.”

Yang Wenhao narrowed his eyes.

He hadn’t expected to encounter people from the martial arts world here, much less those who kidnapped young girls.

Inside the temple…

Looking around the dilapidated building, a small, sleazy man complained, “Of all the places to meet, why pick somewhere like this?”

His words annoyed the burly middle-aged man beside him. “Stop whining. Once we pull this off, we can live it up again.”

“True enough,” the sleazy man nodded.

He then turned his gaze to the young girls tied up nearby.

“Mmm… mmm…” Both girls were tightly bound and gagged, unable to speak, their terrified eyes watching everything.

Seeing their fear, the sleazy man’s twisted desires surged. He looked regretful. “Girls these days are so fresh. Should’ve grabbed a couple less attractive ones and kept these two for myself.”

The burly man scoffed. “With that evil technique you practice, look what you’ve become.”

“You don’t understand the benefits of this technique,” the sleazy man replied.

Sun Wenjia and Li Xuan were on the verge of collapse. They were just a bit rebellious—why did they deserve such suffering?

Selling girls—this was utterly illegal.

Their eyes blurred with tears, sparkling drops streaming down their faces.

Just then, light footsteps echoed outside the temple.

“Someone’s coming?”

The two men exchanged glances.

They were in a dilapidated room that still had a door.

Through the door, the sleazy man whispered, “Password: Not seeking to shock the world with flair.”

After a moment’s hesitation, a voice replied, “Only seeking to move the world with slyness.”

The sleazy man grinned, glanced at his companion. “Hey, the buyer’s here.”

“Open the door,” said the burly man.

The sleazy man reached out and opened the temple door.

As it swung open, a handsome young man in casual clothes appeared before them.

Upon seeing him, Li Xuan and Sun Wenjia, bound in the corner, opened their eyes wide and made muffled sounds.

“What’s all this noise? If you keep it up, I’ll smash your mouths,” the sleazy man threatened, and the two girls immediately fell silent.

With the girls quiet, the sleazy man turned to the young man, eager to please. “Buyer, take a look at these two. Price is negotiable.”

The young man’s expression was calm. “Price? Are you selling girls?”

At his words, the sleazy man’s face changed, and the burly man behind him grew wary.

(End of chapter)