Jade of Another World

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui came to Manager Wang's place again to talk about their master's medical studies and their senior brother Wuyou.

Filled with questions, Lin Ning couldn't wait to ask Manager Wang as soon as she saw him: "Manager Wang, last time you told me about my mother's past. After I went back, I found some clues and learned that my mother had a senior brother named Wuyou. Do you know which sect my mother came from? And how much do you know about that senior brother Wuyou?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Wang was taken aback for a moment, then frowned and pondered for a while before slowly saying, "Miss Lin, I have heard a little about your mother's sect. It seems that she studied Taoism at Yaosong Mountain. Yaosong Mountain is quite famous in the martial arts world. It is said that there are many seniors on the mountain with superb medical skills and divination techniques, and the disciples they have trained are all proficient in pharmacology and have extraordinary divination skills."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Lin Ning's eyes. Finally, she knew the location of her mother's sect, which gave her a direction to search for.

Before she could rejoice for long, Manager Wang continued, "However, regarding Senior Brother Wuyou, I really don't know anything. I've only heard about your mother's affairs at Yaosong Mountain from others by chance. As for the specifics, such as who she knew on the mountain, and what kind of person Senior Brother Wuyou is, I know very little. I can't provide you with any more information, Miss." Lin Ning's smile immediately faded, her eyes filled with disappointment. She had hoped to learn more from Manager Wang, but unexpectedly, she only received this small clue. However, she quickly cheered up, thinking that knowing her mother's sect was at Yaosong Mountain was already a significant gain. If she went to Yaosong Mountain to inquire, perhaps she could find someone who knew about Senior Brother Wuyou.

After thanking Manager Wang, she turned and left the shop, thinking that she would find an opportunity to inquire about Yaosong Mountain in the future, and perhaps go to the mountain to investigate.

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui left the pawnshop in the west of the city and headed towards the city center. Passing by the market area, it was still bustling with activity, people coming and going, the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and shouting filling the air with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life. Lin Ning and Xiao Cui decided to take a look around.

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui were walking when they overheard two suspicious men talking in hushed tones beside them. The two men were dressed in somewhat worn-out short-sleeved clothes, and their eyes revealed a hint of cunning and ferocity; they didn't look like good people at all.

One of the men, who had a scar on his face, whispered, "We've finally caught her. That young girl has such delicate skin; she'll definitely fetch a good price if we sell her to a brothel."

Another tall, thin man chuckled and chimed in, "Yeah, it's all thanks to him following the Pavilion Master. We're really lucky this time, money just handed to us. I wonder how much she'll cry when she wakes up and finds out she's going to be sold into a brothel, hahaha."

The man with a scar on his face glared at him and snapped, "Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear us. Let's get her out of here quickly, or something might go wrong."

Lin Ning overheard everything and a surge of anger welled up inside her. She couldn't stand such heinous acts as trafficking women. She immediately gave Xiao Cui a look, signaling her to follow the two men quietly, preparing to find an opportunity to rescue the woman they were talking about.

Although Xiao Cui was a little scared, she knew that her young mistress was always kind-hearted and had a strong sense of justice. She would definitely not stand idly by in such a situation. So she mustered her courage and followed Lin Ning quietly, keeping a distance from the two men to avoid being discovered.

The two men were completely unaware that they were being followed. They continued walking and discussing how to bargain with the madam at the brothel. They passed through the market and turned into a secluded alley. The alley was deserted, with few people around, and the surrounding houses looked dilapidated and gloomy.

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui followed cautiously behind, barely daring to breathe, afraid of making any noise that might alert the two men. Lin Ning planned in her mind that once she found where they were hiding, she would seize the opportunity to strike and make sure to rescue the innocent woman safely.

As they walked, the two men stopped in front of a rather secluded courtyard. The tall, thin man knocked on the door, and after a while, the door opened, and a fat head poked out. He looked at them and then let them in.

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui hid in the corner. After the door closed, Lin Ning leaned close to Xiao Cui's ear and whispered, "Xiao Cui, let's observe the surroundings first and see if we can find a place to sneak in."

Xiao Cui nodded nervously, and the two began searching around the courtyard for a place to sneak in, keeping a close eye on any movement inside. A rescue operation was about to begin, but the dangers involved were unpredictable. However, Lin Ning showed no sign of backing down, only wanting to save the poor woman.

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui cautiously circled the dilapidated courtyard twice, their eyes constantly searching for any possible way to sneak in. The courtyard walls were quite high, and the gate was tightly closed, making it difficult to enter directly from the outside. Both of them were somewhat anxious, but they dared not make too much noise, for fear of alerting the enemy.

Just when they were almost discouraged, Xiao Cui, with her sharp eyes, suddenly pointed to a big tree in the corner of the courtyard and whispered, "Miss, look there!"

Lin Ning looked in the direction Xiao Cui pointed and saw a dark hole at the base of the large tree. The hole didn't look very big, but a petite woman could probably squeeze through it. Lin Ning quickly went over, squatted down, and examined it closely. She discovered that the hole led into the courtyard, but she didn't know what the inside was like or if there were any dangers.

Lin Ning stood up, his brows furrowed slightly. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Xiao Cui and said, "Xiao Cui, this hole should lead to the courtyard. I'm quite small, so I'll try to crawl in and see what's going on. You should go find someone to help you right now. Go find the Prince Xian or my father, tell them what's going on here, and ask them to bring people over as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui's face immediately showed worry. She grabbed Lin Ning's hand and said urgently, "Miss, this is too dangerous. What if something happens to you if you go in alone? I'll go in and you go get help."

Lin Ning shook his head and said resolutely, "Xiao Cui, stop arguing. It's more appropriate for you to go and get reinforcements. I know some medicine, so if the woman inside is in critical condition, I can take care of her first. I also know some self-defense techniques. Once inside, I will try my best not to be discovered and wait for you to come and get us. Go quickly, or I'm afraid the woman will be in danger if we delay any longer."

Xiao Cui knew that once Lin Ning made a decision, it would be difficult to change it. She bit her lip, her eyes reddening, and said with reluctance and worry, "Miss, please be careful. I'll go right now and find someone to rescue you as quickly as possible."

Lin Ning patted Xiao Cui on the shoulder, gave her a reassuring smile, and said, "Don't worry, Xiao Cui, I'll be careful. You go ahead."

Xiao Cui nodded firmly, then turned and ran quickly towards the alley exit, glancing back at Lin Ning as she ran. Only when Lin Ning was out of sight did she speed up, running in the direction she thought would be the fastest to find help.

Watching Xiao Cui's departing figure, Lin Ning took a deep breath, then crouched down and carefully crawled into the tree hole. The hole was rather narrow, and the mud and grass roots tore her clothes, but she didn't care. She moved in little by little, silently praying that no one would come in. She hoped she could find the bound woman and hold out until Xiao Cui brought people to rescue her.

As she slowly burrowed deeper, Lin Ning finally passed through the tree hole and entered the courtyard. She peeked out, cautiously observing her surroundings, preparing to search for the bound woman. Suddenly, she heard a noise and quickly hid behind the house.

Lin Ning crouched behind the house, barely daring to breathe, her eyes fixed on the doorway, constantly watching the men's movements. Time seemed to pass exceptionally slowly, every second filled with tension.

Finally, the two men who had been talking near the market earlier walked out of the courtyard, whispering to each other, seemingly going out to buy food. Now, only a rather obese man remained guarding the gate. The fat man lay lazily by the gate, yawning occasionally, his eyes half-closed, seemingly almost asleep, but he was still tightly gripping a wooden stick in his hand, as if guarding against some unexpected situation.

Lin Ning knew this might be an opportunity. So, she carefully moved along the base of the wall towards the back wall of the house, her movements as light as a cat's, afraid of making even the slightest sound and disturbing the fat man at the door.

When she reached the back wall, Lin Ning looked up and saw a small window. Although the window wasn't big, it was just big enough for her to climb in. She looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then carefully moved a stone to place under her feet. Then, she gripped the windowsill with both hands and used all her strength to climb up little by little.

With great difficulty, Lin Ning managed to grab the windowsill with both hands. She peeked out of the room and looked inside. The room was dimly lit, with some old tables and chairs, and some miscellaneous items piled up in the corner. For a moment, she couldn't see where the bound woman was.

However, there was no time for hesitation. Lin Ning took a deep breath, pushed off with all her might, and flipped over the windowsill, jumping into the house (Lin Ning is a yoga enthusiast and uses yoga to relax when she's tired from studying). Upon landing, she tried to land softly and steadily, making no loud noise. She quickly hid behind a dilapidated cabinet, peeking out half her head to warily observe the room, preparing to search for the bound woman. At the same time, she silently prayed that she could find her and get her away safely before the two men returned. But the house exuded an inexplicable eeriness, making her extremely nervous.

Lin Ning moved cautiously in the dimly lit room, her eyes sharp as an eagle's, not missing a single corner where someone might be hiding. The room reeked of decay and decay, and the occasional rustling of mice could be heard, but Lin Ning paid no heed to these sounds, her mind solely focused on finding the bound woman as quickly as possible.

She first checked every corner of the house, under the tables and chairs, behind the bed, but found nothing. Just as she was getting a little anxious, her gaze suddenly fell on a large haystack in the corner of the house. The haystack looked quite messy, with some dry grass scattered around it, as if no one had taken care of it for a long time.

Lin Ning's heart skipped a beat. She tiptoed toward the haystack, taking each step with extreme caution, afraid that the creaking of the wooden planks beneath her feet would give her away. She slowly circled around to the back of the haystack, and sure enough, there was a figure huddled there, trembling—it was the bound woman.

The woman's hair was disheveled, her clothes were dirty, and her face was filled with fear and despair. Her mouth was tightly gagged with a strip of cloth, and her hands and feet were bound tightly with ropes. She was trembling all over. When she saw Lin Ning appear, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by wariness. She shrank back involuntarily, as if afraid that Lin Ning was also a bad person.

Lin Ning quickly squatted down, put a finger to her lips to make a shushing gesture, and then said in the softest voice possible, "Don't be afraid, girl, I'm here to save you. Don't make a sound, I'll untie the rope for you right away."

Upon hearing Lin Ning's words, tears welled up in the woman's eyes. She nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with pleading and expectation, and made a "woo-woo" sound in her throat, as if expressing her gratitude to Lin Ning.