Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 81 The Eve of the End of the Tavern

When the members of the Canal Gang arrived at the dungeon on the island, they found only empty cells and unconscious guards on the ground.

By the time they reached the shore, the small boat had already vanished.

"Damn it!" roared a scarred man. "Who did this?!"

"Third...Third Hall Master..." a guard stammered.

"There's a word on the ground..."

The scarred man walked to the open space and saw the huge character "林" (Lin), his expression changed drastically.

"Lin...could he be that person from the capital?"

He dared not delay and immediately returned to Juyizhuang to report.

……

Lin Chen was still awake at the inn.

He stood by the window, gazing towards Taihu Lake.

Although the distance was great, he could sense that the formation on the island had been broken.

"Eighth brother, aren't you going to sleep?" Xiao Yulou hugged him from behind.

"Wait for news." Lin Chen held her hand.

Before long, Yuan Tiangang and Zhang Qing quietly returned.

"My lord, the people have been rescued, thirty-seven in total. They were all wealthy merchants' families kidnapped by the Canal Gang," Yuan Tiangang reported.

"My men have already left marks on the island; the canal gang should have discovered them by now."

"Very good." Lin Chen nodded. "Have the hostages been taken care of?"

"He'll be placed in a villa belonging to the Su family, and will be looked after by members of the Su family," Yuan Tiangang said.

"Young Master Su promised to make proper arrangements for them and help them contact their families."

Lin Chen was satisfied: "Su Mo is indeed very thorough in his work."

Zhang Qing added, "My lord, I have discovered something else."

He took out an account book from his pocket:

"This is a record of kidnapping and extortion by the Canal Gang. It details the identity of each kidnapped person, the amount of ransom, and the payment details."

Among them... several were family members of officials in the imperial court.

Lin Chen took the account book, flipped through a few pages, and his eyes gradually turned cold:

"What a lawless gang they are!"

The account books recorded not only wealthy merchants, but also the wives and children of several local officials in Jiangnan.

The Grand Canal Gang is trying to take control of the entire officialdom in Jiangnan.

"My lord, I also found this." Yuan Tiangang handed over a token.

The token is purple, with the character "紫" (purple) engraved on the front and an eerie datura flower on the back.

"The Purple Robe Tower's token." Lin Chen stroked the token. "It seems the Purple Robe Tower really is behind the Trough Gang."

"Yes," Yuan Tiangang replied.

"However, I didn't find anyone from the Purple Robe Tower on the island. I don't know what they went to do."

Lin Chen pondered for a moment:

"It's alright. Tonight's purpose was to alert them and let them know that someone is watching them."

Mr. Yuan, tomorrow you should send someone to spread the word that the "Lin" hero infiltrated Turtle Island at night and rescued dozens of hostages.

"My lord, what are you going to do...?"

"We'll force them to act." Lin Chen sneered. "I want to see how the Canal Gang and the Purple Robe Tower will react."

Yuan Tiangang understood: "Your subordinate understands."

"And another thing," Lin Chen said:

"Notify the Seven Great Vajras to contact the Iron Cavalry and await orders at any time."

"yes!"

Yuan Tiangang and Zhang Qing withdrew.

Xiao Yulou asked worriedly, "Eighth Brother, isn't this too risky?"

"It's a bit adventurous," Lin Chen said, pulling her into his arms.

"But this is the fastest way. The canal gang must be panicking now. Once they panic, they will expose their weaknesses, and then we can strike them deadly."

"But the Purple Robe Tower..."

"The Purple Robe Tower is indeed troublesome," Lin Chen admitted.

"But it's not that scary. Their leader is in seclusion, so it's unlikely that the two Celestial Elders will appear in Jiangnan."

Even if they come, we have the strength to fight them.

He paused, his tone turning cold:

"Moreover, I suspect that my father and seven brothers were very likely involved in what happened in the North."

"Now that we've met in Jiangnan, it's a good opportunity to settle both old and new scores."

Xiao Yulou leaned against him and whispered:

"Eighth brother, I know you know what you're doing. But... please be very careful."

"Don't worry." Lin Chen lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "For your sake, I will also protect myself."

……

The next day, news of Guishan Island spread throughout Suzhou.

The people of Jiangnan were outraged by the evil deeds of the ditch gang.

The atmosphere inside the headquarters of the Canal Gang, Juyizhuang, was terrifyingly oppressive.

Hong Tianba sat in the main seat with a livid face. The four elders and twelve hall masters below him stood with their heads bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Overnight, the Turtle Mountain Island formation was broken, and all thirty-seven hostages were rescued." Hong Tianba's voice was grim.

"A three-foot-deep character for 'forest' was left at the scene... Gentlemen, tell me, whose handwriting is this?"

Second Elder Li Hun forced himself to speak:

"Chief, someone who can carve three feet deep characters on the ground with sword energy must be at least a Grandmaster."

Moreover, the guards said that there were only two opponents, and the Nine Palaces Bewildering Array on the island was useless against them…”

"Yuan Tiangang." A cold voice came from behind the screen.

Everyone turned their heads and saw three people in purple robes slowly walking out.

The leader, whose face was covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes, was none other than the Purple-Clad Envoy.

The two people behind him had profound auras and were both at the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm.

"Your Excellency in Purple Robes!" Hong Tianba quickly stood up.

The purple-robed envoy waved his hand and sat down next to the main seat.

"I have already investigated and found out that Duke Lin Chen has already come to Jiangnan."

This trip brought seven experts, all of whom were at least Grandmaster level, one Grandmaster-level expert who had infiltrated ahead of time, and three hundred Snow Dragon Riders, all of whom were first-grade level.

The ones who saved people last night were none other than Yuan Tiangang and the late-stage Grandmaster expert who had been spying on them from Xishan.

A commotion erupted in the hall.

Seven Grandmasters! Three Hundred First-Rank Iron Cavalry!

One is a late-stage Grandmaster, and the other is a half-step Celestial!

What kind of lineup is this? It's enough to sweep through Jiangnan!

"Then... what do we do now?" a hall master asked in a trembling voice.

"What's the panic?" the purple-clad envoy said coldly.

"Although Lin Chen is powerful, we are not without our own trump cards."

This envoy brought a "Forbidden God Flag," which is enough to suppress Yuan Tiangang's power by thirty percent.

With the addition of two purple-clad guards, they would be enough to keep him occupied. As for the others…

He looked at Hong Tianba: "Your Cao Gang has six thousand members, are you really afraid of his three hundred men?"

Hong Tianba smiled bitterly: "My lord, you do not know how terrifying the power of a first-rank martial artist charging into battle when they form a military formation is."

Let alone ordinary gang members, even grandmasters would find it difficult to withstand...

"Then don't let them charge." A cold glint flashed in the purple-robed envoy's eyes.

"The alleys around Juyizhuang are narrow, making it difficult for our cavalry to maneuver. We will fight them in the streets and hold them back."

"As long as we hold out until dawn, the four major sects and five major families will inevitably intervene—Lin Chen has wreaked havoc in Jiangnan, and other forces will not stand idly by."

These words put everyone at ease.

Indeed, Jiangnan is not Lin Chen's territory. If he dares to slaughter thousands of people, it will surely arouse public anger.

"Report—!"

A member of the Canal Gang scrambled in:

"Master! Three hundred cavalrymen have been spotted outside the city! White horses, white armor, wielding long spears, and they are assembling!"

"They're here..." Hong Tianba gritted his teeth.

"Pass down the order: all gang members retreat to the alleys surrounding Juyi Manor and prepare for street fighting!"

"yes!"