Chapter 161: Kidnapping (Part Two)

Upon hearing this, the Pope fixed his gaze toward the east, his unseeing eyes seemingly piercing through thousands of mountains and rivers.

A moment later, he slowly spoke, "That kingdom is full of wonders. When the glory of the God of Light descends and the era of divine miracles begins, I will send you there. For now, let us attend to our most pressing matters."

"Understood, respected Your Holiness the Pope. Augustus takes his leave."

"Go, my child."

Augustus stood up and bowed, leaving the place that weighed so heavily on him.

Before departing, he glanced at the woman in white.

He knew this woman was the Saintess of the Church, but he had no idea where she came from. She had simply appeared out of nowhere, and the Pope had immediately bestowed upon her the title of Saintess.

Ever since her appearance, this Saintess had remained constantly by the Pope's side, rarely showing herself to the public.

There were even rumors that the Saintess was merely a personal possession of the Pope, but Augustus knew that His Holiness would never engage in such a frivolous act, and that this Saintess was certainly not as simple as she appeared.

...

Meanwhile, after two days of arduous trekking, Lu Ming and his companions finally emerged from the mountains and arrived at the spot where they had left their vehicles.

Seeing the cars, everyone let out a long breath of relief. The physical exhaustion and terror of the past few days had brought them to the verge of a breakdown.

However, they soon discovered that the two drivers left behind to watch the vehicles were missing. A moment later, one of the security guards found a note stuck to a car window.

Scrawled on it in a clumsy hand were the words:

"Your people are in the hands of our chieftain. If you want them back, bring a ransom."

Signed at the bottom with the four characters: Chieftain of Qilai.

Upon reading this, everyone was startled. It was clearly a kidnapping! What should they do?

Unconsciously, all eyes turned to Lu Ming.

By this time, Lu Ming had become the pillar of their backbone; whenever trouble arose, he was the first person they thought of.

Lu Ming let out a cold snort and smiled, "Damn it, to think they'd dare rob me. These chieftains are quite arrogant."

With that, Lu Ming pulled out his phone and dialed Zhao Huang's number.

This place was not too far from the capital; he would let Zhao Huang handle this matter, as Lu Ming couldn't be bothered to waste words with them.

After making the call, Lu Ming told everyone to get in the vehicles and rest.

Now holding unconditional obedience toward Lu Ming, the group settled into the cars with peace of mind upon hearing his arrangement.

They were simply too exhausted. Stowing their gear after getting inside, they fell fast asleep in their seats not long after.

At that moment, Lu Ming walked over to Sheng Guo'an.

Although Sheng Guo'an's injuries were severe, he had managed to cling to life through sheer force of will and his own cultivation. However, from now on, he would likely be no different from an ordinary person.

Because his injuries were too grievous, his dantian had been destroyed, ending any future in martial arts.

Lying on the sleeper berth with vacant eyes, Sheng Guo'an stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought. He didn't even notice when Lu Ming approached him.

Lu Ming looked at Sheng Guo'an and let out an involuntary sigh. For a peak Xiantian martial artist to suddenly fall to such a state—no one could easily accept it. Even if Sheng Guo'an managed to keep his life, he would likely pine away in depression for the rest of his days.

At that, Lu Ming produced a medicinal pellet and held it to Sheng Guo'an's lips, saying, "Eat this."

Prompted by Lu Ming's unquestionable tone, Sheng Guo'an laboriously opened his mouth and swallowed the pill.

This medicinal pellet was part of Lu Ming's spoils, kept inside a jade box containing only seven pieces in total.

There were no instructions explaining the pill. Lu Ming had examined it with his Insight Eyes and discovered that it possessed extremely potent restorative and healing properties, very similar to the Qi Condensation Pills of the Cultivation World. It had miraculous effects on severely injured individuals, though the exact extent of its power remained unknown. Whether Sheng Guo'an could fully recover would depend entirely on his own fortune.

The moment Sheng Guo'an swallowed the pill, he instantly felt a surge of intense heat flow from his internal organs to every part of his body. His scattered true qi actually began to recondense.

Overjoyed, he immediately began to circulate his true qi to mend his injuries.

Just like that, over two hours passed before Sheng Guo'an abruptly sat up.

The massive wound on his abdomen, caused by the spiral armor-piercing shell, had already healed, revealing tender new flesh.

Furthermore, his true qi had gathered once more in his dantian, fully under his control.

Although this true qi was very weak, Sheng Guo'an knew that within a year or a year and a half, he would be able to return to his peak condition, perhaps even advancing further.

With a loud thump, Sheng Guo'an dropped to his knees right in front of Lu Ming.

With tears in his eyes, he said, "Mr. Lu, Guo'an can never repay your life-saving grace. Should you ever have any commands in the future, Guo'an will give his all and brave fire and water without hesitation."

Lu Ming had essentially granted him a second life; such a grace of rebirth was truly beyond repayment.

Sitting by the window, Lu Ming looked at Sheng Guo'an and said indifferently, "Get up. It was your good luck that I happened to find this pellet and that you were meant to be saved. It has little to do with me."

Sheng Guo'an struck the ground heavily with a kowtow and said word by word, "Sir's immense kindness cannot be repaid in words; Guo'an has engraved it in his heart."

Only then did Sheng Guo'an stand up.

Lu Ming nodded, signaling him to rest, noting that having just recovered from severe injuries, he should not become overly emotional.

Sheng Guo'an bowed once more in gratitude, returned to his seat, and resumed circulating his true qi to heal.

Before long, the roaring sound of engines suddenly echoed from the distance. Judging by the noise, there were quite a few vehicles approaching.

The resting group was jolted awake by the commotion and looked outside.

In a short while, dozens of vehicles of various types screeched to a halt beside the bus. Nearly a hundred people poured out, every single one of them tall, robust, covered in tattoos, and bearing fierce expressions.

From the last two buses stepped dozens more spirited individuals; a glance at their footwork revealed them to be formidable martial artists.

Panic swept through the crowd. Were they facing another crisis? These people certainly did not look friendly.

The six security guards bit the bullet and stepped off the bus to form a defense line.

Yet, despite holding firearms, the six of them appeared far too frail in the face of so many burly men.

At that moment, an elderly man strode forward, followed by several brawny companions.

Walking up to the front of the bus, the old man cupped his fists and asked, "Is Mr. Lu inside?"

Only then did Lu Ming stand up, step off the vehicle, and walk up to the old man with a smile, "Grandmaster Wang, long time no see."

The newcomers were none other than Wang Yangming and Zhao Huang.

Upon receiving Lu Ming's call, Zhao Huang had flown into a rage. In his territory, someone actually dared to make a move against Mr. Lu's people—they were simply courting death.

He immediately led his men and drove over at top speed. Before leaving, he had also called Wang Yangming, recalling Wang Yangming's instruction to notify him immediately if Mr. Lu ever reappeared.

Wang Yangming was a grandmaster of his generation, enjoying a status far superior to Zhao Huang's, yet he dared not disobey.

Once the call connected, Wang Yangming had also flown into a towering rage. Ever since Yao Gang's mysterious disappearance, he had dominated the borderlands as the sole leader of the martial arts community there, holding a position of immense reverence.

Yet in his heart, Lu Ming existed like a heavenly deity. The incredible display of power Lu Ming had shown that day had left an unforgettable impression on him. Day and night, he had hoped to see Mr. Lu again, to follow by his side and receive his teachings, believing that even a casual word or two of guidance from Mr. Lu would benefit him infinitely.

Today, having finally received news of Mr. Lu, he learned instead that someone had actually kidnapped his driver. How could Wang Yangming possibly tolerate this? He immediately gathered his disciples and rushed over alongside Zhao Huang.

He wanted to see precisely who in these borderlands possessed such extraordinary audacity.

Hearing Lu Ming address him as Grandmaster, Wang Yangming blushed crimson with embarrassment and hastily said, "Mr. Lu, please do not address me thus. I am utterly unworthy of the title. After witnessing Mr. Lu's divine might that day, I finally realized that the so-called invincibility of a grandmaster is nothing more than a joke. Before Mr. Lu, people like us are mere schoolchildren, still in need of your teachings."

Lu Ming chuckled lightly and said nothing.

At this point, Zhao Huang, standing behind Wang Yangming, spoke up, "Mr. Lu, to think someone would dare touch your people! Rest assured, no matter who they are, Grandmaster Wang and I will make them regret ever coming into this world."

With that, Zhao Huang waved his hand behind him and shouted loudly, "Well? Aren't you going to greet him?"

Instantly, the nearly one hundred men behind him shouted in unison, "Greetings, Mr. Lu!"