Chapter 270 - 268: So-Called Waiting for a Rabbit at the Stump (Second Update)

Chapter 270: Chapter 268: So-Called Waiting for a Rabbit at the Stump (Second Update)

At this moment, Xu Jing suddenly said, "I heard that the people Duke Qiao sent lost the trail at a fork in the official road early this morning. Do you know where that fork is?"

Duke Qiao was taken aback, looked at Xu Jing, steadied himself, and then said, "It’s to the west of the Western Capital, near Little North Slope. Miss Xu, are you thinking of going there to see if there are any clues? It’s useless, I’ve already sent people to check several times. That stretch of official road is very solidly and beautifully built, with almost no trace of wheel marks."

Xu Jing replied, "I’m not looking for clues on that road, I have an idea I want to confirm. Jiang Zhaoyin, I would like to go and see that official road."

Jiang Shaobai glanced at Xu Jing and nodded, "There’s not much time left until the ransom is to be delivered. Go quickly and come back soon. Let Mr. Yao accompany you."

Xu Jing acknowledged the instruction, and together with Mr. Yao, hurriedly left the Wang Family residence.

On the way, Mr. Yao couldn’t help but ask, "What does Miss Xu want to verify?"

Xu Jingjing paused for a moment and said, "Although last time Duke Qiao’s men lost the kidnappers, one thing is certain: that road must lead to their hideout.

The likelihood of successfully tracking him is low, but what if we knew the destination he was heading to in advance?"

Mr. Yao was stunned, instinctively said, "That would be best! In that case, we could preemptively send people to investigate. Even if we can’t find those two children, we can plant people nearby to lie in wait and catch them off guard...

No, Miss Xu, you... do you have a way to know where he intends to go?!"

Mr. Yao was dumbfounded.

The intel they received was the same, right? Why did he get the feeling that Miss Xu secretly knew a lot more than him?!

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "That’s why I’m going to verify it."

Soon, it was 7 p.m., the time when the kidnappers demanded the ransom to be delivered.

By 7 p.m., it was completely dark, and there were almost no people in sight near Qiu Lin Mountain. Near the grove where the kidnappers demanded the ransom, Jiang Shaobai and a group of government officials were ready and waiting.

Beside him, the Wang Family servant responsible for delivering the ransom finished counting all the gold bars, then struggled to lift them, bowed to Duke Qiao, and walked towards the drop-off point.

A total of 168 gold bars, even divided among four strong men, were still somewhat burdensome to carry.

Although they were currently near the ransom drop-off point, there was still a considerable distance to cover, taking about the time it would take to drink a cup of tea to walk there.

However, being on a small hill gave them a clear view of the grove where the ransom was to be delivered, though the dense tree canopy obscured much of what they could see.

Jiang Shaobai glanced at Duke Qiao and said, "You’ve arranged for people to follow them, haven’t you, Duke Qiao?"

In terms of connections, the Western Capital’s authorities were far from rivaling Duke Qiao, so Jiang Shaobai had entrusted this task to him.

Duke Qiao nodded, saying in a deep voice, "I’ve sent two people this time, both of them top-notch. I’ve instructed them to leave markers along the way."

Then, they would follow these markers to pursue them.

After speaking, Duke Qiao suddenly looked around and asked, "Where is Miss Xu? Has she not returned from checking the road?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shaobai paused slightly and said, "Miss Xu has other tasks."

Duke Qiao hesitated but seeing that Jiang Shaobai was disinclined to elaborate, and given the circumstances, did not press further.

After the Wang Family servant placed the ransom, they waited for more than half an hour. By the faint moonlight, through the dense canopy, they saw a simple, light carriage slowly approaching the ransom site.

The carriage was small and seemingly quite plain and lightweight. Sitting at the carriage shaft was a man, but because of the distance, they couldn’t see his appearance clearly.

After the man alighted, he quickly got back on the carriage and drove away. After waiting a while, Jiang Shaobai silently waved his hand and quickly mounted his horse, leading a small team as they charged forward.

The markers left by Duke Qiao were green ribbons tied to trees. They followed these markers to a fork in the official road nearby, and Duke Qiao gritted his teeth, exclaiming, "That thug is going the same route as last time!"

This was where his men lost the kidnappers the first time!

Although they were unsure whether the kidnappers would take the same route again, Duke Qiao had strategically placed people nearby in advance. Perhaps because of this, their men didn’t lose them again, and they successfully spotted the ribbons tied to a tree on the left-side path.

Everyone immediately tugged on their reins and swiftly took the left path.

Along the way, there were numerous twists and turns, and several forked roads, so it was not surprising that the kidnappers could shake off anyone tailing them.

As they approached the fourth fork, they unexpectedly saw two familiar figures standing on the roadside, looking anxious.

Duke Qiao immediately dismounted, took a deep breath, and said, "Have you lost them again?!"

These were the two men Duke Qiao had dispatched to shadow the kidnappers!

The two men immediately dropped to one knee, overwhelmed with shame, "We lack the skills, please punish us, Lord!"

However, everyone knew it wasn’t their fault.

Under such harsh conditions, reaching this point was already a significant achievement.

Yet losing them here meant they had missed yet another precious opportunity!

Who knew when, or if, such an opportunity would arise again!

Even Duke Qiao couldn’t resist angrily kicking one of the men aside, roaring, "Get out!"

Xu Guangyi seemed to collapse against a nearby horse, his face filled with despair.

His Guang’er, his only son, was he truly not coming back?!

That Yang Quanfu clearly harbored hatred for the Xu Family; there was no way he would let Guang’er go!

Amidst the rage and despair of the crowd, the slightly tense voice of Jiang Shaobai suddenly broke the silence, "Take the right path."

Duke Qiao immediately turned to Jiang Shaobai, his eyes widening in disbelief, "How do you know?!"

Jiang Shaobai was standing on the right path, bending down, retrieving a palm-sized straw doll from beside the bushes. He looked at Duke Qiao and said, "This is a signal left by Miss Xu for us."

Duke Qiao was startled and hurried over, snatching up the straw doll and gritting his teeth, "What’s going on?! Did Miss Xu secretly send someone to follow the kidnapper too?!"

However, he believed that the two men he had found to follow the kidnapper were currently the most skilled available in the Western Capital.

How could a young lady like her find someone better in such a short time?!

Jiang Shaobai took a deep breath. In truth, he was also surprised to see the straw doll.

When Xu Jing sent someone during the day to tell him about her plan, he was skeptical.

But now it seemed that what she said was indeed true!

"Actually, this afternoon, Miss Xu sent someone to tell me she had found where the kidnappers might head to, so she requested some men from me to lay traps along the way.

And she herself should now be at that place.

Because... I found it hard to believe Miss Xu’s words, I didn’t mention it to anyone."

Everyone around was shocked.

How did this woman know in advance where the kidnappers intended to go?!

However, they didn’t have time to ponder this. Duke Qiao immediately mounted his horse, waving his hand, "No matter what, the priority is to rescue Jun’er! Everyone, follow quickly!"

After speaking, he dashed forward, leading the way.