NOVEL NEXT Chapter 617: Reaching the Peak 26
The ferocity of Tan Shuangshuang's attack was unrivaled, and her movements were incredibly swift. After knocking out one person with a punch, she immediately moved on to the next target, striking the person in the chest and rendering him unconscious.
In the stunned expressions of Lu Tianyi and the middle-aged couple that accompanied him, as well as the ambushers led by Hua Qingcheng, Tan Shuangshuang fiercely wielded her fists, swiftly knocking out everyone within the vicinity.
After defeating all of those who besieged them, Tan Shuangshuang turned her gaze towards the astounded Lu Tianyi and the middle-aged couple, who were still reeling from her display.
It was the middle-aged man who first regained his composure. He stepped forward a few paces, expressing his gratitude to Tan Shuangshuang, "Thank you so much, young lady. If you hadn't come to our rescue, my family of three would have surely met a grim fate today."
It turned out that this middle-aged couple was Lu Tianyi's parents. Tan Shuangshuang nodded slightly and looked at the unconscious people on the ground, frowning as she asked, "Who are these people? Do you have any grudges with them?" Tan Shuangshuang had keenly observed that those people intended to kill them.
Lu Tianyi's father glanced at the people whom Tan Shuangshuang had knocked out, his face filled with confusion after a while, saying, "To be honest, young lady, you might not believe this, but we don't even know these people."
"Don't know them? If you don't know them, why would they be chasing you? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Tan Shuangshuang looked at Lu Tianyi's father, puzzled.
Lu Tianyi's father remained bewildered, "I truly don't know them. Today, I brought my wife, my son, and some guards to explore the Long Mountain Range for fun. Actually, to call it an exploration is to stretch it; it's more like a leisurely outing. I once came across a sea of flowers in this area during a previous visit, where the scenery is exceptionally beautiful, with no high-level magical beasts around, making it extremely safe. The Spiritual Honey brewed by the Jade Bees in the flower sea is incredibly delightful."
"Because we had nothing to do at home these past two days, I thought I'd bring my wife and child here to enjoy the flower sea for a few days and gather some Spiritual Honey. Who would have known that just as we were about to head back after a walk, this group of people suddenly appeared and attacked us without a word. They fought incredibly viciously, and the guards were quickly overpowered and killed. If it weren't for your timely rescue, we three wouldn't have escaped their clutches! As for why these people targeted us, I honestly have no idea."
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to be lying, Tan Shuangshuang began to ponder. Observing the people's uniform attire, they likely belonged to some unified sect or organization.
Tan Shuangshuang was more inclined to believe that these people belonged to a secretive organization because while sects have uniform attire, they usually don't require disciples to dress identically.
As long as sect disciples remember to carry their identification token, they're fine. Yet, these people attacked without a word, clearly aiming to kill, which is more in line with an unsavory underground organization.
Such organizations can only be of two kinds: assassins hired to kill, or strange organizations with peculiar objectives.
These organizations with unclear aims usually have deeply malicious goals. Their primary target in wantonly attacking others is the person themselves, with their ruthless manner indicating they prefer dead over alive.
However, Tan Shuangshuang still needed to confirm whether this issue was related to the Lu Family, so she asked Lu Tianyi's father, "Think carefully; does your family have any enemies wanting to hire killers to eliminate your entire family?"
Lu Tianyi's father replied without hesitation, "That's impossible. I'm someone who hates conflict. I have friends everywhere, and while there are minor disputes and disagreements, there's no one who bears so much hatred to wish my entire family dead!"
Tan Shuangshuang did not doubt Lu Tianyi's father's words. She lowered her head and pondered, realizing that this situation was quite troublesome.
Now there was some strange, almost certainly nefarious organization operating here, so close to Qingyun City, acting so darkly and ruthlessly. Naturally, it would be the people in and around Qingyun City who would suffer.
As the greatest family in Qingyun City, the Tan Family has the duty to assist the City Lord's Mansion in ensuring the peace of Qingyun City. The higher the status, the greater the responsibility. The Tan Family has become the first family of Qingyun City and avoids suppression or opposition from the City Lord's Mansion by always standing with the City Lord's Mansion and Qingyun City's safety.
Taking responsibility when necessary is why the Tan Family has firmly established its roots in Qingyun City and remains unshaken, unlike the Wu Family, which is similar in strength to the Tan Family yet never able to make a dent because the Tan Family has the backing of the City Lord's Mansion, representing the official power of Baiyue Country.
As a Tan Family member, Tan Shuangshuang naturally bears the responsibility of investigating this matter and delivering the information back to Qingyun City. The duty is indeed there, but ensuring her own safety is also crucial.
So when faced with this matter, Tan Shuangshuang's first thought was to relay a message to her family to avoid encountering danger during the investigation and having her family unaware, unable to come to her rescue.
The Tan Family uses a special communication item, a small golden bell, for sending messages. This golden bell is specifically an alchemy item used for transmission.
Tan Shuangshuang recited everything she found out towards the golden bell, and after shaking it a few times, the bell would transmit the message to another person holding a golden bell.
Each person's golden bell has a unique number based on the shakes and whether there are pauses, then each bell marks the other's bell. Of course, one golden bell can mark unlimited golden bells.
The prerequisite is to remember the number of each marked golden bell and not to confuse them. Any marked golden bell can use its own bell to shake out the other's bell's code, enabling them to exchange messages.
Tan Shuangshuang sent the message to her grandfather, Tan Wencheng. After sending the message, she urged Lu Tianyi and his parents to leave Mang Mountain and head home as soon as possible, advising them not to return to Mang Mountain any time soon.
Lu Tianyi's parents expressed their endless gratitude to Tan Shuangshuang before leaving with Lu Tianyi. Throughout the whole process, until the Lu Family left, the group led by Hua Qingcheng never showed themselves.
Tan Shuangshuang's mind was occupied with this peculiar organization, with no interest in dealing with Hua Qingcheng's group covertly observing from the side. Besides, these people weren't her match, and she didn't sense any malice from them. They likely came to observe the situation, choosing not to show themselves to avoid trouble.