Chapter 220 - 109: Fame Shakes Yuhe

The old steward was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened. He pointed with a trembling hand at the person in Yang Jing’s arms, his voice cracking. "Ma... Master! Look! It’s the Young Master! The Young Master is back!"

Yang Jing landed steadily, still holding Liu Maolin. His gaze fell upon the deathly pale Hall Master Liu as he said in a low voice, "Hall Master Liu, Senior Brother Liu is severely injured. Please prepare a comfortable, high-quality carriage as soon as possible to take him back to the Liu Family Medical Hall for treatment."

Hall Master Liu seemed to snap out of a trance. He stumbled forward, trembling, his fingers gently brushing across Liu Maolin’s pale cheek before he checked for a pulse.

When he felt the faint but steady beat, his heart, which had been lodged in his throat, settled slightly. But when he saw Liu Maolin’s limbs dangling unnaturally and the faint bruising on his knuckles, his face instantly turned ashen again.

"His limbs..."

Hall Master Liu’s voice trembled. Having run the medical hall for many years, he could tell at a glance that his son’s limbs were likely broken. "At least... at least his life was spared..."

He muttered to himself, tears welling in his eyes—a mix of grief and the profound relief of getting him back.

’As long as he’s alive, there’s always a way to nurse him back to health.’

"Quickly! Bring my carriage!" Hall Master Liu suddenly turned his head and said urgently to the old steward, "Line it with the thickest silks and blankets, and prepare a warmer!"

The old steward quickly complied, rushing off with a few guards to make the preparations.

Before long, an elegantly decorated carriage pulled up nearby. The carriage was lined with thick blankets, and a copper warmer sat in the corner, radiating a gentle warmth.

While everyone was getting the carriage ready, Li Tieyun stepped forward and briefly recounted the day’s events.

He focused on Yang Jing’s rescue of Liu Maolin, from storming the fortress alone to slaying Li Qianxiong, and finally joining forces to annihilate the remaining bandits. His tale was breathtaking.

"...If not for Young Master Yang’s extraordinary courage and formidable strength, forget rescuing Young Master Maolin, we probably wouldn’t have even made it to the edge of the stronghold." Li Tieyun looked at Yang Jing, his voice filled with admiration. "For taking down the Flying Horse Thieves this time, Young Master Yang deserves the highest credit."

"Gang Leader Li, you flatter me. If not for everyone’s timely assistance, I might not have succeeded so smoothly," Yang Jing said humbly, quickly waving his hand.

Hall Master Liu, the old steward, and the surrounding guards were left dumbfounded.

They knew Yang Jing was on the training ground’s trial rankings and was exceptionally strong, but they never imagined this young man possessed such heaven-defying abilities.

’Storming a bandit lair alone, killing the leader, and wiping out the entire stronghold?’

Such deeds were like something out of a legend!

Everyone stared at Yang Jing, their eyes filled with shock and utter amazement.

They were especially grateful, knowing that Liu Maolin was only alive because this young man had risked his own life to save him.

Once the carriage was ready, Yang Jing carefully carried Liu Maolin into the compartment.

Seeing his son lying safely on the blankets, Hall Master Liu could no longer contain his overwhelming gratitude. He shoved aside the old steward who was supporting him, and his knees buckled as he prepared to kneel and kowtow before Yang Jing.

"Hall Master Liu, you mustn’t!"

Yang Jing was shocked. He quickly stepped forward and firmly gripped Hall Master Liu’s arms. "Senior Brother Maolin and I are like brothers. Saving him was simply what I had to do. I am not worthy of this bow from you; it is too great an honor for a junior like me!"

Held firmly by Yang Jing, Hall Master Liu was unable to kneel. Hot tears streamed down his face. "Young Hero Yang... words cannot express my gratitude! The Liu Family owes you a life. If you ever have need of us in the future, we would go through hell and high water for you without a second thought!"

He then turned to Li Tieyun, cupping his hands. "Thank you, Gang Leader Li, and all you brave men for your righteous assistance. As for the promised reward, I will have it sent to the River Gang immediately after we return to the city. There will be no delay."

Li Tieyun waved his hand. "Hall Master Liu, you’re too kind. This was what we agreed upon. There’s no rush."

As they spoke, the snow outside began to fall more heavily. Hall Master Liu looked at his unconscious son in the carriage, then at Yang Jing and Li Tieyun beside him, and said gravely, "Let’s not delay any further. We should head back to the city."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the carriage began to move slowly through the snow.

Inside the high-quality carriage, warmth from the warmer spread throughout the compartment, chasing away the outside chill.

Hall Master Liu sat on a silk-lined cushion, tightly holding Liu Maolin’s ice-cold hand. He gently stroked the skin on the back of his son’s hand, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Oh, son... you scared your father to death..."

His voice choked with sobs, trembling with relief. "Your father thought... I thought I would never see you again..."

Looking at his son’s pale but steadily breathing face, Hall Master Liu was overwhelmed with a storm of emotions.

From the moment he learned his son had been abducted by the Flying Horse Thieves, to raising the ransom only to be met with silence, to the sliver of desperate hope he’d clung to... up until this very moment of seeing his son return with his own eyes, the past few days had been a living nightmare.

Now that the nightmare was over, he felt completely drained of strength, yet a warm current surged up from the depths of his heart, reviving his spirits.

After a moment, his gaze drifted through the gap in the carriage curtain and fell upon Yang Jing, who was riding outside. A profound sense of gratitude washed over him.

Li Tieyun’s words echoed in his ears: ’Even if we hadn’t intervened, Young Hero Yang could have rescued Young Master Liu on his own.’

Hall Master Liu smiled wryly to himself.

Initially, he had only offered Yang Jing a position at the medical hall as a favor to his son. After all, with a mere Lower-Grade Root Bone, he hadn’t thought much of the young man back then.

But now, it seemed that being associated with Yang Jing was the Liu Family’s greatest stroke of fortune.

Clarity gradually returned to Hall Master Liu’s eyes. With his son rescued, his former wisdom and decisiveness began to re-emerge.

Yang Jing hadn’t just saved Maolin’s life; he had saved the Liu Family Medical Hall itself.

’If anything had happened to his son, these old bones of his wouldn’t have been able to carry on, and the Liu Family Medical Hall would have surely crumbled to dust.’