"It was written incorrectly)," there was a plot error involving a conversation between Iga Sado Shun and the short Japanese man. It has now been revised, and Xiao Yu offers her deepest apologies to her friends for the impact this had on their reading...···

"Hey, what are you guys doing here!"

Just as these young punks, looking like petty thugs, were whispering suspiciously outside Zhang Yang's villa, Yan Yefei suddenly appeared behind them, accompanied by Li Juan.

"Huh? When did you—when did you get behind us!"

Yan Yefei’s sudden appearance startled the group of ruffians, who clearly didn't look like upstanding youths. They hadn't even noticed when Yan Yefei and Li Juan had positioned themselves behind them.

Knowing that Changjing wasn't exactly peaceful lately, Yan Yefei and Li Juan had been extra vigilant about suspicious individuals nearby. He had spotted these punks loitering outside the villa early that morning.

"What exactly are you doing here? I’ve been watching you for a while now; you’ve been acting shifty since you got here."

Yan Yefei frowned, pressing them with a cold voice. Though he hadn't officially joined the Medical Saint Martial Sect or taken Zhang Yang as a master yet, deep down he already considered Zhang Yang his mentor. Naturally, he had to step forward and question anyone lurking suspiciously around.

"We’re looking for someone!"

After the initial shock, the thugs quickly composed themselves and confronted Yan Yefei with unwarranted confidence.

"Looking for someone? Who are you looking for? Do you know anyone around here?"

Yan Yefei paused, then took a good look at the group. The only people living in this vicinity were Zhang Yang and himself. If they were looking for someone, who could it possibly be?

"We're looking for someone named Yan… Fei!"

The first thug who spoke trailed off halfway through, suddenly stumbling over his words. He couldn't for the life of him recall the name of the person he was supposed to find—something Yan… Fei. Yan Yefei's sudden appearance had completely thrown him off, forcing him to be vague.

"Looking for me?"

Yan Yefei was momentarily stunned. He hadn't clearly heard what the thug said and assumed the man was referring to him.

Even the thug looked puzzled, staring at Yan Yefei. While he had forgotten the details of the Japanese client who hired him to find Yan something-Fei, he clearly remembered being told the target was relatively young. The man before him, however, clearly looked older.

"Do you recognize this?"

Despite his confusion, the thug reached into his pocket and produced a small, embroidered sachet, asking Yan Yefei, "The person who handed this to me said you’d understand everything once you saw this!"

"What!"

Yan Yefei glanced at the sachet in the thug’s hand, feeling completely unfamiliar with it. At that moment, Li Juan moved closer, and upon seeing it was a sachet typically used by women, she discreetly pinched Yan Yefei.

"I don’t recognize this sachet, and I certainly don’t know any woman!" Yan Yefei managed a strained smile, quickly whispering an explanation to Li Juan.

The thugs completely ignored Yan Yefei’s plea. The leader immediately shoved the sachet into his hand and said, "Oh, right—that person also passed on a message for you: that woman is on Yanming Mountain in the Northern Suburbs. You must come alone. If you are not there by twelve o'clock noon today, or if you bring anyone else with you, that woman is done for!"

With that, the group of thugs immediately scattered in a rush.

"It’s Yan Liangfei!"

After hearing the message, Yan Yefei and Li Juan exchanged a sharp glance and instantly understood who they were truly looking for!

They knew perfectly well that Yan Liangfei was originally from the Northern Suburbs, and both his mother and grandmother lived in the town within the Northern Suburbs. This meant the sachet must belong to either Yan Liangfei’s mother or his grandmother.

In other words, someone had targeted Yan Liangfei’s family!

"I’m going to catch those brats!"

"Don't!"

Yan Yefei’s brow furrowed deeply as he moved to chase after the fleeing thugs, but Li Juan stopped him!

"The people behind this didn't dare show their faces, which means they fear us. And these thugs they sent even got the name wrong—they clearly know nothing. Catching them won't yield any useful answers!" Li Juan remained calm, looking at Yan Yefei as she analyzed rapidly. "The most urgent matter now is to notify Mr. Zhang and tell him what happened!"

"Right, I’ll call Mr. Zhang immediately!"

Yan Yefei pulled out his phone and began dialing Zhang Yang’s number while walking quickly toward Zhang Yang's villa.

Zhang Yang’s phone was switched off; it wouldn't connect. Zhang Yang was currently in the operating room with Yan Liangfei, trying to save the driver injured in a recent car accident, so he certainly wouldn't have his phone on him.

Yan Yefei shook his head at Li Juan. They were standing outside the gate of Zhang Yang’s villa when Qu Meilan, who happened to be in the courtyard, saw them.

"Miss Qu, open the door quickly! I need to see Mr. Zhang about something critically important!!" Yan Yefei called out loudly. Qu Meilan approached, opening the door with a look of confusion, unsure why Yan Yefei and Li Juan were in such a rush. She could only relay Zhang Yang’s whereabouts first.

"Master left early this morning with Yan Liangfei for Jinghe Hospital. I heard there was a serious car accident at the hospital."

Yan Yefei and Li Juan froze at the threshold. Hearing Qu Meilan’s words, they finally understood why Zhang Yang’s phone was unreachable—and why Yan Liangfei wasn't home either.

Yan Yefei quickly relayed the thugs’ message to Qu Meilan. Hearing it, Qu Meilan panicked as well, immediately asking, "What should we do now…"

Yan Yefei glanced at his watch. It would take several hours to drive from here to Yanming Mountain in the Northern Suburbs. Crucially, the thugs hadn't specified where on Yanming Mountain the people were being held.

"Here’s what we’ll do, Miss Qu. You go to the hospital now and find Mr. Zhang to tell him this. I’ll accompany my husband to Yanming Mountain to search. We’ll stay in contact by phone!" Li Juan suddenly tugged at Yan Yefei and then articulated her plan to Qu Meilan.

Qu Meilan considered it. This seemed like the most viable solution right now, and she nodded quickly. She then pointed toward the Mercedes in the garage. "Master left in a hurry this morning and didn't take his car. You two should take it; I won't drive anyway, so I'll just take a taxi to find Master."

"Understood. I’ll take my wife to Yanming Mountain to find those people immediately. Miss Qu, please rush to Jinghe Hospital to notify Zhang Yang!"

There was no time to waste. Yan Yefei didn't hesitate, pulling Li Juan into Zhang Yang’s Mercedes and speeding away.

The Mercedes roared out, heading straight for Yanming Mountain in the Northern Suburbs.

Inside the car, Yan Yefei gripped the steering wheel tightly, his palms slick with nervous sweat. Li Juan beside him tried to soothe him. "Don't panic. Mr. Zhang has only offended people from Japan and South Korea recently. The mastermind this time is likely one of those two sides. And Mr. Qiao is still keeping an eye on the Koreans, so I suspect this has something to do with the Japanese."

"No matter what, we still need to get to Yanming Mountain before noon and find those people. We need to stop them from holding the victims hostage before we can even begin to negotiate."

Yan Yefei didn't dwell on the possibilities; he focused intently on driving. Li Juan fell silent, gazing out the window, though a cloud of worry still lingered on her face.

Li Juan’s plan—sending Qu Meilan to notify Zhang Yang while she and Yan Yefei went to Yanming Mountain—was inherently risky. Neither she nor Yan Yefei had even reached the first level of Inner Strength yet. If trouble erupted on Yanming Mountain, they could easily become trapped. But there was no better option; Qu Meilan couldn't drive and certainly couldn't make the trip alone, and even if she did go, she wouldn't be much help.

However, neither Li Juan nor Yan Yefei noticed that as soon as their Mercedes left Changjing, someone started tracking them, tailing the vehicle closely.

After driving for over an hour, Yan Yefei finally realized that a black SUV had been following them the entire time.

Li Juan noticed the black SUV trailing behind them simultaneously.

"Don't worry about it. If it’s the people behind this, it might actually work in our favor. Once we get to Yanming Mountain, they will naturally lead us to Yan Liangfei’s family." Li Juan murmured softly into Yan Yefei’s ear.

Yan Yefei nodded, gripping the wheel a little tighter. His only hope now was that Qu Meilan could quickly find Zhang Yang at Jinghe Hospital. Only when Zhang Yang knew what was happening would there be any chance of rescuing Yan Liangfei's family—and potentially himself, as he might also be in danger.

It seemed the SUV realized its surveillance had been blown. It stopped hiding, accelerated sharply, cut directly in front of Yan Yefei’s Mercedes, and braked hard.

Yan Yefei slammed on his own brakes, managing to avoid a collision.

Two men, both rather short, stepped out of the SUV and approached the Mercedes, knocking on the window. When Yan Yefei and Li Juan exited the vehicle, the men clearly paused, surprised that there were two people inside.

"It’s Zhang Yang’s car, that’s certain."

"Then never mind that, just take them back!"

The two men exchanged a brief glance and a silent communication.

Yan Yefei and Li Juan both frowned. Li Juan’s guess was correct; the language these two men were using to converse was Japanese.

Meanwhile, Qu Meilan had taken a taxi to Jinghe Hospital and was asking everyone she encountered where Zhang Yang was.

Zhang Yang's name was already legendary at Jinghe Hospital; even many patients knew of the incredibly wealthy and highly skilled doctor. Seeing Qu Meilan's urgency, a nurse stepped forward and told her, "Hello, Miss. Dr. Zhang is currently in surgery and cannot receive other visitors."

"No, no, I'm not a patient. I’m his apprentice." Qu Meilan waved her hands quickly. "Is Master still in surgery? Could you possibly take me to the door of the operating room? I can wait there. I have something very important to tell Master!"

The nurse looked at Qu Meilan strangely, clearly struggling to believe that Zhang Yang had such a young female disciple. Nevertheless, she led Qu Meilan to the outside of the operating theater.

Qu Meilan watched the red light above the operating room door, indicating emergency procedures, twisting her hands tightly together, her brow deeply furrowed.