Chapter 135: Saving Lives

"De-ying has been taken?" Qin An-yi frowned. He stood up and asked calmly, "Why would the people from the neighboring village kidnap De-ying? Has anything like this happened before? Have there been any unusual occurrences in the neighboring village lately?"

"I... how would I know? Aside from practicing medicine in the village, I rarely even step out of my door. Oh, never mind that now! Hurry and go save De-ying. The people from the neighboring village were acting so ferocious and menacing—heaven knows what they intend to do to her!" The old physician stammered, then smiled bitterly, his expression one of extreme urgency.

"We can talk on the way. Since it is a neighboring village, there must be frequent contact with your own. People from both sides are surely familiar with one another. If nothing like this has ever happened before and it is only occurring today, there must be an unknown reason for it. We need to understand the situation," Qin An-yi said as he took the lead and rushed out of the martial arts arena.

Basong followed closely behind him. As soon as they exited the arena, he let out a long, piercing whistle. Every boxer in the village who heard it began running toward them.

"Old physician, try to recall the situation from before. Tell us everything you think was amiss so we can be prepared," Qin An-yi said, pausing to wait for the village boxers to assemble. Even though these boxers were no match for him combined, he didn't know what kind of danger they would face, and there was always strength in numbers.

"Speaking of that... there was a guy among the boxers from the neighboring village whom I have never seen before. That is strange, because my medical skills are the best in this area. Even the young people from the surrounding villages like to come to me for treatment. Furthermore, the practice of boxing is very popular here; which young man hasn't had some sort of injury? I recognize most of them," the old physician said, rambling as he thought.

"Father... do you think... could it be..." Kong Sha suddenly remembered something. His body stiffened, and he spoke hesitantly.

"Could it be what?" Basong asked casually, counting the boxers who had gathered at his call. Excluding those who were away, ninety-eight people had assembled. To these villagers, the village chief was the ultimate authority, and Basong was also their Muay Thai master. His prestige was immense, and every call he made was met with a full response.

"I heard Khun Sa is back... the neighboring village... isn't that Khun Sa's hometown?" Kong Sha said with difficulty.

Basong’s body went rigid, and his complexion turned ghastly. "No way... if this actually involves Khun Sa... doesn't that mean we have no chance?"

"I don't understand what you are talking about, but since everyone is here, let's go. Every minute De-ying spends in their hands increases the danger. It really is strange—are there no law enforcement officers here? How can they just kidnap someone so brazenly?" Qin An-yi asked, his heart heavy with concern for De-ying.

It is hardest to endure a beauty's grace; for the past week, De-ying had cared for him with the utmost tenderness and consideration. Even a man of iron would find his heartstrings pulled, and Qin An-yi, from a purely emotional standpoint, was still just a young man. Regardless of the guilt he felt toward Wang Yi-ran, to say he had no feelings for De-ying would be a lie—men are easily moved creatures.

"Thailand is not the same as where you come from. The government cannot fully control every part of the country. There are many private armed groups roaming around, carving out their own territories. The villages around here are controlled by a private armed group called the Blood Flag. Government power only reaches the major cities," Basong sighed, explaining briefly.

After the explanation, Basong waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone follow me! De-ying has been forcibly kidnapped by people from the neighboring village. We are going to demand an explanation!"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Damn it! Those bastards from the neighboring village are getting bolder! How dare they kidnap one of our own!"

"Hmph! If not for the fact that their fellow villager Khun Sa recently became the second-in-command of the Blood Flag, would they dare to be this arrogant?"

Nearly a hundred boxers were filled with righteous indignation upon hearing that a member of their village had been abducted, and the scene became somewhat chaotic. Basong shouted for everyone to quiet down before leading them in a rush toward the neighboring village. The village only had two vehicles, which couldn't possibly carry so many people, and the muddy roads made running the fastest way to travel.

Qin An-yi walked beside Basong, frowning in thought before speaking. "If this is the first time such an abduction has occurred, it must be related to this Khun Sa. I want to know more about the Blood Flag. At the very least, if we end up clashing with them, I want to know what we are up against."

Basong, who was focused on running at the front, paused at Qin An-yi's words and sighed. "I only hope it isn't him. If it really is, I'm afraid it will be impossible to save De-ying. The Blood Flag is an armed organization in this area that controls over a dozen villages, with a total of about a thousand people. Almost everyone has a gun; although most are small-caliber, homemade firearms, they are still more than flesh and blood can withstand."

"A thousand people... that’s not many. Surely the local government army could deal with a ragtag group like that?"

"Sigh, which private armed group near Chiang Mai doesn't have deep ties with high-ranking officials in the government army? Besides, our villages are poor and have no wealth to loot, so the government army can't be bothered to conduct any anti-bandit operations." Basong sighed again.

"What is Khun Sa's position in the Blood Flag?" Qin An-yi continued to ask. If this was the case, things were indeed troublesome. The government army might be corrupt, but they would still have some reservations. These private armed groups, however, were nothing more than bandits. If he truly came into conflict with them, to avoid future trouble, he would have to do one thing: kill them all.

"Khun Sa was originally a genius boxer from the neighboring village. He was an outstanding fighter even when he was young. He started fighting in underground matches, performed valiantly, and was spotted by the leader of the Blood Flag. I heard that over the years, he has become the second-in-command of the Blood Flag. On the land of these dozen villages, he is like a local emperor."

Qin An-yi nodded, calculating the balance of power. Unfortunately, based on the data, the outlook was not optimistic.

Nearly a hundred people, led by Basong, soon reached the neighboring village. Such a massive, imposing group naturally attracted the attention of the neighbors from afar, so by the time they reached the village entrance, they were met by a squad of able-bodied boxers organized by the neighboring village.

"Basong, what is the meaning of bringing so many people over? This doesn't look like a social visit!" the elder leading the neighboring village group said, leaning on his cane and snorting coldly.