As Gu Jinchen saw the carriage ahead pick up speed, he quickly urged his own horse to follow suit.
However, they had fallen behind from the start, and by the time they caught up to the fork in the road where the other carriage had turned, it was nowhere to be seen.
Carriages passed through this road every day, leaving countless wheel tracks on the ground. With the sunny weather in recent days, there was no way to discern which tracks were fresh.
Just then, they spotted a copper plate tied with a red string lying at one of the forks in the road.
"That's Tie Dan's copper plate!" Older Baby Yun Mu suddenly exclaimed upon seeing the small red string.
Second Baby Yun Yi nodded as well. "Tie Dan showed it to us before. He said he was saving it so we could all go buy snacks in town together."
"Damn it!" Upon hearing this, Gu Jinchen exchanged a glance with Luo Ge, realizing that Tie Dan had likely met with misfortune as well. Without further hesitation, they swiftly pursued the carriage down that fork in the road.
The path beyond the fork was complex, winding and branching off multiple times. Fortunately, they found copper plates at each intersection, allowing them to track the carriage.
Before long, they finally caught sight of the carriage in the distance.
"You damned bastards! Persistent little buggers!" The driver cursed upon seeing Gu Jinchen's carriage reappearing behind them.
Initially restraining the man with the scarred face, he suddenly whipped his head around to glare at the two children in the carriage, his gaze lingering on the 'unconscious' Tie Dan before settling on the young boy.
"My love," Gu Jinchen turned to Luo Ge as the distance between them narrowed.
Luo Ge took the reins from him. "Go. I can handle this. But be careful."
By her estimate, there were likely three or four adults aboard the other carriage - a number Gu Jinchen could handle with his skills.
Though they had been left behind, their ability to catch up would surely alert the kidnappers that the children had left a trail.
These wicked, ruthless thugs would undoubtedly resort to extreme measures. The longer the delay, the greater the danger to the children.
"Understood." Seeing that Luo Ge could control the horses, Gu Jinchen no longer hesitated.
"Damned little vermin! You dare meddle!" The scarred man, realizing his leader's intent, strode menacingly toward the young boy.
Beside them, Tie Dan's heart raced upon hearing the commotion.
They had not suspected the 'unconscious' Tie Dan because the dose they had administered was more than enough to keep a child like him asleep for over a day.
That was why they had so carelessly tossed Tie Dan aside.
However, what they didn't know was that Tie Dan, having constantly played with Older Baby and Second Baby, had been exposed to Luo Ge's spatial waters, drastically altering his constitution.
Seeing the scarred man approach, the young boy glanced at Tie Dan on the floor but remained silent, gritting his teeth.
Tie Dan secretly opened one eye, and upon realizing his 'dimwitted brother' was about to be struck in his place, he could no longer remain still.
"Ungh!" He swiftly feigned waking up, drawing attention to himself with a small noise.
Distracted by the sound, the scarred man indeed turned his attention to Tie Dan, his eyes filled with suspicion.
He had personally administered the sedative and was certain the boy should not have awoken so soon.
"Boom!" Before he could react further, a figure suddenly burst through the side of the carriage, creating a large hole in its wake.
With Gu Jinchen's exceptional lightness skill, he had stealthily boarded the kidnappers' carriage from behind without anyone noticing while Luo Ge drove theirs.
"You—" The scarred man barely got out a word before being swiftly knocked unconscious.
Gu Jinchen's movements were as swift as flowing clouds and water, too rapid for anyone to react.
"Uncle Gu!" Tie Dan exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Gu Jinchen.
"Mm." Gu Jinchen nodded, shielding him and the young boy behind his back.
The man addressed as the leader regained his senses, gripping a dagger from his waist as his eyes burned with trepidation upon seeing Gu Jinchen.
Seeing this, the driver also stopped the carriage, brandishing a dagger alongside the lead kidnapper as they confronted Gu Jinchen.
"Brother, I advise you not to meddle in affairs that don't concern you!" The leader warned coldly.
The two children, having never witnessed such a scene before, turned deathly pale and trembled uncontrollably.
Gu Jinchen paid no heed to their threats, clutching the two children tightly.
At that moment, Luo Ge also caught up, her heart racing upon seeing the scene in the carriage.
Noticing Luo Ge's arrival, Gu Jinchen swiftly retreated a step with the children before leaping off the carriage, placing them beside Luo Ge.
As the two men gave chase, he turned to engage them directly.
"You two go on ahead."
"Be careful!"
Seeing the blades in their hands, Luo Ge couldn't help but hold her breath, despite her confidence in his abilities.
Yet she also understood that with a pregnant woman and four young children, remaining would only hinder him. Gritting her teeth, she urged the carriage onward.
Watching Luo Ge depart with the carriage, the lead kidnapper swiftly pursued, only to be relentlessly intercepted by Gu Jinchen.
"Damn it!" Seeing this, the other man lost his patience as well, and the two assailed Gu Jinchen with their blades.
As the leader, the man's skills were nothing to scoff at. In an instant, the three became entangled in combat, with the two wielding weapons holding a clear advantage over Gu Jinchen's unarmed state.
Seizing an opportunity while Gu Jinchen was engaged with the leader, the other man swiftly thrust his blade at Gu Jinchen's back.
Unexpectedly, Gu Jinchen evaded the strike with an uncanny angled movement, spinning to deliver a sideways kick that sent the man's weapon flying from his grasp.
While dodging the leader's attack from the front, he delivered a powerful kick to the back-stabbing assailant's neck, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Seeing the situation turn against him, the lead kidnapper swiftly disengaged and fled toward the nearby mountains in an attempt to escape.
However, Gu Jinchen snatched up a fallen dagger hilt and hurled it at the man's neck, rendering him unconscious as well.
With the assailants subdued, Gu Jinchen used their own ropes to securely bind them. He then commandeered their carriage to rejoin his wife.
These kidnappers were undoubtedly part of a larger network, with more accomplices likely following behind. He needed to bring them back and use them to rescue the other abducted children.
Seeing Gu Jinchen approaching with the unconscious men in tow, Luo Ge finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After tossing the unconscious men into the carriage's compartment and tying the other carriage behind, Gu Jinchen climbed aboard as well.
"Don't worry, it's alright now." Seeing his little wife's pale face, Gu Jinchen coaxed with a smile.
Luo Ge looked at the few unconscious men and nodded.
"Shall we go and report them to the authorities?"
"Yeah, we should still be able to enter the city gates and explain the situation."
Because of the recent human trafficking issues, the city gates were closed early, and no one could enter or exit after a certain time.
After speaking to Luo Ge, Gu Jinchen seemed to finally notice the group of children.
Seeing the unfamiliar child Luo Ge was holding, his brow furrowed slightly.
"He was injured, so I applied some medicine to him."
Unlike Tie Dan, this little boy had truly suffered a lot. Apart from the strangulation marks on his neck, his arms and legs were covered with bruises and wounds of varying sizes.
"Hmm, he seems a bit familiar to me. I feel like I've seen him somewhere recently."
Hearing Gu Jinchen's words, the little boy peeked his head out to look at him, but seemingly unable to recognize if he had met him before, he retreated back into hiding.
Since Luo Ge took the little boy into her arms and untied the ropes binding him, the boy hadn't uttered a word, but he was very obedient and well-behaved.
He seemed to have been through quite a scare.
"The little brother was bullied, those bad people were really scary," Tie Dan spoke up, his eyes still showing traces of fear.
Older Baby and Second Baby tightened their grip on his little hands, as if comforting him.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinchen reached out and ruffled Tie Dan's hair.
"Don't be afraid, everything is fine now. Uncle will take you back."
