Lin Xiao Tian's eyes turned cold, and the next moment, he lunged forward like an arrow.
His movements were swift and decisive.
When dealing with international assassins, Lin Xiao Tian hadn't used his full strength, but facing these bodyguards, he unleashed it.
It wasn't that the bodyguards were stronger than the assassins, but Lin Xiao Tian knew he could only stall for a short time.
These people would surely have reinforcements. Lin Xiao Tian wanted to subdue them as quickly as possible during the interval before the reinforcements arrived, thus buying himself time to learn the secret of this matter from Zhang Cui Hua.
Given the Lin family's speed of reaction, he wouldn't have much time.
Soon, everyone present was subdued by Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian carried golden needles with him and was familiar with various acupoints, making it easy to temporarily incapacitate these people.
After confirming that they posed no threat, Lin Xiao Tian brought Zhang Cui Hua into the bedroom.
"Cui Hua, do you know anything?" Lin Xiao Tian asked Zhang Cui Hua.
Zhang Cui Hua nodded, but seeing Lin Xiao Tian suddenly, she was clearly a bit overwhelmed. Coupled with the many things that had happened in the past few days, she didn't know where to begin.
Fearing that too much time would be wasted, Lin Xiao Tian directly asked:
"Cui Hua, don't rush. First, tell me, what happened to Zhang Xue Fen?"
This question-and-answer format finally helped Zhang Cui Hua know where to start. She hurriedly replied, "Sister Xue Fen was taken away."
"By whom?" Lin Xiao Tian continued to ask.
"I don't know," Zhang Cui Hua shook her head. "However, the other party specifically asked Brother Er Guai to handle this matter."
Lin Xiao Tian was stunned.
"Are you sure it's me they want to handle it?"
Zhang Cui Hua nodded seriously.
"But... Brother Er Guai never told me! And when I went to find him just now, he told me to leave."
Hearing this, Zhang Cui Hua sighed, "Brother Er Guai dare not say. Because if he told you, Sister Xue Fen would be completely doomed. Sister Xue Fen is also pregnant!"
Lin Xiao Tian became even more confused.
If they wanted him to step in, and yet said that stepping in would harm Zhang Xue Fen, was he supposed to step in or not?
Lin Xiao Tian directly voiced his confusion.
"Because there were two groups of people who approached Brother Er Guai this time."
"Two groups?"
"Yes! One group wants you to step in, otherwise they will harm Sister Xue Fen. The other group doesn't want you to step in, saying that if you do, you will also harm Sister Xue Fen."
"One of those groups is the people outside," Zhang Cui Hua added.
Lin Xiao Tian frowned, thinking.
The Lin family didn't want him to know about this so that it wouldn't interfere with his refining the antidote.
Then the other group, opposing the Lin family, wanted him to fail to refine the antidote.
In other words, to prevent him from refining the antidote, that group kidnapped Zhang Xue Fen, hoping to threaten him with her.
And the Lin family, to protect their own interests, sent people to threaten Li Er Guai, preventing him from contacting Lin Xiao Tian.
Logically, Li Er Guai should still have contacted him. However, Li Er Guai remained tight-lipped, clearly because the Lin family had said something to him, perhaps making some promises, with Zhang Xue Fen's life as the condition.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiao Tian clenched his fists.
He had kindly helped the Lin family, and these people, instead of helping him, were doing such things to the people around him!
"Xiao Tian, it's not just Er Guai's family. Other families in the village have also received threats recently. Er Mao and the others also went missing a few days ago. We don't know where they are now, but they all received threats from these two groups," Zhang Cui Hua continued.
"What!" Lin Xiao Tian stood up in anger. "These bastards!"
Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and called the Lin family matriarch.
After a moment, a lazy voice came from the other end.
"When do you plan to come back? There isn't much time left."
Lin Xiao Tian was furious.
With lives at stake, the matriarch could still be so calm. This person was truly a scoundrel.
"Old woman! Explain to me what this is all about!" Lin Xiao Tian dropped all pretense.
He felt a connection to the villagers, even if it wasn't life-or-death. He had received their care when he was in the village.
Moreover, this incident originated from him.
If he hadn't been refining an antidote for the Lin family matriarch, her enemies wouldn't have targeted the villagers.
Zhang Xue Fen was pregnant, and Li Er Guai must be heartbroken now!
And Er Mao, who had risked his life to save Qin Yu Xiang and fought against Bai Fen and others, was now implicated because of him. Lin Xiao Tian felt deeply sorry for him.
And what about the other villagers? How would they see him now?
He had intended to bring prosperity to the village, but instead, he had harmed them!
Yet, the Lin family matriarch's tone remained indifferent.
"Come back first. It's not a big deal."
"Heh, as expected of the Lin family's head. The safety of others is truly insignificant in your eyes. However, if you don't explain this clearly this time, don't blame me for turning ruthless!" Lin Xiao Tian spoke with clear, deliberate emphasis.
The matriarch on the other end was silent for a moment. "Lin Xiao Tian, in all these years, you are the first person to speak to me like this. You are testing my patience to its limit."
"You provoked me first!" Lin Xiao Tian retorted, not backing down. "Tell me what happened, or you know the consequences."
As he said this, Lin Xiao Tian heard movement at the door. Soon, a group of people appeared at the bedroom entrance.
These were the Lin family's reinforcements, here to escort Lin Xiao Tian away.
Lin Xiao Tian remained unhurried and said into the phone, "Your people are here very quickly. It seems we're going to have a fight to the death today."
"Lin Xiao Tian, are you going to turn against me for a few insignificant people?"
"I didn't want to turn against you, but if you force my hand, then I can't do anything about it."
As he spoke, Lin Xiao Tian was already planning his next move.
First, without the Lin family matriarch, he was certainly doomed, and then Jiang Li would rise to power.
But Lin Xiao Tian wouldn't give him the chance. He would resolve all potential threats before that. As long as Fang Wen Hua was still around, the people around him could have a semblance of peace.
The Lin family matriarch, of course, didn't know Lin Xiao Tian's plans. She only thought he was capable, but she surely didn't anticipate how capable he would become.
But she also didn't want to die.
So she continued, "Don't worry, these people won't do anything to you. If you want the truth, I will tell you."