Chapter 28: A Case That Can’t Be Investigated
Cheng Kun, the leader of the Shu Tiger Gang, slammed his fist on the table, cracking the marble surface.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes blazed with fury, “Who dares to touch my Shu Tiger Gang?!”
The flames in the tall candlesticks flickered in the corners of the hall, and moonlight streamed through the open window, illuminating the ivy climbing up the window frame.
Outside, gang members, hearing their leader’s roar, knew he was in a foul mood and kept their distance.
Before Cheng Kun stood Hong Youyi, one of the gang’s lieutenants and, besides Cheng Kun himself, one of their two eighth-rank experts.
Hong Youyi said solemnly, “We don’t know who they are yet, Boss, but to act so brazenly on the Jin River, attacking, looting, and kidnapping in broad daylight, and riding such rare Yingzhao beasts… They’re not to be trifled with!”
A gang member rushed in, “Boss, Chief Constable Qiu of the Six Gates is here.”
Hong Youyi whispered, “It seems Qiu Jiangping is also here because of this matter. We’ll know who took Accountant Gu as soon as we ask him.”
Cheng Kun said coldly, “Bring him in.”
The gang member hurried out, and soon, Qiu Jiangping entered, “Greetings, Gang Leader Cheng!”
“Chief Constable!” Cheng Kun’s anger hadn’t subsided. He snorted, “There’s no need for pleasantries. You must already know what happened on the river tonight. A group of unidentified thugs attacked our boat, looted and burned it, and kidnapped our accountant, Gu Shufeng. Is there still law and order in Jin Prefecture?”
Qiu Jiangping said, “Your anger is misplaced, Gang Leader Cheng. To be precise, those people represent law and order. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Hong Youyi said, “What do you mean, Chief Constable Qiu? Aren’t you supposed to be protecting us? How could this happen?”
Qiu Jiangping said, “The ones who attacked tonight were the Thunderclap Eighteen Riders, the personal guard of Young Master Chong Liang of the Yue Ke Tai family. And the one who brought them to Jin Prefecture is his younger sister, Miss Yue Ya’er. This Yue Ya’er is no ordinary person. She’s not only the daughter of the Yue Ke Tai family, but also a member of the Ancestral Altar.”
“Frankly, even if you complain to the Marquis, it won’t do any good.”
Cheng Kun’s expression changed slightly, “Why would the Yue Ke Tai family target our Shu Tiger Gang?”
Qiu Jiangping shook his head, “They’re not targeting you specifically, but this case. For some reason, Young Master Chong Liang has taken an interest in the missing children case. He was going to come to Jin Prefecture himself, but he was delayed and had to return to the capital, so he sent his sister with the Thunderclap Eighteen Riders to supervise the investigation in his place.
“I didn’t take her seriously at first. I pretended to follow her orders and intensify the investigation, but I’ve been covering for you. I thought, she’s not from here, just a spoiled young lady. What does she know? We’ll just deceive her for a few days and wait for this to blow over.
“But I don’t know where she got her information from. This time, she bypassed the Six Gates and went straight for your Shu Tiger Gang. She and her Thunderclap Eighteen Riders were the ones who attacked on the river tonight. Gang Leader Cheng, frankly, you’ll have to swallow this.
“We can’t afford to offend that little girl! And we definitely can’t afford to offend the Yue Ke Tai family and the Ancestral Altar behind her!”
Hong Youyi frowned, “She not only knows we’re involved in this matter, but she also knew exactly what Gu Shufeng looks like, which boat he was on, the time, the location… She must have informants in Jin Prefecture.”
Qiu Jiangping said grimly, “I suspect it was Shi Hao who provided her with the information. That Shi Hao is suspicious. His martial arts background is unclear, and he suddenly has connections to the Chongxian Sect. He saved the County Mistress for no apparent reason, and last time, he even followed us to Mount Fused Serpent, almost ruining everything.
“Perhaps he’s been working for the Yue Ke Tai family all along. And we’ve also discovered that Miss Yue Ke Tai has visited Ming Kun Monastery twice, most likely to see him. He also met with her and the County Mistress at the Marquis’ residence yesterday.”
Cheng Kun gritted his teeth, “Should we eliminate him to prevent future trouble?”
Qiu Jiangping shook his head, “If he’s truly working for the Yue Ke Tai family, we absolutely cannot touch him. You have to respect the owner before beating the dog, especially when he has the backing of both the Yue Ke Tai family and the Chongxian Sect. That’s why I said we have to endure this, pretend we don’t know anything, and quickly finish this deal.”
Cheng Kun paced back and forth beside the cracked stone table and whispered, “But Gu Shufeng knows a lot.”
Qiu Jiangping sneered, “Gu Shufeng can’t withstand torture. He’ll confess everything. But because of that, we don’t have to worry. Since Yue Ya’er is capable of supervising this investigation in her brother’s place, she’s not a complete fool.
“After she finds out everything, she’ll realize she can’t investigate this case any further. The key is to safely deliver this last batch of goods. Once they receive the goods and we get our share, I’ll find some deserving human traffickers and hand them over to her, and the case will be closed.
“As for your accountant, if she’s willing to return him, that’s best. If not, let her keep him as a way to vent her anger. I’m sure your gang won’t miss one man!”
Cheng Kun and Hong Youyi exchanged glances. Hong Youyi whispered, “You’re right, Boss. The most important thing now is to deliver this last batch of goods safely, avoiding the routes known to Gu Shufeng.”
Cheng Kun gritted his teeth, “Tomorrow night! We’ll transport all the goods to the safehouse in the northwest and send them all to him.”
…
At the back of Red Mountain, under a hipped-roof stone pavilion.
Shi Hao, Du Yuejiao, County Mistress Li Tong, and Yue Ya’er sat together. Lanterns hung from the pavilion, and a glass sphere containing Night Fragrance Grass illuminated the center of the stone table, casting a soft glow over the pavilion.
County Mistress Li Tong brewed tea for them. Although boiling tea hadn’t been completely replaced in this era, many people had started drinking steeped tea.
In the distance, Gu Shufeng’s screams could be heard. Two of the Eighteen Riders were torturing him.
Despite the chilling screams, Yue Ya’er chatted and laughed with the others, seemingly unconcerned.
After a while, one of the warriors entered the pavilion and presented a document, “Miss, that fellow has confessed everything.”
Yue Ya’er took the document, brought the glowing glass sphere closer, and read it by the light of the Night Fragrance Grass.
Suddenly, she asked in surprise, “Are you sure he’s not lying?”
The warrior said solemnly, “Rest assured, Miss. None of his fingers are intact. He wouldn’t dare lie under such duress.”
Yue Ya’er nodded, turned to Shi Hao, Du Yuejiao, and County Mistress Li Tong, and sighed, “I’m afraid this case can’t be investigated any further.”
County Mistress Li Tong asked, puzzled, “What do you mean, Sister Yue?”
Yue Ya’er said, “According to his confession, the children are being sent to the Vast Sea in the northwest, to Blood Bolt Canyon, where they’re handed over to someone there… Vast Sea, Blood Bolt Canyon… this is troublesome.”
Shi Hao asked slowly, “What’s the problem?” He looked at Du Yuejiao and County Mistress Li Tong, who also looked puzzled.
Yue Ya’er muttered, “I don’t want to stop either, but the investigation into the buyer ends here. We can’t go any further. Not me, not even my brother, not even the Chancellor himself.”
Du Yuejiao and County Mistress Li Tong exchanged glances. Du Yuejiao whispered, “Junior Sister, do you know where the Vast Sea and Blood Bolt Canyon are?”
County Mistress Li Tong shook her head.
Yue Ya’er took off her flower garland, her black hair cascading down her back.
She pouted, slightly annoyed, “Don’t ask. In short, this is not something you can get involved in.”
Shi Hao stood up, paced back and forth, then turned sharply and looked at Yue Ya’er, “Can you tell me if those children have any chance of survival after being sent there?”
Yue Ya’er tilted her head and quickly shook her head, “Although I don’t know why that person wants so many children, if they’re really being sent to the Vast Sea and Blood Bolt Canyon… they won’t be coming back.”
Shi Hao nodded calmly, sat back down, and continued looking at Yue Ya’er, “Then, if we don’t investigate the buyer or the Six Gates’ collusion with the gang, and just focus on the Shu Tiger Gang… is there any problem with that?”
Yue Ya’er pouted, “The Shu Tiger Gang is just a small gang. Wiping them out is no big deal. Besides, although I can’t investigate the Vast Sea, I can still eliminate a vile gang in Jin Prefecture. They can’t stop me. I can’t afford to offend those people at the Vast Sea, but our Yue Ke Tai family isn’t easy to provoke either.”
Shi Hao said solemnly, “In that case, let’s focus on taking down the Shu Tiger Gang and rescuing those children. By cutting off this source, the buyer will hopefully restrain themselves somewhat. And even if we can’t solve the root problem, we can still save as many children as possible.”
Yue Ya’er quickly tied her hair back up, slammed her hands on the table, and glared, “What’s your plan? I’ll listen to you.”
Shi Hao said, “We captured Gu Shufeng tonight. The Six Gates and the Shu Tiger Gang will quickly realize you were behind it. I suspect the person at the Vast Sea must be someone important to be able to afford such a high price and even bribe the Six Gates.
“But on the other hand, while that important person might not fear the Yue Ke Tai family, the Shu Tiger Gang and the local Six Gates definitely do. So, they’ll definitely try to finish this deal quickly. Tomorrow, they’ll gather all the children in one place and send them away.
“After the deal is done, they’ll try to smooth things over, perhaps even capturing some deserving human traffickers and handing them over to you as a scapegoat.”
Yue Ya’er nodded seriously, “That makes sense!”
Shi Hao said, “But there’s one thing I need to confirm. As far as I know, there are at least a hundred children. To carry out this operation, the Shu Tiger Gang will definitely send their top experts and a large number of gang members, probably at least a hundred people.”
He looked at the Eighteen Riders outside the pavilion, “I know these eighteen warriors are skilled, but rescuing the children while fighting off so many enemies might be difficult with just eighteen people.”
County Mistress Li Tong whispered, “We could ask my father to send the prefectural guards…”
Yue Ya’er laughed, “No need! Your Wusu family can’t afford to offend those people at the Vast Sea. And your prefectural guards, who knows how many of them have been bribed by the Six Gates? Even if they haven’t been bribed, they still have connections. Don’t worry, if we need troops, I have my own resources!”
Shi Hao wasn’t worried about that. If the Yue Ke Tai family, a royal family, couldn’t mobilize troops without involving the prefectural guards, they would be a laughingstock.
Shi Hao turned to County Mistress Li Tong, “We’ll still need the prefectural guards. I hope that tomorrow night, they can find a reason to set up checkpoints and conduct a large-scale search, preventing the Shu Tiger Gang from transporting all the children. And the Marquis’ residence can subtly hint to the Six Gates to lay low tomorrow night. Make it a big show with little substance. After one night, everything will be fine.”
He turned to Yue Ya’er, “The day after tomorrow! The night after tomorrow is the time to strike. As I said before, I’ll provide the time and location; you take action!”
Yue Ya’er took a brush and some paper and quickly wrote a message. She then took out a small command token and called for one of the warriors, “Take an Yingzhao and fly to Heavenly Centipede Pass tonight. You know who to deliver this to.”
“Yes, Miss!” The warrior took the message and token, turned, and left. Soon, an Yingzhao beast flew out of Red Mountain, disappearing into the night.
Yue Ya’er looked at Shi Hao and smiled, “I have the men. Just make sure you don’t give me the wrong location. If you send my men on a wild goose chase, I won’t spare you.”
Shi Hao said calmly, “I’ll ensure the information is accurate, but I also have a request. These villains who abduct children, destroying countless families… I hope…”
He looked at Yue Ya’er, “Kill them all. Show no mercy!”
That night, Shi Hao stayed at Red Mountain, arranged by County Mistress Li Tong.
The next morning, he left Red Mountain alone, wandered through the market and alleyways, changed his appearance, and then went to Dark Thunder’s meeting place in the city.
This time, it wasn’t the secluded courtyard, but a small shop. He gave the secret signal, was led inside, and met with Old Qiu and Lu Tong.
He quietly relayed the information Yue Ya’er had obtained from Gu Shufeng.
Old Qiu’s expression changed, “Vast Sea, Blood Bolt Canyon?”
Shi Hao, his hooked nose making his face appear even more grim, looked at Old Qiu, “You know this place?”
Old Qiu sighed, “That’s Blood Lion’s territory!”
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