"Can you speak properly now?"
The many traffickers tightly shut their mouths, nodding desperately, fearing they might anger the killer in front of them again.
"Very well, let’s go one by one, starting with you."
Zhong Lin pointed at an old man on the far right.
This old man had dark skin and a hunched back, looking just like an ordinary farmer in the field, yet who would have thought he was a notorious human trafficker.
"What’s your name? When was your last deal, and who was it with?"
The old man hurriedly spoke: "To answer your question, young master, I am called Li Zhu, everyone calls me Old Li. My last deal was half a month ago, with Madame Hong San from the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. I sold a miserable little girl; young master, please understand, the girl wasn’t kidnapped, her parents sold her because they couldn’t survive, I was doing a good deed."
"Old Deng, write it down. Verify it after dawn; if it’s the truth, let him go. If there’s any falsehood, chop him up and feed him to the dogs," Zhong Lin said coldly.
Old Li’s face changed upon hearing this and quickly said, "Young master, I forgot to mention, the day after selling the girl, I also sold a boy to Luo Wu’s family, the night watch in the southern part of the city."
Zhong Lin nodded and pointed to the second person.
"To answer your question, young master, I am called Gao Jiu..."
The row of traffickers, one by one, recounted their latest deals to Zhong Lin, with someone beside taking notes.
Zhong Lin would occasionally ask others if what was said was true, rewarding anyone providing doubt with silver.
These traffickers made a living in this area; their actions might fool outsiders but not their peers.
Even those who were previously secretive couldn’t always hide their movements from others.
With Zhong Lin using silver and freedom as incentives, there was no one who could or dared to lie; no one knew if their movements had been exposed. If named, they were truly doomed.
As the stories unfolded, a stranger’s identity emerged in their words, clues gradually surfaced.
"Young master, I’ve seen this man’s face by chance once."
Zhong Lin showed a hint of joy, asked for paper and pen from the side, and soon, a scar-faced man was vividly drawn on the paper.
The man appeared to be about thirty, with a dark red complexion, triangular eyes, prominent ears, and a centipede scar the length of a palm on his left cheek, looking fierce and sinister.
"Yes, that’s him, he bought three kids from me just three days ago."
"Young master, I’ve also seen him; last month he bought some sheep from me."
"I’ve seen him too, half a month ago, he came to buy sheep from me, accompanied by two others, all in black robes with hoods; I remember the scar on his face."
Indeed, the threat of death was quite effective; by dawn, these traffickers had pieced together profiles of five people, including the scar-faced man.
With additional information obtained from Liu Zhao’s interrogation, it all became complete.
The profiles included details like the height, appearance, and attire of the five people, combined with Zhong Lin’s drawing skill, were akin to modern-day wanted posters.
Zhong Lin stood up and coughed lightly; outside, the sun was already peeking out, and the sunlight made the cold weather feel a bit warmer.
"Old Deng, make several copies of these and send them to the Prefectural Governor and all major forces. As for these people, chop them up and feed them to the dogs."
After speaking, Zhong Lin left, not bothering with the wailing traffickers behind him who were begging for mercy.
Now they knew how to beg for mercy, but why did they ignore the cries of the children when they were trafficking humans before?
"Senior sister, where’s the stone?"
After returning to the backyard, Zhong Lin found Gu Yourong sitting in the stone pavilion, having breakfast.
"The little stone just fell asleep, he was busy all night, come have something to eat too."
Gu Yourong beckoned to Zhong Lin.
Zhong Lin nodded and sat down beside her.
The breakfast was lavish, and Zhong Lin, who had been hungry all night, had a huge appetite.
"When the little stone wakes up, don’t scold him, he was really scared."
"Have you figured out the boar problem?"
Zhong Lin took a sip of porridge and said quietly, "We’ve locked down a few people, the rest is not up to us to handle, now it’s the Prefectural Governor and the three big families who should be worried, after all, they are the local tyrants here."
Someone causing trouble in their territory, acquiring a mutant beast, and using humans to feed it, not to mention the face, if the mutant beast matured, Tianyang County would suffer greatly.
The horror of those at the Upper Third Grades was something they understood better than anyone else.
"What about your injury..."
Gu Yourong looked worriedly at the bloodstain on Zhong Lin’s shoulder, left by the boar’s tusk; if he hadn’t dodged quickly, his head could have been pierced.
"Don’t worry, it’s fine now." Zhong Lin said with a smile.
The wound on his shoulder was already scabbing over, thanks in part to the "Golden Muscle and Jade Bone Skill," which not only benefited him with jade bones but also golden muscles.
"Jade Bone" focuses on strength, focusing on defense.
"Golden Muscle" also emphasizes defense, while also aiding recovery.
In just one night, the wound on his shoulder had begun to scab over, and only his internal organs were still slightly aching.
There’s no escaping it; the boar’s charge, although mostly absorbed by the jade bone, still shook his internal organs. Zhong Lin hadn’t started training his organs yet, and his internal organs were extremely fragile. Surviving was sheer luck, and with a couple of days of rest, he would be fine.
"Senior sister, don’t go out for the next few days."
"Are you worried about those people seeking revenge on us?"
"Yes, we stumbled upon their plot, I’m afraid they’ll try something sneaky, better be safe than sorry."
To be able to obtain a mutant beast and secretly bring it into the county, both their strength and the force behind them must not be underestimated.
Since they had spoiled their plot, they would likely hold a grudge, and with the Master not at home right now, the best tactic was to stay close to home.
"I’ll follow your lead."
Gu Yourong’s beautiful eyes lingered on Zhong Lin, unwilling to look away.
"Zhong Lin, you’ve changed a lot."
"Yes, you used to be timid and cautious, always liked to hide yourself, but now you’re bold, domineering, and convincing."
Zhong Lin put down his bowl and chopsticks, looked Gu Yourong directly in the eyes, and his lips curved into a slight smile.
"So, does senior sister like the old me or the current me?"
Gu Yourong blurted out, but when she saw Zhong Lin’s playful eyes, her face instantly turned bright red.
"I... I’ll go check if Little Stone is awake; he should be hungry too."
Finished speaking, she ran out like a rabbit, hesitant to stay any longer.
Zhong Lin also laughed heartily, dispelling the gloominess of the previous night.
Senior Sister Gu was a child adopted by the Hundred Herbs Hall and became a registered disciple under the gifted guidance of Master Mei Weixuan, learning martial arts while also handling tasks like serving tea and water, usually attending to the Master.
This was why Zhong Lin called her senior sister.
Over the days spent together, Zhong Lin discovered that his senior sister was gentle, caring, and uncompetitive, embodying the qualities of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
Of course, there was also the most important trait.
She embodies grandeur and grace.