On the way to the heart of the mountain, Yu Ziqing finally understood that it was a thieves' hole below, leading to a mausoleum constructed at some unknown time, now completely abandoned.
Inside, the air was polluted with evil entities, but there was not the slightest hint of Death Qi.
Limping along, he arrived in front of a tomb chamber that was still guarded.
The two guards, both low-tier cultivators, drew their swords upon seeing Yu Ziqing.
Yu Ziqing casually crushed the two men to death and opened the tomb chamber to look inside, sighing softly.
In the chamber, there were seven or eight little girls, all curled up together for warmth.
The little girls, through the dim light, saw the drunken, twisted figure in front of them and instantly covered their mouths, weeping in fear.
"There's no need to panic, I'm here to save you."
After much persuasion, he convinced the little girls that he was not a bad person and led them out of the underground passage. Once outside, Yu Ziqing then asked,
"You all are from nearby, right? Do you know the way home?"
"We do," a timid little girl replied.
"Oh, besides you girls, has anyone else been kidnapped?"
"Yes, there's also a child bride from Old Master Wang's family."
"Hmm, do you know where she went?"
"No idea, I heard that someone bought her."
Yu Ziqing nodded, instructing the little girls to hurry and head into the city together. Once in the city, everything would be simpler.
After the people had left, Yu Ziqing pointed to the broken temple below his feet.
"Apart from the two dead ones, how many other cultivators' auras remain here?"
"Chase them directly."
Yu Ziqing's heart, which he had been holding in apprehension, slowly eased a little.
For now it seemed that it was just human traffickers kidnapping people, unlikely related to the chief director.
The chief director wouldn't handle matters so carelessly.
But there are both good and bad sides to this. If it were people kidnapped by the chief director, the children would likely not be in danger.
However, with these human traffickers, it's different. They prioritize stability when abducting children, but if they encounter any that cause trouble, it's quite possible the kids could be harmed.
Yu Ziqing didn't plan to wait. He ordered Lou Huai to pursue them at once.
A day later, Yu Ziqing tracked them to another city. He climbed over the wall and entered a small courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he saw a young man and a middle-aged man sitting in the courtyard.
Lou Huai transmitted his voice directly.
"Big brother, it's these two."
Yu Ziqing couldn't be bothered with talking to them; he went up and broke the limbs of the two men first.
"I..." the young man had just begun to speak when Yu Ziqing slapped the middle-aged man, knocking him unconscious.
"Think carefully before you speak."
The young man was startled. The drunken-looking cripple with a bump on his head seemed far more like a villain than they did.
"Who told you to kidnap people?"
"No... nobody, I mean, it was the master here, buying young girls around ten years old, thirty Spirit Jade per person."
Yu Ziqing shook his head and slapped him into unconsciousness as well.
It appeared to be truly just an incidental event.
Yu Ziqing walked into the room and saw a dirty little girl curled up on the bed, sleeping deeply.
Yu Ziqing made sure that the little girl was only stunned and not seriously injured. Relieved, he let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, he sensed the presence of others outside.
"Lou Huai, take her and leave first,"
Lou Huai manifested his physical form, picked up the girl, and vaulted over the wall to make his escape.
Yu Ziqing sat in the courtyard and waited, and shortly after, a goat-bearded old man walked in from outside.
The man was surprised upon seeing Yu Ziqing, took a step back, and respectfully clasped his hands after casting a glance at the two people on the ground.
"I have no relationship with these two, and please do not misunderstand, sir. If they have been imprudent and provoked you, feel free to deal with them as you please,"
Yu Ziqing's Yin God suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the man for a moment.
Yu Ziqing's thoughts raced, rapidly flipping through the information in his mind.
Among the living eunuchs, he quickly found one person who matched the appearance of the man before him.
There were some differences, but overall he could still recognize him.
He had initially thought this matter had nothing to do with the chief director, but now...
Yu Ziqing changed his mind instantaneously, crushing the two Human Traffickers to death, then his expression turned icy.
He uttered a name, and the man's complexion immediately changed, as Chun Ting was his name during his time in Daqian.
He looked at Yu Ziqing with uncertainty and confusion, at a loss for what to do.
"Who do you say I am?" Yu Ziqing's features slightly shifted, already ugly, now with some adjustments, they became even more ferocious: "The task I entrusted to you, how is it coming along?"
Chun Ting shuddered the moment he saw those cold, ferocious eyes.
The chief director never contacted him using the same incarnation, always a completely different one each time.
Moreover, it was never him initiating contact; it was only the chief director who could reach out to them.
Even though he was not contacted often, the aura of authority was not the least diminished.
Especially with recent rumors that four Ninth Tier beings were all incarnations, his fear intensified.
He hurriedly knelt where he stood.
"Your subordinate greets you, my lord, please forgive me..."
Before he could finish, Yu Ziqing stomped his foot, and the entire house trembled.
Chun Ting, too frightened to lift his head, stammered.
"My lord, it's not that your subordinate doesn't want to do well, but my power is limited, my lifespan is nearing its end, and my strength has almost fallen to the Seventh Tier.
If I fall any further, I will die.
Although I am not afraid of death, I fear failing to complete the task you have given me.
Hence, I can only use Evil Skills to extend my life, to regain some strength.
But because it's not easy to make a move, I made deals with the Human Traffickers."
Yu Ziqing now understood that this fellow had no idea that the little girl was Song's daughter, it was a pure accident.
However, Yu Ziqing did not rush to do anything else but sat back down.
"Tell me, how far along is the matter?"
Chun Ting knelt on the ground, trembling with fear as he spoke.
"I've been under the Feng family for nearly three hundred years, but I have not yet touched anything core. The Feng family is exceedingly cautious.
Even among their own kin, there are things they do not let them touch or know.
Being an outsider, it's even more difficult for me.
The item my lord desires, I'm afraid, will be hard for me to obtain.
However, I have selected a new prime candidate for my lord, a nephew of Feng Butong from the core Feng Family. He is preparing to take a wife soon.
His bride-to-be is an outsider, which I facilitated covertly, and my lord can take action soon."