After crossing the flat ground, they arrived at a hill, directly facing a staircase winding downward.
After descending the stairs, Manager Liu took out a key, just about to open the iron door in front of them, when he discovered sothing unusual.
At that mont, a peculiar bird call echoed through the tranquil night, conspicuously out of place amid the swirling snow and wind.
Han Yi’s ears twitched, imdiately alert, wondering how there could be birds in this cold and snowy weather.
He raised his hand to stop Manager Liu from speaking. In the quiet night, any slight sound could be amplified infinitely. Carefully discerning the origin of the sound, he pinpointed it to the open space ahead on the right.
"Who’s there?"
The person perched on the branch was startled, thinking it was bad to be exposed. Should he retreat now or wait for the leader and the master to co out together?
Just as he hesitated, Han Yi had already locked onto his position in that split second. Drawing the long sword from his waist, he leapt swiftly, aiming directly at the opponent’s face.
The words Manager Liu was about to say were about why the door lock was already open. Realizing now that soone had entered the place where the slaves were held and had even placed a lookout, he shouted loudly, "Soone, co, catch the thief..."
A gust of strong wind swept by, and before Qi Fei could make a move, a gleaming long sword had already appeared at Manager Liu’s neck.
"Hero, let’s talk this over calmly."
With a slight movent, there was a sharp pain on his neck, indicating that the sword had cut into his skin, which frightened him into standing rigidly, not daring to move.
Ah Li, holding Manager Liu hostage, made his way up the steps, while Qi Fei retreated step by step, with a group of guards assembled by Manager Liu’s shouts gathering behind him.
Each held a torch and drew their swords, yet dared not act rashly.
Manager Liu, still in the hands of the bandits, could do nothing but follow along, retreating a few steps, not daring to make a move.
The standoff continued, neither side giving way, and the tense atmosphere began to silently spread.
After a while, another man ascended, his face also covered, cloaked in a large cape. His footsteps were steady, his presence imposing, and his gaze fierce.
With a cold glance around, he made everyone’s hearts quiver.
Qi Fei’s tense nerves told him that this was soone formidable, not soone they small fry could contend with. Was Commander Han a match for this person?
What was the other party’s purpose?
Since they had already been exposed, there was no need to continue pretending.
Gu Ming directly asked, "On the 26th of last month, a group of children was sent from the Capital City. Among them was a little girl about seven or eight years old, carrying a baby. Where have you sold those two?"
This place was the most hidden point for holding slaves, and they had investigated for a long ti before locking down the location, yet they still hadn’t found the Little Crown Prince.
The continuous failures in recent days had exhausted his patience, so he simply decided to lay it all out.
If the person wasn’t here, they certainly weren’t in their hands anymore. If they had already been delivered, there was no need for pretense.
If they didn’t get to the bottom of it right now, the other side would be on guard later, and it would be even harder to find out the truth by alarming those behind the scenes.
"This... this..."
Manager Liu hadn’t expected them to know the origin of the last batch of supplies.
Could the source really be problematic? They had been expressly warned that the source must be clean, and all traces had to be swept away with no entanglents, specifically to prevent anyone from extending their hands towards influential families disregarding the law for profit.
Could the last batch really have been a mistake? Had they abducted soone from a powerful family?
If that were true, it would an big trouble.
"Why is my question so hard to answer?" Gu Ming’s tone turned three degrees colder.
Seeing him stamring, Ah Li pressed the cold sword two inches closer, scaring him so much his legs trembled, but he still stamred, "That, that, the people you ntioned have already been sold."
Hearing they had been sold, Ah Li urgently asked, "Which family were they sold to?"
"Hero, you know our business can’t disclose buyer information, otherwise who would dare to make deals with ?"
"Cut the crap, spill it or I’ll slice your neck right now!" Ah Li threatened fiercely.
"rcy, hero, rcy, I truly don’t know, the buyer was just a steward."
"Which steward?"
"It was, it was Steward Yan from the Liu Family."
"You’re lying, we’ve already investigated the Liu Family and found no records of child trading."
"I’m telling the truth, I didn’t deceive you. Every ti there’s goods, I deal with that Steward Yan.
As for why you didn’t find them, they might not be at the main residence. The Liu Family has vast properties; who knows where they’ve been placed? Why not ask them directly over there?"
Ah Li glanced at his lord, uncertain how much truth there was in Manager Liu’s words.
"How many transactions has Steward Yan done with you in total? Were all the trades involving children?"
Clearly, Gu Ming sensed sothing unusual from Manager Liu’s words.
"This..."
It was his own loose tongue that slipped.
If he sold out all the insider information, how could he explain to them...? What a headache.
"Spill the truth, or you’ll et King Yan now."
At that ti, Ding Shao’s n briefly exchanged blows with Han Yi for a dozen moves before falling into a disadvantage, rolling off the tree and landing behind Gu Ming.
Han Yi also leaped down, his curiosity piqued. Why was Chief Minister Gu, a figure of imnse power and authority, here at the borderland?
Even masked, his imposing manner in his stride, his calmness in gestures, and those penetrating eyes left an unforgettable impression on Han Yi.
Added to that, a left-handed personal guard made his identity more apparent.
What pressing issue compelled Gu Ming to co personally, bypassing the chaotic court?
Even if there was private abduction of children, a heinous act, it should be handled by the Governnt Office. If it was grave enough, reported to the Ministry of Justice for investigation, it wouldn’t typically warrant the Chief Minister to pursue it personally.
Truly puzzling.
He recalled the Hall Master reporting yesterday about a group seeking information on slave transactions at a high price. Chances were it was the people in front of him.
He gave Qi Fei a look urging him to enjoy the spectacle, then restrained his own presence to lower his profile.
After all, he didn’t wear a mask and didn’t want his identity recognized.
Manager Liu was utterly terrified now, pausing for quite a while, his mind repeating the phrase, "The supply source is in trouble, the supply source is in trouble. What do I do?" Previously there were no regulations on minimal quantities, but annually it wouldn’t be less than fifty.
He rembered being threatened once and wouldn’t want to plug this hole with his newborn grandson.
The victims coming to the door, what should he do, what should he do?
Suddenly, his knee was kicked hard, causing Manager Liu to fall to the ground painfully, filled with despair.
Imdiate sharp pain at his scalp ensued as his hair was grabbed, forcing him to lift his head, eting a pair of murderous cold eyes that made his teeth clatter.
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