Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Wu Sanniang and the others were familiar to the city gate guards. After slipping them some small change, the guards immediately smiled and let them pass through the gate.

Lin Qing walked ahead, with Wu Sanniang and the two burly men beside her.

She raised her hand and pointed at the older of the two strong men. "What’s your name?"

“I’m Zhang Danniu,” the man replied, then pulled the other man over. “This is my younger brother, Zhang Xiuniu. The two of us come from Yong’an Village, which is why we were entrusted to sell this residence.”

“Our Yong’an Village is the wealthiest within a hundred li of Wei City. No villager ever goes hungry,” Zhang Danniu boasted loudly.

Lin Qing’s gaze subtly shifted to Zhang Xiuniu, and she quietly stepped a few paces back, pointing to the only small thatched hut nestled among a cluster of tile-roofed houses in the distance. “If what you say is true, then what’s that place?”

Zhang Danniu glanced at the hut and sneered. “That’s the house of Old Man Zhou. He’s cursed—lost his entire family. Last year, he took in a little beggar as his grandson. They’re the poorest family in Yong’an Village.”

Just then, the door of that house opened, and an old man and a child stepped out.

The old man’s white hair was messy, his face wrinkled so deeply that his eyes were nearly hidden.

The child was thin and dark-skinned, no older than seven or eight, with eyes that shone vividly.

The boy’s eyes brightened when he saw Lin Qing, and he ran over eagerly, blinking, “Brother, you’re really handsome.”

“You’ve got a sweet mouth,” Lin Qing smiled, pulling out some small silver coins. “Take this and buy some candy.”

“Thank you, Brother,” the boy took the coins and grinned even wider. “My name is Zuo Qiu Huang. That’s my grandfather over there—Zhou Wuzheng. It’s the porridge Zhou, so don’t get it wrong. Brother, what’s your name?”

Lin Qing ruffled the boy’s somewhat unruly hair. “My surname is Lin.”

“Brother Lin,” Zuo Qiu Huang said sweetly before glancing nervously at Wu Sanniang and the others, pulling Lin Qing aside a few steps. “Brother Lin, I heard them in the courtyard just now. They’re going to sell you the house at the west end of the village. Don’t buy it. That house is haunted.”

Lin Qing’s interest was piqued. “Haunted?”

The boy’s face was serious. “Really. I’ve seen it. One night I was too hungry to sleep, so I snuck out to find food. But all the wild vegetables nearby had been picked except those around that house—the villagers don’t dare touch them. So, I went inside.”

Lin Qing glanced over at the approaching Wu Sanniang, then pulled Zuo Qiu Huang a few steps to the side. “What did you see?”

The boy patted his chest in fear. “I saw lots of ghosts in white clothes. Many, many of them.”

Lin Qing paused. So many in white robes—could they be members of the White Lotus Sect? “What were they doing?”

The boy thought for a moment. “They were playing in the mud.”

Lin Qing handed him two pieces of cake. “Are they still there?”

“No, they’re gone.” Zuo Qiu Huang happily took the snacks and ran back to share them with his grandfather, though he kept glancing nervously at the distant crowd.

Lin Qing followed his gaze and eventually fixed her eyes on Zhang Xiuniu far off.

She hadn’t expected any surprises in Yong’an Village, but this was something. Still, the most important matter was Li Mingxiao.

Her eyes flicked to the slumped figure standing among the crowd—Li Mingxiao, covered in mud, listless, perfectly blending in with the group of enslaved criminals.

“Young master, what did that guy say to you?” Zhang Danniu approached with a bow.

“Nothing much. Just some stories about Yong’an Village,” Lin Qing replied casually as she moved forward. “How much farther?”

Zhang Danniu breathed a sigh of relief. “Just up the hill ahead, not far.”

***

As they spoke, the group ascended a small slope, revealing a large mansion before them.

Wu Sanniang, holding the keys, stepped forward to unlock the main gate. With a strong push, the two large doors swung open.

The mansion had not been abandoned long. The buildings were half-new, and the courtyard still boasted many scenic features. It could even be called splendidly decorated. With a little repair, it could be livable.

Zhang Danniu and his brother, along with Wu Sanniang, crowded behind Lin Qing, enthusiastically praising the house.

Lin Qing circled back to the main hall and lightly brushed her fingertips over the table, stirring up only a faint dust. “I heard this house is haunted?”

Zhang Danniu, his brother, and Wu Sanniang immediately fell silent, exchanging nervous glances.

Wu Sanniang said, “Don’t listen to nonsense. This house has just been empty a bit too long. It’s perfectly clean.”

Zhang Danniu added, “Those are just kids making things up. Don’t believe them.”

“I see…” Lin Qing glanced at them, then said, “I want the house. I want the people too. Release them first, and we’ll fix the place up in the meantime.”

The three immediately brightened. The brothers took the keys to unlock the cells, and Wu Sanniang pulled out a bundle of contracts selling the slaves. “Count them.”

“No need.” Lin Qing reached out, snatched them, and with a flick of her sword, the blade flashed like a silver snake, shredding all the contracts into pieces that fluttered down like snow. “They’re all fake. Whether counted or not makes no difference.”

Wu Sanniang’s face turned pale from the sword’s flash, and she collapsed to the ground, stammering, “Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!”

Lin Qing sheathed her sword and smiled. “I guess you’re the only one in this whole group who thinks you’re a legitimate trafficker.”

Wu Sanniang stared at her in panic. “That’s nonsense! All my business was approved by the government. I’m not a trafficker!”

Lin Qing clapped her hands mockingly. “Oh? So you know you need government approval to trade enslaved criminals. Which offices do you go to? What procedures do you need?”

Wu Sanniang was dumbfounded. She didn’t know any of that—the paperwork was handled by Zhang Danniu and the others. She just followed along to snatch some profit.

Lin Qing said, “First, there must be official regulations issued by the three provinces. Only then will the authorities send reliable men to verify the numbers and issue household registrations. With those, one can go to the Ministry of Household to arrange the transfer. Tell me, Wu Sanniang, what connections do you have to pull off all that?”

Wu Sanniang was speechless, never realizing how complicated it was.

Lin Qing sneered, “The key point is, I’m the one who investigates cases, arrests suspects, and wipes out entire families. Even I don’t know who has been raided in the capital lately. How could you know? And where did you get so many enslaved criminals? No ghost would be fooled like this!”

“Y-you…” Wu Sanniang looked at Lin Qing as if she were a demon.

“I’ve been an official for years, seen many corrupt officials, but the ones I despise most are traffickers like you.” Lin Qing looked at her with disgust, tempted to kick her again but held back, feeling nauseated.

Suddenly, a sharp blade sliced through the air behind them.

Lin Qing was prepared and turned swiftly, effortlessly pinching off a short dagger. “I thought you’d hold back a little longer. Not bad, Lian Renyu.”

The man wielding the dagger was Zhang Xiuniu.

He looked at her expressionlessly but with a tone of bewilderment. “When did you find out?”

Lin Qing rolled her eyes—her senses were sharp.

Lian Renyu’s scent was like the foul stench of incense crawling out from a grave at midnight, disgusting beyond words.

Lian Renyu was momentarily shocked. “So you were acting from the start?”

Acting? Not exactly.

Lin Qing had originally planned to snatch Li Mingxiao from the crowd quietly, but upon realizing Lian Renyu was here, she knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

Lian Renyu’s martial skills rivaled hers, and with the white tiger at his side, she could only defend herself. But Li Mingxiao was still here; she couldn’t abandon him.

Any move she made would tip off Lian Renyu to Li Mingxiao’s importance, making things harder.

So she had played along from Chengnei all the way to Yong’an Village.

Lin Qing appraised the house again. “This house is really nice. I’m keen to buy it. If you agree, once the White Lotus Sect is wiped out, I’ll leave you a whole corpse.”

Lian Renyu laughed angrily. “You think you alone can kill me?”

As he finished speaking, more than half the enslaved criminals stood up, each suddenly brandishing weapons. The ice blades were short with hooked edges, perfect for hiding in sleeves.

Only a sparse few sensed the danger and scattered in terror, but after a few were cut down, the rest cowered in corners, trembling.

Lian Renyu sneered. “This is already territory of my White Lotus Sect. These are all my followers. Lin Qing, even if you are the Deputy Envoy of the Tianlu Department, what can you do? You’re alone now, nothing but prey to be slaughtered.”

“Wow, you’re so impressive, I’m scared,” Lin Qing said with no sincerity. “Do you know a saying that’s very true?”

“What?” Lian Renyu asked.

“The villain dies from talking too much,” Lin Qing said as if watching a joke. “Did you really think I was alone?”

Lian Renyu suddenly turned his head and saw squads of guards rushing in, quickly encircling the area.

There were only a few dozen White Lotus followers, but the guards were three times their number—an utterly one-sided fight. The battle hadn’t even begun, and it was already over.

Lian Renyu tried to run but suddenly felt a sharp pain behind him and collapsed. He turned his head to see Lin Qing withdrawing her foot.

Jiang Ruoyi and Zhou Fusheng also entered.

Zhou Fusheng came over, worried. “Are you alright?”

Lin Qing reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

They had split up at the tavern entrance—she to deal with these people, Zhou Fusheng to gather reinforcements.

Zhou Fusheng looked at the fallen man. “Is this Lian Renyu?”

Lin Qing pressed her lips tight, swallowing the words she wanted to say, but nodded slowly.

This Lian Renyu was a fake.

She had wondered why his demeanor seemed so different from before.

When she kicked him and he didn’t even dodge, she was certain he wasn’t the real Lian Renyu.

His martial skill was no weaker than hers.

But the scent was unmistakable. Why would Lian Renyu send a fake?

Most importantly, how did he know about her heightened sense of smell, able to mimic Zhang Xiuniu’s scent?

Wait—if Lian Renyu could disguise his scent, then that strange, pungent odor on him might also be a disguise. Was he afraid she’d discover something?

Lin Qing’s heart skipped a beat.