Chapter 151: Hard to Change One's Nature

As for the man Zhao Gou had mentioned, he was nowhere to be found.

The out-of-towners in the surrounding greenhouses, upon witnessing this commotion, first peeked outside and then slammed their doors shut and bolted them tight.

Liu Xing paid no attention to them and walked straight up to Ma Xiaomei.

Noticing her hostility, he gestured with a wave of his hand and led Zhao Gou, Village Chief Zhao, and three other members of the Zhao family straight into the greenhouse.

However, before they had even gone a meter, they were intercepted by Ma Xiaomei. "Hey! What do you people think you're doing? Even though this greenhouse is rented, it's still my home, you know! Please make it clear what you're here for, instead of just barging in like this without any explanation."

"We're looking for someone," Village Chief Zhao said in a deep, heavy voice.

"A young girl named Zhao Jing. Didn't you see her?" Liu Xing looked at Ma Xiaomei, his eyes cold.

"No, I don't even know who this Zhao Jing you're talking about is," Ma Xiaomei twitched the corner of her mouth unnaturally.

Liu Xing took in every bit of this, but instead of flying into a rage immediately, he said, "We've searched the entire market now, and there's no sign of Zhao Jing anywhere. Please step aside and let us take a look, would you?"

"This..." Ma Xiaomei hesitated, not knowing what to say.

"You'd better behave yourself. This is Old House Village territory. If you don't cooperate today, I'll have people tear this crappy greenhouse down to the ground tomorrow. I wouldn't be afraid of that old geezer Tang Lin even if he came himself." Not wanting to waste time, Zhao Gou threw a punch directly at the Chinese fir door.

With a crisp crack, the wooden door shattered instantly.

This display thoroughly frightened Ma Xiaomei. In a panic, she quickly threw her arms around the young boy standing nearby who had been about to give Zhao Gou trouble.

At first, Liu Xing wanted to scold Zhao Gou, knowing that brute force couldn't solve problems.

But the next second, he froze.

Because he discovered something terrifying.

The young boy Ma Xiaomei was protecting had an Adam's apple.

Furthermore, a murderous glint flashed in the boy's eyes—completely unlike anything a normal child should possess.

This immediately heightened his vigilance. He waved a hand at the Zhao family members behind him and said, "Don't just stand there. Search the place."

Ma Xiaomei tried to block them, but Zhao Gou stopped her in her tracks.

Village Chief Zhao pushed Zhao Gou aside, glared coldly at Ma Xiaomei, and said, "I don't know what you're afraid of. Everyone coming in here belongs to the Zhao family of Old House Village. If we don't find my granddaughter, we'll naturally leave. But if you don't know what's good for you, do you believe I can have someone throw you into the river to feed the fish right now?"

He wasn't just trying to scare her; he meant every word.

Before Zhao Family Village was renamed Old House Village, he had been the head of the Zhao clan.

If any outsiders dared to cause trouble for the Zhao family, he could directly take matters into his own hands without waiting for the police station's permission.

Although he was old now, and the Zhao family had branched out and split into various factions with many people leaving, it didn't mean he lacked the capability.

As long as he was willing, he could mobilize a hundred Zhao family members within a single day.

When that happened, it wouldn't just be a matter of talking—it would be a matter of action.

Though Ma Xiaomei knew nothing of these internal affairs or the Village Chief's background, she was still terrified. Holding the little boy's small hand, she obediently retreated to the side.

Seeing this, Liu Xing led the Zhao family members in searching the greenhouse from top to bottom, shouting Zhao Jing's name at the top of his lungs.

However, despite their loud calls and a thorough search of every nook and cranny inside and out, there was no trace of her, nor any answering voice from Zhao Jing.

Seeing this, the corners of Ma Xiaomei's mouth curled up in a slight, triumphant smirk.

Acting as if he hadn't noticed, Liu Xing stood with his hands on his hips, staring out at the moonlight and frowning deeply.

"Little Star, should we go look somewhere else?" Village Chief Zhao sighed softly as he watched Ma Xiaomei's husband return, holding a kitchen cleaver.

After all, since they hadn't found Zhao Jing, lingering inside someone else's rented greenhouse felt rather improper.

"Don't rush. Let me ask you something," Liu Xing said, supporting his chin with his right hand as he looked at the Village Chief. "Can a dog ever change its habit of eating shit?"

"What kind of talk is that?" Village Chief Zhao asked, utterly bewildered.

"Definitely not. Even if you break my family's hound's leg, it still won't change," Zhao Gou chimed in impulsively.

"Then search this greenhouse all over again," Liu Xing said, patting Zhao Gou on the shoulder. This time, instead of searching the interior, he walked out of the greenhouse, stepped onto the riverbank, and began examining the structure of the building.

When he noticed that the greenhouse was built directly over the river, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Zhao Gou," Liu Xing called out.

"Yeah!" Zhao Gou ran over.

"Listen to me," Liu Xing said, standing on tiptoes and whispering into Zhao Gou's ear.

There was no help for it; Zhao Gou was over two meters tall, and at a height of one meter eighty, Liu Xing couldn't reach his ear without standing on his tiptoes.

Zhao Gou listened intently. Once he understood the plan, he led a dozen Zhao family members standing on the riverbank back into the greenhouse.

Liu Xing picked up a wooden stick and stood guard at the entrance.

Village Chief Zhao was about to ask what Liu Xing was up to, when...

Ma Xiaomei suddenly dropped the baby she was holding and bolted through the back door.

Her husband was just as fast, leaping straight out through the open-air window of the greenhouse.

To be honest, this shocked Zhao Gou, as he truly had no idea what this family was playing at.

However, the dozen or so other Zhao family members snapped back to their senses and gave chase with shouts, completely ignoring the young boy standing by the wooden table.

Beneath that wooden table lay a grayish-black carpet, about two meters long and over a meter wide.

As Liu Xing walked over, he exchanged a meaningful glance with Zhao Gou.

Catching the hint, Zhao Gou immediately lunged forward and grabbed the young boy.

He expected the boy to burst into tears and scream for his mother.

Instead, a sudden change occurred in the blink of an eye.

The young boy whipped a small knife out from his clothes, aiming a vicious stab straight at Zhao Gou's eyes.

"Watch out!" Liu Xing cried out involuntarily.

Yet Zhao Gou didn't show an ounce of fear, simply raising his arm to block the blade.

The young boy never imagined Zhao Gou would be so fierce. Before he could recover, he was struck by a blow from Zhao Gou's fan-like palm.

With just a single strike, the boy was knocked completely unconscious.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Liu Xing quickly lifted the carpet beneath the wooden table.

When he saw a square trapdoor underneath, a long breath of relief escaped him.

Without needing Liu Xing to give instructions, Village Chief Zhao picked up a crowbar from the corner and set to work prying open the secret hatch.

However, the hatch was extremely heavy, and the old man's strength clearly wasn't enough on his own.

Glancing at the unconscious boy, Zhao Gou stepped up to lend a hand, ripping the trapdoor straight off its hinges.

When he threw the heavy door aside, he stood frozen in place.

Village Chief Zhao and the two accompanying Zhao family members were equally stunned.

They stared at the 'sight' beneath the trapdoor, completely struck dumb with astonishment.

Inside the narrow, gloomy, and dark compartment—with the river rushing right beneath it—three children were locked away, and Zhao Jing was among them.

Their mouths were tightly sealed with packing tape, and their hands and feet were bound to a sturdy fir timber, rendering them utterly immobile.

"Zhao Jing!" Seeing this, Liu Xing leaped down into the compartment without a second thought. Snatching up the kitchen cleaver he had brought, he quickly sliced through the ropes binding Zhao Jing and the other two children.

"Brother Liu Xing..." As soon as the tape was ripped from her mouth, Zhao Jing could no longer hold back her tears. She flung herself into Liu Xing's arms and wept bitterly, her cries shaking the earth and heavens, until Liu Xing lovingly picked her up and handed her to Village Chief Zhao waiting above. Only then did she quiet down, sniffling as she cried, "Grandpa, why did you take so long to save me?!"

"Oh! My precious child, it's okay now, it's all over..." Village Chief Zhao gently patted Zhao Jing's back, soothing her in a soft voice. Seeing that Zhao Jing had quickly closed her eyes and fallen asleep, the heartbroken elder could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed freely down his face.

Liu Xing let out a soft sigh. He didn't comfort the Village Chief, choosing instead to pass the other two rescued children up as well. Seeing that none of them were in life-threatening condition, he reached up and let Zhao Gou pull him out of the compartment.

"Boss, what do we do with him now?" Zhao Gou pointed at the unconscious 'young boy' on the ground.

"Tie him up and take him to the shoe store," Liu Xing replied.

Now that the evidence was ironclad, he didn't care who this little boy turned out to be.

"You got it," Zhao Gou said, springing into action.

Liu Xing led the two newly rescued children out of the greenhouse and back onto the riverbank.

Taking a torch handed over by a Zhao family member, he inspected them closely and realized that the other two children were both boys, leaving Zhao Jing as the only girl.

"Those heartless traffickers," Liu Xing muttered under his breath before taking the lead and heading back toward the market.

Village Chief Zhao carried the sleeping Zhao Jing as he followed behind. "Liu Xing, we can't let those other two traffickers get away. How about this—you take Zhao Jing back, and I'll round up some men to hunt them down and drag them back."

"It's pitch black out here; do you think we can catch them?" Liu Xing disagreed with the Village Chief's suggestion.

Zhao Gou agreed with Liu Xing, and was just about to offer some advice when...

From the mountain forest across the way came a chorus of shouts and pursuit.

Followed closely by Gouzi's excited voice, "Haha... Gotcha! Run now, why don't you?! Let's see you run if you've got the guts!"

"They caught them?" Village Chief Zhao asked, finding it hard to believe.

Liu Xing and Zhao Gou were equally astonished.

After all, with Gouzi's scrawny frame, how could he possibly outrun two fleeing human traffickers?

They soon realized, however, that they had severely underestimated Gouzi.

After a few cries of pain echoed from the opposite forest, six or seven Zhao family members emerged onto the right-hand country road. Among them was Gouzi, dragging Ma Xiaomei and her 'husband' along like a pair of dead dogs.

This unexpected turn of events overjoyed Village Chief Zhao.

Zhao Gou was equally thrilled. Slinging the bound young boy over his arm, he hurried off to rendezvous with Gouzi and the others.

Liu Xing and Village Chief Zhao exchanged glances and quickly followed.

Once the two groups converged, the torchlight revealed that Ma Xiaomei's legs had suffered a rather severe injury, leaving her limping and completely unable to walk properly.

As for her husband, his nose was bleeding—clearly the handiwork of the furious Zhao family members.

Gouzi trotted over to Liu Xing and asked, "Boss, we've caught these traffickers now. How should we deal with them?" He rubbed his hands together, his face glowing with excitement.

"Just follow my lead." Gouzi rubbed his hands, his face beaming with anticipation.

"Take them to the shoe store first," Liu Xing said, casting a glance at the surrounding Zhao family members. "Nobody gets out of line, understand? This is a society governed by law; taking the law into your own hands is illegal."

Upon hearing this, the previously dimming hope in Ma Xiaomei's eyes suddenly flared brightly.

"Are we just going to let them off like that?" Zhao Gou asked, looking extremely reluctant.

Village Chief Zhao and Gouzi also wore dark expressions.

Though the other Zhao family members didn't make a move, they kept their tight circle around the two traffickers intact.

Liu Xing rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Who said we were letting them off? They've trafficked this many children—frankly speaking, firing squads ten times over wouldn't be enough. But if we take matters into our own hands and kill them, we become the criminals. We have to let the police station handle this properly."

He had to explain it this thoroughly because many members of the Zhao family were illiterate.

Illiterate people didn't understand the law, and if they acted rashly, they would be the ones to suffer the consequences.

These words visibly softened the expressions of the gathered villagers.

Neither Zhao Gou nor Gouzi had any further objections.

After all, Liu Xing wouldn't have said those things if he weren't looking out for them.

Seeing this, Village Chief Zhao could only agree with Liu Xing. "Alright, let's all head back to the shoe store first. Gouzi, Chicken Eye, the two of you ride your bicycles straight to East River Police Station. Report that we've caught the traffickers and ask Station Chief Tian to send someone over to handle this tonight if possible."

"Got it!"

"Let's move."

With a pair of brief acknowledgements, Gouzi and Chicken Eye sprinted toward the market.

Their bicycles were parked there, after all—they couldn't very well walk all the way to the East River Police Station.

Liu Xing let out a breath of relief. Scanning the surrounding environment, he raised his torch and led the crowd back toward the shoe store.

Along the way, Ma Xiaomei and her husband refused to behave.

Several times they tried to break free and escape.

This thoroughly infuriated Zhao Gou and the dozen or so Zhao family members.

Taking advantage of a moment when Liu Xing wasn't looking, they pounced and delivered a severe beating, leaving the pair howling for their mothers.

Though he heard the commotion, Liu Xing didn't turn back, simply continuing his march forward.

He could tell that Zhao Gou and the others were holding back and not inflicting lethal damage.

Otherwise, given Zhao Gou's brute strength, a single solid punch would have likely cost them half their lives.

...

The entrance of the shoe store was brightly lit.

Liu Dongju and Zhao Dongkui had not yet returned.

Only Nai Xinru was lingering outside with Guazi, Little Spot, Little Bean, and Lanlan.

Having heard no news of Zhao Jing until now, the children were nearly frantic with worry.

Guazi, unable to wait a moment longer, was just about to sneak away when...

The glow of torches appeared on the street ahead.

Moments later, Liu Xing was seen returning accompanied by Village Chief Zhao, Zhao Gou, and the rest of the Zhao family.

Several of them were carrying sleeping children in their arms.

Only Zhao Gou was dragging a young boy securely bound with rope.

Seeing this, Guazi and Little Spot exchanged glances and ran over on their short legs.

When they got closer, Guazi tilted his head up and complained indignantly to Zhao Gou, "Mister, why are you bullying a kid? Let him go right now!"

"What do you know? He's the trafficker who kidnapped Zhao Jing. Look at his protruding Adam's apple—he's most likely an elderly dwarf," Liu Xing quickly corrected.

"That's right! See the scratch on my arm? This little monster did it," Zhao Gou added.

"Ah?" Guazi shrank his neck back in fright and scurried straight into the shoe store.

Little Spot followed closely behind out of similar terror.

Liu Xing smiled at the sight. Noticing that a growing crowd of neighbors and vendors had gathered to watch the spectacle, he turned to Zhao Gou and instructed, "Quickly tie up all three traffickers so they can't escape."

"You got it!" Zhao Gou immediately went to work.

Without needing further instruction, the other Zhao family members pitched in.

Locating some rope, they securely tied Ma Xiaomei, the dwarf, and Ma Xiaomei's husband to the trunk of the pomelo tree.

Seeing the crowd swelling by the minute, Village Chief Zhao handed the sleeping Zhao Jing over to Liu Xing, walked over to the pomelo tree, cleared his throat, and called out, "Listen up, neighbors and fellow villagers! These three are the traffickers who abducted Zhao Jing, along with two other children. If anyone here has a child missing from their family or among their relatives, check amongst yourselves immediately."

The moment he said this, several vendors immediately turned and hurried off.

Paying them no mind, Village Chief Zhao cupped his fists toward the gathered onlookers. "Thank you all so much for your tremendous help in finding our Jingjing tonight. Thank you... I truly, deeply thank you!"

"Village Chief, that's what neighbors are for! What's to thank?"

"Exactly, exactly! It was the right thing to do!"

"I say we don't even wait to keep these three scum alive until morning! Let's follow the old ways of Old House Village and stuff them into pig cages to drown!"

"Right! Drown them in pig cages!"

Several villagers from Old House Village stepped forward, pointing angrily at the bound traffickers and shouting for blood.

"Hold on! Stop!"

Village Chief Zhao shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't do anything rash! I've already sent Gouzi to call the police. This is a society ruled by law—taking the law into your own hands means prison time."

The square instantly fell dead silent at these words.

Seeing that Village Chief Zhao had picked up his line so smoothly and successfully managed to subdue the crowd, Liu Xing handed Zhao Jing over to Zhong Ping and headed to the backyard to use the outhouse.

When he returned, the scene out front nearly startled him.

Nearly all the market vendors had rushed over, and hundreds of villagers from Old House Village filled the street.

At this rate, there might be a thousand people packed here before long.

To prevent any accidents, Liu Xing quickly told Lanlan to take Little Spot and Guazi into the backyard. As for Little Bean, he didn't need to worry—Nai Xinru was already holding him tight.

Liu Dongju and Zhao Dongkui had returned by now as well, and upon seeing the commotion, hurried over to Liu Xing.

Liu Dongju immediately asked, "Little Brother, what's going on? Where did all these people come from?"

"It's because of the three traffickers who abducted Zhao Jing," Liu Xing replied without elaborating further. He beckoned to Zhao Gou. "Go rally a few more men to maintain order. Don't let anyone get close to those three traffickers."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Gou replied dismissively.

"Are you going or not?" Anxious, Liu Xing raised his foot and gave Zhao Gou a shove. "If there are any accomplices hidden in this crowd, we're going to have a massive problem on our hands."

He wasn't exaggerating; anyone daring enough to kidnap three children at once almost certainly had an organized gang backing them up.

Only then did the gravity of the situation sink in for Zhao Gou. He turned and ran off to gather men to keep the peace.

Fortunately, no unexpected incidents occurred, and no one dared to cross the line—aside from a few people tossing a stray stone or two at the traffickers, the crowd remained orderly.

They weren't fools; Village Chief Zhao's warning had hit home.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Liu Xing saw that the commotion had woken Zhao Jing up in Zhong Ping's arms. He walked over and gently took her.

"Brother Liu Xing... I'm hungry," Zhao Jing whispered shyly, biting her index finger as she looked at him.

"Haha... As long as you're hungry, that means you're doing fine," Liu Xing chuckled warmly. Holding Zhao Jing, he walked straight into the kitchen.

Noticing that not even a scrap of leftover rice remained, he set Zhao Jing down on a small stool, tied an apron around his waist, and set to work cooking a fresh meal.

He paid no more mind to the noisy crowd outside.

Finding Zhao Jing safe and sound was already more than enough.

With the human trafficker Ma Xiaomei now in custody, he would never have to worry about Guazi being abducted either.

Perhaps this was all predestined by fate.

Heaven had granted him a second chance at life precisely to amend past regrets.

Yet, he couldn't help wondering: in his previous life before rebirth, had Zhao Jing actually been taken by traffickers?

His fragmented memories of the past timeline contained no record of this incident whatsoever.

If they had, he would have taken preventative measures early this morning.

Cooking for a single person didn't take long.

Within twenty minutes, a steaming bowl of rice topped with savory stir-fry was ready.

After frying a sunny-side-up egg and placing it right on top, Liu Xing handed the bowl to Zhao Jing, who was drooling as she chewed her finger. "Eat while it's hot! If it's not enough, Brother will make you more later."

"Mhm, mhm!" Zhao Jing nodded happily, taking the bowl and digging in with gusto.

Leaning against the kitchen doorframe, Liu Xing watched her eat with a faint, content smile.

At that exact moment, the tightly packed crowd of onlookers outside parted of their own accord, clearing a wide path down the center.

"What's going on?" Liu Xing turned his head to look.

Seeing Station Chief Tian pull up in a jeep accompanied by three police officers, he blinked in surprise before hurriedly stepping forward to welcome them.