Chapter 141: A Village of Human Traffickers

"Why?"

"Could it be that the Young Master intends to shield them?"

[...]

"Everyone, please quiet down and listen to me. It is very likely that these traffickers still have children in their possession who have not yet been sold. At the very least, we must first rescue those children. Furthermore, anyone who has lost a child at home may come to me to register their household name and the distinguishing features of the missing child. I will interrogate these traffickers, just in case we can find the children back."

Everyone fell silent, looking at Li Haoran with a gaze that grew increasingly fervent and devoted.

This was not the modern era of the information explosion, but an ancient and closed-off society. If a child was abducted from home, they were basically gone forever.

Yet today, Li Haoran's words ignited a fresh spark of hope in their hearts.

Right on the spot, several people whose children had gone missing dropped to their knees.

"Sir! My child has been missing for two years! They were abducted by traffickers! Can they still be found?"

"Sir! If you can help us find our children, our lives belong to you!"

[...]

Looking at the people before him, a surge of heroic spirit suddenly rose in Li Haoran's chest.

He stretched out his hands and personally helped them up one by one, speaking with a solemn and earnest expression, "I, Li Haoran, swear here today that as long as I draw breath, I will never let these traffickers go, and I will never give up on finding the missing children!"

His words rang with resolute determination, and the atmosphere in the courtyard instantly surged with fiery passion.

Standing behind him and listening to Li Haoran's words, Chu Bing could not help but applaud in admiration.

Once everyone had calmed down, Li Haoran directly ordered his guards to tie up the traffickers and drag them into the adjacent restaurant. They secured a private dining room and immediately commenced the interrogation on the spot.

Li Haoran and Chu Bing seated themselves in chairs while the traffickers knelt on the floor. Chu Bing found the experience novel, feeling somewhat like a high-and-mighty county magistrate.

"Speak. How long have you been in this line of work, and do you still have any unsold children in your possession?"

Li Haoran first poured a cup of tea for Chu Bing before leisurely questioning the traffickers kneeling on the ground.

The traffickers lowered their heads and remained silent, presumably knowing that if they said nothing at this moment, they might still salvage a chance at survival.

However, if they confessed everything, death would not be far off, so they stubbornly kept their mouths shut.

"Not talking?" Li Haoran sneered and immediately instructed the guards to take action.

Before the traffickers could even react, their fingers were cleanly snapped off by the nearby guards.

"Ah!"

"Sir, I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" the remaining traffickers, who had not yet been subjected to torture, turned deathly pale and shouted in unstable voices.

A curve formed at the corner of Li Haoran's mouth.

"Sir, we all hail from the same village. In the beginning, it was just Old Man Wang operating this business outside. Later on, seeing that he was making a profit, the entire village joined Old Man Wang in doing this work..."

As the kneeling traffickers continued their account, a chill crept into Chu Bing's heart. The entire village was composed of human traffickers!

God knows how many children must have gone missing over the years!

"...We recently abducted a dozen or so children from the town, intending to transport them across the border passes. Who would have known that on the way, that little beggar managed to escape? The rest of the children are locked up in the village ancestral hall..."

Chu Bing immediately moved to stand up and rush out.

Now that she knew the whereabouts of those children, naturally she had to go and rescue them!

Li Haoran sighed helplessly and caught her wrist.

"Don't act rashly just yet. They outnumber us greatly, and the few guards we brought might not be a match for them."

Chu Bing bit her lip, shooting a disgusted glare at the traffickers on the ground. "Then we're just going to let them continue committing evil?"

The little beggar standing nearby was weeping tearfully. Hiding in Chu Bing's arms, he could not utter a single word.

Li Haoran turned around and instructed his guards, "Return and report the situation here to my father, and have him send reinforcements. We will head over first."

"Yes."

He turned back to look at the traffickers on the ground, a flash of disgust crossing his eyes. "Pick one to guide the way for us, and leave the rest here to be dealt with later."

"Yes."

He acted with prudence and organization, issuing crystal-clear instructions in just a few brief sentences.

Standing to the side, Chu Bing could not help but look at him with newfound respect.

It seemed that Prime Minister Li had indeed taught Li Haoran a thing or two recently.

Chu Bing patted the shoulder of the little beggar in her arms and gently pushed him forward. "We are going somewhere rather dangerous shortly. Would you like to wait at Elder Sister's home?"

The little beggar looked at her timidly and nodded.

Chu Bing immediately handed him over to the guards who were preparing to return to the estate. "Take him to the Eldest Young Master's courtyard and have Old Zhao look after him."

The guard immediately took the little beggar by the hand and led him away.

Li Haoran's gaze flickered slightly as he said sincerely, "Lady Chu's great benevolence commands my utmost respect."

Embarrassed by the praise, Chu Bing quickly waved her hand and said, "Don't say that. Compared to you, I haven't done anything at all."

Li Haoran did not dispute her point and smiled instead. "Then shall we go together to that village and investigate?"

"Let's go!" Chu Bing's expression grew cold. She wanted to see what kind of landscape could nurture an entire village of such vicious scoundrels!

Li Haoran had one of the guards casually grab a trafficker to serve as a guide, and the group mounted their horses and galloped out of the city.

According to the traffickers, their village was located deep within the desert—an arid region suffering from year-round water shortages, with a total population of barely a hundred people. Newborn children there rarely survived past the age of three.

Initially, the villagers had simply wanted to purchase a few children from Old Man Wang to carry on their family line. Later on, however, seeing that Old Man Wang was making money, they grew green-eyed with envy and joined in the trafficking business themselves.

"That place is remote and isolated, with no one visiting year-round, which makes it ideal for hiding children." Li Haoran carried a map, pointing out a secluded corner to Chu Bing. "Desolate mountains and evil waters breed unruly scoundrels; these people would likely throw away their lives for money. Lady Chu, you must be careful later."

Chu Bing shook her head. She had already walked through the gates of death a few times. Furthermore, she now possessed martial arts skills—why would she fear ordinary people who had never trained in martial arts?

The sound of horse hooves pounding into the yellow sand kicked up clouds of dust, stretching their shadows long and slender.

Amidst the endless expanse of yellow sand, two tall figures rode one after the other toward their destination.

"Big Brother, didn't you say you remembered a village in this desert? We've been walking for two days now and haven't seen a single soul. If this keeps up, both of us are going to die in this desert!"

Li Yuxi rested his hands behind his head, strolling leisurely behind Li Mohai.

Li Mohai held his longsword, his pace unyielding.

Seeing this, Li Yuxi let out a cold chuckle. Employing his lightness skill, he soared swiftly ahead of Li Mohai and called back, "Walk slowly if you like, I'm going ahead to rest."

Li Mohai watched his graceful form, his gaze tightening.

Ever since that day, Li Yuxi had continued to tag along by his side, allowing him to witness Li Yuxi's terrifying prowess firsthand.

Right now... he was probably no longer a match for him.

Li Mohai touched his shoulder, his fingers trembling slightly.

Without medicine, the wound had long since festered, the raw flesh and blood sticking fast to his clothes.

Before long, he would truly be buried in this vast ocean of yellow sand.

He looked toward the south, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.

It seemed he would never be able to return.