Chapter 397 - The Mysterious Ruffian
Chapter 397 The Mysterious Ruffian
“I would have helped if I brought my silver needles here. Perhaps they have been poisoned.”
As Qiu Yu commented with regret in his voice, Lin Mengya responded by shaking her head.
The Shen Nung system was much more useful than silver needles in this respect.
Lin Mengya did not detect any abnormal substances present there apart from the increasing intensity of the poison belonging to the people of Lieyun.
However, this did not completely eliminate the possibility that these men had been poisoned. No matter how powerful the Shen Nung system was, it had its limits.
“I suppose if they had merely fallen asleep, they would have sensed our presence after all the fuss. Given the circumstances now, we can get one or two of them out of here at most.
“Look at the coffins here. I believe there are at least one or two people sleeping in each of the coffins here. Let’s go out first and bring back help. In this way, we would be able to recover both the captives and the spoils.”
Although Qiu Yu did not feel completely comfortable with the plan, he had to admit that Lin Mengya was right.
However, just when the replaced the coffin cover, they heard a sound coming from outside.
Qiu Yu and Lin Mengya exchanged a knowing look and with the rapport between them, they speedily laid down at the deepest part of the basement.
Fortunately, it was very dark where they were and they were blocked by the coffin. With this cover, Lin Mengya and Qiu Yu were temporarily hidden.
“Who’s here?”
Just when they had covered themselves up, an angry roar sounded from outside the door.
Lin Mengya cursed under her breath. They had aroused suspicion likely because they had moved the bales and did not close the metal door.
It was too late now for them to take any action. They could only try their best to breathe calmly in order not to expose themselves.
“You’re too sensitive. Perhaps someone left without remembering to close it. This had happened before. Look, aren’t the coffins still here? Rest assured that no one would discover them. We can ask around when we get back to clarify the facts.”
Another voice, belonging to someone was a little drunk, interrupted the man with the deeper voice, who was still not convinced. He opened to check the coffins one by one and his footsteps came closer to her.
Lin Mengya and Qiu Yu were becoming more and more nervous as the man approached.
Thankfully, the man’s attention was on the inside of the coffins and he failed to spot the two who were hidden in the dark.
“See, I told you. Who would take notice of this place with bad luck? Any normal person would try to avoid places like here, so why would he come in here? Even if he were to come in, just like our usual practice, we would’ve gotten rid of him neatly. Come on, this is not the first time. Don’t you know people think of this place as haunted?”
Hearing the crude, unrestrained voice speaking arrogantly, she was greatly repulsed.
For the sake of monetary gain, they had resorted to such unethical dealings, they even tried to silence the witnesses. They were the most unforgivable evildoers!
The person with the deep voice did not respond. He continued to scrutinize the five coffins there. Finally, when he was done with the last coffin, making sure that nothing was amiss, he closed the covers of the coffins.
As the sound of footsteps got further away, Lin Mengya and Qiu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, those two men only put the covers of the coffins back and did not touch any other things. Otherwise, Lin Mengya and Qiu Yu would be exposed.
“Best be careful about everything we do. Don’t forget what Big Brother White said before that if people could smell something fishy here, we won’t be able to use this place anymore. Over the years, we had been so cautious. Don’t blame me for being cruel if any of you make a mistake and create trouble as a result.”
Big Brother White as the man with a deep voice referred to had to be White Dragon.
Apparently, this was the stronghold for them to temporarily store their goods.
It was not surprising that even though Master Guo knew about White Dragon and Black Tiger’s illegal business, he did not know how the slaves were transported.
If it were somewhere sparsely populated, naturally they did not need to do all this hiding. However, for a densely populated town, they needed a stronghold to secretly keep the abducted people.
What a ruthless and evil ploy. At the same time, they were meticulous and cautious in their planning.
It seemed that White Dragon, Black Tiger and their men were not so easy to deal with.
“Bah, who are you referring to? Let me tell you that I, Liu Hailong, had been following the two leaders for quite some time. Don’t think I have to listen to you just because someone has your back. The two leaders are ones who consider the big picture, while you are just a small fry in my eyes!”
Finally, Lin Mengya figured that this Liu Hailong did not really get along with the man with a deep voice.
It was no wonder that this man kept singing a different tune from the person with a deep voice.
If not for him, who tried to hinder the other man, she and Qiu Yu could have met with trouble by now if they had searched the place thoroughly.
Nevertheless, the man with a deep voice was not provoked. She supposed he did not wish to argue with that drunk man.
“It’s time. Quick, come over and help.”
Lin Mengya and Qiu Yu exchanged puzzled looks. Not knowing what the man with a deep voice meant, they secretly looked in the direction of the coffins.
Those two men were carrying lanterns and one of them was tall, while the other was short. The short one who was making a lot of noise was apparently a boor.
The tall man, who was back-facing them, remained silent.
“This thing works wonders. They could sleep deeply for three days after inhaling it. Unfortunately, that pretty girl is so desirable, I wish I could have a taste of…”
Liu Hailong smiled an uncouth smile, but the tall man cut him off immediately.
“Don’t touch her. This time, you’ve created enough trouble for our two leaders by abducting her. We will suffer much loss if we don’t transport this batch of men out soon enough. You’d better behave yourself and hopefully, that girl can help to minimize our loss.”
Naturally, they ought to be referring to Dongfang Xu’s niece.
Lin Mengya tried to commit Liu Hailong’s appearance to her memory so that later on when they got out, it would help her recognize and point him out.
Never did Lin Mengya expect that he was the one who abducted Dongfang Xu’s niece.
However, her curiosity was further aroused. Whatever method did they use to put these people into such deep sleep that they seemed to lost all their senses? Furthermore, she was unable to detect the presence of any poison.
Suddenly, her keen sense of smell detected a fishy smell.
Lin Mengya gazed at Qiu Yu and realized that he was still unaware.
Those two men did not take any protective measures so Lin Mengya guessed that this substance should be used in conjunction with other things.
The medicine used by these two men was coming closer to them. The central nervous system suddenly sent out a warning and it was then that Lin Mengya realized that they were using a herb called zombie grass.
This medicine would put people into a deep sleep at most so that they appeared to be in a coma. All of a sudden she remembered something that was recorded in the music score for green stringed instrument. After reading through the record, Lin Mengya finally understood why this herb was named the zombie grass.
The two men examined the place all over again before they eventually covered up the coffins.
Thereafter, they quietly ascended the stairs and went back to the ground level.
Lin Mengya continued waiting for a long time. Just as she expected, the person with a deep voice was indeed a cautious and cunning master.
Within a short while, the man had returned two more times to check the basement.
If not because the other man kept nagging him, Lin Mengya believed that he would come back a third time.
What a difficult opponent. Sadly, Lin Mengya did not manage to see the person’s face clearly.
“Get out of there quickly! My legs are already numb.”
Qiu Yu and Lin Mengya finally breathed a sigh of relief and crawled out of the corner.
After making sure that the two men had left, the two of them opened the five coffins once again.
Just as they expected, apart from the last coffin in which laid a girl dressed in Lieyun’s traditional costume, the other four coffins had each contained two or even three young men in it.
“They must have given these men the medicine just now. This is abominable! I didn’t even realize it!”
Qiu Yu ought to be very upset with himself for not realizing it. Lin Mengya, on the other hand, calmly felt around the Lieyun girl’s body.
Eventually, Qiu Yu was shocked to see that Lin Mengya had found five inch-long dark iron needles.
“These are…”
Lin Mengya did not have time to explain. She tore a piece of fabric from her clothes and wrapped the needles in it.
Thereafter, with her skillful hands and appropriate strength, she started to massage a few acupuncture points on the girl’s body.
“Hiccup…”
The girl let out a prolonged breath and her eyes which were tightly shut began to open gradually.
“I… Where am I?”
The girl’s voice was thin and she was obviously very frail.
Lin Mengya continued to massage the acupuncture point on her body and soon the fatigue on the girl’s face subsided.
“Don’t be afraid, you had been abducted. My elder brother and I have saved you. I’m going to help you get down from where you are. Do not shout or make any noise, lest you attract the attention of the bad guys and they would come.”
The girl had a pair of big, dark eyes. However, she did not even blush from embarrassment after she saw this friendly, pretty face before her eyes. She merely nodded obediently and allowed Lin Mengya to help her out of the coffin.
Although there was not much strength in her legs as she tried to walk, she gritted her teeth and moved with determination with the help of Lin Mengya. Soon, her movement became more and more practiced. Finally, Lin Mengya took out a pill from her clothes and gave it to the girl.
Soon, the girl was back to her normal self.
She began prancing around as she looked around.
“My name is Dongfang Xiu. You may call me Xiu. Thank you so much for saving my life. The people of Lieyun will definitely repay the kindness we received.”
Xiu had delicate features with big dark eyes that seemed to be able to talk and were innocent-looking and clear.
Although she was still rather young, she looked forthright and sincere, which was entirely different from those frail-looking girls in the capital city.
Looking at her reminded Lin Mengya of Baizhi back home. In addition, Lin Mengya’s relationship with Xiaoyu also added to the sense of familiarity.
“Do you have any impression of how you were captured by White Dragon’s men?”
At Lin Mengya’s words, an annoyed expression appeared on Xiu’s face.
She pouted and there was a pathetic look in her eyes as she began telling them how it all happened.