"Boom!"
Something in Li Yueshu's mind suddenly exploded, and her face turned pale.
The man noticed her expression, looked at her with sympathy, and sighed.
After a long while, Li Yueshu spoke in a hoarse voice, "No way, they kidnapped my child outside Qingyong Mountain. If they brought him here... what's the point of using him to bargain?"
"They kidnapped your child?!" The man's voice suddenly rose, and his brows furrowed tightly.
Li Yueshu heard the wrongness in his tone and quickly nodded, "Do you know why they kidnapped my child?"
The man took the straw from his mouth and said solemnly, "Your child should be alive, it's just..."
The man paused, as if thinking of something unpleasant, a hint of hatred flashing in his eyes, "It's just that no one knows if he's still whole."
Li Yueshu's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively grabbed the man's wrist, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean by 'not whole'?"
The man looked at his wrist, which was being squeezed painfully, but he didn't pull his hand away. He just lowered his head and said, "Everyone knows Qingyong Mountain is a bandit's den, but few people know it's also a human trafficking den."
As the man spoke, everyone in the wooden cage lowered their heads, as if remembering something unpleasant.
Li Yueshu noticed their expressions and vaguely sensed something was wrong.
She tightened her grip on the man's wrist, "What's your relationship with the Qingyong Mountain bandits? Since Qingyong Mountain won't waste food to feed prisoners, why keep so many of you here?"
From what the bandits said, she had gone up the mountain without alerting anyone, so they would wait for their boss to return before dealing with her.
But these people who provoked Qingyong Mountain were not only alive but also well-fed here, and even if injured, they were only slightly hurt.
If they said they had no connection with Qingyong Mountain, even ghosts wouldn't believe it!
The man looked directly into her eyes but didn't answer her question. "After the people of Qingyong Mountain kidnap children, they sell those who are good-looking and healthy. Some go to brothels or become entertainers, which is considered a good outcome. As for those who are not good-looking..."
The man suddenly stopped, his clasped hands trembling slightly. "If they are not good-looking, their limbs are broken, or they are made foolish or disabled and thrown onto the streets to beg. The slightly smarter ones are trained to be pickpockets..."
His voice grew lower, and his lips revealed a hint of paleness.
Li Yueshu, however, ignored their reactions. Hearing those words, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
The man felt the coldness from her wrist and asked cautiously, "When was your child kidnapped?"
Li Yueshu let go of his wrist and looked coldly at the bandits outside the wooden cage, a hint of murderous intent in her eyes, "Yesterday afternoon."
She put her hand into her sleeve, took out her gun from her space, and was about to act.
"That's good then," the man suddenly said. "After Qingyong Mountain kidnaps the children, they deal with them every half month. This batch won't be dealt with until tomorrow."
Li Yueshu's actions paused, "Are you serious?"
The man nodded repeatedly but couldn't help but remind her, "However, the big boss of Qingyong Mountain will bring buyers tonight, and the chosen children will leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Li Yueshu looked at the bandits coming and going on the training ground, her mind racing for a solution.
She turned to the man beside her, "How much do you know about the big boss of Qingyong Mountain?"
The man leaned against the wooden bars, his gaze shifting to the others in the wooden cage, his eyes inscrutable.
He slowly said, "That man is a powerful martial artist and experienced in dealing with imperial troops. He is also very lustful, and his subordinates, besides kidnapping children, occasionally capture women to entertain him."
The man lowered his eyes, concealing the fleeting emotion within them, then looked up at Li Yueshu. "Those children are the main source of wealth for these bandits. Apart from the big boss and a few confidantes, no one knows where the children are. Since you're imprisoned here, I'm afraid you won't have a chance to save anyone."
Although this was cruel, it was the truth.
Li Yueshu's eyes flickered, "Who says there's no chance?"
The man looked at her expression and suddenly leaned in curiously, "Have you thought of a way?"
This young brother looked delicate and weak, but being able to sneak onto the mountain silently, he must be no ordinary person. Perhaps he really had a way.
Li Yueshu looked calmly outside, "When the big boss returns, I'll invite you to watch a good show."
The man was full of curiosity, always feeling that the person in front of him exuded an air of mystery.
His heart stirred, and he took the initiative to introduce himself, "My name is Zhou Chen. What should I call you, little brother?"
Li Yueshu recalled what she saw on her way out of the storeroom and said without turning her head, "My surname is Li."
Beyond that, she said nothing more.
Seeing this, Zhou Chen wisely did not press further.
The wooden cage fell silent for a moment, but the training ground remained lively.
What no one knew was that at the bottom of the cliff behind the village, a figure was slowly climbing upwards.
...
Time passed by, and as dusk approached, a commotion suddenly erupted, "The big boss is back!"
With those words, everyone on the training ground rushed towards one direction.
Li Yueshu, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, finally looked up and stood up from the ground.
Zhou Chen also got up, very curious about what she would do next.
Soon, a thin man, looking to be in his forties or fifties, walked over, surrounded by bandits.
The man had an ordinary appearance, the kind you wouldn't notice in a crowd, but his pair of cold,阴险 eyes were particularly striking.
Just as Zhou Chen was about to ask about the person beside him's plan, he heard Li Yueshu suddenly shout, "Help! I need to go to the privy, hurry and let me out, I can't hold it!"
Zhou Chen, who was about to speak, was so startled he almost choked on his saliva. Everyone else was also startled by the shout.
Zhou Chen quickly pulled Li Yueshu, his mouth twitching, "Is this your plan?"
Li Yueshu glanced at him and smiled mysteriously.
She picked up a stone from the ground and precisely threw it at the feet of the big boss as he passed by the wooden cage. "Hey, I said I need to go to the privy, didn't you hear me?"
A lackey beside the big boss glared fiercely, "The place inside is big enough, just find a spot and pee, why go to the privy!"
Li Yueshu looked back at the square wooden cage and pouted.
Indeed, they didn't want to waste food to feed prisoners. Not only was the wooden cage built in full view of everyone, but they didn't even provide a chamber pot.
Li Yueshu turned her head and shouted loudly, "There are so many men here, I don't want to be here!"
Seeing her bold and arrogant actions, Zhou Chen quickly retreated.
Isn't this kid a bit crazy?!
Seeing Li Yueshu's audacity, the lackey also got angry and walked over menacingly with a knife, "You little brat are looking for death! You're acting like a sissy, a grown man. If you don't want to pee inside, hold it!"
Li Yueshu took two steps back, dodging his spittle.
She pretended to be angry and glared at the lackey, "Who told you I was a man! You... you don't have a place to keep women in your village?"