Chapter 1350: Each Has Their Own Secrets

"Oh, why?"

"You're on someone else's turf, and you still want to dig up their old roots?" Dong Rui pointed at him, "I'm afraid you won't walk out of Chen Family Manor alive, and in the end, you'll be dumped in the wilderness... just like that mother and daughter."

County Magistrate Li shrank his neck, wanting to say "Do they dare?" The words turned twice in his mouth, but couldn't come out.

He only brought six or seven officials, not a large army; these wild, fierce people might really dare! Dong Rui then added: "We are investigating in the manor, and there are always people watching nearby. Chen Family Manor probably hides some secret and is afraid of being dug out by us."

This kind of manor is a cluster of a large surname, with land and people; usually, they close their doors to live their own lives, and outsiders find it hard to know their secrets.

"If it weren't for the monster attack and so many deaths, Chen Family Manor probably wouldn't have reported the case." After entering the courtyard, He Lingchuan saw there were no idlers and asked County Magistrate Li, "Do you know where Maodun and Xingyun Village are?"

"I know Maodun, I'll send someone to check tomorrow morning." This at least could verify A-Hui's statement, but, "I really don't know the place name Xingyun Village; it seems I've never heard of it."

"Baiting County is not small, mainly mountainous; without mules and horses, how far could this mother and daughter walk on their own?" He Lingchuan pondered, "I'm afraid County Magistrate Li will have to check the records carefully when you go back. It seems it's not rare for villages and towns in your area to appear and disappear."

"Yes, yes, I'll go flip through the records when I return to the county."

He Lingchuan yawned: "Sleep, we have to be busy tomorrow."

No words overnight.

The next day, the sky's complexion was not good, and the rain was falling irregularly.

He Lingchuan and the others got up early and slurped a large bowl of mixed vegetable porridge in the courtyard. The farm's earthen bowls were much larger than a human face, and there was a stack of slightly charred chive pancakes on the table. Picking one up, rolling it with silver-strip vegetables pickled in sour peppers, and stuffing it into the mouth, it could crunch and burst with juice.

County Magistrate Li thought he could eat a lot, but he had only swallowed three pancakes when the plate on the table was empty.

The three and the officials walked out with burps, and Patriarch Chen hurriedly greeted them with a smile, asking again if the officials had any new discoveries last night.

He Lingchuan put on official airs and brushed him off with two sentences.

Patriarch Chen personally sent everyone to the manor gate and watched them mount their horses and leave.

The group left Chen Family Manor and walked into the mountain forest; they hadn't gone fifty paces when the branches nearby rustled.

County Magistrate Li was startled and was about to shout for his subordinates to be alert, when he saw a monkey jump down from the treetop and land on He Lingchuan's shoulder.

He subconsciously looked at the Ghost Ape on the horse's rump of Dong Rui.

Another, another monkey? This one looked much better and even wore a round hat.

Ling Guang returned to the team, and He Lingchuan asked it: "How is it? Any discoveries?"

Before County Magistrate Li led them into Chen Family Manor yesterday, he had assigned Ling Guang to sneak into the manor at night to find hidden secrets. The two sides communicated with eyeball spiders.

They investigated openly, and Ling Guang visited secretly, so this case could continue to be investigated.

"According to your guidance, I found a row of houses hidden in the dense forest in the north of the manor, with manor guards patrolling, and idlers are not allowed to approach." Fortunately, Ling Guang was not an idler, and it didn't need the guards' consent to enter or leave, "That place is not hard to find; on the surface, it's a workshop for picking fruit and brewing wine, but in fact, deep cellars are dug under the houses, covered with wooden boards, tables, chairs, and sundries, which is very hidden."

County Magistrate Li couldn't help asking: "Did you drill in? What's at the bottom of the cellar?"

"Vats and jars for brewing wine—"

County Magistrate Li rolled his eyes, but Ling Guang immediately added: "And weapons, knives, spears, arrows, hooks, and halberds, all kinds are complete, in large quantities and new appearance. The arrowheads still have the fresh scent of wood."

Were those weapons used by Chen Family Manor for self-defense? County Magistrate Li frowned, feeling something was wrong.

"I only checked one cellar, and there were hundreds of knives of various shapes alone."

"Hundreds of knives?" County Magistrate Li sneered, "Are they opening a weapon shop?"

A manor of three or four hundred people possessed hundreds of knives, not counting other weapons?

County Magistrate Li was not stupid, and after a moment of thought, he understood: "Good, so they are privately selling weapons!"

The Flash Gold Plain is chaotic and turbulent, and the demand for weapons far exceeds other regions.

Wool, fruit, wine—the external businesses of the Chen clan were all covers to facilitate their private transport and sale of weapons.

Chen Family Manor was a fortress for weapon traffickers! Of course, the super-high profits of private weapon trafficking also came from the strict prohibition by the official authorities of the Pei Nation.

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Li felt a layer of cold sweat on his back. Fortunately, he didn't act rashly last night, otherwise, these outlaws might have killed them to silence them.

He asked Ling Guang: "How did you know there was something mysterious under that row of houses?"

Ling Guang imitated He Lingchuan's appearance, smiling without saying a word.

In fact, He Lingchuan also secretly placed an eyeball spider on Patriarch Chen last night to monitor his words and actions. When they visited Chen's wife, Sister-in-law Wu, and others, Chen Ling was restless, mentioned the northern workshop several times to his confidants, and ordered the workshop to turn off the lights at night so as not to let the Inspector and officials discover it.

Chen Family Manor was not small, and the workshop was separated by trees; as long as the lights were not turned on, those who didn't come often wouldn't know there were buildings there.

Once Chen Ling said this, He Lingchuan knew there was something fishy.

Sure enough, when Ling Guang went to investigate secretly, it discovered the weapons at the bottom of the cellar.

"No wonder Patriarch Chen hid the A-Hui mother and daughter; he just didn't want to cause extra trouble. However, we only visited two villagers and looked at the grass shed scene; he could only confirm that we discovered the existence of the A-Hui mother and daughter." He Lingchuan said to County Magistrate Li, "After we leave, Chen Family Manor might transfer the weapons."

He continued: "Looking at it this way, even if A-Hui hadn't had a conflict with Chen Fu'ang and the other five, it would have been difficult for her to leave Chen Family Manor alive."

County Magistrate Li cursed: "These bastards!"

Dong Rui yawned: "Hurry back to Baiting County; County Magistrate Li still has to send people to look for the bodies."

Little An tossed and turned, not falling asleep until dawn.

As soon as she entered a dream, everything was pitch black again.

Vast, lonely, and familiar darkness.

So Little An knew the monsters were coming to catch her again.

She widened her eyes and looked around; running at this time would only waste energy, so she had to confirm the direction first.

Soon, a strange clicking sound came from behind, and something disturbed the air, rushing straight at her.

A pale and thin arm suddenly stretched out from the darkness! Little An jumped forward, and the arm pounced on empty air.

This is the time! Run, run fast! She moved her short legs and rushed forward without looking back.

The monsters behind were in hot pursuit, and she could hear the heavy footsteps.

She was also very familiar with the rhythm of those footsteps. Little An even knew that as long as she kept running forward, the monsters would eventually disappear.

But in the last few times, the monsters' footsteps had become faster and faster, and they were getting closer and closer to her.

She could even feel the monsters' breath spraying on the back of her neck, wet and cold.

She didn't dare to look back at all, and she didn't know when she would be caught! "Run!" Her mother's voice came from somewhere, particularly urgent, but also particularly blurry, "Little An, run!"

The low roar of the monsters suddenly exploded in her ears!

Little An sat up with a "wow," her back covered in cold sweat.

Awake, she finally woke up.

The surroundings were no longer pitch black; golden sunlight passed through the small window and shone on the dusty floor.

Even the dust became cute.

She had safely spent another night.

Little An's breathing slowly stabilized.

"Time to eat, time to eat." Someone knocked on the door frame.

As soon as she got up, there was warm mixed vegetable porridge to drink, and two fragrant oil cakes; taking a bite, it was so crispy that it crunched and fell apart.

Since she became a refugee, she had never experienced such a beautiful morning.

The only fly in the ointment was that Han Tingting, who promised her she would return when she woke up, did not appear, and the promised chicken leg was naturally not brought back.

She asked the servant who brought the food: "Where is Tingting?"

"Who?"

"The one who came with me yesterday."

The servant's attitude was very cold, saying "Don't know" and turning away, as if she had a disease and he would be infected if he stayed for a few more seconds.

She was small and weak, and others couldn't assign her miscellaneous work. Little An had nothing to do after the meal, so she walked around the manor.

But she hadn't gone a hundred paces when a sturdy servant turned out from behind a tree and said with a straight face: "Go back, who told you to walk around?"

This person! Little An recognized that it was this sturdy servant who took Han Tingting into the Second Young Master's room last night.

"Where is Tingting? She was with me last night, and you took her to find the Second Young Master."

"She is serving the Second Young Master." The sturdy servant said casually, "Don't worry, it will be your turn tonight or tomorrow night."

He blocked the corridor and wouldn't let her pass, so Little An could only retreat.

The sturdy servant also followed, step by step. His task was to follow this little thing and not let her get lost.

After all, she was bought with money by Steward Zou, and who knew when the Second Young Master would summon her.

In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.

The little girl went to the latrine, and it took two quarters of an hour.

The sturdy servant knocked on the door and got no response, and was afraid she had fallen in, so he knocked the door open.

It was empty inside.

"Damn it!" This little thing could really drill; he had actually lost her! He didn't know that this little girl was agile, and relying on her small size, she climbed over the loose wooden board of the latrine, passed through two bushes, and disappeared behind several plum trees.

The sturdy servant hurriedly searched everywhere.

After Little An shook him off, she slipped toward the Second Young Master's courtyard, dodging many adults along the way.

There were really many trees in this mountain manor, and there was always a place for her to hide.

The Second Young Master's courtyard was far from the servants' quarters, but fortunately, her memory was good; the route she had only walked once last night was still remembered after dawn.

Two quarters of an hour later.

Should turn this way, turn that way, hmm, the Second Young Master's courtyard should be ahead.

Little An really saw a blue stone wall; this was the outer wall of the Second Young Master's courtyard.

If she shouted outside the wall, could Han Tingting come out to find her?

Little An paced twice, just about to open her mouth, when she suddenly saw the small door on the wall creak and open.

Someone came out.

She subconsciously hid behind a tree and quietly poked her head out.

Two servants drilled out of the small door, working together to carry a long object, loosely covered with a white cloth.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1351 =====