Chapter 72

Still Water Martial Hall entrance.

The woman's sudden kneeling attracted the attention of passersby, including several disciples inside the martial hall who were walking out.

"Zhou Shen?"

Lin Chen was a bit confused, and Zhao Canghu on the side saw the woman kneel down and immediately shouted at Lin Liang and Gu Fei: "Hurry up and help her up."

Lin Liang and Gu Fei reacted and hurriedly stepped forward to help, but Zhou Shen struggled and wouldn't get up.

"Zhou Lian, don't go crazy here. What if you make people misunderstand Xiao Chen like this? We brought you to find Xiao Chen, get up quickly!"

Zhao Canghu saw the woman wouldn't get up and also put on a stern face.

"Zhou Shen, if you have anything to say, just say it. If I can help, I will definitely help."

Lin Chen took the initiative to step forward and help Zhou Shen up. He was a martial artist, and his strength was naturally great.

"Lin Chen, Young Master Lin, you have to save my Qianqian. You have seen Qianqian before, she is still so small... If something happens to her, how can I live..."

Seeing that Zhou Shen's words were a bit unclear, Lin Chen looked at the village chief.

"Xiao Chen, let's talk on the side. Don't stay at the entrance of the martial hall."

Zhao Canghu looked at the crowd watching around. He was afraid of bringing a bad influence to Lin Chen and hinted for Gu Fei and Lin Liang to carry Zhou Shen to the side.

Lin Chen's eyes stopped his older brother and Gu Fei and said to Zhou Shen: "Zhou Shen, let's talk on the side."

The group walked to the entrance of an alley on the side of the martial hall and stopped. Lin Chen didn't ask Zhou Shen but looked at the village chief.

Zhao Canghu's gaze fell on Jiang Qing, who followed Lin Chen. This girl was full of nobility and looked like the daughter of a powerful family.

"Village Chief, this is my senior sister. If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

Lin Chen saw the village chief hesitating and looking at Jiang Jiang Shijie, knowing that the village chief was out of scruples.

"You know about Qianqian, that girl. She went missing in our village yesterday. Our whole village was mobilized to find her. We found our way to the city yesterday. This official said he saw a girl who looked like Qianqian enter the city."

Listening to the village chief's words, Lin Chen frowned. Did the village chief still have scruples?

He knew Qianqian; she was Zhou Shen's daughter.

Zhou Shen had a hard life. Her husband drowned while fishing early on, and she raised Qianqian alone. The little girl was five or six years old and usually played with other children in the village.

The little girl had a sweet mouth and called him "Brother Chenchen" every time she saw him.

"Brother, you say it, tell the truth."

Lin Chen looked at his older brother. Brother Lin Liang looked at the village chief, his voice low, and said: "Lin Ming returned to the village the day before yesterday, and the day Qianqian went missing, Lin Ming also left. Today, this official said that Qianqian was taken away by someone, and that person's figure looked very much like Lin Ming."

The atmosphere instantly fell silent.

Lin Chen understood why the village chief was stammering and couldn't get to the point.

Qianqian was abducted by Lin Ming!

The village chief was afraid that saying it would affect his reputation. After all, Lin Ming was his own older cousin.

"It... it might also be a mistake. It's not certain yet. I thought about finding Lin Ming first, but Zhou Lian insisted on finding you."

Zhao Canghu looked helpless. He was indeed considering Lin Chen's reputation.

In fact, after Qianqian went missing, some people in the village suspected whether it was Lin Ming, but because of Lin Chen's status in the village, the villagers didn't voice their suspicions.

After all, you can't write two "Lin" characters in one stroke. Lin Chen and Lin Ming are cousins; in the end, they are both from the Lin family.

"Lin Chen... Young Master Lin, Qianqian was not abducted by your older brother. She went missing by herself. I just beg you to help me find Qianqian back. I promise Qianqian won't say anything. If not, I will take Qianqian and leave the village."

Zhou Shen grabbed Lin Chen's hand tightly. With her disheveled hair, her pale face carried the last hope.

Lin Chen understood why Zhou Shen said this. She was afraid that if he knew it was Lin Ming who abducted the person, he wouldn't be willing to find Qianqian back, fearing it would affect his reputation.

"Aunt, don't worry. Even if it was Lin Ming who abducted Qianqian, I will find her back for you." Lin Chen promised Zhou Shen.

"Village Chief, I said Chenzi is not that kind of person. We should have come to find Chenzi earlier."

Gu Fei on the side heard Lin Chen's words, and a smile appeared on his face. Zhao Canghu glared at him, Gu Fei shrank his neck and hurriedly kept silent.

"This official, I am Lin Chen from Linhu Village. I don't know how to address you?"

Lin Chen looked at the official who had helped him jump the queue for his fishing boat when he entered the martial hall.

"Young Master Lin is too polite. I can't afford to be called 'official' by you. I share the same surname as you."

Lin Xiuyong hurriedly replied. He didn't dare to put on airs in front of Lin Chen.

Speaking of which, it was a coincidence. Yesterday, he was guarding the city gate when commoners came to ask if he had seen a child enter the city.

He wouldn't have cared about this kind of thing, but the person who came to ask looked familiar. Upon recalling, he remembered that when students from various villages entered the city, he was maintaining order at the pier, and the fishing boat that the promising student took was the one rowed by this person.

Because of this reason, he had a bit more patience. After some side-probing, he knew that this person was the older brother of that promising student, so he was even more enthusiastic.

"Young Master Lin, that little girl's clothing is very similar to the little girl who went missing in your village, but my memory of the young man who brought the little girl is a bit blurry."

Lin Xiuyong felt very helpless in his heart. If he had known it was like this, he wouldn't have said anything more.

A cousin abducting a child from the same village—if it were any other family, the whole family would be pointed at by the villagers. He didn't know that the young man would be Young Master Lin's cousin, thinking of selling a favor.

Don't look at how nicely this Young Master Lin speaks, but what he really thinks in his heart, only he himself knows.

Lin Chen had lived two lives, how could he not hear the reservation in the other's words? This was giving him face.

He could understand the other party, fearing that he would think he was meddling.

There was no need to keep asking about this. Once Qianqian was found, the truth would naturally come out.

"Official, you are a few years older than me, so I will call you brother. Brother Lin, do you know the flow of abducted children in this city?"

No matter which dynasty, the ones who know those lower-class trades best are the government officials.

"It is very likely sold to Third Master Zhou."

Lin Xiuyong didn't act high and mighty and told what he knew.

"This Third Master Zhou has raised many rascals under his command. These rascals sometimes go to the villages and towns below to abduct children."

"Official Lin, Third Master Zhou abducts children, doesn't your government office care?" Gu Fei couldn't help but ask.

Lin Xiuyong sighed: "Third Master Zhou is a martial artist who has opened acupoints, and he usually abducts children in the villages and towns below, hiding them very well. Without evidence of the crime, our government office can't do anything to him."

Lin Chen sneered. Can't do anything?

To put it bluntly, Third Master Zhou didn't dare to abduct children in the city. Most of the children abducted from villages and towns were poor commoners, and it wouldn't cause much of a stir.

Most of these government officials in the county town came out of martial halls, and this Third Master Zhou is also a martial artist, very likely also came out of a martial hall. Relying on the relationship of fellow martial hall disciples, I'm afraid he also has some collusion with some government officials.

Collusion between black and white has existed since ancient times.

"Young Master Lin, may I ask, how many acupoints have you opened now?" Lin Xiuyong suddenly asked.

"Six acupoints."

Hearing Lin Chen's answer, Lin Xiuyong was shocked. Not only him, but Gu Fei and Zhao Canghu on the side were also the same.

Brother Lin Liang had never practiced martial arts and didn't know the way, but Gu Fei himself was a student in the Martial Hall, and he knew how difficult it was to learn martial arts. As for Zhao Canghu, it went without saying. As a village chief, ever since Scholar Jiang soared into the sky that year, he had been extremely concerned about the Martial Way.

Three months, and opened six acupoints?

Lin Xiuyong suppressed the shock in his heart and said: "If this is the case, Young Master Lin might as well go find Third Master Zhou. Third Master Zhou should give Young Master Lin some face."

Entering the martial hall for three months and opening six acupoints—Lin Xiuyong believed that Third Master Zhou wouldn't offend Young Master Lin because of a little girl.

"Xiao Chen, if possible, let's go find Third Master Zhou. We can give him this money."

Zhao Canghu signaled to Lin Chen. A little girl in a village, the human trafficker would at most pay ten or twenty taels of silver. As long as Third Master Zhou was willing to give Lin Chen face, the village would give this money to Third Master Zhou.

Lin Chen nodded: "Sorry to trouble Brother Lin to lead the way and take us to find Third Master Zhou."

As a member of the village, he wouldn't refuse to help when encountering such things, not to mention that this matter also involved Lin Ming.

He didn't care how his grandfather and the big uncle's family would be talked about in the village, but he didn't want his parents to be implicated.

"Young Master Lin is too polite. Third Master Zhou has a residence in Qingshui Alley in the east of the city, but at this time, Third Master Zhou should be in the south of the city. I will take Young Master Lin with me."

Knowing that this Young Master Lin had already opened six acupoints, Lin Xiuyong wanted to interact more with this Young Master Lin.

Originally, he thought this Young Master Lin had potential and wanted to form a good relationship, maybe his children could use it in the future, but now it seems that with Young Master Lin's status, it is very likely that he himself could use it.

Lin Chen didn't rush to leave but looked at Jiang Qing again: "Jiang Jiang Shijie, Junior Brother has no time today, I'm afraid I can only ask Jiang Jiang Shijie for pointers another day."

"I'll go with you."

Jiang Qing's face was covered with frost. As a woman, what she hated most were those human traffickers.

Lin Chen pondered for a moment. Jiang Jiang Shijie's status was definitely not ordinary. If Jiang Jiang Shijie was there, Third Master Zhou wouldn't give him face, but he should give Jiang Jiang Shijie some face.

"Thank you, thank you Young Master Lin."

Zhou Shen listened to the conversation and was about to kneel down and kowtow again.

Lin Chen grabbed Zhou Shen's hand like lightning: "Aunt, don't be like this, you should still call me Xiao Chen."

Seeing Zhou Shen's bewildered and helpless eyes, a trace of murderous intent flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

Lin Ming, damn it!

(End of chapter)