Chapter 722

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Constable Zhang of the Yamen beat the copper gong until it thundered, shouting with a broken voice in the noisy East Market:

"Every household, watch your babies! There are child-snatchers roaming the capital—"

The sound of gongs and drums drew everyone's attention.

A street urchin squatted in the corner, a blade of grass in his mouth, looking sloppy, and joked half-jokingly: "Yo, I say Constable Zhang, it's not a rare thing for there to be child-snatchers in our capital, is it worth it?"

"You know shit!"

Constable Zhang glared, cursing angrily: "If you don't understand, shut your mouth. Don't even think about it, if they were ordinary child-snatchers, would I be like this? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll show you!"

The urchin shrank his neck, laughing and not daring to speak again.

And Constable Zhang's eyes moved slightly, stepping forward and saying: "Pass the word down, let your brothers pay more attention, see which side has been losing more children recently. If you catch someone, there's a reward of five hundred taels of silver!"

"Five hundred taels?"

The urchin gasped, then his eyes glowed, "Does Constable Zhang's word count?"

"The bounty issued by the imperial court, not a single penny will be missing!"

"Got it~"

The urchin didn't say a word, got up, patted his butt, and slipped into the dark alley.

Hearing their conversation, the surrounding commoners also looked at each other.

Not long after, various rumors began to spread among the people...

The sound of the gongs in the East Market was still echoing, and the iron hooves of the Commandant's Office's fast horses had already stepped into the South City.

The hoofbeats were like dense thunder rolling over the bluestone alleys, startling a row of sparrows hiding from the rain under the eaves.

Zhao Sanshui, an apprentice blacksmith in Boiler Alley, had just clamped out a dark red plowshare when the wind lamp at the alley entrance was pulled down by a government official, and the firelight of steel swords and iron rulers instantly flooded into the workshop.

"Search! Don't let even the corners go!"

Wang Biao, a captain of the Commandant's Office, roared until sparks flew. The mist from the steamer just uncovered in the steamed bun shop next door was fiercely dispersed, and several yamen runners from the Shuntian Prefecture drilled out of the steam, rushing straight to the corner behind the stove where debris was piled, startling the landlady who stood there holding a greasy rag.

Apprentice Zhao Sanshui was dumbfounded, watching Mother Li from the kitchen being dragged out by the hair by these government officials.

Captain Wang Biao slapped her several times, shouting angrily: "Black Crow, have you been stealing children recently?"

"My lord, I'm wronged..."

Before the cook could finish speaking, she was slapped again, her face instantly becoming swollen.

Her eyes were wandering and terrified, and she didn't dare to speak again.

"Drag her back for interrogation, find the next one!"

Wang Biao took the person away directly and hurried to the next place.

Under the Sky Bridge, Sun Qi, the "Iron-Armed Ape," was in the middle of his monkey show, the golden monkey flipping in the air drawing applause, when two Daoists from the Law Enforcement Hall fell from the roof above, one pinning the monkey, the other kicking Sun Qi over...

In Water Cart Alley, "Limp Liu," the beggar head, was chewing on half a cold steamed bun when he ran into the armored soldiers of the Commandant's Office carrying firearms, the black gun barrels pressing against his lower back, their eyes cold as iron.

"Old Liu, roar out all the little brats you have pressed under your straw mat! The master has orders, even if they are missing arms or legs, they must be checked!"

"Gentlemen, let's talk things over."

The beggar head "Limp Liu" bit into the cold bun, terrified, using his dog-beating stick to pick out the curled-up beggars one by one from the moldy straw mats, lining them up for inspection...

In the Jianghu, there were quite a few people who abducted children and practiced "collecting life and folding limbs."

Like this seemingly honest cook, she was a demon of the Yan Sect, and privately had done many wicked things.

That Sun Qi who played monkey shows was even more so, commanding monkeys to steal infants in the middle of the night.

In the past, these things were managed by people in the Yamen.

Now that the imperial court had ordered the Commandant's Office to investigate, they all suffered bad luck.

But the news that came in one after another made Luo Mingzi secretly feel that something was wrong.

These child-snatchers were beaten half to death, but no clues were found.

The Japanese demons wanted to suck blood, and that was infants who had just turned a month old. The capital was not big but not small, and there were not many who met the conditions. If many children were lost, it would inevitably cause a big commotion.

Then there was only one possibility:

The other party was getting infants from other places!

"Go, go to the Cao Gang!"

…………

Although the Cao Gang was rooted in the lifeline of the Grand Canal, its headquarters was not in Tianjin, but near the Tonghui River wharf.

This river, also known as the Tongji River, was built by Guo Shoujing more than a hundred years ago.

There was a reason why the Cao Gang chose this location for its headquarters.

Just like their relationship with the imperial court.

The two sides couldn't be too far apart; the Cao Gang had a long history, monopolizing the northern grain transport for hundreds of years, holding the lifeline of grain transport from the capital to Tianjin Port, carrying three million shi of grain for the imperial court every year, maintaining the survival of the capital.

When the Great Xuan Dynasty was founded, they helped drive away the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom and were bestowed the "Cao Transport Tongji" gold plaque, which hung high in the hall to show favor. Their relationship with the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and other yamen was also intertwined.

But the two sides couldn't be too close, after all, the Cao Gang was a Jianghu gang.

Just like the location they chose, living in the cracks between the imperial court and the Jianghu.

"I fear we won't be able to see Hong Zhenyue."

Commandant Tian said while walking: "This Cao Gang leader is already at the half-step master realm, nearly fifty years old, and still has a chance for one last impact on the master realm, so he has been in seclusion for several years."

"It doesn't matter if we can't see him."

Luo Mingzi said with a gloomy expression: "Whether on water or land near the capital, the Cao Gang has the most well-informed news. Those private matters will definitely be able to find clues!"

As they spoke, the two had already led a large group of people to the Cao Gang headquarters.

The Cao Gang headquarters was also very interesting; it was said to be built on the wharf, but the perimeter was filled with cargo boxes stacked like mountains and emitting a salty, fishy smell, forming a huge maze, with disciples guarding above and in the corners.

This was built to resist the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom back then.

Inside the cargo boxes, they were all filled with yellow sand and stones, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

With the status of the crowd, the Cao Gang disciples naturally didn't dare to obstruct them at will, leading them around the water pavilions and corridors soaked in oil and blackened, and a fortress-style building built of massive sunken ship keels and rough stone strips suddenly appeared before their eyes.

This was the "Shunfeng Hall," the headquarters of the Cao Gang in the capital.

Before they even got close, the air became turbid and stagnant.

The salty, astringent water vapor, the smell of riverbed silt, the pungent smell of inferior tobacco, and a faint, iron-rust blood smell mixed together, forming a unique "aura."

The light inside the gate was dim, illuminated by whale oil lamps hanging on the pillars.

The dim, flickering flames barely reflected the scene in the hall:

The main hall was exceptionally open, with rough, unpolished wooden beams and pillars supporting the towering roof, and various types of iron anchors, oars, and removed rudder wheels hanging from the beams, like a ferocious jungle, looking heavy and oppressive.

A massive "Map of the Nine Veins of the Cao River" hung on the dark cabin wall.

The water patterns on the map wound, and various marks were scattered like stars, symbolizing the massive network controlled by the Cao Gang.

Under the walls on both sides stood dozens of bare-chested Cao Gang soldiers.

Most of them were bare-chested, revealing muscles like iron and crisscrossing scars.

Their gazes were like hooks, vigilantly scanning the crowd.

The power of the northern water overlord was instantly manifested.

Luo Mingzi couldn't care about politeness and said in a deep voice: "If Leader Hong is not here, is there anyone who can make the decision?"

Before the words were finished, a bald man walked out from the side door, bowing with a full face of smiles: "Daoist Luo, long time no see, I am Xue Li of the Cao Gang, the leader is waiting for the two of you inside."

Hong Zhenyue wants to see them?

Luo Mingzi was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

Although he was an orthodox Mystic Sect member and now held an important position, this Cao Gang leader Hong Zhenyue was no ordinary person, a half-step master, and proficient in Cao Gang Mystic Sect magic, with the same status as the sect leaders of the Daoist sects.

From the various yamen of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries to the Jianghu gangs, everyone had to treat him with courtesy.