Chapter 77: Ding Gongmeng

Under Zhao Jin's clumsy consolation, Mu Shulan's emotions finally gradually steadied, and she began to recount what had happened through sobs.

That afternoon, someone suddenly called at the gate. Zhao San went to answer it, then came back and said someone claiming to be an elder of Mu Shulan's had come to fetch her. He Cuihua went out to take a look, then called Mu Shulan out as well.

Mu Shulan met a very genial middle-aged man. The man said he had been sent by Mu Shulan's eldest uncle, and he even showed Xiaolan a sachet. Embroidered on the sachet was a white lotus — the token of the Scent-Smelling Sect.

Seeing this, although the middle-aged man didn't reveal many details, he seemed to be one of their own. Moreover, Mu Shulan knew her father had once said that if anything went wrong, this eldest uncle would come to fetch her. This man knew something that even Zhao Jin and the others didn't know, so there was even less reason for doubt.

The middle-aged man kept insisting that her eldest uncle was anxious to see her, so Mu Shulan followed him out. She never imagined that as soon as they turned the corner, she was bound, gagged, and thrown into a large cart.

Once she arrived here, those two old women searched her and took everything she had on her, and they've been keeping watch over her the whole time.

Mu Shulan had already fallen into despair, knowing she would be sold into some fiery pit or suffer an even more tragic fate. She never expected Zhao Jin to descend like a divine soldier from heaven and suddenly appear before her.

Zhao Jin, however, understood clearly. That middle-aged man was, in all likelihood, the one outside. They had been able to deceive Mu Shulan simply by relying on vague words that made her misunderstand. Of course, the more crucial point was that someone from the Scent-Smelling Sect must have colluded with these kidnappers — otherwise, how could they have known so much information?

"Xiaolan, steady your nerves here for a moment. I'll go out and question them." Seeing that Mu Shulan's emotions had stabilized, Zhao Jin prepared to go out and interrogate them.

He hadn't expected that the moment he stood up, the young girl grabbed hold of him, looking at him with pleading eyes as she said, "Brother Xiaojin, I'm scared."

One didn't normally see such a delicate, fragile side of Mu Shulan. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "No need to be afraid. Everyone's here. Just stay put for now."

Only after a few more words of reassurance did Mu Shulan reluctantly let Zhao Jin leave the room.

After stepping out of the room, Zhao Jin saw that the three wounded men outside had also been brought in. Everyone had been tied up, and those still alive had been gagged. He had no idea where they had found the ropes.

Zhao Jin pondered for a moment. Mu Shulan's account had mentioned this middle-aged man. When they had charged into the courtyard earlier, this was also the man who had spoken up. He looked to be the ringleader of these kidnappers. Zhao Jin walked toward him.

Reaching him, Zhao Jin yanked the rag out of the man's mouth and wiped the short knife in his hand against the middle-aged man's face. With every wipe, the middle-aged man's body trembled.

"Tell me clearly your origins and the full story of this matter. Who told you to do this? How did you come to know so many details about the Mu family? Spit it all out honestly. If there's a single sentence I think is a lie, I'll cut you." Zhao Jin's voice was icy cold. As he finished speaking, he drew his blade across, already cutting a small wound on the middle-aged man's face.

With the soul-shaking slaughter from moments before, even without this threat, the man being questioned was already scared out of his wits and dared not tell anything but the truth.

This middle-aged man was named Ding Gongmeng. He specialized in the business of kidnapping and selling girls. Unlike his counterparts who swindled from poor households, Ding Gongmeng's gang targeted the daughters of middle-class and better families.

In their eyes, girls from respectable families were far fairer and prettier. Whether sold to brothels and pleasure houses or to wealthy local tyrants with peculiar tastes, they could fetch a high price.

Ding Gongmeng was a licentiate who had been stripped of his degree. His mind was far more agile than that of ordinary criminals. He was cautious and meticulous in his work, and he knew how to use schemes when committing crimes. Because of this, he hadn't slipped up in recent years. The girls he kidnapped were sold to Yangzhou and Nanjing, earning him a fortune.

He gradually made a name for himself in the underworld. Some wealthy local tyrants began paying him to do jobs, kidnapping specific targets they had their eyes on. Ding Gongmeng even managed to pull those off, receiving generous compensation.

As for Mu Shulan, she had been specifically requested by the Great Monk Runan of Cloud Mountain Temple. Cloud Mountain Temple had tried to make a move once before, but the men they sent were beaten, and people from the Scent-Smelling Sect came knocking on their door. They only let the matter drop after offering apologies and compensation.

Everyone was listening intently. When they heard the words "Scent-Smelling Sect," aside from Zhao Jin, the expressions on Chen Sheng, Wang Zhaojing, and the others all became somewhat uneasy. After all, this was a forbidden subject.

The daughter of a Scent-Smelling Sect congregation master, and one with good relations with a local constable's family at that — even if Ding Gongmeng had ten times the nerve, he wouldn't dare touch her. Even Cloud Mountain Temple had to be quite wary.

Unexpectedly, half a month ago, the Great Monk Runan of Cloud Mountain Temple sought out Ding Gongmeng. He offered five hundred taels of silver for Ding Gongmeng to get his hands on Mu Shulan, and he even said there was no need to worry about the Scent-Smelling Sect.

Five hundred taels of silver was truly an enormous sum. Ding Gongmeng was immediately tempted. But the Scent-Smelling Sect was not to be trifled with, and he didn't dare act rashly. What Ding Gongmeng found strange, however, was that information about this Mu Shulan kept being delivered to him. The more familiar he was with the target, the easier the job — yet he never imagined that information on the daughter of a high-ranking figure in the Scent-Smelling Sect would be so easy to come by.

Before dawn today, someone came to tell Ding Gongmeng to prepare to make his move. They also said the person might be at the Zhao residence, because the Zhao father and son had left for the crime scene the night before. Ding Gongmeng hastily made arrangements. He also knew that a great calamity had just befallen Mu Shulan's family and that her mind was in turmoil, so he had to act quickly.

The men he sent kept watch on the Zhao house. Once they confirmed that both Zhao Zhentang and Zhao Jin had left, they seized the opening and tricked Mu Shulan into coming out.

It was too dark to leave the city, so they planned to follow their usual routine and stay within the city walls for the night, then deliver her to Cloud Mountain Temple the next day. The moment the girl was kidnapped, Ding Gongmeng thought the deed was done. Never in his wildest calculations did he imagine that Zhao Jin would actually come knocking on his door.

Hearing Ding Gongmeng finish, Zhao Jin moved his blade and directly cut another gash on the man's face. The pain made Ding Gongmeng howl. Zhao Jin grabbed him by the collar and demanded, "Are you telling me Cloud Mountain Temple killed a Scent-Smelling Sect leader just for a girl? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

It was no wonder Zhao Jin found it preposterous. Both Cloud Mountain Temple and the Scent-Smelling Sect were local powers and knew how to act with restraint. Yet according to Ding Gongmeng's account, Mister Mu's death was deeply connected to Cloud Mountain Temple, and the reason was Mu Shulan. That was simply too insane and depraved.

"Young master, young master, you misunderstand! This lowly one heard that the Xuzhou congregation of the Scent-Smelling Sect is in the midst of infighting. Cloud Mountain Temple may have been watching all along. And those Cloud Mountain Temple people have well-informed ears and eyes throughout Xuzhou. It's even possible that people from the Scent-Smelling Sect are in collusion with the monks of Cloud Mountain Temple..." Sensing that Zhao Jin was about to apply more force with the knife, Ding Gongmeng was scared out of his wits and screamed out desperately, heedless of anything else.

At this shout, Liu Yong said hesitantly, "Big Brother, those incense-burners really have been fighting among themselves lately. They say it's between some newcomers from Shandong and the original group. Even we heard about it over on our side. With all the eyes and ears Cloud Mountain Temple has, they definitely know."

After tonight's battle, everyone had changed their form of address from "Brother Zhao" to "Big Brother," bringing their relationship much closer.

"Perhaps those bald donkeys at Cloud Mountain Temple saw the infighting and thought there was an opportunity to exploit..." Wang Zhaojing mused, offering an analysis.

After saying this, Wang Zhaojing leaned in close to Zhao Jin and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhao, it's getting late. We should clean this place up first. If someone comes looking, there'll be trouble."

Zhao Jin shook his head, drew a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "If I don't get to the bottom of this, I'm afraid there will be future trouble."

"This kidnapper just exploited an opening. If we're careful and on guard, nothing will happen. Cleaning up is what's important!" Wang Zhaojing urged in a low voice.

The sounds of slaughter and screaming must have been heard by the surrounding neighbors. Although no one would dare meddle, someone might pluck up the courage to report it to the authorities. Once the yamen runners arrived, there would certainly be trouble. There was another point, too: the people who had come out with him had been out far too late. Their families would surely be worried. Once the Wang and Chen families came looking, the trouble would likely be even greater.

Zhao Jin stood up with a grim face. Ding Gongmeng, lying on the ground with his face covered in blood, thought Zhao Jin was about to kill him. He immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Young master! Great lord! This lowly one hasn't spoken a single word of falsehood! I had no choice in today's dirty business — Cloud Mountain Temple sent six men to keep watch over me! If you don't believe me, go take off their headscarves. They're all bald, and they've all got ordination scars!"