Start your cultivation journey by allocating points to your Destiny.

Chapter 115 Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (Please Subscribe)

Back in Qingshan Village, Lu Chen put his things down, watched his younger siblings cultivating in the house, checked their progress, and nodded in approval.

"Good, you guys are very talented! Practice needs to be balanced with rest, don't be too tense, and sometimes you can take a break."

Lu Chen rubbed Xiao Tang's head and said with a smile.

"Brother, we're not tired at all, cultivation is very comfortable. I can already feel those golden light spots, and my stomach feels warm. Second brother said last night that he felt silver light spots, humph, he's only a little bit faster than me!"

Lu Tang wrinkled her nose and made a gesture that would enrage the Koreans.

Lu Ming chuckled and made a face: "That's still faster than you, hehehe!"

"Do you have any problems with your cultivation? You can ask me now. You can't just practice blindly if you have problems!"

Lu Chen spent some time talking with his younger siblings and answering their questions.

"Alright, go play for a while. I have something to do and won't be back tonight. You can sleep at your second grandfather's house or at home, it's up to you."

After Lu Chen finished speaking, he turned and left, arriving in Shahu County.

At the entrance of Shahu County, the man who used to fish wearing a straw hat has disappeared.

As Lu Chen entered the city, he keenly sensed that something was amiss.

What happened?

He went to his usual tea stall, ordered a bowl of tea, and listened intently to the news.

"————What a terrible thing to do!"

Lu Chen soon overheard some potentially useful information: a few old men on his left were sitting together chatting, and judging from their clothes, they seemed to be living quite well.

"Oh, you're right. I heard that child's leg was chopped off yesterday and dumped in front of the county government office. Tsk tsk, the blood was flowing so much, it was heartbreaking to see! Those kidnappers are beasts! They're just country kids, where would they get the money to ransom them!"

An old man shook his head and sighed.

"I have an aunt from a small river village. I heard that two children from their village were abducted. Yesterday, the child was found; he's from the Shan family in Zaoyang Village. He had been abducted for about a month, and they searched everywhere for him. I never expected him to come back after a month, but sadly, his leg is broken. He'll be so pitiful!"

Lu Chen's expression changed.

Is this referring to the incident where Wang Xiong had Hua Zi Gang from Yuncheng County help with human trafficking?

Could those children from Qingshan Village be inside?

However, not by————

Lu Chen recalled the scene of interrogating the alchemist Yan Gudao.

This is clearly a trap set for themselves!

Why did the child who was abducted a month ago suddenly reappear out of nowhere?

What a coincidence!

No, are they playing this obvious trick, thinking I'm stupid, or do they think I'll definitely fall into their trap?

Lu Chen examined himself and realized that this was indeed an open conspiracy.

He would definitely risk going to check it out, otherwise he would still feel uneasy.

It's simply that their moral standards are too high!

"I wish I were a bad person. Life would be so stress-free. If I were immoral, no one would stand on their moral high ground and point fingers at me, and no one would morally blackmail me!"

Lu Chen asked the owner to add a few snacks and brought them to the table of several old men next to him.

"Hey, boss, we didn't order any of these things! Don't try to scam us! These aren't ours! Take them away, we didn't touch them!"

The old man saw these things and immediately started shouting.

Lu Chen smiled and turned to them, saying, "You've misunderstood the boss. This is what I ordered for these gentlemen. The things you ordered before are also on my tab."

Seeing the old men exchanging bewildered glances, Lu Chen quickly explained, "I overheard some things you were saying that I found quite interesting. Since I just arrived here today and am not familiar with the area, so—hehe!"

With money to pave the way, he quickly struck up a conversation with the old men and soon sorted things out.

"I see, thank you for clearing up my doubts! Boss, please bring some more tea and snacks for these gentlemen!"

Lu Chen clasped his hands in greeting to the group, paid the bill, and walked along the road with a calm expression, but he was thinking about some things in his heart.

"This method doesn't seem like the Black Kill Pavilion's style. And if these are indeed the children from that abducted group, the fact that they haven't been refined into elixirs after so long means they must have been sent elsewhere. The fact that they were found again suggests they might be from Qing Nu's faction, either Qing Nu's superiors or Yang Ce!"

They really brought their child with them, and they knew exactly what kind of person I was and what my style was like. After I found out about this, I definitely wouldn't stand idly by!

Lu Chen recalled a saying: "The one who understands you best is often not your friend, but your enemy."

However, if they think they have me cornered, they're wrong!

The premise of setting a trap is that the trap can trap the target.

If it can't trap the target, the trap is just for show!

My strength is no longer what it used to be!

"We don't know where they are hiding now, and we don't know where Xiangfei and that ugly man are either. This is a bit troublesome! If we alert them and they move the child away, where will I find them?"

Lu Chen had a sudden inspiration: "If they can force me to come out, then I'll go along with them and come out myself, using this as a way to lure them out!"

Thinking of this, he immediately changed his appearance, reverting to the look he had when facing Yang Ce and Qing Nu, and walked around the streets, hoping to attract attention.

At a street corner, two people were idly eating sunflower seeds. They glanced at Lu Chen, then casually turned their heads away.

But a storm raged within him.

So, is that person—

He quietly patted his companion beside him.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at that person! Isn't that him? Don't look directly at him!"

He dared not point at Lu Chen.

"The one in the white shirt, the really tall one!"

His companion first took out a portrait, looked at it carefully, put it back in his pocket, and then casually glanced at Lu Chen.

The two exchanged a glance and began to speak in hushed tones.

"That's right, it's him! Just as you described, young master! He really did appear! Quickly go back and report to the young master!"

"What if he disappears? How about this, you go and follow him, and I'll go back and report to the young master now?"

"Okay, be careful. He might have the strength to reach the peak of the Innate Realm. Don't get caught. I'll be right back!"

After the two finished their quiet conversation, one of them turned and left, while the other pretended to look at the items on the nearby stall.

Lu Chen heard everything they said clearly.

One of them left to deliver the message.

He walked past it without making a sound and continued on his way.

"That trick really worked. Young Master—that must be Yang Ce. He escaped once, and now he dares to come back! I wonder how many people he brought back for revenge, and what their strength is?"

As Lu Chen was thinking, he suddenly saw many people running forward ahead.

"Hurry! Someone's been killed in the square! And they're collecting grain taxes again this year. It seems our magistrate has been arrested too. Go check it out!"

"What? Another grain tax?"

Upon hearing the news, a group of people on the street erupted in excitement and rushed forward.

Lu Chen recalled what he had heard at the Sanyuan Temple.

"Could it be him? How come Hu Bufan got arrested?"

He immediately followed and walked forward.

Although Hu Bufan never knew what he looked like or what his real name was, Lu Chen did indeed consider him a friend.

Hu Bufan was only in his early twenties, even younger than he was before he transmigrated. He was an upright person and had helped him a lot. He couldn't just stand by and watch Hu Bufan be taken away.

Following the crowd to the square, Lu Chen immediately spotted the three people sitting at the very front.

In the middle sat a pale-faced, somewhat effeminate man who appeared to be about 5 or 60 years old, flanked by two middle-aged men.

Below them, a person was pressed down.

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

Hu Bufan!

Next to Hu Bufan was a corpse lying face down with a wound on the back of its head from which blood was flowing, now so thick it was almost congealed.

Lu Chen glanced at the corpse. It was dressed in ordinary clothes with patches on them. It was an old man with a sad face, who had probably been beaten to death with a stick.

He glanced around and saw a soldier in black armor holding a stick with specks of blood on it; it must have been him who had done it.

A large crowd had gathered in the square, but no one dared to speak; the scene was completely silent.

When someone dies, everyone is afraid.

Seeing that more and more people were arriving, Wen Qin, worried that something might go wrong, stood up and said, "Everyone, please be quiet and calm! I am Wen Qin, the Assistant Magistrate of Shanyang Prefecture! This increase in grain tax is due to the frequent raids by northern barbarians on the border. The soldiers on the frontier are short of clothing and food, so we have no choice but to raise taxes!"

"Why is the tax increase only applied to my Shanyang Prefecture? The border troops are short of food; shouldn't they be drawing grain from the national treasury? Why should we have to increase taxes from Shanyang Prefecture? Shahu County is already poor, and it suffered a major disaster and crop failure a few years ago. It should have received a tax reduction; what reason is there to increase taxes here!"

Even though Hu Bufan was pinned to the ground, he couldn't help but roar in anger upon hearing Wen Qin's words.

"Shut up! Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me like that? Slap yourself!"

Wen Qin scolded.

Two soldiers walked over and slapped Hu Bufan across the mouth twice, causing blood to gush out.

Lu Chen's eye twitched, and he felt a strong urge to make a move.

However, if a fight were to break out in front of everyone, Hu Bufan might not die, but his future career in government would be completely ruined.

It might even implicate his family and clan.

He suppressed his anger and decided to wait and see.

The others at the scene also felt sorry for the county magistrate who had been beaten like this.

Hu Bufan's eyes were bloodshot, and he spat out blood.

"Then what right do you have to kill people at will? He only asked why there was still a grain tax to be collected, what right do you have to kill him?"

"Him? What crime did he commit? What crime did he commit?! You are treating human life like dirt!"

Hu Bufan's mouth was full of blood, but he struggled to speak again, his eyes blazing as he glared at Li Ying, who was in the main seat.

"Why are you so concerned about a peasant? Look at his age, he's practically half-buried, and he still doesn't understand the saying 'the mouth brings trouble,' he's wasted most of his life! He even dares to question the Empress Dowager's decision, if he doesn't die, who will?"

Li Ying said sternly, glancing sideways at Hu Bufan on the ground, and sneered, "You'd better worry about yourself first!"

He gestured to Wen Qin beside him.

Wen Qin understood, and immediately took out a piece of silk cloth, unfolded it, and said loudly: "Hu Bufan, as the magistrate of Shahu County, you do not think about seeking the well-being of the people, but instead eat the people's hard-earned money and secretly persecute the loyal and good, and have committed many cases of child trafficking, murder, arson and all kinds of evil deeds."

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Lu Chen frowned.

Wen Qin glanced at the whispering crowd and noticed a change in their gazes. He smiled inwardly.

As expected, Eunuch Li knew a great deal about these peasants.

They have to listen to whatever we say; these ignorant fools have no judgment of their own!

Wen Qin continued, "Previously, there was Huo Zheng, the county magistrate of Tianmu County, who colluded with you to commit dozens of crimes—an outrage against heaven! If it weren't for Eunuch Li's keen observation, you would still be at large! Now, Huo Zheng has implicated you, and the evidence is conclusive. Hu Bufan, do you know your crime?"

He shouted sternly.

Seeing everyone's high spirits, Wang Yuan, the head of the Wang family standing nearby, also stood up: "Lord Wen is right. I am Wang Yuan, the head of the Wang family of Shanyang Prefecture. This man is a beast in human form, worse than a pig or a dog!"

He pointed at Hu Bufan and shouted, "Last time he visited me in Shanyang Prefecture, he saw that my maid was quite pretty and wanted to have sex with her. My maid refused, so he actually broke into her room in the middle of the night and forced himself on her. Afterwards, fearing exposure, he strangled her and threw her into a well. I only found out afterward! This kind of heartless scoundrel is truly wicked and deserves to die!"

The onlookers were incredulous.

A county magistrate who was just speaking out for the deceased old man is actually this kind of person?

"You're talking nonsense and making baseless accusations! When did I ever do such a thing?"

Hu Bufan's face turned red with anger, his veins bulging. He tried to break free of his restraints, but was kicked over by two soldiers.

"You're talking nonsense! This is a frame-up! You called Huo Zheng out, but I don't even know him. How could we have any secret dealings? And this Wang family? I don't know you at all!"

Hu Bufan was furious.

"Huo Zheng? He's been beaten to death with clubs, and his body is now hanging at the gate of Tianmu County as a public spectacle, to be despised by the people of Tianmu! If you want to confront him, wait until you get down here."

Wen Qin sneered, then waved his hand, ordering a soldier to strike Hu Bufan on the back with a stick, making him cry out in pain. He then gagged Hu Bufan to prevent him from speaking.

Officials have two mouths; whatever they say goes.

He was the highest-ranking official present; who could possibly object?

He actually sighed, faced the crowd, bowed, and said, "Alas, it's all my fault. It's my fault for not governing properly. I never imagined that there would be two such beasts in my Shanyang Prefecture. It was our mistake not to discover them sooner! I apologize to everyone!"

He said it with heartfelt sincerity.

Hu Bufan writhed wildly on the ground, roaring in his throat, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead and neck, and a line of bloody tears even flowed down his cheeks.

The crowd looked at Wen Qin, then at Hu Bufan on the ground, their expressions complex, and remained silent.

They are not fools.

Lu Chen felt as if his heart had been bitten by a venomous snake. Looking at Hu Bufan on the ground and thinking of Huo Zheng, he felt a pang of sadness.

The county magistrate of Tianmu County is dead?

He had met that person before and even chatted with him for a few minutes.

He had a good impression of Huo Zheng. Huo Zheng was a man with a resolute face, a generous personality, and a loud voice. His family was relatively poor, but the four of them lived happily together.

Now, Wen Qin is saying that Huo Zheng is a murderer and arsonist who has committed all sorts of evil deeds.

He recalled that Qingnu was also a eunuch.

The person in the main seat, who was also a eunuch, immediately understood.

It can be said that Huo Zheng died because of him.

Because Huo Zheng helped him settle the children rescued from the Star-Picking Gang, this old eunuch came to take revenge!

Hu Bufan is the same!

He also helped settle the children rescued from the Black Gang!

Lu Chen clenched his fists, his eyes lowered, and a murderous intent was almost overflowing from them.

That old dog is definitely here for revenge!

kill him!

His eyes were icy cold. Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly felt something hit his back.

Turning my head, I saw that a figure had already disappeared into the crowd.

On the ground, a piece of paper was crumpled into a ball.

He bent down and picked up the crumpled paper.

"All forty-three children in Shahu County are in my hands. If you wish to save their lives, come here immediately, or I will kill them all."

An address was also written on it.

It was an iron mine outside the city, formerly the territory of the Green Bamboo Gang.

Lu Chen gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

Damn it, they all came at the same time!

At that moment, someone suddenly appeared behind Li Ying.

Li Ying frowned and turned her head to look.

The man took something out and handed it to Li Ying, whose brows relaxed after she looked at it.

"Young Master Yang is here too? What business does he have with us?"

"Eunuch Li, the young master said he has found traces of that person and will lead him to the iron mine outside the city. Knowing that you are also here, he invited you to come and oversee the operation!"

"Oh, you found that person? Shall we go over now?" Li Ying asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, Eunuch Li! The young master and the others have already gone!"

After thinking it over, Li Ying decided that it was more important to go to Yang Ce's side and capture him.

A mere county magistrate can die anytime.

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit!"

After saying that, he coughed and gave Wen Qin a look.

Wenqin immediately went over and bent down to listen.

"Eunuch Li, what's wrong? Should we beat him to death with sticks right now?"

"I have to go now. Take the person away and we'll talk when I get back!"

Wen Qin paused for a moment, then immediately nodded: "Yes, Father-in-law!"

Li Ying looked at Wang Yuan: "Come with me, there's a good show about to begin!"

"My father-in-law invited me, I must go and see!"

Wang Yuan said with a smile.

Lu Chen's ears twitched slightly.

He heard it all.

Li Ying didn't try to hide from people at all; he probably never imagined that anyone could hear him in this place.

"Going to the iron ore mine too? What a coincidence! Perfect timing, let's wipe you all out in one fell swoop!"

Lu Chen had never been so angry as he was now.

After Li Ying and Wang Yuan left, Wen Qin ordered the soldiers to take Hu Bufan away.

Lu Chen did not follow Li Ying.

He needs to save Hu Bufan first.

The crowd slowly dispersed.

A plainly dressed woman carrying a load on a shoulder pole looked in the direction Li Ying had left, her eyes flickering.

"Why did Li Ying suddenly leave? The person he was talking to seemed to be one of Yang Ce's men—"

"Could it be that they've discovered someone?"

Xiangfei's heart was beating very fast.

She came out alone today while Baxia was healing, partly because she didn't want to be with Baxia, and partly because she was hoping to find out some information.

I never expected to see something like this.

The magistrate left halfway through the trial; he must have discovered something!

She picked up her load and left, but then abandoned the load altogether and chased after him.

At a tea stall, the eyes of the Tang family members flickered.

"You all wait for me at the inn, I'll go check!"

Tang Jia San Shu said to the group of people.

"Third Uncle, are we really going? That Li Ying is at the peak of the Yuan Qi Realm, isn't it too dangerous?"

One of the young men was somewhat worried.

"It's not dangerous. Li Ying is here, so that person isn't that strong. I'll go see if there's a chance. You all stay at the inn and wait patiently; don't come out!"

He gave a word of advice and then followed Xiangfei away.

The crowd had mostly dispersed, and Lu Chen glanced at the soldier who was collecting the body.

There was blood on his stick.

"Old man, even when you're dead, I'll have to collect your corpse! Bah!"

The soldier cursed and spat at the corpse, dragging the white-haired body on the ground with one hand, leaving a dark red trail of blood.

Lu Chen's eyes turned cold. He flicked a pebble away, then turned and ran in the direction Wen Qin and Hu Bufan had gone.

"puff!"

The pebble pierced the soldier's brain with pinpoint accuracy.

P.S. A major battle breaks out tomorrow, please subscribe. Thank you!