I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 211 Gu Jingye and Shen Qihui are kidnapped

After Dongfang Jin and Xie Wenna parted ways, they carried their baskets and headed towards the market.

【Jin-jie, what are you thinking?】

Little Ruyi, they didn't mean any harm, did they?

Yes, Ruyi said there were people watching them from the shadows. She didn't know who they were, but they didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

If they like watching it, then let them watch it.

"That's true, but they're all Martial Grandmasters."

【What do you want to say? 】

[Jin-jie, I just find it strange why these people are paying attention to you. So, what I want to say is that you should focus more on your self-cultivation.]

What could one possibly care about her for? It was nothing more than those few things. Dongfang Jin asked in surprise, "You mean I'm in danger?"

Is there any danger? Wouldn't it be better to take precautions?

Dongfang Jin stopped talking to Ruyi; if they continued chatting, he would have to urge her to practice her skills.

Just then, she overheard passersby saying that there were child abductions happening at the market.

Several children have disappeared from this street this morning.

Every year around the end of the year, children are abducted and trafficked at the market.

Are these human traffickers really that brazen?

And they're losing kids every day?

Quite a few?

What is this concept?

Lu Yunqing doesn't care?

Thinking of this, Dongfang Jin's heart tightened, and she said urgently, "Ruyi, see if you can find Shi Tou and the others."

"Jin-jie, I'm looking for you."

Ruyi really wanted to say that it had been searching for a long time but hadn't found it.

When Dongfang Jin heard Ruyi say this, a bad feeling rose in her heart.

As expected, as soon as she entered the market, she saw Dazhu pacing back and forth with a grim expression and anxious demeanor.

Upon seeing her, he rushed over and said anxiously, "Jin-jie, you've finally arrived! We brothers failed to keep a close eye on the two young masters. We've searched this street several times already, and we're afraid..."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin was extremely anxious, like a butterfly trapped in a raging fire, desperately flapping its wings in an attempt to escape the endless heat and confinement.

But the flames around her seemed to have a physical form, repeatedly forcing her back to calm down. Each struggle only made the anxiety more deeply imprinted in her heart, making it impossible for her to find peace.

Thoughts are like fallen leaves in a storm, mercilessly swept up and then violently thrown down, without direction or pause.

Gu Chenglin was not at home, and Gu Jingye and Shen Qihui had been taken away at some point. This place was also close to the dock.

Her heart was like the last lonely leaf hanging on a branch in autumn, longing to be carried away by the wind, yet afraid of the unknown fall.

Time seemed to both slow down and rush by at that moment; each passing second felt like a dull knife slowly cutting into her heart, leaving invisible scars.

Her eyes flickered, like stars lost in the night sky, shining brightly and dimly, revealing her inner panic and helplessness.

The anxiety in her heart was like a rising tide, crashing against the banks of her mind wave after wave, almost drowning her in boundless panic and unease.

She longed to find a lifeline, even just a faint glimmer of light, to guide him out of this sea of ​​confusion and anxiety.

"What...what happened?" Dongfang Jin's voice was hoarse and choked with sobs.

Dazhu is now deeply shrouded in endless shame, as if a heavy boulder is pressing firmly on his heart, making it difficult for him to let go.

"When we entered the market, we started buying the items on the list you gave us."

Right there in the poultry section, while Xiaojun and I were haggling with the person in charge, Xiaohui pulled the young master aside to watch the birds being sold.

Since it wasn't far away, and there were two other children there, we didn't restrain them.

But to our surprise, when we reached an agreement with that person and went to look for them again, they were gone, including the bird seller.

After asking around, some people said that they saw the steward of the Zhang family in the east of the city buy all the birds and have the bird seller deliver them to their residence.

We searched for it at the market, which alerted Master Li (Li Fengshou) and his men.

Later, even with their help in the search, they still couldn't find it.

Afterwards, Master Li, along with his men Dapeng and Xiaojun, went to search at the dock. I'll stay here and wait for you.

After listening to what he said, Dongfang Jin calmed down and focused her attention on the bird seller.

【Ruyi, have you made any new discoveries?】

"Yes, people at the market say these human traffickers are carrying things that attract children. Jin-jie, I think there's something wrong with the Zhang family."

【How to say it.】

I just overheard people talking in the market. Wherever a child went missing, most of them said the same thing: the Zhang family from the east of the city bought those things and had the vendors deliver them to their homes.

Dongfang Jin looked at Dazhu: "Do you know anything about the Zhang family in the east of the city?"

Although Dazhu didn't understand why she asked that, he still told her the truth: "Most of the people living in the east of the city are people who work or do business around the docks."

Then there are the shops in the west, north, and south of the city. They built houses there in the early days and rented them out to passing caravans.

The head of the Zhang family is named Zhang Fusheng. The reason he was able to gain a foothold in the east of the city and become the most powerful family was because he had an older brother named Zhang Fugui in the early days.

This Zhang Fugui was once the leader of Qingfeng Village on Cuiping Mountain in Dong'an County.

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin felt that the person seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard of him before.

Dazhu continued, "Later, although Zhang Fugui died, he still had loyal subordinates. Some of them defected to Zhang Fusheng, and then they were in charge of the docks."

"There's another point, which is that Zhang Fusheng has a very beautiful daughter, whom he gave to the former county magistrate as a concubine."

The county magistrate was rumored to be related to the Duke of Wu's family in the capital, so with his protection, no one had punished him all these years.

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin, based on Ruyi's words, confirmed that this group of human traffickers were the ones who had sent the people to the Zhang residence.

The Duke of Wu's Mansion?

Ha! Anyone who gets involved with their family is no good.

"Brother Dazhu, take these things to the storage place first, and then go to the county government office."

As she spoke, Dongfang Jin handed the jade pendant that Lu Yunqing had given her when they first met to Dazhu: "Take this with you, they won't make things difficult for you."

"But, Sister Jin, but..."

"No buts, time is of the essence. I'm afraid it will be too late if I'm late. If the magistrate asks you, just say I went to the East Wharf."

Before Dazhu could speak, Dongfang Jin quickly left. Time was of the essence, and every second was fraught with danger.

If something happens to Gu Jingye and Shen Qihui, she won't be able to explain it to Gu Chenglin and Sister Yumei.

Thinking about it, she quickened her pace. At that moment, she hated her own laziness.

It seems I can't procrastinate any longer.

The Zhang family has been working at the docks for so many years, they must have made a name for themselves. The canal docks are a transportation hub for north-south waterways, with countless ships coming and going.

In addition, Zhang Fusheng had an elder brother who was a bandit. Whenever he encountered ships at the dock, he would say things like, "This road is mine, and this tree is mine."

With a bandit leader as his brother and a county magistrate as his "son-in-law," how could he not do bad things? She didn't believe it.

Dongfang Jin walked through the market and then across two streets before arriving near the dock.

I found a secluded spot and slipped into the virtual space.

“Jin’er, I’ve looked all the way here, but there’s no trace of Shi Tou or Xiao Hui,” Ru Yi said, handing a glass of water to Dongfang Jin.