NCCnovel Chapter 252 The Black Industry (Part 1)
Chapter 252 The Black Industry (Part 1)
With a gesture from the shopkeeper, the shop assistants all tore off their cloaks.
Seeing that the guards were still hesitating, the innkeeper quickly said, "Get on the ship! If we wait any longer, we won't be able to get evidence of their kidnapping and trafficking of women and children."
Without hesitation, the guards landed on the boat one after another. Before they could even get their footing, the boatmen rowed with all their might toward the middle boat. They weren't rowing randomly; they were circling it from all sides.
The people on the ship also realized their purpose, but they remained calm and unhurried.
The innkeeper whistled, warning, "Watch out below the boat; these guys love to use underhanded tactics."
After saying this, he asked the bodyguard on the same ship, "Young man, what's your name? Do you know how to swim?"
Fushui?
The moment the question formed in the guard's mind, the small boat he was in began to rock violently. The innkeeper and the boatman, unfazed, crouched down one or two and gripped the side of the boat tightly. While trying to stabilize the boat, the innkeeper reminded the guard, "Young man, hold on. If you can't, it's alright. We can all swim and get you out."
The Crown Prince's secret guards were no ordinary men. He spread his legs, one foot pressing down on the other, to help the innkeeper stabilize the boat. At the same time, he squinted, drew his sword, and looked down. Visibly, there was a dark shape beneath the boat.
The shopkeeper didn't mince words, saying bluntly, "It's from that ship that they want to capsize our ship and drown us."
The man continued, "It's not the first time; every time we try to intercept them, they use this trick. The first time, they capsized our small boat, and the manager replaced it with a heavier one. The second time, they punctured our small boat, and we patched the bottom with iron. The third time, they dragged all our men into the water, trying to murder us. We not only learned to swim, but also how to hold our breath underwater and carry weapons. We learn from our mistakes and are improving."
As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter flipped over and dove into the water. The guard kept a close eye on the surface, and as soon as the man in black, who had been hiding underwater, surfaced, the guard stabbed him with his sword. A splash of blood immediately appeared on the still churning water. The next moment, the waiter surfaced and, together with the guard, helped the wounded man in black onto the boat.
The situation was similar on the other small boats; some had fallen into the water, while others had managed to stabilize their boats. Without exception, they were all struggling with the men in black underwater. The struggle lasted for about fifteen minutes, and except for two or three men in black who managed to escape, the rest were all captured and brought aboard the boats.
By this time, the innkeeper and his assistant's small boat had already approached the other ship. The guards exchanged glances, gripped their weapons, and boarded the boat in unison. The boat was quiet; they searched the surroundings but saw no one. Just as the guards were looking at each other in bewilderment, they heard a very loud splash. Looking down, they saw a window in the middle of the cabin, clearly a hidden window, that had been pushed open from the inside. The person who had fallen into the water had jumped from that window.
The innkeeper and his staff stood guard by the boat, and immediately went to find the person upon hearing the splash. Seeing the guards looking down, the innkeeper quickly waved his hand, indicating that they would take care of what happened below the boat.
The guards entered the hold and discovered another secret. Unlike ordinary ships, the hold contained a hidden compartment where several people were asleep. A quick glance revealed two children around four or five years old, a teenage girl, and two married women.
They checked the breathing and found the person was still alive. They took turns carrying or dragging the person out of the dark compartment.
This is what you see when you enter the cabin.
Neither of the two children was to be sacrificed today; the sacrifice wasn't on the boat, but at the temple of the Goddess. Walking to the window, I peeked out and saw many soldiers gathered on the riverbank near the temple. They were sent by His Highness the Crown Prince.
Having made up his mind, he said to the innkeeper, "Please trouble you to row the boat to the shore. We'll be there shortly."
The shopkeeper asked with a smile, "Young master, do you know how to sail a boat?"
Zuo Yi was taken aback and asked the guards behind him, "Do any of you know how to sail a boat?"
The guards shook their heads in unison: "We can ride horses, drive carriages, capture people, and kill people. We can also cross the Fu River and do some water crossing. But we really can't drive a boat. In our opinion, we should jump onto a small boat and go back with the manager."
Jump? It's easy for them, but not for those who are still unconscious.
Zuo Yi isn't the type to put on a brave face. The Crown Princess said, if you know something, you know it; if you don't, you don't. There's nothing shameful about not knowing something; everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
They bowed to the shopkeeper and said, "We don't know how. Please send someone who knows how to sail a boat."
The shopkeeper was quick and efficient; with a flick of his hand, a waiter boarded the boat like a monkey.
In front of the temple, the prince stood with his hands behind his back, watching the town mayor kneeling on the ground and the man the government officials had just brought back from the shore. The man was wearing a black jumpsuit, the fabric thick and stiff, with a waterproof surface, which would allow him to move easily underwater. When they found him, he was pulling a black bag made of the same material as his jumpsuit, swimming towards the boat.
The bag contained the little girl who had just been sacrificed, and like the others found on the ship, she was in a deep coma.
At the location where the man in black was found, a secret passage was also discovered. The passage was above the river level, and its exit was disguised, making it difficult to spot without careful observation. Climbing up through that passage, one reaches the Niangniang Temple located high above. The entrance is in the hidden compartment that the Crown Prince and Lu Zhiyuan discovered.
I didn't look carefully last time and didn't notice that the partition could be pushed down, and that's where the secret passage is.
The children "eaten" by the Black Goddess were all transferred to ships through this secret passage and then transported to various places. In addition to the children who were sacrificed, other people would also go missing in the town on the day of the sacrifice, and the disappearance, coma, or death of these people were all attributed to the Black Goddess's revenge.
Although the townspeople had grievances, they dared not offend the Black Lady and could only swallow their anger and bear it.
Upon closer investigation, you'll find that some families in the town have never experienced any misfortune. In the words of the town mayor, they or their elders did not take advantage of Black Lady's misfortune, and Black Lady was willing to spare them.
It's all fake. Apart from the mayor and the Zhang family, the rest who haven't been involved are either accomplices or lackeys.
The prince looked directly into the mayor's eyes and asked, "Tell me, where have all the abducted women, children, and infants been moved to?"
The town mayor pursed his lips, looking as if he were ready to fight to the death.
The prince waved his hand, and the officials brought in the town mayor's family.
"According to the laws of Northern Liang, anyone who abducts people and commits a heinous crime shall be executed immediately. Any male member of the household who is twelve years of age or older shall be sent to the army, and any male member under the age of twelve shall be enslaved. Any female members of the household shall be punished by being made concubines or maids. You have committed evil deeds here for forty years as the town mayor. Tell me, what should happen to your family?"
The mayor didn't react, and his wife panicked.
She was nearly seventy, a time when she should be enjoying her retirement, and she absolutely could not be a slave or servant, suffering at the hands of others. The town mayor's son, grandson, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter-in-law also refused.
With the town mayor acting as their accomplice, they lived extremely well in the town and even acquired properties in the capital. Accustomed to being served, how could they possibly stoop to serving others? In their view, as long as they confessed and shifted the blame onto the town mayor, they could continue to live their good lives with a clear conscience.
The town mayor was so angry that his beard was trembling. If it weren't for the officials watching, he would have used his cane to beat those unfilial descendants.