Her eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, she pulled a pistol from her spatial storage and pointed it at the mother and son.

She originally intended to kill these two incorrigible guys with a single shot to eliminate any future trouble, and then burn their bodies without anyone noticing.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two gunshots rang out, and the bullets accurately struck Pei Mingjie and Xiao Qinshi.

However, just as the bullets were about to hit them, a faint white light suddenly flashed across their bodies, as if an invisible barrier was protecting them.

The bullet struck the barrier with a crisp "ding" sound and then bounced off.

Although the barrier blocked the fatal blow, the enormous impact still caused Pei Mingjie and Xiao Qinshi to scream, their legs buckling as they collapsed to the ground.

Their legs were grazed by bullets, and blood instantly stained their trouser legs; they were seriously injured.

"How is this possible?!" Shen Qingtang stared in shock at the scene before her, her brows furrowed deeply. "How could they have a protective barrier?"

She clearly remembered that the Pei family were just a group of ordinary people from the streets, so how could they possess such strange abilities? There must be something wrong with this.

Pei Mingjie and Madam Qin were also terrified by this sudden turn of events. They stared at the "monster" in Shen Qingtang's hand, which could make a loud noise and was incredibly powerful.

Not daring to linger any longer, he scrambled away, dragging his injured leg, and ran off in a sorry state.

Shen Qingtang did not chase after her.

Her mind was now completely occupied by the protective barrier. She stroked her chin, lost in thought: "Could it be Jiang Yuwen's doing? Did she give the Pei family some kind of protective artifact?"

Just then, a waiter from the restaurant rushed in, looking flustered, and said, "Shen Qingtang, something terrible has happened! Rumors are circulating that another child has gone missing in the county town!"

"What?!" Shen Qingtang was even more shocked upon hearing this. "Wasn't it already resolved? That Wang San who impersonated the river god has been caught, so how can there still be missing children?"

She immediately realized that things were more complicated than she had imagined. The mastermind behind it all hadn't been exposed at all; Wang San was merely a pawn.

Shen Qingtang decided to go to the county town herself to find out the truth. After arriving in the county town, she inquired around and discovered that quite a few children had indeed gone missing recently.

Moreover, the way they disappeared was exactly the same as before; they suddenly vanished while playing in front of their own house.

She went to the county magistrate to report the case and asked him to send someone to investigate.

However, the magistrate ignored her request and said impatiently, "Shen Qingtang, we already know about this matter and are investigating it. You don't need to meddle in other people's business."

"Investigation? I don't think you've done any investigation at all!" Shen Qingtang said angrily. "Those children are innocent. How can you be so indifferent to life?"

Enraged by Shen Qingtang's attitude, the magistrate slammed his gavel and roared, "You audacious woman! How dare you roar in court and show contempt for the court! Guards, seize her!"

The constables on both sides immediately rushed forward, trying to grab Shen Qingtang.

Shen Qingtang's eyes turned cold as she sidestepped the constables' attempts to seize her, simultaneously drawing her pistol and pointing it at the magistrate: "Who dares to move?"

The magistrate and his yamen runners were terrified by the pistol in Shen Qingtang's hand. They had never seen such a strange weapon before and did not know its power. But looking at Shen Qingtang's cold eyes, they dared not make any rash moves.

"What...what do you want to do?" The magistrate stammered, trembling with fear.

"I don't want to do anything, I just want you to immediately send people to investigate the child's disappearance!" Shen Qingtang said coldly. "If you haven't found any clues by tomorrow, I'll tear down your county government office!"

After saying that, Shen Qingtang turned and left, leaving the magistrate and his yamen runners staring at each other in the courtroom, terrified out of their wits.