"Aquatic".

Feng Lingjun looked at the man sitting at the city gate, wailing, and his face showed surprise.

"gentlemen!"

The wailing man froze, wiped the filth of snot and tears from his face, and rushed forward as if he had grasped the last straw when he saw the old man and the young man approaching.

"Have you seen my oranges? I can't find them. They disappeared in the time it took me to sell a chicken!"

"I didn't see it!"

Feng Lingjun shook his head, recalling what he had just seen and heard, and a guess formed in his mind.

"Don't panic. Maybe the child just ran away. Go to the yamen to report it first, and then search slowly. There's no use sitting here crying."

The old man comforted the men from the same village, offering only words of solace.

"I've searched and reported it to the authorities. Now I can only stay here!"

The burly man didn't care about his appearance at all.

"I'll go back to the village first and tell the villagers to come and help you look!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"We're all from the same village, no need for thanks!"

After saying this, the old man squeezed his grandson's hand even tighter, and then followed the flow of people to leave the city.

The city gates, which were usually easily accessible, were now unusually strict. Constables held long swords and scanned pedestrians trying to leave the city with eagle-like eyes, paying special attention to unfamiliar faces.

Even acquaintances were not spared from the search. Wherever there was a possibility of someone hiding, the constables would stop them and search them thoroughly, leaving no one undiscovered.

Feng Bingwen and his grandson were not stopped. The constables at the city gate glanced at them and let them pass.

Just as the grandfather and grandson left the city, they heard barking dogs behind them. Feng Bingwen turned around and immediately saw a familiar donkey cart. This cart, which was full of stray dogs, was also stopped, but since there was nowhere for people to hide, the constables checked it and waved them away.

"Woof! Woof!"

Inside the donkey cart, a half-grown yellow dog covered in bloodstains stood out. Feng Bingwen turned his head and met the dog's eyes. As soon as the dog saw that Feng Bingwen had noticed it, it started howling wildly again.

"Oh, old sir, young master, we meet again, what a coincidence!"

The sudden riot of the yellow dog caught the attention of a man following the donkey cart, who immediately smiled. However, in Feng Bingwen's eyes, the smile was as sinister as a jackal's, and he sensed something was wrong.

"Hmm, what a coincidence!"

Feng Lingjun gave a nonchalant reply, showing no interest in talking to the dog dealers any further, and then pulled his grandson away.

But whether it was a coincidence or not, the group of dog traders pulling donkey carts followed behind them at a leisurely pace, seemingly taking the same route.

"grandfather!"

Feng Bingwen tugged at the old man's arm.

"Hurry home, your grandma has already prepared dinner and is waiting for us. Come on!"

The old man didn't turn his head, but pulled his grandson along, quickening his pace.

At this point, the donkey carts following behind gradually increased the distance, and after traveling a while, they disappeared from sight.

"Grandpa, those people were very strange."

On his way home, Feng Bingwen thought back to the group of dog dealers. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had never seen a similar scene in his dream.

"Um."

The old man had traveled extensively in his youth and sensed something was off about the group of people, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Grandpa, is selling dog meat very profitable?"

Feng Bingwen pondered for a while, then suddenly looked up and asked.

"I don't know either."

The old man was stumped by the question, paused for a moment, and then shook his head.

"There should be a lot, otherwise five people selling dog meat together and splitting the profits. If they didn't have enough money, there would be no need for them to come all the way here to buy dogs."

Feng Bingwen noticed something unusual; there were too many dog ​​traffickers in the group. However, given the high profits involved, it was somewhat understandable.

"But there aren't many families in Qingshan County that keep dogs. Where did they get so many dogs from?"

Feng Lingjun also noticed something strange.

"Wow, you really are a scholar. Your mind works much faster than those barbarians. You've only met us twice and you've already found something wrong."

The old man and the young man continued their conversation when a discordant voice broke in from the roadside. The two stopped in their tracks and saw three men emerge from the roadside bushes, brazenly blocking the middle of the road. The one who spoke was the man in the middle, who was also the dog dealer who had apologized to them twice earlier.

"What is your purpose in blocking our path?"

The old man frowned, reached out and pulled his grandson behind him. They were already close to Fengjia Village, a small village with few people, and there was no one else on the road.

"Hehe, old man, judging from your attire, you seem to be a scholar. You scholars read a lot of books, have broad knowledge, and are smarter than others. Why don't you guess what we're up to?"

The man in the middle revealed a mocking smile, completely devoid of his previous respect and humility, like a bloodthirsty jackal eyeing its prey.

"Are you all planning to rob me? I have no money left, only a few copper coins on me. If you don't mind, you can take them."

Without saying much, the old man took out five copper coins from his person and threw them on the ground.

"Old man, you think you can get rid of us with just a few copper coins? You're dreaming!"

Looking at the copper coins on the ground, the three men exchanged glances and then burst into laughter, their arrogant demeanor practically screaming "I'm not a good person!"

"There's nothing I can do if you think it's not enough; this is all the money I have on me!"

"Old sir, please don't be modest. That kid behind you is worth at least a dozen silver coins. If you can find a wealthy family, he might even fetch one or two gold coins."

The three men revealed their true intentions, their true purpose for blocking the road. As they spoke, they dispersed and surrounded the old man and the young man.

"How dare you abduct people in broad daylight!"

Feng Lingjun was both shocked and furious. He took a few steps back and realized that this was the same group of thugs who had alarmed the entire Qingshan County. He never expected that they would also be targeted by this group of vicious and wicked people.

"What's there to be afraid of!"

The three men found it quite laughable to see the elderly man in front of them, who looked like a gentleman, in such a rage.

"Aren't you afraid of the law? According to the law, human trafficking is punishable by immediate execution!"

"Law? Heh heh, it's bullshit. If you want to chop off our heads, you'll have to catch us first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them rushed forward, their target clearly the grandson who was being shielded behind the old man.

The elderly and frail scholar Feng Bingwen was naturally unwilling to let his grandson be taken away. He clenched his fists and fought back, but he was no match for the three thugs. As soon as they made contact, he was knocked to the ground, his nose bleeding profusely.