In the middle of the night, Nan Fengyi opened his eyes and saw the sneaky boy.

Then a figure appeared in the shadows, and two people were whispering to each other.

Nan Fengyi listened with his eyes closed, "Is there a clue?"

The boy's voice rang out, "On the way to the capital, we'll pass through Yaju City. It seems they're also planning to bring more children to the towns and villages there."

A man's voice. "Okay, I brought you some meat, do you want some?"

"I won't eat it. I met a younger brother who has a bit of a strange personality, and I want to give him some, but I'm afraid he'll suspect me... He seems quite intelligent. But he's also a quiet guy..."

How old is your younger brother?

The boy grunted, "Judging from his appearance, he's at most four years old."

Unfamiliar gazes fell upon him, but Nan Fengyi naturally didn't reveal any flaws.

After the man left, Nan Fengyi went back to sleep.

The next morning, they continued their journey. There were too many children, so they were all kept together in several carriages, carrying both adults and children.

...

"drive."

Murong Jin, riding her horse, stopped with a whoosh. Behind her was a small head, with an arm around her waist.

"Mother, where are we?"

"Wulichuan, there is a shortcut to the capital from here, but it is all mountains and difficult to travel."

Nan Muyu: "How far is it from the Valley of Divine Healers?"

"The Valley of Divine Healers is not far from the capital. When we arrived at the Valley of Divine Healers, it was only a short time before we reached the capital. It took us less than ten days by fast horse."

“But if you want to find your brother, Mother will have to take a detour. We’ll go to the capital first, and then we’ll go find your brother.”

Nan Muyu nodded, "Then I'll wait for Mother in the capital. Brother should be out of danger now."

Murong Jin rubbed her head and said, "Mmm."

Yi'er was indeed out of danger. Nanfeng was by his side, hiding in the shadows, so naturally he wouldn't get into any trouble.

With Liu'er and Nan Yue following along, she naturally wasn't too worried.

Moreover, Yi'er is very intelligent and has some pills that she has refined. If there are any other unexpected events, she will definitely get injured, even if it is just physical pain.

However, this is the worst-case scenario.

"Miss, we've found out that their final destination is Lingqing Mountain."

Murong Jin seemed to be deep in thought, "Lingqing Mountain."

Jinjiu: "It's a bit far from the capital. If you were to make a special trip there, it would take five days."

"Understood. It's not too far. Let's go to the capital first." Taking a detour would be too far; she needed to get to Yi'er's side as soon as possible.

late at night.

Murong Jin carried the baby in her arms and quickly arrived on the streets of the capital.

The group, dressed casually, found a restaurant to stay at.

Yi Liu: "Boss, five superior rooms, this is the deposit."

The shopkeeper glanced at the indifferent-looking man, then his gaze fell on the woman behind him, who was wearing a veil and holding a child whose face he couldn't see.

"This is the room key."

The shopkeeper said in a low voice at the end, "You can come and go as you please at night. If you have any problems, you can come directly to us."

Yi Liu's gaze fell on him, and then he heard the shopkeeper say, "Long time no see, welcome back."

Yi Liu raised an eyebrow, then took the key from his hand, came to Murong Jin's side, and bowed respectfully, "Miss, let's go upstairs."

The shopkeeper glanced at the woman whom Yi Liu addressed as "Miss," a smile playing on his lips.

That's fine too.

After going upstairs, Murong Jin put her daughter on the bed, took off her outer robe and shoes, washed her, and looked at the sleeping girl.

Murong Jin reached out and touched her cheek, especially her eyes. Every time he saw those eyes, he was reminded of a little dog she had abandoned...

"Mother~~"

Jinjiu stayed behind to watch over the young lady. After Murong Jin left through the window, she left the capital again.

"drive."

Yi Yi followed beside her, saying, "Miss, the place we're going to now is Lingqing Mountain."

Murong Jin nodded, and the group quickly rode their horses along the road, raising gusts of sand.

...

"Sir, this is the place we finally found."

Ankerson, clad in full armor and tall in stature, asked, "Have you found the whereabouts of the missing children?"

"None of the missing children in the neighborhood have been found."

An Kesen: "???" Just as he was about to speak, he heard his subordinate say, "However, we have found out where they are now. They are all in the Lingqing Mountain area."

"Lingqing Mountain? How many children are there?"

Subordinate: "I don't know, but according to the investigation, many children have come from all directions, and I heard that the children from Linghu Town in Liyue City have the most missing children."

"Recently, the governor of Liyue City has also been strengthening security measures because someone is selling salt privately."

"Salt?"

"Yes, it was sold on the black market by a man called Boss Wang, and then there was no further news."

"However, the latest transaction in the investigation was with a woman known as Madam Jin."

Ankesen: "Madam Jin?"

"Yes, this Mr. Wang's last transaction partner was this Madam Jin, and Madam Jin's whereabouts are unknown."

Ankerson's face was somewhat serious. "Indeed mysterious."

“These things on the prefect’s side were all done behind the scenes by someone. According to the prefect’s letter, he only found out because someone informed him.”

“Although the sale of salt and the trafficking of children are two things that happen together, they are carried out separately.”

An Kesen: "Go to Lingqing Mountain."

After they mounted their horses, Ankersen looked at the two figures ahead. One figure was one he would never forget, and the other…

"How did you get here?"

"Didn't they say there were a lot of child abductions this time? Let's go take a look."

"Besides children, I've heard there are women too, is that true?"

Yu Jing'er looked at the handsome man in front of her and said, "If there is any, investigate it and I will arrange for someone to rescue them."

Ankesen: "There is a woman, but she wasn't assigned here. I've already had someone take care of it."

Yu Jing'er: "Is it very serious?"

"No, that's not it. That was a separate incident. The women who came after were sent to brothels or sold to wealthy families as maids."

"However, after this matter was investigated, people were sent to arrest the person behind it, and those women were also rescued."

Yu Jing'er: "That's good."

An Kesen leaned closer to Yu Jing'er and whispered to her, "I'll handle this. Why did you bring Aunt Jin along?"

Yu Jing'er looked at the people in the distance, and then looked down at An Kesen and said, "She wanted to come out for some fresh air, and when she saw me coming to find you, she followed me."

"Isn't she in the palace with the Empress Dowager?"

Yu Jing'er shook her head. "She said the Empress Dowager has been engrossed in reading storybooks lately and is completely ignoring her."

Ankersen: "..."