The case was cracked, a slave trade den destroyed; that should be enough.
The people below could naturally provide some evidence to prove that the team leader was exploiting his position for personal gain, feigning public service for private profit.
But... who would want to do this thankless task.
Not to mention, since Diao Deyi wanted to protect someone, wouldnât all these insiders usually receive some benefits? Otherwise, how could you keep those in the know silent?
However, in reality, they all underestimated the situation.
This was not about raiding a slave trade stronghold, but uncovering the flesh supply depot for a demon. The difference between the two was like heaven and earth.
This was the advantage brought about by the disparity in information.
Fang Yu, who infiltrated the demonâs side, heard the Red Moon Demon personally mention the Peony Workshop, which signified that this place must be connected to the demon.
Adding the slave den incident naturally led to further speculation.
As Fang Yu thought of this, the second secret chamber appeared.
It was in the study on a loft; Yu Xiguo moved a few books, the wall shifted, Stone Gate opened, revealing descending steps that laid before everyone.
So hidden, and you knew about this?
Yu Xiguo awkwardly smiled in response to Fang Yuâs skeptical gaze.
"Working for the Mo Family, youâve got to be extra cautious. I swear, Iâve never been in there! And I am not involved in this matter at all!"
Keep swearing then.
Fang Yu rolled his eyes slightly, not believing a word of such nonsense.
He had Chen Cangwen and others stand guard outside, while he led the team downstairs.
In no time, Fang Yu emerged from the secret chamber, his complexion considerably darkened.
Trailing him were two girls in tattered clothing, with blank expressions and vacant stares.
"Whatâs wrong?" Chen Cangwen unreservedly asked curiously.
"There are a few corpses down there."
Fang Yu didnât go into detail.
But just these words alone allowed one to roughly envision the situation below.
Chen Cangwen smacked his lips, seemingly indifferent.
Just a few dead slaves, after all, isnât it? And didnât we rescue two of them?
Yu Xiguo sensed the shift in Fang Yuâs mood and nervously stood by his side.
"My Lord, I truly was unaware. If I had known, could I have allowed Mo Lingyu to take lives? Surely not!"
Fang Yu stopped, giving him a cold glance.
"Lead the way to the next secret chamber."
"Yes... Yes!"
Yu Xiguo hurriedly bowed his head in response.
In terms of strength, he was above the average household.
But in terms of power and status, he didnât even have the right to raise his head in front of these officials of the Foolish Underworld.
Fang Yu had seen his share of corpses.
But he hadnât expected the bodies to have been tortured like that.
It was odd enough that these slaves had not been moved on time.
Even stranger was finding traces of torture within the secret chamber.
It was as if there was a split in personality; on one hand wanting to evacuate, while on the other leaving behind slave-related loopholes and even torturing them to death in a fit of rage, as though they were waiting to be discovered.
Indeed, judging from the condition of the bodies, these slaves had been killed sometime between last night and this morning.
At present, there seemed to be no trace of the demonâs presence.
But the marks of slave trafficking were everywhere.
Could it be... they intended to use the eye-catching issue of slave trading to cover up the tracks of the demonsâ operations?
Fang Yu slightly furrowed his brow, feeling his line of thought was both aligning and missing something.
"My Lord, here we are, this is the last secret chamber I know of."
Upon opening the secret chamber and entering,
Fang Yu quickly shook his head as he exited.
This chamber was more thorough; all inside were dead, not a single survivor.
Quite ruthless indeed.
Now Fang Yu was pretty certain that Mo Lingyu knew her three secret chambers had been discovered by Yu Xiguo.
These three chambers seemed to be intricately designed as if meant to be found by others.
Fang Yu glanced at Yu Xiguo, who nervously lowered his head, saying helplessly.
"My Lord, thatâs it, thereâs no more. I only knew about those three chambers. Mo Lingyu is very cautious and has never trusted me."
It seemed necessary to start the investigation through Mo Lingyu.
As for the whereabouts of the Elder Brother, there was not a shred of information.
The only good news was that his Elder Brotherâs figure was not among those corpses.
Fang Yu had previously acquainted himself with his Elder Brotherâs appearance, not to the point of recognizing him at a glance, but he could identify a body after a closer look.
No familiar faces among the bodies meant that the Elder Brother didnât die in the Peony Workshop, and it was highly possible... that he was sold as a sub-quality slave and became fodder for some demon.
It wasnât that Fang Yu liked to assume the worst, but based on the current intel, this possibility was indeed the greatest.
He wouldnât mention this to his Second Sister unless he truly found his Elder Brotherâs body. Otherwise, it was better to consider him missing, to give the Second Sister some hope.
"My Lord, if you wish to continue the investigation, I can provide a few suspects."
It seems he feared becoming redundant, the previous agreement for atonement through meritorious deeds invalidated, Yu Xiguo hurriedly came over, lowering his voice to speak.
What a guy, to follow through with guiding us all the way.
So dedicated.
"Alright, you..."
Boom!!
Before Fang Yu could finish his words, a sudden explosion sounded not far away.
Everyone was startled and simultaneously looked in the direction of the noise.
Fang Yu slightly furrowed his brow.
That direction, it seemed to be...
"The main gate! The entrance of the Peony Workshop!" Yu Xiguo confirmed from the side.
Fang Yu was puzzled.
What did it mean?
Was someone causing trouble?
This was the Foolish Underworld conducting an investigation; who would dare to cause trouble, do they have a death wish?
Fang Yu immediately thought there were only two possibilities.
First, the lurking demon had exposed its true form and embarked on a killing spree.
Second, Mo Lingyu had returned with his troops.
As the leader, no matter which it was, he had to immediately lead his team to check it out.
Luckily, he still had subordinates by his side holding his horse.
Instantly, Fang Yu mounted his horse.
"Giddy-up!"
With a slap on the horseâs rump, Fang Yu headed towards the main gate.
The rest exchanged glances and hurriedly followed suit.
...
Peony Workshop, main gate.
"Who goes there!"
"How bold of you! The Foolish Underworld is handling a case, who dares to create disturbance!"
As the great doors burst open, splitting in four directions, with wood chips flying everywhere, a group of people in black clothing standing at the entrance came into everyoneâs view.
Li Qianxuan was instantly taken aback.
Wearing night clothes in broad daylight, they were surely up to something!
For a moment, Li Qianxuanâs thoughts were rapid as lightning.
His reactions had always been quick, his capabilities never lacking.
He had only been held back by recruiting personnel for his power establishment, which delayed his martial arts progress.
His own abilities had always been considered quite good among his peers.
"Brazen actions in daylight, who would need to wear night clothes for their deeds?"
"A forceful kick to the door, showing aggressive momentum, indicating the matter at hand is not trivial, with sword clashes and shadowy figures clearly involved."
"Knowing well that people from the Foolish Underworld are here to inspect, yet still daring to act so brashly..."
"These men in black, could they be... from the Peony Workshop?!"
A thought crossed his mind.
Li Qianxuan, deciding on the spot, violently grabbed the nearby workshop manager, pinning him to the ground while drawing his sword and placing it against the managerâs neck.
With one hand pressing the sword against the managerâs neck, he cocked his head to look towards the people at the gate and shouted fiercely.
"Everyone, stop right there!"
"Anyone who dares to take a step forward, your Peony Workshopâs manager is going to lose his head!"
Housekeeper Yu was an elderly man who had already been frightened out of his wits by Li Qianxuanâs actions, his hands and feet shaking, too scared to act rashly.
What baffled him even more was why Li Qianxuan was pinning the blame on them at the Peony Workshop.
He didnât recognize these black-clad intruders suddenly breaking in; they were complete strangers to him, so how would threatening him with him be of any use?
Housekeeper Yu was panicked, scared, trembling.
But what drove him to despair was that the group of men in black exchanged confused looks, as if perplexed, showing puzzled expressions.
Then under the wave of a hand from the lead figure in black, they all rushed in without hesitation.
Li Qianxuanâs face changed, pulling up the manager.
"Wait..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone from the group in black suddenly flicked their wrist.
Whooshâ
The screeching sound of splitting air instantly interrupted Li Qianxuanâs words.
He didnât even have time to react, his facial expression unchanged, when his arm suddenly jolted.
Hiss!!
A dart-like sharp hidden weapon had already been thrust into Housekeeper Yuâs forehead.
Housekeeper Yuâs eyes widened, blood seeped from his forehead, his body convulsed a couple of times, and then he was breathless.