PFC Chapter 217 The truth
Chapter 217 The truth
After a stick of incense.
A merchant ship slowly approached from behind. Before the people on the ship in front could react, the dozens of people on the approaching ship changed their expressions and quickly drew their weapons from their sides.
At the same time, a figure leaped aggressively from the ship, his loud shout echoing across the sea—
"Hey! You damned traitors! The Great Jing army has arrived! Surrender now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, He Shan, who had arrived late, rolled around on the deck a few times without even looking up, carrying his sword.
"Your Highness! I've come to save you...?"
Feeling like a savior who had brought good fortune to the world, He Shan proudly raised his head, then silently shut his mouth amidst the stares of the crowd who looked at him like he was a fool.
Wow, you arrived just in time.
Xuanfeng kicked the boatman, who was tied up tightly, to the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "If we had waited for you to come, we would probably have been fish food by now."
"...Ahem!"
Upon hearing this, He Shan casually got up, chuckled, and said, "Well, since everything is alright now, I'll go and call some people to help."
One by one, sturdy wooden crates and sacks were carried out from the hold and transported onto the deck.
As the sacks were untied, revealing their contents, the faces of the boatmen who hadn't yet lost their senses turned deathly pale, and one thought arose in their minds—
"It's over! It's over!"
Even though Xie Yan had mentioned it before, Xuan Feng and the others still gasped in shock when they witnessed it firsthand.
"My goodness, this is not just a matter of beheading..."
He Shan rubbed his eyes and murmured a sigh.
Tao Xian, who had just prepared seasickness medicine for Wu Ya, immediately stepped forward to check the pulses of each of the unconscious people.
After a moment, she breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "Although I took too much sleeping pills, fortunately, they did not damage my body. I just have a weak body due to less food and drink. After resting for a while, I will be fine."
Upon hearing this, everyone was relieved. Then, Chu Ling made a gesture, and Xuan Feng immediately ordered the soldiers to take the kidnapped people away and take good care of them.
Although they successfully resolved the crisis and uncovered a shocking case, the group was far from relaxed, and their expressions showed no improvement.
Yu Bai glanced at the wealthy merchants who had been bound before even disembarking, and whispered to Xuan Feng, "How could a ship like this manage to deceive the imperial court? Who knows how long they've been at large, and how many families they've harmed?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Chu Ling, whose face was solemn, and hesitated, saying, "There must be a bigger conspiracy behind this, and I'm afraid... it might even involve officials in the court."
Upon hearing this, Xuanfeng nodded and said in a deep voice, "No matter what the truth is, once this matter is reported to the imperial court, it will inevitably cause a huge uproar."
"The truth will be known once you ask."
Xie Yan took over the conversation and kicked the boat owner in front of everyone.
Everyone's attention immediately focused on the boat owner.
Xuanfeng immediately stepped forward, grabbed the ship owner by the hair, held the sword to his neck, and demanded sharply, "Speak! Who are you people? What are you trying to do by kidnapping women and children and transporting contraband?!"
The pain jolted the boat owner awake.
He looked at the sword blade that was already deeply embedded in his neck, but remained unmoved, even sneering, "Hmph, if you have the guts, kill me. I won't say a word."
"you!"
Xuan Feng was furious. With a sudden burst of strength, the blade cut even deeper into the sword. Just as it was about to sever the sword in two, Xie Yan suddenly intervened and caught the incredibly sharp blade between her fingers.
"Don't worry."
Xie Yan smiled and said to the stubbornly silent ship owner, "If you won't speak, I will. Let's see if what I say is true."
Upon seeing that familiar face, the ship owner's eyelids twitched violently a few times.
Ignoring his surprised and uncertain gaze, Xie Yan continued, "I guess the people on this ship are all pirates."
"And those weapons in the hold were likely destined for the Church of the Holy Sun."
"you--
The boat owner's eyes widened suddenly. He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, Xie Yan swiftly grabbed his chin.
At the same time, a Gu worm flew out of Wuya's hand and burrowed into the ship owner's mouth in the blink of an eye.
The ship's pupils trembled violently a few times, and then his mouth opened and closed uncontrollably, "...That's right, we are all pirates, working for the Holy Sun Church."
"What??"
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai's expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "The pirates should have been completely wiped out by the imperial court decades ago, and it was ordered that anyone who knowingly violates the law again will have their entire family executed. How dare you still do such a thing?!"
Seeing that he could no longer control his mouth, the ship owner decided to go all out and reveal everything: "We are not a new group that has emerged in recent years, but rather the pirates who escaped the calamity back then!"
"Although the imperial court was ruthless back then, fortunately someone protected us and secretly helped us 'reform,' which saved us from disaster and allowed us to be used by them."
Chu Ling's pupils suddenly darkened, and the folding fan he was holding broke into pieces amidst the boat owner's words.
Unexpectedly, the mine had been buried for so long.
And those who secretly protect them, if not high-ranking officials, at least wield considerable influence.
"Transporting weapons is one thing, but why are you also abducting women?"
"Hehehe, why kidnap women? Because, of course, it's all about the money!"
As if he had heard a joke, the ship owner threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Only after Xuanfeng slapped him to the ground did he stop smiling. He looked around at everyone, and finally fixed his sinister gaze on Chu Ling.
"It's my fault for being blind, that I actually invited the King of Hell onto my ship."
As he spoke, his sinister gaze swept across the wealthy businessmen a few times. "Hmph, but most of those who patronize my business are people with immense power and influence."
"No matter how extraordinary your identity is, I don't believe you can escape unscathed when facing them."
Faced with the ship owner's provocative words, Chu Ling chuckled noncommittally and said, "Then you don't need to worry about it. When the time comes, I will naturally arrest them one by one."
So you were actually...!
Chu Ling's words, "This King," caused the ship owner's face, which had been full of mockery, to change instantly, turning deathly pale.
"I ask you, did you kill the boy who guided us?"
The ship owner had no will to resist at this point and could only mutter, "That's right, we killed that brat. He was just unlucky to have seen something he shouldn't have."
"The ship needs manpower. In addition to kidnapping people, we will also specifically select orphans without parents to join us. At the beginning, we will not let them know anything. We will decide whether to keep them after we have investigated them."
"But before we could say anything to that kid, he saw us taking the cargo out of the hold that night. He was terrified and, fearing things would go wrong, simply threw him into the water."
"...One last question."
Chu Ling frowned and said coldly, "Then who exactly is protecting you?"
Upon hearing this, the boat owner trembled violently, his face contorted in a grimace, but he could not close his mouth.
"The people who sheltered us are..."