Chapter 157: Chapter 157: The Little Girl’s Got Guts

Shanshan didn’t dare get too close, so she could only follow slowly, using the shadows of trees and bushes for cover.

Just as she was about to reach the village, the ground suddenly gave way, and her foot found nothing but air.

SNAP!

It turned out she had stepped on a trap hidden under the dead leaves.

Her entire body was hoisted into the air, ankles up, swinging back and forth.

She struggled, but the more she fought, the tighter the rope became.

The men ahead heard the noise and turned to look.

Seeing a little girl hanging from a tree, they all grinned and laughed.

One of them pulled out the woodcutting knife from his waist, took a few steps closer, and sized her up.

"Well, well, the little brat’s got some guts. Dared to sneak over here all by yourself?"

Another man kicked a nearby stone and said mockingly, "Isn’t this the Ling family’s daughter? She’s got some nerve."

They didn’t act immediately. Instead, they circled around her to enjoy the show.

"Caught a scout. Tonight’s been quite a haul."

"Stop wasting time. Get rid of her quickly, don’t leave any loose ends."

"Shanshan!"

Ling Zhiwei recognized his sister at a glance and struggled desperately to get to her.

But his hands were tied tightly, and two burly men were holding him down. How could he possibly move?

He stomped his feet and slammed his shoulder into one of the men, only to get a punch to the ribs in return.

"Let her go! Come after me!"

But no one paid him any mind.

The men were only focused on discussing how to deal with the two captives.

A moment later, Shanshan was let down from the tree, trussed up just like Ling Zhiwei, and pushed into the same group.

Although Shanshan was more than capable of escaping—these roadside thugs were no match for her at all.

But the thought of Ling Zhiwei being in their clutches made her instantly abandon any ideas of escape. She obediently let them tie her up securely.

If she broke free now, not only would she be unable to save her brother, but she would also make him their only target.

She lowered her eyes and said nothing, allowing the ropes to be wound around her, coil by coil.

Before long, the two of them were shoved into the same place and locked up.

The door was bolted shut from the outside. Only a narrow window at the top let in a sliver of moonlight.

The air was stuffy and foul, and the surrounding walls were damp and slick.

"Oh my god, what is that smell!"

Shanshan had a very sensitive nose, and the stench was so strong it made her scrunch up her face.

She turned her head, trying to block her nose and mouth with her shoulder blade, but she still couldn’t escape the rancid odor.

With his hands tied behind his back, Ling Zhiwei inched his way over to his sister.

"Shanshan, are you okay?"

"I’m fine, they didn’t touch me. But you... that wound on your leg looks pretty bad."

Shanshan tilted her head up to get a better look. His pant leg was torn, and the bloodstain had dried to a dark black, its edges caked with dirt.

She wanted to check the wound, but her own hands were tied.

’If I untie myself later, it’ll be hard to explain,’ she thought.

Even if she could free herself, she couldn’t act rashly right now.

She didn’t know the layout of this place, or how many guards were outside.

Acting recklessly would only make the situation worse.

After some thought, she decided to endure it for now.

"Heh heh, it’s nothing. I’m tough as nails. A few hits feel like a scratch."

In reality, his calf was hurting so much he was breaking out in a cold sweat. It felt like the area below his knee had been smashed with an iron bar.

But he didn’t want his sister to see him in such a sorry state, so he clenched his teeth, suppressed the pain, and forced a grin.

"Don’t be afraid. Your big bro is here. No one will lay a single finger on you."

He knew he couldn’t do anything right now.

He couldn’t escape, nor could he fight back.

The only thing he could do was use those words to hold onto their shared hope.

He gently bumped Shanshan with his shoulder.

Shanshan was rolling her eyes internally.

She knew, of course, that her fourth brother was just putting on an act, trying to be tough.

But he just had to pretend he wasn’t afraid of anything in the world.

’You’re going to protect me? You probably don’t even know your own head almost got cracked open, you idiot!’

She cursed him in her heart, but at the same time, her heart ached for him.

But despite her silent scolding, she didn’t expose his bluff.

In the pitch-black cellar, the two gave each other moral support.

Outside, the wind howled, mixed with the distant sounds of barking dogs and people talking.

But Shanshan noticed that her fourth brother was trembling even more than she was.

She felt helpless, but she pretended not to see anything.

「Outside the village」

When Ling Anxun arrived, the family was in complete chaos.

The adults were injured or captured, and his daughter was gone.

"Shanshan isn’t the type of child to just run off, she must have been taken!"

The moment Ling Anxun stepped into the courtyard, he heard Ding Qin’s heart-wrenching screams.

"Are they beating her right now? Is she starving? Is she cold?"

Ling Anxun’s face was grim as he arranged for people to investigate the leads.

First, he called the police station, then he contacted the higher-up departments.

He stood in the courtyard, holding his phone in one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other.

When the call connected, the person on the other end was dismissive.

He tried three other numbers, but they all gave him the runaround.

After a flurry of activity, everything was stalled. The people under him were either passing the buck or dragging their feet.

When an officer at the police station entrance saw him approaching, he immediately turned around, went inside, and shut the door.

The documents he submitted vanished without a trace, without so much as a single reply.

He immediately realized something was fishy.

This wasn’t an ordinary human trafficking or kidnapping case. Someone was deliberately suppressing the news and blocking information.

Otherwise, there was no way all channels would fail at the same time, unable to even issue a basic request for assistance.

He turned and directly dialed the number of an old comrade-in-arms.

The phone rang three times before it was picked up. The voice on the other end was deep.

"Hello, Anxun?"

"It’s me. Are you still in a position to act?"

Ling Anxun got straight to the point.

"I can, but you need to think this through. The waters here are murky. Are you sure you want to wade into this mess?"

After a moment of silence, those words came from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I know what I’m getting into. It’s just some corrupt officials in bed with businessmen, right? Who hasn’t cleaned up a few of those?"

Ling Anxun leaned against the wall, staring at a still-wet bloodstain in the courtyard.

The person on the other end let out a cold laugh.

"Alright, then. You’re handing me a golden opportunity for a promotion. If we root out the moles in the police force, my job will be more secure, and I might even be able to move up a rank or two."

The news quickly reached the village.

The message was carried in by an old man returning from the market.

He pretended to be passing by the Ling family’s courtyard and slipped a note under the threshold.

A few minutes later, in a side room on the east end of the village.

Someone quietly burned the hastily scrawled note.

That same day, Shanshan and Ling Zhiwei were moved to a different location.

They were moved from one cellar to another, taken through winding paths and transferred to several different places.

Each transfer was more secretive than the last, and the number of guards escorting them grew.

When they were dragged out again, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted in the dead of night.

It came from the west end of the village—sharp, shrill, and continuous.

A woman’s wail tore through the night.

"Sigh, Old Fu’s family has had some terrible luck. She struggled so hard and finally went into labor, but the baby got stuck and couldn’t come out. Suffocated to death, what a tragedy."

This was the talk of the village the next morning.

A few women were gathered around the well washing clothes, shaking their heads as they gossiped.

"I always said his wife wouldn’t be able to do it. Her pelvis is too narrow, she couldn’t give birth. But that Fu boy just had to marry her."

"Worst luck imaginable. Not even the witch doctor could save the baby. I reckon they’ll take it out to be buried by dawn."

When Shanshan overheard that from the crowd, she jolted and began to struggle violently.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

"Hey, what are you squirming for? Can’t you just stay still!"

Seeing her move, the man next to her flew into a rage and immediately swung a whip at her.