The disheveled girl stumbled out of the room and ran to the woman in the bamboo hat. She had just witnessed the heroine easily defeat those thugs in the room. Now, she immediately grasped at this last straw.
She knew this was her only chance to survive.
When Xie Yongqing saw this scene, his face immediately became extremely ugly.
"Anything else you want to say?"
The woman in the bamboo hat turned around coldly and glanced at him.
Xie Yongqing broke out in a cold sweat, a look of fear flashed across his face, and then he took a deep breath, his expression gradually becoming gloomy.
"I have no grudge against the heroine. What exactly do you want to do? Why are you pushing me so far?"
Since he couldn't hide it anymore, Xie Yongqing simply stopped hiding it. He had never concealed the things he had done behind the scenes over the years.
"I've lost today, so let's just write off what happened today. We don't owe each other anything, how about that?"
The woman in the bamboo hat still looked calm.
But Shen Lingjun behind her was already filled with righteous indignation. She didn't want to meddle in other people's affairs today and wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible. She didn't expect that the woman in the bamboo hat who saved her would meddle in other people's affairs, especially after witnessing her martial arts skills, which made Shen Lingjun eager to make a move again.
Especially when he saw the disheveled girl running out of that bastard's room, Shen Lingjun was furious. How could she not understand what had happened?
This shady shop actually forced and trafficked women? They did something so outrageous that it was considered a crime.
He is even more evil than that bastard prince!
Shen Lingjun walked to the disheveled girl and put his coat on her.
"Thank you, thank you..."
At this moment, the girl was trembling and looked embarrassed, and she spoke with a trembling voice.
"Don't be afraid. Today I have her backing you up. You don't have to be afraid!"
Shen Lingjun tried to comfort her: "What's your name? Why are you here? Did he kidnap you?"
"My name is... Wu, Wu Qianqian. I'm from Wujia Village in Xunyang County. Two days ago, I came to this town with some of the villagers and had dinner at this restaurant..."
"For some reason, I suddenly passed out. When I woke up, I appeared here..."
"He, he wants to force me..." The girl's face was filled with horror as she pointed at Xie Yongqing who was not far away. "He also said he would sell me to a brothel in Xunyang County..."
The girl stammered, and after hearing this, Shen Lingjun already understood what was going on.
I was extremely angry.
It turns out that they are trafficking women and forcing them into prostitution!
This black shop is even more disgusting than I imagined!
“Damn it!”
Shen Lingjun's face was cold, and he immediately stepped forward angrily, "I thought your black shop was just for money, but I didn't expect you to dare to kill people!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more scared she became!
The waiter had previously cheated her out of twenty taels of silver, and when she couldn't come up with that much, he tried to force her to stay. If it weren't for the woman in the bamboo hat who came to her aid, what would have happened to her if she had really been left here?
Will she be sold to a brothel like Wu Qianqian?
Thinking of this, Shen Lingjun became extremely angry.
Xie Yongqing was panicked at this moment: "That's not true. She is just making up stories and slandering me... I am doing a legitimate business and would never do such a thing."
Xie Yongqing is not stupid, so he naturally won't admit it.
But at this moment, Shen Lingjun didn't care whether he admitted it or not.
"You still dare to quibble?"
Shen Lingjun, who was extremely angry, stepped forward quickly and kicked the middle-aged man in front of him away.
Although he had lost his internal strength, Shen Lingjun's martial arts skills were still there. With one kick, Xie Yongqing, who was fat and had been hollowed out by years of alcohol and sex, was kicked to the ground, screaming in pain.
Shen Lingjun had no intention of letting him go, and stepped forward again.
"You are guilty of murder for money, you bastard! You deserve to die!"
"Tell me the truth, how many women have you kidnapped?"
"If you dare to tell a lie, I'll kill you!"
“…”
Xie Yongqing fell to the ground, holding his head and running away, screaming in pain.
"Ouch...it hurts, it hurts, spare me, spare me..."
"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, I'm going to tell you, I'm going to tell you..."
“…”
On the side, the woman in the bamboo hat stood quietly. She was about to speak, but when she saw Shen Lingjun punching and kicking Xie Yongqing, she stopped.
He didn't stop until Shen Lingjun had vented his anger.
Looking at Xie Yongqing lying on the ground like a dead dog, Shen Lingjun felt refreshed, as if all the grievances he had suffered in the past few days had been vented.
On the other side, the woman in the bamboo hat walked lightly forward, came to Xie Yongqing's side, and stared at him condescendingly.
At this moment, Xie Yongqing was dying. When he realized someone was approaching, his whole body trembled violently.
"Stop, stop hitting me. I, I said..."
“…”
Outside the town.
A small village in the west.
"Thank you both for saving my daughter today. It's such a great favor..."
At the entrance of the village, a middle-aged couple was crying bitterly while holding their lost and found daughter.
A few days ago, their daughter disappeared. They tried every possible way to find her but to no avail, and almost thought she had met with an accident. Unexpectedly, their daughter came back today. They learned that their daughter had been kidnapped and almost lost her life. It was these two heroines who saved her life. The two elderly people were so moved that they almost knelt down in gratitude.
"No, no, it's just a small favor."
Shen Lingjun quickly waved her hands and helped the couple up: "Just be more careful next time, and... you shouldn't be thanking me..."
As she spoke, she glanced at the woman in the bamboo hat who was standing quietly under a tree not far away, her eyes filled with amazement.
Shen Lingjun was grateful and curious about the strange woman who saved her.
Not long ago, they had gone to the owner of the shady shop and had subsequently sent Wu Qianqian, the young woman who had been bullied by him, home. Declining the couple's offer to stay for a meal, Shen Lingjun turned and walked to the tree at the village entrance, sizing up the strange woman beneath it.
"I don't even know your name yet."
Shen Lingjun looked at her and said, "My name is Shen Lingjun, what's yours?"
The woman in the bamboo hat under the tree raised her eyes slightly, revealing a pair of bright and beautiful eyes. She looked at her quietly for two times without saying a word.
Seeing this, Shen Lingjun realized that the other party might really not want to reveal his identity, so he didn't ask any more questions: "Since you don't want to say it, I won't force you... In any case, I want to thank you for saving me and Wu Qianqian today."
The woman in the bamboo hat was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "No need."
It’s still familiar words, concise and to the point.
Shen Lingjun looked at her with a hint of envy.
In a few glances, the beautiful and delicate face under the bamboo hat has an unparalleled temperament and is particularly stunning.
Even Shen Lingjun couldn't help but sigh that there was such a wonderful woman in the world.
Shen Lingjun had only known a few people with unparalleled beauty and unfathomable martial arts skills. The most outstanding of them all was the eldest princess of the current dynasty.
However, Shen Lingjun had only heard of her and had never seen the eldest princess's true appearance.
The woman in the bamboo hat glanced at her, then slowly turned around and left.
Shen Lingjun stood there, stunned for a moment, then thought of something and immediately chased after him.
"Lady, where are you going?"
The woman in the bamboo hat paused for a moment and said calmly, "Xunyang County."
"What a coincidence, me too!"
Shen Lingjun's eyes lit up: "How about we go together so we can look after each other on the way?"
Shen Lingjun was about to go to Xunyang County to seek help, and she didn't know how many dangers she would encounter along the way. Now that she knew this powerful female warrior was also going to Xunyang County, she immediately became interested... and she didn't know if she would refuse.
"Don't worry, I won't disturb you. I just, just..."
Shen Lingjun's voice gradually became softer: "I will never cause you any trouble!"
The woman in the bamboo hat stopped and remained silent for a moment.
"good."
Shen Lingjun's eyes suddenly lit up: "Well, thank you very much, lady!"
The woman in the bamboo hat slowly turned and left.
Two horses were parked on a path not far away.
The woman in the bamboo hat jumped onto the horse, and Shen Lingjun followed closely behind her. The two of them walked slowly forward.
On the way.
"Lady, can I ask you something?"
"explain."
"Why did you let Xie Yongqing go at the restaurant earlier?"
Shen Lingjun couldn't help but ask.
Earlier in the restaurant, Xie Yongqing had already revealed the person behind him.
As expected, that restaurant was a shady place!
Like many ruthless black shops in the underworld, that black shop is in the business of overcharging customers and committing murder for money.
They would prey on passing merchants and guild masters, treating them differently depending on their circumstances. If they encountered an ordinary caravan, they would extort a large sum of money. If they encountered a martial arts master of average skill, they would inevitably suffer a loss.
And if those beautiful women dare to appear in the small town, they will most likely not escape their clutches.
Once these women fall into the hands of restaurants, they will be sold to the next buyer, who will then quickly resell them, eventually selling them to some shameful places.
They might be sold to wealthy families as concubines, or even sold to high-ranking officials for their pleasure. The worst fate would naturally be being sold into a brothel...
These days, a woman is worth a lot of money.
Beautiful women are more valuable!
Shen Lingjun was extremely angry after learning about this. Although she had heard about the existence of such black shops in the world, it was the first time she encountered one. She almost couldn't control herself and wanted to slap the damn beast to death with one palm.
However, he was stopped by the woman in the bamboo hat next to him.
This made Shen Lingjun extremely puzzled.
Xie Yongqing has already revealed the person behind him. His subordinate is Xie Yongan, who is Xie Yongqing's cousin. The two are from the same lineage.
Xie Yongan worked in a government office in Xunyang County. It was precisely because of this relationship that the brothers were able to secretly do such shameful things.
Now that we already know who the next buyer is, we naturally cannot let Xie Yongqing go. Even if we don't kill this beast, we should hand him over to the government and let him be punished, right?
Although Xie Yongan works in the government office, he is just a small constable. Can he really cover the sky with one hand?
Unexpectedly, the woman in the bamboo hat let him go and turned away. This made Shen Lingjun extremely puzzled. Isn't this like letting a tiger return to the mountain?
Keep this Xie Yongqing to continue to harm others?
Along the way, Shen Lingjun finally couldn't help but asked this question.
However, the woman in the straw hat remained calm as she rode on the horse. The cold wind blew her hair, revealing her exquisite and beautiful face under the straw hat. She stared ahead, not knowing what she was thinking about, and her pretty face showed a hint of thought.
After a while, she withdrew her gaze and said lightly: "Here I come."
"Coming?"
Shen Lingjun was stunned. What's coming?
The next second, several figures suddenly appeared in the sight ahead.
Shen Lingjun felt like she was facing a formidable enemy and was about to be on guard when she saw the other person's clothes. Was this... an official uniform?
A dozen government runners in official uniforms with swords on their waists appeared in sight and stopped the two men.
The leader sat on his horse, his face dark and weathered. He glanced coldly at the two men in front of him and said, "By order of Magistrate Wang of Chaoyang County, you two are suspected of murder. Follow me to the government office for interrogation and investigation. If you resist, you will be killed without mercy!"
Shen Lingjun's eyes suddenly widened. Murder?
When did the two of them kill someone?
Also, how does the other party know them?
Just as she was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of the woman in the bamboo hat looking at her indifferently.
Very meaningful.
it goes without saying.
…
Heading north, on the official road.
The weather gradually became colder. Inside the carriage, Lin Jiangnian climbed out of the girl's warm arms and wrapped his clothes around himself.
"Your Highness..."
A shy and sticky voice came to his ears. Lin Jiangnian lowered his head and saw the little maid with a red face and shyly buried her head in the blanket.
"You have a good rest, I'll go out and take a look!"
Lin Jiangnian put on his clothes, lifted the car curtain and walked out.
Outside the carriage, the convoy was moving slowly, heading north.
According to the estimated time, it will take about two or three days to reach Xunyang County.
The people sent by Lin Jiangnian had already arrived in Xunyang County in advance to prepare for the next step.
Lin Jiangnian looked up and saw a small town not far ahead.
"We're almost to Xunyang County!"
Lin Jiangnian muttered to himself, as if he had thought of something, and a half-smile appeared on his face.
"Kite, we'll meet again soon."
"Your Highness."
Lin Qingqing appeared beside Lin Jiangnian at some point. "There's a small town ahead. Your Highness, do you need something to eat or rest for a while?"
"Okay."
Lin Jiangnian nodded and stretched. "Don't mobilize a large army. Let's keep everyone outside the town. I'll just go in and take a look."
In the town.
Lin Jiangnian walked into the town with his personal maid, followed closely by Lin Qingqing.
Lin Jiangnian had visited nearly every town along the way, and this one wasn't anything special. It was quiet and deserted, with few residents. And there was only one decent restaurant in the entire town.
"Jianghu Restaurant?"
Lin Jiangnian looked up and laughed: "This name is quite interesting. Let's go and take a look!"
With a wave of his hand, Lin Jiangnian took Xiaozhu and Lin Qingqing into the restaurant.
In the quiet lobby.
"Waiter!"
Lin Jiangnian looked around but didn't see anyone, so he shouted.
There is no one here in broad daylight. Are you not doing business?
“Here I come!”
After a while, a man who looked like a waiter came out from the backyard.
When he walked in, Lin Jiangnian was stunned when he saw the waiter.
"Were you beaten?"
“…”