dmims Chapter 57 Further Twists and Turns
Chapter 57 Further Twists and Turns
Upon hearing this, the young beggar, who was still sitting on the stool, was so startled that he fell off.
When he got up again, his face was full of panic, and he had no color in his face. His lips were trembling.
Chen Yuan: "..."
"How did he die?"
He paused for a moment, a helpless absurdity appearing on his face.
You just said you wouldn't kill anyone...
The Fire-Worker Monk strode over and piled his bundle on the table.
"That guy was dishonest. He said he'd take me to get money, but somehow he set up an ambush."
"I couldn't just sit here and wait to die, so I killed them all."
After hearing this, Chen Yuan didn't say anything, but slowly shifted his gaze to the young beggar's face.
The young beggar was frozen in place by that gaze, cold sweat pouring down his back.
"This... I really don't know..."
He had already cursed the old beggar a thousand times in his heart, and was even more horrified by the white-bearded old man's terrifying nature—he had been ambushed but had managed to return unscathed.
"It seems this gentleman has nothing to say."
Chen Yuan's lips curled slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes.
"After all, if someone wants to kill me, I can't just sit and wait to die; naturally, I have to fight back."
"It's quite normal that this resistance resulted in the killing of them all."
Moreover, these guys have been a scourge on the people; just by looking at the shopkeeper's demeanor, you can tell that the Beggars' Clan has been lording it over people for a long time.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be so afraid.
The young beggar could only nod in agreement, hoping that Chen Yuan would have mercy and let him go.
Suddenly remembering something, the Fire-Worker Monk said in a gruff voice.
"Oh, and near that dilapidated temple, I heard quite a few children crying; it was really annoying!"
"I can't stand hearing that, so I packed up the money and came back."
"Um?"
Chen Yuan repeated it again, puzzled.
"The sound of a baby crying?"
He glanced at the young beggar as he said this.
The young beggar's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his eyes darted around, and he forced a smile.
"Perhaps one of your children got lost in the neighborhood?"
"I didn't ask you, why are you so agitated?"
The young beggar's face froze instantly.
Chen Yuan glanced at him with a surprised expression and beckoned to the shopkeeper who was huddled by the counter.
Does anyone live near the Dragon King Temple?
The shopkeeper shook his head in confusion as well.
"That temple has been abandoned for a long time, and there is no one around. Usually, only the Beggars' Sect members would stay there."
The Fire-Worker Monk suddenly added.
"There are quite a lot of sounds, a lot of whimpering and whimpering. But I hate it when babies cry, so I didn't go and see what was wrong."
The young beggar's face paled even more.
The shopkeeper frowned and pondered for a while, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!"
"Now that you mention it... several children have indeed gone missing in our town and neighboring villages recently, and the authorities haven't been able to find them..."
Before he finished speaking, the young beggar, like a startled bird, suddenly turned around and ran wildly towards the shop door!
But just as he lunged forward, a large, fan-like hand arrived first and firmly gripped the back of his neck.
The Fire-Worker Monk lifted him back into the air like a chick.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow.
Why are you running?
"I...I'm afraid Mr. Chen will connect this to me..."
The young beggar's face looked worse than if he were crying.
"Do you think I would connect this to you?"
Chen Yuan spoke in a mocking tone.
"No...it can't be..."
"Incorrect answer!"
Chen Yuan stood up, his tone suddenly turning cold.
"This matter is definitely related to you."
He turned to look at the shopkeeper.
"How much?"
The shopkeeper had a forced smile on his face.
"Mr. Chen, your visit to our humble shop is an honor; please don't mention money..."
Chen Yuan remained silent for a moment, then took out a silver ingot from the bundle that the Fire-Worker Monk had brought back.
He weighed it in his hand, then tossed it onto the table.
"Here's five taels of silver. That should be enough to pay for these two meals, right?"
The shopkeeper bent even lower, his face plastered with a fearful smile.
"That's enough, that's enough..."
"That's fine then."
Chen Yuan waved his hand.
"Old Huo, take me to see that Dragon King Temple?"
The fire-working monk immediately looked distressed, and his beard drooped down.
"Are you really going? A baby's crying is more annoying than chanting sutras..."
"Otherwise what?"
......
Dragon King Temple.
The group of four walked for about five miles, and the outline of a dilapidated temple appeared amidst the weeds and withered trees.
The pale moonlight cast a chilling glow on the crooked "Dragon King Temple" plaque above the temple gate.
There were no lights in the temple, and no crying could be heard; only a chilling silence.
"Where's the crying?"
Chen Yuan listened intently and asked the Fire-Worker Monk in a low voice.
"That's strange..."
The Fire-Worker Monk's thick eyebrows furrowed.
It was quite noisy just now.
A glimmer of hope flashed across the young beggar's eyes as he spoke in a trembling voice.
"Perhaps...perhaps Master Huo misheard..."
Chen Yuan ignored the young beggar and lit the torches in the temple.
"Where did it come from?"
The Fire-Worker Monk, somewhat unsure of himself, casually pointed in a direction.
"That?"
Chen Yuan's gaze followed the direction he pointed and landed on the inconspicuous side door behind the shrine, the edge of the door panel showing signs of fresh wear.
He winked at the Fireworker Monk.
"Old fire..."
The Fire-Worker Monk understood and stepped forward to kick it away.
Behind the door was a storage room, the sight of which made one's heart tighten.
There were seven or eight children, the oldest being only seven or eight years old, and the youngest looking only four or five.
They were all haphazardly bound hand and foot with thick ropes, crammed into a corner like cargo.
They were all disheveled, with chapped lips and dried tear stains on their faces, leaving only numb fear.
The door was kicked open, and they all trembled in fright.
But she didn't even have the strength to cry out, only letting out weak whimpers like a small animal.
The young beggar's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
The Fire-Worker Monk stepped forward, his large, fan-like hands deftly snapping the rope.
Chen Yuan took out several bottles of mineral water from his personal space and handed them to Zhang Wuji, gesturing for him to come forward and feed him water.
After doing all this, he turned around, walked to the young beggar, and squatted down.
The firelight illuminated half of his face, while the other half remained in shadow.
"Speak."
What do you want to say?
Chen Yuan didn't say it, but he knew the young beggar would.
Looking at Chen Yuan's calm face, the young beggar was terrified, and his psychological defenses completely collapsed.
You should know that Chen Yuan is a notorious villain in the martial arts world!
He kowtowed repeatedly.
"I'll tell you everything!"
"This is... this connection was made by Liu Xiang, the branch leader!"
"There are child abductors called 'flower-picking gangs' who bring people here and hide them temporarily. Once they have a whole truckload, they'll send them north!"
"and then?"
"Then they were sold...sold to wealthy families as slaves, or...or sold to certain places for 'harvesting and mutilation'..."
"The incense master takes 30% of the profits!"
"That's all I know! Please spare me, Master Chen!"
The moment the words "harvesting and mutilating" were uttered, Chen Yuan's eyes turned icy cold.
That is a vicious method of deliberately crippling healthy children and forcing them to beg.
He stood up, no longer looking at the weeping beggar, and said to the Fire-Worker Monk.
"Old Huo, go to that restaurant and get some food for these kids."
Then, his hand landed on the young beggar's head.
The beggar seemed to sense something was wrong and was just about to beg for mercy.
With a swift and decisive twist, he swung his large hand.
With a "crack," the young beggar collapsed limply to the ground.