freenovelworld The number of people listed in Chapter 220 differs from the number recorded in the police report!
The number of people listed in Chapter 220 differs from the number recorded in the police report!
That's true!
He should have thought of this problem earlier, but he was so busy today that he was like a headless fly and his brain was not working properly.
“Alright, I’ll take some men to search the empty house right now. If the villains hear the commotion, they’ll definitely have to take the water route since they can’t travel by land. I’ll have people keep an eye on things, and we absolutely can’t let anything go wrong. You’re still young, so you should hurry back and wait for your young lady.”
Xiao Jiu did not answer, but bowed to the clerk again before getting into the carriage and heading to Wanhe Restaurant.
He parked the carriage at the back door of the restaurant, tied it to a tree by the entrance, told the waiters who were busy in the backyard, and then hurriedly left.
The men were unaware that Xiao Tang was missing. Seeing Xiao Jiu's anxious expression, they couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh, they're so immature at such a young age, they wear their emotions on their sleeves."
When Xiao Jiu arrived at the ferry, the gentlemen and ladies had already left, and only Shen Qianchuan was still squatting by the roadside.
He stared intently in the direction of Wanhe Restaurant. When he saw Xiao Jiu return, he was so excited that he immediately stood up, but because his legs were numb, he almost fell.
"Xiao Jiu, I've been watching the ferry crossing the whole time, and no one has brought a woman there yet. Do you think our guess might be wrong? If we can't find Xiao Tang, how are we going to explain this to our elder brother and sister-in-law?"
Xiao Jiu glanced at the calm ferry crossing and said in a deep voice, "Now they have no other way out and will definitely walk into the trap."
By this time, the people arranged by the advisor had changed into civilian clothes and gradually infiltrated the ferry crossing as workers to do porterage work.
……
The tiger escaped from the ferry and, after shaking off the soldiers who were chasing him, quickly turned into an abandoned alley. He glanced back and, finding no one following him, entered a house built by the water.
He had just quietly closed the door when he turned around and saw Fifth Master behind him, which startled him.
He immediately patted his chest and said, "Fifth Master, why do you walk so quietly? You almost scared me to death."
Fifth Master frowned and said, "Look at your lack of courage. A grown man like you is so easily startled and flustered. What happened when you went out?"
Tiger then told Fifth Master what had happened at the ferry. “Fifth Master, if I hadn’t been quick-witted, I would have been caught by the authorities. You don’t know, the soldiers blocked the ferry and insisted on inspecting all the boats coming and going. I incited the crowd to tell them to withdraw their troops, but those opportunists who were initially speaking up for me turned against me. If I hadn’t run fast, I wouldn’t have made it back to see you.”
Fifth Master was just worried that the rats that entered the room where the young ladies were being held might have spread the plague and then infect him. Now, when he heard that the tiger had almost been caught by the soldiers and was even chased by them, he almost popped his eyes out.
"You idiots, you're all idiots! Since there are soldiers chasing you, why did you dare to come back? Why didn't you find a place to hide? If you dare to attract the soldiers, I'll take your dog's life before they even chop off your head!"
Tiger curled his lip, thinking to himself that since Fifth Master was doing this kind of business where he was risking his life, he shouldn't be afraid of dying.
He and Haozi did all the dangerous and risky work, but Fifth Master was the one who got paid the most. Fifth Master, relying on his few stinking coins, acted all high and mighty every day, as if he and Haozi were his slaves.
Why?
Logically speaking, he and Haozi did the most work, and they were the ones who brought all those girls to him. Fifth Master was just secretly plotting something, so why did he get the lion's share?
Although Tiger was dissatisfied, he did not argue with Fifth Master about the matter at this critical juncture.
His eyes darted around, and he immediately said, "Fifth Master, the parents of these women have already reported them to the authorities one after another. Today, the soldiers are conducting a large-scale search. If they find us here, we'll be in danger. Why don't we quickly find a way to get those women away?"
After the rats' wailing, Fifth Master truly believed the women had contracted the plague. However, unwilling to let all the money he had acquired go to waste, he deliberately hesitated for a moment before saying, "You're right, soldiers are searching everywhere outside. This place will soon be unsafe. We need to find a way to get them out of here quickly, and..."
The tiger asked, somewhat surprised, "And what?"
Fifth Master coughed lightly, his expression unchanged, and said, "Besides, those women haven't eaten for several meals and are already sick from hunger. You and Rat should quickly find a way to contact a boat to get them out as soon as possible so that we can truly breathe a sigh of relief."
How can we get it out as soon as possible?
Fifth Master is more proactive this time than before. Last time in another county, he complained that he hadn't recruited enough people and was reluctant to give up.
This time, both government and military personnel have been mobilized, and the situation outside is in an uproar. If they don't stop quickly, this deal will be hard to resolve peacefully.
So he said, “Fifth Master, the ship has actually arrived. Today we deliberately let the soldiers search it thoroughly. The soldiers thought there was no problem. Once we get those young ladies into the ship, we can set sail smoothly. At that time, the soldiers will not suspect anything. Our trick of deception is really well done.”
"Very good. You've always been reliable when it comes to getting things done, much better than that simpleton, Rat." Fifth Master nodded in satisfaction.
Tiger scoffed, thinking to himself that Fifth Master had just called him a fool, but then turned around and praised him for being reliable.
Ha ha……
As evening approached, Fifth Master sent Mouse out to secretly scout out the situation at the ferry crossing.
The mouse was always lazy; he loved to eat and get fat, so he didn't want to get up and move.
He said somewhat reluctantly, "Why not let the tiger go? How could a clumsy person like me be as clever as a tiger?"
Fifth Master reached out to swat the mouse, but stopped himself at the crucial moment.
He's used to it, and it's really hard for him to change it all at once.
"The tiger was almost caught by the soldiers at the ferry crossing. They might have already memorized his appearance, so it's perfect for you to go. You just need to carefully check if there's anything unusual at the ferry crossing."
The mouse had no choice but to obediently leave.
After a while, he quietly returned and said that there was nothing unusual at the ferry crossing. He also told Fifth Master that the soldiers who were searching house to house would soon find their way here.
So the tiger immediately lit a sleeping incense stick, knocked all the ladies unconscious, then put them in burlap sacks one by one, loaded them onto a wooden cart, and pushed them toward the ferry.
Fifth Master avoided rats like the plague, keeping as far away from them as possible, and even covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. As for the young ladies, he dared not approach them, feeling that even a glance would be an eyesore.
When they quietly arrived at the ferry crossing and pushed their carts toward the boat they were to meet, a large number of workers carrying goods suddenly appeared from all directions at the quiet and empty ferry crossing.
No, they were soldiers in disguise!
They all removed their disguises and captured Fifth Master, Tiger, and Rat on the spot.
They also released the young women who were covered with burlap sacks from the cart.
There were thirteen people in total, which is different from the number recorded in the police report!
Xiao Jiu and Shen Qianchuan opened the large wooden box, crawled out, and immediately went into the crowd to look for Xiao Tang.
The young ladies who had regained their freedom and been rescued wept loudly, but Xiao Tang was nowhere to be seen.
The two of them were completely dumbfounded!