"Junior Nephew... Junior Nephew is so scared right now... If Martial Uncle doesn't finish it, Master definitely won't let Martial Uncle off..." Wu Yueling said worriedly.
"Your master treats you terribly, doesn't she?" I asked casually. Wu Yueling shuddered, then said, "I can't say... terribly. It's just that whenever she treats one of us badly, we soon stop seeing her... So... so we're all terrified of Master."
"Heh heh, then do you know where they all went?" I asked. This was the first time in all these days that I had asked about the young girl.
Wu Yueling no longer dared to speak. She stood there trembling, so I reached out and pulled her over to sit beside me while I meditated. Then I said, "Just tell me the truth. I'm not your master, and I won't make things difficult for you. Besides, you're my cauldron now. You don't seem to have the right to refuse me."
Wu Yueling could only nod. "Junior Niece only heard this from others. Some of the senior sisters who can go to the market said they saw... those missing senior and junior sisters. It seems Master sent them to the immortal brothels..."
For Wu Yueling to dare speak to me like this meant she truly regarded me as one of her own. That was somewhat comforting, of course. Trust was not something that could be explained in a few words. Besides, although I seemed to be doing nothing, I had long since laid an ambush on all sides outside, waiting only for the chance to close the net.
"How many children like you, raised as cauldrons, are there?" I asked.
"More than thirty, I think..." Wu Yueling looked blank, then suddenly thought of something. "Could it be... these past few days, Martial Uncle, you...