The old woman's hands trembled slightly, as if she were overwhelmed by memories for a moment.
"My son." Her voice was hoarse and low, "Three months ago, he went out to take out the trash at night and never came back."
"Is there anything unusual that night?" Zhou Qiubai continued to ask.
"No." The old woman shook her head, tears flashing in her eyes, "Everything was the same as usual, but in the end, she never came back."
Tears finally burst out of my eyes.
Zhou Qiubai was silent for a moment and then asked, "Who are the missing people in the past three months? Do they have anything in common?"
The old woman wiped her tears and thought, "They are all poor people, Old Li who picks up rags, Widow Liu who sells vegetables, and a few beggars... Oh, by the way, they all disappear at night. They are fine during the day, but at night, some of them disappear."
"Where is the missing place?" Zhou Qiubai's eyes became more focused.
"They're all here." The old woman pointed out the window.
Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun looked at each other.
A bit like Fallen Soul Master's method.
But when they arrest people for cultivation, shouldn't they be young adults?
"Thank you." Zhou Qiubai stood up, took out a few Gold Soul Coin, and put them on the table. "Please keep them for your kindness."
The old woman waved her hands quickly. "I can't do it, I can't do it..."
"Take it." Zhou Qiubai said with a smile, "Just think of it as money to buy the message."
After leaving the old woman's house, the two visited several families of the missing persons' families and obtained similar clues.
"This looks like a premeditated arrest." Yang Guyun said.
"Indeed." Zhou Qiubai nodded, "And the people arrested are all civilians, almost ordinary people, with weak resistance. This shows that the captors are not strong, or... they don't want to make too much noise."
"Why do you arrest civilians?" Yang Guyun asked in confusion.
"I don't know either." Zhou Qiubai frowned, "But it's definitely not for money. These people have nothing to gain, and there is no ransom for being kidnapped. That is... for the people themselves."
Moreover, civilians themselves will not attract the attention of the government.
The government serves the nobility. It doesn't matter how much taxes civilians can pay a year, no matter how many people die.
I'm afraid the arresters also took note of this.
"We will act tonight." Zhou Qiubai made up his mind, "You stay in the light and act as bait. I will hide in the dark and see who will come to you."
Yang Guyun nodded. "Okay."
Night falls.
A few houses were lighting oil lamps, and Yang Guyun was walking alone on the street, deliberately slowing down and carrying a black spear behind his back.
Zhou Qiubai was hiding on the roof ten feet away, and all the surrounding sounds flooded into his ears.
Time is passing quietly.
When midnight comes, Old District becomes completely quiet.
Yang Guyun walked to the entrance of an alley and stopped.
This is the place where a missing person last appeared when I visited today.
suddenly...
Zhou Qiubai's ears trembled slightly, catching a very subtle sound coming from deep in the alley.
Coming.
Yang Guyun obviously felt it too. He didn't look back and held the gun barrel tightly with his hand.
The next second, three black figures jumped out from the alley, so fast that they hit Yang Guyun's back.
Yang Guyun turned around instantly and swept out with a spear like a dragon.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal collision exploded in the night sky, and three black figures were shaken back, revealing their figures when they landed on the ground.
They were three guys wrapped in black tights, with only a pair of eyes shining with cold light exposed.
The thing in my hand is not Martial Soul, but a weapon.
It's still poisonous.
"Soul Elder." Yang Guyun quickly judged the opponent's strength.
The three Soul Elder work together in perfect harmony.
That blow just now, they struck almost simultaneously, blocking all Yang Guyun's escape routes.
If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he might have been tricked by now.
It seems that he should be engaged in the profession of killer.
Black Clothes people didn't talk nonsense and pounced again.
This time it's a joint attack.
One person attacks the upper plate, one person attacks the lower plate, and the other person moves around from the side, surrounding Yang Guyun layer by layer.
Yang Guyun's eyes suddenly turned cold.
The spear was thrust straight into the throat of the man in front of him.
The man hurriedly changed his moves to block, but he didn't expect the tip of the spear to turn like a dragon and point at his wrist.
"Poof!"
Blood spattered, Black Clothes groaned, and dropped the short knife from his hand.
But he didn't flinch. Instead, he took out a handful of powder with his left hand and sprinkled it on Yang Guyun's face.
Poison powder?
Douluo Continent people, when did you start paying attention to things other than Martial Soul?
Yang Guyun held his breath and quickly retreated. The spear danced into a black barrier, blocking all the poisonous powder.
However, the swords of the other two were already approaching.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Two daggers were thrown away.
It is not the credit of Yang Guyun.
A White Clothes figure appeared in the field at some unknown time and lightly tapped the wrists of two Black Clothes people.
The two of them felt their wrists go numb and could no longer hold the knife.
Zhou Qiubai put away his sword and smiled slightly, "You three, let's talk?"
Black Clothes people looked at each other, suddenly turned around at the same time, and fled in three different directions.
Zhou Qiubai stepped forward and took Soul Power lightly.
"Crack."
The three Black Clothes people who were running wildly stiffened for an instant, and then fell straight down.
The acupuncture points of the human body are very strange.
Yang Guyun walked up to a Black Clothes person and pulled off his mask.
"Who sent you here?" Zhou Qiubai asked.
The man kept his mouth shut silently and refused to answer.
Zhou Qiubai sighed softly, squatted down, and lightly pressed his neck with his fingers.
The man's face instantly turned red, veins popped up on his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out.
After three seconds, Zhou Qiubai let go.
"Now, can you say it?"
The man coughed violently and looked at Zhou Qiubai with fear in his eyes.
"Dark...Shadow Society..."
"What is Shadow Society?"
"An... an organization..." the man gasped.
"Be specific?"
"No... I don't know..." The man shook his head, "I'm just a peripheral member, responsible for arresting people... Only the core members know what to do specifically..."
Zhou Qiubai frowned. "Where is the arrested person? Where is he imprisoned?"
"Old District underground... has a stronghold..." the man answered with difficulty, "The entrance is... in an abandoned cave..."
"Where?"
"Go north... three miles out of the city. There is a dead tree... under the tree..."
Zhou Qiubai nodded and pressed his neck again.
The man rolled his eyes and fainted.
"Take all three away." Zhou Qiubai stood up, "Leave it to City Guard. As for the hole..."
He turned his gaze to the north, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"Let's go take a look."
Three miles north of the city, they saw the banyan tree.
Even three people holding hands could not wrap their arms around the tree trunk.
Under the tree, there is an entrance that is so narrow that only one person can enter sideways. It is probably not a formal entrance.
"The entrance is right here."