Loathing Them to the Bone

"This..." The middle-aged man was inwardly horrified. This matter was exceedingly secretive—how had this youth learned of it?

"May I ask what you mean, young master?" he asked, forcing himself to appear calm.

"I fear your pavilion must give an explanation for this matter. After all, it concerns so many innocent children." Chen Fan had already sensed this man's guilty conscience. Moreover, that half-burned incense had made him think of human traffickers. However, he guessed that the incense could not have been entrusted to the traffickers for auction. Otherwise, if auctioning it exposed the child abductions, they could easily be swept up in one net when they returned to collect the Spirit Stones. The most likely possibility was that they had sold the incense before leaving Pingliang City, then slipped away without a trace. From the conversation of those men last night, Chen Fan had judged that they were merely minor lackeys of some force. This incense had likely been issued to them, and selling it to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion had simply been for a little personal profit.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man could no longer conceal himself. Panic flooded his face, and his voice slipped out of control. "Y-you... how did you know?"

So it was indeed true. Seeing the man's appearance, Chen Fan understood. "There is no need to panic. As the saying goes, every grievance has its creditor and every debt its owner. I believe the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's reputation is not so poor that it would engage in such heaven-defying, conscience-destroying deeds. I merely wish to know how your pavilion obtained this item, as well as some details of the process."

"This..." The middle-aged man looked troubled.

"How about this? If you can provide the information I seek, the ten Spirit Stones from earlier shall be considered payment for the information. What do you say?" Chen Fan said. He did not care about ten Spirit Stones. Given time, could he not make money by refining a few pills? What truly concerned him was the information regarding this Spirit-Mystifying Incense.

"To be honest, young master, this is not something I can decide. Please wait a moment longer. I shall immediately invite our pavilion's chief shopkeeper." Having said this, the middle-aged man hurried toward the rear hall.

The Myriad Treasures Pavilion's chief shopkeeper should not have been in this branch at the moment, but he was presumably somewhere within the city. Sure enough, not long after, an old man emerged from the rear hall. It seemed the Myriad Treasures Pavilion had some concealed entrances and exits, which was perfectly normal.

The moment the old man arrived, he released a surge of Origin Qi, enveloping an area several feet around him as it pressed toward Chen Fan. Chen Fan frowned. Was this old man trying to silence him? The Golden Wheel Scripture revolved at top speed within him. With a single glare, a powerful shockwave blasted toward the old man. In an instant, it shattered the Origin Qi he had gathered. The old man was greatly startled and hastily released another surge of Internal Qi to defend himself. Yet he discovered that he could not withstand even this casual strike from the youth. He staggered back several steps, spat out a mouthful of blood, and nearly fell.

Several attendants who had followed him were alarmed and hurried forward to support him. Yet the old man waved them away, indicating that he was fine. After catching his breath, he straightened and bowed to Chen Fan. "Thank you, young master, for showing mercy. Please forgive this old man's presumptuousness and offense just now. This matter concerns the reputation of my Myriad Treasures Pavilion, so I hope you will not take offense."

Chen Fan laughed inwardly. The old man had clearly intended to give him a show of force, hoping to intimidate Chen Fan with his second-layer Internal Qi cultivation and make him retreat in the face of difficulty, no longer pursuing the matter. Yet he had not expected that, with Chen Fan prepared, he would instead be wounded by the recoil of Chen Fan's condensed Origin Qi fluctuations.

Chen Fan truly had shown mercy. Otherwise, if he had drawn his sword and attacked with Sword Qi, even if the old man did not die, half his life would have been lost. At this moment, the old man no longer had the slightest courage to make another move.

"Please follow me into the inner hall for a discussion, young master." The old man extended an inviting hand, his attitude sincere.

Chen Fan followed the old man into a secluded room in the inner hall. The old man dismissed the others and shut the door. Chen Fan was not afraid that he would try anything again. After all, this man was the strongest cultivator in the shop. Still, Chen Fan kept his guard up against tricks such as poison. If they truly tried to poison him, they would be displaying an axe before Lu Ban's door. Studying that Treasure Record thoroughly had not only allowed him to master poison refining, but also given him an intimate understanding of all manner of poison use. Combined with his powerful resistance to toxins, there should be no poison in this city capable of threatening him.

"To be honest, young master, this Spirit-Mystifying Incense is indeed connected to the disappearance of children in this city. However, this old man can guarantee that our shop has absolutely nothing to do with it," the old man slowly said.

Chen Fan looked at the old man without comment. The old man continued, "This matter began half a month ago. On that day, several people came to our Myriad Treasures Pavilion. All were local residents of this city, and they had come to inquire about their missing children. I presume you know that, aside from selling treasures and materials, our pavilion also sells useful information. After all, we have stationed many people throughout the city to seek out potential sellers of treasures, and in passing, we learn much intelligence as well. Thus, in the following days, our pavilion sent people to investigate, but we gained nothing. Instead, more and more children vanished." At this point, the old man's brows were also tightly furrowed.

"Later, even the City Lord was alarmed. The City Lord's Manor dispatched a large number of cultivators to search, including several second-layer experts. However, the human traffickers had clearly come prepared and acted with extreme secrecy. We deduced that they were likely operating as a group. During the day, they searched the city for targets and abducted children. Then, at night, they coordinated from within and without with people waiting outside the city, transporting the children away. Thus, our pavilion and the City Lord's Manor watched such movements closely. At last, one evening, we discovered a suspicious man by the city wall and subdued him. Yet just as we were about to interrogate him, he swallowed poison and killed himself. We searched his belongings and found only that half-burned incense. After the City Lord examined and analyzed it, he concluded that it was Spirit-Mystifying Incense. This incense was certainly not something possessed by ordinary people, and there must be quite formidable experts among those villains. Therefore, we did not dare act rashly. We only warned the city's residents to keep close watch over their children and strengthened patrols around the city walls at night."

Chen Fan nodded thoughtfully. It seemed the truth differed somewhat from his earlier estimate. "So the Myriad Treasures Pavilion is not an accomplice, but rather one of the righteous forces in this city."

"You praise us too highly. We are also citizens of this city and have merely contributed our meager strength." The old man's tone carried some helplessness. "However, we discovered this too late. Several hundred children have already vanished without a trace. Those traffickers also seem to have noticed our precautions, and gradually ceased all activity. They have likely withdrawn all their people from this city. With no other choice, we thought to auction this Spirit-Mystifying Incense publicly. Perhaps someone from that group would return to bid for it in order to conceal the evidence, and we could then follow the vine to find the melon. Yet it seems this was futile as well. I fear those children can never be recovered."

They had abducted so many children. It was simply utterly devoid of conscience. Chen Fan guessed those villains had already moved on to the next city to commit their crimes. Had I known, I should have pretended to be drugged unconscious that day and let them take me away, then infiltrated them to see what they truly intended.

"It seems I truly wronged you earlier. I hope Shopkeeper will not take offense. I have encountered those villains before, which is why I became suspicious." Since there were no other useful clues, Chen Fan prepared to leave the city as well.

Seeing that Chen Fan was about to leave, the old man took a pouch of Spirit Stones and a wooden box from his robes. "Young master, these are the ten Spirit Stones from earlier. In addition, this old man has an unsolicited request. If you agree, this item shall be gifted to you."

Chen Fan opened the wooden box and found another piece of Wind-Veined Jade. This piece was considerably smaller than the one he had purchased at auction, but if both were fused into his sword, they would surely increase its power by a great deal.

"May I ask what instructions Shopkeeper has?" Seeing the other party's generosity, Chen Fan naturally became much more courteous.

"I would not dare call them instructions. This old man merely saw that your skills are extraordinary, young master, and presumed you do not fear those people. To be honest, the City Lord has already informed the cultivation forces nearby of what happened, including many great sects. This matter may involve high-level cultivators, so high-level cultivators must deal with it. Those major powers have also stated that they will send people to investigate the area. After you leave this city, if you find any clues along the way, please contact and inform us. Perhaps there may still be time to save those children."

Chen Fan nodded. It was only a matter of lending a hand. Moreover, he loathed what these people had done to the bone. If he had the ability, he would certainly help. He put away the Spirit Stones and materials, bid the old man farewell, and left through the city's south gate.

After leaving the south gate, Chen Fan traveled westward. Before he departed, the old shopkeeper had mentioned that far more people than usual had left through the south gate in recent days, leading him to suspect they were the human traffickers. Thus, Chen Fan also chose the south gate. He checked the map again. The nearest city to this one lay several hundred li to the west and was also the most likely next target for those people.

Since this matter had already become so serious, Swordcry Mountain surely would not stand by once it learned of it. Chen Fan was also a cultivator of this region and ought to contribute to eliminating evil and protecting the good. Furthermore, all signs indicated that this group's schemes were far from ordinary. If allowed to continue, they would certainly cause endless future trouble. The people behind this matter might also be connected to the destruction of Golden Wheel Temple.

With these thoughts firmly settled, Chen Fan hurried onward. At his current speed, he should reach the next city at roughly the same time as those people. Before he left, the old shopkeeper had also told him not to alert the enemy if he found anything. He should use carrier pigeons to send a message. Many carrier pigeons traveled between these two cities, and pigeon merchants could easily be found in town. This was the fastest means of communication in the mortal world, and much quicker than running back and forth himself.

Rushing without rest, Chen Fan finally arrived at Blackrock City before nightfall. This city was even more remote than Pingliang City. Looking across the entire Central Forest Continent, it lay farther west as well. If one continued westward for several thousand li, one would even leave the mapped territory of the Central Forest Continent, entering the boundless deserts and Gobi wastelands, or so it was said.

Chen Fan entered the city as the evening glow filled the sky and its fading rays spilled across the earth. There were not many people in the streets, painting a scene of dusk. Chen Fan noticed that perhaps because they had lived in this remote place year-round, the city's residents showed a trace of wariness upon seeing an outsider like him. It was also clear that the people here were fierce by nature. Most of the men were tall and brawny, their eyes filled with savagery. Perhaps that is a good thing, he thought. It seemed these traffickers would have some difficulty taking children away from here without anyone noticing.

Chen Fan calculated that these people should have infiltrated the city by now. Following their usual methods, they always acted during the day. At present, they should be hidden throughout the city—in major inns, taverns, brothels, or abandoned and unoccupied houses. Any of those could serve as their hiding place.

Then he would take advantage of the night to search the city. For one thing, alone beneath the cover of darkness, he would be less easily noticed and thus safer. For another, even if he was discovered, it would be easier to escape should he be outmatched.

Sure enough, though Blackrock City was remote, its nightlife was remarkably colorful. The city's entertainment establishments were all brilliantly lit, providing the human traffickers with perfect places to hide. Chen Fan considered it. At his age, he should avoid places for drinking and that sort of thing. He might as well inspect several of the city's larger inns, since he needed somewhere to stay anyway.

As Chen Fan walked, he was passing a broad street when two men suddenly hurried out from a large courtyard. Their steps were unsteady, and they appeared to have drunk quite a bit. After they left, a woman's voice drifted out from behind them. "Why are you two esteemed guests leaving so soon? I haven't had enough fun yet."

Chen Fan frowned. This was actually a brothel. But his gaze immediately shifted to those two men. Leaving halfway through drinking with courtesans was surely suspicious. He quietly followed them from a distance.

The two men also kept looking ahead and behind, as though afraid of being followed. Chen Fan did not dare tail them too closely. Yet with his senses, even once they left his line of sight, he could still faintly detect their traces, so he did not lose them.

The two men wound through streets and alleys until they finally stopped at a corner within the city. After stopping, they looked around in every direction, as if searching for something. Chen Fan halted behind a nearby house. This was the furthest distance his sight and hearing could reach.