The two men threw the three bound men onto the floor in the front hall of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor branch and reinforced their hands and feet with thick hemp rope.
Ronava's two attacks were quite severe; one left a bump on the back of her head, and the other dislocated her shoulder, leaving her still unconscious.
The one who had been knocked unconscious by Lin En with the hilt of his sword woke up first, opening his eyes groggily.
He looked around, then his gaze met Lin En and Ronava's faces. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he recoiled violently, his back hitting the table leg, wincing in pain.
"It's... it's you! Snezhnaya's most dangerous wanted criminal! We're done for today."
Lin En and Ronava exchanged a glance.
Lin En was somewhat puzzled. Ronava's expression didn't change, but her eyes were fixed on the person in front of her.
"A wanted criminal in dire straits Snezhnaya?"
Lin En crouched down to be at eye level with the man.
"This news has spread so far? Everyone in Liyue knows about it?"
The man shrank his neck, his voice trembling.
"I... I heard it from people in the underworld. They put up your portraits over there in Snezhnaya, saying you are dangerous elements who endanger the security of various countries. The reward for providing clues is 500,000 Mora, and the reward for directly arresting you is 80 million."
"This has spread throughout the smuggling and black market circles. Our boss even held a meeting and said to stay away from you guys."
Lin En made a self-deprecating remark.
"Looks like we're quite famous."
He glanced back at Ronava. The 80 million Mora bounty was much faster than they could earn money by doing commissions. He just didn't know if they would get it if they surrendered.
Ronava ignored his gaze, walked over, and looked down at the person on the ground.
Where did you send the people you arrested?
The man swallowed hard, and when he saw the spear in Ronava's hand pointed at him, his courage instantly vanished.
"They've been taken to the Chasm to mine. We're just a small organization; we specialize in catching lone young men in the Chenyu Vale and sending them to the mines. The mine managers pay us 100,000 Mora per person. We're only responsible for catching them; we don't handle what happens afterward."
Where is the mine located in the Chasm? Who is in charge? How many people are there?
Lin En asked in one breath.
"In an abandoned mine south of the Chasm, the person in charge is a Sumeru, I really don't know his name, we all just call him 'the manager.' He has about twenty men under him, most of them from the Sumeru Desert, and a few are locally recruited."
"I don't know what they were digging for in the mine. We just kept digging, getting deeper and deeper, and everything we dug out was taken away."
Lin En memorized these details.
How many people are in your organization? Besides the three of you, who else is there?
"We're just the lowest-level errand runners. Above us are two team leaders, and above them are the managers. One team leader is called Liu Mazi, and the other Zhao Siyan. They both live in town and are responsible for sending people up the mountain to collect people."
"Alright, I've told you most of what I know."
The man shrank his neck, cautiously glancing at Lin En, then at Ronava.
"Please don't kill me."
Ronava went over, untied the ropes from his feet, and loosened his hands.
"I allow you to leave this room."
The man was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. After kowtowing twice, he scrambled to his feet and rushed toward the door.
"Thank you so much! Such a kind person has eight children in one lifetime!"
He ran to the door, reached for the lock, and just as he cracked the door open and took a step out, Lin En's longsword pierced his chest from behind.
The sword tip emerged from his back and embedded itself in the door panel. The man turned around in disbelief to look at Lin En, blood gushing from his mouth.
"You didn't say... I could leave..."
"Yes."
Lin En drew his sword and wiped the blood off the blade with a handkerchief.
I told you to get out of the room, so here you are.
The man couldn't catch his breath, vomited a mouthful of blood, and collapsed to the ground.
Ronava walked over and glanced at the corpse on the ground. She raised her hand and covered it with a black energy. Within a few breaths, the corpse turned into a pile of ashes, which were blown away by the wind without leaving any trace.
Lin En swept the dust out the door with a broom, then looked back at the remaining two people.
Lin En crouched down and looked at the two unconscious guys. One of them, who had dislocated his shoulder, had woken up in pain and was gritting his teeth without making a sound.
The other one, with a bump on the back of his head, was still unconscious. Lin En pulled the one with the dislocated shoulder up and sat him against the wall, placing a sword against his neck.
"Your accomplice has already confessed. The mine is south of the Chasm, and the person in charge is Snezhnaya, who has about twenty men under him. There are also two team leaders above him, one named Liu Mazi Zhao Siyan. Whoever says something else first, I'll let them go."
The man with the dislocated shoulder glanced at him, then shut his mouth and remained silent. The man who had been unconscious next to him had just woken up and, upon hearing Lin En's words, also shut his mouth. The two men exchanged a look, their expressions both hard.
Lin En waited a few seconds, and seeing that neither of them spoke, she sighed.
"Okay."
He walked up to the man who had just woken up, and his longsword pierced straight through the man's chest. The man's eyes widened, he looked down at the sword in his chest, then looked up at Lin En, and uttered a single sentence.
"Why not kill him...?"
Because you're ugly.
Lin En drew his sword.
Upon hearing this, the man's face contorted with rage, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to catch his breath.
Lin En wiped the blood off his sword, walked over to the man with the dislocated shoulder, and placed the sword against his neck.
"Your turn. So, are you going to tell me or not?"
The man with the dislocated shoulder watched the fate of his two accomplices, his lips trembling for a long time.
"What are you talking about? Just ask!"
Lin En suddenly realized she hadn't asked, and naturally assumed the two of them knew.
After asking the question, the person finally spoke, his tone quick and urgent, as if afraid that if he was slow, he would be next.
"I'll tell you! The entrance to the mine is in a place called Starfell Valley, south of the Chasm. After you go in, go to the end and there's an iron gate. Behind the gate is the mine tunnel."
"The foreman goes to town to collect debts every five days, and otherwise stays in the mine. Liu Mazi and Zhao Siyan live at opposite ends of town, one in the east and the other in the west. Zhao Siyan has a crooked jujube tree in his yard, Liu Mazi has a red lantern hanging at his door..."
He spoke quickly and in fragmented sentences, and it took Lin En half a moment to realize that what this person said was similar to what the first one had said, but in more detail, even mentioning things like the red lanterns hanging at Liu Mazi's door.
"... Okay then."
Lin En sheathed his sword.
"You're smart to know what's good for you."
The man with the dislocated shoulder breathed a sigh of relief and was about to ask if he could leave when Lin En added another sentence.
"But you heard my criteria just now—good-looking ones I won't kill, ugly ones I will. Tell me, how good-looking are you?"
The man paused for a moment, then his face turned bright red.
"Your standards are way too subjective!"
"Yes, it is indeed subjective."
Lin En nodded, then struck the man on the neck with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious.
Keep it for now, it might come in handy later.
Ronava went over, picked up the unconscious man from the ground, and threw him into a corner of the inner room.
What should we do about this?
"Tie them up first."
Lin En replied
"It will still be useful to explain it to the villagers in Yilong Wharf later."