Chapter 48 South City

Nancheng is the largest city in the southern part of the Huaxia Empire and also the capital of the Southern Province.

Although Nancheng is not as large or prosperous as the capital, Tianjing, but as the south's largest city, its proximity to the border and neighboring small kingdoms draws merchants from both the empire and the surrounding small states to do business here, making it exceptionally prosperous.

Looking at this thriving and bustling city, Lin Xing thought to himself with a sigh: Only a major power like ours can maintain such peaceful, large cities. In small countries, especially those plagued by war, people are displaced and live in destitution, making such an environment impossible. However, this situation likely won't last much longer.

From a continental perspective, many empires are now stirring restlessly. They haven't launched wars only because they believe the timing isn't right. Once they deem the moment opportune, the entire continent will likely have no peaceful place left.

It was noon...

Jufu Restaurant.

On the second floor, Lin Xing took a seat in the main hall, ordered a few dishes, and drank some wine.

Lin Xing didn't want to go to the third floor, and the first floor wasn't right for him either. Only the second floor was just right. Lin Xing was on a training journey and needed to pick up all sorts of information. The people on the second floor, aside from some minor nobles, were mostly scholars and wandering warriors who frequently traveled across the continent. They always had the latest news.

"Big brother, are the rumors about kids going missing all the time true?" asked one of the four mercenary-dressed men sitting at the table next to Lin Xing.

"Third Brother, I'm afraid it's true. Everyone's talking about it. My guess is, someone's behind it. Otherwise, how could so many children go missing? I've also heard some who lost their children have gone crazy with grief."

"Big brother, what do you think they're doing with those children? What use could such young kids be? Unless..." Third Brother's expression suddenly shifted dramatically.

"Shh, Third Brother, keep your voice down. Don't say anymore. Let's eat up and get out of here."

Although they kept their voices very low, Lin Xing heard every word clearly. He sensed something unusual about this matter, and Third Brother's reaction made him even more curious.

Moreover, Lin Xing knew this was definitely not a good thing!

However, these guys clammed up. But Lin Xing got the feeling they knew something for sure!

Just as Lin Xing was considering whether to go over and ask them, they had already paid their bill and left. Lin Xing immediately settled his bill as well and followed the four of them, intending to find out more.

Lin Xing didn't follow them stealthily but chose to walk directly behind them, keeping a steady distance.

"Big brother, someone is following us. What should we do?" Third Brother said anxiously.

"Pick up the pace, lose him!" But Lin Xing hung back, staying just close enough to keep them in sight.

"Boss, what do we do? That bastard seems to be an expert. We can't shake him off!"

Feeling something was wrong, the group wandered around Nancheng, trying to lose Lin Xing. But with Lin Xing's skills, it was impossible for them to shake him off.

Finally, they reached a secluded, deserted alley. The boss stopped. He knew they couldn't shake off the pursuer behind them—the person was too strong, unfathomable.

The four drew their weapons and turned to face Lin Xing. "Brother, why are you following us?"

Lin Xing smiled slightly and continued walking forward. "Don't be nervous. I'm not your enemy."

"Stop! Don't come any closer! I'll attack if you take another step!" Third Brother shouted at Lin Xing, brandishing his sword. Lin Xing stopped advancing and raised both hands, showing he was unarmed.

"I just want to ask you something." "What is it? Speak." They all remained vigilant, watching Lin Xing.

"I wanted to ask about the specific details of the matter you mentioned in the restaurant earlier." After saying this, Lin Xing stared at them intently.

Their expressions changed, and they exchanged glances. The boss said, "I don't know what you're talking about. We don't know anything. Go ask someone else. We don't know."

Seeing their expressions, Lin Xing felt even more convinced that they not only knew but probably knew quite clearly.

"I heard everything you said in the restaurant clearly. You mentioned something about missing children and something else?" Lin Xing still spoke with a smile.

"Who exactly are you?" they asked nervously, tightening their grip on their weapons and watching Lin Xing warily.

Looking at their expressions, Lin Xing found it somewhat amusing. Did he really look like a bad person? But he composed himself and said seriously, "Don't worry. I just arrived here from Tianjing. I truly mean you no harm. I'm just a bit curious about what you were discussing earlier."

"You really know nothing about the rumors of missing children in the south?" Lin Xing nodded. "I only heard about it from you today."

"Boss, it seems he really doesn't know anything." The boss nodded but still seemed somewhat distrustful of Lin Xing. "Are you really from the north and just arrived here?" Lin Xing nodded sincerely.

"I have no reason to lie to you. To be honest, there's nothing you have that I would covet." The four smiled awkwardly. Indeed, they had nothing that Lin Xing would desire. If Lin Xing intended to harm them, he probably would have acted long ago and wouldn't have waited until now.

The boss looked around and said, "It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to our place. By the way, what should we call you, young brother? The four of us are sworn brothers of different surnames. I'm Li Da, second brother is Wang Quan, third brother is Li Er, and fourth brother is Zhao Feng."

"My name is Lin Xing." Lin Xing told the truth, unafraid of any potential trouble.

Upon arriving at the rented residence of Li Da and the others, Lin Xing couldn't wait to ask.

"To talk about this matter, we have to start with our identities. The four of us are mercenaries. Originally, we were all members of a medium-sized mercenary group—the Leopard Mercenary Group. But..." Li Da glanced at the other three, speaking with a mix of anger and sorrow, "But now, the entire mercenary group only has the few of us left."

Lin Xing understood the pain of having one's group wiped out and didn't interrupt.

After a moment, Li Da continued, "At that time, our entire group had completed a mission and returned to a small town on the border of the Siji Country. We stayed there for the night. However, that night, we learned about something infuriating: children in that area were disappearing day by day, and the same was happening nearby. Almost every night, some family's child would go missing, causing widespread panic! We knew someone was stealing or snatching children."

"As the Leopard Mercenary Group, since we were passing through, we took on the patrol duty for that night! Sure enough, around midnight, we heard a scream. We knew someone had come to steal a child. We rushed toward the source of the sound and indeed saw a suspicious person holding a child, running wildly outside!"

"We were all furious, so we chased after them with all our might! We followed them outside! It turned out they were part of a gang. There were over a dozen people waiting outside, some already holding stolen children!"

"We went to intercept them. Even though our Leopard group had many people attacking those few, we still let one person escape. We didn't think much of it at the time, but that mistake led to the destruction of our Leopard Mercenary Group!"

"After that night, we continued our journey back home. But a few nights later, while we were sleeping, we were awakened by shouts and sounds of killing."

"It was those child-stealing scoundrels again. This time, they came with many people! Many experts! After a fierce battle, we four brothers managed to escape by chance. But the rest of our Leopard brothers... they were all killed."

"Who were they?" Lin Xing couldn't help but feel puzzled. Li Da hadn't mentioned who those people were from beginning to end!

"They were scum from the Bage Country!" Li Da said through gritted teeth.