After a month into the siege, Shi Sheng woke up one morning to the sounds of excitement among the Demon Sect members.
“Sect Master, Sect Master, are you awake?” Ting Feng banged the door.
Shi Sheng opened it. “What?” ‘Can’t you just let me sleep? It’s still early...’
“They’re fighting amongst themselves! Sect Master, wanna take a look?” Ting Feng had an excited expression on.
Shi Sheng frowned. ‘Fighting amongst themselves?’“Come on, come on!” Ting Feng had grown much bolder—he now dared to pull Shi Sheng along.
The little puppy scampered out from the house and unsteadily followed Shi Sheng, but had to stop at the stairs leading down the mountain. They were too tall for it to descend on its own.
When Shi Sheng passed by the mountain gate, she looked up and received a fright from suddenly seeing the human figure standing on top of it.
“Did Gu Yu move house?” ‘Wasn’t he always on rooftops? Yet now he’s changed to absorbing natural energies on the mountain gate?’
Ting Feng followed her gaze. His eyes rolled as he thought. “Because it gives a view of what’s happening below.”
Shi Sheng, “...” ‘So, why not just come down to watch then?’
More than half of the Demon Sect were gathered at the bottom of the mountain.When Shi Sheng came down, they immediately wisely cleared out the best viewing spot for her.
The people in the distance were separated into three distinct groups.
Shen Xingyang and Shen Xinghai led one, Village Head Zhong led another, while the last one was led by someone Shi Sheng was unfamiliar with. Bai-fu wasn’t present.
The three sides faced off against each other. The atmosphere seemed rather tense.
“When did Shen Xinghai arrive?”
“Last night.” Er Gou Zi immediately replied. “I heard he discussed the matter of the kidnapped girls with Shen Xingyang last night. Then this morning, Shen Xingyang and Zhong Han started arguing. Shen Xinghai accused Zhong Han of being the mastermind behind the kidnappings. They’ve already fought once just now...”
‘Zhong Han was that Jadewater Village Head, who was looking to get something from me. If he’s the mastermind behind the kidnappings, does that mean he was planning on kidnapping me(bbb)?’
“Why is Zhong Weiwei over there?” Shi Sheng suddenly pointed at a red figure in the crowd.
‘Zhong Weiwei... Zhong Han? Don’t tell me they’re father and daughter?’
“She went over earlier. We didn’t manage to stop her.” Ting Feng replied.
Because of the distance, Shi Sheng couldn’t hear what they were saying, so she left the safe area to get closer to them.
“Eh? Sect Master...” ‘Why’re you going out?’
Ting Feng hesitated for a moment before running after her.
Since their Sect Master and Sentinel had both left, the other Demon Sect members couldn’t help but follow along.
Hence it became a scene where Shi Sheng led a bunch of people over to them in what could be perceived as an aggressive manner.
The opposing party had also noticed Shi Sheng heading towards them, so they all turned to look at her.
“Witch Wu Zheng! Stop there!”
“If I stopped when you told me to, where would I put my face?” Shi Sheng sneered. She continued walking for about another ten metres before stopping.
Everyone, “...” ‘So you have face if you walk a few more steps?’
“Opening a conference this early? Mind if I watch?” Shi Sheng smilingly looked at Shen Xinghai.
He nodded to her slightly. “Ms Wu Zheng, do what you wish.”
“Shen Xinghai!” Zhong Han shouted. “Are you planning on being in cahoots with the Demon Sect?!”
Shen Xinghai gave him a neutral look. “Village Head Zhong, Ms Wu Zheng is just here to watch. As it happens, she can also bear witness.”
Zhong Han’s reaction was a bit agitated. “She’s the Demon Sect’s Sect Master! How can she bear witness? Shen Xinghai, have you long been in cahoots with the Demon Sect?!”
Shi Sheng harrumphed. “Why can’t I bear witness?”
‘Do I(bbb) not look human? Are the Demon Sect’s people not humans?’
“Village Head Zhong, you should explain Second Young Master Shen’s accusations. Since Sect Master Wu Zheng doesn’t have any other motives, it should be fine to let her be present. After all, this matter involves the Demon Sect.” The third party came out to be the mediator.
“I’ve already explained.” Zhong Han’s expression turned cold. “My Third Brother was in charge of those properties. I had no idea what he was doing.”
Shen Xinghai looked at Zhong Weiwei. “But Ms Zhong has already said that while Third Master Zhong was alive, he had already given all his properties to you. Would you be unaware?”
“What does a little girl like her know?” Zhong Han glared at Zhong Weiwei with a hint of threat.
Zhong Weiwei’s expression wasn’t too pleasant. When Zhong Han glared at her, rage bubbled up in her eyes. “Second Uncle, are you this desperate to pin the blame on my father?!”
“I’m telling the truth.” Zhong Han frowned. “Weiwei, you’re still young and don’t understand. I’ll explain it to you when we get back. Don’t help these outsiders against your Second Uncle. We’re family.”
“Who’s family with you?!”
“Zhong Weiwei...”
Shi Sheng was surprised. ‘So they’re not father and daughter!’
Shi Sheng got the Demon Sect members to bring a chair over. She reckoned it’d be worth watching this show.
Everyone else, “...” ‘This Demon Sect leader really thinks she’s here to watch a show?’
“When my father was alive, you took all those properties for yourself! If not for my mother’s dowry, our family would’ve long since starved to death! Second Uncle, how could you say all those things without fear of being struck by lightning?!”
Shen Xinghai stepped forward and pulled Zhong Weiwei into his arms, lightly patting her back.
“Okay. Since you say I took them, where’s the evidence to prove it?”
Shi Sheng listened for awhile before piecing together what happened.
Shen Xinghai had been investigating who the people chasing them were. But he found out that they were from Jadewater Village. Zhong Weiwei was the daughter of Jadewater Village’s Third Master. He had passed away half a year ago, leaving behind his wife and daughter.
Zhong-mu wasn’t in good health. After Third Master Zhong passed away, she followed soon after, leaving Zhong Weiwei behind to fend for herself.
Shen Xinghai was confused as to why Jadewater Village would try to assassinate their own young miss, so he continued investigating this lead.
He discovered that Jadewater Village owned several brothels and had been partaking in human trafficking, forcing young girls into prostitution.
The current missing persons case was their doing.
But now, Zhong Han was pushing all responsibility onto the already deceased Third Master Zhong. As the saying went, the dead couldn’t speak for themselves.
Naturally, Zhong Weiwei was unhappy about this.
She had always known that her Father and Second Uncle didn’t have the best of relationships. But she hadn’t expected her Second Uncle to be so cruel as to sell her off and even pin the blame on her father.
Since when had he ever treated them as family?
“If Village Head Zhong wants proof, then I naturally have some.” Shen Xinghai gestured for Zhong Weiwei to not speak.
Her eyes were a bit red and misty, but she didn’t shed a single tear.
Zhong Han remained calm. “Then please take it out.”
Shen Xinghai took several books out from his sleeves. He handed them over to the neutral third party. “Please look clearly. These are the names of all the women who have been kidnapped. They have been stamped with Village Head Zhong’s seal at the bottom.”
Those people circulated the books around.
“It really is Village Head Zhong’s seal.”
“Indeed.”
Zhong Han’s expression finally changed. When the books finally made their way to him, he flipped through them. Their content were unfamiliar to him, but the seal on them was his.
But he had never stamped any books of this sort...
What kind of idiot would stamp their seal on something illegal, after all?
Zhong Han closed the last book. “Second Young Master Shen, I’ve never seen this before. And it’s very easy to forge seals... While my third brother was alive, he was allowed to enter my study at will, so he would’ve been able to obtain my seal.”
“You’re lying!” Zhong Weiwei’s face was red from anger. “You’ve never allowed anyone into your study! Since when could my father enter it at will?!”
