Since Lin Xiao Tian had said so, everyone present immediately gave up hope.
As Li De Ping was already dead, Lin Xiao Tian decided to take him out of the clinic.
According to the clinic's regulations, the family should claim the body. However, Li De Ping's parents had passed away years ago, and Li Gui Hua had divorced him. If Lin Xiao Tian did not take Li De Ping away, he would have to remain at the clinic indefinitely.
"I think this is for the best. Since the man is dead, it's best to let him rest in peace. I'll take him back to the village, which will save you all some trouble," Lin Xiao Tian suggested.
The clinic doctors naturally did not refuse Lin Xiao Tian. Moreover, Lin Xiao Tian's reputation preceded him. They had Lin Xiao Tian sign a document and then handed Li De Ping over to him.
Lin Xiao Tian asked Sister Hong to help find a car to temporarily place Li De Ping at his current residence. Then, he planned to take Li De Ping back to Jin Sha Village when daylight broke.
Several subordinates helped carry Li De Ping into the house, and then they left.
After everyone had left, Lin Xiao Tian took out a few golden needles and quickly pressed them at several points on Li De Ping's body.
*Whoosh...*
Li De Ping seemed to awaken from drowning, gasping for a large breath.
"Ouch! I was suffocating! This fake death is so painful!" Li De Ping cried out in agony.
"Otherwise, how could we fool those people?" Lin Xiao Tian spread his hands.
The process of faking death was indeed unpleasant.
Lin Xiao Tian needed to create the illusion of stopped breathing. This required preventing Li De Ping from breathing normally. Therefore, Lin Xiao Tian sealed Li De Ping's acupoints, forcing him to take a breath only once every few seconds.
In terms of body temperature, to lower it, he had to manipulate the heart. It could be said that at that time, Li De Ping had only a sliver of consciousness, and his entire body was completely unresponsive.
"I'll take you back to the village tomorrow, and then we'll find a way to get you out," Lin Xiao Tian said.
"Okay! I've already thought of a way to get out. We'll find a cart, load it with some straw, and no one will notice."
Lin Xiao Tian raised an eyebrow.
This reminded him of Bai Fen's human trafficking activities.
"Li De Ping, tell me the truth. Did you know Bai Fen's background well?"
"This... May Heaven be my witness, Xiao Tian, if I had known she was a human trafficker, I would never have let her in! I thought she was sent by those people to keep an eye on you!"
Lin Xiao Tian glanced at Li De Ping again. Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, he didn't press further.
The next day, Sister Hong's people called a minivan.
Everyone carried Li De Ping into the minivan. At Li De Ping's strong request, Lin Xiao Tian did not put him in a fake death state this time. Instead, he wrapped Li De Ping in a body bag, secretly leaving a small gap so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
After all, in everyone's impression, Li De Ping was already dead, and not many people would pay much attention to him.
When the minivan reached the entrance of the mountain road in Jin Sha Village, Lin Xiao Tian found another donkey cart and placed Li De Ping on it.
The driver of the donkey cart was also a villager from Jin Sha Village. Upon hearing that Li De Ping had died, he looked incredibly shocked.
"What? How did such a living person die?" asked Grandpa Li, the donkey cart driver, with concern.
"He ate something he shouldn't have, and was poisoned," Lin Xiao Tian lied. The events that had recently transpired had already put the villagers on edge. If this matter were to get out, it would only cause panic among them.
"Oh dear! De Ping was indeed careless. Being so old, he should have taken better care of himself." Grandpa Li's words, though sounding like criticism, were actually a display of concern for Li De Ping.
On the donkey cart, Li De Ping's lips twitched with emotion upon hearing Grandpa Li's words.
In the past, he had relied on his power to bully many people. Now, in such a state, there were still people who cared about him. Thinking of this, he felt even more ashamed.
Upon arriving at Jin Sha Village, Lin Xiao Tian found an elder from the village to preside over Li De Ping's funeral rites.
Li De Ping did not have many relatives in the village, but almost the entire village participated in the mourning.
An old Taoist priest from the village performed the rituals for Li De Ping, and then, witnessed by everyone, Li De Ping was laid to rest in the earth.
Of course, the person they laid to rest was not the real Li De Ping.
Lin Xiao Tian had switched him out long ago. The real Li De Ping was present at the funeral, albeit disguised. No one could recognize him as Li De Ping; they thought he was an outsider who had come with Lin Xiao Tian.
After the rituals were completed, the crowd dispersed.
Lin Xiao Tian took the real Li De Ping back to his home and instructed him to wait in the bedroom.
Shortly after, Lin Xiao Tian returned with a laptop.
"Look at these people. Do any of them look familiar?"
Lin Xiao Tian pointed to a pile of photos on the computer. He was now the vice president of Jiang's Corporation and had the power to appoint and dismiss personnel. Obtaining employee information from the group was as simple as a word.
Lin Xiao Tian sorted the photos by rank. To ensure no suspect was missed, Lin Xiao Tian even brought in individuals who had been fired from the group, including Jiang Li's bodyguard.
Jiang Li's bodyguard was equivalent to the steward of Jiang's Corporation, similar to the relationship between Fang Wen Hua and Xu Xiao. They were core figures in Jiang's Corporation. Lin Xiao Tian's primary suspect was him.
After all, someone who could command such respect from the mayor of Jiang City could not possibly be an insignificant person, and the role of a steward was undoubtedly the most likely suspect.
However, Li De Ping, upon seeing the photos, shook his head repeatedly.
"No, these are not them..."
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Lin Xiao Tian frowned.
"Why would I lie to you? We're all in this together now. That person even sent someone to poison me. I wish you would deal with him, so I can finally have peace of mind."
Lin Xiao Tian didn't fully believe Li De Ping's words, but as he said, there was little point in lying.
Perhaps the so-called Master Kui was lurking somewhere within Jiang's Corporation?
Or perhaps he was from the Lin family?
"Never mind. Stay at my place during this time. Don't go anywhere. If I find any new leads later, I'll send you the photos."
Li De Ping nodded.
After settling Li De Ping, Lin Xiao Tian left the village.
The safest place is often the most dangerous. Jin Sha Village had no surveillance, and no one would be foolish enough to stake out an empty house. Lin Xiao Tian would periodically bring food to ensure Li De Ping didn't starve.
After leaving the village, Lin Xiao Tian originally intended to find a separate residence in Jiang City, but the old lady insisted he stay at the Lin family home. Lin Xiao Tian had no choice but to remain.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't understand what was happening. Ever since he had saved the old lady last time, she seemed to trust him exceptionally.
Was this the same suspicious and cunning old man he knew?
Could there be some scheme at play?