Lin Xiao Tian listened to Li Er Guai's words and fell into thought.
He had also overheard the conversation between Liu Lao Han and Xiao Gang earlier, where it was vaguely mentioned that they were acting under someone's orders.
Following that, Li Er Guai relayed all the information they had extracted from their interrogation to Lin Xiao Tian.
It turned out that Bai Fen's true identity was that of a human trafficker!
She had come to this place under someone's instructions to abduct Qin Yu Xiang.
The other party had promised her millions in reward, and even offered her a secure life abroad.
Having been a human trafficker for so long, Bai Fen had always longed for a stable life, and thus agreed to the arrangement.
Xiao Gang was Bai Fen's accomplice. They were not mother and son. This time, however, the person who commissioned them wanted someone to keep an eye on Lin Xiao Tian. Since an adult would surely make Lin Xiao Tian suspicious, they brought Xiao Gang in.
Xiao Gang was a local delinquent, Liu Lao Han's nephew, and currently affiliated with Zhang De Biao. He was relatively easier to manipulate.
As for the middle-aged man, he was the one who had been cooperating with Bai Fen all along. In the past, one of them handled the trafficking, and the other handled the transportation.
They would have succeeded today, but they hadn't expected Li Er Mao to intervene and completely disrupt their plan.
To prevent Lin Xiao Tian from reacting, they decided to take Li Er Mao as well. Xiao Gang, emboldened by audacity, colluded with Liu Lao Han and even kidnapped Zhang Cui Hua.
They used a donkey cart, covering the people inside with dry grass.
Furthermore, their superior had arranged obstacles for Lin Xiao Tian, ensuring he couldn't return in time to stop them.
Everything was going smoothly.
Who could have predicted that Lin Xiao Tian would arrive ahead of schedule?
If Lin Xiao Tian had found their operation, they would have had no escape.
Fortunately, Liu Lao Han stepped in to help, even borrowing a donkey cart to transport the three kidnapped individuals back to the village. This allowed them to escape Lin Xiao Tian's search unscathed.
Now, all they needed was to find an opportunity for Liu Lao Han to send the three out again, and their mission would be complete.
But who would have thought that Lin Xiao Tian would suspect Liu Lao Han, leading to their downfall and capture?
"Alas! It's a shame Bai Fen was too stubborn and refused to reveal the identity of the person who instructed them," Li Er Guai sighed.
Lin Xiao Tian narrowed his eyes. Although Bai Fen remained silent, he could already make a guess as to who was behind it.
For Bai Fen to be so apprehensive, the person must have significant influence in Qing Zhou. Moreover, their ability to command Zhang De Biao's subordinates made their identity quite obvious.
Recalling the events of the day, Lin Xiao Tian became even more certain of his suspicions!
However, he was puzzled as to why the other party would go to such lengths to capture Qin Yu Xiang.
Was it to control him?
Considering his current relationship with Fang Wen Hua, such an action would be self-defeating.
The next day, the police arrived at the village and took Bai Fen and the others away.
At the village entrance, Liu Lao Han pleaded incessantly, begging for mercy.
"Comrade police, I'm just a lonely old man living alone. I was momentarily confused and did the wrong thing. I know I was wrong now, can you let me go this time?"
"Village Chief, you tell them! I was just momentarily bewitched, I never thought it would be this serious."
But the law was unforgiving; mistakes had to be punished, and no amount of regret could help Liu Lao Han.
"Serves him right! For being so overbearing all the time!"
"With Liu Lao Han gone, he probably won't be out for at least seven or eight years, right?"
"Heh, seven or eight years is what he deserves for colluding with human traffickers. How could he lay hands on such young children!"
"Yes, seven or eight years is lenient. If they had fallen into the hands of traffickers, their entire lives would be ruined."
The villagers were indignant, not a single one spoke in Liu Lao Han's defense.
Meanwhile, to prevent such incidents from happening again, Lin Xiao Tian took Liang Xu's advice and decided to install a camera at home.
Qin Yu Xiang had a lingering fear of cameras, but after Lin Xiao Tian's persuasion, she finally agreed.
He asked Liang Xu to help with the installation, and today he planned to stay with Qin Yu Xiang, especially after the events of yesterday.
Just then, Lin Xiao Tian received a call from Xu Qing He.
"Hello, Xiao Tian, when are you coming to the clinic today?" Xu Qing He's voice was gentle.
Ever since Lin Xiao Tian displayed his extraordinary medical skills last time, more people had come seeking his help. Xu Qing He had a backlog of appointments, and he was about to go crazy if Lin Xiao Tian didn't show up soon.
"Um... Director Xu, I'd like to take a leave of absence today," Lin Xiao Tian said.
"Leave of absence? This..." Xu Qing He sounded hesitant.
"Director, I have an urgent matter today."
After a moment of silence on the other end, Xu Qing He finally agreed.
"Alright, but remember, this is considered compensatory leave. You'll have to make up for it next time."
"No problem."
They chatted briefly, and Lin Xiao Tian hung up the phone.
"Xiao Tian, it's alright. The clinic is more important," Qin Yu Xiang quickly reassured him, knowing that Lin Xiao Tian was skipping the clinic because of her.
But Lin Xiao Tian paid no heed. With the surveillance system not yet installed, he couldn't leave Qin Yu Xiang alone at home.
In the time that followed, Lin Xiao Tian didn't idle. As usual, he began refining the Solid Yuan Pills.
He was also gradually progressing with the production of the beauty cream.
*Ding ding!*
Just then, a text message arrived on his phone.
Lin Xiao Tian opened it. It was a bank card deposit notification.
"Your account 0729 has been credited with the amount..."
Lin Xiao Tian counted.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands...
This time, a total of one hundred and fifty million had been deposited.
Immediately after, a call came through.
"Hello! Mr. Lin, this is from the auction house. We've just transferred the proceeds from yesterday's auction to your account. Could you confirm if you've received it?" a gentle female voice asked.
"Yes, I've received it," Lin Xiao Tian replied.
"Alright, then, have a pleasant day. Goodbye..."
Lin Xiao Tian glanced at the text message on his phone again, then closed it, preparing to go out and collect the dried Spring Revival Grass.
One hundred million. If this were in the past, he might have been ecstatic. But now, Lin Xiao Tian felt it was simply deserved.
As he left the room, his phone on the bed rang again. However, Lin Xiao Tian was already outside and didn't receive the call.
"Alas! Forget it. What's the use of telling him about this?"
On the other end of the line, Guo Lin Qing sighed helplessly as she saw that her call had not gone through.