148. The One That Got Away

"Look, it's the brothers Nie Rong and Nie Zheng! They're still alive! I thought I'd never see them again!"

"Nie Rong, are you with these people? Did you bring them here?"

"Nie Zheng, I really thought you had followed Anzi. Thank goodness you're alive! I knew you were blessed with great fortune; otherwise, I wouldn't know how to face Anzi!"

"Nie Rong, how did you two meet these people? They look so formidable—they took down all those villains!"

The children inside the prison cells also spotted the brothers walking toward them, erupting into cheers. Some children even burst into tears. Having not seen the brothers for two days, they had assumed the worst, yet here they were—not only unharmed but seemingly having brought others to rescue them.

Hearing these familiar voices, Nie Rong and Nie Zheng covered their faces, wiped away their tears, and called out with smiles to the children in the cells: "Everyone, I've brought people to save you! From tonight on, we don't have to face those scumbags anymore. They’ve all been beaten off! We won't have to live in fear or endure their abuse ever again. Let's head toward a dawn full of hope together!" Nie Rong relayed the words Zhang Xuan had told him, interpreting them in his own way for the children.

The children exchanged looks. While many didn't quite grasp the full meaning of Nie Rong's final words, the fact that the "scumbags" were defeated was enough. A cheer even louder than before echoed through the prison.

Zhang Xuan, Yang Zaixing, and Yuwen Chengdu watched the children’s joy and relief, wearing expressions of profound satisfaction.

As for Uncle Yang, following the "intelligence" provided by Zhang Xuan, he had ferreted out several human traffickers from the dark corners. When they begged for mercy, Uncle Yang simply said calmly, "In your next life, do not ever be a trafficker again. Repent properly in hell! I hope you have a chance at reincarnation." With that, he ended their lives.

As for Elder Tong, feeling he had scoured every corner of the stronghold, he reunited with Uncle Yang. "Brother Yang, how is the situation at the front gate?"

Uncle Yang briefly recounted the events at the front gate: Yang Hu and Yuwen Chengdu going all out to stop the traffickers from escaping, Nie Zheng’s torment of the villains, and the locations of the hiding traffickers provided by Zhang Xuan.

"You mean the boy with Xiao Xuanzi and Zaixing? The one we saw in the woods? I never expected him to have such a side. I suppose I have to credit Xiao Xuanzi for 'teaching him well.' Forget it, forget it—children have their own destinies; let them be. Doesn't Xiao Xuanzi always say the sky won't fall, and if it does, we tall ones are here to hold it up? I don't think there are any traffickers left in this stronghold. Let's go to the cells and see the children." Elder Tong had passed by the cells earlier, but being focused on clearing out the traffickers, he had only given them a cursory glance.

When Elder Tong and Uncle Yang reached the cells, they saw the children surrounding the Nie brothers, chattering happily—the way children at this age should be: joyful and carefree.

Noticing them, Zhang Xuan walked over. "Elder Tong, Uncle Yang, is everything taken care of?"

"Everything we could find has been resolved. As for those hiding too well, when we burn this den of evil later, we’ll see where they can hide!"

"Elder Tong, this is the first time I've seen such a ruthless side of you! Aren't you worried about being a bad influence on the children? After all, I'm just a child myself!"

Elder Tong shot Zhang Xuan a look. "You? A child? Don't you dare tarnish that word! Xiao Xuanzi, let's talk business. How do you plan to settle these children?"

Zhang Xuan dropped his playful demeanor and looked at the children seriously. "It depends on their own wishes. If they are willing to come with us, we'll take them. As for those who aren't, we'll hand them over to the local magistrates once we find an official office. After that, it’s up to fate. We aren't saints; we can't look after everyone."

"Take them? With us to the sect?"

"Is that not an option? Elder Tong, could you bear to see these homeless children wandering the streets again? Could you bear to watch them be abducted by traffickers once more? Could you bear to see them suffer inhuman torture again? Look at these children—they are about the same age as Xiao Feizi! Can you bear it?"

"Stop, say no more. Do what you think is best! I never said it wasn't an option, so stop lecturing me."

However, while Zhang Xuan and the others were deliberating, three traffickers hiding in the cookhouse discovered the "dog hole" the Nie brothers had made. Finding they couldn't squeeze through, they used a wood-chopping knife to widen it. All three crawled out of the stronghold "successfully" and collapsed on a small slope nearby.