Chapter Thirty-Six: Irrefutable Evidence

After overcoming various obstacles, the group managed to reach the shore before the tide receded, arriving at the hideout where Wang Long had been concealing himself.

The lair was already deserted; the water bandits, having caught wind of the situation, had long since vanished without a trace.

"Search the place!"

At Chu Haiyuan’s command, hundreds of naval soldiers began scouring the interior and exterior of the hideout.

Qin Song and Zhang Pengyuan, accompanied by a few captured bandits, entered the room where Wang Long had resided. As the leader of the water bandits, Wang Long naturally occupied the finest quarters. However, the room was in total disarray, ransacked as if the bandits had stripped away every item of value before fleeing. The men searched the entire room but could not find so much as a scrap of paper.

Furious, Qin Song snatched the scimitar from Zhang Pengyuan’s belt and stormed outside. He leveled the weapon at the kneeling bandits and demanded, "Where did Wang Long hide the letters you delivered to him?"

Facing the murderous glint in Qin Song’s eyes, the bandits, pale with terror, scrambled to kowtow and beg for mercy.

"Spare us, my lord! We were just messengers; we never dared to pry into such matters!"

"Whenever we were sent out for a job, the Chief would only tell us where to go and what to do—he never said anything else!"

"Once, a man tried to sneak a peek at a letter, and the Chief had him strung up in a tree until he was dried into a husk!"

"As for where the Chief hid those letters, or whether he destroyed them, we have no idea!"

"You don't know, or you just can't remember?"

"I’ll help you refresh your memories!"

Seeing the bandits kowtowing and making excuses, Qin Song hardened his heart and pressed the long blade against the chest of one of the men.

"Tell me, over all these years, besides telling you the targets for each job, did Wang Long ever reveal anything else to you?"

"Speak!"

Qin Song refused to believe that Wang Long had kept his mouth shut for so many years.

"My lord, I truly..."

*Squelch.*

Before the bandit could finish, the impatient Qin Song drove the blade directly into his chest. Blood sprayed out instantly.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time Qin Song had ever killed a man. Yet, as he watched a life extinguished by his own hand, he felt no ripple of emotion.

*These people are steeped in evil; they deserve to die.*

*It is either him or me in this matter.*

Suppressing his inner turmoil and offering himself silent reassurances, Qin Song turned to the remaining bandits with a ferocious expression. "Speak!"

The sudden outburst of violence clearly shocked Zhang Pengyuan. Fortunately, Qin Song’s brutality yielded results. Terrified and shaken, the remaining bandits quickly recalled several details.

"My lord, I remember!" one bandit cried out. "Yesterday, before we set out, the Chief told us that it wouldn't be long before we would be eating the Emperor’s grain!"

"Yes, that's right! The Chief said that yesterday!"

The statement was immediately echoed by the others.

"My lord, I recall it too! The Chief said that soon we would be granted amnesty by the Imperial Court and would be able to live off the state!"

"Who promised you that you would be fed by the state?"

But this was a question none of the bandits could answer.

For Qin Song, beyond finding more evidence of the collusion between Lin You and Wang Long, it was even more critical to find evidence connecting others to Wang Long. The more evidence he gathered, the more it would benefit the Qin family and his uncle, Qin Zhong.

Forcing himself to remain calm, scenes flashed through his mind. He quickly realized something and strode back into Wang Long’s room.

"Something is wrong. Wang Long must have hidden things in this room!"

Qin Song scanned the area carefully. "If the fleeing bandits were only after valuables, why would they tear apart the bedding and pillows?"

"There are signs of digging on the floor, but whoever was looking for the stash likely didn't have time to dig deep before we arrived, so they had to leave!"

Regardless of what it was, since Wang Long had hidden something, they had to try, whether they found it or not.

"Start digging! Even if you have to dig three feet under or tear this house apart inch by inch, find it!" Qin Song gritted his teeth.

"Understood!" Zhang Pengyuan responded, similarly determined. The two stepped out of the room, and the soldiers immediately swarmed in to begin a meticulous search.

"My lord, Young Master Qin, we found several dozen women in the nearby jungle. They appear to have been abducted by these bandits. The General requests your presence!"

Just then, a subordinate rushed over to report. Qin Song and Zhang Pengyuan exchanged a look and departed without a word.

Guided by the soldier, they entered the jungle and saw over twenty women crouching in the distance, dressed in rags and barely covered. From their appearances, it was clear that some had been held for a long time, while others had evidently been captured quite recently. Yet, every single one of them had hollow, vacant eyes; they stared blankly, like empty shells stripped of their souls.

"Those beasts!"

Seeing these emaciated women, who had clearly suffered unspeakable abuse, Zhang Pengyuan trembled with rage.

"Ah—!"

"Don't come near us!"

As Zhang Pengyuan moved to approach, the women screamed in terror, as if facing some horrific threat. Qin Song quickly pulled Zhang Pengyuan back, catching sight of Chu Haiyuan, whose face was dark with fury, and immediately understood his intent.

"Lord Chu, it will be dark soon. Please have your men surround this area and provide them with water and food."

"I will write a letter; please have the General send it to my mother."

"My mother will dispatch some older, trusted women along with clothing."

The Qin family workshops had no shortage of female workers. Once Qin Song explained the situation, Lady Wu would certainly send people with the fortitude to handle the delicate matter.

"Good, good, good!" Chu Haiyuan, who had been at a loss as to how to manage these twenty-odd women, nodded in relief.

"Those beasts!" Zhang Pengyuan muttered, his desire to execute the remaining bandits intensifying.

"General, my lord, Young Master Qin, we’ve found it!"

At that moment, a soldier hurried over. "We dug this up inside the room!"

As the soldier spoke, the three men saw the oil-paper-wrapped object in his hands. They exchanged a knowing glance, and Chu Haiyuan took the item; they moved in unison to a secluded spot.

After unwrapping the oil paper, they discovered a wooden box inside. Upon opening it, aside from some large-denomination silver notes, the most exciting discovery was a thick stack of letters.

There were over twenty letters. The one at the very bottom was discolored, clearly having been kept for a long time. The one on top was very familiar to both Qin Song and Zhang Pengyuan—it was the very letter that had been sent out just a few days ago.