Chapter 1250: Chapter 1254: Black Chain

“You dump me here to work, and in these days, I’ve buried not fewer than eight hundred Juvenile Spirits, probably even a thousand. Anyone who’s not blind could tell there’s something fishy going on,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Let’s hear what you know,” Liu Cuo approached.

“Does Inspector Liu remember the criminal tried with me? He was trafficking Juvenile Spirits as livestock,” Zhu Minglang said.

“I remember, that man was named Chang Xu, Our God has severed his hands,” Liu Cuo said.

“I feel that his crimes are not so simple. Upon a thorough investigation, you’ll find his criminal acts are far worse than just amputation. Also, look into the Black Market Inspector. No sane Black Market Inspector could fail to convict Chang Xu unless he’s truly deficient. His deliberate dallying might mean he’s trying to cover for Chang Xu; perhaps they have some kind of deal going on,” Zhu Minglang told Liu Cuo.

After hearing Zhu Minglang’s words, Liu Cuo stared at him in shock, taking a long while to come back to his senses.

“You a mere gravedigger…”

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. If it weren’t for the fact that your investigations led you here, showing you truly had no idea, why would I tell you all this? I have nothing to do with the Young Spirit Court; I’m the one you punished, I have no fondness for your Young Spirit Court. It’s just that the inexplicable deaths of those Juvenile Spirits weigh too heavily on my conscience,” Zhu Minglang forcefully said.

Liu Cuo was indeed at this place on his investigation.

Zhu Minglang’s words confirmed some of Inspector Liu Cuo’s suspicions and also cleared up some of his doubts.

“I will take this information into consideration for a detailed investigation. Your punishment period is almost over. After leaving here, you should refine your morals, earnestly cultivate and avoid offending or deceiving the divine spirits, understand?” Liu Cuo said.

“I am an upright person,” Zhu Minglang stated.

Liu Cuo glanced at the youth, then left with a mix of confusion and bewilderment.

…

…

Inspired by Zhu Minglang, Inspector Liu Cuo made his way to the Genling Market.

The Genling Market was in chaos, with many shady zones, and Liu Cuo deliberately disguised himself as a common merchant, blending into the traders there.

“Brother Chang, with both sleeves flapping empty, how will you be able to hunt like a lion chasing a rabbit in the future? Hahaha,” mocked a butcher sitting nearby.

“I’ve encountered divinity and walked out alive right from under her eyelids; can any of you do that? It’s just two arms, gone is gone. We make our fortune where we can, live comfortably if we may, and when I’ve earned enough, I will find some old deity to restore these arms for me!” Chang Xu said nonchalantly.

A woman beside him was pouring him wine. Before she could even flirt, Chang Xu kicked her in the leg.

“Didn’t you see I have no arms? Lift and feed me the drink, you little idiot!” Chang Xu scolded.

“Brother Chang, today we’ve acquired a few from the funeral cart with good ‘quality’ and strong spirit essence; they could fetch a nice sum at the Young Dragon Court,” said a vendor nearby.

“This time, ask for more herbal feed, spice things up a bit; making money this slow is killing me. When can I get these arms back?” Chang Xu spoke.

“Wouldn’t this be a bit risky?”

“What’s there to fear? We’ve got people taking care of us. Besides, if there were any real trouble, would you even see me here? Remember, it was Bai Qingchen herself who presided over this case. If I could escape such ordeal even when she was around, let alone now when she’s absent, busy ascending to become a celestial maiden!” Chang Xu boasted.

“Fine, I’ll buy more sleepweed then, send more beasts on carts everywhere, let’s earn a fortune while Bai Qingchen is away!”

“A higher dosage won’t hurt; they’d just fall into a deep sleep, most of them are Juvenile Spirits without the chance to transform into Dragons anyway. The false dead, the ones barely breathing, those are most likely True Dragons!” Chang Xu stated.

“Same old rule, if any selected during the screening die on the way, do we send them to slaughterhouses?”

“Idiot, isn’t that how I lost my arms? With the recent tight scrutiny, there’s no need to make that small amount of money; dispose of any that die,” Chang Xu declared.

Liu Cuo tugged at the brim of his hat, listening intently to all these words, then he left the shop.

These people had become so brazen that they would discuss their dark business without even seeking a concealed place, as if they were convinced that the people from Young Dragon Court would never investigate this far.

Chang Xu managed to escape by employing the gecko-tail severing strategy, and far from being frightened, he’d become more reckless, feeling that even the divine spirits could not touch him.

This infuriated Liu Cuo immensely.

A person who had been judged and had his arms severed, under normal circumstances the oversight department would have never looked further, and who could have known that what he showed was just the tip of the iceberg!

…

Liu Cuo did not scare the snakes, instead followed Chang Xu’s group for a covert investigation.

It didn’t take many days for Liu Cuo to find that the woman serving Chang Xu had gone to the residence of the Black Market Inspector, and who knows what she had offered…

Thereupon, Liu Cuo had a clear understanding of how these people were exploiting the imperfect systems of the Young Spirit Court to seek exorbitant profits and harm a large number of Juvenile Spirits.

With a complete collection of evidence, comprehensive official documents prepared, Liu Cuo was just waiting for Bai Qingchen to return to preside over the matter, given that it involved people in positions like that of the Black Market Inspector.

However, it seemed that Bai Qingchen had encountered some emergency while away, needing about half a month longer to return.

Liu Cuo had no choice but to wait another half month.

…

Arriving at the cemetery, Liu Cuo found the youth who, as usual, was burying the little Juvenile Spirits.

“I’ve thoroughly investigated. Now, we just wait for Our God to return. I will make sure they pay the price this time!” Liu Cuo declared.

“Is it as I expected?” Zhu Minglang inquired.

“Very close. One particularly covert aspect is intercepting some of the slightly breathing and so-called ‘high-quality’ Juvenile Spirits halfway to your funeral garden after they have ‘sleepingly’ died, selecting them, then washing their stomachs and detoxifying them, forcibly reviving them, and finally selling them in the marketplace as a reserve of Young Dragons. This is the dark method they use to steal the Juvenile Spirits from the Young Spirit Court, hence the ones responsible for the transport have been basically bought,” Liu Cuo recounted the specifics to Zhu Minglang.

“Only beasts could commit such a cruel practice to select True Dragon Juvenile Spirits,” Zhu Minglang said coldly.

“Our God will soon return, none of them will escape,” Liu Cuo said.

As he spoke these words, Liu Cuo noticed a dragon resembling a Nether Lion chewing on a large round bone, rolling over like a big cat. It appears to have spotted Zhu Minglang and approached him with its big head, desiring a pat in a coy and endearing manner.