Chapter 955: Chapter 955: Changes in the Black Market

Shu Yu paused for a moment, “You…”

Young Master Jiang raised his eyes to look at the mountain, “You want to go check out that forest, don’t you? I’ll go too. I’m still the master of the Manor; I can’t just ignore Little Ya’er’s disappearance.”

Shu Yu stared at him for a few seconds and understood–Young Master Jiang definitely knew what that place was for.

The black market isn’t exactly a secret; it’s just that common folk are unaware of it, while the wealthy families in Jiangyuan County are all in the know.

Young Master Jiang himself is a major landlord. Even for a piece of land with poor yields over a hundred acres, he’s willing to persist in experimenting for four or five years–clearly, money is no object for him.

What’s more, the black market is merely two thousand meters away from his Manor; it would be odd if he didn’t know about it.

Thus, Shu Yu didn’t refuse him. She turned around and said to Daniu and Third Lu, “You stay here. When the authorities arrive later, explain the situation to them. Meanwhile, keep an eye on Ms. Tang.”

With that, she instructed Ying Xi to head out.

Daniu chased after them, only catching a glimpse of the mule carriage’s silhouette.

He furrowed his brows, and Third Lu patted him on the shoulder, “What’s bothering you?”

“I should’ve gone with them. Otherwise, it’s just Yu and Young Master Jiang; two people…” At this moment, so many people had witnessed it–if word spread, it wouldn’t be good for Yu.

Third Lu, however, didn’t seem concerned. “What does it matter? Isn’t there that servant named Ying Xi or Ying Bei following them?”

Daniu thought about it and agreed–it wasn’t just the two of them, and that was good enough.

So, he headed back into the courtyard and sternly kept watch over Ms. Tang.

Shu Yu and Young Master Jiang didn’t move quickly en route. Even at a slow pace, they found no trace of Little Ya’er.

Shu Yu had actually braced herself for the worst, but she was still unwilling to let it go.

Soon, the mule carriage arrived at the bamboo forest entrance.

Shu Yu got off the carriage and immediately began climbing upward.

To her surprise, she hadn’t gone very far before she noticed that the forest looked different from the last time she’d been here–it seemed… more guarded, with stricter security.

Suspicion stirred in Shu Yu’s heart. After climbing a few more steps, she was stopped by someone.

The man glanced at the pair and asked, “Are you two here for something?”

Suppressing her astonishment, Shu Yu quickly replied, “We’re looking for someone. Brother, have you seen a little girl, around five years old? She’s the child of tenants from the Manor down the hill. Two days ago, something happened, and she ran off. She’s been missing since.”

The man pressed his lips together in silence for a moment, then nodded. “Seen her.”

Shu Yu and Young Master Jiang’s faces lit up with joy. “Where is she?”

“Two days ago, just at dawn, that little girl did come through here. But we drove her away. She went in that direction. If you want to find her, try looking over there. Don’t go upward; the area ahead is restricted.”

“Drove her away?” Shu Yu took a deep breath, almost unable to contain herself from cursing.

She bit her lip, turned around, and left. Young Master Jiang quickly followed her.

The two of them walked toward the base of the mountain to the left as the guard had indicated. After a few steps, Shu Yu glanced back again–she didn’t mistake it; the number of guards had increased by two, and they were eyeing them warily.

She asked Young Master Jiang, “This entrance seems different from the last time I came here. Do you know what’s going on?”

“You don’t know?” Young Master Jiang was surprised. He’d assumed that since she knew about the black market, she must also know the reason.

Shu Yu shook her head. “To be honest, I left Jiangyuan County last year for some matters and only returned a few days ago. I’m truly unaware of the changes that have happened here.”