Shocking! The young educated youth had just arrived and was already clashing with spies.

Chapter 435 You better hurry up and act, or my innocence will be in jeopardy.

In the intricate network of alleyways and shantytowns, Chu Xin and Chu Yunting, the bickering siblings, had changed their outfits slightly and had been wandering around for quite some time.

"This house was built without any planning at all. They just built it however they wanted. There were so many dead ends, and we had to backtrack so many times. It was really tiring."

Chu Xin was carrying a bulging bag full of things and looking around. When she heard Chu Yunting's words, she glanced at the bamboo basket in his hand and her eyes showed disdain.

Is this little bit of weight tiring you?

"Haha, I'm just killing time since I'm bored anyway, so I might as well complain a bit to pass the time. You're not even talking to me."

Chu Yunting withdrew his hand from the basket, his smile appearing rather awkward.

Zhou Yichen and Lu Chen discussed for a while and decided to find an excuse to approach and test the waters, to see where they would be stopped, thus minimizing the area they could explore.

That's how the two siblings surnamed Chu ended up wandering around here.

Turning her gaze away, Chu Xin continued walking forward.

On the surface, she and Chu Yunting were walking and observing, but in reality, she had already used her mental energy to quickly investigate all the inhabited houses she passed by, and knew where anything unusual was going to happen.

However, she couldn't be completely accurate, so she also took some detours with Chu Yunting, but unexpectedly, he started complaining first.

Feeling that she had found enough, Chu Xin turned into another alley and, unsurprisingly, there were several people inside.

The sun was shining brightly on the stone steps by the door, and they were sitting on them, basking in the sun.

As soon as Chu Xin and her companion turned the corner, the group of people all turned their gazes toward them, each one scrutinizing them.

Chu Xin continued walking in with a normal expression. Her beautiful face, which was dazzling in the sunlight, was attractive even when she was expressionless.

Some people blinked rapidly a few times, and then a middle-aged woman sewing shoe soles stood up and asked:

"What are you doing? Are you looking for someone?"

Chu Xin nodded without speaking. According to the plan, this was Chu Yunting's chance to make a name for himself.

"Yes, Auntie, we were asked to deliver something to a man named Ji Shuhua. We've been looking around for ages but haven't been able to find him. Do you know where he lives?"

Ji Shuhua?

The woman muttered the name to herself several times; this person had indeed lived here before.

However, because of his promiscuous relationships, he was arrested, dragged into the street and paraded through the streets. He was not only beaten but also convicted of indecent assault and imprisoned along with the woman.

That was about a month ago.

Such gossip is mostly discussed in their local area; outside of that area, probably no one would even know the name of the person who committed the crime. Therefore, the woman believed Chu Yunting's words almost without any suspicion.

"There is such a person, but..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Yunting chuckled and, making full use of his quick wit, urged Chu Xin to move closer to their group while rattling off a long story about how hard he had searched for people in the alleys and lanes of this area.

While the woman was frowning, he had already plopped down on a stone bench. "My sister and I are exhausted. Auntie, please tell me where he lives."

He also nodded to the others, saying, "Hello everyone!"

He has the image of a silly, naive, and talkative fool.

The others remained silent, simply nodding in response.

Chu Yunting seemed oblivious to their wariness, averting his eyes and continuing to ask the woman sewing shoe soles, "What was Auntie trying to say just now?"

The woman felt a little uncomfortable that he had interrupted her train of thought and was now pressing her for answers. She thought he was being too impetuous, but she still answered him truthfully.

"You're too late. Ji Shuhua got into trouble and went to jail a month ago."

"What?"

Chu Yunting appeared genuinely surprised, standing up abruptly and repeatedly asking, "Is that really true? The person who sent us didn't mention this either?"

Seeing how loud and unassuming he was, the woman immediately relaxed and became less wary than before.

The woman sat down in her original spot and continued her work, saying casually, "That's right. Maybe the person who asked you to come here really didn't receive the message, otherwise they wouldn't have made you come all this way for nothing."

As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Chu Xin, his gaze flickering, and he asked Chu Yunting, "Why isn't this little girl who came with you saying anything?"

Chu Yunting scoffed, his posture becoming even more casual. "That's just how she is."

He's telling the truth, but people will inevitably overthink things.

The woman sewing shoe soles and another older woman exchanged a glance. Then, one of them continued chatting with Chu Yunting, while the other took small steps over and pulled Chu Xin aside to sit down as well.

"Don't stand there, come and rest."

He was about to help Chu Xin carry the bag when he almost dropped it.

Goodness, what are you carrying? It's quite heavy.

Chu Xin readily took the bag and continued carrying it, saying, "I'll take care of it."

The old woman's mind became even more active now.

At this moment, in her eyes, Chu Xin was a pitiful little girl from a family that favored sons over daughters. She came out to do business with her brother, but was used as a laborer and suppressed to the point of not liking to talk.

In his wife's eyes, this was a top-quality item.

He's young, good-looking, not valued by his family, quiet, strong, and hardworking. Even if he sells for an extra hundred yuan, someone will still want him.

"You don't need to carry it all the time. Sit down and rest. The bag is right next to you, you won't lose it. Are you thirsty? I'll go get you a bowl of water. Wait here."

After saying that, he headed home.

Those who had been watching without speaking were stunned and instinctively looked at the woman sewing shoe soles.

The woman kept her head down and continued with her work, inserting the needle and then pulling it out from the other side with the pliers she carried with her. It looked like she was struggling, but it didn't stop her from talking.

"The tea here is so poor that even a young girl might not drink it, so don't bother."

Chu Xin pursed her lips and remained silent, not refuting the accusations that she was materialistic, and continued to play the role of a pitiful, neglected girl.

Chu Yunting echoed the woman's words, "That's right, ma'am, you can give me some to drink. I'm very thirsty, and I can rest my feet after drinking so I can go back."

The old woman glanced at the woman again, and seeing that she was no longer speaking, she immediately smiled broadly, "Yes, yes, we have everything. It's not easy for you to come all this way. We can't afford to provide food, but we'll definitely provide plenty of water."

The woman who was sewing shoe soles also stood up and followed along home, saying, "I'll help."

As soon as she moved, the others naturally began to approach Chu Xin and Chu Yunting, bombarding them with questions. There were one or two people on each side of them, creating the impression that they were being blocked off.

Soon, the old woman and the other women came out, one carrying a thermos and the other carrying two enamel bowls. "Come, come, we'll pour you some water right away."

However, when Chu Xin took the enamel bowl, her eyebrows twitched involuntarily. The inside of the bowl was relatively clean, but the outside... Chu Xin could accept even a few chips or scrapes.

What she found unacceptable was the rolled edges of the bowl's rim and the bottom, which were covered in black stains and grime accumulated over the years, including food scraps.

Even if there were no drugs in the water, Chu Xin would absolutely not be able to drink it.

"Drink up, girl."

The old woman looked at her expectantly, and Chu Yunting was also watching—to drink or not to drink?

Chu Xin had already used her spiritual power to follow the old woman and other women into the house to investigate, and she knew that the water had been drugged, so she had to drink it.

Hesitating any longer would surely arouse suspicion, so Chu Xin acted on her whim, pretending to accidentally knock over the bag. The rope tying the bag's opening somehow broke, and the contents rolled out.

Several bright red apples rolled out of the bag, enticing people to explore what other goodies were inside.

The old woman knew the bag was heavy, but seeing the apples, she couldn't resist and rushed over to start rummaging through the bag.

There wasn't much inside. Besides a few apples, there was a can of malted milk powder and a large cloth bag full of flour. The bag was open, and a lot of flour had spilled out.

These days, even if they make money from their jobs, they can't help but be greedy when they see these good things. The old woman quickly grabbed the bag and tried to put the things away.

Everyone else saw it too, so how could they let her keep it all to herself? They all rushed over to get a share.

Even the most opinionated woman glanced at him a few more times.

In just a few seconds, taking advantage of everyone's gaze being elsewhere, Chu Xin quickly brought the bowl to her lips and poured the water into her spatial dimension before she even moved her mouth.

By the time those people looked over again, she had already put down the empty bowl.

Although it seemed strange, Chu Xin's clothes were dry and there were no signs of water spillage on the ground next to her, so they assumed that she had indeed drunk water.

The woman pretended to scold the robbers a few times to make them behave, then smiled reassuringly at Chu Xin, "Little girl, please forgive your rudeness. We're very poor here and have never seen anything good. Don't worry, you'll get your money back."

Then she looked at Chu Yunting and asked, "Hey, why aren't you drinking?"

Chu Yunting blinked, then blinked again. Was he seeing things? Chu Xin didn't seem to have opened her mouth just now, did she?

However, he had no time to think about it. He was being watched closely, and if he didn't drink this bowl of water, his plan couldn't proceed.

I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, picked up the bowl, and gulped down two mouthfuls when I suddenly heard a "plop" sound.

He immediately moved the bowl aside to look and saw that Chu Xin had fainted on the ground.

So fast?

This was the thought of everyone, including Chu Yunting.

However, Chu Yunting reacted quickly, immediately throwing down the bowl in his hand and rushing over, "You brat, what's wrong with you?"

Feeling someone tickle his palm twice, Chu Yunting became even more certain that Chu Xin hadn't drunk any alcohol; she was also creating an opportunity for herself to drink less.

"Ah, you're bad people?"

Chu Yunting suddenly became a theatrical performer, pointing at the group with trembling hands, "What, what did you give us to drink?!"

The woman sewing shoe soles frowned deeply. Something was wrong. They had used that medicine many times before; it shouldn't be working so quickly.

They should all be like this man, but he drank a little less. Will he still be of any use?

The usual thing happened a little unexpectedly today, it would be strange if she wasn't alert. Even without opening her eyes, Chu Xin could tell what kind of expression the woman had using her mental power.

She pinched Chu Yunting's palm again, using a little force, hoping he would understand.

Fortunately, they had spent enough time together, and he wasn't really that stupid; he immediately put on a terrified expression.

"My sister is in poor health; she can pass out from just a little alcohol. What did you give her to drink? If someone dies, you won't be able to escape the consequences!"

Upon hearing this, the woman, though unsure whether people sensitive to alcohol were equally sensitive to sedatives, did relax her guard somewhat.

"Comrade, you're joking. We're just being kind by giving you water; what could we possibly add to it?"

The time had come. Chu Xin gave Chu Yunting another hint, and then completely stopped making any moves.

Soon, Chu Yunting, who was "overwhelmed with anger," also became dizzy. He pointed at the people surrounding him and stammered "you you you" for a long time before finally closing his eyes and fainting.

The two were quickly lifted up and dragged onto the cart.

"Oh dear, it's really heavy. We should have found some men to help."

"Hurry up, men all have their own important things to do. You can't expect to make money without putting in the effort!"

"With this, is this enough for this batch of goods? Could you sell me this woman at a lower price so my son can have her as a wife?"

"Ha, you wish! If I hadn't been interested, none of you would have taken this woman in. Now you want to get something for nothing? No way!"

"I'm hoping to sell it for a higher price so I can make a bigger profit. Nobody can stand in my way!"

"Alright, alright, I won't block your path to wealth. You don't need to hand over those things, right? How about we split them up?"

The group bickered incessantly along the way, until the woman finally silenced them.

"Not a single item of this shipment will be left behind; it will all be sent away. Don't even think about trying anything funny. Don't think you're safe just because you're from out of town. If you want to live a long life, you better behave yourselves!"

This woman must have held a position of authority within the human trafficking gang; she made the decision, and then no one else spoke.

The cart traveled through the narrow alley for a while, swaying so much that Chu Yunting was almost falling asleep before finally stopping.

Then came the knocking and the sound of the door opening. As soon as Chu Yunting stepped inside, his face was suddenly grabbed and forcefully pulled.

"What's this pretty boy doing here?"

Chu Yunting was furious. Was this person deliberately pulling him because they were jealous of his good looks?

The man who was pinching the face didn't want Chu Yunting, but the woman who brought him over had a good idea: "Are you stupid? This man looks so decent, he doesn't look like a bad person at all. If we tidy him up, he'll be even more deceptive when he goes out. He's perfect as a delivery mule."

Chu Yunting felt a sudden chill on his buttocks, and his anus twitched involuntarily.

Having lived in the port city, he knew all too well what kind of person could be called "Shorty Mule".

What terrified him even more was the man's lewd chuckle, as he touched his own face, saying, "Big sister has so many ideas."

He was swayed by the woman's suggestion.

Chu Yunting couldn't help but clench his buttocks even tighter, calling out to Zhou Yichen in his heart, "You better hurry up and do something, or my innocence will be in jeopardy."