"Thank you for your guidance, Hallist!" Lin Changqing revealed a grateful expression and struggled to stand up.
"You can rest here and recuperate first. I'll think of a way to get that guy out!" Cheng Lihu told Lin Changqing not to move, and the gang members behind Lin Changqing immediately held him down, not letting him get up.
Cheng Lihu led a group of White Tiger Hall members who were obviously skilled in martial arts and strode to the entrance of the cave where Leader Lu's corpse was. "There's a nest of ghost-faced cats in here. There are also many Resentful Vines. I'll go in first! You can come in after I call you."
"Yes, Hallist!"
As Cheng Lihu spoke, he pulled out his saber and walked into the cave.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hoo Ha!"
"Meow…!"
Lin Changqing heard the sound of intense fighting coming from the cave. There was Cheng Lihu's shout and the shrill meow of a cat that made one's scalp tingle. The battle in the cave lasted for about a minute before the commotion weakened.
"You light the torches and come in!"
Cheng Lihu's energetic voice came from the cave. Obviously, this battle was nothing to him. The members of the White Tiger Hall, who had long been prepared, lit their torches and filed into the cave.
Not long after, Cheng Lihu came out first. The members of the White Tiger Hall carried out a deformed corpse.
The members of the White Tiger Hall who came out later each carried two dead withered wild cats. These wild cats were the corpses of ghost-faced cats, and each of them had only one fatal knife wound.
"Did you see that? Don't wander around this place for no reason! Not even during the day. Leader Lu's strength at the Strength Refinement Realm is no match for this nest of ghost-faced cats. In the future, you have to weigh the severity of your actions."
When Cheng Lihu came out, he scolded the gang members present loudly. The gang members who had followed Leader Lu out on a mission were terrified when they saw his corpse. Some of their legs went weak.
Lin Changqing acutely sensed that when Cheng Lihu said that Leader Lu was not a match for the ghost-faced cat, he gave him a subtle look.
"There are no traces of an intense battle in the cave. This White Tiger Hall's Hallist must have discovered something amiss. I can't do anything but pretend to be stupid now. It all depends on how this White Tiger Hall's Hallist reports it."
Lin Changqing knew that he had been forced to kill someone this time and had left many flaws. If he really investigated seriously, he would be in trouble. He might even lose his life. This feeling of leaving his fate in the hands of others was very bad.
Lin Changqing deeply understood the importance of strength.
"Look around for other clues. Be careful not to go to dark places." Cheng Lihu dismissed the ordinary gang members and left with the members of the White Tiger Hall, carrying the corpse of Leader Lu and the corpses of the ghost-faced cats.
While Lin Changqing was pretending to be unconscious, Cheng Lihu had already carefully investigated the surrounding situation. Now that he had found the bodies of the survivors and missing people, his mission was considered complete.
A member of the White Tiger Hall made a simple stretcher and carried Lin Changqing on it, preparing to follow Cheng Lihu.
Lin Changqing was an important witness and couldn't be lost.
Little Tiger took the initiative to pick up Little Bamboo and handed it to Lin Changqing. Then, he ran to the vine that Lin Changqing had kicked to the middle of the road and picked it up with his mouth, following Lin Changqing's stretcher.
"Hey! This dog is really good!"
"Of course, Hallist's taste is not bad!"
"…"
Lin Changqing closed his eyes to rest. The two members of the White Tiger Hall who carried him praised the spirit dog Little Tiger non-stop.
In the gang, someone like Lin Changqing, who could train outstanding pets, could be considered a special talent.
-----------------
After returning to the gang's base, Lin Changqing was arranged to rest in a guest room and wait for the gang to summon him.
Lin Changqing felt uneasy and kept hypnotizing himself to clear his mind and not let his imagination run wild. Before long, someone came over to carry him out. They carried him to a hall and placed him on a chair.
"Greetings, Hallist and Manager!" Lin Changqing looked over and saw three people sitting in the hall. The old man among them looked a little similar to Leader Lu. As for the other two, one of them was the manager of the gang that he had seen in the morning, and the other was the hallist of the White Tiger Hall, Cheng Lihu.
Lin Changqing knew in his heart that the higher-ups of the gang that he did not know were definitely the uncle of Leader Lu, Deputy Gang Master Lu, but he had never seen them before, so he could only greet the two higher-ups he knew first.
"This is Deputy Gang Master Lu, Leader Lu's uncle!"
Cheng Lihu introduced him to Lin Changqing.
"Greetings, Deputy Gang Master!"
In the eyes of outsiders, Lin Changqing's current injuries made it almost impossible for him to move. He respectfully greeted Deputy Gang Leader Lu.
"Lin Changqing, you're the only witness to Leader Lu's murder. Tell Deputy Gang Master Lu what you know!" Cheng Lihu continued.
Deputy Gang Master Lu and the encampment manager's gazes were like lightning as they stared at Lin Changqing, making Lin Changqing feel as if his back was being pricked.
Lin Changqing calmed himself down and repeated what he had said to Cheng Lihu. This time, he showed his nervousness appropriately.
"So Leader Lu first asked you to check one hole, then went to explore another hole regardless of the situation of your attack?" Deputy Gang Master Lu asked after hearing Lin Changqing's words. His voice was a little deep and old.
"Deputy Gang Master, I was very nervous at that time and didn't know Leader Lu's situation." Lin Changqing thought for a moment and replied.
After that, Deputy Gang Master Lu and the manager asked many questions about what Lin Changqing had said. For those who could make sense, Lin Changqing would tell them the truth. If they couldn't, he would answer that he didn't know.
"Lin Changqing, there are many things that you can't explain clearly. The powerful and cautious Leader Lu was killed, but you're still alive. We can't rule you out of suspicion. You can stay in the gang's prison first! I'll let you out after I find out what happened and if it really has nothing to do with you." After asking for all the details, the encampment manager made the final judgment and wanted to throw Lin Changqing into jail.
With Lin Changqing's current injuries, if he was a normal person and was locked up in the gang's prison with a bad environment, it would basically be a death sentence for him.
"Manager! I'm innocent!" Lin Changqing imitated his predecessor's personality and complained to the encampment manager. He was quite satisfied with this result. As long as he was not killed on the spot, he would have a chance of survival.
"Whether you're innocent or not, let's wait for the results of the investigation. Just stay in jail!" The encampment manager was unmoved. It was obvious that he wanted Lin Changqing's life.
Lin Changqing finally understood. This encampment manager should have an extraordinary relationship with Deputy Gang Master Lu. Regardless of whether or not the death of Leader Lu had anything to do with Lin Changqing, Deputy Gang Master Lu wanted him dead.
If there was a connection, it would be revenge for Leader Lu. It didn't matter. Killing Lin Changqing by mistake was just a small matter to them. Therefore, Lin Changqing had to die.
"Guards! Bring Lin Changqing to jail!" The encampment manager shouted.