Little farther away, the town of Juikal was bustling with excitement. This special morning everyone gathered around the bulletin board with an astonished expression. A new poster was posted saying that anyone who finds this person or gives any info about them will be rewarded a spirit stone.
The reward became the talk of the town. Never in their history had anyone posted a reward so handsome. So many people who harboured bad intent wanted to exploit this chance.
"First the dragon hunt, now this? Che, this is bad, many people have let go of farming to search for vain fame," one old man sitting in eth nearby tea shop whispered.
"True, but this reward is too tempting. Probably the one who posted this is going to be scammed." His friend said.
"Probably..." the old man sighed. "Little girl serve us some more oolong tea," He gestured for the girl who was serving them.
The little girl dashed over and refilled their pots. It was the same little girl who Xia rescued from the kidnappers, Haily. After her escape, she quit her job as the young ladies attendant and started working in a tea shop. The salary was menial, but it kept her preoccupied and content.
Haily gazed down at the kind old man with a small smile. These customers were always kind to her and always tipped well. Looking up by chance, she gazed over to the crowd with a questioning look.
"Kid, do you read?" the old man whispered as he gazed up at her.
"No sir, I don't." She uttered. But she curiously peered at the crowd.
"Do you want me to read the notice for you?" the kind old man whispered.
Haily nodded.
The old man chuckled at her cute head bob and read the notice. { "Anyone who has seen a lady wearing a white dress with a bamboo hat please report to the magistrate office. If you have information about that person you will be rewarded a spirit crystal,"} he finished reading it and took a huge sip of tea. He was getting on his age. Reading big sentences was becoming quite taxing for him. By chance, he gazed up. The little girl had her eyes wide with shock as she gazed at the notice.
"Girl...perhaps have you seen such a person?" he inquired with curiosity.
"Ye....yes I have," Haily said with excitement. If that person was the same person they were searching for, then...then she might get the reward. With that reward, she might be able to take good care of her sick mother.
She bit her nails, contemplating what to do.
"What are you waiting for girl? Go get your reward," the old man shooed her away with a small smile.
The little girls cheerfully thanked him and ran out the tea shop. She dashed over to the magistrate's office in a hurry. But there was a huge queue standing outside.
Stunned, she gazed around in doubt. "Excuse me," she called the man one in front of her. "Is this line perhaps to give information about the missing person notice?"
The man sneered. ��Yes, so what? Get lost and don't waste the yamen runner's time," he said with a threatening expression.
As soon as the man said this a few thug like men in front of the linen glanced back at her and sneered. "Oh, looks like a dirty rat is here. What shall we do?" one of them said.
Gulping out loud, Haily stepped back. There were no decent people in the line-up, just thug like men and woman who were playing dress up with white dress and a hat. They are all the towns' men, so she knew who they were personally.
'These guys are planning to scam them,' she thought, but she never told it out loud. She knew what would happen if she uttered this. So she silently walked away. The reward seemed to be more trouble than she expected. Sighing, she walked around with a hunched back.
Gazing at the ground, she failed to notice someone in the way and smacked into them. "Sorry... sorry, sir. I was not looking!" she exclaimed with a bow. The man was dressed up as a yamen runner, but he looked more sophisticated than many yamen runners she had seen before.
"are you here to give info, kid?" he said, gazing back at the line.
Haily nodded but subtly gazed back at the people in the line. They were all glaring, so she instantly shook her head.
The yamen runner sighed. He took the little girl inside the office and whispered, "now tell me, have you seen such a person in that description?"
Haily hesitantly said yes. According to the description it was the same woman she ran into the day she returned home after being rescued.
"Then can you describe her even more?" the yamen runner inquired with a curious look.
Haily nodded and explained everything that happened that day. She encountered her by accident. Her face was not forgetful, so she never forgot. She had a heart-shaped face, cheery like lips and the most beautiful eyes she had even gazed upon.
"Anything else?" the yamen runner urged her.
Haily bit her lips and told him about the blue lotus she saw on her wrist.
The yamen runner suddenly shot up from his seat and ran over to her. He held her shoulders and shook her up. "Are you serious, kid? You saw her? Where?" he shouted.
Haily was stunned for a second but she clearly explained the location she last saw her. It was quite close to her house, so she remembered it too well.
"Anything else? Were there any people with her? Did she look forced to be there with them?"
Haily shook her head again. "She was alone. But... there was this weird man that was following her around like a creep. He looked handsome too. Do you think she was forced by that man?" she whispered.
The yamen runner nodded. "It looks like she was kidnapped."
And thus, poor Long Ki was convicted as a kidnapper.