Chapter 965: The seventh slave (1/2)

Mu Linger ignored Manager Jin as he sat by her side. She was wondering why Qi gege still hadn’t found the secret signals she’d left behind during the entire trip. Could it be that Qi gege ran into trouble too? If Qi gege returned to Myriad Merchant Hall, he would definitely know that she and Ning Jing had been kidnapped. He should have remembered the secret signals she’d told him before.

Just what had Qi gege done the day he slipped silently away towards Blacktower?!

Mu Linger creased her forehead at the thought. Seeing this, Manager Jin looked away as if reluctant to see her make such expressions. But after some silence, he still spoke up. “What are you worrying about?”

Mu Linger glanced at him before asking back, “Hey, you are Manager Jin, aren’t you!”

Although she’d never stopped asking and was always sure, Manager Jin still refused to answer her outright. For some reason, he’d started finding Mu Linger to start conversations. Mu Linger didn’t care what he talked about, but always asked him the same question.

Like always, Manager Jin only turned his head away to look elsewhere. Mu Linger began to fret about Ning Jing and looked back. Once she was sure the older man wasn’t bothering her, she turned around again.

“Jin Zi,” she asked, “This isn’t far from Wintercrow Country, right? If I remember right, this should be Northern Li’s Skyriver City.”

She and Ning Jing had no idea where Manager Jin was taking them, but every since entering Northern Li, they had started to lose hope.

Manager Jin remained silent.

Mu Linger asked next, “Can’t you give us some tips, like if the Di Clan has any news about Ning Cheng yet? I’m not thinking up any schemes, it’s just that Ning Jing’s worried for her big brother.”

Manager Jin still didn’t speak.

Mu Linger’s face fell as she prepared to leave. If she couldn’t get any intel, she wouldn’t sit with this guy at all. But abruptly, Manager Jin opened his mouth. “You know about Wintercrow Country?”

Mu Linger’s heart gave a start before she immediately sat down. “Are you really taking us to Wintercrow Country?”

“It should be snowing there by now,” Manager Jin sighed.

“Didn’t you still want to ransom my big sis and Qi gege? Let’s talk it over, I have ways to get you even more silver. Don’t bring us to Wintercrow Country, I can’t stand the weather there,” Mu Linger was on the verge of tears. That place wasn’t fit for birds to poop or chickens to lay their eggs. She and Ning Jing would never survive if they ended up there.

Manager Jin ignored Mu Linger’s panic and simply said, “East Wu’s winter clothing is silver and white, clean and pure. When the spring comes and the snow melts, warblers fly over the meadows. It’s very, very beautiful.”

Mu Linger looked at Manager Jin and saw that his face was filled with charmed rapture for somewhere nostalgic. She couldn’t resist asking, “Have you been there before?”

“No, I only heard it from others who’ve been there,” Manager Jin intoned. He was sold to the black markets as a child, so his memories of Wintercrow Country were blurry at best. The Wintercrow Clan was famed for its horses and precious gems. Merchants who didn’t fear death would travel there to purchase the goods at low prices and resell them at Three-Way Black Market. Gradually, some of the smarter members of the Wintercrow Clan began to imitate their methods and bring horses and gems directly to the black markets for sale. But that was rare, and their numbers could be counted on one’s fingers between the years. Most of the horses and gemstones of Wintercrow Country were heavily controlled by private businesses. The only reason Jun Yixie could get so many horses on his own was because he’d gone as a Northern Li imperial clan representative, not a private individual. Naturally, he’d paid a large sum as well.

“You really want to go back, don’t you…” Mu Linger probed carefully.

Manager Jin nodded.

Mu Linger’s heart throbbed before she asked, “We’ll...be there very soon, right?”

Manager Jin was about to nod when he suddenly sensed something amiss. For some reason, he broke into a chuckle. Mu Linger knew then that she’d failed and further probing would be useless. Manager Jin looked at her for a good while before telling her the truth for the first time. “We’re not going to East Wu, but to meet a certain person.”

“Who?” Mu Linger’s head whipped up.

“You’ll know in a few days,” Manager Jin still had his limits.

Mu Linger was full of doubt. If they’d know in a few days, then their person must be near Skyriver City. She didn’t understand much about Northern Li’s situation, nor could she find any clues. She decided to wait until Manager Jin and the older man were asleep before secretly telling Ning Jing. She was smart enough to list a few potential suspects.

“Jin Zi, will you go back to the Wintercrow Clan in the future?” Mu Linger kept probing. Although she considered this a trial interrogation, Manager Jin’s own motives were unknown.

“I will!” he declared confidently.

“Jin Zi, do you have a home in Wintercrow Country?” Mu Linger asked next.

Manager Jin shook his head. “I don’t know.” He only knew that he had been a slave and nothing else.

Actually, leaving aside the fact that Manager Jin had worked together with Ning Cheng to trick her Qi gege, Mu Linger still sympathized with the man. She even planned to return his gold card originally.

“Is your surname really Jin? Why do they call you Jin Zi?” Mu Linger asked.