Chapter 65: You've Revealed Yourself

**After being rescued, Xi Bufan, due to his young age and inability to remember his hometown, only knew that he had grown up by the seaside. It took more than a decade for him to reunite with his father, and his mother had already passed away due to illness caused by longing, leaving behind an irreparable regret in his life.

Tang Ailian learned about this incident because she read Xi Bufan's memoirs, and it happened in her hometown. She decided to investigate the details of this case.

When Tang Ailian heard what the woman said, she immediately thought of the human trafficking gang and suspected that this woman was a member of that human trafficking group.

If that woman's palm had landed on her, a regular child's consciousness would become fuzzy, allowing her to be taken away without anyone suspecting a thing.

Unfortunately, even though Tang Ailian was only four years old, her inner self was that of an adult, and she had also cultivated witch doctor abilities in this life, making her mentally strong. Even if she was hit, she wouldn't lose her composure.

Tang Ailian initially wanted to avoid the woman, but in a moment of insight, she decided not to move. As a result, the woman's palm landed on the Baihui acupoint on her head.

Indeed, Tang Ailian felt a chilly sensation spreading from her Baihui acupoint, causing her mind to briefly become fuzzy. However, she quickly regained her clarity. She pretended to be dazed, keeping her eyes unfocused as she looked at the woman.

The woman believed that she had successfully drugged Tang Ailian since her gaze appeared a bit hazy. She reached out to hug Tang Ailian and said, "Alright, alright, don't be upset with mommy. Mommy will take you to buy new clothes, okay?" She continued to talk while leading Tang Ailian into the street.

People nearby, seeing Tang Ailian not resisting and thinking she was the woman's child, paid no further attention.

Tang Ailian allowed the woman to hug her and walk down the street. They eventually entered a narrow alleyway. After several twists and turns, they arrived at an old, dilapidated house.

The woman led Tang Ailian into the house, where she discovered more than ten two- to three-year-old children. They all appeared pale and thin, wearing a mix of good and tattered clothing.

Most importantly, these children had vacant expressions, indicating that they had not fully regained their senses. However, upon closer inspection, it was evident that these children had good innate qualities and were suitable for body cultivation.

There was a man at the door acting as a guard, wearing glasses and appearing scholarly.

When he saw the woman bring Tang Ailian inside, he furrowed his brow and asked, "Did you bring back someone who wasn't our intended target?"

The woman replied, "Yes, I followed our original target for a whole day, but there was always a parent nearby, making it hard to act. Then, I happened to see this girl near the target, and she seemed suitable, so I brought her back. Doesn't she look pretty?"

"Indeed, she's pretty. But what about her innate talent?" The man reached out and pulled Tang Ailian in front of him, scrutinizing her from head to toe. "Good innate talent, and she seems a bit older."

Upon hearing the man's words, the woman sneered, "Not only does she have good innate talent, but she's also beautiful. We can charge a higher price for her. I added a bit more drug to her, so she shouldn't remember her hometown when she wakes up. What's the harm in her being a bit older?"

Tang Ailian, with a vacant look in her eyes, silently cursed these people for kidnapping children and even assessing their innate talents. Though she appeared to be around four years old, her inner self was that of an adult, and she felt like these people were taking advantage of her!

Using her telepathic abilities, Tang Ailian scanned the man and noticed an energy vortex in his lower dantian area, indicating that he had martial skills.

This was troublesome. While Tang Ailian had reached the sixth level of the Acquired Realm, she had never fought against someone with martial skills. If it were an ordinary person, she wouldn't be afraid, but a martial artist? She couldn't be sure if she could defeat him. Additionally, these people had hallucinogenic drugs at their disposal.

Furthermore, since Tang Ailian had taken charge of this situation, she needed to protect these children rather than just escape. Otherwise, there would have been no need for her to follow the woman.

The man seemed to sense something was amiss as he looked at Tang Ailian and furrowed his brow, feeling that something was off about this girl. "Could there be something wrong with this girl?"

Tang Ailian knew that the man had sensed her telepathic abilities and immediately retracted her powers.

"What could be wrong? Look at how she's dressed; it's clear she's from a poor family."

While Tang Ailian's family had some money now, her grandmother was very frugal and hadn't spent much of the money Tang Ailian had given her. She only bought new clothes for everyone during festivals, following her strict rules. So, despite having some money, Tang Ailian still appeared to be wearing patched-up clothing, which looked relatively clean on her.

The man gave Tang Ailian another serious look but couldn't discern anything unusual. He thought to himself that he might be overthinking it; after all, she was just a little girl. Even if she was fully conscious, what could she do? There was no way a child this young could be an undercover agent, right?

Tang Ailian thought, "You've revealed yourself. I am indeed an undercover agent."

The man finally sighed and said, "Well, forget it. We're leaving tonight anyway, and this is the last batch. You can watch over her for now. Just be careful. I'll go out."

The woman replied with a snort, "You be careful too."

The man agreed and left the room.

Tang Ailian was now sure that these people were the child traffickers she had heard about in her past life. It was a well-organized group involved in finding, abducting, and selling children, offering an all-encompassing service.

The man, who appeared scholarly, was named Lu Hu, and he was a key figure in this organization and the mastermind behind this operation.

Lu Hu's group had already targeted several villages in the vicinity, abducting more than a hundred children. Their plan was to gather them and transport them to an island in the south. A buyer had already been arranged, or rather, a special organization had paid them in advance before they carried out the abductions. Once these children were sold, they would become a part of that organization, where they would be cultivated as if they were raising gu insects. If they were sent to the island, less than ten of these over one hundred children would likely survive.

(End of this chapter)