It must be said that although Wang Shuai was comforting Wang An, his tone was incredibly confident and domineering.
It was clear that in a small county like YJ County, under the jurisdiction of this "black province," Wang Shuai's confidence was very, very strong.
However, while Wang Shuai and Wu Dong and the others were powerful and their family influence was formidable, Wang An felt that the "big umbrella" shielding the mine owner was also absolutely extraordinary.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to cover up so many people disappearing and being dragged into the mountains to serve as forced laborers.
Unfortunately, in a clash of pure power like this, Wang An didn't even have the qualification to be a spectator. Thus, he could only keep his feelings buried in his heart; speaking them aloud would serve no purpose.
After Wang Shuai finished speaking, Wang An nodded. He and Ma Guoqiang each hoisted Mu Xueli and Wang Li onto their backs and headed toward the guesthouse.
On the way back, Mu Xueli, who was on Wang An's back, spoke up
"Brother-in-law, Old Five and I didn't say anything."
Perhaps because her lips and cheeks were swollen from being beaten, Mu Xueli's speech was somewhat slurred.
Hearing this, Wang An replied to Mu Xueli and Wang Li with a look of complete indifference
"It wouldn't have mattered if you did. From now on, you two remember that your lives are always more important than money. You two got off easy this time, but if they had killed you, think about it—would it have been worth stubbornly holding out?"
To be honest, Wang An truly didn't care whether Mu Xueli and Wang Li had spoken about the group taking the gold.
Looking at their current state, it wasn't hard to see how much suffering they had endured in that hour and a half. Under such circumstances, it was perfectly understandable to answer whatever was asked.
Wang An never believed that many people nowadays could be like the heroic predecessors of the past, remaining unyielding while subjected to all sorts of torture devices!
One has to realize that many people scream in agony just from an accidental trip or a small cut on their body; could people like that really withstand poisonous torture and beatings?
Damn, don't give me that bullshit! At any rate, Wang An admitted he couldn't do it.
If everyone could do that, terms like "confessing under torture" or "the wise adapt to the times" would never have existed.
Ma Guoqiang strongly agreed with Wang An's words, adding
"Exactly. Hold out if you can, and speak if you can't. No one will blame you."
Mu Xueli and Wang Li gave a soft acknowledgment and stopped talking.
After a while, the group of four returned to the guesthouse. Feng Chengmin and He Liang were currently pacing anxiously in front of the room.
Seeing Mu Xueli and Wang Li being carried back by Wang An and Ma Guoqiang, Feng Chengmin was stunned for a moment before asking anxiously
"What happened? How did they end up like this in such a short time?"
Wang An didn't answer Feng Chengmin immediately, instead saying
"Great-Uncle, I'll tell you the details in a bit. Let's get Xueli and Old Five onto the kang first to apply some medicine."
The reason he mentioned a "kang" was that the guesthouse consisted of ordinary brick-and-tile houses that utilized heated brick beds. However, like the offices of various government units, there was a long corridor inside.
Feng Chengmin said repeatedly, "Right, right, I was so worried I became muddled."
After placing Mu Xueli and Wang Li on the kang, Ma Guoqiang said to Wang An and Feng Chengmin
"Great-Uncle, Xiao An, you two handle Xueli and Old Five's wounds first. Liangzi and I have things to attend to."
As he spoke, Ma Guoqiang explained what had happened to He Liang while walking toward his own room.
A short while later, the two of them took the items Wang Shuai wanted, said a quick goodbye to Wang An and the others, and hurried away.
Wang An found the medicine kit he had brought into the mountains and applied medicine to Mu Xueli and Wang Li along with Feng Chengmin. While doing so, Wang An recounted the events to Feng Chengmin.
As Wang An spoke more, Feng Chengmin's expression grew increasingly grim, and an uncontrollable killing intent began to emanate from him.
At this moment, Wang An was absolutely certain that his Great-Uncle, Feng Chengmin, had definitely taken many lives.
Because killing intent, though invisible and intangible, could be clearly felt.
It was like when a person is in a bad mood and throwing a temper tantrum; those around them feel the air become oppressive, and that is merely simple anger. Feeling killing intent was even more uncomfortable than feeling anger.
It wasn't until Wang An described Wang Shuai's actions after he arrived—specifically the part where Wang Shuai exchanged handguns with Wang An—that Feng Chengmin's expression softened.
Once Wang An finished everything, Feng Chengmin sighed and said
"These friends of yours are truly rare. Loyal, principled, and genuinely decent."
Wang An nodded but offered no further evaluation.
After finishing the medicine, Wang An and Feng Chengmin carefully checked the bones of the two victims.
Fortunately, although they looked miserable—with hardly a single spot on their bodies that wasn't injured—the interrogators had likely wanted them to serve as laborers, so they hadn't broken any bones.
After all, a strong laborer and a crippled laborer were completely different things.
It had to be said that they owed a debt of gratitude to that mine owner; if he hadn't needed workers, Mu Xueli and Wang Li might have been killed or permanently disabled.
However, when Wang An looked at their faces, he frowned deeply.
Because their faces had been lashed with whips or ropes, there were several bloody streaks. Among these, one or two had actually split the skin.
In other words, the skin on their faces had been torn open, revealing bloody flesh.
As everyone knows, the skin on the human face is very special. Even a scratch from a fingernail, if it breaks the skin, will generally leave a faint scar.
Therefore, the wounds on their faces—especially those one or two deep gashes—would certainly leave ugly scars even after healing.
This meant that, barring a miracle, these two were effectively disfigured!
Mu Xueli was only engaged and not yet married, and Wang Li was young and didn't even have a partner yet. To have two large scars on their faces at such a young age would have too great an impact on their future lives.
Just as Wang An was racking his brain for a way to make the scars less obvious, Feng Chengmin noticed his gaze and looked over.
After staring for a long time, Feng Chengmin managed to squeeze out a single sentence
"They're grown men; they don't make a living with their faces. Besides, they aren't short on money. They can find whatever kind of wife they want."
He said that, but who wouldn't care about their own face??
(End of Chapter)