Chapter 51. Robbed.
Chapter 51: 51. Robbed.
Lin Shuhao finally took a step forward.
His calm expression remained unchanged, but his voice carried a firmness that had been absent until now.
"Young Master Li, isn’t this a little too excessive?"
Li Hanson slowly turned his head and looked at him with an amused smile.
"Oh?"
Lin Shuhao cupped his fists.
"The item in your hand was never part of our cargo. Everyone present witnessed your guard place that box inside the crate before claiming to have discovered it."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"If Young Master Li insists on conducting an inspection, the Lin family will naturally cooperate. However, confiscating an entire caravan based on fabricated evidence is hardly reasonable."
Li Hanson chuckled.
"Reasonable?"
He slowly tossed the wooden box into the air before catching it again.
"Since when did you start talking to me about reason?"
His smile gradually widened.
"The stolen goods were found inside your caravan. Whether they belonged to you beforehand or appeared there afterward is no longer important. The evidence is already in my hands."
Several Li family guards burst into laughter.
One of them sneered.
"Group Leader Lin, perhaps your memory is failing."
"I clearly saw this box inside your crate before I opened it."
Another guard immediately nodded.
"I saw it as well."
"So did I."
One after another, the Li family guards spoke up without the slightest hesitation.
Every one of them claimed to have witnessed the same thing.
Faced with so many identical testimonies, the surrounding merchants wisely lowered their heads and remained silent.
They had all seen the truth.
Unfortunately, none of them dared offend the Li family by speaking out.
Li Hanson took two unhurried steps forward until only a few paces separated him from Lin Shuhao.
The mocking smile on his face never faded.
"Group Leader Lin, I advise you to think carefully before saying another word."
He lightly tapped the wooden box against his palm.
"Transporting stolen goods is already a serious crime. If you continue obstructing an official inspection, I will have no choice but to treat your entire caravan as accomplices."
His gaze slowly swept across the Lin clansmen.
"If that happens, every one of you will be imprisoned until the investigation is complete."
He paused deliberately before letting out a faint chuckle.
"Of course, investigations can sometimes take months."
The faces of the Lin clansmen immediately darkened.
Several of the younger merchants instinctively tightened their grips on the wooden poles they carried.
A few of them had only begun learning the family trade this year.
This was their first journey to Blue River City.
Never had they imagined that a simple business trip would end with the threat of imprisonment.
Lin Shuhao clenched his fists until the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
He wanted nothing more than to punch the arrogant smile off Li Hanson’s face.
Unfortunately, he could not.
Li Hanson was not merely relying upon the prestige of his elder brother.
He himself possessed a Fourth-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit and had long stepped into the Body Tempering Realm.
Among everyone accompanying the caravan, no one could match him in a direct fight.
More importantly, Lin Shuhao could not allow his anger to drag the others into disaster.
Many of those standing behind him were ordinary merchants with little cultivation.
Several were even children who had only recently begun following the caravans to learn the family’s trade.
If a fight broke out here, they would be the first to suffer.
After a long silence, Lin Shuhao slowly loosened his clenched fists.
He turned toward the furious Lin clansmen behind him and spoke in a steady voice.
"Everyone, stand down."
His words were calm, but they left no room for argument.
"We will let the Patriarch settle this matter."
Li Hanson looked at Lin Shuhao and began clapping.
"Excellent. Very wise, Group Leader Lin. I knew you would make the right choice."
He nodded in satisfaction before glancing toward the Lin clansmen standing behind him.
"You should all learn from your Group Leader. He understands that some battles simply cannot be won."
With that, he casually waved his hand.
"Take everything."
The Li family guards immediately sprang into action.
One crate after another was lifted onto the Li family’s wagons.
The Lin clansmen could only stand by helplessly as weeks of hard work disappeared before their eyes.
Li Hanson glanced back one final time, a smug smile still hanging on his face.
"I look forward to seeing you again on your next trip."
With that, he turned and walked away.
The Li family guards followed behind him, escorting the confiscated cargo as though it had belonged to them from the very beginning.
Before long, the street fell silent once more.
Only the empty wagons of the Lin family remained.
For a long while, no one spoke.
Finally, one of the younger merchants cautiously stepped forward.
"Group Leader... are you... alright?"
Lin Shuhao forced a faint smile and nodded.
"I’m fine."
His answer was calm, but no one truly believed it.
Another clansman looked toward the empty wagons before speaking with a worried expression.
"What do we do now?"
"They took everything."
"How are we supposed to explain this when we return to the clan?"
The others also looked toward Lin Shuhao.
Although they were angry, what weighed on their minds even more was what awaited them back in Azure Willow City.
Lin Shuhao took a slow breath before speaking.
"Don’t worry. This matter has nothing to do with any of you. I was the one leading this caravan. If anyone must answer for today’s losses, it will be me."
Seeing the anxious expressions around him, he continued in a reassuring voice.
"The Patriarch is a reasonable man. He will understand what happened here."
His words eased the tension among the younger merchants, and several of them quietly nodded.
Even so, Lin Shuhao could not completely convince himself.
I only hope... the Patriarch truly is as reasonable as everyone says.