Zheng Jun's voice was exceptionally steady, carrying the casual warmth of an old friend.
Hearing this, the Shengdong Village Chief, Zhang Ji, racked his brains and replied, "These past few days, it's mostly been traveling merchants from the city. As for strangers... there haven't been many."
Mid-sentence, Zhang Ji suddenly remembered something and blurted out, "Oh, right! This morning, a group of wealthy merchants from Rongyuan County spent some silver to rent Second Bai's boat. They claimed they wanted to go boating on the river.
"I found it suspicious at the time. It's the dead of winter! The river hasn't frozen over, but it's not much better! Even the fishermen hardly go into the water anymore. Going boating? There's definitely something wrong!" Village Chief Zhang stated with absolute certainty.
"From Rongyuan County?"
Zheng Jun nodded. "In that case, I will head over myself. Thank you for your trouble, Village Chief Zhang."
