This wasn’t the first time Gan Fanren had heard the words “Male Lead” from his daughter’s mouth.
These two words weren’t hard to understand.
A “Male Lead” was nothing more than the protagonist of a story.
His family were the villains in this story.
But shouldn’t a Male Lead be an image of justice?
Why did his daughter say at birth that the Female Lead’s family would tear her apart and eat her?
What kind of protagonist was a person like that?
It was one thing to not mention the Male Lead, but the moment Gan Tian’s heart voice brought him up, a surge of murderous intent rose in Gan Fanren’s heart.
Regardless of who the Male Lead was or how powerful he might be—if he wanted to harm Gan Fanren’s family, he would have to step over his corpse first!
Since this Li Zhi could be used by the Male Lead, he could just as easily be used by him.
Gan Fanren hadn’t originally intended to enslave someone for the price of two buns, but after hearing his daughter’s thoughts, he realized the man before him would be a great asset.
He was stubborn, loyal, and useful.
A bargain delivered right to his door—it would be a waste not to take it.
He was no saint to begin with, so he felt no psychological burden when it came to utilizing people.
Because of those two buns, Li Zhi was immensely grateful to Gan Fanren.
He followed the Gan Family from a distance, seemingly acting as their protector.
During the day, besides the journey itself, there wasn’t much danger. But as night fell, the perils manifested.
Because they hadn’t found a village to stay in, many people were sleeping out in the open.
Several people cast covetous glances toward the Gan Family.
A combination of three children, a woman, and a frail scholar was as defenseless as a little lamb.
A few desperate men exchanged looks and quietly approached.
They drew near Gan Fanren, their eyes gleaming with greed.
As long as they dealt with this scholar, the family would have no fighting strength left. The children could be sold, and the woman could provide the brothers with some “entertainment.”
Around them, some people wanted to call out a warning to the Gan Family, but they fell silent when they met the warning glares of the thugs.
These men clearly weren’t to be trifled with. It wasn’t worth getting into trouble for a complete stranger.
Thus, those people closed their eyes, choosing to put the matter out of their minds by pretending they hadn’t seen anything.
Just as the leader of the thugs covered Gan Fanren’s mouth, intending to kill him, a rough hand landed on his shoulder.
“Minding other people’s business? Do you have a death wish?”
The man turned around, cursing, only to be met by a pair of eyes as large as copper bells.
“This brother gave me buns during the day; he is my benefactor. You dare try to harm my benefactor? You’re the one who’s tired of living!”
With a loud thud, Li Zhi’s fist sent him seeing stars.
Then, grabbing the man by his collar, he slammed punch after punch into his face.
There was no technique or finesse involved—it was simply a matter of brute force overcoming all, a miracle of sheer strength.
The commotion woke the entire Gan Family.
Gan Tian wailed and cried.
[This is terrifying! I almost went to see my great-grandmother!]
In the chaos, no one noticed a cold glint reflecting off something in Gan Fanren’s hand.
If Li Zhi had acted even a moment later, that man would have been dead.
The blade in Gan Fanren’s hand was coated in poison.
While Li Zhi only wanted to teach them a lesson, Gan Fanren truly intended to take their lives!
Gan Fanren silently tucked the blade away and shielded his wife and children behind him, maintaining his facade as a frail scholar.
Seeing their comrade being beaten, the other thugs rushed at Li Zhi.
Li Zhi trapped their wooden clubs under his arms and swung the clubs—along with the men holding them—into the air, creating a whistling whoosh in the wind.
This fight scene, straight out of a television drama, left Gan Tian’s little mouth hanging wide open.
[So cool.]
[Those two buns Dad gave were totally worth it.]
Li Zhi beat the men until they were scurrying like rats, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy, calling him “Grandpa” and “Lord” in hopes he would stay his hand.
Without a word, Li Zhi tied them up.
“Save your breath. You’re coming with me to see the magistrate tomorrow.”
Li Zhi gagged them, tossed them aside, and walked over to Gan Fanren.
“Brother, I hope you weren’t too startled.”
“Don’t worry. I might not have much, but I have plenty of strength. As long as I’m here, no one will hurt you.”
Gan Fanren hadn’t expected those two buns to actually buy Li Zhi’s loyalty.
This man… was quite simple-minded by nature.
“My name is Gan Fanren. I am twenty-eight this year. May I ask your age, Brother Li?”
Li Zhi scratched his head. “I’m fourteen.”
[Huh?]
[No way! With that full beard, he looks older than my dad! I’d believe it if he said he was thirty-four, but he’s only fourteen? No wonder he’s so easy to trick.]
Gan Tian looked at Li Zhi in shock.
[The book didn’t say Li Zhi was only fourteen when he became the Male Lead’s lackey! Isn’t the Male Lead just hiring child labor?]
Gan Fanren also hadn’t expected Li Zhi to be so young.
He wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t so deranged as to exploit such a young child.
Li Zhi’s single sentence had stifled everything Gan Fanren was about to say.
“You are only a few years older than my eldest son. It wouldn’t be out of place for you to call me Uncle.”
“That won’t do. I’ve decided you’re my Big Brother.”
Li Zhi puffed out his chest with a stubborn look.
“We were busy traveling during the day, so I didn’t get a chance to ask—where are you headed?”
At the mention of this, Li Zhi’s shoulders slumped.
“I don’t know.”
“Everyone in my village died, and my home was flooded. I only survived because I carried my mother and hid in a large tree.”
Gan Fanren’s eyes lit up. “If you don’t mind, why not come with us to Wangdu?”
“I see you’re empty-handed, so I assume you have no travel funds. We have money, but we lack able-bodied men. Why not join me so we can look out for each other?”
To Li Zhi, it didn’t matter where he went.
He had already intended to follow the Gan Family to repay their kindness and protect them.
Gan Fanren’s words suited him perfectly.
“Alright.”
Li Zhi brought his elderly mother over to the Gan Family’s spot.
Hui Niang took some flatbread from her bag, toasted it over the fire, sprinkled on some seasoning, and handed it to Li Zhi and his mother.
“I saw that you two didn’t eat much tonight. I don’t have anything fancy, so please make do with this for now.”
Looking at the white flatbread, Li Zhi’s mouth practically watered.
He had barely eaten anything these past few days. Any food he found along the way was either given to his mother or sold to scrape together some travel money.
Seeing the large piece of flatbread, he felt a sharp pang of hunger.
He didn’t stand on ceremony; he smiled at Gan Fanren, took the bread, and began to devour it ravenously.
It was just plain bread, but with the seasoning, it was salty and fragrant, and the toasting had made it crisp.
Li Zhi felt it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten—better than meat.
Seeing this, Li Zhi’s mother gently patted his back, her eyes filled with heartache.
“Eat slower.”
During these days, her son had carried her for miles and suffered greatly.
She loved her son and didn’t want to be a burden to him. For the past few days, she had refused to eat anything, wanting to save the rations for him.
She hadn’t expected to encounter the Gan Family eating buns at noon.
Those buns had smelled so good that she hadn’t been able to stop herself from staring.