Upon hearing this, the plump woman's eyes reddened with anxiety: "Why don't you... go talk to the Twin Eagles Society? Just say it was thugs who robbed us, maybe they'll uphold justice!"
The young man shook his head, letting out a cold laugh: "The Twin Eagles Society? Sister, don't you understand? In their eyes, we're not even human, just livestock for making money!
If I can't pay, I'm like a cripple. Why would they stand up for us? They might even frame me for incompetence, beat me up again, or even force you to a brothel!"
At this point, he suddenly pounded his lame leg, his voice filled with deep hatred:
"If it weren't for these scumbags, trying to make me look more pitiful and get more money, they would have broken my leg, and I wouldn't be unable to shake off even a thug!"
Hearing these words, the woman was struck dumb. Her legs went weak, her vision blurred, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
Desperate, she turned sharply to Qingchen, knelt down with a thud, and cried out in tears, "My benefactor, no, my hero! Please have mercy and save my brother! I'll do anything, I'll do anything!"
Seeing that Qingchen didn't react, the woman quickly ran into the thatched hut and washed her dusty face, hands, and neck.
When she came out, she was a rather attractive, plump woman.
Without hesitation, she actually knelt straight down before Qingchen.
Qingchen immediately stepped forward to help her up.
He grasped the woman's hand with his left hand and naturally supported her waist and hips with his right, steadily lifting her up.
This intimate contact made the woman's cheeks instantly burn, flushing an unnatural red.
Since the flood and the decline of her family, she hadn't been this close to a man for a long time.
Qingchen's strong hands filled her heart with a unique warmth.
She was originally a concubine of a landlord, but a great disaster destroyed her entire family.
“Stand and talk.”
Qingchen noticed the blush on the woman's face, and the masculine aura emanating from him grew even stronger:
“Get up first, don't rush. If your knees are weak, your life won't be strong. I have two paths here; you choose one.”
The woman no longer cared about her shyness; her mind was filled with her brother's safety. She nodded hurriedly, “Benefactor, please give your orders! My brother and I will obey you completely! Whatever you say, we will do without hesitation!”
Qingchen's palm pressed against the woman's skin, feeling slightly warm.
He composed himself and held up his first finger: "First, pack your bags and leave Jincheng immediately. Find a remote town and live in anonymity. That way, the Double Eagle Society and the local thugs won't be able to find you, and you'll be safe."
A glimmer of hope appeared in the woman's eyes, but it instantly dimmed again: "That won't do... My benefactor, you've seen the state of the world.
Outside the city, floods rage, famine is rampant, and bandits are everywhere. It's already a miracle that my brother and I survived to get here.
Now we have almost no money left. If we leave this porridge shop, within three days... we'll either starve to death or be kidnapped and killed by bandits..."
This answer was exactly what Qingchen had expected.
He offered this seemingly feasible, but actually dead-end option to force them into a corner.
Only then can they truly recognize the cruelty of reality, and only then will they willingly work for themselves, because to not work is to die.
“Since that’s the case,”
Qingchen’s voice deepened, carrying a strange, seductive quality: “If you can’t hide, and you don’t want to endure oppression, then there’s only one path left.”
He paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the boy: “Only by risking your life, by fighting back.”
The woman’s lips trembled upon hearing this, and she repeated softly, “Fight back, fight back…”
Though her eyes still held some confusion, Qingchen’s words ignited a glimmer of hope within her.
A bright light also flashed in the eyes of the limping boy beside her, but it quickly dimmed again.
He looked down at his battered legs, a bitter feeling rising in his heart. His voice was hoarse: "A desperate fight? What can I fight with? I'm like this, I can barely walk without a limp.
And those two thugs from the Twin Eagles Gang not only have martial arts skills, but they also employ over a dozen thugs, each one burly and strong…
Forget them, I can't even handle their beggars. How could I possibly risk my life?"
He looked up at Qingchen, his gaze as if he were looking at someone spouting unrealistic fantasies.
Qingchen looked calmly at the boy: "You alone are like an egg striking a rock.
But what if someone were willing to give you a push? Why don't you ask me? Perhaps I'll help you."
The boy hesitated, his lips moved, but ultimately he let out a soft sigh:
"In this world... without family or friends, who would risk their lives against the Twin Eagles for the sake of lowly lives like ours?
Besides, even if you had the will, what could you do? I don't think it's a good idea. Those guys in the Twin Eagles are all ruthless.
Especially the two leaders, their Eagle Claw technique is incredibly powerful; they can crush stones to dust. One swipe is enough to break bones and tendons, leaving someone either dead or seriously injured!"
It wasn't that he didn't believe in Qingchen's good intentions.
He didn't believe in kindness that came out of thin air.
He also didn't believe that one person could fight against an entire gang.
"Young man! Don't be rude to your benefactor!" The woman frowned slightly and gently scolded him.
She instinctively took a step closer to Qingchen, her tone resolute:
"Although I don't know martial arts, I can tell my benefactor is no ordinary person. Do you remember when I told you, my elder brother helped me drive away that thug?
That vagrant was tall and strong, but my brother defeated him with a single move. All the other vagrants around were terrified of him. If my brother is willing to help, what do we have to fear?"
The woman knew that her benefactor's willingness to help must have an ulterior motive, nothing more than her still somewhat attractive body.
She was already twenty-five or twenty-six; if her body could buy her brother's life and hope, it was worth it.
After all, they were now desperate; Qingchen was their only hope.