Chapter 5

"Who?"

The sudden voice in his head startled Chen Mo. He was a bit dazed and, by the time he called out, he had already realized it was the voice of the mysterious presence in his mind. However, since obtaining this mysterious presence, it had only spoken three times, so Chen Mo was momentarily taken aback.

"What's wrong?" The attendant came over with a money bag and looked at Chen Mo with a grin.

"Nothing!" Chen Mo shook his head, his consciousness a bit fuzzy, and even the figure in front of him appeared doubled. The bowl of water was problematic!

Chen Mo glanced at the bowl of water, then at the attendant and the direction the man had left. Although he didn't understand why they wanted to harm him, he couldn't afford to think about it anymore. After silently praying for help, he shakily reached out to take the money bag.

"Here you go!" The attendant deliberately handed the money bag off-center.

Chen Mo had to reach out twice before he finally got the money bag. By then, his consciousness was already clear, but to confuse the other party, he still acted as if he were about to faint. He silently opened the money bag, confirmed that it contained wuzhu coins strung together with hemp rope, and didn't bother to count how many there were.

After tying the bag tightly with a rope, he stood up and staggered out.

"Hey, Xiaotong!" The attendant laughed and took a few steps forward, trying to grab Chen Mo, but Chen Mo suddenly darted out as if nothing had happened.

The attendant was taken aback, then quickly reacted and started to chase after him.

"Uncle Wang?" Outside the door, Chen Mo collided with a broad chest and was bounced back, landing on his buttocks. Looking up, he saw Uncle Wang, and his heart eased. Uncle Wang's fierce face seemed much more friendly at that moment.

Uncle Wang nodded and frowned at the attendant who had come out, tightening his grip on the stick and glaring, "What's going on?"

The attendant hesitated. Uncle Wang was a well-known hunter in the area, having once hunted a ferocious tiger. His robust build and fierce appearance made him intimidating. A normal person would have been scared stiff, so the attendant didn't dare to approach.

"This child stole the money!" The attendant, with a quick turn of his eyes, blurted out.

"Nonsense, I earned this from selling rice. You drugged the water to harm me!" Chen Mo, seeing Uncle Wang beside him, felt more confident and spoke in a louder voice.

Uncle Wang's frown deepened as he looked at the attendant.

"What proof do you have?" The attendant, feeling uneasy under Uncle Wang's gaze and with a guilty conscience, wanted to back away but saw the man from earlier come out, smiling at Chen Mo, "Xiaotong, you shouldn't make false accusations. If we take this to the authorities..."

"I only drank two sips of that water. You drink the rest!" Chen Mo, looking at the man, gritted his teeth. This man, who looked kind, had such evil intentions.

The man was momentarily taken aback.

Uncle Wang, seeing the man's hesitation, knew that the water was indeed problematic. He frowned and said, "Do you want to take this to the authorities?"

The man looked at the growing crowd and, with a smile that didn't change, said, "Forget it, it's a small matter. Let's just call it a friendship."

"That was mine to begin with!" Chen Mo gritted his teeth.

"You clever child!" The man looked at Chen Mo, shook his head, and said, "Say hello to Old Liu for me."

Chen Mo wanted to say more but was pulled away by Uncle Wang.

"Uncle Wang, why..." Chen Mo was still a bit resentful.

"This is their territory. If we make a big fuss, we might not come out on top." Uncle Wang sighed, "What happened? Didn't I tell you to go to the grain market? Why did you come here?"

Chen Mo then recounted how Old Liu had introduced him to sell grain here.

After listening, Uncle Wang was silent for a moment and said, "Some favors shouldn't be accepted. Old Liu is in cahoots with them."

Chen Mo, not quite understanding, asked, "Uncle Wang, why would they want to harm me?"

"They're not trying to harm you, but to knock you out and sell you elsewhere." Uncle Wang sighed, "If you find a buyer, it's your luck. If not, they'll break your legs and make you beg on the streets to earn money for them."

Chen Mo, having grown up, had never before so vividly experienced the harshness and cruelty of the world. Old Liu looked kind, and the man didn't seem like a bad person, yet they engaged in such heinous acts. Uncle Wang, on the other hand, though fierce-looking, was a rare good person.

"Why not report them to the authorities?" Chen Mo was still resentful. He thought that if it weren't for the mysterious presence in his mind and Uncle Wang's timely arrival, he might have been sold far away, leaving his mother alone and destitute. If he were really gone, how would his mother survive?

Thinking about this, Chen Mo felt a bit scared and stumbled, falling to the ground.

"If it were useful, they wouldn't be so brazen!" Uncle Wang pulled him up, shaking his head and sighing.

The man ultimately didn't pursue the matter, and the crowd around them grew larger. The most important reason was probably to avoid making a big fuss.

Chen Mo didn't quite understand. From Uncle Wang's words, it seemed as if the authorities were in cahoots with them. As a young boy, he couldn't grasp these complexities and didn't know how to express his confusion, so he silently followed Uncle Wang, but he seemed to be very unlucky, tripping for no reason or being bumped by passersby.

"In the future, just go to the grain market to sell grain. The world is tough, and although the prices at the grain market are low, at least you won't face such dangers. The county town is different from the countryside; people here are more complex, and the authorities don't manage things as well these days." Uncle Wang took Chen Mo straight to the brocade shop, exchanged a piece of embroidery for 500 coins, and then headed back, talking to Chen Mo while unconsciously keeping a bit of distance. This child seemed to have become very unlucky since he left home.

"Isn't the government supposed to serve the people?" Chen Mo was confused. If they didn't serve the people, what was the point of their existence?

"In theory, yes, but sometimes the world doesn't work according to logic." Uncle Wang patted Chen Mo's head and smiled, "You won't understand these things now. You'll figure them out as you grow up. What do you want to do with the money?"

"I want to buy some chicks. We can raise them at home, and..." Chen Mo thought for a moment, "Buy some meat. Mother hasn't had meat in a long time."

"You're a filial child," Uncle Wang smiled, "The village head said you wanted a dog, right? The things you mentioned are all at the market. I'll take you there. Zheng Tu is also there."

"Thank you, Uncle Wang!" Chen Mo, still haunted by the earlier incident, felt much more at ease when Uncle Wang agreed to accompany him.

"Uncle Wang, are you very strong?" On the way, Chen Mo suddenly asked.

"Why do you ask?" Uncle Wang looked at Chen Mo, puzzled.

"That man was scared just by your glare." Chen Mo thought about how the attendant had been frozen in place by Uncle Wang's glare, feeling a bit envious.

"He has a guilty conscience. Such people bully the weak and fear the strong. As long as you're stronger, you can scare them off." Uncle Wang said nonchalantly.

"Can you teach me?" Chen Mo asked.

"Teach you what?" Uncle Wang looked at Chen Mo, puzzled.

"Martial arts." Chen Mo had been thinking about what to learn these days. He had been a bit lost, but now he was clear. He wanted to learn martial arts to avoid being bullied by bad people and to protect his mother.

"I'm just a hunter. What do I know about martial arts?" Uncle Wang shook his head, then looked at Chen Mo for a moment and thought, "If you want to learn, I can teach you, but you must be willing to endure hardship."

"I'm not afraid of hardship!" Chen Mo stood up straight.

Uncle Wang nodded. He had watched this child grow up, and he knew that Chen Mo had always been resilient and more mature than other children. He wasn't worried about this. He nodded and said, "I go hunting regularly. If I have free time when I return, I'll teach you."

"Thank you, Uncle Wang!" Chen Mo was overjoyed and bowed to Uncle Wang, but Uncle Wang held him back.

"Let's talk about it when we get back!"

"Okay!" Chen Mo followed Uncle Wang happily as they headed toward the market.