Chapter 5

***

The tall black figure kicked the little beggar into the corner of the room and pushed Qin Mu hard, causing him to stagger back two steps and sit down on the threshold. He was about to roll out of the door and shout for help.

However, a "thud" came from inside, and the black figure fell to the ground.

Qin Mu was slightly stunned. Seeing that the black figure on the ground was no longer moving, he first retreated outside and then called out in a low voice, "Xiaoqiao, Xiaoqiao, how are you? Come out quickly......"

A faint rustling sound came from the corner, and a small figure crawled out. Qin Mu immediately carried her outside and asked, "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

Qin Mu, dissatisfied, gave her a light tap on the head: "Speak up. If you don't answer me next time, I'll roast and eat you!"

She nodded.

Qin Mu originally wanted to give her another tap, but he couldn't bear to do it. This little beggar had only received a pancake from him, yet she had risked her life to protect him when he was in danger. Qin Mu couldn't help but feel a bit moved.

"Wait here and don't make a sound. I'll go inside and check."

"Don't go......"

"Don't worry. If he wanted to kill me, I would have been dead already. Besides, from his tone, it seems he knows me. If I don't recognize him, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage? Be a good girl and wait here."

Qin Mu finished speaking, cleared his throat twice, and walked in with heavy steps: "Brother, it seems you recognize me. I came here just to stay for the night, with no ill intentions."

There was no response.

Qin Mu squatted down and checked the man's breathing. He was still alive, just unconscious. The man emitted a foul odor. Out of curiosity, Qin Mu struggled to drag him to the door and, under the moonlight, took a look.

Damn! It's really a meeting of old enemies. This man was none other than the strongman who fought the Eastern Factory agents at Meixiang Tower that day.

Great! You have your day too. While you're down, I'll kick you!

Qin Mu kicked the man several times, finally venting his anger. He had been walking around with a big bump on his head for ten days. Just kicking him wasn't enough; he needed to be compensated for medical expenses.

Qin Mu, enduring the foul smell, began to search the man's body. The man was burning with fever, and he had knife wounds on his abdomen, shoulder, and leg.

It seemed he had been unable to buy medicine to treat his wounds while evading the Eastern Factory agents, and the wounds had become infected and suppurated, causing the foul smell.

After finding some silver, Qin Mu closed the temple door and led the little beggar away. At the street corner, the little beggar asked in a low voice, "Young Master, where are we going?"

Qin Mu paused, remembering that the man, despite his injuries, had still fought a group of Eastern Factory agents. Such a brave person was valuable in this world.

"Are you hungry?"

She nodded.

Qin Mu gave her a light tap on the head.

"......Hungry."

Qin Mu immediately clutched the silver he had just found, like a miser clutching his last savings: "You're hungry again after just one pancake? Do you know that some young ladies go three days without eating to lose weight? Your figure is envied by many. A good figure needs to be maintained. Do you understand?"

She shook her head.

Qin Mu gave her another light tap on the head.

The Qinhuai River was even more beautiful at night. The songs from the brothels were soft and seductive, captivating the heart.

The streets were crowded, even more so than during the day.

Qin Mu took the little beggar to the street for a hearty meal, then bought some medicine from a pharmacy, had it prepared, and returned to the temple.

After about half an hour of work, he finally managed to feed the medicine to the man and treat his wounds.

The little beggar, who rarely had a full meal or a place to rest, now had her bright eyes half-closed, looking "on the verge of death."

It was still a bit cool in March, so Qin Mu wrapped her in a red cloth from the altar and said softly, "Sleep. We have to leave before dawn."

The little beggar forced herself to open her eyes and look at him, as if to make sure he wouldn't leave in the middle of the night. Then she hid under the altar to sleep.

Qin Mu weighed the silver in his hand. He had spent a lot on medicine, leaving about one tael. Well, at least they wouldn't have to worry about hunger tomorrow.

The next morning, Qin Mu got up at the fifth watch and started doing push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. Although the scab on the back of his head was starting to form, it was still far from fully healed. His head throbbed with pain during exercise, but he persisted. This body was too weak; it couldn't even protect itself, let alone the country. Qin Mu didn't want to waste a day of exercise.

The man had already woken up and was silently watching him. When Qin Mu stopped, the man asked in a deep voice, "Why did you save me?"

Qin Mu subconsciously touched the back of his head and replied, "We really are on the same wavelength. I was just about to ask myself the same question."

The man looked at him with a complex expression and said no more. Qin Mu patted the little beggar's head and said, "It's not early. We have to leave before dawn."

At the door, Qin Mu stopped and picked out the smallest piece of silver from the scattered coins and threw it to the man: "This is part of the compensation for my medical expenses. Remember, just part of it. Your hammer not only made me 'die' once but also left me homeless. I won't let it go until you pay me 100,000 taels. Now you know why I saved you, right?"

Leaving the temple, Qin Mu pulled the little beggar and started running, exercising, and exercising hard. He didn't stop until dawn, when he finally took the little beggar to the pancake stand from the previous day.

"Old Lady Li, I'll have......uh, how many do you want?"

The little beggar hesitated and cautiously held up three fingers. Qin Mu handed all his silver to Old Lady Li and said, "Old Lady, give us five."

"You don't need that much silver, young master. Take the rest back."

"Including yesterday's."

"That's still too much. An old woman like me can't earn that much in ten days of selling pancakes." The kind old lady refused to take it, unwilling to accept it. Yesterday, she had given Qin Mu two pancakes because he spoke with a local accent, was neatly dressed, and was a scholar, which naturally made her more inclined to be kind to him.

"Old Lady, I told you, those two pancakes you gave me yesterday were worth at least 100 gold cakes. This is just the interest I'm paying you in advance."

Hearing Qin Mu's firm tone, the old lady's throat tightened, and she hesitated to speak.

The little beggar, probably scared by hunger, quickly finished the three pancakes without wasting a single crumb. Qin Mu couldn't help but think of the "flowers of the motherland" in the future, where parents had to chase their children around the house to get them to eat, saying, "Good baby, eat one more bite."

Damn! Try making him go hungry for two days, and he'll eat dog shit.

Qin Mu patted the little beggar's head and said, "Wait here with the old lady. I'll go earn some money, and we'll have more pancakes."

The little beggar grabbed his sleeve and looked at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Don't worry. After you bit that person last night, I won't leave you. As a young lady, you can't go where I'm going today."

The little beggar asked pitifully, "Where are you going?"

"To a brothel."

Can you earn silver at a brothel? Aren't brothels always places where money is spent?

Is Qin Mu planning to use his "unyielding golden rod" to make the girls pay him?

***

PS: Is there anyone? Look at the click rate and the recommendation rate. Sigh...... Gentlemen passing by, please have some pity on me. Recommend and collect, help me climb the new book chart. Guanyin will bless you with a five million jackpot!

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