pdf-ebookys Chapter 37 Saving lives to the very end
Chapter 37 Saving lives to the very end
After figuring things out.
Li Cunzhen released his grip, and the man collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his face drained of color.
"Get up." Li Cunzhen kicked his shin. "Come with me."
The man shuddered, struggled to his feet, and lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Li Muxuan walked back to the base of the wall and helped the woman up.
"What's your name?"
"Just call me Ah Zhen."
The woman answered somewhat timidly.
"Take your time, there's no rush."
Li Muxuan slowed his pace, supporting her arm with one hand and her back with the other.
The four of them walked back in twos in front and twos behind.
The man walked in front, Li Cunzhen followed half a step behind him, and Li Muxuan supported Azhen as they walked at the back.
Upon entering the inn, the innkeeper's expression changed when he saw these people.
Several other diners, seeing the man walk in with a bruised and swollen face, followed by two young men in white, showed expressions of anticipation, as if watching a good show.
Zuo Ruotong was still standing at the top of the stairs, taking note of everyone's reactions.
"Manager," Li Muxuan said, "boil a bucket of water, get a clean set of clothes, and prepare some food."
The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly and turned to give instructions to the waiter.
Then, Li Muxuan helped Ah Zhen upstairs and pushed open the door to a superior room.
The room wasn't big, but it was fairly clean. There was a wooden bed, a table, and a basin of water on the shelf.
"You should wash up and change your clothes first."
Li Muxuan helped Ah Zhen sit down on the edge of the bed: "Someone will bring food up in a little while."
Ah Zhen sat on the edge of the bed, head down, without saying a word.
Her hands were still trembling, her fingernails were full of black dirt, and several of her fingernails were torn open, revealing the blackened, rotten flesh inside.
Li Muxuan glanced at her, sighed, turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile, in another guest room.
Zuo Ruotong sat in a chair, Li Cunzhen stood beside him, and the man squatted in the corner, his neck hunched, like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
"Did you ask?"
Zuo Ruotong picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.
Li Cunzhen nodded and recounted the conversation they had just had in the alley in detail, without missing a single word.
After listening, Zuo Ruotong put the teacup on the table and remained silent.
"Master, what should we do with this person?"
Li Cunzhen glanced at the man in the corner.
Upon hearing this, the man shuddered, abruptly raising his head. His face twitched, and his voice was urgent and panicked: "You can't kill me! I'm a member of the Green Gang!"
Li Cunzhen looked at him, her gaze calm.
The man thought his words had worked, so he straightened his back a bit and raised his voice:
"You know the Green Gang, right? The entire Jiangnan region is our territory. I have a leader above me, and above that leader is an old man. If you touch me, the Green Gang won't let you get away with it!"
The Green Gang originated from the Grand Canal transport system and was initially a self-organized mutual aid group of boatmen and dockworkers on the canal.
However, after several generations of development, the Green Gang's sphere of influence has expanded from the Grand Canal to all walks of life.
Their nature also changed from a mutual aid group to a gang, and their influence could be seen everywhere, including docks, teahouses, casinos, and brothels.
Now, they have such extensive connections that they can even influence government officials.
In short, this is a massive, complex entity that is not to be trifled with.
If it were an ordinary person, they might actually be intimidated by the man's identity.
Unfortunately, the man encountered no ordinary person.
"Are you a member of the Green Gang?"
Li Muxuan had just come downstairs when he heard this. He walked a few steps to the man, squatted down, and looked at him with a half-smile: "Do you know who I am?"
The man's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he shook his head.
next moment.
Snapped!
With a crisp sound, the man's face turned to one side, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He was stunned by the beating, staring at Li Muxuan, his lips trembling as he couldn't utter a word.
"Don't know?" Li Muxuan waved his hand dismissively. "If you don't know, why are you bringing up the Green Gang? Even if you're dead and someone can file a complaint against you, who will you complain to?"
The man's pupils contracted sharply; he hadn't expected these people to be so unafraid of even the Green Gang's name.
He wanted to say something more, but suddenly felt a pain in his chest and his vision went black.
And then, that was the end of him.
Zuo Ruotong had already given her answer: Li Cunzhen didn't have the same playful attitude as Li Muxuan, and took direct action.
He raised his hand and placed it on the man's chest, releasing a burst of energy that silently seeped into his chest cavity.
Then the man's body suddenly stiffened, his eyes widened, his mouth opened and he uttered a muffled syllable, before collapsing to the ground like a rag doll, lifeless.
From the moment they made their move to the moment they withdrew, it was only a blink of an eye.
Clean and neat.
Zuo Ruotong paused slightly in her teacup and glanced at Li Cunzhen.
He did indeed instruct Li Cunzhen to commit the murder.
But what he didn't expect was that Li Cunzhen would be so decisive in his first murder.
Li Muxuan was also stunned for a moment. Despite his fierce words, he was not prepared to kill anyone.
"Brother, you're too fast."
Li Muxuan felt outshone and his voice was somewhat resentful.
Li Cunzhen ignored him and looked at Zuo Ruotong.
Zuo Ruotong put down her teacup and nodded slightly.
Being soft-hearted with this kind of person will only lead to future troubles.
Li Cunzhen killed decisively and cleanly, without any hesitation.
This is the right choice.
Zuo Ruotong was satisfied, but she didn't show it on her face. She simply said, "Clean it up."
Li Cunzhen nodded, grabbed the man by the collar, dragged him out of the inn, and threw him somewhere.
Not long after, Li Cunzhen returned, his face expressionless, as if he had just taken a walk outside.
About half an hour later, the sound of a door opening came from upstairs.
Ah Zhen changed into clean clothes, her hair still wet, tied behind her head with a strip of cloth.
The grime on his face was washed away, revealing a gaunt, almost unrecognizable face with prominent cheekbones and deeply sunken eye sockets. The cut on his forehead had stopped bleeding, leaving a shocking scar.
She stood at the top of the stairs, holding onto the railing, looking at the people downstairs with a sense of bewilderment.
"come over."
Zuo Ruotong waved to her.
Ah Zhen slowly walked down the stairs, her steps unsteady, as if she were walking on cotton.
As she approached, she knelt down with a thud, her forehead touching the floor, her voice trembling, "Thank you... thank you to my three benefactors..."
"stand up."
Zuo Ruotong reached out and offered a helping hand.
Li Muxuan pulled her up and pressed her into a chair.
Just then, the shopkeeper brought over a bowl of hot porridge with two poached eggs in it and placed it in front of Ah Zhen.
Ah Zhen looked at the bowl of porridge, her hand holding the chopsticks trembling so badly that she couldn't pick it up no matter how many times she tried.
Li Muxuan felt a lump in his throat and turned his face away.
After he finished eating, Zuo Ruotong looked at the Li brothers.
"What do you plan to do with this woman?"
Without even thinking, Li Muxuan curled his lip and said, "Give her some silver and let her walk by herself. She can't possibly lead the whole way, can she?"
He added, "I think that's what my brother meant too. I think he didn't want to take action at first, probably because he was afraid of trouble."
"No."
Li Cunzhen shook his head: "I want to take her with me."