Chen Jing pushed open the door and saw Li Huaxing still painting there, the paint already forming a complete picture.

Li Huaxing is very talented in painting. Although he has no teacher and only taught himself by picking up books from the ruins, his paintings can still sell for a decent price among the rich in the fledgling area, enough to make a living.

Li Huaxing turned around stiffly. He looked like he hadn't slept all night; his eyes were swollen and bluish.

He opened his mouth silently, as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Chen Jing looked quite somber. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'm going to the fledgling area to ask my master for help."

"Wan Tong is back."

"Really?" Li Huaxing asked in a hoarse voice, filled with surprise.

"Yes." Chen Jing nodded: "The master asked you and me to pack our things. We're preparing to move and never live here again."

Seeing that Li Huaxing didn't speak, Chen Jing thought he was hesitating, so he said, "Because I helped the hunting group and lured away the slave wandering souls, I received a reward. Now, we can rent a house in the Eggshell District for the three of us to live in, and we no longer need to be exploited by that man."

“We’ve already earned enough to live on. Do you really want to hand it all over to him so he can eat, drink, and have fun, so he can sell our sisters for money, and so we can eat pig swill?”

Chen Jing said, "Yes, he raised us at first, and also many older brothers and sisters, but those people couldn't stand him. He wasn't raising his own children at all, but rather raising tools, slaves, for him to make money!"

“He not only shows us no kindness, but he also treats us like tools and sells us off as commodities. Why should we be expected to be filial to him?”

After saying these words, Chen Jing felt a surge of relief as he exhaled all the pent-up emotions in his chest.

This is because modern thinking has taken over and won.

Qin valued filial piety highly, so Song, which claimed to be the legitimate successor of Qin, naturally inherited this principle.

“My thoughts are a reflection of my divine self, which reflects that my inner self is composed of two selves: the self before I transmigrated and the self born and raised here.” Chen Jing thought to himself, “And in my heart, it is clear that the other world, the world before I transmigrated, gave me an education and shaped my more mature values.”

"The mindset before time travel is dominant; that is the correct set of values. We should not compromise because of the local traditions here."

In the former Song Dynasty, it was quite common for poor parents to sell their children, but Chen Jing could not tolerate it.

Li Huaxing couldn't speak because of her hoarse voice, so she could only nod.

"Okay, let's pack up, take our things, and leave. We don't need to take much; we can buy them when we get there." With the money given to him by Commander Ma, Chen Jing started to speak more generously.

Bringing too much stuff would be inconvenient for moving, and there's also the possibility that the man might come looking for me... Chen Jing silently added in his mind.

Li Huaxing nodded silently, and together with Chen Jing, they packed up the items simply and wrapped them in a package.

"Actually, there's not much to bring... a few clothes, two blankets..." Chen Jing looked at them and felt a pang of sadness.

Yes, I'm a superhuman now, and our lives will only get better from now on.

"When I have the chance, I will definitely take them with me and leave Ash City, going out with the merchants who came here," Chen Jing thought to himself.

Chen Jing had already inquired and found out that it was actually quite easy to leave with the merchants, but there were risks involved. If you were unwilling to pay, you would have to serve as a guard and laborer for the caravan. Only a portion of the people could leave safely.

Chen Jing is confident in his skills, but he also has to take care of his younger siblings.

Besides, once we're out there, we'll definitely need money, so we need to save some up... Chen Jing thought to himself.

Before Chen Jing could finish packing, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

The man is back? Chen Jing frowned. What bad timing. Usually, after taking money, he would go out to find women and hang out with his cronies drinking and gambling until he had almost spent all the money before coming back.

He walked over and opened the door.

The man was wearing a yellow vest, a felt hat, and a curved knife at his waist. He had an ordinary face, was of medium build, and looked to be about thirty years old.

He wore a special black wooden token at his waist, which seemed to be carved with an open hand.

Yes, it's the Black Hand! Chen Jing was startled, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and he almost subconsciously used his spiritual power to make himself invisible and disappear.

He controlled his expression, pretending to recover from his overly guarded state, and asked with suspicion, "Who are you?"

No, the mastermind probably didn't realize that I sneaked in and kidnapped people. If they had, how could there have been only one person? There must have been layers upon layers of people lying in ambush outside.

The visitor said, "I am Luo Jiu, the messenger of Mr. Luo You."

Mr. Luo You? Chen Jing was surprised. This name was just as famous as Lu Gang, the Black Hand.

Luo You is Lu Gang's deputy! He is Lu Gang's most trusted advisor, intelligence chief, and is responsible for managing many affairs, as well as contacting the city lord and discussing political affairs.

Chen Jing forced a smile and feigned confusion: "What business does Lord Luo have with me?"

"Of course it's a good thing." Luo Jiu asked with a smile, "Young friend Chen, won't you invite me in for a seat?"

Chen Jing gestured for him to come in: "Please, please come in."

Luo Jiu walked in, looking at the stove without a flame, the shabby furniture, and the dilapidated tables and chairs. He didn't sit down, but leaned against the door, frowning as he said, "This place is too shabby for a monster lurer who can discover the wandering soul of a slave in time, lure it away, and escape unscathed. Heh, this painting is not bad." He was referring to the painting painted by Li Huaxing.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!