The crowd gradually dispersed, and Shangguan Wanning also prepared to return to the carriage with Lutong.
"Girl, please stay."
The man quickly caught up with her and saluted. "My name is Huo Gang, thank you for your help, young lady. But I don't know...how much silver should I give you as payment for the consultation?"
Shangguan Wanning looked at the little girl who had just woken up, smiled sweetly, and said, "You've already paid the consultation fee."
Huo Gang was stunned, puzzled. "Did you give it?"
"That's right." Shangguan Wanning smiled, "When you bravely saved someone in the teahouse, you paid the medical fee in advance. Brother Huo has a chivalrous heart. In this world, good deeds should be rewarded with good deeds."
Huo Gang's expression was a little excited, and his lips trembled slightly. "Anyway, thank you for your help, young lady."
Shangguan Wanning gave Lutong a wink, and Lutong took out ten taels of silver from her sleeve and handed it to her.
"Although your sister has woken up, she still needs some time to recuperate and take good care of herself..."
"No, I won't accept any reward without merit. I can't take the money from you, young lady."
Shangguan Wanning could see that Huo Gang was a man with strong self-esteem and principles.
"Brother Huo, you misunderstood. These ten taels of silver are not for you. I loaned them to you. You need to pay them back."
Huo Gang's heart moved slightly.
He looked at his sister. He knew that his sister was weak and sickly because she had been wandering around with him for a long time.
He hesitated for a while and silently took the silver.
Shangguan Wanning took off the hairpin from her head and handed it over, saying, "I trust Brother Huo. In the future, when you have raised money, or if you need my help with something else, take the hairpin and go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to find the housekeeper."
Prime Minister’s Mansion?
Only then did Huo Gang realize that he had met a noble person.
"Okay. Don't worry, young lady. I will definitely return the money."
Shangguan Wanning nodded and walked towards the carriage with Lutong.
"Miss, why did you give them the hairpin?" Lu Tong felt a little distressed. You know, that hairpin was given by Zheng Binghong on Shangguan Wanning's birthday. "Aren't you afraid that he will sell it?"
If you pawn it, you can buy a courtyard house in a good location in Beijing.
"I think this Huo Gang is definitely not an ordinary person."
Shangguan Wanning herself didn’t understand it, it was just a strong feeling.
"If he really sells the hairpin, then I'll just think... I have poor taste and I deserve it."
She didn't have the heart to think about Huo Gang and his sister anymore. She was just worried about how Mu Jingrui was doing.
In the dark water dungeon, the air was damp and stuffy. There was silence all around, except for the sound of dripping water, gently hitting the ground.
Mu Jingrui's hands and feet were handcuffed with iron chains. He tried many times but was unable to condense his true energy.
He knew he was poisoned.
Now, he could neither use his internal energy to force out the poison nor use his internal force to break the chains.
Outside the dungeon door, Jiang Yi stared at the struggling Mu Jingrui, with a hint of playful smile in his sinister eyes.
"Manager Jiang, there is something that I cannot understand no matter how hard I try."
Jiang Yi was in a good mood. He glanced at his subordinates with his eyebrows slightly raised. "Do you find it strange that the higher-ups didn't just kill Mu Jingrui?"
The subordinates smiled apologetically and hurried to flatter him.
"General Manager Jiang, you are indeed the living Zhuge Liang of our Soul Capture Hall. No matter what I am thinking, it cannot escape your sharp eyes."
Jiang Yi did not answer, but just smiled meaningfully.
In fact, he hasn't guessed it yet.
"who?"
Jiang Yi saw a dark shadow in the corner. He shouted and saw Chu Xiaolian walking slowly towards him.
He immediately changed his face to another one.
"It turns out that the hall master has arrived."
Chu Xiaolian ignored him and walked to the door and looked inside.
Mu Jingrui was hit by the muscle softening powder and couldn't use his energy at all. It was almost impossible for him to escape on his own.
"The hall master is worried, so he came to inspect?"
"I have spent so much effort to complete the task assigned by my superiors, so I naturally don't feel comfortable leaving him in the care of a loser."
Jiang Yi's expression changed slightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
"Are you worried that Mu Jingrui will run away? Don't worry, I guarantee that he won't be able to run away."
"What guarantees do you have?"
Jiang Yi smiled coldly, opened the door of the dungeon and walked in.
He picked up a whip from the shelf, dipped it in chili water, and whipped Mu Jingrui dozens of times.
The piercing pain made Mu Jingrui wake up instantly.
He raised his eyes and glared at Jiang Yi fiercely.
"People say that you are the new generation of God of War, and your achievements will surely surpass your father's in the future. But in my opinion..."
Jiang Yi ignored Mu Jingrui's fierce look, walked up to him and held his chin. "You look worse than a dog now."
Even when his family was confiscated and his property was exterminated, Mu Jingrui had never suffered such humiliation.
"Not convinced?" Jiang Yi was extremely angry. He just couldn't stand Mu Jingrui's proud look.
He wanted him to bow his head, to bow to him.
Jiang Yi pushed Mu Jingrui away, took out a dagger, roasted it over the fire until it turned red, and walked towards Mu Jingrui step by step.
"If you beg for mercy now, kneel down and kowtow three times, I will spare you. Otherwise... I will cut the tendons in your hands, making your martial arts skills useless. Even if you get out in the future, you will be useless."
Mu Jingrui raised his head and met Jiang Yi's gaze, still looking down at him from a superior position.
This completely angered Jiang Yi.
He was so angry that he completely forgot the instructions from his superiors and raised the dagger to stab Mu Jingrui's wrist.
A figure flashed by and kicked the dagger out of Jiang Yi's hand with a roundhouse kick.
Jiang Yi didn't have time to dodge. He saw Chu Xiaolian standing in front of Mu Jingrui and was immediately furious.
"What? You want to protect him?" Jiang Yi said sarcastically, "Women's hearts are like needles in the sea. It was you who betrayed him, and now you are the one who wants to protect him? Do you think he will be grateful to you?"
Chu Xiaolian knew that with Mu Jingrui's intelligence and wit, it wouldn't take him long to see through her plan after he woke up.
But even so, she didn't want to show up in front of Mu Jingrui unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Do I need to ask him to thank me?" Chu Xiaolian turned her back to Mu Jingrui, not even daring to look him in the eye. "I'm just reminding you, don't forget what Master told you."
Jiang Yi still had some reservations after all, so he smiled coldly and walked away.
The dungeon became quiet again, and Chu Xiaolian felt a chill on her back.
"The martial world... is full of intrigues and deceptions... I have no choice..."
Chu Xiaolian wanted to explain herself, but after she finished speaking, she was silent for a long time and did not get any response from Mu Jingrui.
She mustered up the courage to turn around and found that Mu Jingrui had fainted.
She looked at the bloody wounds on Mu Jingrui's body, choked back her tears, and turned away.
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