The owner wouldn't cook it fresh, so Shen Ning propped her head up and watched the pedestrians on the street. This street was one of the most bustling streets in the capital, lined with shops and bustling with people.
If you go west at the fork in the road ahead, you'll find the famous Gold Street, filled with gold, silver, jewelry, jade, and precious stones—a place brimming with the scent of wealth and luxury.
Suddenly, Shen Ning's gaze was drawn to a corner in the alley.
A burly-looking beggar sat in the shadows at the alley entrance, staring fiercely at the Jinbaolou building ahead. He was gnawing on a tree root, his expression menacing, as if he wanted to devour someone.
Shen Ning has encountered many bad people, but few have been as ruthless as this.
The shop owner brought over the wontons, and Shen Ning casually asked, "Boss, that guy squatting in the alley looks really fierce. He doesn't look like a beggar."
Although he was dressed in tattered clothes and gnawing on tree roots, he was strong and healthy. Moreover, the eyes of a beggar should have been filled with pleading, greed, and numbness, but not with such hatred and ruthlessness.
The boss does business here all day; how could he not see that person, looking so gloomy?
"This man came yesterday, stormed into Jinbaolou, and insisted that Master Liu had stolen his sister. He demanded that she be handed over, but he was beaten and thrown out by Jinbaolou's thugs. He stayed somewhere last night, and he's here again today."
"Sigh, if you ask me, this man is ungrateful. Look at his beggar appearance. If his sister were with Master Liu, she would be dressed in gold and silver. Why does she have to be a beggar and eat tree roots with him? This man is the brother, and he doesn't care about his sister at all."
Yu Zhu was shocked: "How old is that Master Liu? How can he justify forcibly taking someone's sister?"
The boss immediately disagreed, glanced at Shen Ning's appearance and then at her clothes, but ultimately didn't say anything swearing.
She looks like a young lady from a wealthy family; you can't afford to offend her.
“Young lady, that’s not right. So what if a man is older? Does that mean a younger man can make you live a life of luxury and wear gold and silver? Master Liu is so rich, being chosen by him is a blessing that many people would rather die for.”
Good fortune? "To forcibly abduct a woman and call that good fortune? That's utterly absurd."
Shen Ning pressed Yu Zhu down: "Let's go."
Both of them still had half a bowl of wontons left, but neither of them took another bite; they were both too angry to eat anything more.
Yu Zhu was fuming the whole way, but Shen Ning was thinking about that man.
She didn't know him, but she did know that Jinbaolou had been involved in a major case.
Master Liu of Jinbaolou killed a hunter's sister, tortured her to death, and in retaliation, the hunter killed Master Liu's entire family of fifteen, including a one-year-old child.
The hunter didn't take a single penny from the Liu family; he only took the sister's body.
The case was so brutal that the emperor ordered the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Shuntian Prefecture to jointly investigate it, and the murderer was caught in less than half a month.
The hunter was caught in the mountains, confessed to all the crimes without arguing, and was ultimately sentenced to be cut in half at the waist.
He was strong and healthy, and even though he was cut in half at the waist, he didn't die immediately. It is said that he dragged his body several meters away before dying. Some of the people who went to watch the execution were later driven crazy by the shock.
Even after more than ten years, people still feel lingering fear when this incident is mentioned.
It seems to have happened around the time of her wedding. She was rejected by Wei Congwen in front of the Wei family's gate. Later, she learned that Shen Shu and Wei Congwen had fallen in love. Then, the second wife caused trouble, and the family was in chaos.
By the time she found out, the story had been circulating in the capital for quite some time.
Shen Ning had no heart to save people, but she looked at her empty hands and realized she was missing a suitable weapon.
Ruthless and sharp enough, excellent.
-----
Mo Lin stared intently at the plaque of Jinbaolou. People coming and going at the entrance flashed past his eyes, but he didn't know who he should look at.
My sister must be very scared and terrified right now. She may have encountered something very dirty, but he can't find her.
He hated his own powerlessness; he hadn't protected his sister, and now he couldn't save her, nor did he even know where to look for her.
He only knew that Master Liu was the owner of Jinbaolou, but he didn't know where he lived or where he had taken his sister.
He was strong and knew some martial arts, but there were too many thugs in Jinbaolou. When they swarmed him, he was no match for them.
My sister is missing, all my money is gone, and I'm covered in injuries.
He was not afraid of pain, hunger, or death, but he was afraid of not being able to save his sister.
He chewed the tree root vigorously, his mouth full of blood but he didn't care. If it weren't for the tree root, he probably would have crushed his own teeth.
Suddenly, a soft footstep came from the alley behind, and a gentle breeze carried a pleasant fragrance.
He turned around abruptly, his sharp, beast-like eyes instantly locking onto the person who had come, but in just a moment, the murderous intent in his eyes changed.
She was a girl who didn't fit into this alley. She was dressed in brocade, had a beautiful face, and an indifferent expression. Her pair of crystal eyes looked at him through the wind in the alley, like a Bodhisattva sitting in a temple with her eyes lowered.
"I've heard about your situation, and I can help you."
He gripped the tree root tightly, swallowing the tree debris and blood from his mouth. The pain brought him to his senses.
"Ah..." He opened his mouth, but his voice was hoarse and barely audible.
He took a deep breath before managing to speak, staring intently at the fallen figure: "What...do...you want?"
His rough voice sounded like wood rubbing against stones—unpleasant to hear, but resolute, as if he would agree to anything she said.
Shen Ning countered, "What do you have?"
He had nothing; his mountain hut was dilapidated, and his hunting bow and machete had been confiscated at the city gate, leaving him penniless.
"Strength, I have strength, and... this life..." His fierce eyes were now filled with hope as he prayed to the Bodhisattva to save his sister, even at the cost of his own life.
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