"There's no such thing as self-defense!"
Cheng Shisi felt like his bones were about to be broken.
Now all he can do is look towards Cheng Shanshan's door, hoping someone will come to rescue him.
As he eagerly awaited her arrival, Cheng Shanshan finally emerged from inside. Upon seeing her, Cheng Shisi hurriedly went to her.
But Huo Mingchen spoke first: "This child is too weak and needs more training."
Cheng Shanshan first glanced at the pitiful Cheng Shisi before saying to Huo Mingchen, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Huo."
"!!!"
What does it mean to have worked hard?
Does that mean hitting him will ruin his hand?
Cheng Shisi thought Cheng Shanshan could save him, but now he truly understands what it means to be desperate.
Seeing his face instantly turn into a bitter expression, Cheng Shanshan couldn't help but reach out and pinch it: "You need to study hard, I might need your protection in the future."
"Do you need me?"
Cheng Shisi suddenly felt better.
Instead, it felt like I was filled with power, but that power was quickly replaced by wailing.
Cheng Shanshan didn't try to stop them, because she knew that in order to survive in such a chaotic world, everyone needed to have the ability to protect themselves.
However, she felt that Huo Mingchen seemed to be settling a personal score, but after thinking about it carefully, she thought... well, let him settle it.
The big one can vent their anger, and the small one can learn skills; it's practically the best of both worlds.
Seeing this scene from afar, Bai's face was full of relief: "Xiao Huo is really a good boy. If it weren't for him, I might not be able to see you now."
“Of course, my Mingchen has been very well-behaved since he was little.” Aunt Dong chimed in at the right moment. Her face looked even paler during the day, but she no longer had the ferocious look she had at night. Instead, she looked kind and approachable.
As Cheng Shanshan looked at her, she also looked at Cheng Shanshan and waved: "Come here, come next to me, let me take a good look at you."
"good."
Cheng Shanshan walked over.
Aunt Dong took her hand, looked her over carefully, and then said, "Girl, you look like a blessed person. You should live a good life with Mingchen in the future. He has suffered too much in the past. I hope you can make him happy."
Cheng Shanshan glanced at Huo Mingchen not far away before asking, "Was it too hard before?"
"Um."
Aunt Dong sighed.
Then I slowly told her a story.
It turns out that Huo Mingchen's family was from Ping'an City, and in the early years they were one of the wealthiest families in the area.
However, ever since the imperial court sent that Prefect Dong, the original peace and tranquility here has been shattered. Under the guise of the imperial court's management and distribution, he confiscated the property of all the wealthy families, taking all their property and land into his own name. Then he used high wages to recruit laborers for farming and management.
As a result, the lower classes were overjoyed to have received a share of the spoils, and even began to sing praises of Magistrate Dong's banditry.
Aunt Dong said helplessly, "The poor Huo family used to be so glorious. After everything was taken away from them, they still have to suffer ridicule, insults and suppression."
Cheng Shanshan frowned: "Isn't the imperial court going to do anything about this?"
"The sky is high and the earth is far away. How could the Emperor have time to care about this small Ping'an City? That person has long since become a mountain king." When Aunt Dong said this, she looked at Huo Mingchen, her eyes filled with self-blame and sadness: "Mingchen was so cute before he was ten years old, but after his parents died, I have never seen his smiling face again."
"..."
Cheng Shanshan didn't say anything.
He simply glanced around silently.
Although the place has become dilapidated, you can still vaguely see its former glory.
At this moment, Huo Mingchen slowly walked towards them, his backlighting so dazzling it was almost blinding: "What are you talking about?"
Aunt Dong was full of guilt: "If we keep talking, I'll be sorry. If it weren't for my brother, you wouldn't have..." She watched helplessly as the Huo family was raided and the other six families were torn apart, but she couldn't do anything about it.
Huo Mingchen's expression darkened slightly as he interrupted her: "You are you, and he is him. Although you are siblings, it doesn't mean you and he are the same kind of people. Besides, if it weren't for Aunt Dong, I wouldn't be alive now."
"I……"
Aunt Dong sighed, "Never mind, I'll go make lunch."
Seeing that the situation and atmosphere were not right, Bai hurriedly went to help with the work as well.
When only Cheng Shanshan and Huo Mingchen were left, she couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her: "So, you got all that food from here, right?"
She had previously suspected that Huo Mingchen also possessed a spatial ability, since he could always find all sorts of food and supplies, but now she realized it was the result of running between the two places.
This explains why he knew about the secret passage in Ping'an City.
After learning the whole story, she realized that her previous deal with Prefect Dong had been aiding and abetting evil: "I'm sorry, did I disrupt your plans?"
"No."
Huo Mingchen looked at her and smiled faintly: "No need to apologize. After all, you helped me unintentionally, and you got this peace and quiet today in return."
These words reminded Cheng Shanshan of the conversation she overheard at the Dong residence yesterday, and her expression changed drastically: "Could it be that Prefect Dong intends to destroy Ping'an City with the living dead?" She carefully considered the timeline and remembered that in her previous life, the living dead only appeared during the later stages of a famine, and it seemed that they also started to spread outwards from within Ping'an City at that time.
She didn't think much of it at the time, but now she realizes that someone was manipulating it.
But...why?
She didn't understand what benefit Prefect Dong would gain from doing this.
Huo Mingchen noticed Cheng Shanshan's confusion: "He's too good at pretending to be a good person. For example, when he first arrived in Ping'an City, the first thing he did was to go to my father's house and ask other wealthy people to donate grain. He didn't give anything himself but still got a good reputation. You should understand now, right?"
"He wants to gain merit?"
"yes."
As the saying goes, troubled times produce heroes.
This principle remains unchanged throughout history.
Cheng Shanshan felt an unusual chill: "But he'll kill a lot of people like this!" She had never been a kind person, nor did she care to be one.
Regardless of anything else, I have never intentionally harmed anyone. Now, hearing that Prefect Dong wants to turn the world into hell for his own selfish desires, I feel terrified.
Huo Mingchen smiled coldly: "His ambitions are great, and he has never been able to be restrained by a small city like Ping'an."
Thinking about what she would face next, Cheng Shanshan couldn't help but ask, "What do you plan to do?"
"The first step is to get you out of here." Huo Mingchen looked at Cheng Shanshan and said seriously, "While there's still time, you should leave first. I've already arranged a safe place for you. Just hide there and I'll come find you after I've dealt with things here."
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