Chapter 10: A Life-Saving Grace, A Offering of Body in Repayment
Thinking this, he suddenly felt an itch all over his body and subconsciously scratched it a couple of times. Then he suddenly realized that he had been in contact with Zhu Mingyue.
His inner collapse erupted like a volcanic eruption, spewing lava everywhere. Apart from Xu Linguang, no one dared to approach him. Unable to vent his anger, he kicked over the table and chairs in a fit of rage, scattering broken porcelain shards all over the floor. One of the shards flew straight toward Xu Linguang's face, seemingly to demonstrate his fury.
Xu Linguang tilted his head to dodge, and couldn't help but frown and mutter a curse:
"What's wrong with you? If it's an epidemic, just call a doctor to treat it."
After saying that, he turned to look at the other men outside the door who were still hesitant to approach, and sternly reprimanded them: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and call the doctor."
The madam finally came to her senses and, hearing him about to call for a doctor, stopped him in a shrill voice.
"All of you, come back here! Don't go to see a doctor!"
Xu Linguang looked puzzled, staring at him as if he were a fool. Pointing into the inner room, he demanded, "Why? You don't care about your life, do you think he doesn't?"
The madam shouted, "His life? Is his life more important than the South Wind Brothel?"
"If outsiders find out that someone here has contracted the epidemic, and the government seals off the area, will we still be able to do business?"
Xu Lingguang sighed helplessly, "Then what do you suggest?"
A ruthless glint flashed in the madam's eyes, and she practically spat out the words through clenched teeth: "Burn it."
"What?" someone asked, bewildered.
"I said burn him! Let's take advantage of the darkness and throw him into the wilderness in a sack. There's no wind tonight, so burning a person should be quick."
It was hard to imagine that such words would come from the mouth of someone with a glamorous appearance. Everyone fell silent for a moment, feeling a chill run down their spines at his remarks.
Some also looked on with hopeful eyes at Xu Linguang, hoping that he could say a few words at this juncture.
All the children here are from poor families. If they were truly malicious, they wouldn't have ended up here trying to make a living. They don't want to have any lives on their hands, especially not a young boy who was still so alive and well during the day.
Xu Linguang bent his knuckles and tapped the table intermittently, making a loud, unsettling sound.
Seeing that the atmosphere was sufficiently built, he slowly began to speak:
"If I remember correctly, this person was bought for seventy taels of silver?"
Speaking of this, the madam felt a sharp pain in her heart. Don't be fooled by how readily she paid him; it was because she saw the immense value Zhu Mingyue could bring her in the future.
But now that Zhu Mingyue is crippled, his seventy taels of silver have gone down the drain. How could he not be heartbroken?
"I have a way to get your money back."
"What did you say?"
Xu Linguang glanced at him but didn't intend to repeat himself.
But the madam had already heard him clearly. He stepped forward, bent down, and poured him a cup of tea. This time, his attitude was very respectful, and he adopted a posture of listening attentively.
Anyone with eyes can see that she's willing to yield to Xu Linguang for the sake of money.
A few painful groans could be faintly heard coming from the inner room. They were intermittent, and it was clear that the person making the sounds was enduring great pain.
Xu Lingguang panicked briefly. He stood up, turned his back to the madam, and stopped trying to reason with her, directly telling her his thoughts:
"Since we bought it from those two, we should return it intact."
"This is not a good idea. First, we don't know where these two people are. Second, even if we find them, they're in this state now, so how can they be taken back?"
Xu Lingguang was probably playing a trick on him! He thought it was some kind of brilliant plan, but it turned out to be like this. All that humble behavior in front of him was for nothing.
Seeing that the madam was skeptical of his words, Xu Linguang was not in a hurry and continued to explain: "Why not? Give that man some medicine to keep him alive temporarily, then send three or five strong men to deliver him to the two of them, saying that the man has a hidden illness and the business cannot be done. The man will still belong to them, and the money will still belong to you. Even if you take it to the authorities, it will be useless."
The madam's eyes shone brighter as she listened, and she slapped her thigh, saying, "This is feasible, let's do it this way. I'll send people to look for someone in the county first thing tomorrow morning."
"No need to look anymore." Xu Lingguang didn't mind making things more complicated for the madam, but the people inside were obviously running out of time. He clicked his tongue and thought to himself, "These two should still be at the brothel right now."
As luck would have it, the day before yesterday, he and his servant Liu Hong went to see Zhu Mingyue. As they were leaving, Liu Hong kept talking about Zhu Mingyue's background. When he mentioned the two people who sold him here, Liu Hong inadvertently added, "I thought those two were so poor they couldn't even afford to eat. Turns out they were just kidnappers. They took the money and immediately started planning to go to the brothel for some fun."
Liu Hong found it strange and funny that the money she embezzled from Nanfeng Pavilion was spent at Yihong Courtyard, so she mentioned it a few more times. Xu Linguang also heard about it at that time.
Xu Lingguang had never seen the two kidnappers in person, but from Liu Hong's few words, it wasn't hard to guess that they were lecherous men. And lecherous men, after obtaining a large sum of money, would immediately go to the brothel to indulge in spending. Once they tasted it, they would crave more...
If I'm not mistaken, the two of them are probably still fast asleep on some couch, embracing a beautiful woman.
Seeing Xu Linguang's certainty, the madam stopped asking the reason and hurriedly summoned several strong guards, ordering them to stake out the only brothel in the county that night.
The madam had a very difficult night, constantly paranoid that she had also contracted the plague. However, after learning that the plague spread very quickly and that she had been perfectly fine overnight, she dispelled her doubts and was now only hoping to get her money back.
While he was overwhelmed with work and had no energy left, Xu Linguang took the opportunity to go to the room where Guan Shou Zhu Mingyue was lying.
Zhu Mingyue's pupils were dilated and she was unconscious. She used to moan a couple of times, but now she couldn't make a sound.
"Wake up." Xu Lingguang slapped his face hard, but received no response.
"How could he be so sick?" Xu Lingguang muttered to himself, his brows furrowed. He gently laid the person down, stood up, and rushed straight out.
A moment later, he rushed back, took out a bright green porcelain bottle from his sleeve, opened the bottle and poured some into his palm, only a small pill rolled out.
He examined it for a few seconds, a hint of pain flashing across his face, but he still shoved the medicine into Zhu Mingyue's mouth without hesitation.
But even though the medicine was administered, a thorny problem still needed to be addressed.
Apart from still having a faint breath, Zhu Mingyue's current state is no different from that of a corpse; even if the medicine is inserted, she cannot swallow it.
Xu Linguang's forehead veins throbbed violently as he glared at the face on the ground and cursed, "I really owe you something. I can barely take care of myself, yet I still couldn't think of saving Feng Chen."
As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the teapot on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold tea before pressing his lips tightly against Zhu Mingyue's.
After prying Zhu Mingyue's teeth open with his tongue, Xu Linguang poured all the water into his mouth. Zhu Mingyue choked and began to swallow unconsciously.
He pried open her mouth again and scanned it carefully. The pill was nowhere to be seen; it seemed to have been swallowed along with the tea.
The medicine was exceptionally effective; in just the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, Zhu Mingyue's eyes regained some of their sparkle, and her consciousness began to clear.
"Are you still feeling unwell?" Xu Lingguang asked casually, lying on his side on the bed with one hand supporting his chin.
"It's alright." Zhu Mingyue smacked her lips. "It just tastes really bitter."
He looked at Xu Linguang, then down at himself, and said incredulously, "Why am I lying on the ground?"
The ground was hard and cold, and his meaning couldn't be clearer; he practically had "I want to sleep in the bed" written all over his face.
"Otherwise what? Do you expect me to lie on the ground?" Xu Lingguang didn't buy it at all and retorted directly.
Zhu Mingyue coughed a few times, thinking that it wasn't impossible. Anyway, his frame looked a whole size bigger than his, and he looked sturdy. He figured he wouldn't catch a cold even if he lay on the ground.
But Xu Linguang was like a grumpy rooster that would peck anyone it could get its hands on, so he didn't dare to provoke him and kept quiet.
But he didn't speak; instead, Xu Lingguang spoke up first.
“If I hadn’t given you the medicine, you would have almost killed yourself just now,” he tossed the medicine bottle at Zhu Mingyue’s feet, his expression playful. “Tell me how you’re going to repay me.”
Zhu Mingyue understood. He had been wondering why he felt so light and refreshed. It turned out he had been given the medicine. The medicine was incredibly effective. He could clearly feel that, apart from the red spots that had appeared on his body, his body was recovering rapidly.
Zhu Mingyue understood the principle that "he who eats another's food is bound to him, and he who takes another's money is bound to him," but he had nothing of value on him right now!
Zhu Mingyue forced herself to say, "I will work hard to earn money to redeem you from your bondage."
He saved my life, so it's only right that I redeem him from his servitude.
"Ha!" Xu Lingguang sneered. His body couldn't be redeemed with money. Besides, how much money could Zhu Mingyue earn with her broken body? To put it another way, by the time he had raised enough money, he would probably be half-dead.
Xu Lingguang wanted to tease him, so he continued, "When are you planning to come and redeem me?"
“Um…” Zhu Mingyue scratched her head, “It probably won’t work for now.”
"Ten years? Twenty years? By the time you've saved up enough money, I'll have been drained dry at Nanfeng Pavilion."
Zhu Mingyue's grand promises were quickly shattered, leaving her feeling guilty and unable to utter a single word.
However, Xu Lingguang didn't seem to be going to let him off the hook, and continued, "You're only good-looking, so why don't I suffer a little grievance and let you repay me with your body!"
Suffer a little grievance? Offer yourself in marriage? You're clearly speaking human language, so why can't he understand when you put it all together?
"Isn't there a more dignified way?" Zhu Mingyue said awkwardly, "Besides, you're a zero and I'm a zero too. We're lucky we bumped into each other. What's the difference between our life together and a eunuch's love affair?"
Who are you calling a eunuch?
"That's not what I meant. I meant that we're both bottoms, so if we were to be together, I wouldn't be able to!"
Zhu Mingyue was well aware of her own physique and physical condition. If Xu Linfeng were to ask her to do *that*, the scene would be like a teddy bear riding a golden retriever, which would be unbearable to watch.
Huh? Xu Lingguang laughed angrily, "You don't think I'm the one who gets fucked like you?"
A note from the author:
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