Chapter 85 [VIP]
"Judging from your accent, young man, you're not a local from our prefecture, are you?"
Chen Qingsong said, "We came from Longquan County for study tours."
"So he's a student. No wonder he's so humble and polite. If an ordinary person were to be extorted by him, they would probably be furious and start cursing."
This praise did not make Chen Qingyan lower his guard. Because of his experience of being deceived in his early years, he was more wary of strangers. He thanked the man again and prepared to take Qinghuai and Qingsong back.
However, this person followed behind the three and started chatting with them.
"My surname is Song and my given name is Song Qiao. I am a scholar who passed the imperial examinations. I also studied at the prefectural school before, but now I run a small business. May I ask your surnames, young gentlemen?"
Chen Qingsong immediately said, "We both have the surname Chen, we're brothers from the same family."
"So you're brothers! No wonder you look so alike."
"Qinghuai and I are cousins, but my elder brother and I are biological brothers."
Chen Qingyan coughed and glared at his younger brother with some displeasure, annoyed that he was talking too much.
However, Chen Qingsong had already developed a liking for this person because of his help earlier, and kept talking to him nonstop.
"Brother Song, how do you know that person is a liar?"
"To my shame, I was also extorted by this person," Song Qiao began to recount his experience.
“My family lives in a town near the prefecture. A few years ago, I passed the imperial examination and came to study at the prefectural school. But as soon as I arrived, that guy tried to extort money from me using the same method, saying that I broke his leg.”
At the time, I was naive and didn't realize he was faking it, so I quickly helped him to the clinic. But halfway there, he said he wanted to settle things privately with me, otherwise he would ask me for money every month until his leg was fully healed.
I was young then and just wanted some peace, so I gave him all the money I had, a full five or six taels of silver. Because of this, I went hungry for several months at the prefectural school, surviving only thanks to the help of my classmates.
Chen Qinghuai couldn't help but ask, "Then how did you find out he was a fake?"
Song Qiao smiled helplessly. "Later, when my classmate and I went out to buy writing materials, we happened to run into him trying to scam someone again. I just watched without saying anything. He was using the same trick, pretending to be an old man who had been hit by someone. In fact, he was born with a disability in his leg, so it wasn't caused by someone hitting him. Also, his hair was prematurely gray, and he wasn't even as old as me."
"No wonder he ran so fast when he was exposed."
Their similar experiences quickly brought the group closer. It was noon, and Song Qiao said quite naturally, "It's fate that we met. Today, I'll treat you young brothers to a meal to calm your nerves."
"I know a restaurant that has good food and reasonable prices. If you don't mind, I can take you there."
"Okay, okay!" Qingsong readily agreed.
Chen Qingyan frowned slightly. He instinctively didn't want to go. After all, he had just met this person, and it was their first time in the prefectural city. They were unfamiliar with the place and the people, and it would be troublesome if they were deceived.
Chen Qinghuai glanced at Chen Guang, who was trailing behind at a moderate distance, and said, "Since Young Master Song helped us, it's not right for him to treat us. Let us treat him instead."
Seeing that both of his younger brothers wanted to go, Chen Qingyan had no choice but to agree.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the road ahead had become quite remote. Chen Qingyan stopped and said, "Why don't we just find a place to eat something? We have an appointment later, and we can't be late."
Song Qiao laughed and joked, "We've arrived just ahead. Do you think I, a scholar who can't even kill a chicken, would sell you out?"
Chen Qingyan was slightly taken aback, and felt increasingly uneasy.
What a coincidence! They were being extorted, and suddenly a kind-hearted person appeared to help them. Songqiao's enthusiasm was excessive. There's a saying that goes, "Those who offer unsolicited kindness are either up to no good or are thieves." Could this person be in cahoots with the others from before?
Thinking about it, he broke out in a cold sweat. He tried to remain calm and asked tentatively, "The food in the academy's canteen is really good, especially the North Canteen. We've been eating there every day for the past few days. It's just a pity that it's closed on holidays, otherwise I would have invited you to eat at the academy."
Song Qiao naturally continued, "Indeed, I also miss the food in the school cafeteria."
Chen Qingyan suddenly stopped in his tracks. "You're lying! The academy doesn't have a North Canteen at all!"
Chen Qinghuai and Chen Qingsong were stunned upon hearing this, and immediately pulled away from Song Qiao, standing next to their elder brother.
Song Qiao said without changing his expression, "Then I must be mistaken. I haven't been to the prefectural school for seven or eight years, how could I remember where the canteen is?"
"Are you in cahoots with that conman?"
"I kindly invited you to dinner, and this is how you treat me? It's really hurtful..."
"I admit I misunderstood you. I won't eat. Consider this money as my thanks to Young Master Song for his help." With that, Chen Qingyan took out the money from his pocket, put it on the ground, and turned to walk back with his two younger brothers.
"Tch, quite wary." Song Qiao dropped his pretense and kicked a copper coin on the ground. "A mere string of coins, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"
"Run!" Chen Qingyan grabbed his younger brother and ran, but before they had gone more than a few steps, two people suddenly darted out of the alley, one of whom was the white-haired man who had just pretended to be an old man to extort money.
The two men, each holding a knife and wearing a sinister smile, kicked Chen Qingyan to the ground.
Chen Qingsong burst into tears, blaming himself for being so easily fooled and causing his older brother and cousin to get trapped. What if something had happened to them?
Chen Qinghuai was also trembling with fear. Even though he knew that Chen Guang was nearby protecting them, he was still terrified. After all, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a blatant villain.
Chen Qingyan clutched his stomach, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to escape. He could open the experimental field and hide inside, but his two younger brothers couldn't. He had to find a way to get them out first.
"I can give you all the silver I have, please don't hurt us."
Song Qiao stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. "You're quite sensible. Hand it over."
Chen Qingyan took out a money pouch from his pocket, which contained the silver left over from the purchase.
Song Qiao glanced at it and said, "Something's wrong, there's still one silver note missing."
Sure enough! They must have spotted him when he went to the money exchange to pay for the silver; they even knew how much money he had on him.
Chen Qingyan had no choice but to take out the silver notes hidden in his undergarment pocket, and the silver hairpin he had bought for Wang Ying was also taken away by them.
The white-haired man next to him, clutching the silver bag, yelled, "Wow! Three little fat sheep! We've made a fortune today!"
"We've already given you the money, can you let us leave now?"
"Hahahaha, what are you thinking? This little bit of silver isn't enough!" With that, he tied their hands and feet with rope and shoved them towards a house in the alley.
The gate was bolted shut from the inside; right now, there was no one to turn to for help.
Chen Qingsong was sobbing and hiccuping. He was filled with regret, but it was too late to regret it now. These thugs wouldn't let them leave.
Chen Qingyan tried to calm himself down. "Since you want money, why don't you leave me here and let the two of them go back and deliver the message? Wouldn't that be better?"
"Do you think we're stupid? Do you think the price is the same for one person and three people?"
White Hair grabbed Chen Qingsong by the hair and slapped him across the face. "Tell me, where do you live? Do you have any servants?"
"Awoooooo..."
Chen Qingyan's forehead veins bulged with anger. "Don't hit him! Ask me what's wrong!"
Song Qiao toyed with the dagger in his hand and said, "Then tell me. If you don't tell the truth, I'll cut off his finger."
"I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Chen Qingyan closed his eyes briefly. "We're staying at the old post station on Beizhi Road. My master and a servant are there."
Bai Mao looked up at Song Qiao and said, "Boss, this..." Staying at the post station means having connections with the government. Could it be that these three are sons of officials?
Those things could escalate into a huge mess...
Song Qiao feigned composure and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Do you think you can stay at the post station?"
Seeing their disbelief, Chen Qingyan said, "There's a pass for entering and leaving the post station in the money bag. You'll see for yourselves."
Bai Mao took out his money bag and rummaged through it. Sure enough, he found a bamboo token with the words "Jizhou Post Station" engraved on it.
The three of them panicked and came out of the house to discuss the matter in hushed tones.
"What do we do now?"
Although they engage in all sorts of swindling, cheating, and theft, they never dare to confront the government, for fear of getting into serious trouble if they angered the authorities.
One of the shorter men said, "Why don't we let them go? We don't want things to escalate."
Song Qiao's mind raced, wondering if releasing the people now would lead to them being arrested by the authorities.
White Hair said with a sinister look in his eyes, "Why don't we just kill them all and save ourselves the trouble!"
While they were discussing, Chen Guang had already sneaked over and was secretly watching them from the top of the wall.
Of the three, only White Hair possessed martial arts skills; the other two were useless. However, with all three young masters in their hands and the other party possessing weapons, Chen Guang dared not act rashly.
The three people inside the room were also extremely nervous. Chen Qingyan knew that these three people were afraid of their identities and would definitely kill them to silence them. He had to find a chance to save himself!
Ever since Wang Ying was kidnapped by Zhang Xiucai, the experimental field has been filled with self-defense tools: daggers, knives, axes, hoes...
There was no time to worry about anything else right now. He opened the experimental field, rushed in, grabbed the dagger, and instantly returned to his original spot.
Chen Qinghuai and Chen Qingsong stared in shock; their elder brother had just vanished right before their eyes!
Before Chen Qingyan could explain, he used his dagger to cut the ropes binding his hands. He turned around to untie the others, but when he heard footsteps outside the door, he immediately stopped and sat back down.
The three villains had already discussed it. Releasing the person might not be safe, so it would be simpler to just kill him and dump the body in the wilderness.
Only White Hair was capable of committing murder, so the other two squatted outside waiting for news.
Chen Guang seized the opportunity, suddenly jumped down from the wall, and knocked the two unconscious with a few punches and kicks.
Distracted by the noise, Bai Mao took advantage of Bai Mao's momentary lapse in attention and plunged a dagger into his back.
"Ah!!!" White Hair roared in pain, and just as he was about to retaliate, the person behind him suddenly disappeared into thin air!
His pupils contracted, and he stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
After dealing with the two men outside, Chen Guang rushed into the house and engaged in a fierce battle with Bai Mao. Bai Mao, having been struck by Chen Qingyan's knife, was exhausted and quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
After Chen Qingyan came out of the experimental field, he untied the ropes from his two younger brothers. The three of them hid in a corner, and half an hour later, Chen Guang beat the man unconscious.
The danger was finally over, and they didn't dare to delay and quickly returned to the inn. Chen Guang then went to report to the authorities, and the three villains were arrested.
A note from the author:
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