But now that he knew what was going on, Fang Zhiyi was in no hurry.
"As the saying goes, to catch a thief, catch the stolen goods; to catch adultery, catch the couple in the act," Fang Zhiyi calculated. "And since someone can get released just by sending a bribe once, I'd better not waste my effort on this."
Because Fang Zhiyi did not go to report them, the Fu family remained undisturbed. The next day, while he was sunning himself at his doorstep, Fu Yunshen saw him and gave a gentle smile. Fang Zhiyi also responded politely, his eyes glancing at Fu Yunshen's hands. Did no one suspect the calluses on his knuckles?
Watching Fu Yunshen head off to open his shop, Fang Zhiyi stood up as well.
"Brother Fang, are you going out?" a woman's voice came.
Fang Zhiyi turned back with a smile. "Yes, visiting some relatives."
Shen Zhixia looked at the bundle in his hand and smiled. "Then be careful on the road. Try not to travel at night."
Fang Zhiyi nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright."
After he left, Shen Zhixia walked briskly to Fu Yunshen's shop. Fu Yunshen was there, staring blankly at the account book. His old comrades had come to see him yesterday, and he could tell they were not doing well.
With just one look at him, Shen Zhixia knew what was troubling him. "Stop thinking about it. You've washed your hands of that life. Are you really going to go back?"
Fu Yunshen smiled bitterly. "I don't want to. But they have no choice. The wanted notices are still up. Just coming into the city risks their heads."
Shen Zhixia thought for a moment. "How about... we give them some of our money?"
Fu Yunshen looked at Shen Zhixia with affection. "Zhixia, you're too kind-hearted. Let's do as you say." He still had plenty of gold and silver hidden away, something even Shen Zhixia didn't know.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi had already walked onto a narrow street, looking left and right. His gaze fell on an old man squatting by a wall, clutching a hoe.
"Old sir," Fang Zhiyi said, approaching and squatting down.
The old man slowly looked up, his eyes devoid of vitality.
"Oh, oh, am I blocking the way? I'll leave right away."
Fang Zhiyi reached out to stop him, shaking his head. "Old sir, I'd like to ask you about someone."
The old man gave a pained smile. "I'm old. My eyes can't see clearly anymore. Who could I possibly know?"
Fang Zhiyi paused briefly. "You definitely know this person. The Great Chieftain of the Clear Wind Stronghold, Down Mountain Tiger."
At these words, the old man's expression became agitated, a fine sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Who? You... who are you?"
Fang Zhiyi tried to soothe him. "I am... someone who seeks justice for you."
The old man was taken aback, scrutinizing Fang Zhiyi carefully. After a long while, he shook his head. "Justice? What justice is there in this world?"
Fang Zhiyi smiled. "There is. Believe me." He took out paper and a writing brush, spreading them out right there.
Finally, the old man began to slowly tell his story.
The old man once had a happy family. They weren't wealthy, but they had enough to eat. The family was even discussing sending his little grandson to the new-style school. They'd heard that nowadays, people outside were all sending their children to the new schools, so they could become high officials or generals in the future.
But all that happiness was shattered one night. The old man heard a commotion outside and immediately knew something was wrong. He tried to get up and bar the door, but he was a step too slow. The wooden door was smashed open, and a large band of bandits poured in.
No matter how they pleaded, the bandits paid no heed. The leader shoved his wife aside, and she crashed headfirst into the windowsill and lay still. His son was killed on the spot. His daughter-in-law was carried off. The old man was struck on the head and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he began searching for his family, only to find his son and wife dead, and his daughter-in-law and grandson gone.
Several families around him had suffered the same fate. A few days later, those of them still alive received a message from the bandits, along with the severed limbs of their kidnapped relatives, demanding ransom.
The old man sold off the heavy, bulky items from his home and scraped together some money to pay the ransom. But what he received in return was the already foul-smelling skeleton of his grandson. As for his daughter-in-law, she had likely died after suffering endless torment.
"The landlord's family in our village suffered even worse. Both his sons were taken. The bandits sent back his eldest son's hand. Master Ren couldn't bear to part with the money and delayed paying the ransom, even boasting he would wipe out the Clear Wind Stronghold. Two days later, his eldest son's head was sent back in a basket, along with one of his younger son's hands."
Fang Zhiyi was silent for a moment, his brush never stopping. "Then did he pay the ransom?"
The old man nodded. "He did. But the bandits still didn't release anyone. They demanded more money. Master Ren got so agitated he fainted and died. His wife paid a lot more. I heard they gave away everything valuable in the house. But Master Ren died without ever seeing his sons return."
He caught his breath. "I came to the city hoping to see the day the authorities wipe out those bandits. But the government just accepted our petitions and did nothing."
Fang Zhiyi nodded and had the old man press a bright red handprint next to the characters he had written.
"I can't read what you've written, but it's useless. I thank you just for listening to my story." The old man kept bowing with his hands clasped.
Fang Zhiyi hesitated, then took out the money he had on him and offered it. But the old man didn't take it. He just retreated into the low, small shack behind him. Soon, the sound of heart-wrenching sobs came from inside.
Fang Zhiyi took a deep breath and left.
"I originally had three sons," a white-haired old man recounted. "My eldest went into trade with a caravan and was killed by bandits. My second son, trying to escape bandits, accidentally fell off a cliff and died."
His youngest son survived, but not well. That year, the bandits surrounded their village and forced the young men to join them. For the safety of his family, the old man's youngest son joined the bandits.
Someone nearby chimed in, "You're young, you haven't seen it. Those bandits tied people to the wooden frame at the village entrance. Anyone who resisted, they would slice a piece of flesh from the person on the frame and roast it right there in front of everyone to eat. I remember they killed over a dozen people that day."
The old man who spoke earlier argued, "More than twenty!"
"Were there that many?"
"You're getting old."
Fang Zhiyi pressed, "Then, old sir, did your third son ever come back?"
The old man's expression turned hesitant. "No. But a young fellow from the same village escaped and came back. He said many wanted to run away, but getting caught by the bandits meant certain death. I..."
Fang Zhiyi understood. In his heart, the old man believed his son was still alive.
He rolled up the paper in his hand, said his goodbyes, and left. The several old men watched his retreating figure, unsure of what he was really trying to do.
In a thatched hut on the outskirts of the city, a one-armed man sitting in the shadows looked at Fang Zhiyi before him and immediately demanded money.
Fang Zhiyi didn't hesitate either. He took out all the money he had on him.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
