Chapter 85 Upon hearing this, Qin Ji…

Chapter 85 Upon hearing this, Qin Ji…

Upon hearing this, Qin Ji and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance. In the exchange of their eyes and expressions, they knew that they were probably thinking about the same thing.

They all suspected that the brother and sister who suddenly appeared and cried for help were part of a trap.

"Let's go see what's going on." Qin Ji grabbed Xiao Yan's hand and got out of the car together.

The two walked hand in hand, and before they had reached the front of the caravan, they could hear a distinct commotion and shouting, mixed with fierce rebukes.

The guards of the four caravans stood in a fan shape at the front, their expressions cold and collected. The two in front held short sticks, which were now raised outwards, ready to attack or block at any moment.

The two further back had swords at their waists, and they only held the hilts with their hands, keeping their weapons ready to be drawn at any moment, but they did not actually draw their swords.

The two siblings mentioned by Wei Xun, along with the seven or eight people who had chased after them, were still entangled three or four meters away from the four guards.

“Paying back debts is a matter of course. I advise you to come with us quickly. If we really fight, you two beautiful girls will suffer some physical pain.” The thug-like man holding a stick approached the trembling brother and sister step by step with a fierce expression.

"Get out of here! We don't owe that money. The wronged should be held accountable, so go find that old man!" The boy clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

“I, Zhao Laoda, can’t interfere with your family affairs. All I know is that I have your legitimate indentures. Baihualou and Qingyueguan are waiting for you two to come. No matter where you run today, you won’t escape my grasp.”

Just from their names, you can tell that neither of these places is exactly respectable. This is an official road, and one that is not far from the town. Seeing the two siblings in such a pitiful situation, many of the onlookers who slowly gathered around showed expressions of pity.

Hearing the thug's words, the girl, who was already crying uncontrollably, shed even more tears like large pearls: "Please, give us a few more days, we'll pay you back, sob sob sob..."

The girl, crying and begging for leniency, had disheveled hair but her beautiful face was still undeniable. The boy who stood in front of her and protected her, though his face was bruised and he looked quite disheveled, was still very handsome.

Just like that thug said, they were indeed all pretty girls.

"Is their acting really that bad? The time it took us to walk from the carriage here was enough for those thugs to drag people away seven or eight times." Xiao Yan watched for a short while from behind the guards, then beckoned to Qin Ji beside her. When he bent down and leaned closer, she whispered her complaints in his ear.

“I bet they’re about to move on to the next step. According to their usual pattern, they should be rushing over for help.” Qin Ji whispered back to Xiao Yan in her ear, mimicking her own words.

Before the words were even finished, as if in response, the boy on the other side stuck out his neck and said a few more provocative words. Then, the group of thugs, seemingly impatient to waste any more time with the two siblings, started fighting. The two siblings cried and screamed as their hands and feet were held down and restrained, while the thugs beat them and had their men take advantage of them in an unsavory way.

The poor brother and sister's anger, resistance, crying, and pleading were all in vain in their current predicament, and they were about to be tied up and dragged away.

Just then, the brother, despite taking another punch, rushed to protect his sister. He smashed through the thugs who were holding her down, and the sister seized the opportunity, staggering towards the caravan a few steps away, crying: "Waaah, save us, please, gentlemen, save my brother and me!"

The girl stumbled towards them, her expression pitiful and terrified; most people would find it hard to refuse such a plea for help. The two guards at the front of the caravan, wielding clubs, should have attacked as soon as she charged, but instead, they both chose a defensive stance, holding their clubs horizontally in front of them.

With the two men blocking her way, it was impossible for the girl to rush into the caravan for protection.

Seeing the caravan escape, the thug slapped the older brother hard and then strode towards the caravan, shouting as he went: "Stop! You little slut, you think I, Boss Li, am a pushover if I don't use some tricks? If you run again, I'll take care of you right here and see if you still dare to run!"

As the two moved, the people behind them also started to move, and soon the cries, shouts, curses, and the growing murmurs of the onlookers all blended together.

Seeing the scene becoming increasingly chaotic, all the guards immediately became alert. They gripped their weapons and adjusted their positions, forming a defensive formation with Qin Ji and Xiao Yan Hui at the center without anyone noticing.

Even Wei Sa didn't know when he had returned to guard the two of them.

Although the guards on the caravan's side made no big movements, the change in their overall demeanor was easily noticeable. The girl, who had been gritting her teeth and about to lunge forward again, hesitated, her eyes quickly glancing back.

This glance was supposed to be very discreet, but unfortunately, Xiao Yan's gaze had been fixed on her the whole time, and she immediately noticed the unusual look in her eyes.

She tugged hard at Qin Ji's sleeve, gesturing for him to look: "Sure enough... it was an act. Did you see that girl and that thug exchange glances just now?"

"These are all old tricks from the lowest rungs of the martial arts world. You see, whether it's the small caravan following us or the passersby, not a single one of them dared to stand up for themselves. These tricks usually only fool inexperienced greenhorns," Qin Ji chimed in, not wanting to spoil Xiao Yan Hui's fun.

But at this moment, both he and his guards were focused on the onlookers. The guards' earlier vigilance wasn't to guard against these swindling thugs, but rather because they sensed danger in the crowd during that chaotic moment.

However, that dangerous aura quickly disappeared.

The drama of one side pleading for help while the other side is aggressively pressuring the poor siblings continues.

But surprisingly, no one in the entire caravan came out to rescue them, nor did anyone step forward to drive them away; the whole group just stood by and watched indifferently.

An awkward stalemate ensued.

The thug who called himself Boss Zhao probably realized that the situation had been figured out. Since things were hopeless, he was about to grab the girl and leave when he unexpectedly heard a voice at the last moment: "Stop."

A clear, sharp shout rang out from the side and behind.

Immediately afterwards, a green shadow swept past like a gust of wind, landing steadily between the caravan and the local ruffians.

The newcomer was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a light blue outfit, with a long sword at his waist. He had a handsome face and a sharp, unsophisticated air about him.

He first glanced at the trembling, tearful "poor" brother and sister, his eyes instantly filled with sympathy and anger. Then he glared at the group of thugs and shouted, "Forced to abduct women in broad daylight and coerce them into prostitution! Don't you have any respect for the law?!"

After a moment of surprise, a hint of joy flashed in Li's eyes. He hadn't expected that what he thought was a failed deal would turn out to be turned into a surprise, allowing them to continue their hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama.

He quickly composed himself and said in a harsh voice, "Where did this pretty boy come from? Stop meddling in other people's business. Debts must be repaid, and children must pay their fathers' debts. I have a legitimate indenture with the official seal of the government office. This is the law."

"I'm a little confused," Xiao Yanhui tugged at Qin Ji's sleeve again and asked in a low voice, "Is this person a plant?"

"Doesn't look like it. Let's keep looking." Qin Ji glanced at the young man a few times, but didn't find anything wrong with him yet.

The young man was not afraid of the thugs who were gradually surrounding him. He even drew his long sword from his waist with a clang and attacked without saying a word.

This man was clearly a master swordsman; most of the people present didn't even see how he made his move. They only saw a flash of sword light, followed by Li Laoda's piercing wail: "Ah, my hand..."

He actually severed Boss Li's arm with a single move.

With his sword tip pointing at the thugs who were retreating in fear, Lin Feng sneered, "Come on, say it again to my sword, what is the law?" His voice was loud and his posture was dashing, making him look like a chivalrous knight who would draw his sword to help those in need.

However, judging from his behavior just now, it's really hard to say whether he's good or evil.

The group of thugs, intimidated by his imposing presence and strength, all took a large step back after a single glance from him. Even the girl who had been weeping was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

This...this is completely different from what they've encountered before.

She was familiar with the past, whether it was tricking people into selling themselves for money, ganging up to extort money, or even stealing money from families after going home with them. But how should she deal with this ruthless person who acted in the name of justice? Should she advance or retreat?

However, she still had time to think things through, because this young man who called himself Lin Feng had now turned his attention to the caravan.

He suddenly turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the well-guarded but indifferent caravan, finally settling on Qin Ji and Xiao Yanhui, who were clearly at the head of the group.

Then, his face revealed undisguised contempt and condemnation, and his voice rose slightly: "They have no law, and what about you? You have no conscience. Such a large caravan, with so many people, yet you just stand by and watch vulnerable men and women being bullied by evil people, turning a blind eye and refusing to help. They say the rich are heartless, and they're right."

With a single word, the accusations of "refusing to help" and "cold-blooded" were slapped on him.

Many of the guards in the caravan showed anger on their faces. This man was too stupid to see through such a blatant act of bullying and fraud, yet he had the nerve to accuse others of being cold-blooded. Moreover, although he kept talking about the law, his behavior of cutting off people's arms at the slightest provocation was far from what he claimed to care about.

Qin Ji's expression remained calm, but his eyes turned cold. Xiao Yan, who stood next to him, also curled up a barely perceptible sneer at the corner of her mouth.

"Young hero, if he's trying to attract attention, then he's succeeded. Qin Ji, how about we make a bet? I think the next part of the story will be a misunderstanding, a case of 'no fight, no friendship'."

This man named Lin Feng, who suddenly appeared, gave off a slightly unsettling feeling. Although there was a possibility that he genuinely came to right a wrong, Xiao Yan Hui, based on her intuition and experience reading various novels, still felt that he was deliberately putting on an act and intentionally getting close to her.