If Ye Wanmian were here and saw the face of the man in the pit, she would surely recognize him. This was the very man who had caused a ruckus in Huichun Hall yesterday!
Actually, he didn't just fall into this pit. He had been trapped here since last night!
After failing to stir up trouble in Huichun Hall yesterday, he not only lost the fifty taels of silver but also got beaten up badly by the villagers of Dongli Town and was then driven out.
He was a scoundrel through and through. Even after this lesson, he was still reluctant to let it go. He originally planned to sneak back into Dongli Town under the cover of darkness and set Huichun Hall on fire as an act of revenge.
Who would have thought that as soon as he showed up, a pack of dogs suddenly sprang out of nowhere and chased after him!
When dogs get ferocious, they are no different from wild beasts. The man was so scared that he ran for his life. Those dogs seemed to have a mind of their own and deliberately herded him towards this place.
He wasn't very familiar with Dongli Town and had no idea there was a pit here. After accidentally running into this wasteland, he stepped into thin air and fell headlong into the pit!
Every time he tried to climb out of the pit, several fierce dogs would rush out from the edge and bark at him, scaring him back down.
He spent the whole night in this pit. He was already injured before, and the fall into the pit just made things worse.
Having not eaten for a long time, he was so hungry that he felt dizzy and could barely breathe.
At this moment, he suddenly heard footsteps above his head. The man immediately perked up and shouted, "Help! Kind soul, please save me! Help..."
The next moment, a shadow fell into the pit. The man looked up. Due to the backlight, he couldn't see Xiao Jingcheng's face clearly at first, but he felt that he was saved.
"Brother, please do me a favor. Drive these dogs away and pull me out!"
Xiao Jingcheng could smell the stench coming from the pit from afar. After all, the man had been trapped in the pit for a whole night, and had to eat, drink, and relieve himself there, so it stank to high heaven.
He covered his nose and looked the man up and down with great disgust. Instead of answering right away, he went to find a thick wooden stick and poked it into the pit.
The man was overjoyed, thinking that he was really saved. With the help of the stick, he struggled out of the pit with great difficulty.
Lying on the edge of the pit, the man immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Xiao Jingcheng. "Thank you, kind sir, for your help. I'm willing to be your ox or horse to repay you!"
Xiao Jingcheng chuckled. "Really? Then go die now."
The man froze. He suddenly felt that this voice was a bit familiar. Before he could look up to see clearly, he was kicked flying by Xiao Jingcheng.
"Ah... Ow! I've already knelt down and apologized. Why are you still beating me?" the man cried out in pain. He was so hungry after a whole night that he had no strength to resist Xiao Jingcheng. He could only curl up his body, wailing and crying for mercy.
"Please spare me! I really know I was wrong!"
Xiao Jingcheng had wanted to cripple this man yesterday, but the timing wasn't right. So last night, he had sent Sang Biao with the dogs to drive the man here.
Just thinking about this dirty hand touching Ye Wanmian and those lecherous eyes ogling her made him unable to control his anger. He wanted to chop off his five fingers and gouge out his eyes.
However, he still had use for this man. So he first beat him up to vent his anger, then stepped on his head and asked, "Do you really know you were wrong?"
The man was crying so hard that his nose was running, looking even more disgusting.
"I really know I was wrong. I'll never have any improper thoughts about that female doctor in Huichun Hall again. I swear to God. If I'm lying, may I die a horrible death!"
If he hadn't been so unwilling and had those evil thoughts yesterday, he wouldn't have ended up being chased by dogs.
He never expected that after being beaten by Xiao Jingcheng yesterday, he would be beaten up again today!
"Really know you were wrong? Hmm?" Xiao Jingcheng ground his toe slightly, enjoying the man's contorted face as he bared his teeth in pain. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "How about giving you a chance to turn over a new leaf?"
The man cried and said, "I'll do it. I'll do whatever the hero asks me to do!"
Not far away, seeing Xiao Jingcheng single - handedly beating the man to his knees and begging for mercy, Dahuang's face was full of admiration. Sang Biao was beside it, muttering:
"See? This is the real strength of General Tunri. You still need to practice if you want to impersonate the general and make us obey you."
Dahuang looked around awkwardly. Remembering what Xiao Jingcheng had taught it, it puffed out its chest and summoned up the courage to say, "You guys, stop bullying Dahuang. Dahuang is going to protect mother."
Sang Biao snorted.
Coward! If the fairy sister hadn't met you first, who knows whose dog would belong to the fairy sister!
Over there, the man who had been severely beaten by Xiao Jingcheng staggered to his feet and led the way in front, guiding Xiao Jingcheng towards a mansion in the south of the town.
There was a gambling house in the south of Dongli Town. It only opened at night, and during the day, it was just an ordinary mansion.
The owner of this mansion was named Zhao Hu, also known as Lord Hu in the underworld. He was the leader of the hooligans in this area of the south of the town and had quite a bit of influence.
When the gambling house was closed during the day, he just hung out with his subordinates, eating, drinking, and having fun. When he got bored, he would go out and extort protection fees from the neighbors, which made him very unpopular.
But since there was no yamen in Dongli Town, no one could really control him. However, out of fear of the power of the Chen员外, he never dared to cross the line and interfere in matters outside the south of the town. Over the years, he had been living a carefree life in the south of the town.
When Zhuang De brought Xiao Jingcheng to the door, Zhao Hu was lying on a rocking chair, hugging two scantily - clad girls and eating the fruits they fed him.
Seeing Zhuang De being kicked into the door by Xiao Jingcheng, the tall and thin man beside Zhao Hu said in a sarcastic tone, "Yo, isn't this Zhuang De? The three - day deadline hasn't passed yet. So, have you raised the fifty taels and come to pay back the money?"
"However, how did you end up like this? Did you owe someone else silver again?"
Laughter rang out one after another in the yard. Zhuang De was in a difficult situation. Every part of his body ached. He forced a smile and bowed to Zhao Hu, saying apologetically:
"Lord Hu, I'm not here to pay back the money today. I'm here to introduce someone to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jingcheng took steady and leisurely steps and walked in from outside the door.
Zhao Hu squinted his eyes slightly, pushed the girls beside him away, and sat up from the chair.
"Who are you?"