However, it was of no use even if Wang Le caught the wooden stick that Zhao Ji was dropping. By now, Zhao Ji had lost his sanity. Although his hands were restricted, his feet were not. He kicked Wang Le hard off the stage, putting all his strength into each kick without showing any mercy.
Wang Le couldn't bear this pain. Each of Zhao Ji's kicks landed on his stomach, causing him to roll in agony. He rolled off the stage in an instant, and only then did Zhao Ji stop. He stared at Wang Le rolling on the ground with blood - red eyes.
"This round, Zhao Ji wins! Zhao Ji, please come here to collect your prize money!"
When Zhao Ji came to his senses, he gradually calmed down. The madness in his eyes slowly faded. Just as he was about to collect the prize money, he found that one of his legs hurt terribly. But he endured the pain and limped over to collect the five hundred taels.
As he walked out of the house, there was still a faint glow of the setting sun lingering on the horizon. The newly - risen crescent moon emitted a soft light that blended with the sunset glow, stretching Zhao Ji's shadow long as he walked in the snow.
The despair of a last - ditch effort enveloped him.
During the competition, Zhao Ji didn't feel the pain on his body at all. But as the excitement of the competition faded, the forgotten pain became more and more intense, spreading all over his body, especially in his legs.
After walking just a few steps with gritted teeth, Zhao Ji saw someone running towards him in a blur. The figure seemed familiar, but he couldn't recall who it was...
"Um... So you were saved by someone, right? Was it those two brothers from before?" Hearing Zhao Ji stop, Wei Shuxuan curiously asked him.
Zhao Ji looked at Wei Shuxuan in slight surprise. He hadn't even said anything yet, but this young man had guessed it right.
Noticing Zhao Ji's surprise, Wei Shuxuan scratched his head. "Actually, I used to be a... cough... constable."
Zhao Ji nodded. "Yes, it was those two young men who took me to the competition. I'm still very grateful to them for their help, so I don't want to involve them because of my affairs."
After Zhao Ji entered the house, the tall man was worried about him, so he asked the other young man to wait outside the house. After all, when Zhao Ji came out, he might be covered in wounds, just like he was.
"You're really such a nice guy!" The young man frowned, but still waited outside the house as he was told. So when Zhao Ji staggered out, the young man was quite shocked to see the wounds on Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji was more seriously injured than his friend.
"Hey, are you okay? I'll take you to see a doctor first!" The young man quickly supported Zhao Ji and walked towards the medical clinic.
It was several days later when Zhao Ji woke up. The pain on his body had lessened, but his left leg had no sensation at all.
Looking around the environment, a shabby house with a steaming kang, it was very similar to his former home. Zhao Ji felt as if he could hear his sister calling him to have breakfast the next second.
"You're awake?"
Hearing the voice, Zhao Ji suddenly turned his head. It wasn't his sister, but the tall man who had taken him to the competition that night. He lowered his head in disappointment and forced a bitter smile. Right, his sister had died a long time ago. How could she call him to have breakfast? He was such a fool.
Seeing that Zhao Ji's expression was not right, the tall man waved his hand in front of him. "Sir, are you okay?"
Right, where was his money!
"Where's my prize money?" Zhao Ji tried to get up from the bed, but the pain in his body made him fall back onto the bed.
"Don't worry about this. I've put it away for you. You can take it anytime."
"I'm going to rescue my sister back!" With that, Zhao Ji tried to get out of bed. But when he got out of bed, he found that his left leg not only had no sensation but also had no strength to stand on the ground. He fell down unexpectedly.
"Don't move around. The doctor said your leg isn't healed yet."
The tall man standing beside him quickly stepped forward to support him. Zhao Ji leaned weakly on him. In fact, he knew very well in his heart. "Tell me the truth. Is there no cure for my leg?"
The man hesitated for a moment. Just this moment of hesitation made Zhao Ji more certain that his conjecture was correct. Forget it. Anyway, he had nothing left. Losing a leg didn't matter much.
"I know. It's my body. I understand very well."
Although the tall man tried to persuade Zhao Ji to stay, Zhao Ji was determined to leave. Taking the five hundred taels he had won, Zhao Ji came to Cuiqing Tower again.
"Aunt Zhang, someone is looking for you!" A petite woman in red came to Aunt Zhang's room to call her out.
"Who is it?" Aunt Zhang swayed her hips and adjusted her hairpin as she walked.
As soon as she saw Zhao Ji standing in the hall, Aunt Zhang's expression changed. She put on the face of a vicious woman and waved her fan. "Why is it you, the beggar again? What bad luck!"
"I've brought the one hundred taels. Return my sister's body to me."
The killing intent in Zhao Ji's eyes gradually rose. Standing in front of Aunt Zhang against the light, his shadow - covered face was like a demon from hell, as if he would explode the next second.
Aunt Zhang, intimidated by Zhao Ji's aura, was afraid that if she didn't return Zhao Mi's body to him, this beggar might really start a massacre here.
After thinking about it, she decided that her own life was more important. Since she had already got the money, she'd better stop while she was ahead.
Aunt Zhang held her nerve and tried not to show her fear on her face. "Bring that little girl's body here."
Fortunately, it was snowing season, so the body hadn't rotted too quickly. Zhao Ji took Zhao Mi's body, left the silver, and then left.
Zhao Ji carried the quietly sleeping Zhao Mi back to the dilapidated temple. He wanted to tidy up his sister's appearance before burying her. But during the process, he found blue and purple bruises all over his sister's body. After a careful examination, he found that her limbs were broken, and the blood on the back of her head had clotted into large chunks, which was very obvious.
Obviously, Zhao Mi had been beaten brutally before she died. The more wounds Zhao Ji saw, the more desperate he became, and his eyes became colder and more solemn.
After tidying up Zhao Mi's appearance, Zhao Ji placed his sister's favorite flowers beside her, lit her body, and watched her slowly turn into ashes.
Holding the red sachet, Zhao Ji's eyes were dead silent. Chapter 21: Take It Away