"Let's go. We're finding your sister!"
Chu Jiang stepped into the Demon Hunting Office, tilting his head slightly as he spoke to Liu Guangwu.
"This subordinate obeys!"
Seeing this, Liu Guangwu hurried after him, his heart burning with anxiety.
Looks like my adoptive father helped me. I was blaming him just now, wondering why he wouldn't help me... I really deserve to die!
Liu Guangwu silently reproached himself. He had wronged his adoptive father; otherwise, his adoptive father would not have kept Chu Jiang behind for a private talk.
Once he found the chance, he had to repay his adoptive father's kindness.
At the alley dividing East Street from West Street, Chu Jiang turned into three narrow lanes and arrived at an abandoned house.
He opened a hidden trapdoor in the ground. Before them were all sorts of bizarre tools hung on the walls, and inside stood a cage.
Three young women were imprisoned within.
Two were of average looks, while one had delicate features. Though she was not exceptionally beautiful, she carried a cold, ethereal air that drew the eye.
She was probably Liu Guangwu's younger sister. A girl from a poor household would not have such fine skin.
"Jinyu!"
Liu Guangwu cleaved the chains apart with a single slash and released the three women.
He helped his sister to one side to rest. Seeing the traces of blood at the back of her head, his blood and qi churned violently. He truly wanted to draw his blade and start killing.
But for now, he could only clench his fists in silence.
Chu Jiang was now his superior, and besides, he could not beat him anyway.
Sigh.
"Master Chu..."
"Can you take us home? I'm afraid my parents will worry!" The youngest girl spoke tremblingly, her voice weak and hoarse.
Chu Jiang fell silent. The original owner of this body and Zhang Liancai truly had been beasts. How could they have brought themselves to do such a thing?
He gently patted the little girl's head. "I'll take you home."
After leaving the underground prison, Chu Jiang brought them to the renowned Tianxiang Tower in Baishi County.
He ordered six or seven small dishes.
"Delicious!"
Aside from Liu Jinyu, who ate more slowly, the other two wolfed down their food. They were all children of poor families; they had not eaten a good meal in years.
But after eating only a little, the youngest girl stopped. She looked at Chu Jiang hesitantly.
"What is it?" Chu Jiang asked gently.
"Master Chu, can I... pack up my share? I want to bring it home for my mother to eat!" The little girl desperately wanted to keep eating, but when she thought of how her mother toiled day and night, she wanted to bring these dishes back for her to taste.
"Master Chu, then I won't eat anymore either. I want to pack mine up and bring it back for my family too."
Seeing this, the other girl also put down her chopsticks.
These girls were so sensible it made one's heart ache.
"Waiter, cook two more dishes for these two girls—one meat and one vegetable for each of them—and pack them up!" After calling out, Chu Jiang smiled. "Keep eating. Eat your fill before you go home today."
"Thank you, Master Chu!"
The girls were overjoyed and picked up their chopsticks again. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, every dish was swept clean.
"Waiter, I'm not full yet. Bring me a few more dishes—the expensive ones."
Liu Guangwu wiped oil from the corner of his mouth, still wanting more. Since this rich bastard was treating them today, he had to bleed him dry a little and vent the resentment in his heart.
Before long, another spread of dishes was served.
When Liu Guangwu noticed no one was reaching for their chopsticks, he said, "Why aren't you eating? Hurry up and eat!"
"We're full, sir. You should eat."
The girls hurriedly shook their heads. Being able to eat one meal at Tianxiang Tower had already left them deeply satisfied.
If they kept eating, it would be somewhat overstepping the line.
"Hmph. If you won't eat, then I'll eat by myself." Liu Guangwu did not care in the slightest and continued digging in.
"Waiter, bring five more small dishes. I'm taking them away!"
Since Chu the Tycoon was paying, Liu Guangwu completely let himself go.
A trace of hesitation flashed through Liu Jinyu's eyes. If her brother kept this up, he would definitely offend Chu Jiang.
Then life at the county yamen would surely be difficult for him later.
"Brother, why are you packing up so much? There's no one else at home. If you're still not full, I'll cook for you when we get back."
Liu Guangwu smiled. My silly little sister, your big brother is standing up for you. Why are you making trouble here?
Had she forgotten how she had been captured and taken there?
"Constable Liu, eat as much as you want. We can let anyone suffer, but never ourselves."
Chu Jiang merely smiled without speaking.
Liu Guangwu's eyes lit up. "Did you hear that? Our Lord Chu says we should eat to our hearts' content. You all..."
Liu Jinyu glared at him. Why was her brother so single-minded?
Feeling the chill in Liu Jinyu's gaze and knowing she was truly angry, Liu Guangwu could only give up.
Chu Jiang stood. "Let's go, girls."
With that, he led the girls outside.
Liu Guangwu was dumbfounded.
What was going on? This guy was running off without paying? Was he eating and dashing?
"I didn't bring any silver today. Pay for it first."
Hearing this, Liu Guangwu was so angry he laughed. You were treating, and now I was paying?
"Sir, the total comes to five hundred coins. How would you like to pay?" The waiter came over and asked with a smile.
"Can I put it on credit? I'll pay it back in installments!"
Liu Guangwu's voice lacked confidence. He had only recently joined the Demon Hunting Office, and his monthly salary was two taels of silver. He had spent quite a bit this month, leaving almost nothing.
He was an upright man, neither greedy for money nor someone who had slain demons.
He truly did not have much money on him.
"What? You want to dine and dash!"
The waiter's expression changed at once. With a wave of his hand, several burly men came over.
He did not dare say anything if Master Chu ate without paying.
But Liu Guangwu was another matter. He had to give him a piece of his mind. This man usually never oppressed the common people and was one of the rare clear streams in the government. As long as one stayed within the rules, he would not lay a hand on them.
That was why they did not fear him.
"What are you doing? Stand down!"
"You brainless dogs! Constable Liu holds an important post in the Demon Hunting Office. Would he really owe you these scraps? Consider this meal my treat for Constable Liu." A plump man with a wealthy-looking face walked over.
He wore yellow silk, his chest and belly exposed, resembling a Maitreya Buddha.
"Shopkeeper!"
The men looked startled and quickly retreated.
"I never eat without paying. Here is some loose silver. I will definitely repay the rest of what I owe next month!"
Liu Guangwu placed every bit of silver on his person onto the table. Unable to meet everyone's eyes, he turned and left in shame without looking back.
This time, he had truly lost face in spectacular fashion.
"Heh heh, interesting..." The fat shopkeeper smiled faintly, then turned and left.
Chu Jiang arrived on West Street in the county town. Mostly poor people lived here—people of every sort—and it was chaotic beyond compare. Chu Jiang knocked on the battered wooden door of a household.
The one who opened it was a woman with a haggard face that could not conceal her former delicacy. At the sight of Chu Jiang's face, fear appeared on her features first. But when she saw the little girl behind him, her eyes immediately reddened.
"Where did you run off to, child? I looked for you everywhere! I searched every corner, but I couldn't find even a trace of you! I was nearly driven mad with worry!" she cried, her face filled with anxiety and concern, her voice trembling with sobs.
She rushed forward and pulled the little girl tightly into her arms, as though she feared the girl would vanish the instant she loosened her hold.
Tears instantly welled from her eyes and slid down her cheeks, soaking both their clothes.
Feeling her mother's fear and unease while being held, the little girl stretched out her tiny hand and gently wiped away the tears from her mother's face. She said haltingly, "I'm fine... Bad people took me away. Master Chu saved me... Look, he even bought you delicious food."
The little girl smiled and pointed to the delicacies in her hands.
"Give it to the child to replenish her nutrition. This is precisely the crucial time for growing."
Chu Jiang took out one tael of silver from his robe and placed it in her hand.
Before she could react, Chu Jiang closed the wooden door.
For ordinary people, one tael was enough. Giving more would only attract the covetous eyes of others.
"Let's leave the remaining time to the mother and daughter!"
Beside him, Liu Guangwu stared until his eyes went blank. Was this really the Chu Jiang he remembered?
This had to be fake—fake Chu Jiang.
Since when had he become such a great philanthropist? Normally, he would try to squeeze even a single copper coin from the common folk, yet now he had given this mother and daughter one whole tael of silver.
Still, he was surprisingly polite!
But the next second—
"Damn!"
He clearly had silver in his hand just now, yet he had lied that he had none and made Liu Guangwu pay.
He had just started working, and already he was working on credit.
Heavens!
Before you continue