Something Was Off

Seeing Hao Jiyong leave just like that, not only was Hao Jimeng dumbfounded, but Hao Jiyong's wife atop the stockade wall was stunned as well.

A smile appeared on Song Ankang's face. "Though he was a bit foolish before, he handled things fairly well this time. I hear he has the best performance in the warehouse. He could take Liu Yuanqing's place."

"Hao Jiyong, you're just leaving like this? Are you really going to stand by and watch the Ningmen Association take me away and kill me?"

After standing there in a daze for a moment, Hao Jimeng finally realized what had happened. He stared at Hao Jiyong in disbelief and began shouting at him.

Hao Jiyong ignored him and continued walking into the manor as though he had not heard his cries.

Seeing this, the burly man in blue robes from the Ningmen Association could not help grinning savagely. "Hao Jimeng, it seems even your last hope is useless. In that case, come with us."

"A full two hundred taels of silver—two hundred thousand copper coins. Even selling you would not fetch that much money, so we can only use you to kill the chicken and scare the monkeys. At least then you'll have a little value."

"Don't kill me! Give me a few more days! I'll persuade Hao Jiyong properly. You don't want to lose all that money just like this either, do you? Please, give me a few more days. I'll definitely persuade Hao Jiyong and make him agree to take on this gambling debt." The meaning behind the blue-robed strongman's words was crystal clear, frightening Hao Jimeng until his entire body trembled.

No sooner had Hao Jimeng finished speaking than Hao Jiyong's blunt voice came from afar. "Hao Jimeng, give up on that idea. I absolutely will not help you this time."

"Hao Jiyong, are you really going to drive me to my death?" Hao Jimeng no longer pleaded bitterly as before. His face twisted into a savage expression, utterly unlike his attitude toward the Ningmen Association.

Hao Jiyong turned and fixed his gaze on him. "Hao Jimeng, it isn't me driving you to your death. You brought this upon yourself—you drove yourself to your death. Besides, what use would it be even if I agreed? Other than dragging my whole family down to die with you, what good would it do? I can't repay this money either."

"So go die by yourself!"

After enduring for many years, Hao Jiyong could no longer bear it. Resolutely, he finally told Hao Jimeng to go die.

The surroundings fell silent. Song Ankang, too, looked at Hao Jiyong in surprise, raising his assessment of him by another level.

Hao Jimeng was already frozen in place. He stared blankly at Hao Jiyong, unable to speak for a long while.

The blue-robed strongman was the first to recover. He gave Hao Jiyong a thumbs-up. "Not bad. Casting aside family for righteousness—a real man. But honestly, trash like Hao Jimeng, who refuses to mend his ways no matter how often he's taught, really isn't worth saving. He'll never change in this life."

"Hao Jiyong, you actually want me dead? Then don't blame me for being ruthless and exposing your true face."

Hao Jimeng screamed, his voice somewhat hoarse. Having lost his last sliver of hope, he had gone a little mad.

"Everyone of Chaoyun Manor, listen up! It was Hao Jiyong who stole the precious medicinal herbs from your manor's warehouse! When I came to see Hao Jiyong this morning, I heard him discussing with his woman how to flee Chaoyun Manor with that batch of medicinal herbs and live the good life elsewhere."

"Arrest him at once and torture him severely. He'll definitely confess. Then you'll be able to recover the precious medicinal herbs lost from the warehouse."

"Hao Jiyong, since you want me dead, don't blame me for dragging you down with me. None of us will get off easy!"

The crazed Hao Jimeng shouted at the top of his lungs to the tenant farmers of Chaoyun Manor on the stockade wall. A portion of them brightened at his words, but most could tell that Hao Jimeng was a dog driven into a corner, spouting nonsense in an attempt to drag Hao Jiyong down to die with him.

Such an ungrateful beast deserved to die!

Hao Jiyong's expression changed drastically. Looking at Hao Jimeng, he said sternly, "Hao Jimeng, I must have been blind all these years to help a shameless, ungrateful wretch like you again and again. From now on, you are not my younger brother, and I am not your elder brother. All ties between us are severed."

"Hahaha... I'm fucking about to die. Do you think I care about that?" Hao Jimeng's face was filled with despair. "Being born into the poor ghost Hao family was the unluckiest thing in my life. If I had been born into a wealthy family, what would a mere two hundred taels of silver amount to?"

"Hao Jiyong, since you were able to help me so much before, why won't you help me this time? Is it because you think helping me would get in the way of your family living a good life later? With so many precious medicinal herbs, taking out even a small portion would be enough. What are two hundred taels of silver? You're far too stingy. Even if you hadn't severed ties with me, I would have severed ties with you..."

Watching the already crazed Hao Jimeng, Song Ankang frowned and turned toward the warehouse. "Watching this sort of person is just needlessly polluting our eyes. Let's go. We'll take a trip to the warehouse."

"Sure." Qiushi nodded repeatedly. Before leaving, she could not help spitting in Hao Jimeng's direction. "I never thought there were people worse than beasts in this world, people who could say such brazen, shameless things. Hao Jiyong is far too unlucky. If I had a younger brother like that, I would have thrown him away long ago. It's incredible that Hao Jiyong endured him for so long."

Jiang Yunhe smiled. "Miss Guoguo is simply inexperienced. There are far more cases in this world of valuing sons over daughters than this. Forget younger brothers clinging to their elder sisters and sucking their blood dry—even elder brothers often gnaw on their younger sisters' flesh and bones."

"Instructor Jiang is right. Wherever intelligent life exists, there will always be things people cannot stand." Song Ankang shook his head and quickened his pace.

Not to mention ancient times, when the custom of valuing sons over daughters was severe—even in modern society, weren't there still plenty of women enslaved to supporting their younger brothers and men enslaved to supporting their elder brothers?

What city did not have pitiful women like Fan Shengmei?

Outside the stockade wall, Hao Jimeng was still ranting madly, trying to drag Hao Jiyong's entire family down to die with him. It enraged Hao Jiyong so much that he could not help cursing as well. The last remnants of brotherly affection in his heart vanished completely. Today's events had taught him a hard and solid lesson.

But the more fiercely Hao Jimeng ranted, the more it proved Hao Jiyong's innocence in Song Ankang's eyes. Presumably, many of the tenant farmers present could see that as well.

They soon arrived at the warehouse. The moment Song Ankang stepped inside this time, his heart jolted. That strange feeling from his first visit to the warehouse several days ago surged up again, making him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Yet after searching the warehouse carefully several times, he found nothing. There were neither villains hiding within nor any trace of Demonic Creatures and Ghosts. But what exactly was that feeling?

Most importantly, this sense that something was off carried a threat to his life. In other words, if he was not careful, Song Ankang could very well encounter mortal danger here.