Eliminating Harm for the People

Chapter 23: Ridding the People of a Scourge

Contract of Indenture—a term so distant and unfamiliar.

Human beings bought and sold like goods, the transaction settled, life and death thereafter at the buyer's mercy. Though the Republic had abolished the system of human trafficking, clever men still found countless ways to disguise it, letting this ugly practice persist.

Jiang Hao looked at Qian Donglai and said in a low voice, "This lord only wants money. Hand it over, or I'll blow your head off."

Hearing this, Qian Donglai actually breathed a little easier. As long as this wasn't a revenge hit, he had a chance to live.

Money could be earned again; lose your life, and you lose everything.

"Alright, alright, no problem. I'll get the money right now."

Qian Donglai slowly rose, pulled a banknote from a drawer in the room—written for five hundred Silver Dollars—and placed it on the table. "Good sir, this is all I have. Please accept it."

The dark muzzle of the gun jabbed hard into Qian Donglai's forehead, making him flinch. "Good sir, let's talk this out, talk it out."

"The famous Bureau Chief Qian, and you only have a few hundred Silver Dollars? You're insulting my intelligence," Jiang Hao snarled.

Qian Donglai knew he'd have to bleed this time. He had no choice but to lead Jiang Hao to a side room, pry open a hidden compartment under the bed, and pull out a lacquered box about half a foot square.

When he handed the box to Jiang Hao, Qian Donglai's face was twisted with pain.

Opening the box revealed it packed full of gold jewelry, along with two banknotes—one marked for a thousand Silver Dollars, the other for two thousand.

"Good sir, this is worth at least five thousand Silver Dollars. Enough for you to live well," Qian Donglai said cautiously.

"That's all?"

Qian Donglai's face fell. "This is my entire life's savings. On the surface, I look prosperous, but it's just a front. I support a whole household—there's hardly anything left over."

Taking the money was just a side objective. Jiang Hao didn't press further. "Fine. But for safety, I'm tying you up. Someone will find you tomorrow."

Qian Donglai quickly said, "Good sir, rest assured, I won't try anything. Could you skip the ropes?"

Jiang Hao raised the gun and pressed it against Qian Donglai's forehead again, his voice cold. "I never put my safety in someone else's hands. Either lie down obediently, or I'll blow your head off right now."

Under the gun, a man was nothing but fish on the chopping block.

Qian Donglai obediently lay down, hands behind his back. Jiang Hao found some rope and bound his hands and feet, then trussed him up like a horse on its back—now Qian Donglai couldn't move at all. Jiang Hao also grabbed a rag.

Seeing this, Qian Donglai immediately shouted, "Good sir, don't gag me, please—it's awful."

Jiang Hao wasn't about to listen. "Heh, so you know how awful a gag feels?" he said, shoving the rag into Qian Donglai's mouth.

Qian Donglai could only lie there, fuming inwardly. Just wait until I'm safe—I'll have the whole county searched, drag you bastard out, and give you Thousand Cuts.

But the next second, a rope looped around Qian Donglai's neck. His body went rigid as the rope slowly tightened, and a suffocating pressure crushed his throat. "Mmph—mmph—" He struggled desperately, but it was useless. He knew he'd been tricked—this robber never intended to let him live.

Slowly, his consciousness faded. Lying on his side, he could just see the woman hanging on the wall. Her eyes were fixed on him—no fear, no terror. In her gaze, there was even a hint of excitement and relief.

Qian Donglai was dead.

Jiang Hao set down the rope and looked up at the woman. She didn't cry or scream, just watched calmly. Jiang Hao saw no spark of life in her eyes.

"You're not afraid."

The woman looked at the masked robber and shook her head.

"I'll let you go, but you can't make a fuss," Jiang Hao said.

She nodded.

Jiang Hao untied the woman's ropes. She collapsed to the floor, pulled the wooden ball from her mouth, gagged twice, and said, "I've wanted him dead for so long. Good riddance. Good riddance."

"Every day he came home, he'd beat and torture me. The women who walked into this courtyard before—some said they were sold off, but I knew the truth. They all died. He tortured them to death."

"Everyone in Gaomi says Qian Donglai was greedy and lecherous. Greedy, yes. Lecherous? Hah. Ask him if he was even a man. He was a eunuch. He set up this house just so people would call him a womanizer instead of knowing he was impotent."

"I also know his son isn't really his—it's his wife's child with his own brother. Hahahaha. He was just a freak who only knew how to torment women. The most useless man alive. Hahahaha."

Her laughter rang out like a night owl's cry, steeped in boundless sorrow. Who knew how much suffering had twisted a young woman into this state?

Jiang Hao's heart went cold. He felt even more certain that Qian Donglai deserved to die—and that killing him outright had been too merciful.

When she finished, the woman said to Jiang Hao, "Tie me up too."

Jiang Hao was startled. "You're not going to run?"

"If I leave, the murder will fall on me. I'm not afraid, but I still have parents and siblings. The Qian family is a powerful clan in Gaomi—my family would be dragged into it," the woman said.

Jiang Hao followed her wishes and tied her up. When he was about to gag her, the woman looked at the pair of eyes visible through his hood and whispered:

"Thank you."

Jiang Hao's hand paused.

That "thank you" carried so many emotions. Qian Donglai's death was truly a release for her. She had been powerless to resist, but she had hoped someone would save her from this hell.

The rag stopped her mouth. Jiang Hao stood up, thought for a moment, then took out the five-hundred-Silver-Dollar banknote, folded it, crouched down, and tucked it into the sole of her shoe.

"With this money, you'll have something to rely on."

The woman looked at Jiang Hao, her eyes brimming with gratitude. Then she slowly closed her eyes.

Vaulting over walls and roofs, Jiang Hao's figure quickly vanished into the night. The next morning, as the city gates opened, a sturdy figure carrying a pack left Gaomi County. By midday, the county was locked down. People heard the news, and the whole of Gaomi County was in an uproar.

"Did you hear? Bureau Chief Qian is dead."

"Of course I heard about it. Robbers broke into his home, strangled Bureau Chief Qian to death, and cleaned the place out. They let his mistress live, but beat her half to death."

"Who do you think did it?"

"Who knows? But whoever it was has some serious guts—killing a police chief. That's no small feat."

"I think it's impressive. Must've been some real tough guy."

No one responded to that. They exchanged glances and chuckled.

Qian Donglai's reputation in Gaomi County was rock-solid—everyone hated him. His death caused a stir in Gaomi. The county magistrate flew into a rage and ordered a county-wide manhunt, but the common folk said the robbers had done the public a favor.

The next day, Gaomi appointed a new police chief. Two days later, the manhunt fizzled out. Five days on, no one mentioned Qian Donglai anymore. He was already history, just something for people to chew over with their tea.