Change of Circumstances

Lin Qing arrived before Old Fan and crouched down to carefully examine his injuries.

Old Fan had severe soft tissue contusions in multiple areas, and he had likely broken several ribs. Most critically, his internal organs appeared to have been shaken, causing unstoppable internal bleeding.

Furthermore, his complexion was sallow and his breathing was faint.

These were the signs of a dying man beyond the reach of medicine.

Lin Wan had followed him out, and upon seeing Old Fan's wretched state, her eyes immediately turned red; she turned her head away, unable to bear the sight.

Lin Qing remained silent for a moment, saying nothing.

He stood up and returned to Benevolent World Hall, silently grabbing five doses of the best trauma-stopping medicine, along with an extra small packet of ginseng whiskers to sustain life, before walking back and pressing them into Fan Kui's mother's hands.

"Auntie, apply this medicine externally to his wounds. Boil these ginseng whiskers in water and feed it to Uncle Fan to keep his breath going..."

Lin Qing's voice was somewhat dry: "Whether he can pull through depends on Uncle Fan's own fortune."

This was all he could do.

In this man-eating world, kindness was sometimes a luxury.

"Ah Qing, thank you, truly thank you."

Old Fan's wife hurriedly knelt and kowtowed.

"Auntie, please get up quickly. If you do this again, I won't give you the medicine."

Lin Qing hurriedly helped Old Fan's wife up and offered a few words of comfort, which finally calmed her down.

He glanced at Fan Kui, who was still sitting on the ground with a numb expression, lost in his own thoughts.

Several hours later.

The night was deep, and the streets were pitch black and silent.

Inside Benevolent World Hall, Lin Qing was preparing to extinguish the lights and rest.

A series of urgent knocks suddenly rang out.

It shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Who is it?" Lin Qing walked out and asked vigilantly.

"Brother Qing, it's me, Fan Kui."

Lin Qing went over and opened the door to find Fan Kui standing outside.

Though only a few hours had passed, the youth seemed to have grown much more haggard; his eyes were bloodshot, and the tear tracks on his face had not yet dried.

His thin body trembled slightly in the night wind, and his voice was hoarse.

"Brother Qing..."

Lin Qing's heart sank; he had already guessed the outcome.

He stepped aside to let Fan Kui in, closing the door behind him to shut out the night chill.

"My father... he has passed away..."

After saying this, Fan Kui seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

His body swayed, and he barely managed to steady himself by gripping the door frame.

He looked up, his eyes filled with the bewilderment of someone pushed to the brink.

"There is nothing of value left in our home. I don't even have the money to buy my father a thin coffin or find a place for him to rest."

"My father is currently lying in the public mortuary, and the gatekeeper refuses to let me take him out of the city for burial."

"Brother Qing, I want to beg you to lend me some money."

"When I am older, I will work like an ox or a horse to pay you back!"

Fan Kui's voice was choked with sobs.

Lin Qing looked at him and sighed inwardly.

It was not that he lacked the spare cash.

But this money could not be lent easily.

It was not out of stinginess, but a deep understanding that human hearts are unpredictable; a handful of rice can earn gratitude, but a bushel can breed resentment.

Moreover, the Old Fan family was currently a whirlpool.

Any close financial dealings with them could invite unnecessary trouble.

He wore a troubled expression, his voice low: "Fan Kui, I understand your plight. Although my shop's business has been decent lately..."

"But you also know that Security Hall across the street is driving prices down aggressively, and all my money goes into martial arts training. I am truly strapped for cash and have little to spare."

The light in Fan Kui's eyes dimmed instantly.

His hands trembling, he pulled two crumpled, yet meticulously preserved sheets of paper from his bosom.

They were the deed and land title to their family's dilapidated carpentry shop.

"Brother Qing, can I use these as collateral?"

Fan Kui asked, his voice choked with tears and heavy with humility.

Lin Qing looked at the yellowed documents under the lamplight and slowly shook his head.

He was not tempted.

For these deeds were nothing but a hot potato at this moment.

Old Fan had just died; if he were to accept the deeds now, there was no telling what kind of rumors would be spun about him.

Lord Leopard might set his sights on him as well.

The Pan Family would be even more likely to use it as a pretext to cause trouble.

He could not take that risk.

"Fan Kui, keep these deeds safe."

"This is your parents' life's work, and the last place of refuge for you and your mother."

Lin Qing said with a firm tone.

"I, I understand..."

Fan Kui lowered his head, preparing to leave.

"Wait..."

Lin Qing looked at the utterly desolate expression in Fan Kui's eyes.

In the end, he could not bring himself to refuse completely.

He turned around and counted out three strings of copper coins from the cash box under the counter.

Each string of copper coins contained approximately nine hundred and eighty wen.

Though it could not even exchange for three taels of broken silver, it was enough to buy the thinnest willow-wood coffin.

He could also hire two laborers to help carry it to the mass grave and find a spot to bury it.

This was also the reason why Lin Qing had refused to lend money earlier.

Because even the most inferior coffin cost at least three taels of silver.

In Yongning Street, there were truly not many people who could casually produce that kind of spare cash.

Added to that was the money for the medicinal herbs the Fan family had previously bought on credit.

Not a single wen had ever been repaid.

He shoved the copper coins into Fan Kui's icy hands.

"Take them, and let Uncle Fan be laid to rest first."

"As for the rest, we can talk about it later."

Fan Kui clutched the three strings of cold copper coins, stunned for a long moment.

He suddenly dropped to his knees.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

He kowtowed three times, his voice choked with sobs: "Brother Qing's great kindness, Fan Kui will remember it!"

With that, he scrambled up and rushed into the night without looking back.

Lin Qing watched his thin silhouette disappear into the darkness.

A strange sense of unease stirred in his heart.

In the second half of the night, the tranquility of Yongning Street was suddenly shattered.

"Fire! Fire! Security Hall is on fire!!"

The piercing sound of gongs and anxious shouts tore through the night sky.

Lin Qing jolted awake from his light sleep and pushed open the window.

He saw the direction of Security Hall across the street.

Flames soared into the sky, accompanied by billowing smoke.

The entire half of the sky was illuminated in an eerie orange-red!

The fire fed on the wind, crackling loudly.

The wooden structure of the shop collapsed rapidly amidst the raging flames, turning into a sea of fire.

The street instantly descended into chaos; people fighting the fire, onlookers, and those crying out in alarm were all mixed together.

However, faster than the fire itself was the reaction of the White Horse Gang.

Just as the fire began to spread, a group of burly men wielding clubs charged aggressively toward the dilapidated gate of Old Fan's home.

The man in the lead was none other than Feng Bing, the arrogant henchman of Lord Leopard who had been throwing his weight around earlier that day.

With a sinister grin on his face, he kicked open the already teetering gate.

"You little bastard of the Fan family, get your ass out here!"

"To dare set fire to a shop on Lord Leopard's turf—you're truly tired of living," Feng Bing barked sharply.

"Mother, you..."

From inside the house came a desperate cry from Fan Kui, which was then abruptly cut short.

Someone rushed inside to check, only to run back out a moment later.

With a pale face, the man reported to Feng Bing, "Brother Bing, the old hag has hanged herself."

"Serves her right. What about the brat?" Feng Bing asked, completely indifferent.

Lord Leopard had not yet arrived.

He had brought his men here first, naturally, to demonstrate his loyalty.

At this moment, driven to a dead end, Fan Kui suddenly burst out from the house.

Clutching a firewood axe in his hands, his eyes bloodshot, he roared, "I'll fight you to the death!"

With that, he swung the axe directly at Feng Bing.

Caught off guard, Feng Bing dodged to the side, though his arm was still slashed open.

"Damn you, go to hell!"

Feng Bing immediately kicked Fan Kui in the abdomen, sending him collapsing to the ground in agony.

How could a half-grown boy ever be a match for these wolves in human clothing?

In an instant, he was beaten to the ground.

Clubs, fists, and kicks rained down upon him like a storm!

Yet, he shielded something in his arms with his life.

He endured the beating without a single sound.

Only his eyes, filled with bone-deep hatred, remained fixed on Feng Bing.

"Stop!"

A cold shout rang out.

Lin Qing pushed through the crowd of onlookers and strode forward.

He could not stand by and watch Fan Kui be beaten to death.