Hearing this, the voluptuous woman grew so anxious that her eyes reddened. "Then... why don't you explain things to the Twin Eagles Association? Tell them a thug stole the money. Maybe they'll even see justice done!"
The boy shook his head and let out a cold laugh. "The Twin Eagles Association? Sis, don't you understand yet? In their eyes, we aren't even people, just livestock that can earn money!
"If I can't hand over the money, I'm no better than a useless cripple. Why would they stand up for us? If things go badly, they'll even accuse me of failing at my job, give me another vicious beating, and perhaps force you into a brothel again!"
At this point, he suddenly hammered his crippled leg with his fist, his voice thick with hatred:
"If those scum hadn't deliberately broken my leg to make me look more pitiful and beg a few more coins, how could I have failed to shake off even a thug?"
These words struck the woman like a thunderbolt. Her legs went weak, her vision darkened, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
Her heart burning with anxiety, she abruptly turned toward Qing Chen and dropped to her knees with a thud, pleading through her tears. "Benefactor-no, great hero! Please show mercy and save my little brother. I'll do anything you ask. I can do anything!"
Seeing little reaction from Qing Chen, the woman hurried into the thatched hut and washed her dusty face, hands, and neck.
When she ran back out, she was a voluptuous young woman with a measure of beauty.
Without the slightest hesitation, she actually knelt straight down before Qing Chen.
Seeing this, Qing Chen immediately stepped forward to help her up.
His left hand clasped hers while his right naturally supported her waist and buttocks, steadily helping her to her feet.
This intimate contact instantly sent heat flooding into the woman's cheeks, bringing an unusual flush to them.
Ever since the floods had spread and her household had fallen on hard times, it had been a long time since she had been this close to a man.
Qing Chen's strong hands stirred a different kind of warmth deep inside her.
She had originally been a landlord's junior concubine, but unfortunately, the great disaster had ruined the entire family.
"Stand while we talk."
Qing Chen caught the flush on the woman's face, and the masculine aura radiating from him grew even stronger:
"Get up first, and don't panic. If your knees go soft, your life will never grow tough. I have two paths for you. Choose one yourselves."
How could the woman spare a thought for embarrassment? Her mind was filled with her brother's safety, and she nodded hastily. "Benefactor, just give us your instructions. My brother and I will do whatever you say! Whatever you tell us, we'll do it, without a word of objection!"
Qing Chen's palm rested against the woman's skin, growing slightly warm.
He steadied himself and raised his first finger. "First, pack your belongings and leave Ford City immediately. Find a remote town and live there under assumed names. That way, the Twin Eagles Association and the thugs won't be able to find you, and you'll be safe."
Hope had barely lit up the woman's eyes before it dimmed again. "That won't work... Benefactor, you've seen what the world is like now.
"Outside the city, floods run rampant, famine is everywhere, and bandits swarm thick as hemp. My brother and I making it here alive was already Heaven opening its eyes to us.
"We have hardly any travel money left. If we leave this porridge stall, within three days... we'll either starve to death or be kidnapped and killed by bandits..."
This answer was entirely within Qing Chen's expectations.
He had offered this seemingly feasible option, which was actually a road to death, precisely to force them into a desperate corner.
Only then could they truly recognize the cruelty of reality and willingly work for him, because they would die if they did not.
"In that case."
Qing Chen's voice lowered, carrying a strange, bewitching quality. "You can't hide, and you don't want to endure their oppression. Then there's only one path left."
He paused, looking sharply at the boy. "You can only put your lives on the line and rise up and fight."
The woman's lips trembled at these words, and she repeated softly, "Rise up and fight, rise up and fight..."
Though some confusion remained in her eyes, Qing Chen's words kindled a spark of hope in her heart.
A gleam also flashed through the eyes of the lame boy beside her, but it quickly dimmed again.
He lowered his head and looked at his scarred leg, bitterness welling in his heart, his voice hoarse. "Rise up and fight? What do I have to fight with? In this state, I can't even walk without limping.
"And those two tyrants who run the Twin Eagles Association not only know martial arts, but also keep a dozen or so thugs under them, every one broad-shouldered and thick-waisted...
"Never mind them. I can't even handle the beggars under them. What right do I have to stake my life on a fight?"
He raised his head and looked at Qing Chen, his gaze like that of someone looking at a man spouting impractical fantasies in his sleep.
Qing Chen looked calmly at the boy. "Alone, you'd naturally be throwing an egg against a rock.
"But what if someone were willing to give you a push from behind? Why don't you ask me? Perhaps I'll help you."
The boy froze for a moment. His lips moved, but in the end, all that came out was a soft sigh:
"In a world like this... with no ties of kinship or friendship, who would risk their life against the Twin Eagles Association for worthless lives like ours?
"Besides, even if you're willing, what could you do? I don't think this is a good idea. Those fellows in the Twin Eagles Association are all ruthless and vicious.
"Especially those two leaders. Their Eagle Claw Art is formidable enough to crush stones to powder. One swipe of a claw can tear tendons and break bones, leaving a person dead or injured!"
It was not that he doubted Qing Chen's good intentions.
He did not believe that goodwill could appear out of thin air in this world.
Still less did he believe that one man alone could stand against a gang.
"Little brother! Don't be rude to our benefactor!" The woman frowned slightly and reprimanded him softly.
She unconsciously moved a step closer to Qing Chen, her tone utterly certain:
"Although I don't understand martial arts, I can tell our benefactor is no ordinary man. Do you remember me telling you that this big brother helped me drive away that hooligan?
"That refugee was tall and burly, but big brother knocked him flat with just one move. Every refugee around was scared to death of him. If big brother is willing to help, what do we have left to fear?"
The woman knew in her heart that their benefactor must want something if he was offering to help. It could only be her body, which still held some appeal.
She was already twenty-five or twenty-six. If this body could buy her brother his life and a hope, it would be worth it.
After all, they already had nowhere left to turn. Qing Chen was their only hope.