Qin Fang was stunned for a moment, but then, as if realizing something, he looked at Old Wu in surprise.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally gave a slight nod and closed his eyes.
Old Wu was a little surprised by Qin Fang's series of reactions before he closed his eyes.
But then he looked at his scrawny, filth-covered, and scar-riddled body and fell silent again.
Then he began to pack up, bundling his small knives and other things, tucking the bundle under his arm before walking to the door and opening it.
A few members of the Iron Tiger Gang were outside.
When Wang Hu saw the door open, his eyes lit up, and he immediately asked impatiently, "Is it done? Is he awake?"
Old Wu's cold voice reached Qin Fang's ears. "Awake? Do you really think I'm a God? With injuries this severe, and running a fever... it's hard to say if he'll even pull through."
"Huh?"
Several surprised voices cried out. Then, Qin Fang heard the voice of the man with the mole by his mouth, the one who had doubted whether he still had any money. "Don't tell me he's going to die even after we brought him to you, sir? Wouldn't that be a huge loss for us?"
"Old Wu, you took our money. No matter what, you have to save him... at least get him to wake up."
The fleshy-faced man grew anxious too.
"If you doubt me, then take him away right now. But I've already used my medicine, and you know the rules—no refunds on medical fees."
Old Wu clearly had a terrible temper and immediately made his stance clear.
"Hey, no, no, no, of course we trust you! Who in True Martial doesn't know you're the famous Yama's Enemy?"
Seeing Old Wu lose his temper, they seemed genuinely afraid he would refuse to treat the man, and someone immediately started trying to placate him.
Old Wu snorted coldly before saying, "If that's the case, then don't be in such a rush. What's the hurry?"
The men stammered, not knowing what to say.
"All right, all right. Scram."
The old man finally spoke again.
"What about him?" the man with the mole asked hesitantly.
"What? You want to take him back?" the old man asked. Before they could answer, he continued, "Fine, fine, take him away. Go find someone more capable. I can't be bothered with the trouble anyway..."
"No, no, don't! Please, sir, don't be angry. That's not what we meant."
"I don't care what you mean. Just know that if you take him, don't bring him back. Otherwise, who's to blame if he dies? You figure it out yourselves."
Old Wu's voice gradually faded into the distance.
After a long while, someone asked hesitantly, "Brother Long, what do we do?"
That "Brother Long" hesitated for a good while before gritting his teeth. "Forget it. We've already brought him here and spent the silver. It's only a matter of three to five days... Let's just wait."
"Damn it, we spent a full ten taels of silver to save this kid; his chain was part of the price. If he dares to trick us... Hmph!"
Someone muttered.
It was obvious that although greed had driven them to save him, their hearts were pounding with uncertainty.
After all, until they saw the silver, anything could happen.
It was just that they preferred to believe he still had more silver.
"Alright, alright, damn it. Wasted a whole day for nothing. Let's go, let's go. We'll come back tomorrow and check..."
Brother Long gave the order, and their voices faded as they walked away.
Inside the room, Qin Fang finally let out a long sigh of relief and slowly opened his eyes.
The room was silent, and he was alone.
He scanned the room. It wasn't large, and there was nothing remarkable about it. The old man had blown out the oil lamp when he left, leaving the room dark save for the faint moonlight filtering through the window lattice.
Qin Fang stared blankly for a moment, then his brow furrowed.
His physical condition was terrible. His body ached, felt weak, and his mind was groggy.
'This safety is only temporary.'
'These people are obviously no good, and they're gang members to boot.'
'Once they find out I'm out of money, I'm afraid...'
A grim look flashed in Qin Fang's eyes.
But there was nothing he could do.
His body was at its limit; he had to find a way to get medical treatment.
The settlement was too crowded, so he had to find a way to leave.
But the refugees weren't allowed to leave the settlement. Patrols were everywhere, stopping anyone who tried.
His only option was to resort to this desperate plan: find the greediest-looking people and use their avarice to tempt them into saving him.
It was the best possible solution under the circumstances.
'What else could I have done?'
'Find a truly "kind-hearted person"?'
'Just look at all the bodies lying on the ground in the refugee settlement.'
'Where would I find a truly kind person... and be lucky enough to run into them?'
...His life as an exile had made Qin Fang see through many things.
He dared not place his trust in human nature so easily.
'Better to use greed than kindness!'
He had taken the gold necklace from a dead refugee and had kept it hidden in his walking stick ever since.
'Other than that, where would I get any money?'
He could only deceive them.
Otherwise, they would have most likely just taken the necklace and left him there to die...
Still, he was safe for now.
'But what do I do next?'
Qin Fang's mind raced with chaotic thoughts.
Gradually, he began to feel unwell again.
He hadn't eaten all day, but he didn't feel particularly hungry at the moment...
A sign of just how terrible his physical condition was.
'Forget it.'
'I can't think about that much right now. I'll just have to deal with problems as they come.'
'At the very least, I have to survive first.'
His gaze gradually grew firm.
He had endured his journey as an exile. Now that he had survived the "natural disaster," he was determined to live on!
In a daze, he fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next time he awoke, Qin Fang was startled by a burst of chaotic noise.
The jumbled sounds, sometimes near, sometimes far, kept reaching his ears, causing him to frown slightly before slowly opening his eyes.
It was chaotic outside. He could faintly hear groans and cries.
Qin Fang stared blankly. It took him a long moment to come to his senses, and he subconsciously glanced toward the door.
The crying outside was incessant, interspersed with faint curses.
'What's going on?'
He still hadn't fully processed the situation when the door creaked open. An old man with a deeply furrowed brow rushed in, his gaze meeting Qin Fang's.
Qin Fang recognized him—it was Old Wu, the man who had saved him yesterday.
And as the door opened, the chaotic noise from outside flooded in, growing louder.
"You're awake? How are you feeling?"
Old Wu was taken aback for a second, then asked Qin Fang.
Qin Fang assessed his body. He clearly felt much better than before. His wounds had a cool, soothing sensation and didn't hurt too much.
It was just that his body still had no strength; it felt terribly weak and sore.
His head didn't hurt as much, though... It seemed his fever had broken.
"Much better than before..."
Qin Fang answered, but his voice was still hoarse.
Then he subconsciously looked past the old man at the door. Outside, the sky was bright, and the sound of furious shouting was endless.
"What's happening outside?"
Old Wu was silent for a moment before saying calmly, "Some of the refugees suddenly rioted. Many were killed or injured."
"What?"
Qin Fang's expression changed slightly.
Almost instantly, the faces of the people from that group he'd encountered before flashed through his mind.
"Why did they suddenly riot?"
Qin Fang's brow tightened.
"I don't know... I can't talk long. You just rest easy. I'll have someone bring you something to eat in a bit."
Old Wu clearly didn't know the reason either. He said no more, rummaged around the room for a few things, then turned and left.
Watching Old Wu's hurried footsteps, Qin Fang's brow furrowed as he listened to the commotion outside.
'A riot without a known cause?'
He had a gut feeling that this was probably connected to that group of people!