"Little slut, where do you think you're running off to?" Several burly men quickly caught up, cursing at Xiao Yu.
"Sister, Xiao Yu begs you, can you save me?"
Xiao Yu immediately knelt beside Leng Ruo Li, clutching her arm and pleading.
"Xiao Yu, get up first and sit here." Leng Ruo Li helped Xiao Yu up, then pointed to a small stool beside her.
Xiao Yu stood up and looked at Leng Ruo Li, puzzled, but still sat on the stool next to her as Leng Ruo Li intended.
"Xiao Yu, did you eat breakfast?" Leng Ruo Li asked with concern.
Hearing this, Xiao Yu shook her head.
She hadn't eaten in almost two days since being sold to the brothel. Half of the money she earned selling rice cakes was given to Aunt Li, who supplied her with the cakes, and the other half was used to treat her mother's illness. Now, she didn't have a single coin on her.
Knowing she hadn't eaten, Leng Ruo Li immediately asked the stall owner to cook her a large bowl of wontons.
"Sister, please save me, won't you? I don't want to go to the brothel. Wuwu..." Fearing Leng Ruo Li would refuse to help, Xiao Yu pleaded again.
"Finish the wontons on the table. With brother and sister here, they won't dare do anything to you," Leng Ruo Li assured her.
Only after hearing Leng Ruo Li's words did Xiao Yu pick up her chopsticks and eat with peace of mind.
In just a moment, the burly men who came to catch Xiao Yu had arrived beside Leng Ruo Li and them.
Seeing Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han sitting at the table, the men dared not act rashly. Before they even got close, they could feel the chilling aura emanating from the two, piercing their flesh and bone as if they were two millennia-old ice mountains. Both of them had their eyes downcast, their expressions unreadable.
"Little slut, hurry up and come back with us!" The burly man leading the group, holding a fishbone braid, pointed at Xiao Yu and roared.
Upon hearing the man's voice, Xiao Yu's body trembled. Leng Ruo Li, sitting beside her, patted her hand.
This scene was precisely what the leading burly man saw. He could only speak, braving the chill from the two.
"Esteemed sirs, this little girl escaped from our establishment. We need to take her back now. We hope you won't obstruct us," the burly leader said politely.
"Mm! Then go pay for the three bowls of wontons we ordered." Leng Ruo Li took a dagger from her sleeve and toyed with it in her hand.
"What? We ordered these three bowls of wontons ourselves. Why should we pay for you?" A subordinate beside the burly man retorted.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the subordinate finished speaking, the leading man smacked him hard on the back of the head.
"The esteemed guests asked us to pay, which shows they think highly of us. What is all this nonsense? Besides, those three bowls of wontons aren't expensive. Hurry up and get the money to pay," the burly leader reprimanded his subordinate in front of everyone.
The subordinate, looking wronged, reluctantly took out a piece of broken silver from his waist and went to pay the wonton vendor.
In truth, the burly leader didn't want to pay for Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han. However, being more experienced than his subordinates, he guessed from their imposing aura that their identities were no simple matter. Therefore, it was best not to offend them.
After his subordinate paid for their wontons, the burly leader ordered another subordinate to pull Xiao Yu away. But as his subordinate's hand was about to touch Xiao Yu, the dagger in Leng Ruo Li's hand flew past the subordinate's ear and pierced a wooden post opposite them.
The subordinate was instantly covered in cold sweat. If his head had been even slightly to the side, the sharp dagger would have struck his face. Thinking of this, the subordinate immediately wiped away the cold sweat.
"Xiao Yu, are you full?" Leng Ruo Li asked.
Hearing this, Xiao Yu nodded and put down her chopsticks.
"Go get that dagger stuck in the post for sister, and then we'll leave," Leng Ruo Li said calmly.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yu immediately stood up and sprinted over, pulled out the dagger stuck in the wooden post, and handed it back to Leng Ruo Li.
Afterward, Leng Ruo Li took Xiao Yu's hand and prepared to leave, with Jun Mo Han following closely behind.
Seeing Leng Ruo Li and the other two preparing to leave, the burly men immediately grew anxious, especially the leader. He immediately reached out his arm to block Leng Ruo Li's path.
"Miss, we paid for these three bowls of wontons. Now, shouldn't you hand over this little girl for us to take back?" the burly leader said sharply.
"You are willing to pay for these three bowls of wontons. I didn't force you. Do you think we lack the money for three bowls of wontons?" Leng Ruo Li said shamelessly.
"You, you two little sluts, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Don't blame us for being rude," the leader said.
"Hmph! You scum, I really don't take you seriously," Leng Ruo Li sneered.
"You, come here and cripple the man behind them. As for these two women, we'll take them back to the brothel and have some fun..." the leader said with a wicked grin.
However, before he could finish speaking, Jun Mo Han sent him flying several meters away with a single palm strike. He crashed into the wonton owner's stall, and a pot of scalding hot water spilled directly onto him. The leader cried out in pain like a slaughtered pig. Immediately after, the other subordinates, unnoticed, were dusted with Leng Ruo Li's poison powder. Then, one by one, they collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth and twitching uncontrollably. However, Leng Ruo Li did not kill them.
Xiao Yu, who had never witnessed such powerful protectors, was stunned. Her heart was filled with immense admiration for Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han. She never expected her luck to be so good, managing to cling to two strong supporters by merely embracing them.
After Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han dealt with this group of pests, Leng Ruo Li took out an ounce of silver from her sleeve and placed it before the wonton owner as compensation for the damage to his stall. Then, she pulled Xiao Yu along and called for Jun Mo Han to leave.
On the way, Xiao Yu looked at Leng Ruo Li and pleaded, "Sister, can you accompany me back home to see my mother?"
"Of course. Let's go, I'll accompany you back with big brother," Leng Ruo Li said, lowering her gaze to look at Xiao Yu.
Afterward, the three hurried towards Xiao Yu's home.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han followed Xiao Yu to her doorstep. A crowd had already gathered outside her house, watching the commotion. Xiao Yu quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed into the house, just in time to hear her grandmother instructing several farmhands to roll up her mother's corpse in a mat and carry it up the mountain to be buried.