506: Chapter 499 Provocation 506: Chapter 499 Provocation A few days ago, Fang Jun had just disembarked from the Spirit Ship, leaving the ruins.
He held a cane in one hand and a bowl in the other, his whole person standing tall and proud, like a general setting out to war.
But now, his face was bruised and swollen, and his clothes were in tatters.
The man looked utterly dejected, his spirit clearly at its lowest ebb.
Who knew what he had been through in these few days?
Besides sticking straw in his hair, preparing to sell himself into slavery.
There were also numerous clear footprints on his front and back.
It had only been a few days since he had parted with Chen Hai.
Otherwise, with a little more time and his memory of Fang Jun fading, Chen Hai perhaps wouldn’t have been able to recognize him.
After thinking it over, Chen Hai took a few steps forward and approached Fang Jun.
If one were to speak truthfully, although there had been a slight unpleasantness between them on the Spirit Ship, Chen Hai hadn’t really taken it to heart.
After all, in terms of actual age, he and Ye Qingqing were indeed contemporaries.
But it was undeniable that, in terms of appearance, there was indeed a significant difference in age between the two.
When darkness had just fallen, and Chen Hai and Ye Qingqing had run to the banks of the Yuan River, a certain Master had mistaken Ye Qingqing for his mother, praising his filial piety.
Although the words Fang Jun had said on the Spirit Ship had made Chen Hai extremely displeased, what Fang Jun had said was actually a common human reaction and was understandable.
To think that in just a few days, this guy had become such a wreck…
“You’re preparing to sell yourself into slavery?
What kind of deal are you looking for?” Chen Hai looked at Fang Jun with a complex expression and heaved a long sigh.
“Someplace to stay, enough food to fill my stomach…” Fang Jun replied reflexively, his eyes somewhat hollow.
When he looked up and recognized Chen Hai, his speech abruptly stopped.
His head hung so low that it was almost buried in his pants, and at that moment, he lacked even the courage to look Chen Hai in the eye.
“Master Chen, this kind of slave is useless for labor and too weak to carry or lift anything.
Even if he’s cheap, buying him would just be a loss…”
The agency errand boy beside him suggested to Chen Hai with good intentions.
Though his words were not pleasant, they were indeed the truth.
Compared to the natives of Jinshan City, those who had come over from Liuyuan County indeed appeared somewhat frail and pitiable.
Fang Jun, standing before them, was from the lowest social strata, an ordinary worker who lacked any particular skills.
Having come to Jinshan City for a few days and reduced to this state, he must have been unable to find work, forcing him to stick straw in his hair, preparing to sell himself into slavery.
Such people, in the eyes of the agency errand boy, had little value beyond wasting food.
Alas, his opinion fell on deaf ears, as if Chen Hai had not even heard him.
“My household lacks some help, would you be interested in serving me?” Chen Hai, frowning and hesitant for a moment, finally spoke up.
When in Rome, he felt quite justified in buying some of Jinshan City’s natives as house slaves.
But bringing in people from Liuyuan County to be house slaves was something he felt quite uneasy about and was rather unwilling to do.
Seeing the state Fang Jun was in…
After witnessing such a scene, Chen Hai eventually felt some compassion.
“I’m definitely willing!” As soon as Chen Hai had finished speaking, Fang Jun was already nodding repeatedly in response.
Nowadays, he only wanted to have a meal to eat and to survive.
As for achieving a class leap?
That was simply too luxurious a thought.
Just after disembarking from the Spirit Ship and leaving the ruins, he had indeed had such hopes, but within just a few days, the harsh reality had beaten all fight out of him.
“Master Chen…
Master Chen, I haven’t eaten in two days and I’m starving.”
“Could you find it in your heart to give me something to eat?” Subsequently, Fang Jun tentatively spoke up, pleading.
Commander Zhao Junyi had once promised these people from Liuyuan County that in the first three days of their arrival in Jinshan City, he would provide some food.
But the food he talked about was a porridge so thin it could not be any thinner, with a few leaves of vegetables floating on top.
Drinking such porridge did fill one up at the moment, but after a trip to the bathroom, one was famished all over again.
“Fine then, there is a restaurant just outside the market.”
“What would you like to eat?
You can order for yourself; my treat!” The only hesitation passing, Chen Hai nodded and replied.
These few days, he had been spending money like water, the spirit coins in the purse he had picked up from Zhang Yushan were nearly all gone.
But even so, he wouldn’t miss the small amount of money required to treat Fang Jun to a meal.
“Master Chen, about purchasing the house slaves…” Seeing Chen Hai preparing to leave the market for the restaurant outside, the errand boy from the agency became a bit anxious and quickly asked.
“Xiao Zhou, for such a trivial matter, you can represent me and take care of it.”
“Three males and three females, six house slaves in total—after buying them, send them directly to my residence.”
“My wife is at home.
Whatever the cost, you can discuss it directly with her.”
“As for the fees from the agency, don’t worry, we certainly won’t shortchange you.” Turning his head, Chen Hai casually instructed the agency errand boy.
Afterward, without looking back, he led Fang Jun and walked outside.
Hearing him say so, the Agency lad relaxed a bit.
The whole world bustles with activity, all pushed by the lure of profit; it hustles and bustles, all drawn by the flow of wealth.
The reason he had been so anxious was simple: after all his hustle, he had yet to reap any rewards.
After obtaining a response from Chen Hai, the Agency lad was immensely satisfied.
He scanned the surroundings and headed straight for the location of the girls who were sticking grass markers into the ground.
…
Elsewhere, outside the marketplace, within a tavern called the Junyue Building.
After consuming a bowl of watery porridge, Fang Jun, who now had something in his stomach, felt noticeably more spirited.
He scooped up another bowl of porridge, and while eating with the few dishes on the table, he began to speak, “In this damn place, even begging with a broken bowl requires having your own turf.”
“I just arrived in Jinshan City; how was I to know these things!”
“I hardly collected any money before being surrounded by a gang of more than a dozen people who then gave me a ruthless beating.
“Those guys, they have no sense of justice.
It’s bad enough they outnumber and bully the few, but after beating me up, they cleaned out my suitcase, taking every little thing of value.”
Fang Jun sighed with a hint of bitterness.
Then, he picked up two peanuts and popped them into his mouth, continuing to speak, “With my suitcase gone, all that remained in my hands were the bowl and stick.”
“Begging didn’t work, so I went to fish in the river within the city.”
“Damn it, the fish in that river, they’re practically monsters,”
“I paid hundreds for a fishing rod, and it snapped into pieces just as I caught the first fish.
“I was initially thinking of going into the water to retrieve the broken rod because, with a bit of luck, the fish might still be hooked on it.
“Who would have known, not only was that fish bigger than me, but it also had sharp teeth in its mouth.”
“If it weren’t for my quick reaction, if I hadn’t climbed ashore and fled, it could have swallowed me in one bite.”
As Fang Jun recalled his fishing ordeal, he still seemed shaken.
His chopstick-wielding hand shook uncontrollably, causing the peanuts gripped between them to fall onto the table.
“How is the situation over at the ruins?
Have you been back there in the last couple of days?”
Sitting opposite Fang Jun, Chen Hai held a small flask of liquor, listening to Fang Jun speak while pouring and drinking by himself.
Compared to other residents of Liuyuan County, Fang Jun had a pretty good attitude and was considerably braver.
If he ended up in such a state, what about the others?
At this, several threads of concern wove through Chen Hai’s heart.
“I went back early yesterday morning and managed to get a bowl of porridge there.”
“In these past few days, quite a few of the people from Liuyuan County who stayed there had gone to other parts of the city, hoping to find some work.”
“Those with a trade shouldn’t have too much problem just getting by in Jinshan City.”
“The only downside is a gang called Qianjie Gang, lurking near the ruins.”
“We Liuyuan County people have to pay them protection money just to leave the ruins.
If anyone refuses, they rob them without a word.”
“Because of Qianjie Gang, there’s an air of dread over the ruins these past days.”
…
Frowning and pondering for a moment, Fang Jun explained to Chen Hai.
He had no Spirit Coins and nothing of value on him, so when the Qianjie Gang collected protection fees, he had nothing to offer.
The footprint marks on his front and back were left by members of that gang.
“How formidable is Qianjie Gang?” His words cast a shadow over Chen Hai’s expression.
“I’ve heard that of the three major gangs in the West District, Qianjie Gang is one of them.”
“The leaders and high ranks of Qianjie Gang are Martial Artists, those who have truly practised martial arts.”
“Most of us from Liuyuan County who came here are sedentary and in terrible physical shape.”
“The weak are doomed to be bullied; it’s an immutable truth.
Qianjie Gang intends to exploit us, and there’s nothing to be done but to endure it.”
“Who amongst us can fight back?”
Saying this, Fang Jun heaved a long sigh.
Even so, he seemed to cast meaningful glances at Chen Hai several times.
Back on the Spirit Ship, just a threat from Chen Hai had sent chills down his spine for no clear reason.
That feeling was inexplicable.
It was as if Chen Hai in front of him had suddenly morphed into a ferocious beast.
The fleeting sense of alarm was indescribable, yet it instilled in Fang Jun a profound fear, and his dread of Chen Hai reached an extreme.
At this moment, as he said none of the Liuyuan County people could fight, merely submitting to oppression,
perhaps, there was a bit of provocation in Fang Jun’s intention.
Because he felt that Chen Hai sitting before him was definitely not to be underestimated.
While other people from Liuyuan were still struggling with grim prospects and worrying about their livelihood, he not only secured a home but even started buying house slaves in the market!
He knew all too well from his own profound experiences how hard it was to earn Spirit Coins in Jinshan City.
If Chen Hai didn’t have some skill, where would he have gotten the Spirit Coins to do all this?