The bustling streets of Shangjing City’s market were filled with a constant stream of pedestrians, with vendors loudly hawking their wares. As the imperial capital of the Great Song, Shangjing City alone had a population of several million.
Half of them were refugees who had fled from other prefectures and counties.
For the common people, the Son of Heaven’s capital held an extremely strong allure. They believed the place where the Emperor resided must surely have endless food to eat and inexhaustible fine wine to drink.
However, upon finally reaching Shangjing City, they discovered all these fantasies could only remain just that—fantasies.
Yet, it was undeniable that the capital was teeming with high officials and nobility.
Some refugees with no way out began to set their sights on the wealthy merchants and magnates. Forming a mob to rob was certainly not feasible; it would be seen as rebellion, and the city’s garrison army could crush them with almost no effort.
In the end, the options were either to sell their children or to sign an indentured contract.
The prerequisite was, of course, that someone had to want you.
Did they really think those wealthy merchants and nobles would take just anyone?
If no one wanted you, then there was only one method left: to swindle someone.
Although this method might get you beaten to death, if you didn’t do it, you would starve to death anyway.
Why not take the gamble? What if you succeeded? People never lacked for a sense of wishful thinking.
A young man in brocade-white robes, holding a paper fan, looked coldly at the mother and daughter pair collapsed on the ground before him.
Just moments ago, he had been enjoying the scenery of Shangjing City’s bustling market streets, in a pleasant mood, when this mother and daughter suddenly rushed out and collapsed in front of him.
The mother and daughter were dressed in filthy, soiled cloth garments, their faces sallow and emaciated. The mother tightly clutched a little girl who seemed on the verge of death, wailing and crying. “My poor child!”
This crying immediately attracted the attention of passersby.
On one side was a noble young master; on the other, a refugee mother and daughter. The ordinary commoners instinctively and subjectively sided with the latter.
The weak only sympathize with the weak.
They pointed and whispered about the young man in brocade-white robes.
“My, which family’s young master is this? He treats human life as nothing!”
“Shh~ Keep your voice down. This man clearly looks like trouble. Be careful not to bring fire upon yourself.”
“Report it to the authorities!”
“The officials only protect each other and collude with merchants. Who would offend someone for the sake of a few refugees?”
“Tch! This gentleman looks decent enough, but turns out to be just another scoundrel who bullies the common folk.”
“No need for that extra step, it’s completely useless. Those officials…”
The passersby whispered among themselves, but not a single one stepped forward to uphold justice.
However, precisely because of them, the mother and daughter saw a glimmer of hope. They cried even louder, with a heart-wrenching sorrow that could move listeners to tears.
Beside the white-robed young man stood a hunchbacked elder, watching this scene with great interest.
“Young Master,” the old man addressed respectfully, asking if he should take action.
The young man raised his paper fan to stop him, a smile appearing on his face, as if he had discovered some new toy.
“No need. I want to see what tricks this mother and daughter can pull.”
The old man sighed inwardly, feeling a moment of pity for the mother and daughter. ‘Of all people to provoke, why did it have to be this young master?’
He had intended to let the matter drop and spare the mother and daughter. ‘Forget it, such is their fate, one cannot force it.’
But since the young master didn’t want him to intervene, there was nothing he could do.
The white-robed young man took two steps forward and crouched down.
“Young Master, no! Your body is worth ten thousand pieces of gold, how can you casually approach them?” Seeing the young master actually getting close to the mother and daughter, the old man immediately grew tense.
‘If anything happens to the young master, even if he just gets a scratch, I would deserve death ten thousand times over.’
The white-robed young man glanced back at the old man, signaling him to be silent.
Then, turning back, he smiled and said, “Speak. What is your goal in stopping me?”
The middle-aged woman shrank back, her eyes full of fear. Clutching the little girl, she trembled and stammered, “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. You knocked my daughter down like this, and… and now the villain accuses first?”
Unexpectedly, the white-robed young man directly admitted it.
“Yes, yes. It was I who knocked your daughter down like this. Speak, what do you want?”
“T-ten taels of silver,” the middle-aged woman said, then lowered her head.
“Oh? Only ten taels of silver?” The white-robed young man stood up, disappointed. “I thought it would be something interesting, but it’s just about money.”
Hearing the disappointment in the white-robed young man’s tone, the middle-aged woman realized she might have asked for too much and quickly amended, “N-no… just getting my daughter treated is fine too.”
These words immediately perked up the white-robed young man’s interest.
“No silver?”
The middle-aged woman shook her head slightly, extremely afraid of the white-robed young man.
“Really none?” the white-robed young man pressed again.
This strange behavior made the middle-aged woman glance up at him briefly before hurriedly lowering her head again, pleading with a sob.
She knew she had run into a brick wall this time.
These days, high officials and nobles seemed to care a great deal about their reputations. When encountering such matters, they would usually pay a small sum to settle it.
The middle-aged woman had seen quite a few people succeed. As long as they didn’t encounter someone with a violent or eccentric temper, they almost always got away unscathed.
Plus, her daughter’s condition was critical, so she had been tempted to try. How could she have known that the very first time she tried, she would encounter the worst-case scenario?
“I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want anything anymore. I beg you, sir, have mercy and let us mother and daughter go!”
This scene made the surrounding passersby think he was bullying the pitiful mother and daughter. If looks could kill, the white-robed young man would have died a thousand times over.
“You should have been more stubborn,” the white-robed young man said.
Hearing his words, the middle-aged woman became even more certain of her thoughts.
She was already in despair, silently sobbing.
Seeing her not uttering a word, only knowing how to cry there, the white-robed young man felt deeply bored.
He turned, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, a flash of pink shot over from the distance, stopping right in front of the white-robed young man.
“Do you need any help?”
The white-robed young man’s eyes went blank, stunned by the woman who had suddenly appeared before him.
Before he could regain his senses, his gaze fell upon the pink wrap-around dress.
‘Wait, these clothes on her…’
‘A Heavenly Fragrance Disciple?’
“This attire… could it be the Tianxiang Fairy has arrived? Haha, this scoundrel is finished! How satisfying!”
“It is indeed the Tianxiang Fairy! She has always been one who hates evil and loves good. From the royal family and nobility down to the common people, whenever she encounters injustice, she will certainly uphold justice. Thinking back, I was fortunate enough to witness Fairy Shen punishing the Prince of Pu. That was the greatest fortune of my life.”
“The royal family?”
Hearing the old man’s words, the crowd gasped in shock, looking at Chong Chong with a flash of admiration in their eyes.
The white-robed young man gave a slight bow of his hands. He remembered the stern warning: in this life, you could provoke anyone, but you must never, ever provoke a Heavenly Fragrance Disciple.
Even though he looked down on these Sect Disciples, he still had manners.
“Greetings, Fairy.”
Chong Chong didn’t care about etiquette at all. Right now, all she cared about was the quest. She smiled and asked again.
“Do you have anything you need help with?”
The white-robed young man was taken aback, then shook his head.
Seeing that this NPC had no quest, the smile instantly vanished from Chong Chong’s face.
‘Just thought there was a quest. Wasted this big shot’s expression.’
“Fairy, Fairy, please save my daughter!”