Chapter 85 - 1#
World 4: You Are the Snow on the Branch#
Those who came to sign up for the patrol team were all formidable local hunters, each possessing martial arts skills, strong physiques, and fierce temperaments. They only submitted to Liu San; when did they ever care who Ye Li was?
Gazes of scrutiny were cast from the crowd, carrying a fierce aura and a few traces of contempt. Upon seeing Ye Li’s handsome appearance clearly, several sneers rang out in succession.
“Brother Liu San, go up and teach him a lesson!” someone shouted.
Then Liu San was pushed out of the crowd.
Ye Li extended the tip of his foot forward, his eyes narrowing slightly, like a beast ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.
Liu San looked back at the people who had pushed him and muttered helplessly, “…Damn it, they want to use me to establish authority.”
Liu San knew this was a trick to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, but he couldn’t refuse. If the Marquis’s residence didn’t pull this stunt, how could they suppress the banditry and ferocity of this group of hunters?
He had no choice but to take off his outer shirt and walk onto the open ground bare-chested.
Ye Li looked back at Qin Qing.
Qin Qing had long since stopped chatting with Jiang Feishi. Instead, he had walked around the long table to the edge of the field, watching this side intently.
Yes, it was this kind of look—curious, inquiring, eager. So many people were gathered here, yet Qin Qing’s eyes could only hold one person.
That person is me!
Ye Li felt a heat run through his body, and his fighting spirit surged. He cupped his hands towards Qin Qing before striding into the arena.
The fight began. All the hunters thought that Liu San, who was as strong as an ox, would surely be able to easily suppress Ye Li and beat him up. After all, Ye Li’s physique was a whole size smaller than Liu San’s.
But the result was quite the opposite. Every heavy punch Liu San threw was effortlessly caught by Ye Li, who then used the technique of four ounces moving a thousand pounds to return the force, beating Liu San back repeatedly and causing him to cry out in pain.
When Liu San turned to a disadvantage, Ye Li began to attack fiercely. He stepped forward, and with a loud crash, actually cracked a granite floor tile, scaring the surrounding people until their faces turned pale and their teeth chattered.
If this kick had landed on Liu San…
Everyone covered their faces, unable to bear watching any longer.
Liu San also caught a glimpse of the shattered floor tile. He was terrified, but he knew it was too late! Ye Li’s fist had already arrived in front of him.
The fist wind made a fierce whistling sound as it arrived with a boom. If hit, his head would likely explode on the spot. Liu San hurriedly closed his eyes, waiting for the King of Hell to take him away.
However, he only felt a dull pain on the tip of his nose, and a gust of strong wind scraping his face with high heat, and then there was nothing.
Liu San waited for a few breaths before timidly opening his eyes. He looked closely, and then his heart suddenly stopped. He saw Ye Li’s fist hovering an inch in front of his face, advancing no further. What had caused the dull pain on his nose just now was merely a gust of fist wind waved by Ye Li.
Liu San was scared silly.
Ye Li slowly retracted his fist and cupped his hands, saying, “Conceded.”
Outside the field, there was dead silence.
Liu San shook his head in a trance, feeling heat at the tip of his nose. He reached out to touch it and found his palm full of blood. Damn it! A top expert who has condensed true energy is indeed different from ordinary people.
Why did you have to fight with an ordinary person? Aren’t you using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Liu San was full of complaints, but he still had to force a smile of admiration on his face.
Ye Li looked around at the crowd, his sharp gaze sweeping over faces where the fierce aura no longer existed, leaving only horror. He had carefully observed these hunters before; there were a few whose eyes flickered with restless light, fearing they had other plans in mind.
If these people incited the other hunters to turn and steal or even loot the Marquis’s residence, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ye Li wanted to nip these people’s petty thoughts in the bud.
He said in a deep voice, “Who else is unconvinced? Come up and compete with me.”
The hunters retreated in unison, waving their hands repeatedly.
Ye Li pointed out a few of them, insisting they come up and play a few rounds with him. These were the ones with flickering eyes and malicious intent. They didn’t have Liu San’s good luck; each was beaten black and blue, crying for their parents and begging for mercy endlessly.
Presumably, after today, they wouldn’t even dare to approach the Marquis’s residence, let alone steal or rob.
Qin Qing stroked 996’s head while curling his lips into a smile. He naturally also saw Ye Li’s intention.
Jiang Feishi walked to Qin Qing’s side and lowered his voice, saying, “Little Marquis, I’m afraid this attendant of yours has an extraordinary background.”
Qin Qing nodded and did not respond, so Jiang Feishi said no more. Their friendship was still shallow, and saying too much would only seem suspicious.
Ye Li finished dealing with the few troublemakers before returning to Qin Qing’s side.
Qin Qing waved his hand, and immediately several servants carried a heavy wooden box out of the Marquis’s residence. The lid was open, and it was filled to the brim with broken silver. The blazing sunlight shone on it, flashing a blinding white.
Covetous exclamations and excited low shouts erupted from the crowd.
Greedy light flashed in the eyes of those who had been beaten black and blue, but they quickly lowered their heads and shrank to the very back of the crowd. How could they not know that Ye Li had already seen through them and could easily kill them?
Even if they grabbed the silver, they had to be alive to spend it, not to mention they couldn’t grab it at all.
Qin Qing looked at the few troublemakers shrinking back, suddenly stood on tiptoe, and whispered in Ye Li’s ear, “It’s because I have you suppressing them that I dare to bring this box of silver out.”
As he spoke, he affectionately patted Ye Li’s arm, his smiling eyes full of appreciation.
His face, slightly red from the sun, was like a hibiscus with dew, blooming before his eyes. The hot breath he blew into his ear carried a sweet, faint fragrance, making one feel intoxicated upon inhaling it. Ye Li stared blankly, his gaze darkening again and again, as if it had solidified.
This was the first time he had been praised by Qin Qing.
He seemed to have finally shed the inferior impression of a boorish man and become a useful, reliable person.
A feeling of excitement swelled and filled his chest, making Ye Li unable to stop wanting to laugh.
But he held it back.
He just nodded seriously, pretending to be steady and capable as he replied, “Please rest assured, Little Marquis, I will definitely manage this group of people submissively for you.”
Qin Qing smiled with satisfaction again, patted Ye Li’s shoulder once more, and then waved to the crowd, saying, “Line up to get your advance wages. I know many of you have been out of food for months and are anxious. Take the wages and go buy rice and grain immediately. Go back and eat a few full meals. Only when you are full will you have the strength to work for the Marquis’s residence.”
These words were simply a timely rain on a long-drought land for the hungry villagers, extinguishing their despair.
In just an instant, the open ground of the Marquis’s residence was filled with a dark mass of kneeling people. Some kowtowed, some thanked, some cried bitterly—a scene of chaos yet also of joy.
“Stop kneeling, come and get your wages.” Qin Qing pulled Jiang Feishi to sit behind the long table.
“You keep the accounts, I’ll distribute the money.” Qin Qing rubbed his hands, hooked his thin lips, and whispered, “I like the feeling of spending money like water.” After speaking, he winked playfully.
Can ‘spending money like water’ be used like this? Jiang Feishi was stunned for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh.
This Little Marquis is really interesting.
Ye Li, who was standing aside and heard this conversation, felt a wave of sourness in his heart, but couldn’t help raising the corners of his lips.
He secretly took out a small goose-yellow fluff from his sleeve, looked at it carefully, and found it incredibly cute.
The villagers came forward one by one to receive the broken silver.
When distributing to the hunters, Qin Qing instructed, “Go buy hunting machetes and bows and arrows immediately after getting the silver. Set up heavy traps and mechanisms around the village, and send people to guard strictly at night.”
The hunters were all very clear about the situation tonight and nodded in agreement repeatedly.
Every time a hunter came forward, Qin Qing would tirelessly repeat the instructions.
While ticking off the roster, Jiang Feishi observed this Little Marquis who liked to nag with great interest.
At the age of sixteen, how could he have so many thoughts in his head? Others said he was licentious, but Jiang Feishi didn’t see licentiousness, only intelligence. Others said he was arrogant, but Jiang Feishi didn’t see arrogance, only playfulness and amiability.
Delicate, he was truly delicate, delicate enough to drip water. Thinking of this, Jiang Feishi deliberately looked at the Little Marquis’s thin lips, which revealed a pale pink color, and a wave of inexplicable heat surged in his heart.
Suddenly, a cold gaze locked onto him, as if he were being stared at by a beast lurking in the night.
Jiang Feishi looked up and saw it was the guard from before.
Why look at me like that? Did he discover a trace of my delusion about the Little Marquis? Jiang Feishi smiled kindly at the guard before burying his head in bookkeeping again.
Damn it! What was that look just now! Ye Li cursed secretly, his dark eyes flashing with hostile light.
After distributing a pile of broken silver, Qin Qing asked the butler to pour more broken silver onto the long table.
With a clattering sound, the long table was covered with a layer of brilliant silver light. Qin Qing showed a joyful expression, stretching his two thin arms long to gather all the broken silver on the table into his arms, his cheeks flushing with excitement.
It could be seen that he liked to pile mountains of gold and silver in front of him, but he also liked to distribute these mountains of gold and silver with his own hands.
“I feel like I’m not some guardian, I’m a wealth-scattering boy.” He said happily to 996 in his heart.
996: “…You really are a wealth-scattering boy in this life.”
The villagers looked at the broken silver and couldn’t help making restless sounds, but because Ye Li was present, no one dared to act rashly. After the men finished receiving their wages, it was finally the turn of the women and girls.
Jiang Feishi frowned, feeling it was inappropriate. Just as he was about to remind him, he saw Qin Qing wave to a thin woman who came forward: “Go to the straw shed opposite to get a meal. The wages will be given next month.”
The woman’s excited hand had already reached out, but she retracted it tremblingly.
She held back her tears, looking at Qin Qing sorrowfully, her lips trembling as she said weakly, “Little Marquis, please have pity on me. My child has been hungry for several months, and there is no rice to cook.”
Qin Qing shouted without raising his head, “Next.”
The woman looked at Jiang Feishi.
Jiang Feishi waved his hand, signaling her not to make a noise.
The woman bit her lip and walked tremblingly to the side.
The women who came to collect money afterwards were physically stronger, showing that their family situation was okay and they hadn’t reached the point of running out of food.
But Qin Qing looked at the roster and happily gave her one tael of silver.
This woman left with a thousand thanks, and even smiled smugly when she passed the thin woman from before.
The woman lowered her head, retreated a few steps timidly, and a few tears fell from her eyes.