klisemfg Chapter 223: Rescue
Chapter 223: Rescue
Chapter 223: Rescue
However, the result was not very satisfactory. Perhaps Ji Meiqing's thinking was too advanced. She found the enthusiastic applause and performances somewhat boring, and she felt drowsy throughout the performance.
There was one last dish to finish, but Ji Meiqing had lost interest. She wanted to pull Lu Yu away, but Lu Yu said to her, "There's one last one. This is their specialty. Let's watch it before we leave. You don't get to come out often."
Ji Meiqing thought about it and agreed, so she stayed to wait for the last performance.
First, a burly, shirtless man appeared, carrying a large hammer. Next, a child who looked no more than twelve or thirteen years old appeared, covered in what appeared to be whip marks. The child brought out two stools and lay down on them. Then, two men lifted a large rock and placed it on top of the child.
The stone, which required two people to move, was incredibly heavy. Ji Meiqing, observing this series of actions, already knew what was going on.
A fire ignited in her heart, and she said to Lu Yu beside her, "Isn't this like breaking a boulder on your chest? Look at that boulder, it's so big and thick, and that guy with the hammer is so strong. If he hits that child, even if he doesn't die, he'll be crippled. And just by looking at the wounds on his body, you can tell he didn't do it willingly. I have to save him." With that, she rushed forward.
Lu Yu shook his head helplessly, at least he was allowed to say something, but he still went along.
Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu squeezed through the crowd to the front, and just as the hammer was about to fall, they shouted "Stop!" The burly man looked at Ji Meiqing, puzzled, "Young lady, is there something wrong?" The people present watched them with amusement.
"Young man, if you hit this kid with that hammer, even if he doesn't die, he'll be half dead. Can you please not hit him?"
Upon hearing this, the burly man realized that this person had come to block his path to wealth. His tone hardened. "Young lady, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. We paid for him, so he has to give us something in return. Besides, we've never made a mistake in our training. If you want to watch, then watch; if you don't want to, then please don't stop us." With that, he raised his hammer.
Seeing that her attempts to stop him were futile, Ji Meiqing anxiously looked at Lu Yu. Lu Yu gave her a reassuring look and then said, "Wait a moment."
The burly man was already in a bad mood after being stopped again. He couldn't lose his temper with a woman earlier. "Are you all crazy? So many people are waiting to see our performance. If we delay it, the boss will come after us, and you'll be in big trouble."
Lu Yu wasn't in a hurry. He waited until the boy finished threatening before slowly speaking, "Brave man, we know you make money through acrobatics. I'm willing to buy this boy. If you're willing to sell, we can have a cup of tea and discuss it in detail."
The burly man weighed the options. Even if he performed the act of breaking a boulder on his chest, the reward might not be much, and he might even lose Zhu Zi's life. He didn't really want the child to die. But if he sold him, not only would he receive a fixed sum of money, but judging from the young master's appearance, he was certainly not from an ordinary family, and Zhu Zi would have a good place to go. Thinking this way, he agreed.
"Fellow villagers, due to some special reasons, the performance has come to an end here. Please go and watch somewhere else." Upon hearing this, the group left disappointed.
The child also got up from the stool and was pulled to the big man's side, looking at Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu very warily. His eyes also revealed his fear of everyone.
The burly man spoke first, "Young master, tea is unnecessary. However, whether or not we sell is not up to me. This person was brought by our boss, and he personally trained the child. Now that the performance was not completed, he will definitely demand a high price. I will take you to see him now. You'd better watch yourselves." With that, he walked forward.
"Thank you, sir." Lu Yu said his thanks and pulled Ji Meiqing to follow him.
Ji Meiqing whispered to Lu Yu, "Actually, this big Han man isn't bad either!"
"No one is obligated to be kind to you. We don't know what they're thinking, but one thing is certain: it will definitely be in their own best interest," Lu Yu explained to her.
“Brother Lu, I remember you weren’t this insightful before,” Ji Meiqing said to him, seeing his knowing look on his face.
Lu Yu was about to argue when he heard "We're here." They arrived at a courtyard storefront. They had assumed their boss was broke and that's why he made people do such dangerous things to earn money, but just by looking at the courtyard, they could tell that the owner of the house was very wealthy.
The big man said "Follow me" and they entered the courtyard. He led them to the hall to wait while he went to inform the boss.
This trip took quite a while. Ji Meiqing whispered to Lu Yu, "It seems this isn't someone to be trifled with!" Lu Yu said, "Since we've chosen to save people, we'll see it through to the end. We'll meet force with force and water with water."
Just as Ji Meiqing and the others were getting impatient, a fat man in his thirties with big ears walked up to the main seat and sat down.
He spoke first, "I already know why you two are here. Name your price."
Lu Yu replied, "I've long heard that the leader of this Aurora Acrobatics is generous. Seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved. So I'll get straight to the point: five hundred taels."
The man was naturally pleased to hear someone praise him, but upon hearing the price, he became disdainful. "Young master, I paid for him, provided him with food, drink, and lodging, and even bought him clothes. I originally wanted him to perform acrobatics to earn some money, but you ruined it. Now you want to buy him for five hundred taels? That's too cheap!"
Ji Meiqing glanced at the child, who was dressed in tattered clothes and probably didn't eat well. He hadn't even paid for the money when he bought it, yet now he was complaining about 500 taels of silver. It was obvious he was trying to rip us off. So she asked, "How much do you want?"
"One thousand taels, no bargaining," the man said slowly, taking a sip of tea.
Ji Meiqing sneered, "A thousand taels? I don't think you're even worth a thousand taels."
The man's gaze shifted to Ji Meiqing, his eyes flashing. What a stunning beauty! He couldn't help but harbor wicked thoughts. "Young lady, if you're unwilling to pay, there's another way, but I don't know if you're willing to do so?"
Ji Meiqing, oblivious to the strange look in her eyes, said, "Hmph, tell me what you think."
"Young lady, how about you spend the night with me?" the man said with a smile.
Ji Meiqing knew that Lu Yu would not let him off the hook once he said those words, so she turned the tables and said, "That won't do. My husband is right here. How dare you be so presumptuous."
Seeing that he had been rebuffed, the man's tone became harsh: "Then pay up. If it's a thousand taels less, I'll consider it compensation for not making any business today. I won't give you the person."