NOVEL SIMPLE
Chapter 69
"Does he have any younger brothers?" Sang Li asked.
"I asked his neighbors, and they all said he's the only one in his family without any siblings," Yu Yifan replied.
Sang Li looked over and saw that Zhu Mu had lost again. He was holding his head and whining in dissatisfaction, "Why am I so unlucky today? No, I have to try again!"
"This time I'll bet small! I just don't believe it!"
"Open! Open! Open!"
"Big! Big! Big!"
"Small! Small! Small!"
"Wow, it's big this time!"
"Damn it, are you playing me?" Zhu Mu was so angry he wanted to get violent.
A few brawny men walked over and stood in front of Zhu Mu, a full head taller than him. "Young master, you have to admit defeat if you can't pay up. You can keep playing if you have money, but if you don't, we'll have to ask you to leave!"
When Zhu Mu saw those men, he shrank back immediately. "I...I still have money, I do!"
Zhu Mu hurriedly rummaged through his clothes, but after a long time he only managed to dig out a few copper coins.
Seeing this, the brawny men immediately grabbed Zhu Mu and threw him out of the gambling den.
"Ah!" Zhu Mu was thrown out of the gambling den, landing right at the entrance. "How can you treat a customer like this! When I get money, see if I don't smash this place!"
Zhu Mu got up groping his butt and left, cursing and swearing.
"Follow him," Sang Li said as she and Yu Yifan followed.
They saw Zhu Mu walk into an alley and bump right into several fierce-looking men.
As soon as Zhu Mu saw those people, he immediately tried to turn and run, but two more men blocked his way at the alley entrance.
"Zhu Mu, you've got some nerve! You owe me money and haven't paid me back, yet you run off to gamble! Seems you're asking for death!"
The few of them closed in and started punching and kicking Zhu Mu.
"Ahhh, stop hitting me, stop!" Zhu Mu curled up covering his face, writhing on the ground.
After a beat down, the men finally stopped.
Zhu Mu lay on the ground, his face already bruised and swollen.
The leader crouched down, grabbing Zhu Mu by the collar, and growled menacingly, "If you don't pay me back soon, don't blame me for beating you to death!"
"I don't have money, I really don't...wuwuwu..."
"No money? I just heard you picked up a pretty boy not long ago and sold him to Fu Hua Building for fifty taels! And now you tell me you have no money? You must be asking for death!" The man punched Zhu Mu again.
"Boss, boss, I already gambled all that money away! I really have nothing left!"
"Damn!" The man punched Zhu Mu again. "Today I'll show you what happens when you don't pay back loans!"
The man was about to hit him again when Zhu Mu hurriedly shielded his face.
"How much does he owe you?" A female voice suddenly rang out from the alley entrance.
The man looked over to see Sang Li and Yu Yifan standing there.
Seeing it was a young lady, the man's tone softened slightly. "Miss, do you know this Zhu Mu?"
Sang Li glanced at Zhu Mu and asked again, "How much does he owe you?"
The man hesitated. "Five taels of silver! I lent it to him half a year ago, but this bastard always gambles away whatever money he gets instead of paying me back!"
Sang Li walked over and took out a bag of silver, handing it to the man. "I'll pay it back for him."
The man took the bag doubtfully and opened it for a look. It seemed to be more than five taels.
He shot Zhu Mu a scornful glance. "Consider yourself lucky today!"
The man took the money and called for the others to leave the alley.
"Sis Sang Li, why did you pay back the money for him?" Yu Yifan asked in a low voice.
Sang Li smiled. "Money can solve the simplest problems. And it's not like we lack money now."
As a former corporate executive, she certainly wasn't lacking money. While money was important, in her mind, anything that could be resolved with money was the simplest matter that required no extra effort.
Seeing Sang Li pay back the money for him, Zhu Mu immediately kowtowed to her. "Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss!"
Seeing Zhu Mu's manner, Sang Li couldn't help feeling disgusted. A grown man with fully functioning limbs yet utterly useless, doing nothing but gamble all day—she hated men who lacked ambition and drive!
"I didn't help you for free." Sang Li said coolly.
Zhu Mu was puzzled. "So Miss, what can I do for you?"
"Tell me, where did you pick up Gu Zhi?" Sang Li asked directly.
Zhu Mu was stunned to hear Gu Zhi's name, and panic flashed through his eyes.
He had never trafficked a person before so naturally he felt somewhat panicky.
"I...I found him on a mountain!"
"Which mountain?"
"Yu Ling Mountain south of here. I heard there was spiritual mushroom on that mountain so I wanted to gather some to sell for money. But..." Zhu Mu pouted. "Didn't find any mushroom, and got scared half to death by him instead..."
"Was he injured when you found him?"
"He seemed to be...practicing some martial arts. When I saw him, I noticed one of his eyes was red—scared me to death!"
Sang Li furrowed her brows. "So he wasn't hurt when you found him? Why did he lose his memory then?"
"Not at first, but soon after I saw him spit blood and faint!"
"Weren't you afraid? Yet you took him away?"
"I could tell from his nice clothes that he was probably from some wealthy family. I thought since I saved him, he'd thank me when he woke up and reward me handsomely. But when he finally woke up, all he could remember was his name Gu Zhi while everything else was gone!"
"So you lied that you were his brother and sold him to Fu Hua Building?"
"What else could I do? Feed him when I could barely feed myself?" Zhu Mu rolled his eyes. "I did save him after all, so wasn't it only fair that he repaid me somehow?"
Sang Li gave him a look. "Aren't you afraid...that he'll regain his memories someday and come after you for revenge?"
Zhu Mu shivered in fright. In his obsession with money he hadn't thought that far.
"I'm...I'm not afraid. I did save his life—if I'd left him in those remote mountains, he'd probably be eaten by wild beasts by now!"
"Let's go." Seeing no point in wasting more words on him, Sang Li left the alley with Yu Yifan.
Zhu Mu watched them leave still somewhat baffled.
She paid back five taels for him only to ask these few questions? Oh well, at least the debt was cleared without him losing anything.
He got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and sauntered away leisurely.
"Sis Sang Li, this Gu Zhi really doesn't seem like an ordinary person," Yu Yifan remarked.
"How far is Yu Ling Mountain south of here?" Sang Li asked.
"Not too bad, just a few days ride on horseback. But it borders on Miao Territory."
"Miao Territory?"
"Yes. The Miao people are skilled in witchcraft so you'd best keep your distance if you meet one, Sis Sang Li! Though I hear they rarely leave their territory."
Sang Li fell silent in contemplation. "What is this witchcraft you speak of?"
Yu Yifan scratched his head. "I don't really know either, just heard about it. Never seen it myself..."