Chapter 177: My Savior Complex Is Acting Up Again…
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“Wait, you really don’t have any money?”
Lin Muyu asked while munching on a freshly grilled potato, looking at Yunduo sitting across from her with utter disbelief.
This world had potatoes too, and they tasted even better than the ones from her previous life.
The plate was already piled high with empty skewer sticks, yet Yunduo kept stuffing grilled chicken wings into her mouth.
“Yeah, is that a problem?”
Yunduo didn’t even look up, responding in a completely unconcerned tone.
“Huh? So where did all your money go?”
Lin Muyu asked in confusion.
“Spent it.”
Yunduo mumbled vaguely, not planning to explain further.
Seeing that Yunduo didn’t want to answer, Lin Muyu stopped pressing. Either way, no matter how much Yunduo ate at this barbecue meal, she could afford it, she was loaded, after all.
Just as the two were leisurely munching on their skewers and occasionally exchanging a few words, a sudden urgent shout broke out, stirring up commotion on the street.
“Someone help! Catch the thief!”
It was a merchant’s voice, filled with panic and anger, instantly echoing throughout the entire street.
Lin Muyu instinctively looked toward the noise. She saw a girl in gray cloth clothes frantically running through the crowd.
Several men armed with wooden clubs were chasing after her desperately.
Strangely, the girl’s movements were exceptionally nimble, always managing to cleverly evade the pursuers’ attempts to corner her.
The men were all gasping for breath from exhaustion, yet they couldn’t even touch the hem of her clothes.
“Hmm, why does she look so familiar?”
Lin Muyu squinted, studying the girl’s retreating figure. She felt like she’d seen this silhouette somewhere before, but couldn’t quite recall.
Just then, Xiaotao’s urgent voice suddenly rang out in her mind.
“Master, I recognize her scent, she’s the same thief from last time!”
Those words made Lin Muyu perk up instantly, and she immediately started cracking her knuckles.
This thief sure had guts! Last time she failed to steal from her, and now she dared to commit her crime in broad daylight on the main street!
“Do you know her?”
Yunduo had somehow stopped eating and looked up at Lin Muyu, her eyes carrying a hint of inexplicable curiosity.
“Yeah, she’s the thief who tried to steal from me last time!”
Lin Muyu explained while standing up, preparing to go help the merchant and stop the thief.
“Wait!”
Yunduo suddenly spoke up, stopping her.
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Muyu turned back in confusion. Did Yunduo know this thief too?
Yunduo leisurely wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, then looked at her with complete seriousness.
“Pay the bill before you go.”
“…”
Lin Muyu was instantly speechless. She rolled her eyes helplessly and had no choice but to turn around first and settle the account with the stall owner.
If she didn’t pay, what would be the difference between her and that thief?
But by the time she turned back to look in the direction the thief had fled, the girl had long since vanished, and the pursuing men were nowhere to be seen either.
The street quickly returned to its previous state, with only a few scattered people still standing at the alley entrance, craning their necks to peer inside, looking somewhat hesitant.
“Xiaotao, did you memorize her escape route just now?”
Lin Muyu lowered her voice, asking in her mind.
She’d left herself a backup plan, with Xiaotao around, that thief definitely wouldn’t get away!
After all, this was “Bloodhound Tao!”
“Master! Are you thinking something disrespectful again?”
Xiaotao’s voice came through, sounding a bit indignant.
“No, I’m not~”
Lin Muyu quickly responded in a proper tone.
Xiaotao sighed helplessly but still told her the escape route she’d memorized.
Lin Muyu immediately followed the route Xiaotao described, her footsteps light as she weaved through the alleys.
After passing through countless narrow alleys, the cobblestone path beneath her feet turned into muddy dirt roads, and the surrounding houses became increasingly dilapidated.
Finally, Lin Muyu stopped in front of a run-down little house that looked ready to collapse.
The thatched roof was missing more than half its grass, and the walls had several large cracks, it looked like it could fall apart at any moment.
“Master, her scent disappeared right here!”
Xiaotao’s voice rang out at the right moment, confirming that the target was inside the house.
“This place is way too remote…”
Lin Muyu looked at the shabby state of the little house and couldn’t help frowning.
There wasn’t a soul in sight around here, it was practically the perfect spot for murder and robbery. People actually lived here?
Just then, a rough, hoarse voice suddenly came from the nearby alley entrance.
“Yo, did you scrape together enough money today?”
Lin Muyu looked toward the voice and saw a tall, burly man walking toward the run-down house. He spoke with a hint of impatience, clearly calling out to whoever was inside.
Her heart tightened, and she instinctively hid, wanting to see what would happen next.
The wooden door of the little house was pushed open, and a girl walked out. She was the thief Xiaotao had identified.
“Why are you here again?!”
Her face was now full of dissatisfaction as she shouted at the man.
“Didn’t you score again today? You gotta pay the rent, don’t you?”
The man’s upper body was bare, his bronze skin covered in vicious scars, his solid muscles rippling slightly with his movements.
He looked at the girl sideways, the corner of his mouth curling into a wicked smile.
“Didn’t I just pay last time?”
The girl bit her lip, her tone carrying a hint of grievance.
“What you paid was for you. Your sister’s share, you haven’t paid that yet.”
The man raised an eyebrow, the malice in his tone completely undisguised.
“Bullshit! Wasn’t that enough? I need the rest of my money to treat my sister’s illness!”
The girl’s face turned bright red, her eyes slightly moist, but she forcefully held back her tears, her voice full of defiance.
“That sickly sister of yours?”
The man scoffed, his face showing a trace of a sleazy, wicked smile.
“She’s not gonna get better anyway, so why not…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the malice in his eyes was clear to anyone.
“Master, she seems to have her reasons…”
Xiaotao’s voice carried a hint of sympathy. She’d obviously heard the conversation between the two and had changed her opinion of the girl somewhat.
“Mm…”
Lin Muyu fell silent, her frown deepening.
Looking at the girl’s stubborn yet helpless appearance, she suddenly thought of Xiaoyun. Back then, she and Xiaoyun had also met under similar circumstances.
Except Xiaoyun at that time was even more vulnerable than this girl before her.
Back then, Xiaoyun had been on the verge of starvation, which was why she’d taken the risk to steal. If she herself hadn’t appeared in time, Xiaoyun would probably have been beaten to death by those men chasing her.
But Xiaoyun was a good kid. Later, when she found out where that young master was, she specifically went back to return the money.
Of course, after returning the money, Xiaoyun hadn’t forgotten to give each of those burly men who’d chased and beaten her a good punch, settling the score for being hunted down back then.
“Wait, what are you trying to do?”
The girl suddenly backed up a step in terror, watching the man walk toward the little house, hastily reaching out to block him.
“Since you won’t pay the rent, I’ll just have to kick your sister out~”
The man said with a smile, but there wasn’t a trace of goodwill in that smile, his intentions were obvious.
“I’ll pay! I’ll pay, okay?!”
The girl gritted her teeth, forcefully holding back the tears in her eyes. She pulled out a cloth bundle from her chest, opened it with trembling hands, and poured out all the broken silver pieces and copper coins she’d just stolen, handing them to the man.
“Now that’s more like it.”
The man took the money, weighed it a couple times, his smile growing wider. But his footsteps didn’t stop, he continued walking toward the little house.
“Wait! I already gave you the money, what else do you want?!”
The girl rushed forward to block him, but was kicked in the stomach by the man. She curled up on the ground in pain, unable to recover for a long time.
“Our boss needs money urgently and can’t wait for you to steal it bit by bit.”
The man looked down at her from above, his tone full of cruelty.
“That sister of yours is pretty good-looking, isn’t she? Sell her for a night, should fetch a decent price.”
“Beast…”
The girl clutched her stomach, her face pale, lying powerlessly on the ground. Her voice was weak but filled with hatred.
“Damn it, my savior complex is acting up again…”