The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 148 - 123: Small Town (Alliance Leader Bonus: Johannes Van Den Berg)_2

Chapter 148: Chapter 123: Small Town (Alliance Leader Bonus: Johannes Van Den Berg)_2

"Senior brother, my name is Shou Hou, feel free to command me as you wish, from now on I will follow your lead, I will do whatever you ask," Shou Hou stated urgently, eager to show his loyalty.

"Good, Shou Hou, from now on, Big Brother has got your back," Li Yi said with a smile at that moment.

Upon hearing this, Shou Hou’s brows immediately lifted with joy.

At that moment, Zhao Ge instructed, "Once we get to the town, we’ll split up and act as we have discussed before, Rong Niang, you and Shou Hou try selling the goods... No, I will join you, your arm is injured, and it’s not suitable for a lady to be so exposed, in case we have to engage in a fight, it would be disadvantageous. Although master’s injuries have not fully healed, he can move freely, and with his Refining Points foundation, he can handle situations."

He had initially wanted to let the two disciples handle the matter, but hesitated.

Fearing that the remaining two disciples would encounter some unexpected mishap.

"Xiao Qian, take some silver coins and find a broker, rent a secluded yard, I need a place to teach Meng De muscle training, it’s not suitable to stay in an inn, remember, give the broker some hush money, once paid, the broker will at least keep our news confidential for a few days, otherwise, enemies from Sanyang City will soon come sniffing around, after the tasks are done, I will come to find you,"

Zhao Ge instructed further.

"Yes, daddy, I understand," Zhao Qian replied.

"Then we’ll split up here," Zhao Ge said.

At this moment, everyone had already ridden their horses into You Shui Town. The town, small and built by the water, had streets paved with blue stones that had been worn down by years, with several ruts crunched out by the wheels. There were rows of houses on both sides, shops too, and a fair number of pedestrians, all of whom instinctively made way upon seeing Zhao Ge and the others riding tall horses.

In the town, most people wouldn’t dare confront martial artists, especially a group of them.

They then split up at the town’s entrance.

Zhao Ge, who seemed to have been to this place before, led Shou Hou and Rong Niang, pulling the rest of the fine horses, bearing loads of strong bows, powerful crossbows, and steel knives, to look for a place to sell the stolen goods.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qian dismounted, found a vendor selling herbal tea by the roadside, and directly inquired about the location of a broker.

The vendor, not daring to offend, honestly gave directions.

"Brother Yi, follow me," Zhao Qian said after getting the information, and promptly departed.

Li Yi was still taking in the quaint charm of the town, like a tourist, observing the architecture, the characters on the signs he didn’t recognize, and the attire of the passing pedestrians, more like a curious baby than someone desperately fleeing.

"This place is not bad, quite peaceful, probably because it’s remote, and the environment is also nice, with green mountains and waters, and fresh air... It’s just that ordinary people don’t seem to live well here,"

he noticed carefully.

Most of the people here were quite frail, clearly lacking nourishment, as if a gust of wind could knock them over, their eyes devoid of happiness, only tiredness and numbness from struggling to survive.

Indeed.

No matter which world, the lower classes always have a hard life.

When Li Yi passed by a ferry port, he involuntarily stopped, seeing on the other side, many people pulling on hemp ropes, frantically pulling a cargo ship upstream.

Oarsmen?

Li Yi, who had received some education, immediately thought of this term.

Those oarsmen, each one skinny and yellow-faced, dressed only in shorts that barely covered their modesty, although most of them were completely naked. And among these oarsmen, there were not only men but also women, hard to distinguish as they all looked similar, selling their labor like old oxen, just for a meal’s sustenance.

For some reason, in Li Yi’s mind, it seemed as though he wasn’t watching oarsmen, but a group of tragic people on the brink of death.

Those emaciated bodies, though they could move, were no different from corpses in coffins.

Although Li Yi felt pity, he was powerless to change anything, he could only sigh in helplessness and turn away.

He continued walking forward.

Li Yi saw on the roadside three or five children in rags playing and frolicking together, laughing joyfully, but each child had a straw stuck on their head, while an elderly couple stood by, looking hopefully at every passerby.

Perhaps the couple wasn’t old, but the hardships they had endured made them appear so.

"They are selling children," Li Yi paused and observed.

The meaning of setting a mark to sell something was not lost on him, after all, he was Li Mengde.

The couple immediately trembled and knelt down silently as Li Yi paused, only to kowtow vigorously, so much so that within a few moments, blood stains appeared on the bluestone pavement.

In their eyes,

Li Yi was tall and dressed extravagantly, leading a fine horse, a person of high status. For him to pause and glance at them was a blessing and an opportunity they could not have hoped for in this lifetime. If he could buy their children, it would be a great fortune.

Thus, the couple kowtowed even more earnestly.

The nearby children, not knowing why their parents were kowtowing to Li Yi, also stopped playing and, following their parents, started to kowtow as well.

It seemed natural, as if ordained by heaven, as if it was the right thing to do.

Even the passersby thought it was normal.

Some people even saw this as an opportunity. Gathering courage, they approached, bending and bowing submissively, they added, "My daughter has just turned fourteen, she looks decent enough. If the noble is in need of a girl to wash his feet, perhaps he might consider buying my girl."

After speaking, he continued bowing, not daring to say another word.

Li Yi fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Stop kowtowing, I am not worthy of your respect, nor will I buy your children."

But his words were useless.

They continued in silence, still kowtowing.

"Zhao Qian." Li Yi called out.

"What is it, Brother Yi?" Zhao Qian, who was walking ahead, immediately turned and responded.

She had been observing Brother Yi’s actions on the street but hadn’t asked much.

"Give them some money." Li Yi didn’t stay any longer and continued walking forward, leading the horse.

Zhao Qian nodded, took out a silver coin, then forcefully pinched off a piece and threw it over.

The old couple seeing the piece of silver fall in front of them, quickly picked it up, shouting words of profound gratitude, and kowtowed in the direction Li Yi and Zhao Qian were leaving, but soon, the man quickly pulled his wife and child and hurried away as if fleeing, not daring to linger in the town any longer.

"We can’t give them too much money, otherwise, they might be harmed. That money is the most they can safely handle." Zhao Qian explained at that moment.

"So that’s why." Li Yi had been wondering why Zhao Qian only broke off a small piece of the silver ingot.

Zhao Qian continued, "There are too many poor in Xingzhou, too many to save. But with Brother Yi’s help this time, they might be able to endure three more years without having to sell their children. After three years, perhaps they can find a way to survive."

"That little amount of money can sustain a family for three years?" Li Yi asked.

Zhao Qian nodded, "That’s how it is with poor families. Their expenses are very little, being half-fed is already quite good."

"Then, surviving is truly not easy." Li Yi’s voice was calm, his thoughts unknown.

As Li Yi and Zhao Qian walked away, the man who was bent on selling his own daughter finally raised his head. He sighed, feeling he had missed an opportunity and left with a heavy heart.