Accompanying this strange familiarity was fear. However, to Fatty’s confusion, he couldn’t find the source of this fear. His gaze jumped over the middle-aged woman and the young maid to stare at the red gate.
His right hand tightened subconsciously, squeezing the meat bun he had been protecting out of shape. The thick juice dribbled down his hand. Just as he realised something, the sound from inside stopped.
Fatty felt shaken. Cold sweat drenched his costume. He gasped heavily. The bad feeling in his heart intensified.
The gate swung open a small gap before opening fully. After he saw the scene inside the yard, Fatty’s expression froze. Then, his brain dulled. A small figure curled up in the yard. She lay on the empty space before the stairs. Her tattered clothes had been dyed red. She didn’t move.
“We have our rules.” The middle-aged woman announced, “This is the consequence for anyone who dares to steal from us.” She stared at the travellers. “There is no exception.”
Jiang Cheng instantly went to grab Fatty, but Fatty struggled from his grasp. He ran over and knelt down before the little beggar. With trembling hand, he held the little beggar’s face. He lightly daubed away her blood, but the more he did so, the more blood appeared. He kept wiping away the blood as if possessed.
“Wake up.” Fatty’s lips shook. “I… brought you a meat bun. I saved it for you. It’s delicious.” He placed the bun in the girl’s hand, but her fingers were not working. The bun plopped to the ground. He quickly picked it up and shoved it in her embrace, “Don’t… be .” Fatty pleaded, “Open your eyes. Look at me. Please…”
“Brother…” Chen Qiang walked over to pick Fatty up from the ground, but Fatty shoved him back. Chen Qiang staggered a few times before he steadied himself.
When he heard the Doctor, Fatty raised his eyes, and light shone in them. “Doctor,” Fatty suddenly realised something. He said desperately, “Doctor, you’re a Doctor. You can save her, right? Doctor, quickly save her!”
When he saw the little beggar, Jiang Cheng knew that they were too late. Her body was cold. She didn’t just die. The sound of the battery was probably a show meant for them.
“Fatty…” Seeing Fatty’s reddened eyes, Jiang Cheng’s words stuck in his throat.
“She is already dead,” Xia Meng said directly.
“You’re lying!” Fatty countered agitatedly. “She is not dead. She is still alive. We have a Doctor. She is not dead… She is still a child. She hasn’t even eaten the meat bun I’ve saved for her…” Fatty suddenly choked. He hugged the girl’s body, and the blood dyed his clothes. Beads of tears fell down his face. They landed on the little beggar’s face and the ground. Seeing this, even Xia Meng quieted down.
“We never raise thieves and definitely not traitors.” On top of the stairs, a vicious-looking man stood there. He held a thick wooden staff and looked down at them. “Who dares to do so will end up bitch.”
The middle-aged woman walked forward and added, “Butler Zhou has given the orders. In a bit, she will be dragged out to be fed to the dogs. That is the punishment…”
“How dare you?!” Fatty jumped up from the ground. When he saw the wooden staff the man was holding, his eyes turned red.
Chen Qiang, who was closest, ran forward to hug Fatty. Jiang Cheng was the second. However, both of them couldn’t stop him. The furious Fatty was like a tank. Chen Qiang was dragged away by him.
The man revealed a wicked smile. Without him having to do anything, seven more people appeared from outside the door. There were males and females, but all of them carried sharpened weapons.
Xia Meng instantly understood that this was a trap set by Butler Zhou. Clearly, they had figured out the little beggar’s identity. It was why they treated her so badly. It was to force the travellers to make a move.
If the travellers were allowed free reign, they would collect sufficient clues and end the mission. Butler Zhou’s people couldn’t attack actively due to the rules, so they came up with this despicable tactic. They beat the little beggar to death before their eyes and forced them to avenge her.
At this point, Xia Meng stopped hesitating. She chopped Fatty’s neck to incapacitate him. To her surprise, Fatty’s muscles bulged. He was like a mad bull. She felt like she had hit a tree.
In the end, it was Jiang Cheng who landed an elbow strike on Fatty’s neck. Fatty stumbled to the ground. Even so, his bloodshot still glared at the man at the top of the stairs. He fainted.
When he woke up, he was in bed. He stared at the ceiling and said nothing. Jiang Cheng sat beside him, and Chen Qiang sat at the table. The room was silent.
The sky was almost dark.
“Where is she?” Fatty’s voice was hoarse.
“We have taken her body.” Jiang Cheng said calmly, “We buried her by the lake when no one was looking.” He looked at Fatty, “You don’t need to worry.”
Fatty’s eyes moved, but his face and neck didn’t. His eyes eventually focused on Jiang Cheng’s face. “Doctor,” He began, “You’re not telling the truth.”
Jiang Cheng said nothing.
“People like you will not take a risk to save a dead body.” Fatty said lightly, “It’s pointless. If she were still alive, you would save her because you could get information from her,” Fatty looked away, “But she is dead. She has no value. She has become a burden that will only bring you danger.”