Chapter 012: One Family, Enlisting, A Spring Night

The two felt their hearts tighten and hurried their pace, rushing into the courtyard.

Inside, Li Huiying, the eldest sister, was tear-streaked, pleading desperately with the men from the medical clinic. "I beg you, have some mercy. Can’t you sell this medicine for a lower price? We truly don't have that much money left. My son is critically ill; we cannot afford any more delays!"

However, the men from the clinic remained cold and indifferent. One of them roared impatiently, "If you don't have the money, don't come looking for medicine! The price is already low enough; it's impossible to lower it any further!"

"Damn it, making me waste a trip—are you looking to die?"

With that, the man swung his arm with force, ruthlessly shoving Li Huiying to the ground.

"Stop!"

Seeing her sister being bullied like this, Li Huilan rushed forward to help her up without a second thought. "Sister!"

The eldest sister had acted as a mother figure, as their own mother had passed away early. Li Huiying had provided immense support, especially when Li Huilan’s husband had been a scoundrel. Seeing her sister in such a state made Li Huilan frantic.

The men turned around, and upon seeing the birthmark on Li Huilan’s face, they couldn't help but show expressions of disgust.

Xia He felt a surge of anger. He lunged forward in a flash, reaching out with a large hand to grip the wrist of the arrogant bully.

A crisp "crack" echoed through the air as the man’s wrist bone was snapped in two! The sudden, excruciating pain forced a pig-like shriek from him.

"You dare bully my family? You are courting death!"

Xia He took a closer look and suddenly felt that this man looked familiar. He had seen him before when his predecessor used to gamble at the casino! He was one of the men responsible for debt collection and acting as a gambling shill, just like Song Bao!

"People from the casino, selling medicine from a clinic!?"

Xia He had always felt that this "blood plague" and the clinics were fishy. The plague had struck with such ferocity, akin to a contagion, and it just so happened that only the newly opened clinics in town had the cure. With other doctors helpless, these clinics were running a monopoly, driving prices higher and higher. Countless people had died—not just from the illness itself, but from being unable to afford the medicine and waiting for death.

And now it appeared these clinics had ties to the gambling dens?

"Are you people from the clinic or the casino?"

Seeing Xia He ask coldly, his hand as immovable as a tiger’s vice, the man, sweating profusely from the pain of his broken arm, screamed, "Murder! Someone is murdering us!"

The others nearby retreated in terror. "You... you've got the wrong idea! What are you doing? Aren't you afraid we'll report you to the officials?"

Xia He took a deep breath, staring coldly at them. "Get lost!"

The thugs turned pale, scrambling over one another in their haste to flee. The one with the broken arm was dragged along by the others, as if they were being pursued by demons, running for their lives.

***

Once they had completely vanished from sight, Xia He turned around and walked over to carefully help the fallen Li Huiying to her feet. He reached into his robe, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out two antidotes, which he gently handed to her.

When Li Huiying looked up and realized it was her sister and brother-in-law, the emotions she had suppressed for so long burst forth like a dam breaking. Unable to hold back her sorrow and grievance, she let out a loud wail.

"Sister, give this antidote to Xiaowen quickly. This illness cannot be delayed."

Li Huiying stifled her sobs and hurried into the house in a flurry. Xia He looked at the neighbors who were watching the commotion and barked, "Clear off, nothing to see here!" Then, he followed her inside.

Lying on the bed, frail and weak, was Xiaowen. Xia He felt a pang of heartache. Li Huiying’s husband had been killed by a bear while hunting years ago, and she had raised her son alone, never remarrying.

After taking the medicine, Xiaowen’s condition improved almost immediately.

"Xiaowen, Mother is here. Don't be afraid." Seeing the improvement, Li Huiying brought water to feed her son, whispering comfort while tears continued to stream down her face.

Xia He sighed inwardly. A mother’s heart is truly selfless.

Once Xiaowen fell into a peaceful sleep, Li Huiying finally had the chance to look at her sister and brother-in-law. She felt a touch of embarrassment. The former Xia He was a degenerate gambler who did nothing productive, a total scoundrel who treated his wife terribly. As the eldest sister, Li Huiying had often scolded him and even tried to force her sister to leave him.

Who could have guessed that after only a few days, this detestable brother-in-law would seem like a completely different person? If not for his intervention today, she wouldn't have known what to do.

Xia He held no resentment for her past actions, as he himself felt ashamed of what his predecessor had done. "Sister, were you hurt just now?"

"I'm fine, Xiao He... I was wrong before, please don't hold a grudge."

Xia He immediately replied, "We are family, Sister. What are you saying? I’ve already forgotten all about it."

However, his mind was still on what had just happened. He felt more and more that a massive conspiracy lay behind the blood plague. Otherwise, how could casino thugs be connected to a medical clinic?

Now that he had offended the casino, it would likely be extremely difficult to purchase medicine in the future. Remaining at the mercy of others was not a long-term solution.

***

"I am now well-versed in various medical texts. If I can use my attribute points to further my skills, perhaps I can figure out the ingredients of the antidote myself?"

Upon reflection, Xia He felt a chill of fear. If the connection was truly this deep, he could not let this information leak! This constant need for caution felt suffocating. Because they were of the "lowly" caste, what good did knowing the truth do? Report it to the officials? A bit of silver from the other side would see him destroyed in an instant.

He made a silent resolution. In these chaotic times, human life was worthless, and the imperial court wouldn't care how many refugees died in the town. Seeking a stable life was a mere fantasy for him now.

Fate must be held in his own hands. If he became a member of the military household, or perhaps even a martial artist, would those people still dare to extort them?

"Enlist in the army—that is the only way!"

***

"Brother He, why don't we... why don't we just move away?" Lying on the bed, Li Huilan rested on Xia He’s arm.

"Move away? Where can we go in these troubled times? Besides, we are refugees, of the lowly caste. If we don't shed this status, we can't go anywhere. Lan’er, don't worry. I’ve already made a plan: I’m going to enlist!"

"Brother He, I don't want anything to happen to you. People die in war."

Xia He comforted her, "Don't worry, Lan’er. There is no major conflict on the front lines right now; it won't start immediately. Besides... without status, our family will always be bullied. Enlisting to shed this lowly status—I must do this."

"Brother He, I will listen to you... I’m just worried..."

"Worried about what? If you're worried, then we should cherish the present even more."

Xia He chuckled, suddenly turning over to press her down. A spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Li Huilan let out a soft cry, wanting to speak, but her mouth was sealed. Before long, she was breathless, left with nothing but soft, delicate gasps.