Chapter 58: A Lesson in Discipline
Chapter 58: A Lesson in Discipline
"You were saying something about robbing me?" Lu Qing asked calmly, his hands on his hips as he faced the group of five or six men blocking his path, their eyes gleaming with ill intent as they brandished their sticks.
Among them was Chen San, the same thug whom Mag had once warned and taught a lesson. Chen and his cohorts were eyeing Lu Qing's belongings greedily, especially the basket of pork, their mouths practically watering.
It had been over half a month since they had been beaten up at the market, and it had taken them a long time to recover from their injuries. They had spent all their remaining money on that endeavor. Now, they had gone over ten days without tasting meat.
Their original plan had been to waylay a hapless traveler or two and extort some money from them. They never expected to come across such a plump sheep.
Chen San and his gang's eyes almost glowed green at the sight of the meat, rice, and flour in Lu Qing's basket. These items were worth a small fortune!
Perhaps it was because Lu Qing had changed so much in the past month, but Chen San and his gang didn't recognize him as the same boy they had tried to rob half a month ago—the one who had caused them to be beaten up at the market.
"Kid, since you heard us clearly, hand over everything you have, including your money, right now!" Chen San demanded harshly.
"That's right. If you don't want a beating, put down your things and scram," one of Chen's lackeys chimed in.
"Or else we'll teach you a lesson!" added another.
"What if I refuse?" Lu Qing asked suddenly. "Will you kill me and dump my body in the wilderness before taking everything I have?"
"What did you say?" Chen San and his gang were stunned. Had this kid gone crazy? They had only mentioned teaching him a lesson; when did they say anything about killing him?
"Answer me," Lu Qing said calmly. "If I don't want to hand over my belongings, will you kill me?"
Chen San felt a chill run up his spine as he looked at Lu Qing's calm face. There was something eerie about this kid. Who remained so calm when faced with a robbery and asked their attackers if they intended to kill them? Most people would be panicking and begging for mercy. Was this kid crazy? Chen San and his gang couldn't help but wonder.
But even if he was crazy, he was a rich crazy person!
Chen San and his gang licked their lips as they eyed Lu Qing's possessions. If they could get their hands on all this, they could feast for several days.
Their greed overcame the chill in their hearts.
"You bet we will! We'll kill you and throw you into the river if you don't hand over your money!" one of them threatened.
Unfortunately for them, Lu Qing had seen through their bluster. He looked at the information floating above Chen San's head.
Chen San: Unscrupulous thug. Makes a living by stealing and robbing. Has a small gang of lackeys and often steals from nearby villages. Despised by all.
He glanced at the others, and they were cut from the same cloth—thugs and robbers.
Lu Qing shook his head in disappointment. If these guys were truly ruthless, he could have taught them a lesson without holding back. Now, he would have to show some restraint.
However, a lesson was still in order. It wouldn't do to have these thugs roaming around and causing trouble for the villagers.
Chapter 58: A Lesson in Discipline
"A bunch of worthless trash. You have hands and feet, yet all you think about is stealing from others. Even maggots are more useful than you while they're alive." Lu Qing gently set down the items in his hands, took off his backpack, and stretched his limbs.
"What did you say, brat? Are you tired of living?" Chen San and his gang flew into a rage.
However, before they could do anything, a flash of movement caught their eyes, and Lu Qing was already in front of them like a whirlwind.
Chen San, who was at the front, was startled. Instinctively, he raised the wooden club in his hand, intending to smash it down on Lu Qing.
But before he could even swing it, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist, causing him to lose his grip, and the club fell to the ground.
Immediately after, he heard a crack, and a surge of intense pain shot through his chest. The iron-like taste of blood filled his mouth, and his vision darkened as he fell to the ground, unable to stand.
It took a while for Chen San to regain his senses from the excruciating pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his lackeys were all lying on the ground, either clutching their hands or feet and howling in agony.
"Chen San, you should consider yourselves lucky," a voice said.
Chen San's heart was filled with fear, and before he could understand what had just happened, a dark figure loomed over him, blocking the sunlight.
He looked up and saw Lu Qing standing before him.
With the sunlight behind him, Lu Qing's face was somewhat obscured.
Chen San heard a cold voice say, "You should be grateful that I didn't sense any heinous deeds committed by you."
"Otherwise, you would already be floating corpses in the river by now."
"Breaking one of your arms and legs each is just a minor punishment. If I find out that any of you continue to steal and cause trouble in the nearby villages, it won't be as simple as breaking your limbs."
Chen San looked at Lu Qing with sheer terror in his eyes.
At that moment, he finally realized that Lu Qing was not the easy target they had assumed him to be.
Instead, he was someone they could never hope to provoke!
The other lackeys also fell silent, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Lu Qing.
They could tell that Lu Qing was not making empty threats.
If they didn't do as he said, he would definitely make good on his words.
Lu Qing picked up his backpack and gathered his belongings.
Then, without giving Chen San and his gang another glance, he continued on his way to the village.
It was as if this group of trash wasn't worth a second of his time.
"Remember, don't let me see any of you again, or I'll break your remaining arms and legs," Lu Qing said without turning back.
Watching Lu Qing's departing figure until it disappeared from view, Chen San and his gang finally dared to continue their howls of pain.
"Boss, what do we do now?" one of the lackeys sobbed.
"What else can we do? Get up and leave, now! Didn't you hear what that demon just said? If he sees us again, he'll break our other arms and legs!"
"But... how are we supposed to leave? My leg... my leg..." The lackey broke down in tears.
Only then did Chen San notice that the lackey's lower leg was twisted at an unnatural angle.
"Even if you can't walk, you crawl! Those of you who still have good legs, help the others up!" Chen San shouted.
Under Chen San's orders, the lackeys who still had intact legs struggled to their feet and helped the others up.
It seemed that Lu Qing had intentionally left half of them with broken arms and the other half with broken legs, ensuring they could still move away.
In the end, the group hobbled and limped away, supporting each other, their cries of pain echoing pitifully.
(End of Chapter)
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