Chapter 85: Intentions
When Lu Qing saw Ma Gu off, he stared at the two scrolls in his hands, lost in thought.
Not long ago, Ma Gu had come to visit.
He brought with him part of the spoils from Kuai Hua Village, along with two pieces of news.
The first was that he had cleaned up all the corpses from the village, and the suffering girls had already been taken care of. Lu Qing wasn’t surprised. Earlier that day, he had gone out again and found the village reduced to rubble. Ma Gu hadn’t just disposed of the bodies—he had burned the entire settlement to the ground.
The second piece of news, however, caught him off guard.
The Wei Family had stepped in and suppressed the matter. That meant, for now, he didn’t have to worry about the Black Wolf Gang coming to cause trouble in the village.
The Wei Family, huh. This time, I owe them a favor.
Lu Qing silently acknowledged the debt.
He could guess why they’d helped. They’d seen his martial talent, recognized his potential to become a formidable warrior, and were making an early investment in him. He understood the logic. But knowing it was one thing—remembering the debt was another.
After all, people who lend a hand when you’re already thriving are common enough. But those who come to your aid in your darkest hour? They’re rare.
And this time, the Wei Family had shielded him from the Black Wolf Gang. That was true snow-in-winter generosity.
Still, Lu Qing had no means to repay their kindness yet. For now, he could only keep the debt in his heart.
“Ah Qing, are you home?”
A voice called from outside the house.
Lu Qing recognized Zhang Da Ye’s tone. He tucked the two scrolls away, then stepped out.
“Zhang Ye Ye, what is it?” he asked.
“Nothing much. I saw guests come to your place earlier, so I just came by to check.”
“Yes, they just left.”
He’d actually wanted to invite Ma Gu and the others to stay for dinner, but Ma Gu had seemed preoccupied with something else. He’d declined with a look of regret.
“By the way, Ah Qing,” Zhang Da Ye said, “the men who came—there was one I recognized. Wasn’t that the Ma Ye from the Big Market?”
Zhang Da Ye occasionally visited the Big Market. He remembered its master well.
“That’s right,” Lu Qing confirmed. “I’ve known Ma Ye for a while. He brought me some things.”
“Ma Ye himself?!” Zhang Da Ye was genuinely surprised. “Ah Qing, you’re really making strides now. You’re even on friendly terms with someone like him!”
To Zhang Da Ye, a countryman with little exposure beyond his village, Ma Ye was the most prominent figure in the region—someone who ruled a bustling Big Market. The idea that Lu Qing had formed a connection with such a man was both astonishing and heartwarming.
“It’s not me,” Lu Qing smiled. “It’s just that Ma Ye sees me in a certain light.”
“Still,” Zhang Da Ye shook his head, “you have to have the worth for someone like him to notice. Otherwise, no matter how hard you try, he wouldn’t even glance your way.”
He wasn’t wrong. Though Ma Ye appeared kind to everyone, his standards were high. To someone like him, ordinary villagers were invisible. Otherwise, why would he never be seen showing special favor to anyone at the market—let alone visit a remote village personally?
“Never mind that,” Lu Qing said, changing the subject. “I’m just about to cook dinner. Want to stay and eat?”
“No, thanks,” Zhang Da Ye declined. “My wife already cooked my portion. I’ll eat at home. But I did come with something else to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“About these Silver Vouchers and this Promissory Note.”
Zhang Da Ye pulled out several Silver Vouchers and one Promissory Note.
Lu Qing recognized them instantly—the Silver Vouchers that Han Wu had handed over in desperation, meant as a gift when begging for his life, and the Promissory Note signed with Xiao Yan’s father’s name.
Back then, after killing Han Wu and his men, Lu Qing had been in a rush to find Ma Gu for information. He hadn’t paid attention to the small details.
“These Silver Vouchers,” Zhang Da Ye said, handing them both over, “were given to you by the Black Wolf Gang thugs. Now they’re being returned to you.”
Lu Qing glanced at them, then took only the Promissory Note. He didn’t reach for the Silver Vouchers.
“Zhang Ye Ye, I don’t want these Silver Vouchers. You should give them to the villagers.”
“You don’t want them?” Zhang Da Ye blinked, stunned.
He held three Silver Vouchers—each worth one hundred taels. Three hundred taels in total. That was a fortune.
Everyone had seen how Lu Qing had killed Han Wu and his men. No one would doubt the legitimacy of the reward. Even the most honest villagers would find it hard to resist such wealth.
And yet, Lu Qing was refusing?
“Zhang Ye Ye,” Lu Qing said softly, “after everything that’s happened, I finally understand the truth behind my parents’ deaths. So much has come to light.”
“Back then, if it hadn’t been for the villagers’ help, Xiao Yan and I would’ve been taken by those Black Wolf Gang monsters.”
“And yesterday—if not for the villagers’ desperate stand, Xiao Yan might not have even waited for me. She’d have been captured.”
“Everyone here has done so much for us. We can’t repay it. But this money… it’s just a small token of our gratitude.”
He remembered clearly how the villagers had risked their lives to protect Xiao Yan. Yes, even without them, Xiao Li would’ve stopped the Black Wolf Gang. But their courage, their willingness to sacrifice—those actions had moved Lu Qing deeply.
After seeing Zhao Lao San, Lai Zi Tou, and others—those soulless, depraved monsters who sold their own kin—Lu Qing realized how precious the villagers’ simple, honest hearts truly were.
A few hundred taels? To him now, it meant nothing.
Better to share it with the people who had sheltered him and Xiao Yan, who had fed them, protected them, and welcomed them like family.
Besides, he wasn’t short on silver. Ma Gu had already given him far more than that.
“Ah Qing, you’re making us feel ashamed,” Zhang Da Ye sighed. “Back then, if it hadn’t been for your grandfather’s leadership, most of the families here wouldn’t have survived. You and Xiao Yan are alive today because of him—your grandfather saved us all.”
“If we let you and Xiao Yan suffer at the hands of those monsters now, how could we ever face your grandfather in the afterlife?”
“So keep the Silver Vouchers. What we did was only what we should’ve done.”
Seeing Zhang Da Ye’s solemn expression—like refusing the money would be a moral failing—Lu Qing paused.
Then, after a moment, he gently took one of the Silver Vouchers from Zhang Da Ye’s hand.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll keep this one hundred tael. The rest—I’ll give it to the villagers as my own small gesture.”
Zhang Da Ye opened his mouth to protest, but Lu Qing cut in firmly.
“Zhang Ye Ye, with the power I have now, do you really think I’ll ever struggle to earn silver?”
Zhang Da Ye thought about it.
He remembered how effortlessly Lu Qing had dispatched those fearsome Black Wolf Gang thugs. He knew Lu Qing was now a disciple of Chen Laodaifu. And he’d seen the respect Ma Ye had shown him.
Lu Qing was no longer the orphaned boy from the past. He was strong. Independent. His future—no one could predict it.
Eventually, Zhang Da Ye nodded.
“Alright. Then I’ll thank everyone on your behalf.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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