He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 87 To Kill or to Spare

Meng Ali had already heard about what had happened, and sat obediently to the side, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Meng Fuqing.

Dan Qiyu's face was a little pale, but she couldn't help but show a proud smile. However, she still wanted to cover for Meng Fuqing, saying, "She only found out when she was a kid playing around. I didn't expect her to still remember it now."

When Meng Fuqing was young, the Meng family was doing quite well, so no one suspected anything.

Upon hearing that noodles were used, the villagers, who had hoped to avoid encountering refugees in the future, immediately abandoned their idea.

Meng Bochang couldn't help but ask, "Is there no flour left in that half-bag?"

“There needs to be enough,” Meng Fuqing said.

She was initially worried that half a bag wouldn't be enough, but the situation was urgent, and she couldn't get any more.

Meng Bochang felt sorry for the food supplies, saying, "It's a good idea, but we should only use it in emergencies."

Meng Fuqing nodded. If the bomb wasn't unsuitable to be taken out, she wouldn't want to waste the food.

After waiting for quite a while, Ling Jiu and Mu Sheng hurriedly returned.

Upon seeing the horse driven by Ling Jiu, everyone fell silent. The once majestic horse now had half of its body covered in smoke and fire, and the hair on its rump was burned away, revealing bleeding flesh. It was a bit of an eyesore, but fortunately, it wasn't seriously injured.

Mu Sheng, on the other hand, had the leader of the refugees in his hands.

He led the man to Xie Jin, kicked him, and the man knelt heavily on the ground. "Young Master, Miss Meng, the person has been brought."

Meng Fuqing was about to step forward when someone grabbed the hem of her clothes.

Facing Meng Fuqing, Meng Linlang's movements were stiff, and her expression was also stiff. "I have a few words I want to say to you."

Meng Fuqing glanced at the man kneeling on the ground, then at Meng Linlang, and followed her a little further away.

“That man is named Qi Liang. He is a talented general and a man of great loyalty. Rather than killing him, you should spare his life so that he will be grateful to you and work for you.”

Realizing that her words, which were entirely for Meng Fuqing's benefit, were too abrupt, Meng Linlang paused and then said, "Young Master Xie will not easily set me free, and those who oppose you will not have a good end. It would be better to use what I know to make life easier for me and my family. You don't need to doubt me."

She had her reasons for saying that: ever since the grain was brought back, the villagers would eat dinner together, except for her family.

The village chief made a clear distinction: since her elder brother participated in tasks that required the villagers to work together, such as transporting grain and gathering firewood, she would only give him a bowl of thin porridge or a flatbread.

The Cui family, who had offended Meng Fuqing, also only had Zhao'er and Pan'er receive a share.

She didn't believe that Meng Fuqing hadn't specifically given instructions.

Hearing Meng Linlang's words, Meng Fuqing couldn't help but laugh.

Is he loyal and righteous?

Such a large number of people and carriages was extremely rare among fleeing refugees, and she did not believe that a man of great talent would not recognize them.

Even if she didn't take him in, she still showed him a way to survive, but instead led the refugees to rob. How could such a person be worthy of Meng Linlang's words of "righteousness"?

The Meng Linlang in my dream must be incredibly charming, otherwise why would her personality always seem to differ from my own?

"Whether he has value or not is irrelevant to you; I only trust my own eyes. Meng Linlang, it's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken when you come to me with these words; I don't believe you."

Before leaving, she said, "If you encounter any people or things in your dreams in the future, tell me or Xie Jin immediately. Otherwise, this isn't the first time Xie Jin has tried to get information out of you. What do you say? Behave yourself."

Left behind, Meng Linlang turned deathly pale and nearly fainted.

She pinched her palm with her fingertips, watching Meng Fuqing's departing figure, then looked at Xie Jin who was asking questions.

Shen Lianxing was cold to her, and she was too inconspicuous in the team. She needed to find someone else to rely on.

When Meng Fuqing returned, he saw that Xie Jin had distanced himself from the place where Qi Liang and the villagers were resting.

After observing the man, Meng Fuqing found nothing of interest in him, and Xie Jin asked with growing annoyance.

"You want to kill him?" Xie Jin asked Meng Fuqing, who was walking slowly towards him.

Upon hearing this, Qi Liang tried to struggle, but the person behind him pressed his pressure points, rendering him unable to move.

Meng Fuqing turned her head to gesture for Xie Jin to look at Meng Linlang behind her before saying, "I just want to know how this person managed to gather so many refugees in such a short time."

“During the snowy days, he led a group of people outside the cave and begged us to take them in. At that time, he didn’t have many people with him.”

Xie Jin's eyes darkened when he saw Meng Linlang's figure.

Upon hearing this, Mu Sheng immediately released the pressure points, drew his sword, and placed it against Qi Liang's neck. "Speak."

Qi Liang paid no attention to the sharp blade at his neck, lazily lifting his eyelids. "They're trying to survive, and my fists are hard enough. Subduing them would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"

Meng Fuqing asked, "Do you know martial arts?"

Mu Sheng, who had fought him, said, "He is strong, but his skills are just average."

They were far from ordinary; they couldn't even withstand a single move from Mu Sheng.

"Kill me if you want, why waste words?!" Qi Liang said loudly to Meng Fuqing.

"I won't kill you." Meng Fuqing walked up to him. "Since you're still somewhat useful, repaying kindness with enmity, why don't you serve us like a beast of burden? How about it?"

At the same time, she also wanted to see what Meng Linlang wanted to achieve through this person.

Qi Liang glared angrily at Meng Fuqing. In the struggle, his knees lifted slightly off the ground, and blood seeped from the carotid artery in his neck.

"Why get so agitated? So many refugees have died because of you, do you think they'll still trust you? No matter how strong your fist is, you can't sleep with your eyes open, can you?"

Qi Liang paused in his struggle, then sneered, "I'd rather kill myself than let you humiliate me."

Seeing that the other party was unyielding, Meng Fuqing lost his patience. "I'll trouble Young Master Mu to beat him into submission."

Mu Sheng: ...

This Miss Meng is truly efficient and decisive in her actions.

After Mu Sheng led the person away, Xie Jin asked Meng Fuqing, "What did she say to you?"

She said Qi Liang had the talent of a general and wanted to use this to save his life.

"It would be better to kill him."

Meng Fuqing glanced at him. "What method did you use to get Meng Linlang to talk before? Can you use it again? I have a feeling she has ulterior motives."

Xie Jin didn't hold back, "It's a rare medicine from southern Yunnan. After taking it, one can speak the truth. It's extremely precious. I've already used it all up. If you want to get more, you'll have to go to Jing'an Prefecture."

"That's really unfortunate." Meng Fuqing wasn't disappointed. "It seems we have to spare Qi Liang's life and try to catch Meng Linlang."

Xie Jin stood up from the rotten wood beneath him. "You can rest assured that you have the person in my care."

Meng Fuqing cupped his hands in thanks to him, "Thank you for your trouble, young master."

After saying that, she turned and left decisively.

Having subordinates is so useful. Meng Fuqing thought to himself.

Xie Jin: ...

Why do you feel that Meng Fuqing was waiting for these words?

After a short rest, the convoy set off again, this time with a newcomer in the group who had a bruised and swollen face and whose upper body was tightly bound.

This time, they traveled without hindrance, as if their fight with the refugees had already spread among them, and the refugees along the way avoided them like the plague.

With vehicles and provisions, and no one to bother them, the group found a rare moment of peace despite the long journey.

After traveling for about ten days, they arrived at Qingzhou.

The Shen family felt a mixture of joy and worry. They were happy that after a long and arduous journey, they were finally nearing home; however, they were worried because, judging from the situation in Changping Prefecture, the Hu people were ahead of them, which was why they hadn't encountered many Hu people along the way.

It's just unknown whether the Hu people went to the capital or went south via Qingzhou.

If Qingzhou falls, they will become homeless, and they will be unable to fulfill their promises to the villagers.