Chapter 47: Can You Handle It?
"Thank you, thank you." Seeing Su Qing untie the ropes binding him, Zhang Erlai hurriedly thanked her.
Su Qing deliberately lowered her voice. "How did you end up getting captured by them in these mountains?"
"They wanted to force me to tell them things about my big brother." Grateful to Su Qing for saving his life, Zhang Erlai said quickly, "Thank you. It’s a good thing you saved me. Otherwise, I might not have made it out of this alive."
Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly at his words.
’Big brother!
Heh, don’t tell me this guy really became some kind of punk.’
"It’s nothing. I was just passing by," Su Qing said lightly.
Zhang Erlai’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Su Qing. At the moment, Su Qing was dark and thin, but in Zhang Erlai’s eyes, she was different. This was the girl who had saved him in such a dangerous situation. To him, it was no different from a goddess descending from the heavens.
"Um..." Zhang Erlai suddenly grew nervous, stammering, "C-can I ask... what your name is, miss? Wh-where do you live? You saved me, so I should... I should pay you a formal visit to thank you properly."
"I live in the mountains. As for my name, there’s no need. We’re just strangers who happened to cross paths." Su Qing had no desire to get entangled with Zhang Erlai. She changed the subject, pointing at the two men who were still unconscious. "What do you plan to do with these two?"
Looking at the two unconscious men, Zhang Erlai gritted his teeth. These two had ambushed him on the road late at night and dragged him deep into Baihua Mountain. Everything they said hinted at forcing him to talk about his big brother. He couldn’t just let this go so easily. He had to take these two back and let his big brother decide what to do.
However...
When he thought about his own frail physique, Zhang Erlai was on the verge of tears. He looked pitifully at Su Qing. "Miss, could I trouble you to help me carry these two out of the mountains? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely repay you."
"There’s no need to repay me." Deciding to see things through to the end, Su Qing said, "I’ll help you get them out of the mountains. Whether you call the police or do something else, that’s up to you."
"Thank you, thank you so much," Zhang Erlai said, nodding his gratitude.
After extinguishing the bonfire, Su Qing and Zhang Erlai each took one of the unconscious men and began dragging them out of the mountains.
Zhang Erlai struggled to drag the lighter of the two men. Watching Su Qing carry the other large man as easily as if he were a small chicken, Zhang Erlai was on the verge of tears. He was just so pathetic. He’d never felt this way before, always thinking it was enough to get by with his quick wits. But today, he had been rescued twice in a row, and both times by girls.
He wouldn’t even mention that girl, Su Qing. She had saved him, and he was only grateful to her. But this girl in front of him...
Zhang Erlai pursed his lips. He’d always been quick-witted and understood perfectly well that he was falling for her. It was the kind of love at first sight that came with the debt of having his life saved.
’But would a girl like her even be interested in him?’
’He took after his mother in looks, with small, squinty eyes and slightly buck teeth. Add to that his weak build, unable to lift or carry anything heavy... If he were her, he definitely wouldn’t be interested in himself.’
’But he liked her! He really, really liked her.’
’But reality was a cruel mistress...’
The more Zhang Erlai thought about it, the more depressed he became. Just as he was wallowing in his silent misery, Su Qing, who was walking ahead, turned to see him struggling to drag the man. "Hey, can you handle it?" she asked. "If not, I’ll take him."
Hearing this, Zhang Erlai immediately puffed out his chest. "...I can. I definitely can."
"Alright then. Let me know if you can’t," Su Qing said. Seeing that Zhang Erlai could manage, she didn’t insist on helping him.
Zhang Erlai blinked, looked down at the man he was dragging, and snorted. ’I have to handle it. Even if I can’t, I have to.’
’It’s just physical training, right? When I get back, I’ll go talk to Brother Cheng and start training with them.’
Because Zhang Erlai walked slowly, it took them over an hour to reach the foot of the mountain. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the ground. After panting for a good while, he said to Su Qing, "We can’t take these two into the county town like this. Could I trouble you to watch them for a bit while I go get some people?"
"Alright," Su Qing agreed with a nod.
Zhang Erlai’s heart swelled with gratitude. This girl, a complete stranger, was willing to help him to this extent. ’Maybe... maybe I really do have a chance!’
Hope blossomed in Zhang Erlai’s heart.
Although Su Qing steadfastly refused to tell him her name or background, Zhang Erlai had already set a goal for himself.
Watching Zhang Erlai’s retreating figure, Su Qing looked down at the two men lying at her feet. She sent a wisp of gray mist into each of them before sitting down to wait for Zhang Erlai to return with his people.
Zhang Erlai was quick. Before long, Su Qing heard the sounds of several people hurrying over from a distance. She stood up, slipped behind a nearby boulder, and after confirming that it was indeed Zhang Erlai returning with people, she turned and left without a sound.
"Huh?" Among the men Zhang Erlai brought back was one around thirty years old. He was tall with rugged features and a scar on his forehead near his temple. He saw the two men lying on the ground, then looked around. "Er Lai, where’s that girl you said was watching them?"
Zhang Erlai hadn’t expected the girl to just leave like that. He quickly looked around, then said with some frustration, "Brother Cheng, she probably left once she saw us coming."
"Well, well, Er Lai, look at you! Really got saved by a girl, huh? So, what’s the verdict? Was she pretty or not?" another young man in his twenties who had come along teased Zhang Erlai with a grin.
Zhang Erlai’s face clearly reddened, but fortunately, in the darkness of the night, no one noticed. He tried his best to keep his voice steady. "That girl was incredible. She took these two down with just a few punches."
"For real?"
"Of course."
"Alright, stop dawdling. Hurry up and get them back before the other party finds us," Brother Cheng instructed the group.
"You got it, Brother Cheng."
A few of the men stepped forward and hoisted the two unconscious individuals off the ground. Zhang Erlai moved to help but was brushed aside. "Just stay out of it. With your scrawny build, you’ll just slow things down."
Zhang Erlai: ...Brushed aside again!
Watching his companions lift the two men and walk off, Zhang Erlai glanced at Brother Cheng beside him, took a deep breath, and approached him. "Brother Cheng, I want to ask you for a favor."
"What is it?" Brother Cheng turned to look at Zhang Erlai. "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get an explanation for what happened to you today."
"Brother Cheng, who were those people? Were they after you?"
"Hmph! That bunch of bastards just won’t give up!" Brother Cheng snorted coldly but didn’t elaborate. He just asked, "Right, what was it you wanted to ask me?"
"Oh, um, I want... I want to train with you guys."
"What!"
Not only was Brother Cheng surprised, but even the men carrying the bodies up ahead were shocked. "Er Lai, is the sun rising in the west?"