In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

As Qin Shaolang finished speaking, a peculiar smell, a mixture of herbs and blood, filled the air.

Su Jin stared blankly at her bandaged arm. The knots in the cloth strips were neat and delicate, a style she had never seen before.

Is this man really... just a spendthrift?

"What are you standing there for?" Qin Shaolang's voice pulled her back to reality. "The fish, don't you want it anymore? If you don't want it, I'll throw it back into the river."

"Yes! Yes!" Su Jin exclaimed, and quickly ran over to carefully pick up the string of fat fish that were still struggling on the ground.

The fish was big and strong, and it thrashed its tail wildly in her hand, splashing water all over her.

"Sister, let me help you." Su Tang quickly ran over, and the two sisters worked together to hold the fish down.

Qin Shaolang ignored them and walked into the dilapidated hut on his own.

He thought he would see that garbage dump-like scene again.

However, when he stepped into the hut, he was stunned.

The room has changed.

Although the house was still bare, the floor was swept clean, and the messy pile of straw in the corner was neatly laid out in the shape of a bed, with a few stones even piled up around it.

The spider webs in the corner were gone, and the nauseating musty smell had faded considerably.

The hut, though still impoverished, had gained a touch of... humanity.

It feels like home.

A certain place in Qin Shao-Lang's heart felt as if it had been gently touched.

He turned his head and saw Su Jin and Su Tang standing at the door with fish in their hands, looking at him somewhat nervously, like elementary school students waiting for praise.

"Did you do this?" he asked.

"Hmm..." Su Jin lowered her head and said in a very soft voice, "The room was too messy, so... I just tidied it up a bit."

Qin Shaolang's inner monologue: [Wow, an SSR-level teammate with built-in housekeeping skills? What kind of luck is this?]

He didn't say anything, just nodded and took the string of fish from the two sisters.

"Okay, well done. Now it's my turn."

He went behind the hut and rummaged through a pile of discarded junk, pulling out half a broken iron pot. This was the one he had his eye on before; although it had a large hole in it, it could still be used after some repairs.

"Who among you knows how to kill fish?" Qin Shaolang asked, holding up a fish.

"I...I'll do it." Su Jin volunteered and took the fish and the sharp stone from his hands.

Qin Shaolang didn't move; he just leaned against the wall and watched.

Then he realized something was wrong.

Although Su Jin's hands were covered in mud, her fingers were slender and her skin was delicate. There were only thin calluses on her palms and knuckles, which did not look like those of a village girl who did rough work all year round.

She held the stone shard awkwardly and tried to scrape off the fish scales for a long time, but not only did she fail to scrape off many pieces, she almost cut her own hand instead.

"Sister, let me do it!" Su Tang couldn't stand it anymore and took over.

The result was even worse.

The little girl couldn't bring herself to touch the lively fish; she was so anxious that tears were almost welling up in her eyes.

Qin Shaolang frowned again.

Not right.

These two sisters are definitely not ordinary farm girls.

Farm girls are capable of killing fish, chickens, and rabbits, let alone fish. How could they be like this, unable to even handle fish scales?

Although their words and actions deliberately imitated the crudeness of the lower classes, their inherent awkwardness and incongruity could not be hidden.

Especially the older sister, Su Jin, with her stubbornness of preferring to break rather than bend, is more like the integrity of a well-educated lady from a prominent family.

[There's a story here...] Qin Shao-Lang thought to himself, [But what's it to me?]

He's got a lot of troubles of his own right now, so he doesn't have time to pry into other people's secrets.

Survival is the top priority.

"Alright, alright, don't kill the fish." He couldn't stand it anymore, so he stepped forward and took the stone and the fish from Su Tang's hand.

"Watch closely, I'll only teach you once."

Qin Shaolang's movements were just as quick, precise, and ruthless as when he bandaged his wounds.

With a sharp tap on the fish's head with the edge of a stone, the fish instantly stopped moving. Then, scaling it rapidly against the direction of movement, the scales came off cleanly in a few quick strokes. Gutting, removing the internal organs, and cleaning were all done in one smooth motion.

The sisters were stunned by the level of skill he displayed.

It was as if he were holding not a stone slab, but a precious sword that could cut through iron like mud.

"How...how do you know this?" Su Jin couldn't help but ask.

"I practiced it when I was cooking for my brothers in Africa," Qin Shaolang casually made up.

Where is Africa? And who are our brothers?

Su Jin and Su Tang were completely confused, but they could sense that this man had more secrets than they had imagined.

Qin Shaolang ignored their shock. He skillfully used mud mixed with some wood ash to seal the hole in the broken pot, then placed it on a few stones to make a makeshift stove.

Light a fire, pour in water, and throw in the prepared fish pieces.

He also took out a few slices of ginger from his pocket, which he didn't know where he got them from, and threw them into the pot.

Soon, a rich and delicious aroma of fish soup wafted out of the broken pot, forcefully dispelling all the surrounding odors.

"Glug... Glug..."

Su Tang's stomach growled involuntarily, and her face instantly turned red.

Qin Shaolang smiled and stirred the soup in the pot with a wooden stick. The soup had already turned milky white.

"Alright, let's eat."

Since there were no bowls, the three of them used clean, large leaves to hold the food.

If there are no chopsticks, use a sharpened wooden stick to poke and eat.

Although the conditions were extremely simple, this meal was the most delicious meal the three of them had ever eaten in their lives.

The fish meat is tender and the fish soup is thick and white.

One sip and warmth spread from my stomach to every part of my body, as if the fatigue, fear and despair of the past few days had been melted away by this hot soup.

Su Tang ate with gusto, her lips glistening with oil, and then, using a leaf to hold the largest piece of fish, she handed it to Su Jin, saying, "Sister, eat."

Su Jin smiled, her eyes slightly moist. She pushed the fish back to her, saying, "Tang'er, eat it. I'm not hungry."

"Eat it all." Qin Shaolang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of command.

He used a stick to pick up the largest piece of fish from his portion and placed it directly on Su Jin's leaf.

"In three days, we will be making a long journey to the border. If we don't eat our fill, we will die on the way, and all that grain I spent will have been for nothing."

Rough words are not rough.

Su Jin looked at the tender white fish meat in the leaf, then at Qin Shaolang, her lips moved, but in the end she didn't say anything and silently started eating.

The atmosphere became somewhat subtle at that moment.

It is no longer a simple relationship between buyer and goods, nor is it a relationship between benefactor and recipient.

It's more like three survivors huddling together for warmth in a doomsday scenario.

However, this rare moment of warmth did not last long.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the already dilapidated thatched hut "door" was kicked away.

Three or four thugs blocked the doorway, led by a scarred man with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Oh, Young Master Qin, you're living the good life, aren't you? You even have fish soup to drink?" Scarface said sarcastically, his eyes sweeping across the room. When he saw Su Jin and Su Tang, his eyes lit up instantly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, so that's why you sold your ancestral home. Turns out you were keeping two mistresses!"

The thugs behind him also let out lewd laughter.

Su Jin and Su Tang's faces turned pale instantly, the leaves in their hands fell to the ground, and they instinctively hid behind Qin Shaolang.

Qin Shaolang slowly stood up, shielding the two girls behind him, his expression calm.

Inner monologue: [Here it comes! The first aggressive monster in the starting village has spawned. This game really puts in a good deal of service, making sure players aren't bored.]

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Who are we?" Scarface asked as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world. "Qin Shaolang, have you lost your memory? You owe our boss, Zhao the Cripple, fifty taels of silver, and you dare ask who we are?"

Zhao the Cripple!

Upon hearing the name, Su Jin's body visibly trembled.

He was a notorious local tyrant in the area, a loan shark who kept a gang of thugs under his command and caused countless families to be ruined and killed.

In the original owner's memories, there was indeed such a messy debt.

"Paying back debts is a matter of course," Qin Shaolang said nonchalantly, shrugging. "But as you can see, I'm penniless right now. I have no money, and you can't take my life either, because I'm going to be conscripted in three days."

"Sent to the army?" Scarface sneered. "Perfect! Settle your debts before you go to die at the border!"

He stretched out his greasy hand and pointed directly at Su Jin and Su Tang.

"No money? Then use people! These two girls are pretty good-looking, fifty taels of silver, a bargain for you! Brothers, take them!"

"How dare you!" Su Jin was both anxious and scared, her voice trembling.

"Hey, little chili pepper, you're pretty spicy!" Scarface grinned even wider. "I love spicy food!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Su Jin.

Qin Shaolang's body moved.

He didn't waste any words or make any fancy moves.

Just as Scarface's hand was about to touch Su Jin, he slightly shifted his body, precisely avoiding the other's scratch.

Immediately afterwards, his left hand shot out like lightning, not to strike or push, but with surgical precision, grabbing the wrist of the scarred man who was reaching out.

Use all five fingers to exert force!

"Snap!"

A sharp, chilling crack of bone breaking rang out!

"ah--!"

Scarface's heart-wrenching screams shattered the tranquility of the inn.

His wrist was twisted at an odd angle, clearly broken.

Qin Shaolang did not stop.

He pulled the screaming scarred man in front of him, using him as a human shield.

The other two thugs who rushed up were stunned for a moment when they saw this.

In that split second of hesitation, Qin Shaolang kicked out.

It wasn't a kick to the chest or the stomach, but a precise kick to the kneecap of one of the thugs!

"Bang!"

Another dull thud that made your teeth ache.

Before the thug could even scream, he knelt down, clutching his knees, writhing in pain on the ground.

The original owner's body was weak, but the foundation from years of martial arts training was still there, and the muscle memory was still there.

Qin Shaolang's mind contained all the knowledge of modern human anatomy! He knew better than anyone where to hit the most painful spot, where to hit someone to instantly incapacitate them, and where to hit with the least effort!

Joints, nerves, fragile bones...

These are the areas that doctors need to protect, but on the battlefield, they are the most fatal weaknesses!

The last remaining thug was completely terrified.

Looking at Qin Shao-Lang, who was expressionless and ruthless, he felt as if he were looking at a demon crawling out of hell.

Is this the damn good-for-nothing spendthrift who can't even kill a chicken?

This is clearly a ruthless killer!

"roll."

Qin Shaolang uttered a single word, his voice icy and devoid of any emotion.

He casually shoved the scarred man, who was in so much pain he was about to faint, forward like he was throwing a garbage bag.

The last thug felt like he'd been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet, helped his two companions up, and fled in a panic, spewing threats all the while.

"Qin Shaolang, you wait! Boss Zhao won't let you get away with this!"

Qin Shaolang ignored their shouts.

He looked at the mess on the ground and the overturned pot of fish soup, panting slightly.

This body is still too weak.

After only a couple of movements, I started to feel weak.

He turned around and saw Su Jin and Su Tang looking at him with expressions as if he were a monster.

Shock, fear, and a hint of...unbelievable worship.

Su Jin opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly, and after a long while, she could only squeeze out two words.

"you……"