C12 I Beat up the Bad Dog

Liu Xiaobao wandered the streets without purpose and found himself in the eastern part of the city before he knew it. This area was known for its lax security, the only refuge for the city's beggars.

As he walked, Liu Xiaobao spotted a familiar face: the beggar chief he had encountered that morning. The man was squatting at a busy intersection in the east, an ideal spot for panhandling due to the heavy foot traffic.

During his stroll, Liu Xiaobao observed seven or eight beggars. Some had nothing but empty bowls, while others had a mere handful of copper coins. Then there were those like the beggar chief, whose bowl contained at least twenty copper coins.

Determined to offer assistance once more, Liu Xiaobao wondered how best to help. The answer was clear: give them money. He went to a trading company, exchanged one hundred taels of silver notes for silver coins, and confidently made his way through the streets, dropping one tael of silver into each beggar's bowl.

Far from earning the admiration of passersby, Liu Xiaobao's generosity only reinforced their view of him as a wastrel.

"Look at this spendthrift, coming to our side of town to squander his wealth," one onlooker remarked.

"Indeed, have you seen him? Rumor has it he's broke, yet here he is, handing out money to beggars," another added.

"This is extravagant, one tael of silver for each beggar? That's two days' earnings for me," a third complained.

While the street-goers disapproved of Liu Xiaobao, the beggars adored him, showering him with praise and reverence. They recognized the kind-hearted youth who had provided them with food that morning, and now, he was giving them silver directly. They had never before encountered someone as foolishly generous as him.

"Young Master, please wait!" called out the beggar chief, halting Liu Xiaobao in his tracks. He suspected that Liu Xiaobao was harboring a secret, having witnessed his transformation from an ordinary man to a Level 2 warrior that very morning—a change unlike anything he had ever seen.

Liu Xiaobao was anticipating a notification from the system about his merit points, but there was no response. Then he heard a voice behind him. Turning, he saw the beggar chief. "What do you want? Do you think the amount I gave was too little?"

The leader of the beggars said, "Young Master, you must be jesting. I should be thanking you; how could I possibly complain about the amount you've given? I just wanted to ask, why are you so kind to us beggars?"

"Does kindness require a reason?"

"Doesn't it?"

"Should it?"

"Absolutely!" the beggar leader insisted. "We beggars only hope to have enough to eat each day. Yet, Young Master, you've given us a great deal of money out of the blue. Naturally, we're curious. Have you ever seen a wealthy person give money to beggars?"

Liu Xiaobao replied, "Indeed, the rich ignore beggars. It's the common folk who, moved by compassion, extend charity to them."

"Exactly!" the beggar leader exclaimed. "Young Master, are you giving us this money because you need our help with something?"

"Help from you? What could you possibly do for me? You're overthinking it," Liu Xiaobao doubted the beggars had any real skills; otherwise, they wouldn't be begging in the first place.

The beggar leader countered, "Young Master, you shouldn't dismiss us so. We may seem unimportant, but we're well-informed about everything that goes on in the East City. If you're looking for information, we're the ones to ask."

"I don't need anything from you. I simply wanted to do a good deed by helping you out."

"Young Master, that's not how one acts as a good person. You've given us money, but are you certain we truly need it? This morning, you provided food when we were desperately hungry, and that was a kind act because we never know if we'll manage to get a meal throughout the day. Without food, it's a struggle. But now, we're not hungry; we've done what we needed to as beggars. Giving us money now doesn't constitute a good deed."

Liu Xiaobao found the beggar's argument surprisingly profound. He hadn't expected such wisdom from a beggar.

The beggar leader went on, "What is a good deed? It's helping those in need, not those who have already found satisfaction."

Liu Xiaobao had an epiphany. "Head of the beggars, thank you for clearing up a great confusion for me. But I must ask, why share all this with me? Isn't it beneficial to receive my help?"

"Why? Perhaps out of curiosity about me," the beggar leader mused before returning to his prime spot for panhandling.

I see now. Acts of kindness are meant to aid those in need, not those who are already content. How did I not realize this before? I, this young master, have squandered twenty taels of silver for nothing.

Who truly needs help? Liu Xiaobao pondered as he ambled through the streets. Beyond the beggars, it seemed likely that the residents of the impoverished district were facing hardships. He decided to head there.

Upon arriving at the impoverished district, Liu Xiaobao was greeted by the sound of crying and the loud crashing of destruction. He quickly sought out the source of the commotion, recognizing a prime opportunity to lend a hand.

Before he could pinpoint the noise, a tall, strapping young man was hurled from a house. Liu Xiaobao approached and realized it was the same person who had nearly been killed by Chen Wenkai's servant the day before.

"Release me, you brutes! Let go, somebody help!" The desperate pleas of a woman echoed from within the house.

Amidst her cries, two vile voices sneered, "Go ahead and scream. I'd like to see who dares to interfere with our fun in this poor district."

"Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come. Better to just give in to us, or it won't just be you who suffers—your son will too."

The young man on the ground, with great difficulty, rose and staggered back into the house, exclaiming, "Mother, I'm here to rescue you!"

Liu Xiaobao noticed the young man's calf was bleeding and his head was injured, yet he bravely charged back into the fray.

Compelled by a surge of righteous anger, Liu Xiaobao followed suit. This was no longer about simply doing a good deed; it was a call to action fueled by his inner sense of justice. In the past, he had been weak and cowardly, lacking the strength to stand up for himself. Especially after Yueting's death, Liu Xiaobao had been utterly defeated.

But now, things were different. Yueting had reappeared in this world, and even though she only bore a resemblance to his Yueting, he was determined to protect her. As a Black Iron Knight, he was more than capable of handling these common thugs.

Bullying a defenseless woman is an act that incites the wrath of both mortals and deities. Liu Xiaobao burst into the room to find that the young man who had entered before him was pinned to the floor by a servant, while another servant had the young man's mother pressed down on the bed, attempting to overpower her.

Liu Xiaobao recognized these two servants; they were part of the trio that had nearly broken his arm the day before. Without a word, Liu Xiaobao delivered a swift kick to the servant restraining the youth, then seized the other servant—the one harassing the woman—lifting him high and slamming him down onto his accomplice.

The servants were startled, and upon recognizing their assailant, they issued a threat, "Liu Xiaobao, it's you, you good-for-nothing. If you have any sense, you'll get out now, or we'll give you a beating too."

The woman, once freed, hurried to Liu Xiaobao's side, pulling her son to his feet. "Young Master, why is it you again? Thank you for rescuing us, my son and I. We are forever in your debt, Benefactor."

"Thank you, Benefactor, thank you!" The young man bowed deeply in gratitude.

Liu Xiaobao steadied the young man, "A true man bows only to his parents, not to the heavens or the earth. Big brother, you needn't thank me so profusely."

By then, the two servants had managed to get up. "Liu Xiaobao, our young master failed to finish you off yesterday, so today we'll complete the task for him."

"It appears that I, the wayward young master, have sunk so low that even dogs dare to bark at me," Liu Xiaobao quipped as he grabbed the room's only wooden table and brought it crashing down on the heads of the two servants.

These were no ordinary servants; each possessed the strength of a Level 1 Apprentice. However, they stood no chance against Liu Xiaobao, a Level 2 Black Iron Knight.

Liu Xiaobao didn't let up. After the initial blow with the table, he continued to strike the downed servants, berating them with each hit, "This is for bullying, for causing a commotion, for twisting my arm yesterday, for aiding your young master in his tyranny, for being dogs. Oh? That's right, you are dogs, two despicable dogs."

The two servants were taken aback by Liu Xiaobao's unexpected strength, unable to mount any resistance. Hadn't they been weak just yesterday? Each time they tried to get up, they found themselves face-to-face with the wooden table.

After several minutes of domination, the two servants lay heavily injured, their speech slurred as they pleaded, "We surrender, we surrender."

But Liu Xiaobao wasn't ready to let them off the hook. "So, now you know how to surrender? Where was this humility when you were bullying this mother and son? Or when you were so bold beating me up yesterday? You even dared to knock me out. I won't believe I'm truly Liu until I've made sure you're incapacitated."

Stopping a nerd's rampage isn't easy; they're the type who won't back down unless outmatched.

Eventually, the two servants lay motionless, and Liu Xiaobao finally ceased his assault. He examined the wooden table, now splintered, and gave one final smash onto the servants' bodies.

The woman behind him cautiously inquired, "Benefactor, they're not dead, are they?"

The young man reassured her, "Mother, why worry? They got what they deserved."

Liu Xiaobao bent down, cleared the table, and checked the servants' breathing. "These dogs are still alive. But tell me, how did they end up bullying you again?"

The woman explained, "I'm not sure. They said they had been inquiring about our whereabouts for a long time before they found us and started the assault."

The young man, looking forlorn, asked, "Mother, what do we do now? They've discovered where we live. How can we go on? Are we even safe in the capital?"

"Yangzi, we must leave immediately for the Magic Kingdom," his mother said, tears welling up as she prepared to flee with her son.

Liu Xiaobao interjected, "Why not come to my Liu Manor instead? We're actually short-staffed. Right now, there are only three of us, and Labino is leaving tomorrow. I assure you, as long as you're at Liu Manor, no one will dare to intrude. Trespassing on a Marquis's property is a grave offense."

"Benefactor, how could we possibly trouble you again? Just yesterday, my son and I nearly caused you to be beaten to death. And yet today, you've come to our aid once more. We simply don't want to be a burden to you any longer." The mother was profoundly grateful for all that Liu Xiaobao had done, but her compassionate nature couldn't bear the thought of causing him any more trouble. "I've learned from people on the street that we've angered a notoriously wicked young master from the capital. His family holds high office, and judging by his boldness in attacking you, he doesn't seem to fear you at all. Perhaps we should head to the Magic Kingdom."

"No need to worry about me, Madam. Truly, there's no need. You see, I can handle them with ease. My struggle yesterday was simply due to an injury that hadn't fully healed. Liu Manor is currently in need of a servant and a cook, and you two seem perfectly suited for these roles." Liu Xiaobao felt a twinge of sympathy for the mother and son, who had only discovered Chen Wenkai's identity the day before. It appeared they had fled to the capital from elsewhere. He resolved that it was best to offer them assistance.