Chapter 143: Zhu Qingqing, you brought this upon yourself

When these words were spoken, the several men present were left speechless. They hadn't eaten for nearly a day, and their stomachs were growling with hunger. However, the deep mountains were fraught with danger; venturing out into the night to forage was nothing short of a death wish. This insufferable woman clearly didn't view them as human beings at all.

The cave was dim, and Zhu Qingqing, unable to see the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces, continued to urge them, "Why are you still dawdling? Quickly arrange for someone to go out and find food!"

"Bah!" One of Da Niu's brothers spat on the ground. "You want food? Here is your food, eat it!"

Zhu Qingqing jumped up in fury. "You actually want me to eat your spit? You’re absolutely disgusting!"

With that, she looked at Xu Mo with a pitiful expression. "Xu Mo... look, someone is bullying me. Won't you help me? I’m your partner, after all."

Xu Mo sneered, "I have never acknowledged you as my partner, and I won't be helping you with anything."

Back at the pig farm, they had indeed gotten along well, and rumors had spread that they were a couple. But he had never confessed his feelings to her; she was the one who had constantly thrown herself at him. Now that things had reached this point, he didn't want any further association with her. It was better to make it clear now to avoid being dragged down by her later.

Zhu Qingqing questioned him, "Xu Mo, what do you mean by this? I eloped with you, and now you say such things to hurt me!"

Xu Mo retorted, "Did I ask you to elope with me? You followed me of your own accord."

The words were merciless, and Zhu Qingqing’s face turned deathly pale. "...Xu Mo, you’re lying to me, aren't you? We were in love, we were so happy together."

"Love?" Xu Mo frowned impatiently. "When did I ever say I loved you? You’re overthinking things."

"No... no!" Zhu Qingqing still couldn't believe it, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at him intently. "Xu Mo, why are you treating me like this? Were those happy times we shared at the pig farm all a lie?"

Xu Mo tilted his head and smiled. "Of course they were fake. I was only using you from the very beginning. You were just too stupid to see my true colors."

In truth, he had felt a flicker of affection once, but it had been entirely extinguished by Zhu Qingqing’s foolishness. Upon hearing Xu Mo’s answer, Zhu Qingqing could no longer hold back her tears. "Xu Mo, you are so cruel. Why are you doing this to me? Why?!"

"There is no 'why.' From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Don't come looking for me!" After saying this, Xu Mo walked over to a corner and lay down, clearly wanting no further conversation with her.

Nearby, Da Niu and his men were watching the drama with great interest. Seeing that Xu Mo intended to completely wash his hands of Zhu Qingqing, the three men exchanged looks and broke into wicked grins.

This insufferable woman was truly too annoying; finally, they could deal with her. The man who had spat on the ground earlier stood up and walked over to Zhu Qingqing. "Hey, you wretched woman, go and lick that spit off the ground, or I won't let you off!"

"I won't..." As soon as Zhu Qingqing opened her mouth to refuse, a heavy slap landed across her face. The rough palm slammed into her skin, and her delicate cheek immediately swelled and reddened. Before she could react, her hair was grabbed violently. The man dragged her to the spot and forced her head down toward the spit on the ground. "Eat! Eat it, you bitch! If you don't eat, I’ll beat you to death!"

"Wuwuwu..." Zhu Qingqing didn't dare to cry out loud and could only struggle desperately with her mouth tightly shut. But she was far too weak. Soon, her face was smeared with spit and dirt. Seeing her in such a pathetic state, the man let her go and laughed heartily. "I’ll show you who’s crazy. Damn it, you annoying woman, you’re so noisy!"

Zhu Qingqing sobbed uncontrollably, frantically wiping the filth from her face with her sleeves. Once she had cleaned herself up as best she could, she crawled over to Xu Mo to beg for help. But Xu Mo simply pushed her away. "Get lost! Don't disturb my rest!" The smell of the spit on the fool’s face was too disgusting; he didn't want any contact with her.

"Xu Mo! You have no heart! You bastard!" Zhu Qingqing shouted through her tears.

"Shut up! Do you want to lure the wild beasts here?" Another man grabbed a handful of dirt from the floor and shoved it into her mouth. "Swallow! Swallow it! If you don't eat it, get out of here!"

Zhu Qingqing kept her mouth open, her entire mouth filled with dirt, her eyes burning red with terror. In the end, she had no choice but to swallow it with humiliating difficulty. "Cough... ugh..." After swallowing the dirt, she knelt on the ground, retching incessantly. Large teardrops fell onto the ground, quickly soaking the earth.

Seeing his lackeys finish their retaliation, Da Niu prepared to make his move. He had long wanted to torment this wretched woman. "Xu Mo, if I bully your woman, will you interfere?"

The so-called torment meant more than just the surface-level abuse. Xu Mo understood the implication and his gaze darkened. He hadn't intervened when the other two were retaliating, thinking it would dampen Zhu Qingqing’s arrogance. But now that Da Niu wanted to touch her, he felt reluctant. Even though he was tired of her, she had, after all, been his woman. He couldn't just hand someone he hadn't touched himself over to others.

Seeing Xu Mo hesitate, Da Niu dangled a larger bait. "As long as you let her be, once we rendezvous with the contacts from the neighboring county tomorrow morning, I will recommend you to our superiors."

In reality, Da Niu could have used force to take her, but he chose to negotiate with Xu Mo because he valued his talent. It had taken a great deal of effort to recruit such a person; he couldn't afford a falling out now.

Da Niu added, "Don't worry, I keep my word. You’re a smart man; you know how to choose."

Xu Mo remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine."

Hearing their conversation, Zhu Qingqing finally understood what was happening. Her face turned deathly pale, and she crawled on her knees to Xu Mo’s feet, clutching his pant leg tightly. With her face covered in tears, she begged, "Xu Mo... please... save me..."

Xu Mo turned his head away, refusing to look at her. Amidst her screams, Da Niu dragged Zhu Qingqing into a corner. The other two brothers followed behind, excited and eager. "Brother Da Niu, hurry up, we haven't had a taste in a long time..."

"Ah!!!" The sound of tearing clothes, accompanied by piercing screams, echoed through the cave.

Xu Mo’s breath hitched, and he squeezed his eyes shut. *Zhu Qingqing, this is what you brought upon yourself. Don't blame me.*

In the middle of the night, when Lin Xiaodou and Xiao Jingyao arrived, they were met with this scene. Zhu Qingqing lay on the ground, her body exposed and covered in bruises, her eyes vacant. Nearby, several disheveled men lay sprawled in a deep slumber. In the corner, Xu Mo, who had been taking a nap, suddenly opened his eyes and locked gazes with the two newcomers...