156. Ill-Fated Second Lady Wang

Lu Jin looked at the hostages lined up in rows ahead, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.

Each of them had been locked inside houses originally, so how many clothes could they possibly have? They were practically stripped bare. Now, every single one of them was trembling like chaff in the wind.

And those brothers of his were completely indifferent, failing to learn even a shred of the gentle, considerate traits from him. It was no wonder they were still single.

"Come over here and build a fire so they can warm up!" Lu Jin shouted.

After a while, three bonfires blazed up from the ground, and the hostages hurriedly gathered around them to warm themselves. This allowed the frightened flock of birds to regain a little bit of warmth.

"While you're warming up, listen to me for a moment. Is there anyone among you with a special skill, or anyone who can read and write?" Lu Jin asked the crowd.

Everyone looked at him blankly, failing to understand the point. If one could, would that mean survival or certain death?

"Big Sister, aren't you literate? Why aren't you stepping forward?" Lu Jin looked at a woman in her twenties.

"This humble concubine... this humble concubine..." the woman said timidly.

"I told you already, we of the Lanjiang Water Gang are good people, so just speak your mind."

"This humble concubine does know how to read a little, but I don't know what the Gr... Commander means?" Suspicion still lingered in the woman's eyes.

Lu Jin said helplessly, "Big Sister, come closer and speak."

The woman gave a full-body shudder, which in turn took Lu Jin aback—this woman was truly well-endowed.

Nie Wuci, standing right beside him, fumed inwardly. What a spineless, lustful dog of a man!

"Commander, this humble concubine is willing to serve you!" The woman snapped out of her daze, rushed over to Lu Jin's side, dropped to her knees, and said with a trembling voice.

Lu Jin was even more dumbfounded. The woman kneeling on the ground right now was simply too much to behold. This was the true definition of thunder hidden within the chest!

"Get up and answer properly!" Nie Wuci snapped angrily. Just look at yourself, what kind of delusions are you entertaining?

"This humble concubine really is willing to serve the Commander!" the woman whispered. She knew her own situation all too well; weren't these men just after her body anyway?

"You..." Nie Wuci reached for her sword in a flash of temper. She had never seen such a shameless woman, trying to seduce even her own man.

"Wait!" Lu Jin hurriedly pressed down on Nie Wuci's hand as she drew her sword; this young lady had far too explosive a temper.

"Big Sister, I just said we are good people. I didn't mean anything like that; I just wanted to ask you about a few things. Get up quickly."

Only then did the woman stand up with trepidation.

Lu Jin was speechless. Why did this woman's entire body jiggle with the slightest movement? Was she made of tofu?

"Hiss!" Lu Jin felt a sharp pain at his waist, and turning his head, he saw Nie Wuci glaring at him angrily once again.

(〒︿〒) Could this be blamed on him? This was merely biological instinct! Of course, this woman was indeed quite capable of arousing that kind of reaction.

"Ahem, Big Sister, let me ask you, how were you captured by them?" Lu Jin softened his expression as much as possible.

Upon hearing this, tears immediately streamed down the woman's face.

"This humble concubine was originally a daughter of the Jinling Pleasure House, sold by the procuress to that wealthy landowner Guo. I was supposed to travel with him back to Yuezhou Prefecture, but who would have expected to be intercepted by them right here in this great lake..."

"Then what is your name?" Why did this story sound somewhat familiar?

"The procuress gave this humble concubine a courtesan name: Yutangchun."

(⊙ꇴ⊙) Really? Lu Jin was stunned!

"Are you Su San?" Lu Jin asked in shock.

"I am afraid I must disappoint the Commander. This humble concubine originally had the surname Wang, and I was ranked second in my family," the woman said in confusion. Who on earth was this Su San?

"..." Lu Jin was speechless. People and stories that seemed vaguely familiar always seemed to pop up.

No wonder this woman's whole body jiggled; as it turned out, she was also someone with a story.

"And what about that landowner Guo?"

"He was killed by them in the lake," Wang Erniang said as she began to cry again.
"Didn't you say you studied when you were young? How did you end up in a pleasure house?" Lu Jin asked, puzzled.

"When this humble concubine was twelve years old, both my father and mother passed away. Having no other choice, I had to go look for relatives. But who would have thought I would be waylaid midway and sold to Jinling..."

Goodness, your life path really has been quite bumpy, full of nothing but human traffickers and bandits.

"You said you were ranked second, what about the eldest?"

"He fell seriously ill and didn't make it..." The woman grew even more heartbroken. If her older brother hadn't died young, her parents wouldn't have fallen fatally ill from grief.

Truly, frayed ropes always snap at the thinnest spot, and misfortune always seeks out the wretched. Moreover, why did every random person he chatted with turn out to have such a tragic story?

Even the previously aggressive Nie Wuci's eyes grew moist; she hadn't expected this woman's fate to be even more miserable than her own. Still, that didn't give her the right to snatch away her man.

"Then what are your plans for the future?" Judging by her situation, she didn't seem to have anywhere to go.

"This humble concubine is willing to serve the Commander!" The woman dropped to her knees again.

"Get up, I don't need you to serve me." Cleansed by a tragic story, biological instinct had faded away.

"Commander, although this humble concubine is a faded bloom, I possess quite a few tricks to make a man feel comfortable..."

Having entered the brothel in her early teens, coupled with her exceptional physical conditions, Wang Erniang understood the minds of these men all too well. This led her to believe that men were all cut from the same cloth, essentially just lusting after her body.

Since this big bandit had sought her out to talk, wasn't it still because he desired her body? Rather than being unable to escape, it was better to submit willingly and spare herself some suffering.

(⊙ꇴ⊙) Lu Jin was dumbfounded. This woman was truly bold; he really wanted to ask what kind of tricks she knew.

"Wang Erniang, I've said it before, we are good people, not mountain bandits. I originally wanted to ask about your situation to see whether you'd prefer to return home on your own or stay behind to live with the Lanjiang Water Gang. If you truly have nowhere to go, the Lanjiang Water Gang has so many fine fellows; we will surely let you choose someone satisfactory to spend your life with."

Lu Jin had chosen to speak with Wang Erniang clearly because he figured that since she was literate, she would understand reason better than ordinary people. He never imagined that this woman understood things a bit too thoroughly.

"This, this humble concubine..." On one hand, Wang Erniang was shocked that this man was actually letting her go. On the other hand, she felt completely lost; throughout her life, she could honestly say she had never controlled her own destiny. Even if she left, where could she possibly go?

The reason Lu Jin spoke with this woman was precisely to pick a role model, acting like buying a fine horse with a thousand pieces of gold to show sincerity. These people had basically been ruined by the water bandits; rather than returning home to a dead end with no means of survival, starting a new life within the Lanjiang Water Gang was a much better option.

This would solve the water gang's stability and unity issues while also giving them a chance to restart their lives. Of course, all of this depended on their own choice.

"This humble concubine will listen to the Commander." The world was vast, yet Wang Erniang had no destination of her own. She certainly couldn't voluntarily return to the brothel.

"Very well. Since Wang Erniang feels this way, our Lanjiang Water Gang will certainly not let you down. Here, you can forget all your past and live a good life from now on..." Lu Jin comforted her.

Listening to the soft, gentle tone of the man who had just been a murderous grim reaper, Wang Erniang gradually let down her guard. If he truly harbored malicious intentions, he surely wouldn't need to use such tactics on a mere woman like her.

"Brother!"

Lu Jin looked up, and his eyes lit up.

This Wang Erniang possessed not only non-standard beauty and an extraordinary figure, but also a bit of education. Why not let his big brother have her? It would also set an example for the other brothers.

"Big Brother!" Lu Jin stood up and walked over with a smile.

Meanwhile, Nie Wuci pulled Wang Erniang to her feet. Only then did Wang Erniang take a closer look at Nie Wuci's appearance, and realization dawned on her—no wonder this person hadn't fancied her.

"Do you really know a lot of those tricks?" Nie Wuci asked with a blushing face.

"Ah? I... I know a few." Wang Erniang never expected this young woman to ask her such a question.

"Then tell me about them..." Nie Wuci whispered close to Wang Erniang's ear.

Luwei, having just finished arranging the boats, felt a bit dazed as he watched Lu Jin walk toward him with a smile. It was simply impossible to imagine that the bright-faced brother before him was the very same merciless grim reaper from moments ago.

"Big Brother, it was my oversight. I've been busy with other matters all this time and neglected to ask about your situation. I've been here for several days now, yet I've never heard you mention your family. Where is my sister-in-law?" As Lu Jin spoke, he pulled Luwei aside.

" Alas, my old woman passed away many years ago," Luwei sighed.

"Sorry, Big Brother, it was my rashness."

"It's been many years. You know what哥哥's situation has been all these years—I've just been raising Cao'er by myself..."

"Cao'er is?" Lu Jin asked, puzzled. Who on earth was Cao'er?

"She's the daughter your sister-in-law left me. You've been run off your feet with work these past few days, so I didn't dare disturb your thoughts. In a few days, I'll introduce her to you, her uncle..."

Lu Jin truly hadn't paid attention to this these past few days, but none of that mattered.

"Big Brother, it's like this. We've rescued quite a few hostages now, especially these women. Even if we release them, they might not have anywhere to go upon returning home. So your brother was thinking of asking if any of them are willing to stay..." Lu Jin roughly explained his arrangement.

"That makes sense. With so many brothers in the gang, without a family, they can't truly settle down," Luwei remarked.

"That was my exact thought, Big Brother. I don't think you should keep living like this either. How about setting an example for the brothers?"

"Ah? This..." Luwei hadn't expected this matter to involve him at all. To say he had no thoughts on the matter would be a lie—after all, how long had it been since he'd tasted meat? But still, this...

"Don't worry, Big Brother, I have a plan. Finding someone decent to warm your bed would be good. Once our water gang grows stronger in the future, I will definitely find you a proper match."

"This..." Luwei still hesitated, as it was all too sudden.

"Don't rush, Big Brother, just take a look first." As Lu Jin spoke, he pulled Luwei back toward the group.

As a result, when Lu Jin turned around and looked ahead, he was dumbfounded. The atmosphere had been tense with daggers drawn just moments ago, and now they were whispering ear-to-ear?

Especially Nie Wuci, who had long since discarded her coir raincoat and was now clad in full military uniform, while Wang Erniang at the side was practically stripped bare. No matter how he looked at it, the scene felt entirely awkward!

"Wuci!" Lu Jin walked up and called out.

"Ah?" Nie Wuci jerked away from Wang Erniang like a startled rabbit in a flash, her face blushing brilliantly even in the firelight.

"Big Brother, this is..." Lu Jin turned around, intending to introduce her to his big brother, only to find that Luwei was already staring blankly at Wang Erniang.

Earlier, the weather had been terrible and the distance too great; standing on the platform made it hard to see clearly, and everyone was in a state of high tension, leaving no room to care about such things.

But it was different now. The major business was concluded, the rain had cleared, and in the hazy lamplight, the scantily clad Wang Erniang with her explosive figure was simply too potent at arousing a man's primal desires.

"Big Brother, is this Wang Erniang to your satisfaction?" Lu Jin leaned close to Luwei and asked in a low voice.

"S-Satisfied." Luwei swallowed hard, his eyes glowing with a faint greenish light. Facing this most primal temptation, the greenwood hero Luwei, who had been dormant for so many years, was completely lost.

"Very well, Big Brother, just leave it to your brother to arrange."

"Wang Erniang, you recognize this person as well. He is the leader of our Lanjiang Water Gang, the loyal and righteous Heavenly King Lu, a top-tier hero among men, and my good big brother." Lu Jin laid on the flattery thick and fast.

Although this match was being forced together today, Lu Jin didn't want to truly coerce anyone into a specific choice. But it didn't matter; if they disagreed, he would work on them until the job was done.

"Since Wang Erniang intends to stay, my big brother happens to lack a virtuous woman to help manage the household right now. I wonder if Wang Erniang would be willing?"

Wang Erniang hadn't spent her time in the brothel for nothing; seeing Lu Jin bring this fierce-looking man over, she roughly understood what was happening. Did she even have a choice?

"This humble concubine is willing!" Wang Erniang forced a smile onto her face.

"Splendid, splendid! My big brother is the most considerate of people; Wang Erniang, you are in for a blessing," Lu Jin laughed.

Wang Erniang wanted to cry inside. Did that scar-covered face look like someone who would be considerate?

Looking into that pair of hawk-like eyes glowing with greenish light, Wang Erniang's legs trembled slightly; tonight was bound to be a difficult ordeal.