I am the snake demon!

The girl looked up and saw Bai Xuan dressed in gorgeous clothes. She was taken aback and said timidly, "Did I... disturb you, sir? I... I'll leave right away."

"No rush, I'm just curious why you're crying here? Where are your family members? If you don't mind, you can tell me, maybe I can help you." Bai Xuan smiled kindly.

"Help me?" The girl looked at Bai Xuan timidly, her eyes filled with even more wariness.

"Yes, you can tell our young master whatever grievances you have suffered. Our young master is kind-hearted, compassionate, and all-powerful. He will definitely stand up for you," Hongxiu said gently from the side. Looking at the timid girl, she couldn't help but think of her own past, and her tone softened considerably.

Seemingly comforted by Hongxiu, the girl grew bolder and said in a tearful voice, "My mother is seriously ill and we have no money to treat her. I had no choice but to borrow one tael of silver from Master He to buy medicine. But when I finally managed to scrape together the silver to pay him back, he said that the time had passed and the interest was compounding, so he wanted twenty taels of silver. He said I still owed him nineteen taels of silver. If I couldn't pay back the silver in five more days, he would take me as his concubine."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan immediately frowned. The helplessness of ancient society meant that ordinary people had no ability to withstand risks. When faced with risks, they often had to sell their land or even their bodies. But this Master He, who had increased his profits nineteen times in a month, was so greedy and deserved to die. He said, "Don't worry, since I've encountered this, I'll stand up for you. Take me to find that Master He, and I'll teach him a lesson for you."

Since I'm just killing time anyway, I might as well play Bao Zheng for a bit.

It's all about my own territory.

Moreover, doing good deeds and helping people solve their problems is a very fulfilling thing.

However, often the effort is thankless and can even lead to trouble.

But Bai Xuan wasn't afraid of trouble.

"No, no, Uncle He is rich and powerful, even Brother Gao can't do anything about him," the girl said hurriedly.

"Wealthy and powerful? I'll take on the wealthy and powerful. Also, who is your Brother Gao?" Bai Xuan asked curiously.

"Brother Gao is my elder brother's superior, a captain. He's the one who lent me a tael of silver, which is why I was able to repay Master He," the girl explained.

"Captain? Soldier? Wait, you have an older brother. Why isn't it your older brother who's thinking about treating your mother's illness? Instead, it's a little girl like you who has to suffer." Bai Xuan asked in confusion.

"I... my eldest brother died in battle four months ago. My mother didn't wake up after hearing the news and has been bedridden ever since." As the girl spoke, large tears seemed to fall down her face as she thought of her eldest brother.

"So your elder brother died defending the country, and you, a widow and her children, were bullied to the point of having to sell yourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan's voice suddenly rose a notch, and a strong murderous aura appeared in his eyes.

He was a snake for ninety years, but his values ​​were basically established during the short twenty years of his previous life.

In his mind, it was shameful to bully orphans and widows, but it was a crime to bully the orphans and widows of martyrs.

He is still the king of the North, and this is a slap in the face.

He originally only wanted to teach that old man He a lesson, but now, if that guy is alive, Bai Xuan will give up being the Prince of Zhenbei.

Sensing Bai Xuan's murderous aura, the girl turned pale and was too frightened to speak.

Fortunately, Bai Xuan reacted immediately, suppressed his murderous intent, and calmly looked at the girl, saying, "No, if your older brother died in battle, there should be compensation."

The compensation standards in the northern border are considered high throughout the entire Zhou Dynasty.

Ten taels of silver.

Although it's true that serious illnesses can't be cured, and illness strikes like a landslide, no amount of money can cover it all, the fact that only one or two taels of silver were borrowed in total indicates that it wasn't a serious illness.

Otherwise, what can one or two taels of silver afford?

"No, all twenty-odd brothers in our village died in battle, but the compensation has not been issued. We asked around in Gaojia Village and it's the same there. My brother's battalion hasn't received their compensation either," the girl said.

"So your family's situation isn't an isolated case?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan's expression changed again. Was the fact that one battalion of men had not received compensation only applicable to that battalion, or to the rest of the battalion?

Defending the country and dying on the battlefield without receiving any compensation? Are you kidding me?

There are even people who dare to embezzle pension benefits.

"Mmm," the girl nodded delicately.

Bai Xuan took a deep breath, took out twenty taels of silver from his pocket, and gave it directly to the girl, saying, "Take me to your village."

He's not in a hurry to deal with that so-called "Old Master He".

Compared to the possibility that the soldiers' pensions might be embezzled, teaching Grandpa He a lesson is really a trivial matter.

"For me?" A look of intense surprise immediately flashed in the girl's clear black and white eyes.

"That's right, I'm from the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion. Now take me to your village. If what you say is true, then I will help you get justice and seek compensation for all those whose families have suffered casualties among the soldiers," Bai Xuan said.

"Someone from the Prince's mansion?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes lit up. She happily wiped away her tears and finally began to act like a girl her age, skipping and hopping ahead to lead the way.

"Young master, are we going to be in danger if we go out of the city with him?" Hongxiu frowned slightly, looking somewhat worried.

She sympathized with the girl, but for her, Bai Xuan's safety was the most important thing.

There might be risks if we leave the city.

"It's nothing," Bai Xuan shook his head. Not to mention that he had absolute confidence in himself, he also had more than one woman, Hongxiu, by his side.

If the Prince of Zhenbei were to come out with only a concubine to protect him, then the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion would be far too inadequate.

He could sense that seven people were protecting him in the shadows, the leader of whom was a ninth-grade Tongtian Realm expert.

"Yes." Hongxiu dared not stop him upon hearing this, but kept a close eye on him and followed Bai Xuan forward, leaving the city and arriving at a place that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

The dilapidated courtyard walls, the uneven, muddy ground, and even the cow and sheep dung on the road emitted a foul odor.

At the village entrance, a few mischievous children were playing, but they were all thin and bony, with yellowish complexions.

This scene was familiar to Hongxiu, because she had lived such a life before, but it was also unfamiliar to her, because she had been sold into the Prince's mansion. Although she had been a servant for more than ten years, she had lived a life of luxury, seeing artificial mountains, pavilions, and terraces.

However, these thoughts only flashed through her mind. Hongxiu looked around warily and sensed that most of the people she had encountered along the way were breathing heavily and did not seem to be people who had cultivated profound internal energy. Only then did she relax a little.

Bai Xuan, however, didn't care at all. He chatted casually with the girl, learned her name as Sun Ke'er, and also learned more about her village.

After a while, they followed the girl to a dilapidated house.

As they passed the doorway, a lame man looked at Bai Xuan and the other two strangely and called out loudly, "Ke'er, who's this person next to you?"

"Brother Erhu, this is a noble person from the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. He said he can get back the compensation that belongs to us," the girl said with a bright smile.

"A noble person from the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion?"

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes lit up. He picked up a simple cane and stood up excitedly, asking, "Are you from the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion?"

"Yes, who are you?" Bai Xuan asked in confusion.

"Brother Erhu, like my brother, was a soldier in the Zhenbei Army, but he became lame in battle. He was also the one who told me that my brother had died in battle," the girl replied.

"I see. Your compensation hasn't arrived yet." Bai Xuan nodded slightly. He had retired because he was lame.

"No, the senior officer went to look for us several times, saying that there were many casualties this time and that we should wait, but we've been waiting for months. It's okay for someone like me, but how can someone like Ke'er wait?" the lame man said.

"Tell me everything in detail," Bai Xuan said.

"Yes, sir, please wait a moment. I'll send someone to the next village to fetch Brother Gao. He's here today; he knows more details than I do," the lame man said.

"Go and call them, but tell me first, and we'll talk while we wait," Bai Xuan said.

"Yes." The lame man nodded repeatedly and then instructed the girl to pour water for Bai Xuan.

Bai Xuan nodded slightly as he listened to the lame man explain the situation. Not long after, a sound came from outside. Bai Xuan looked up and saw a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was as upright as a pine tree, and his face was so firm and somewhat rigid that it seemed like a stone carving. He rarely showed any expression, but a hint of anxiety appeared in his eyes.