Xia Wenjin turned to the three: "Don’t you hate him?"

The three were dumbfounded.

Hate, how could they not hate him? They were originally innocent young ladies, just coming to the city to find a job, or to find their relatives, but they ended up being brought here. Their innocence was taken away, and they were locked in this dark place for several days.

Qian Baoshan tortured them, abused them, insulted them, destroyed their will, destroyed their hope for the future, no, he completely destroyed their future. They could have married ordinary men, lived ordinary, peaceful lives.

Just like their parents, even if they didn’t have much money, even if life was tough, they lived innocently, with some hope for the future.

But now there’s nothing left. What’s left for women who have lost their innocence?

Even if they returned to their villages, they would be seen as sinful and wouldn’t be accepted, even their parents would be implicated.

All this was caused by Qian Baoshan. Not to mention the dark days they lived through, the humiliation worse than death, being robbed of innocence. They wished they could eat Qian Baoshan’s flesh, drink his blood.

But thinking of his fierce look with the whip, the sufferings they endured at his hands, their eyes filled with fear, Qian Baoshan was a demon!

They nodded, yet their eyes still carried fear.

Xia Wenjin persuasively said, "You are not the first. Before you, Qian Baoshan captured others. After he tired of them, he sold them into a brothel, making them live a life worse than death. If I hadn’t come today, your fate would have been the same!"

One of them whispered weakly, "How can we fight him? The government won’t arrest him... We are outsiders, he is in power, we would be beaten to death!"

This sentence voiced the thoughts of the three, making them huddle, shivering against their knees.

Xia Wenjin calmly looked at them. Their experiences had made them more timid. Xia Wenjin understood their desire to retreat into their shells, she said, "You know who your enemy is, you know who to hate! Now there’s an opportunity to bring the one who harmed you to the government and let him be punished, to seek justice for you! What are you afraid of? Aren’t you even unafraid of death?"

The three looked at each other, probably no one had ever said these words to them, nor had they ever thought of such things. Unless in despair, who would want to die? If there was hope to live, who wouldn’t know that enduring life is better than a good death?

If they die, they wouldn’t have to face so much. But if they appealed to the government, they had much more to face.

Xia Wenjin chuckled softly, said, "Do you know why Qian Baoshan caught you, rather than others?"

The three shook their heads.

Xia Wenjin said bluntly, "Because he knows you are weak and easy to bully, knows even if he kills you, you’d only hate him in your heart and wouldn’t dare take any action. Knows even if you are rescued, you wouldn’t have the courage to report him, letting him face the punishment he deserves. Because you are weak and incapable, that’s why you have this fate. The saying ’Those who are pitiful must have something detestable’ refers to you."

The three never expected Xia Wenjin to berate them in front of their faces, and for a moment they forgot their grief.

Xia Wenjin didn’t stop, "Don’t think my words are harsh, actually I’m already being polite to you. Your life and death have nothing to do with me. Saving you was just incidental, not saving lays no loss to me. Yet, I won’t save anyone who doesn’t know how to save themselves. You must secretly hate Heaven for being blind, but when Heaven opens its eyes, you won’t even take revenge, only seek death?"

The three were rebuked until they couldn’t lift their heads, opened their mouths seemingly wanting to argue. But after thinking carefully, Xia Wenjin was right. They felt that being unable to face others in the future, death might be better. They hated Qian Baoshan, but were also afraid of him, perhaps death seemed the simplest thing.

Were they really so weak and easily bullied? Really afraid to take revenge? So they deserved it?

Xia Wenjin said, "Seems you’re still quite comfortable here, since you don’t care, there seems truly no need to save you. If you can’t even avenge yourself, only want to die, then let’s consider I didn’t come today. I’m leaving!"

She said leave and walked towards the door a few steps.

The three women snapped out of their self-pity, hurriedly rushed over, anxiously saying, "Miss, save us, we don’t want to live like this."

Xia Wenjin was already at the door by now, she glanced back, said, "To save you, do you want me to carry you out?"

The three women understood her meaning, at this time they couldn’t afford to be sad, worrying about how to live later, stumbled to the door.

Xia Wenjin walked neither fast nor slow, the three women had to run to keep up.

They were tormented terribly by Qian Baoshan, their bodies covered in wounds. Walking a bit faster, the wounds hurt immensely. But now, the desire to survive occupied their hearts completely, they momentarily forgot the pain.

Xia Wenjin actually considered this, slowed her pace as much as possible. Though she didn’t intentionally accommodate them, it was within their ability to endure. If they weren’t willing to take a chance for themselves, Xia Wenjin couldn’t help.

Fortunately, after their mental journey just now, maybe Xia Wenjin’s scolding woke them up, maybe they realized something themselves, the desire to survive erupted.

When they came out from the small room and saw the large room outside, each face turned pale. Especially the big bed and those torture devices in another corner, they dared not look.

Clearly earlier, Qian Baoshan abused them there.

No one knew whether it was to divert attention or express gratitude to Xia Wenjin, the youngest girl softly asked, "Who... who are you? That... villain?"

Xia Wenjin slowly said, "I’m from out of town, just arrived in the Capital City today. At the city gate, Qian Baoshan gave me trouble, but he couldn’t find a reason to deal with me, so at night he found his accomplice, put me in a sack, and brought me here. Only I woke up early. Then I knocked them out, so I’m here!"

This had a lot of information, the three listened in a daze, one murmured, "Knocked out, why didn’t you kill him?"