"I... really have never... abused him..."
Erniu continued to ramble on when Chu Jinzhao, who was ahead, suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Young Master Chu?" His men also stopped, unconsciously looking ahead, only to see a frail figure trudging through the muddy road, staggering with every step.
Before his men could say a word, Chu Jinzhao had already strode forward quickly.
The person ahead, frightened by the sight of the approaching group, turned and ran.
But after only a few steps, he fell, tumbling heavily into a mud pit.
"Wuu..." The boy lay in the puddle, covered from head to toe in mud and dirty water, looking extremely bedraggled and pitiful.
He was still trying to crawl forward, perhaps driven by the instinct to survive, as tears came forth and he whimpered unintelligibly, calling out something.
"Xiaozhi." Chu Jinzhao called softly, and only when he approached could he clearly hear what the boy was crying out.
"Chu brother... Chu brother..."