"...Are you serious? This is your base?"

Qing shan couldn't believe his eyes as he gestured with his hands to the sorry excuse for a settlement behind him. After forcing the bandits to march hours under the midday sun they had arrived to see a gathering of small huts and a crooked and pathetic wooden fence. It looked like it could barely keep out small animals, never mind other people!

"Yes, Boss!"

The former bandit boss Yuan replied with a proud look on his face. Sure, the small village wasn't anything impressive to look at, but it was built with their blood, sweat, and tears. Every plank and nail was put together by them!

"Now I feel a bit bad for bullying you guys..."

They looked worst than some of the beggars he had seen wandering the city! Their hair matted with grease and dirt, their clothes full of holes and tears, even their weapons looked second hand! More for intimation than actual use, he doubted they would last more than a battle or two.

Yuan didn't know whether or laugh or cry. If you feel bad then why don't you return our stuff! Qing Shan pointedly ignored the look in their eyes as he rolled into the village. Actions had consequences, who told them to pick the wrong target? He didn't feel that bad to let them off so easily.

 As he observed the village he soon came to learn that the group behind them wasn't all of the bandits. The houses were full of people that you normally wouldn't expect to see so close to the capital city. They were cripples like him!

The most common was a missing arm or a leg, others had strange appearances. An odd growth on their head, patches of discolored skin here and there, they were carrying out their tasks in a lively manner.

All in all the entire place looked as if a gathering place of misfits. He had asked about their circumstances and gotten an unexpected tale.

"We weren't always bandits. Once, we were simple folks, farmers or traders, living off the land and helping each other. It was a quiet life-"

Qing Shan tuned out the rest as he glanced around the village square. They were surrounded by the other villagers as Yuan everyone regaled little Bai their heroic tale of overcoming prejudice and adversity! He sneakily rolled away to see the rest of the place.

It was sad. As if a child had been the architect to draw the infrastructure plans. Huts randomly dotted the surroundings along with poorly made animal hides. It really was sad and he highly doubted they would last the winter without help.

Help that he could absolutely provide.

Qing Shan had taken a mere ten minutes to survey the entirety of the small village before returning to the where Bai was

"Welp, that's that. Hey Bai, say goodbye to our new friends and let's go!" With his curiosity sated it was time to go home. He had some new ideas to test out. Pig and cow tendons worked decently well for his prototype crossbows, but perhaps horse would fair better?  

With new ideas in his head, he turned around and started to leave before someone grabbed the back of his wheelchair with a sudden jerk.

"Bai?" 

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"Young master! We can't just leave these poor people to their fates! We have to help them!"

"... Weren't you the one who was all for beating them up and dumping them in jail earlier?"

She had a small blush as she recalled her...eagerness and rough treatment. She carefully avoided looking back behind her to see the victims of their actions. It was mostly her Young master's fault anyway! She only kicked a few of them, honest! 

"That was different! I didn't know! That's beside the point anyway"

"No way. What did you expect us to do anyhow? Bring them back to the city to live in the Long residence? You know that wouldn't work. I could barely get you in and even then you mostly had to hide away. Did think we could hide 50 people in my small courtyard?"

"We could help them find a home in the city!"

"Oh, ok. How? Pay for an Inn? Buy them all homes? I didn't realize Young lady Bai was so wealthy and generous, after all, what is a measly sum of a thousand or two of Gold coins."

Sarcasm practically dripped from his tongue. Normally he didn't mind doing what she wanted every now and then, but he had no intention to spoiler her by complying to an unreasonable request. Especially when it would take so much work. Qing Shan didn't believe in doing things half-assed, if he took in these people, they could become his people. He would have to take up proper responsibility for them. Too troublesome.

"Ah, we can help them find temporary shelter and jobs! The people of the city love you. You can easily find them jobs."

He turned around and tilted his head behind her, a subtle glance and gesture was all that was needed for her to figure out his messages.

'With their condition and appearances who would hire them?'

Did you think they didn't try to find jobs before becoming bandits? No, they were forced too.

"Any other ideas or suggestions? I'm willing to listen if you come up with one that's actually viable."

This wasn't working. Bai knew from spending all this time with her Young master that he was serious about leaving these people. Her's was a strange Little lord. 

 She knew she couldn't argue against his logic so there was only one thing left to do. She had to appeal to his emotions. While normally accommodating and kind, it seems her Little lord wasn't feeling it today. She had to grab his attention somehow. God only knows how many time his interest drove him to do what others would judge to be stupid decisions. And that was exactly what she needed because this was a stupid thing to do she'll admit only to herself. 

To take care of and provide for a group of bandits and cripples that just recently tried to rob them? People they've known for less than a day? Idiotic. She'll just have to make it even worse, something so stupid it'll get him on board.

"We can't bring them to the city, we can't get them any other jobs, we can't leave them here as is. So why don't we just...Take over this group and... make a city?"

She didn't expect much, maybe reform them to be self-sufficient? Maybe some of the crazy tools her master has could help them farm and they could live new and honest lives? She didn't know how it would be done, but she knew her Young master was smart! He would find a way, she only needed to get him on board.

Although she was quite acquainted with Qing Shan and had some ideas of his habits and manner of thinking, she didn't truly understand the scale of it. She tried to use logical and common sense thinking to judge an irrational mind. It would be a long time before she realized what a huge mistake she had just made. Its effect will cause waves across the continent, but that was a fact that wouldn't truly come to fruition for some time.

"Pfft!"

If he was drinking water, he'd probably spit it out and choke right now. Instead Qing Shan doubled over from laughter his small fists pounding the armrest of his wheelchair. 'just take over this group and make a city" she said. Ya know, such a simple thing, we'll just take over the group! Who's the real bandit here? And while we're at it, might as well make a fucking city, so easy! Those people living like hobos in small villages in the wilderness was because they were bad, it's not like it's hard at all. 

She said it so nonchalantly as if it was a mere matter of if he wanted too or not.

She didn't even bother to ask what the group wanted and decided it herself, poor Yuan. Watching as the fate of his group, that he took years to build, was being decided by two brats younger than his son without even consulting him.

 "Fine, fine, you win, I'll help them. A city of cripples and bandits, how interesting, ha!"

A bunch of useless cripples rejected by society, a trash of a Young master from a small cultivating family, and a young lady who rather spoke with her fists than with words. What an interesting gathering of misfits.