"I am Xiaodou!" The little beggar cried uncontrollably. "Please help my sister! She’s not going to make it!"
He sobbed.
Yu Xiaodou and Yu Xiaolu were Grandma Yu’s grandchildren, exceptionally bright and favored by her. Lin Xin had also t the two little ones when he visited the Yu Residence, and they were quite fond of him.
"Where’s Xiaolu? Take to her quickly!"
Lin Xin said in a deep voice.
Yu Xiaodou quickly led Lin Xin towards the outskirts of the city. After a distance, where the city walls were almost out of sight, they entered a dilapidated temple.
Inside the temple, a frail-looking little beggar was carefully feeding gruel to a sickly little girl next to a pile of burning charcoal.
Upon seeing Yu Xiaodou return, the little beggar quickly got up and approached them. Seeing the stranger Lin Xin, he paused, but then hurriedly said,
"Xiaodou, your sister is dying! Why did you only co back now! Where’s the food?"
It was only when he spoke that Lin Xin realized he was a girl.
"What!" Yu Xiaodou exclaid, instantly panicking and rushing over.
But Lin Xin held him back.
"I’ll handle it!"
He stepped forward and looked carefully at the little girl lying on a pile of dry grass.
The girl was about eight or nine years old, unconscious, her body so thin it was all skin and bones, and her eye sockets had a hint of greenish hue. Clearly, she was poisoned.
Lin Xin took out a high-level Detoxifying Talisman and channeled his Inner Qi into it.
The yellow paper with red characters spontaneously combusted without fire, emitting a lot of white smoke. This smoke, as if alive, entered the girl’s nostrils.
The talisman burned out quickly, and the green hue around the girl’s eyes slightly faded.
Lin Xin took out another and continued to light it.
He repeated this process, using over ten talismans until the green hue completely disappeared.
Lin Xin checked her eyes, noticing a hint of faint green still, as if she was wearing eye makeup.
"It’s Green Divine..." He gasped. "To dare to use such a poison... it’s really..."
The two children nearby were too scared to breathe, fearing they might disturb him during the treatnt.
Lin Xin knew that the usual Detoxifying Talismans wouldn’t suffice against such a toxin, so he had no choice but to take out a Sweet Dew Talisman and light it. Imdiately, a large amount of smoke entered the little girl’s nostrils.
Soon, the girl’s complexion gained a hint of rosiness. Clearly, it was working, but Lin Xin didn’t dare to use another as the effects of the Sweet Dew Talisman were too potent for an almost spent little girl, and using even one was risky.
"We must leave imdiately! Back to the manor!"
Lin Xin said as he got up.
"Uncle, is there still hope for my sister?" Yu Xiaodou asked anxiously.
"She’s stabilized for now, she should be fine until we get back! But it’s not safe here, we must leave imdiately!"
He glanced at the little beggar, his eyes flashing sharply.
"Xiaodou, who is she?"
In such circumstances, it was crucial not to leak any information regarding Yu Xiaodou and his sister.
Yu Xiaodou quickly explained that he and his sister had been discreetly disguised by their parents using a spell to escape imminent danger and then pretended to be beggars to survive. If not for this little beggar’s help, they would have starved to death by now.
The sharpness in Lin Xin’s eyes eased slightly, but it was crucial to keep this matter confidential.
The little beggar, sharp as ever, imdiately knelt and kowtowed.
"I beg the sir to take in!"
Lin Xin was slightly taken aback, noting the child must be about eleven or twelve years old and rather observant.
"What is your na?"
"My lord, I haven’t really had a na. I was found and raised by a beggar who always called Pig Kidney Flower," the little beggar hurriedly replied.
"Pig Kidney Flower?" Lin Xin was taken aback, the na leaving him speechless.
"Co, we must leave imdiately."
It was getting late, and he used his belt to secure Yu Xiaolu on his back, picking up another child with one hand, deployed Qinggong, and swiftly swept across the wilderness, soon disappearing into the grassland.
******************
Night
By the campfire, Yu Xiaodou and Yu Xiaolu, now in clean clothes, quietly sat by the fire, Xiaodou taking gentle care of his unconscious sister. The little girl called Pig Kidney Flower also dressed in clean clothes, looked much more normal, and her disheveled hair was tied up, revealing her gaunt face.
Along the way, Lin Xin had urgently flagged down a horse carriage by offering a large sum of money, forcefully purchasing it, and then led the three children on a hurried journey until they finally left the borders of Wansong City Territory by night.
Only then did he feel slightly relaxed.
After stepping down from the carriage and eating, Lin Xin sat by the campfire.
"There shouldn’t be any imdiate problems, rest assured," he said softly.
Yu Xiaodou nodded, watching his sister’s frail appearance and recounting the earlier tragedy, couldn’t help but feel the grief well up and started crying again.
Lin Xin sighed and hung a pot over the campfire to start cooking, not disturbing Xiaodou. It was good for him to vent considering all the turmoil he had endured at such a young age.
His gaze then turned to the sowhat lonely and restrained Pig Kidney Flower.
"Pig Kidney Flower... um... that na is too ugly... how did you end up with such a na?"
Zhu Yaohua hugged her legs and sat, hurriedly and cautiously replying when asked.
"The beggar who picked up really wanted to eat pig’s kidney flower but couldn’t, so he nad after it... He originally raised with effort, hoping I would grow up to be his wife. However, he later encountered a runaway horse at the market and was trampled to death."
Lin Xin nodded, also feeling emotional, in the chaotic world, even a random person had a tragic past that catches one’s eye.
"Then how did you end up eting Yu Xiaodou and the others?"
The young beggar hesitated before speaking.
"I saw them outside the city... I just thought they were pitiful..." Her voice was very low, seemingly afraid that Yu Xiaodou would hear her, but Lin Xin did.
Lin Xin then was silent too.
For a while, no one spoke, only Yu Xiaodou’s sobbing quietly echoed by the fire.
After a while, the jerky and bread were ready, and Lin Xin was about to start eating when Zhu Yaohua quickly stood up and insisted on doing it.
"Uncle, simply tell whatever needs to be done in the future," she said sowhat eagerly.
Lin Xin smiled, nodded, and said okay. He could see that the youngster wanted to make a good impression.
By this ti, Yu Xiaodou’s tears were almost dry, his eyes were a bit red as he lifted his head and hurriedly ate his food.
"Uncle Lin," he suddenly spoke.
"Cried enough?" Lin Xin asked lightly.
"Yes." Yu Xiaodou seed to have vented out his feelings, nodding. "I want revenge!"
"Revenge... do you know who the enemy is?" Lin Xin asked solemnly.
"I know. It’s Han Xiaolong, the Sword Hall Steward!" a chilling hatred shone in Yu Xiaodou’s eyes.
The Sword Hall Steward... At least at the Foundation Establishnt Stage...
"Uncle, I want to beg you to take as your disciple! I want to cultivate! I want revenge!!" Yu Xiaodou said fiercely, his eyes intensely fixed on Lin Xin.
"I know you want revenge, but what you need to do now is to change your identity first. I can take you as a disciple as well, but all these need careful planning," Lin Xin closed his eyes and spoke. "Moreover, it’s not up to to accept disciples; there are other disciples of your grandmother’s friends who have deeper cultivation than ."
"It’s good that you agree, Uncle!" Yu Xiaodou said quietly. "As for the other uncles and sisters... I’ve been waiting in the city for so many days... I haven’t seen anyone co."
Lin Xin sighed. He knew the others might also be on the cleaning list; if he didn’t have the Luminous Talisman Sword’s ability, he probably would be a target too. The others could hardly protect themselves, let alone take on a new disciple.
With a heavy heart, he also began to eat his share of food.
Thereafter, during the journey, he chose more secluded routes, carefully moving towards the manor.
Along the way, Zhu Yaohua took on all the miscellaneous chores, quickly taking ownership of various troubleso daily tasks. Lin Xin noticed her clever behavior, and Yu Xiaodou’s stories of despair before she saved his life by feeding him often moved him to plead on her behalf.
Finally, when they were close to reaching the manor.
One night.
Thud.
By the campfire.
Zhu Yaohua suddenly knelt to the ground.
"Xiao Hua also wants to cultivate! I beg Uncle Lin for rcy!"
Her words were clearly taught by soone; how could an uneducated young beggar know the word ’beg for rcy’?
Lin Xin stood by the campfire, quietly watching her, not speaking.
Zhu Yaohua didn’t know what to do and just started kowtowing.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
The sound of her forehead repeatedly smashing against the ground.
"I’ve also checked your aptitude these days, and you are inherently deficient, with limited talent. Not to ntion cultivation, even mastering internal Qi would be difficult." Lin Xin was not heartless, if it was possible, he would already have accepted her, but the youngster truly didn’t have the potential.
"Xiao Hua isn’t afraid of hardship! Not afraid of pain!! As long as I can cultivate! I’m willing to do anything!!" Zhu Yaohua beca anxious when she heard that, understanding none of talent or internal Qi—she only knew that in these troubled tis, this was the only opportunity she could grasp. If missed, it might never co again.
"This isn’t about hardship or pain..." Lin Xin felt helpless.
Watching her fervently kowtow one after another, her forehead was already broken, blood slowly seeping out, staining the soil red.
"Xiao Hua isn’t afraid! Not afraid!" she repeated over and over, not understanding Lin Xin’s words. Each kowtow was done without hesitation, using all her strength to smash down, which even startled Lin Xin.
Yu Xiaodou walked over from the side.
"Uncle..." His expression carried a hint of plea.
Lin Xin, looking at the now sowhat disfigured Zhu Yaohua from her kowtowing and reflecting on her clever performances over the days, as well as her loyalty and righteousness, eventually reached out and held her.
"Alright, I will accept you, but the na Zhu Yaohua can no longer be used, it’s too unsightly."
Zhu Yaohua was overjoyed, opening her mouth but not knowing how to respond.
"Please grant a na, Master!" Yu Xiaodou quickly prompted on her behalf.
"Please grant a na, Master!" she hastily echoed.
"Your na is Zhu Yaohua, so I might as well just reverse it, calling you Hua Yaozhu."
"’Hua’ as in flower, ’Yao’ as in shake, ’Zhu’ as in pearl. How do you like it?" Lin Xin spoke calmly.
"Thank you, Master!" Hua Yaozhu did not hesitate and kowtowed again, this ti Lin Xin did not stop her, allowing her to keep smashing down.
Then... then she didn’t get up.
Upon closer inspection, she had used too much force and had knocked herself unconscious... (To be continued. If you like this work, we welco you to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian to read.)
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