The old cripple struggled to move his legs, and around the next corner was the gate of the Jiang family.
For someone with mobility difficulties, walking such a long distance was undoubtedly a challenge.
But the thought of the weight of the gold in his arms made him grit his teeth, and in the end, he persisted.
With a sense of relief, he spoke up, "Sir, it's just ahead."
Huang Quan turned back and glanced at the old man, his tone icy and low, "Hand it over."
"Hand over what..."
The old cripple followed his gaze and roughly understood
his meaning, but with a sense of reluctance, he pretended not to understand.
"While the gold is good, isn't it worthless if you don't have your life to spend it?"
A threat.
A blatant threat.
The old cripple lowered his head, silent.
Huang Quan urged, "Don't value your life anymore?"
Jiang Wanyu, who had been eavesdropping along the way, spat with disdain, "Scum!"
Although the old cripple was reluctant, he had no choice.
Should he risk everything?
He wasn't the master of the Ma family in the city who could twist his arm as he pleased, effortlessly handling a heavy load.
Even Gu Qici, who could live another life, hesitated and wanted to speak up. However, she was afraid that her abnormal behavior would raise suspicions and affect the overall plan. So she chose to continue being a small transparent figure.
Reluctantly, the old cripple took out the gold coins. He held them tightly, and Huang Quan had to tug at them forcefully twice before he could pull them out. The matter should have ended there, but Huang Quan unexpectedly didn't follow the usual script. He threw the gold coins into the dog hole of a neighboring family across the Jiang residence.
Rather than getting angry, the old cripple became delighted, seemingly understanding Huang Quan's intention. It turned out to be a trick commonly used by young masters to seek amusement! He didn't mind. All he knew was that as long as the gold coins were still there, nothing else mattered. The gold coins were still there!
As Jiang Wanyu clenched her fist, she could barely control herself from appearing and berating this scoundrel.
"Old man, I never take things from others without reason. It wasn't my fault that I didn't notice your mobility issue earlier. Now I'm giving you a chance to choose."
"I'll give you two more gold coins. How much you can keep depends on your greed. You can tell others that the gold coins were thrown into that family's dog hole by me, or you can hide one of them and let someone openly rob you of the other one in the bustling market. The latter option will guarantee your safety."
"Alternatively, you can get nothing and come to my broken hill as a menial worker. At least you shouldn't have a problem getting enough to eat."
The old cripple clearly understood that he had encountered a true "benefactor." With a very respectful tone, he asked, "What does the esteemed person think is the better choice for me?"
Huang Quan shook his head. "I have given you the choice, but I can't make it for you."
"Yaoyao, how about we go to the esteemed person's place and work as menial laborers?" The old cripple lowered his head and asked his granddaughter.
Liuxi Yao's expression was somewhat vacant, her eyes wandering.
Blinded by joy, the old cripple didn't pay attention to the details and assumed Liuxi Yao had silently agreed to his choice. His mind was clouded by happiness.
"Sir, I choose the second option!"
Two gold coins were undoubtedly valuable, but in reality, no matter how well they were hidden, once he spent them, it would attract the attention of bad people. He was just an old cripple, an innocent commoner. His only wish was to let his granddaughter grow up safe and worry-free. However, with his lame foot and advanced age, no shop was willing to hire him for odd jobs, which led him to live on the streets.
Huang Quan reached out and suddenly pulled at the waist token symbolizing Gu Qici's status as a direct disciple. It startled Gu Qici. What was he trying to do? Untie his own belt? Set off a firework to celebrate? Should she refuse?
Fortunately, the situation was different from what she had anticipated. Huang Quan untied the waist token of Gu Qici, which represented her status as a personally taught disciple, and handed it to the old cripple.
"You are clever, unlike the silly girl before. A few coins can save you temporarily, but they won't save you for a lifetime. If you mention the name of Heavenly Demon Sect - Gu Qici, you won't be going to work as menial laborers but enjoying a life of luxury."
Huang Quan smiled helplessly. "Take it. How you get to Heavenly Demon Sect is your own problem. Anyway, I'm not a good person, it's just a passing fancy."
Heavenly Demon Sect, one of the top sects in the Southern Domain. Even the wandering old hillbilly had heard of its illustrious name. It was a waist token representing the identity of a personally taught disciple of Heavenly Demon Sect.
It was light.
Lighter than gold.
But heavier than his life.
The old cripple's excitement was indescribable. He tidied up his dirty clothes, making himself look presentable. "This humble servant, Liu Xiang, thanks the esteemed person for granting me a second chance in life. In the next life, I will be a loyal servant, willing to endure hardships and repay the esteemed person's favor. I humbly request the esteemed person's name, so that in the next life, I will have an answer."
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of heavy knocks echoed on the ground.
The first kowtow caused fresh blood to flow from the impact with a pebble on the ground.
The old cripple paid no attention to the stone, without hesitation knocking his head for the second and third time.
Each knock sent a tremor through Jiang Wanyu's heart.
"I can bear these three knocks, and I should."
"But remember, from now on, you are considered half a member of Heavenly Demon Sect. We of Heavenly Demon Sect do not kneel to the heavens and the earth, nor do we worship ghosts and gods. We only believe in one thing: that everything in this world is achieved through our own hands."
"My name? It's of little consequence, driven by curiosity."
Huang Quan prepared to head towards the Jiang family.
"Oh, right! Sir!"
The old cripple seemed to remember something.
"You are also a cultivator, aren't you?"
In his haste, he pulled out the oil-paper-wrapped tail beast bun from his pocket.
While retrieving the bun, the broken silver that Jiang Wanyu had given him, which was considered as valuable as his life, scattered on the ground due to his clumsy actions.
The old cripple didn't even glance at the silver.
With an offering-like gesture, he handed the bun over. "I heard the boss say, 'Your tail beast bun is ready.' I guess this is the meat of a spiritual beast, which is very helpful for cultivation!"
He was not a cultivator, so he didn't understand its value.
He only remembered the appearance and attitude of the boss at the time, indicating that it should be a precious item and the only thing he had that was presentable.
Seeing that Huang Quan didn't reach out his hand, the old cripple remembered his own appearance and spoke anxiously, "It's clean inside, I didn't touch it."
He kept repeating, his hoarse voice tinged with a hint of sobbing.
"Sir, this bun is clean..."
Gu Qici shook his head.
The tail beast bun was indeed extremely precious to ordinary people.
In the eyes of Heavenly Demon Sect, it was nothing more than a standard breakfast for inner disciples.
But for Huang Quan?
Heavenly Demon Sect had already placed their bets on him, hoping to achieve great things. They wanted to provide him with the most luxurious meals at every opportunity.
For him, this bun was not as easy to swallow as coarse grains.
"Alright."
Huang Quan reached out to take the oil-paper-wrapped bun.
The old cripple's hand twitched, afraid that his dirty hands would soil the other person.
Huang Quan stuffed the bun into his mouth without hesitation.
Under the expectant gaze of the old cripple, he said, "Thank you, it will be helpful for my cultivation."
The old cripple smiled with relief, a hint of tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. "That's good... That's good."
Meanwhile, Liuxi Yao, who was in a state of awakening her dragon bone, struggled and took off a copper coin hanging from her neck. "Big brother, you are a good person. Yao Yao heard that when a favor like this lasts long enough, it usually leads to a commitment. Big brother, you are handsome. When Yao Yao grows up, she wants to marry you. Don't look at Yao Yao being young, I'm actually already 13 years old, I'll be of age next year!"
"This is a memento left by my mother. She always rambled on about how it's called a life-changing copper coin and can resist a deadly calamity once. Let's consider it our token of affection."
After saying that, she fell into a dazed state once again.
Jiang Wan Yu, who was hiding in the corner and secretly observing, was originally gloating in secret.
So, this is her "fiance"?
It seems unexpectedly not bad.
The previous little girl... so this means they made a promise to repay her when she grows up?
He became annoyed and grabbed a piece of brick.
Gu Qici's eyes were filled with anger.
Annoying...
Everything remained unchanged.
That touch of moonlight in his heart.
Damn white moonlight.