"Say, kids... Would the two of you happen to be looking for employment?"
That was the last question that two beggar children expected to hear from the one called 'The Great Sage Mo'.
Most people refrained from even speaking to them, even in the lower rings, let alone allowing them to improve their standings and earn a living.
Both Liang and Liao were too stupefied to even react at the Monk's question.
To the side, Mo Qiao also raised an eyebrow.
"So these two are the reason you got into such a mess? Why not just bring them into the Mo Family? Doubt you need personal servants this young..."
She knew for a fact that the Mo Family wouldn't be able to refuse to take the two beggar children as servants if it was Mo Yangling who requested it.
Hell, both the Grand Elder and the Clan Head were currently turning the clan upside down whilst searching for Mo Yangling...
"Amitabha, a Martial Arts Clan like the Mo Family wouldn't be a good place to raise children. They already look down on mortals, let alone those that are also not part of the family..." The Monk just shook his head at her suggestion though.
Even if he knew that he could request such a thing of the clan, he refrained from it purely because the Mo Clan didn't seem to be a good environment for the two orphans.
And even Mo Qiao couldn't refute that. Of all people, she was aware of how the Great Clans treated mortals and non-clan members.
It wasn't pleasant in any way.
In the meantime, Liang and Liao seemed to both recover.
Liao, the black-haired little girl, immediately smiled, her purple eyes shining as her dirty cheeks split apart with a smile.
She immediately opened her mouth to respond. But before she could even form a word, her older brother immediately clasped her mouth shut, his gaze still containing some wariness within it as he looked at Mo Yangling.
"I-If we work for you... What will you have us do?"
Mo Qiao raised an eyebrow at that, she almost felt like berating the kid for even asking that.
'Cousin Mo's already done so much for these brats, yet here they are doubting his intentions still... Oh well, it's ultimately his decision at the end of the day.'
But the Monk only saw the young man's questions as natural.
'No battered and bruised orphan off the street is going to be so quick at accepting someone else's kindness...
Just as a beaten-down dog is more likely to bite a hand extended to it than allow itself to be patted.
The boy likely tried to shield the younger girl as much as possible though.'
The Monk smiled as he slowly patted his chest.
"I've recently purchased a small mansion with land. I find myself in need of hiring some staff for cleaning and cooking, and such menial tasks.
Of course, the two of you would be able to live within the mansion, there are plenty of servant rooms available. As for payment..."
The monk scratched his chin for a second, trying to think of a reasonable figure for a regular servant.
He didn't want to give the two children too many benefits for nothing after all. Especially since that was likely to make the boy more wary.
"I-instead of payment... Would you be able to train the two of us in cultivation!" The Boy immediately bowed, his wish rather transparent to the monk...
The boy didn't want to be helpless for much longer. And the little girl by his side seemed to also nod in agreement with him.
"Hehe, very well you brats! Let's start walking then. Mo Qiao, you can stick around too if you want, assuming you'll want to visit me for training from time to time."
The Monk laughed as he gestured for everyone to follow him. He kept his strides small enough for the children to follow along.
"S-sir... Thank you for hwelping us..." Liao grabbed at his clothes as she walked to his side, her amethyst-purple eyes looking up at him with a joyful shine.
Unlike her brother, she truly seemed to have no hesitation or wariness when deciding to stick around the monk.
Her stilted language was also a good sign of her lack of development, despite likely being around 9 or 10, she was still speaking like a 5-year-old.
The Monk was not one to judge, he had seen plenty of similar cases, so he knew how to deal with it for the most part.
"You are welcome, little lady! Say, what's your name?" One good solution was to speak to her a lot, to make sure that she got the chance to practice properly.
"My name ish Liao! Big bru is Liang! He strong, and took care of me! But you are stronger! Will you take care of ush?" She emphasized by pointing at herself and her brother behind her respectively.
Liang looked to the side, slightly embarrassed by her sister's words for some reason.
'Hmm, she seems to get words right half the time... Good enough I guess, we can work on this over the next year.'
"Hoho~ Don't worry, I'll take care of you two if you decide to work for me. So the two of you are siblings then?"
"Yesh! Big bru is bigger! Liao is small shister~" The young girl hummed to herself as she continued walking alongside the Monk.
"Well, ain't that something, heh..." Mo Qiao muttered as she gave the little girl a smile.
"Big Sish is also strong right? Big Sis's hair is pwretty!" Liao immediately started fixating on the Mo clanwoman. her eyes sparkling all over again as she seemed glad to get to know more people.
As the monk and his posse travelled through the sunlit paved streets of the Guozhi capital, other groups in different corners of the world were also finally getting news of his existence.
In a faraway land, still, within the Vermillion Continent, two very distinctive figures sat at a rather small table, shrouded in shadows.
"That bastard Guo named a kid 'Sage'? Didn't even bother to consult with the rest of the Kings... What a farce..."
A white-haired old man wearing a diamond and spirit stone crown scowled as he flipped through various reports and sightings.
He exuded a royal aura that many would find oppressive, yet the man seated across form him was not intimidated...
"Yes, Your Majesty. That is what our spies claim anyway... This Mo Yangling character appears to have been banished from his family.
He spent a year in the wild and returned as an External Cultivator, his strength is said to be overwhelming among the Young Generation..."
He was a masked man, also looking to be quite old, at least in his fifties. He wore an all-black attire and a black face mask that covered the lower half of his face.
His eyes glinted an unusual purple as he spoke.
"Hmph, so he's killed himself is what you're telling me... But why would Guo Zhu make such a decision? What does he achieve by having such an obviously fake Sage born in his country?"
The white-haired old man's golden eyes shined in the dark as he spoke, his mind running through a few possibilities, but he was ultimately unable to quite understand that move.
"Well, it's safe to assume that, as an external cultivator of decent strength, he won't have long to live...
Maybe they wish to have the reputation of housing a Sage before he ultimately passes away from natural causes?"
The Masked Man seemed to be quite confused as well.
His suggestion was quite out there, no King would ever stake his honour in such a way to name someone undeserving a sage.
After all, it wasn't difficult to verify if someone was truly worthy of that title. Otherwise, their Vermilion Continent would've been filled with named sages, at least one for each royal bloodline.
The only question that remained was...
'Would Guo Zhu stoop so low and risk so much just to have the reputation of housing a sage in the eyes of the public?'
"This matter needs further investigation." The old man adjusted his crown as his cold eyes washed over his masked subordinate.
"Of course Your Majesty... Our spies will keep digging around for any interesting information. In the meantime, what shall we do with this Mo Yangling character?"
"Since this opportunity arose we may as well take advantage of it. Turn the Kingdom into a laughing stock.
Send a delegation of scholars there to question the credibility of his title. Also, send the Reaping Soul Squad to claim his life if he does turn out to be wise beyond his years.
Make it clear that the Guozhi Kingdom cannot afford to house a 'Sage' of all things."
The old man spoke with a sneer of cold command. It was clear that his command was not to be questioned.
Yet his masked subordinate still seemed to have some misgivings about the orders...
"Y-Your Majesty... The Reaping Soul Squad is usually used for top-secret missions, normally targeting Golden Core Cultivators, like the Clan Heads of bigger noble houses. Isn't this a bit overkill?"
Thankfully, the old man seemed to be quite receptive to his subordinate's worries. He was, after all, putting a lot of resources into the mission.
His council was there to question his decisions at the end of the day.
"Normally I would agree. But we're talking about a high-level External Cultivator. A high enough level that is rumoured to have less than a year left of his life as a young man.
He can more than likely deal with Martial Grandmasters from weaker assassination squads. Better to be safe than sorry."
This time though, his judgement was correct. He didn't want to take any risks.
And his subordinate seemed to agree as well. A human reaching such a high level of External Cultivation was already quite rare, there were plenty of unknown factors, so it was better not to take half-measures.
"As you wish Your Majesty... I shall get things started."
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Hehe, ppl do be plotting ey?
Not much else to say, just sleepy rn.
Anyhow, have a great day, again
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