“Hey miss, bring another bowl of noodles.”
“Of course!”
The waitress gave a strained smile and headed back towards the kitchen to give my order. Whether this awkwardness came from my status as a Cultivator or the mountain of plates in front of me, I don’t know.
As to why I was in a small restaurant in the first place and why there was a pile of empty plates in front of me? That had to do with the small-sized black hole sitting in front of me.
Yan Ling happily devoured the last of the meat from the pork dish and started attacking the last bowl of soup on the table, eating slowly to pass the time until the next bowl of noodles arrived for her to devour.
It is really funny how the sheer terror of being caught by a cultivator with unknown intentions can turn into a happy and innocent expression when given the opportunity to eat as much as she likes without any fear.
Honestly, it is adorable, and a little worrying.
Just how did she end up becoming a cold and ruthless warrior in the future known as the ‘Blood Lotus’ due to the mountains of corpses she left in her wake?
“Most likely due to enduring unimaginably horrific situations thanks to her current status.”
“Oh? Looks like you’ve calmed down.”
“Yeah. However, I still suggest that you either kill her or get away as much as possible from her.”
“Why? Too traumatic for you to look at the innocent face of your future killer?”
“……Honestly? Yeah. Just looking at her is causing my soul to quake in fear.”
“….Sorry about that. But, again, I am not going to kill her or leave a child to fend for herself.”
“Hypocrite. If you really care about children so much, why don’t you help all the thousands of orphan children in this city? And the billions of unfortunate children that populate this Empire? And the countless others that exist in other empires?”
“Once Again. Yes, I am a Hypocrite, because I am a Human. I cannot think about other children because I have not seen them with my eyes yet. However, right here, right now, a child is suffering in front of my very eyes, how can I just ignore it?”
“…You are hopelessly naïve. Wake me up when it is over.”
I felt the bastard retreat deep within the bead, leading me to think about his words and my own.
What he said is true. I am a Hypocrite. I selfishly decided to help Yan Ling because I saw her suffering, yet, I also know that there are countless children out there in this Death World who are suffering just as much as her, if not even more, but still choose to turn a blind eye to it.
What he fails to realize, is that I am not some monster, neither am I some naïve fool who thinks they can solve the problems of the entire world.
I am simply human. Just as flawed as any other.
“Umm”
The hesitant noise from my front alerted me to the fact that Yan Ling was now fidgeting nervously after completing the bowl of noodles that I ordered from the restaurant.
…..Just how can a child her size fit so much food in her body? Hell, even if I consider this world to be a reality show and Yan Ling to be a comedic relief character, wasn’t this still way too exaggerated?
Shaking my head, I called over the waitress and handed over two gold coins, causing the woman to stare in stunned silence at the amount and start babbling in panic.
“Young Master, we cannot provide change for such a high amount. Your bill only comes to about 2 silver coins and four hundred copper coins. We are a small establishment and can't really accommodate such a huge sum of money-“
I smiled while raising a hand, causing the woman to immediately stop talking in fear.
“It is alright. Just keep the remaining money. Consider it a gift from me for the excellent service.”
While speaking, I deliberately revealed my space ring and took out a small cloth to clean the smudges on Yan Ling’s mouth.
The meaning of my action was twofold. On one hand, I really did want to clean the child’s face since her adorableness was too much for me to handle with that look. On the other hand, my actions clearly marked me as a cultivator, and my words which deliberately informed the eavesdroppers that the gold was a gift from me, made it clear to the low lives within this place that they could not target the woman and her establishment for the money after we left.
Such is the weight associated with the term ‘Cultivator’ even in the lowest of the low of society.
And given the radiant smile on the woman’s face, my message was very clear.
With our business done, we headed out of the restaurant while I held onto the little girl so that she did not end up getting lost.
Rather, I held on to her so that she did not run away before I could properly talk to her.
“And what do you plan to do with her anyway?”
“……Didn’t you say you didn’t want anything to do with what I was going to do?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“I did. But I am curious.”
“You sure like to retract your words a lot, don’t you?”
“What can I say? I am a demon.”
“….Don’t you dare use my own words against me.”
“Enough about us. Tell me already.”
“Isn't it obvious? We know that she is an orphan. Both from your memories and the circumstantial evidence that I can see for now. She has nowhere to go, and no way to find food except for stealing, which would no doubt lead to a tragic situation for her. I plan to give her an offer. To go with us back to the village. Given her spirit roots, Old Li would love to make her his disciple-“
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Are you out of your mind?? Why waste such a talent on that old fool who couldn’t even break through the Qi Condensation realm?? It will be much better for our future prospects if you take her in as your own disciple. Better yet, make her either love you or feel indebted to you so that-“
“Stop! Just stop. I really made a mistake listening to your words. I feel really dirty just from those words alone, how can you even live with yourself??”
“Stop exaggerating-“
I directly cut off our connection with disgust. I really can't accept that kind of thought process no matter how many years I spend in this world.
Worse yet, I know that his thinking process was not something unique to him thanks to his nature as a demonic cultivator. I know for a fact that practically all the high-level cultivators in this world usually have a similar way of thinking. It was the very reason why morally questionable cultivation techniques existed in the first place.
Shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts, I continued walking with the nervous child towards the isolated space near the edge of the town.
………that statement sounds so wrong. I need to watch my phrasing from now on.
The open grounds that we arrived at were a place that the guards usually use for their regular training. Ordinary citizens are usually prohibited from using this place for anything, but thanks to my status as a cultivator and my friendship with the local military thanks to the many times I have traveled to this town for business over the past years, I was allowed to use it for our private conversation.
After all, I did not want anyone to overhear what I had to say and end up causing misery to this hapless girl should she reject my offer and decide to stay here.
Sometimes, being blessed in the way of cultivation can be considered the greatest of the curses for those without a sufficient background. I know that fact personally and would not wish such a fate on others.
As I contemplated on what to say, Yan Ling continued to nervously fidget in the chair before speaking up.
“Umm, Master Cultivator. I am thankful that you gave me food and did not hand me over to the shop owner for stealing. But, I don’t have anything to pay you back with. I-I c-can only give you this. Please accept it.”
Suddenly, she started trembling and nearly started sobbing as she took out a small piece of jade with the symbol of ‘Yan’ etched onto it.
I could already tell that it was not something of much worth. A simple probe with my Qi is enough to tell me that the material is just ordinary Jade, albeit a higher quality for a mortal object. Hardly worth a few gold coins, an amount of money that is practically meaningless for a cultivator since we mostly trade with spirit stones.
However, it must carry a significant value for a mortal like her, especially a lot of sentimental value given the very obvious relation between the word etched on the Jade and her name. And yet, this child, who would be spending her days without a care in the world and happily playing with her friends if she were born in my world, already understood the concept that there is no such thing as a free lunch and already prepared to pay the price for it. Hell, her preemptive attempt at paying me back displays a certain cunning and intelligence. She is doing this so that I would have no choice but to take this jade and not ask something unreasonable instead.
Of course, she is still extremely naïve. If I really was someone else and wanted something else in return for feeding her, she would have absolutely no way to refuse since my status as a cultivator alone would put me way above the reach of ordinary mortals and their law enforcement, requiring the Governor’s office to dispatch their cultivator forces to apprehend me. Something that is hardly done since these Governing officials are more often than not in cahoots with such unscrupulous cultivators in the name of personal interests.
“….How the hell did I die to an adorably naïve fool like her???”
“…..Did you just call her adorable?”
“I did no such thing. Focus on your talks. Look, she appears to have taken your silence the wrong way and is about to run”
At his reminder, I looked back toward the girl, and true enough, the anxiousness in her expression seemed to have multiplied and she was already trying to look around and find a way to escape.
It would be a cute action if it was not so heartbreaking. Just what did she go through for her to develop such fear of adults?
It’s decided.
“Look, child. I will be frank with you. I sense that you have good potential for cultivation, that is why I decided to feed you so that you will not be influenced by your hunger when you answer my question and make your decision.”
Finally realizing that I had no ill intentions towards her, she slowly started to calm down and listened attentively to my words.
“I will not mince my words. I cannot provide you with the best resources, nor the best techniques. What I can provide, is a safe environment for you to cultivate. I will provide you with ample food, decent shelter, and clothing. I will have someone teach you properly on the path of cultivation. Of course, if you decide to not cultivate, you can still find a place for yourself in our village. Alternatively, I provide you with enough money and guarantee my status as a cultivator to move out of wherever you live and into a decent enough location in this town for you to live as you wish. I can also see about getting you work in a decent place that I know will not take advantage of you.”
I laid out the options available to her clearly without any deceptions. She may be a child but if she was competent enough to survive for so long on her own in a world like this, she deserves to have nothing but the truth from me and make an informed choice about her future from here.
I know that she will end up becoming a powerhouse in the future, one way or another. But, that future has nothing to do with the weak and helpless child in front of me. If I take advantage of such a situation to selfishly decide her future for her, I would be no better than the bastards that populate this world.
The girl stared at me with a shocked look for a long time before she suddenly broke down crying, causing me to panic.
But, before I could do anything, she launched off the chair and latched onto me, sobbing her heart out.
Well, looks like I know her answer now.
Mission: Save the child in need, success!
----------------------------------------
“Fuck!! Mission Fail!! I did not anticipate this!!”
“What did you expect was going to happen? You reap what you sow.”
“Fuck you!!”
“To quote your words from earlier, No thanks”
Old Li watched helplessly as Yan Ling refused to let go of me, unable to pry the mortal girl off my torso once she learned that Old Li would be the one to teach her cultivation and not me.
Shame on you, old man! If you can’t even handle a mortal, how can you call yourself a Cultivator?
Worse still is how Little Xing seems to have decided that Yan Ling is a threat to my life and decided to meow aggressively at her while furiously pawing at her hair.
Thank God I decided to trim her nails, who knows what kind of bloodbath my adorable kitten would have caused otherwise.
“…Well, looks like she is very much against the idea of becoming my apprentice. Congratulations, Wei, looks like you found yourself a young charge to look after.”
At the amused grin Old Li gave, I simply gave up and stared blankly at the Heavens.
“….Dear Heavens, Why me????”