My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

After the meal, Lü Yang and Shen Zhaoyue helped the woman clear the dishes.

Ye Qingfeng stood up, preparing to take his leave.

The bearded man quickly stood up:

"Master, are you leaving already?"

Ye Qingfeng nodded:

"There's still a long way to go."

The bearded man opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He glanced into the room, then at Ye Qingfeng, and finally just sighed without saying anything.

The woman came out of the house, carrying a cloth bag, and handed it to Ye Qingfeng:

"Master, here are some flatbreads for you to take on your journey. The mountain road is long, don't go hungry..."

Ye Qingfeng took it and nodded slightly:

Thank you.

He turned to leave.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind.

Ya Ya ran out of the house, holding a small wooden box in her hands. She ran to Ye Qingfeng, stood on tiptoe, and held the box high.

"Uncle, this is for you!"

Ye Qingfeng looked down at the box.

It was an old wooden box, about the size of a palm, with some simple little flowers carved on it.

The paint has peeled off quite a bit, but it's clear that it has been treasured for a long time.

He took it and opened it.

Inside were candies wrapped in parchment paper. The candies had melted a little and stuck to the parchment paper, but their sweet aroma still wafted out.

Ye Qingfeng looked at the candies without saying a word.

Ya Ya tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him:

"Uncle, this is my candy. I've been hiding it for a long time, and I couldn't bear to eat it. Here you go."

Ye Qingfeng looked at her:

"Why are you giving it to me?"

Ya Ya pursed her lips, lowered her head, then raised it again and whispered:

"Since you accepted Ya Ya's things, could you... could you help Ya Ya heal her mother?"

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

The bearded man was stunned.

The woman was also stunned.

Lu Yang and Shen Zhaoyue came out of the house carrying a stack of bowls. When they saw this scene, they stopped in their tracks.

Ya Ya stood in front of Ye Qingfeng, her small body trembling slightly, but she still stubbornly tilted her head back, waiting for his answer.

Ye Qingfeng looked down at her.

That little face held anticipation, a nervous fear of rejection, and a seriousness beyond its years.

He was silent for a moment.

Then he crouched down to be at eye level with the little girl.

Is your mother sick?

Ya Ya nodded, tears already welling up in her eyes:

"Mom always coughs and can't sleep at night. Dad says it's a chronic illness she developed after giving birth to Yaya... Yaya doesn't understand what a chronic illness is. Yaya just wants Mom to get better..."

As she spoke, tears finally fell, but she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, as if afraid of being seen by the adults.

Ye Qingfeng looked at her, then suddenly reached out and gently patted her head.

"it is good."

Ya Ya was stunned.

Ye Qingfeng stood up and looked at the man with the thick beard.

The bearded man opened his mouth, his face turning bright red, and after a long pause, he managed to utter a sentence:

"Daoist... Daoist Master, I... I'm not..."

Ye Qingfeng waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more.

He walked to the old locust tree in the courtyard, stood with his hands behind his back, and said calmly:

"If you don't ask, I naturally won't offer to help. There's no such thing as charity without a reason in this world."

The bearded man lowered his head, not daring to speak.

The woman's eyes also reddened. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Ye Qingfeng continued:

"Some people think that doing good deeds shouldn't be done in return, and that helping others shouldn't be about expecting anything in return. That sounds nice, but have you ever considered how the person being helped will feel if you help without expecting anything in return?"

He paused, then looked at the man with the thick beard:

"You will feel indebted. This indebtedness, buried deep in your hearts, will eventually turn into either humility or resentment."

The bearded man was stunned.

Ye Qingfeng:

"If I help you today without accepting or taking anything, you will be grateful."

But what about the future? If you encounter difficulties again in the future, will you speak up or remain silent?

If I ask, I fear I'll think you're greedy; if I don't, I'll suffer in silence. This gratitude then becomes a burden.

He looked at the small wooden box in Ya Ya's hand:

She gave me a box of candy. It was her treasured possession, the best thing she could offer. By accepting it, I was acknowledging her kindness.

I can repay this debt by curing your wife's illness. A box of candy for a life—she gains, and I gain too.

He smiled slightly:

"That's what you call reciprocity."

Ya Ya didn't understand these grand principles, but she understood the last sentence: "It can cure Mother."

She held the empty wooden box, her eyes sparkling, tears still clinging to her face, yet she was already smiling.

The bearded man stood there for a long time, then suddenly knelt heavily on the ground and kowtowed three times to Ye Qingfeng.

The woman was about to kneel down when Ye Qingfeng raised his hand to stop her.

"No need to kneel." Ye Qingfeng looked at Lü Yang. "Bring me the wine pouch."

Lu Yang quickly untied the leather pouch from his waist and handed it over with both hands.

Ye Qingfeng took it, uncorked it, and a refreshing aroma of wine wafted out.

The wine was no longer emerald green, but a pale amber color, with a subtle shimmering glow.

The two tiger demon inner cores were refined within, making them far from ordinary.

He looked at the woman:

"Bring me a bowl of clean water."

The woman quickly turned around and went into the house. A moment later, she brought out a large, rough porcelain bowl, which was half-filled with water.

Ye Qingfeng tilted the wine flask, and a drop of wine fell into the bowl.

"bite--"

That soft sound was like a drop of water falling into a deep pool.

The drop of wine fell into the water and instantly dispersed, turning into countless tiny specks of light that swirled and moved within the water.

A moment later, the entire bowl of water turned a light blue color, with a faint fragrance emanating from it.

It's not the aroma of wine, but a fresh, herbaceous fragrance.

Ye Qingfeng handed the bowl of water to the woman:

"Drink it."

The woman took the bowl with both hands, looking at the pale blue water inside, and hesitated.

Ya Ya whispered from the side:

"Mother, drink it, you'll feel better after drinking it."

The woman glanced at her daughter, tilted her head back, and drank the bowl of water.

The moment the water entered her throat, she shuddered.

The warm current surged in from my throat, traveled down my esophagus, into my stomach, to my limbs, and to the top of my head.

She could feel the warm current flowing through her body, and wherever it passed, those long-standing ailments were gradually dissolving.

She clutched her chest, gasping for breath, her face changing from pale to rosy, and then back to normal.

After a few breaths, she looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The bearded man watched her nervously.

"Wife, how...how are you feeling?"

The woman didn't say anything, but stood up, took a few steps, jumped around a few times, and then suddenly covered her face and cried.

The bearded man turned pale with fright.

"W-what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

The woman lowered her hand, her face streaked with tears, yet she was smiling:

"Alright... Honey, I'm all better... I'm not coughing anymore, my chest doesn't hurt anymore, and I feel so much lighter..."