The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

Chapter 131 Again, Working Like a Slave (Eighth Update by Bai Jun)

"My husband!!!"

"Brother!!!"

Two heart-wrenching cries echoed through the dilapidated temple, tearing at the soul and causing grief to all who heard them.

The two women, sister-in-law and aunt, embraced and wept bitterly, their hearts breaking, and they almost fainted.

Family ruined, people killed, body disgraced—nothing in the world is more tragic than this.

Shen An, Di Xiu, and Fang Jue simply stood silently to the side.

After a long while, the crying gradually subsided, turning into low sobs.

Fang Jue sighed, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and took out a heavy cloth bag from his bosom. He gently placed it in front of the two women and opened it. Inside were several ingots of official silver, weighing at least forty or fifty taels.

The portion was quite large; clearly, he hadn't kept a single penny of the money the man gave him, and might even have given some of it to himself.

Seeing this, Shen An stepped forward, took out a few taels of loose silver from his pocket, and stuffed it into the older woman's hand without saying a word.

After a slight hesitation, Di Xiu also took out a few taels of silver and placed them on the cloth bag.

"He has passed away, please accept my condolences. You must live well so as not to let him down," Shen An comforted him.

That's what they say, but what effect can such a light and casual remark have?

The older woman raised her eyes, but didn't look at Shen An, as if asking herself, "Survive? My benefactor, how—how can we survive? What face do we have left to live?"

Fang Jue looked at Shen An, wanting to see how he would handle the situation.

Indeed, as someone from outside the secular world, it was inconvenient for him to take care of these two women.

Shen An thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "You really can't stay here any longer. First, there will likely be a lot of gossip and slander. Second, although that villain is dead, he wasn't alone. From what you just said, he had accomplices. If I kill him today, there's no guarantee that his accomplices won't come looking for you and take their anger out on you. Therefore, leaving here and going to a place where no one knows you is your only way to survive."

"I have a place that might be able to settle you down. Have you heard of Hengyang City?"

The two women, aunt and sister-in-law, shook their heads blankly.

"That's a large, prosperous city near Mount Heng in Nanyue, a thousand miles away," Shen An said slowly. "I can arrange for someone to take you there. There, someone will find you a place to stay, a job to make a living, and protect you, ensuring you won't be bullied again. Are you willing to go?"

Go to a completely new place where nobody knows them, and they can still find work.

manual labor----

Is working for one's benefactor considered repaying a debt of gratitude by being treated like a slave?

The two women, aunt and sister-in-law, exchanged a glance. They had already lost all hope and did not intend to live any longer.

But this benefactor saved their lives, killed the villains, and arranged a way out for them. Such a great kindness can never be repaid.

If I could serve him like a slave, then I would at least have a reason to live.

"Is it to work on our benefactor's property?"

Shen An was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he understood their thoughts and his heart softened.

He smiled and said, "Sort of, and sort of. You'll know when you get there. In any case, I won't let you suffer any losses."

He was referring to Li Qingde of Hengyang City.

With Li Qingde's current influence in Hengyang, protecting two vulnerable women and finding them a legitimate job would be a piece of cake.

They exchanged a glance, then solemnly bowed to Shen An.

"We, your sister-in-law and I, will repay your kindness, even if we have to serve you like cattle and horses!"

"To be a cow or a horse"—what a familiar phrase. Wang Xiaocao had said the same thing back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have never thought that this little girl would like me and had only treated her as a brother and sister.

"You flatter me." Shen An accepted the bow without hesitation before helping them up.

Now that the matter was settled, he turned to Di Xiu, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Senior Brother Di, I have just returned to the sect and have neither people nor connections. I will have to trouble you to arrange this matter. Find two reliable junior brothers, prepare a carriage, and escort him all the way. I will make up for any travel expenses he may need."

"Junior brother, what are you saying! This is my duty, how can you trouble yourself!" Di Xiu quickly patted his chest and assured him, his attitude even more enthusiastic than before.

Fang Jue watched quietly from the side, observing Shen An's methodical arrangements and how, despite his ruthless actions, he also showed genuine kindness and compassion towards the weak. His gaze grew increasingly complex.

Is this young man a Buddha or a demon? Or is he simply acting according to his own conscience?

Of course, I didn't get to eat at the welcome banquet.

After accepting the "task," Di Xiu hurriedly led the two sisters-in-law, who were still in shock, down the mountain to arrange for their escort to Hengyang.

-

The Shaolin monk named Fang Jue also chanted a Buddhist prayer, put his hands together in prayer, and took his leave.

This place is, after all, the territory of the Songshan Sect. It would be inappropriate for a Shaolin disciple to linger here for too long.

Before leaving, his gaze lingered on Shen An for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a long sigh, and he turned and disappeared into the deepening night.

Before the dilapidated temple, only Shen An remained.

Shen An stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the pool of blood that was gradually congealing and turning dark. His brows slowly furrowed, forming a deep frown.

Although the man didn't finish his last words, by connecting all the clues, a clear answer had already emerged in his mind.

The two women's description of "a group of people gathering to practice swordsmanship"; the exquisite swordsmanship that person displayed when fighting Di Xiu, far surpassing that of ordinary martial artists; and Master Fang Jue's pointed remark that "there is a close connection with one of the Five Mountains Sword Sects"—

There is only one truth: that person is from the Huashan Sword Sect!

Based on the character and temperament of the elders of the Huashan Sword Sect in the original novel, Shen An could almost conclude that the lecherous thief he had just smashed into mincemeat with his sword was most likely Cong Buqi, the one with a wicked heart who had once flirted with Yue Buqun's wife, Ning Zhongze.

Why would the people of the Huashan Sword Sect appear in the deep mountains near Mount Song?

It was their master, Zuo Lengchan, who took them in.

The answer is self-evident. Shen An had known it for a long time, but he had never seen it and had told himself that he was not capable of changing it yet.

He could understand his master's intentions. Taking in this group of defeated remnants of the Sword Sect was nothing more than planting a crucial piece in his future scheme to seize Mount Hua.

When the time is right, they can use the pretext of "restoring order to the Sword Sect" to legitimately intervene in the internal affairs of the Huashan Sect, thereby gaining control of Huashan and clearing the way for the eventual unification of the Five Mountains Sects.

This tactic is reminiscent of how some major powers in later periods secretly supported opposition groups in other countries to seize power and control their regimes.

From a political strategy perspective, this was undoubtedly a brilliant move.

However, Shen An was also well aware that the moral standards of these Huashan Sword Sect elders were far below those of the group recruited by his master, Zuo Lengchan.

Among those unorthodox individuals they took in, this was probably the highest group.

After all, they came from prestigious families and were once well-known figures in the martial arts world.

Below them are countless unorthodox sects and underworld giants, such as Qinghai Yixiao, who have all served their master under the combined influence of kindness and power.

Those people, the better ones, might be comparable to the Yellow River Ancestor; while the worse ones are probably even worse than this clump of unyielding plants today.

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