Chapter 62
The delicious wild vegetable and meat porridge warmed her numb body a little, easing the pain in her chest.
She quietly lifted her head, stealing a glance at the boy beside her.
The boy rested his chin on his hand, gazing towards Qingyuan Mountain with a worried expression, fearing that some ice block would poison him while cooking.
As if sensing her gaze, the boy turned his head.
She quickly ducked her head, burying her face in the bowl as if she had been electrocuted.
“I... I’m done... eating.”
“If it’s not enough, I can make more.”
He looked at Jiang Chuchong, whose eyes were downcast, shy and self-conscious.
Li Mo felt even stranger.
She was down on her luck now, but just a year ago, she was the little princess of the Yu Dynasty.
Even if a random princess visited the Ziyang Mansion, the place would be decked out in lights, and the heads of the three clans would personally come to welcome her.
A princess, born of noble blood, was as untouchable as a cloud.
“No... it’s fine...”
“Rice... rice...”
Jiang Chuchong shook her head like a rattle drum.
“Are you saving the rice for later?”
“Mm.”
But seeing Jiang Chuchong treat a bag of rice like a treasure, Li Mo felt it was absurd, yet he couldn’t shake off the sense of incongruity.
“There’s a charity hall at the Murong Mansion. You can go there to get porridge and rice during this time.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuchong looked up, her eyes sparkling even through the fabric covering her face.
“Then... save it for winter...”
“You really plan to save it for the New Year?”
Li Mo couldn’t help but smile wryly.
After a moment’s thought, he took out two small silver notes.
“If you run out of food, just go buy some in the market.”
“What’s this...?”
Jiang Chuchong’s dirty little face was filled with confusion.
She didn’t recognize silver notes.
Little Li was left in silence.
After Meng Can finished eating, he rubbed his little belly with a blissful expression and said, “Stuttering sister, that’s money! You can use it to buy food, roast chicken, candied hawthorn, it’s super useful!”
He took the silver note and examined it closely, his eyes widening in shock.
“One... one hundred taels!”
“One hundred taels... how much is that?”
“One tael of silver can buy one hundred and forty pounds of rice!”
Jiang Chuchong: “!”
She counted on her dirty little fingers, trembling as she did, her whole being frozen in shock.
The princess was stunned.
“Too... too much...”
“We... only...”
Jiang Chuchong bit her lip, not daring to look at the glaring silver note.
“You’re trying to say we’re strangers and can’t accept this much money, right?”
Li Mo answered quickly.
Meng Can looked at him in amazement, surprised that Li Ge knew what Stuttering Sister was trying to say.
“Mm.”
Jiang Chuchong nodded timidly, her face tightening.
The other party had opened a charity hall to help the poor.
But even with a kind heart, there was no reason to give her such a large sum of money.
Her mother had said that while there might be unprovoked evil in this world, there could never be unprovoked good.
Heaven doesn’t drop pies; there’s always a catch...
Just as her guard was rising, Li Mo spoke again:
“First of all, one hundred taels isn’t much to me; it’s no different from a bag of rice or a single grain.”
“Wow...”
The little ones looked at him with admiration, especially Meng Can, whose eyes sparkled with longing.
Jiang Chuchong was stunned, seemingly overwhelmed by Li Mo’s ‘generosity.’
Li Mo continued, “Secondly, I’ve been entrusted by someone to take care of you.”
“Entrusted by someone?”
Jiang Chuchong murmured softly, suddenly finding strength she didn’t know she had, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly:
“She... is she still alive?”
The only person in the world who still cared about her was Aunt Mei.
Aunt Mei had been her mother’s sword attendant.
After her mother’s death, she had taken care of Jiang Chuchong as if she were her own.
To save her, Aunt Mei had drawn away a large number of the Skywatchers, and now her fate was unknown.
Could it be that Li Mo was sent by Aunt Mei to look after her?
“Mm, she’s currently out of danger.”
Li Mo nodded firmly.
The ice block was indeed frightening at night, like a thousand-year-old glacier.
But cold as it was, it couldn’t be called dangerous anymore.
“That’s good... that’s good...”
Tears streamed down her cheeks beneath the blindfold.
Where the tears fell, it was as if a piece of beautiful jade had been wiped clean of dust, pure and sparkling.
She hurriedly wiped her face, smudging it back to its previous dirtiness.
“Th... thank you.”
“But this money... is still... too much.”
“Let’s do this.”
Li Mo thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t you come with me to Qingyuan Sect? You’ll naturally get to see her, and you won’t have to worry about your living conditions.”
The ice block would take care of Jiang Chuchong’s food and shelter anyway.
So why not just take her directly to Qiushui Pavilion?
Just say whether it’s resolved or not!
Moreover, he could add Jiang Chuchong to his daily investment list, which would be quite delightful.
“Stuttering sister...”
“Is sister leaving?”
The little ones exchanged glances, pouting, and two little girls were on the verge of tears, ready to cry.
“Big sister, your friends are here to find you; we should be happy.”
This didn’t seem to help much, as even he felt lost.
“I... I’m not... leaving.”
Jiang Chuchong slowly shook her head.
“I can have someone look after them,” Li Mo said softly.
“No... I don’t want... to put her in danger.”
Seeing her slowly speak, Li Mo began to think.
Jiang Chuchong was still being hunted by the Skywatchers.
This was no ordinary level of danger.
The Skywatchers were the strongest military force of the Da Yu Dynasty, a crucial support for the dynasty’s power.
Did she not want to drag her friends into this?
“Alright, it’s getting late; I’ll head back first.”
She was destined for greatness, carrying immense karma on her shoulders.
Li Mo nodded, deciding to take a long-term view.
Jiang Chuchong’s current situation was certainly not suitable for keeping her close; she wouldn’t want that either.
How to invest in her, then?
Lost in thought, Li Mo waved goodbye to the little beggars and stepped out of the dilapidated house.
The boy’s silhouette vanished into the night.
“Goodbye, Li Ge!”
The little ones all ran out to see him off.
...
In the Murong Mansion’s garden.
“How strange, she doesn’t seem to have any martial arts cultivation. Has she never practiced?”
“Or did her sword bone fall after being dug out, making her a mere mortal?”
“If I can lead her back into martial arts, the rewards will be unimaginable.”
Li Mo pondered in the courtyard.
If he wanted to train Jiang Chuchong in martial arts, he couldn’t keep her by his side...
How could that be done?
Just as he was thinking, a maid approached:
“Li Gongzi, the hot water is ready for your bath.”
“Okay.”
“Do you need me to attend to you...?”
“No need, thank you.”
The maid walked away, looking disappointed.
Li Mo lay back in the spacious bathtub, ready to receive his rewards.
【Earth Vein Spirit Milk】: “It takes thousands of years for the earth’s energy to condense into a single drop, a holy product for refining blood and qi. Its greatest effect, however, is prolonging life!”
“I don’t really need to prolong my life.”
“Let’s use it to refine my blood and qi instead.”
With a full bottle of Earth Vein Stone Milk, Li Mo opened it and poured two drops into the bathtub.
If Elder Xue Jing were here, he would probably let out a sharp cry.
This stuff is a rare treasure for making longevity pills! And you’re using it for a bath?
Anything related to extending life is incredibly precious.
Because there are always people on the brink of death in this world.
Drip—
The two drops of stone milk sank into the water, quickly causing it to shimmer with a crystalline glow.
Li Mo simply began to circulate the Fire Heart Lotus technique in the bathtub.
Buzz—
In an instant, he felt a unity with heaven and earth.
This time, because he used the Earth Vein Spirit Milk, the resonance between heaven and earth was several times stronger.
The entire Murong Mansion could sense it clearly.
**Chapter 58: Breaking Through the Seventeen Meridians - A Gift from the Murong Family**
Murong Mansion.
Quiet room.
This was usually the place where the heads of the Murong family practiced.
Murong Xiao had received permission before stepping into the quiet room.
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