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墨書 Inktalez
Three days later, I arrived in front of a shop in a neighboring city, following the address given by Mu Qiufeng. The reason I came here was entirely because Liu Zhenxian forced me to.
In the early hours three days ago, Liu Zhenxian had released that group of Taoist Masters as promised, and he ultimately did not kill Mu Qiufeng. However, he never let me go because I had harmed his foundation. He now needed time to recover his cultivation, and at the same time, he wanted me to help him find his daughter; otherwise, he would kill me.
I initially planned to agree just to placate Liu Zhenxian and then think of a way to escape after refining the Buddhist Relic in my Dantian. However, Liu Zhenxian made a condition that made me abandon my original plan.
Liu Zhenxian's condition was that as long as I helped him find his daughter and fulfill his wish, he would be willing to become my Ghost Servant and obey my commands.
At that moment, I thought Liu Zhenxian was trying to deceive me, but then he actively entered the Soul Nourishing Stone on my body, leaving his soul imprint on it.
Although I had some doubts about Liu Zhenxian's intentions, he had already become my Ghost Servant, so naturally, I had to help him fulfill his wish. That was my principle.
The address of Liu Zhenxian's daughter happened to be not far from the university I had been accepted into. With the school year about to start, I went home to grab my acceptance letter, told my dad briefly, and then set off for this place.
I saw that the shop in front of me was only a few dozen square meters in size, not even a quarter of Jin Yuan's Buddhist Artifact Shop. Moreover, the shop's decor was shabby and looked very dilapidated; there was only a worn-out sign hanging outside with five words: Taoist Grocery Store.
A sense of foreboding filled my heart. I took out the Soul Nourishing Stone from my pocket and summoned a wisp of Liu Zhenxian's soul, asking, "Liu Zhenxian, your daughter should be inside this shop. Do you want to come out and see her?"
Looking at the rundown shop before him, Liu Zhenxian's expression became complicated. After a moment of silence, he finally shook his head and said, "Jiang Ling, you go in and find her first. I'll wait until the time is right to meet her."
With that, Liu Zhenxian's soul flickered and re-entered the Soul Nourishing Stone.
"I didn't expect that this Eternal Ghost King Liu Zhenxian would actually have someone he feared meeting. It seems I'll have to take matters into my own hands," I thought to myself. After securely putting away the Soul Nourishing Stone, I quickly walked toward the shop.
Upon entering the shop, I saw a ten-year-old girl cleaning up. The shop was tidy and well-organized. I carefully observed the girl; she had long black hair and a pair of bright eyes that looked very innocent. Her appearance bore a striking resemblance to Liu Zhenxian—about seventy or eighty percent similar.
I was already certain that this girl was Liu Zhenxian's daughter, but I still asked, "Excuse me, are you He Ying?"
The girl looked up at me with a cold expression and said, "I am He Ying. Who are you? I'll be nice to you; if you're here to collect money, you have one minute to get out. If you're here to buy something, my charms are a hundred bucks each, no bargaining. Buy if you want, or get lost!"
I was taken aback by He Ying's imposing demeanor. She looked like an innocent girl at first glance, but as soon as she spoke, my fantasies shattered—He Ying was completely a tough girl.
I forced an awkward smile and said, "Uh, actually, I'm from Azure Cloud Taoist Temple. Mu Qiufeng sent me to help you out and also to draw some new charms for you."
He Ying put down the broom she was holding and walked over to me. She sized me up with a smile and said, "So you're a Taoist from Azure Cloud Taoist Temple. What's your name? I don't think I've seen you before."
Looking into He Ying's eyes, I replied without missing a beat, "My name is Jiang Ling. This is my first time coming out from Azure Cloud Taoist Temple. He Ying, if there's anything you need help with, just let me know."
He Ying sighed and shook her head with a bitter smile. "Jiang Ling, you should go back. I don't have much business here; I can't afford to pay your wages. I've already owed three months' wages, and if I can't pay this month, my family's shop will close down."
In fact, He Ying was also a person with a hard life. Her father Liu Zhenxian had passed away before she was born. She lived with her mother and received care from Mu Qiufeng and the others at the temple; their lives were not too bad.
However, three years ago, He Ying's mother He Cai Xia suddenly passed away. Being so young and still in school left her with no time to manage the shop's business. It was already quite remarkable that she had managed to hold on for three years.
Although I had heard about He Ying's situation from Mu Qiufeng, I didn't expect the reality to be even worse than what he had described.
At that moment, the Soul Nourishing Stone on me became hot, and Liu Zhenxian's voice echoed in my mind. He urged anxiously, "Jiang Ling, you must stay and help He Ying."
I nodded gently and communicated with Liu Zhenxian: "I understand. Don't worry! With me here, He Ying's shop will definitely come back to life."
Hearing my promise, the Soul Nourishing Stone fell silent once again.
I looked into He Ying's eyes and said sincerely, "I don't need you to pay me a salary; just provide me with three meals a day."
He Ying was taken aback by my words, her face turning bright red. She shyly replied, "Well, Jiang Ling, I only have one hundred yuan left on me. If I eat three meals a day, I really can't afford to feed you."
"Uh, that's okay. Master Mu Qiufeng gave me six thousand yuan for living expenses when I came out. I'll lend you this money, and you can pay me back when you have it!" I took out an envelope filled with cash from my backpack. It contained the tuition fees my dad had prepared for me. However, I wasn't worried about not being able to pay the tuition because there were still more than ten days until school started. As long as I went to Jin Yuan to take on a job, I could earn the tuition in no time.
He Ying pushed the envelope away from me, her expression serious. "Jiang Ling, I can't take this money. You should go back!"
At that moment, a figure rushed in from outside. Taking advantage of my unpreparedness, he quickly snatched the envelope from my hands.
The man was in his thirties. He smiled at He Ying and said, "He Ying, I'll take this money for now. Your monthly rent is fifteen hundred yuan, and you owe three months' rent plus this month's rent—exactly six thousand yuan. I trust you; I won't count this money. I'm leaving now!"
With that, the man turned and ran out of the room. I hurried after him, but he vanished in the blink of an eye.
(End of Chapter)
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