The middle-aged woman stumbled over, placing the little girl in her arms in front of Chong Chong, then knelt on the ground and began kowtowing repeatedly.
Chong Chong was stunned for a moment. Forgetting about the commission, she stepped around the white-robed man and hurriedly helped the woman up.
“Auntie, what’s wrong with your daughter?” she asked while squatting down to check on the little girl.
The girl looked about ten years old, her face deathly pale, her lips so dry they were peeling. Checking her breathing, it was there, but extremely faint.
The middle-aged woman didn’t understand what ‘Auntie’ meant, but she understood the second part. She shook her head frantically. “I don’t know… I don’t know.”
‘Don’t know?’
Chong Chong frowned.
If the situation was unclear, how could she prescribe the right treatment?
Besides, this NPC little sister was unconscious, so she couldn’t use her healing skills on her.
“Did you go to a clinic? Why didn’t you go to a clinic?” Chong Chong looked up at her, puzzled.
The middle-aged woman lowered her head in shame.
“You wouldn’t know, Fairy. I fled all the way to Shangjing City with Yingying, and I’ve long since run out of money…”
This…
Chong Chong was speechless.
What a coincidence. She didn’t have any either. She only had half a tael of silver on her—five hundred wen—and she didn’t know if it was enough for medical fees.
Looking at this pitiful NPC mother and daughter, Chong Chong couldn’t bear to pretend she hadn’t seen them.
Moreover, this little sister’s condition was critical; she needed treatment immediately.
‘Sigh, fine, fine.’
At worst, she could just take on another commission to earn the money back.
Chong Chong took the piece of broken silver from her game backpack and handed it to the middle-aged woman.
“Here, this is all I have.”
The woman stared at the half-tael of broken silver before her, then suddenly burst into tears, bowing repeatedly in thanks.
“I’ve begged so many people while holding my daughter… thank you, Fairy, thank you… your great kindness… no one else offered any help… otherwise I wouldn’t have taken this hopeless path…”
“Fairy, may I ask… I’ve heard Tianxiang disciples are skilled in healing arts. Why… not use them?”
At that moment, the white-robed man voiced the doubt in his heart.
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman shuddered, looking at Chong Chong with a mix of doubt and hope.
‘Right… why isn’t the Fairy using her skills to save Yingying?’
Chong Chong turned back, annoyed. “And you are?”
“A mere mortal.”
“A mere mortal? So you think I’m deliberately not helping?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” the white-robed man slightly lowered his head, then opened his paper fan, looking up as he spoke. “This was merely an idle question on my part. I beg the Fairy not to take offense.”
‘An idle question?’
‘Yeah, right. Screw you.’
She wasn’t blind; she’d seen the suspicious looks from the surrounding pedestrians, including this middle-aged woman. Was this NPC deliberately trying to put her on the spot?
“Tianxiang healing arts can only restore injuries, not cure illnesses.”
“Oh~ I see.” The white-robed man closed his fan and clapped, putting on an expression of sudden understanding. He cupped his hands. “Thank you, Fairy, for informing me. Otherwise, I would not have known the hidden details.”
Chong Chong gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t pursue it.
His attitude wasn’t exactly problematic, but she couldn’t shake the feeling this guy’s words were laced with sarcasm.
“However, Fairy, five hundred wen at a clinic is only the consultation fee. Medicine will require additional payment. How about this? I shall gift the Fairy ten taels of silver as a reserve. I hope the Fairy will not disdain it.”
Saying this, the white-robed man extended his hand toward the old servant.
The old servant understood immediately, quickly taking out ten taels of broken silver and placing it in his master’s hand.
Seeing the lump of silver in his hand, Chong Chong’s eyes lit up, and she was about to reach for it.
But then a saying suddenly came to mind: ‘Unwarranted kindness hides an ulterior motive.’
‘Mhm… without a purpose, who would be foolish enough to give money away?’
But then again…
She was currently a Tianxiang disciple. Perhaps this NPC was just a die-hard fan of the Tianxiang Sect.
Besides, with this silver, she wouldn’t need to do a commission to earn money, and she might even have extra to treat this mother and daughter.
“It doesn’t need to be repaid, right?”
The wary look in Chong Chong’s eyes made the white-robed man pause for a second, then he laughed. “No need!”
Having received that answer, Chong Chong had no reason to refuse. She carefully took the broken silver from his hand.
“Thanks. If you get injured in the future, as long as you’re not dead, you can come find me at Tianxin Mountain. My name is Chong Chong.”
“I have met Fairy Chong Chong.”
The white-robed man gave another slight bow, a spring-breeze-like smile appearing on his face.
He had thought Tianxiang disciples were all the type who put on airs all day, with ice-cold expressions like they’d lost their husbands. He hadn’t expected there to be such an interesting person.
Chong Chong didn’t pay him any more attention. She turned and gave half the silver to the middle-aged woman. “Take this and get your daughter treated.”
“Thank you, Fairy! Thank you, young master!”
The middle-aged woman, holding the little girl, stumbled unsteadily toward the direction of the clinic.
The white-robed man gave the old servant a look. The latter nodded, went to call a carriage over, and helped the mother and daughter board.
“Master, what next?” Afterward, the old servant returned to the white-robed man’s side.
The white-robed man nodded.
Chong Chong saw all of this but didn’t comment. She turned and left.
‘Phew… damn.’
She didn’t want to deal with smelly men, especially an NPC one.
The white-robed man just watched her leave quietly, not stopping her.
—
“Young Master, do you need this old servant to investigate this lady?”
“No need. This young master does not wish to have any connection with a Tianxiang disciple. If others were to find out, this young master would be in danger.”
Ever since the Prince Jin case forty years ago, the Datang royal family had held a peculiar mix of aversion and fear toward the Tianxiang Sect. The current Datang Emperor, Zhao Zong… given the Prince Jin case, where his own children… it was normal for him to make such a decision, forbidding royal children from getting close to Tianxiang disciples. But the ridiculous thing was, Emperor Zhao Zong himself was a lackey of the Tianxiang Sect.
On one hand, he prohibited royal offspring from approaching the Tianxiang Sect. On the other, he himself frantically curried favor with them.
Many people didn’t understand his behavior.
Others didn’t get it, but the white-robed man saw through it clearly with one glance.
His Imperial Father… was still afraid that Tianxiang’s current Senior Sister, Yan Xiaoyu, would return for revenge.
Yan Xiaoyu herself was insignificant to Datang. The main fear was the power behind her—the Tianxiang Sect.
Any one of the Eight Major Sects emerging was something Datang could not contend with. This was the sorrow of mortal dynasties.
‘Under the vast sky, all land belongs to the king. Within the borders, all are the king’s subjects.’ What a laughable statement that truly was.
However, this Tianxiang disciple named Chong Chong was rather interesting.
He had met many sect disciples. Without exception, their eyes held a sense of superiority, even looking down on him, a prince, with utter disdain.
Remembering her cautious, wary look just now… she was actually somewhat endearing.
A pity. The Tianxiang Sect didn’t accept male disciples.
Whether they would meet again in the future would depend on fate.
“Let’s return.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
The white-robed man turned around, and suddenly two black shadows brushed past him quickly.
‘Hm?’
The man looked back at the two retreating black-clad figures. Judging by their attire, they should be Tang Clan disciples.
“Young Master, there’s killing intent,” the old servant reminded him.
“No need to meddle in others’ affairs.”
If these Tang Clan disciples wanted to kill someone, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Understood.”
The white-robed man withdrew his gaze. Turning back, he saw another person rushing over, about to collide with him.
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