Chapter 24: Good Intentions Gone Wrong?

It was evident that she was extremely reluctant to mention anything about her "home."

However, Xu Yingying broke from her usual demeanor and pressed, "How did you end up in his hands?"

The "he" naturally referred to Xie Renshe, whose head had been pierced through.

Yuan Yuan cast a cautious glance at Xu Yingying, looking terrified. She reached out and gripped the hem of Xia Huanjiao's trousers, her voice trembling. "I was... I was captured."

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Xia Huanjiao and whispered, "Little brother, what is your name?"

Xia Huanjiao would, of course, not tell her her real name. The name "Xia Huanjiao" was known to many the moment it was spoken. When out and about, one’s identity is whatever one chooses to give.

After a moment of silence, she replied, "Xia Yansheng. This is my older brother, named Xu, Xu Yin."

Feeling Xu Yingying's hand tighten slightly, Xia Huanjiao assumed it was because the name she had made up on the spot didn't sound good enough, so she reached out with her chubby little hand and patted Xu Yingying's arm in silent reassurance. *Oh well, it was an emergency; I'll just use this name for now.*

"Hmph," Xu Yingying snorted without saying another word.

While Xia Huanjiao was busy "coaxing" Xu Yingying, she failed to notice the fleeting gloom that flashed through the little girl’s red eyes. Yet, the moment the girl met Xia Huanjiao’s gaze again, that gloom transformed back into a timid, fearful expression. She looked very dependent on Xia Huanjiao.

The little child followed behind Xia Huanjiao and Xu Yingying like a little tail—quiet and actually quite adorable.

However, a dilemma arose upon returning to the inn. The bed was just the right size for Xu Yingying and Xia Huanjiao; adding Yuan Yuan made it a bit too cramped.

Xia Huanjiao pursed her lips, took Xu Yingying’s hand to lead her to the bed, and then pushed three stools together, covering them with a quilt.

"Here, you sleep there."

Xia Huanjiao was protective of her own; she certainly wouldn't let Xu Yingying be inconvenienced. Even if this little child was cute and looked soft and cuddly, it wouldn't change that. In her eyes, being weak didn't equate to being right. If it weren't for the fact that there was no one else to take the little thing, she wouldn't have brought her back at all.

If no one came to claim her later, Xia Huanjiao planned to have her attempt the Ten-Thousand-Step Cloud Ladder. If she succeeded, she would let her stay at the Sword Sect to cultivate; if she failed... she would give her some silver, or perhaps help her find work with the Alchemy Tower or the kitchens, giving her a skill to make a living. That was always how Xia Huanjiao operated.

Giving a person a fish is not as good as teaching them how to fish. Even with Bai Lianyi back then, Xia Huanjiao had wanted to give her a way to survive. But she had insisted on taking shortcuts, perhaps believing that after transmigrating, she had mastered the flow of the story and held the upper hand. Thus, her attitude had been arrogant, and even her pretense and acting were half-hearted.

The young cultivator did not yet know that every treasure in this world has a price tag, and the cost of obtaining them can be devastatingly high.

Returning to the matter at hand, as her thoughts drifted, Xia Huanjiao looked at the aggrieved-looking child and said with a touch of coldness, "Not happy?"

Perhaps the coldness in Xia Huanjiao’s tone frightened the child, causing her to shudder before she spoke timidly.

"Brother Yansheng, can I sleep with you...?" Her bright red eyes were filled with tears, looking as if they were about to spill over. Had she met someone soft-hearted, they would likely have agreed immediately. "I’m scared," she said.

Xia Huanjiao, however, frowned with impatience. "No."

She didn't know if this child had never been taught by elders, but she clearly lacked any understanding of the proper distance between males and females. This was the mortal realm, and she was currently disguised as a boy! The girl had no defenses at all!

Having said that, Xia Huanjiao turned and climbed onto the bed, lying on the inside. She pulled the quilt up to cover herself, her voice muffled. "Get some rest. It’s too late to ask the waiter for water; I’ll have them bring hot water tomorrow morning. Once you’ve washed up, wait in the room for us. Do not wander off."

Yuan Yuan’s voice was anxious upon hearing this. "Brother Yansheng, can't I go out with you?"

"I..."

However, Xia Huanjiao would not indulge such disobedient behavior. She flatly refused: "No."

She then let out a massive yawn, hugged Xu Yingying’s cool arm, rubbed her warm face against it, and drifted off into a daze, eyes closing. She was truly exhausted. Her body was already frail, and after such intense emotional fluctuations, she felt exceptionally drained.

Xu Yingying carefully cast a cleansing spell to remove the grime from both herself and Xia Huanjiao, then tucked the quilt around Xia Huanjiao with gentle movements. She glanced at Yuan Yuan, who still seemed to want to say something, and cast a silencing spell to seal her lips.

She didn't close her eyes, simply keeping watch as Xia Huanjiao fell asleep.

The silenced Yuan Yuan’s eyes were wide open, but she couldn't utter a single word. She could only watch helplessly as the two drifted into slumber, a hint of resentment lingering in her gaze.

The night passed without dreams.

When Xia Huanjiao woke up, she first had the waiter bring hot water, washed up with Xu Yingying, and then had the waiter prepare more water in the room. Only when everything was ready did she straighten her clothes and head out.

The moment she stepped out, she heard a chorus of discussions echoing through the lobby. The topic was singular: the smell of blood from the mud wall the previous night.

"You don't know, but I, an old man, went to look today—that wall was soaked in blood!"

"Those little beggars’ bodies were shriveled up, just skin hanging on bone. With a gust of wind, the skin turned to powder and the bones crumbled into dust."

"A sin, truly a sin."

The old man in the center of the crowd was dressed in rags, looking like a wandering beggar, which made his story about the little beggars seem all the more convincing.

Someone in the crowd brought up the others—specifically, the young novice monk from the day before.

"If you ask me, this must have to do with that Buddhist disciple!"

"Oh? How so?"

Mortals always acted this way when discussing cultivators: fearful of them, yet desperate to hear of their sordid deeds. It seemed that by doing so, they could occupy the moral high ground and insult them.

But what did it matter? To a cultivator, the Great Dao was all that mattered; human life was like passing smoke. Their voices were but those of ants and mayflies to a cultivator—passing through the ears, and then gone.

The mortals seemed to have grabbed onto a handle against the young monk. "It must be that the Buddhist disciple gave those little beggars something good, which brought about their demise!"

"In my opinion, that Buddhist disciple must have had malicious intent, giving the stolen goods to the beggars and leading them to such a miserable end with no bones left."

Xia "Giver of Treasures" Huanjiao: ...

Could it really be that her good intentions had led to such a bad outcome?