The little girl pouted, lowered her head, and looked utterly heartbroken: "The person I loved is dead too."
Jin then launched into a tirade.
It was clearly a sad and heavy topic, but to everyone's surprise, Jin's mood improved instantly upon hearing such a dramatic remark. He laughed and said, "Hey little girl, who do you like?"
The little girl raised her face and glared at him angrily: "I'm not a little girl, I'm fourteen years old."
Jin tried to suppress a laugh: "Right, right, you're a young lady, so how old is the boy you like, umm, how old is he?"
The little girl stood up angrily: "My mother is dead, you're not allowed to laugh!"
A faint light flickered in her large eyes. She wiped them with her sleeve and turned away, ignoring him.
Jin was stunned for a long time before she realized who the "most favorite person" she was talking about was. She was filled with regret. Damn it, she had automatically thought of that. Sigh, she's still just a little girl. That's really not right.
He was surprised that he felt guilty, so he pulled her down to sit and struck up a conversation: "Do you want to know who I am?"
The little girl refused to answer, sulking.
He unconsciously adopted a slightly ingratiating tone: "My name is Jin Huanlai, have you heard of me?"
The little girl finally reacted: "Gold again...that doesn't sound good!"
Jin Huanlai was so angry that his nose almost crooked. "My name will soon be known throughout the martial arts world. How dare you, a little girl, criticize me for not being able to hear it properly!"
.
There's a saying, "Even if you spend all your money, it will come back again." Haven't you heard of it?
"What does that mean?"
"You didn't go to school?"
“My mother taught me to read when I was little,” the little girl answered softly, her voice filled with sadness. “Now that she’s gone, the madam only lets my younger brother study with his teacher.”
So she wasn't born of the principal wife? Jin sighed inwardly, "Does the First Madam not like you?"
The little girl blushed slightly: "No..."
Having eaten someone else's food, Jin felt it necessary to help: "She won't let you study? I'll teach her a lesson for you."
The little girl shook her head: "My dad likes me very much, and he also said that girls don't need to go to school."
Is it because they don't study that they're not afraid of thieves?
Jin was silent for a moment, then stood up and put the rest of the osmanthus cakes into his pocket: "I'll take these and eat them. It's almost dawn, so you should go home early and don't wander around at night anymore."
The little girl looked up at him and asked, "Will you come again?"
"No, thank you."
"You're my friend, come play with me, okay?" She tugged at the hem of his robe, pleading.
Friends? Jin finally faced the question head-on, tilting his handsome face to examine her. "I would have friends this young?"
The little girl rolled her eyes: "I have wine at home, come on, I'll treat you to a drink."
"I let you take advantage of me for free, and now you're trying to bribe me?" Jin turned around and strode away, saying, "I don't drink."
A little girl's voice came from behind.
"Hello, my name is Qiu Lingling!"
"I'll be waiting for you here!"
Qiu Lingling, what a name. Jin laughed, raised his hand, causing his black cloak to billow, and said without turning his head, "I won't come again."
Recover stolen goods on the spot
The room was filled with the scent of herbs. On the sandalwood table, dozens of herbs and powders were laid out, in various colors such as green, yellow, purple, and red. Jin was sweating profusely as he prepared the antidote, occasionally picking up a herb to look at it before casually tossing it aside.
Looking around at the furnishings, although the colors were simple, every single item was of the highest quality.
"Old man, you want me to beg you, don't you?" Jin Huanlai grew increasingly impatient as he glanced at the sky outside the door.
The "Seven Herbs Antidote" was originally made by extracting the juice of seven poisonous herbs and mixing it with other medicines. To counteract it, one must know the original formula. However, there are hundreds of poisonous herbs in the world, and Jin Yue refuses to reveal them. The three-day deadline is fast approaching, and if the antidote isn't found quickly, the consequences are unpredictable. At best, it will cause excruciating pain; at worst, it could lead to intestinal perforation and death. Clearly, Jin Yue doesn't accept apprentices easily and wouldn't use the latter method. Furthermore, Jin Huanlai has already been tested using the same method multiple times and is unwilling to challenge his endurance again, nor does he want to try the former.
The servant entered, carrying the tokens of the Dharma Protector's request for an audience.
Jin didn't even look at it, waving his hand impatiently: "We'll talk about it later!"
"Woof woof—" The puppy, lying at the servant's feet, barked in dissatisfaction upon hearing this.
Jin retorted angrily, "Damn it, shut up!"
The barking stopped immediately.
The servant glanced at the puppy with pity and then withdrew.
"Old man, you tricked me! It was Monstera deliciosa!" With the last herb found, the antidote was finally prepared, and Jin was relieved. He breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
Half a day later, he slowly sat up in bed and felt that something was wrong.
It was too quiet, almost deserted.
It turns out that the leaders of the Thousand Hands Sect all lived in the Golden Garden, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter. There were special guards around the garden, but there were only four or five servants inside, all of whom were mute. They were responsible for the daily life of the leaders. Jin Huanlai had lived there with Jin Yue for five years, and every day he was either busy practicing martial arts or going out to complete missions. Now that Jin Yue had stepped down and returned to the Retreat Valley in the back mountain to cultivate in seclusion, the garden suddenly became deserted because there was one less person. Jin Huanlai was actually a little unaccustomed to it.
The little dog was lying by the door, looking at him pitifully.
Jin walked over and squatted down: "Hey, make a sound so this leader can hear you."
The puppy opened its mouth, then lowered its head in resignation.
Jin suddenly realized his mistake and was filled with regret. He had only developed "Shut Up" as a way to punish those people and make them recover in a year. He hadn't even considered the issue of an antidote.
He patted its head regretfully: "You'll have to endure this for a year."
I got up and went out.
.
Jin Garden was lush with vegetation and dimly lit, but the lack of people made it seem somewhat lifeless. Now, as night fell, it exuded an even more desolate and lonely atmosphere. Jin disliked this feeling of loneliness and began to consider his plans for the evening. After three busy days, shouldn't he go somewhere to relieve his physical needs?
For some reason, he suddenly remembered those big eyes.
Bright, clean—what an annoying pair of eyes!
"I'll be waiting for you here!"
It's been three days already. Is that little girl still foolishly waiting there? For some inexplicable reason, Jin Huanlai suddenly felt like going to the stream to check. A concubine's daughter is rarely supervised; if a little girl runs around at night and runs into some flower picker, how could I, the dignified leader of the sect, possibly eat someone else's osmanthus cake for nothing?
"Little kid?" The thought of that word instantly cheered Jin Huanlai up, and he decided to abandon his original plan and go to the stream.
Having eaten the "little girl's" cake for free, shouldn't he give her something in return? Jin then went into his gold room and sat among a pile of jewels for half a day, not knowing what to take. He usually gave women plenty of gifts, but this was a little girl, and she thought he was the "worst" thief. He couldn't leave a bad impression of lying...
Jin left empty-handed.
As he walked through the corridor, the mute servant came to greet him, bowed immediately, and presented the plaque with both hands.
Upon seeing the sign, Jin Huanlai suddenly remembered that the Dharma Protector had once requested an audience.
.
The Thousand Hands Cult usually stays at night and hides during the day, and they also hold meetings at night. At this moment, it is just getting dark, and torches are burning brightly in the hall. There are two rows of seats on the left and right sides below the steps. The four guardians, as well as the three altar masters and nine branch masters of the main altar, are all sitting attentively, waiting for the arrival of the cult leader to discuss important matters.
After waiting for half a day, it was Jin Yue who walked in.
Everyone was startled and stood up, bowing in unison: "Old Master."
Jin Yue nodded: "Return immediately if there is anything."
Everyone was puzzled.
Jin Yue twitched his lips, sat down in the middle chair, and said impatiently, "Report what you have to say quickly."
As expected, the Silver Protector Zheng Jiaojiao was a master of disguise. After glancing at him twice, she smiled and bowed again: "So it's the sect leader."
The crowd then realized what was happening and secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
Protector Yue Yiping stepped forward with a fawning smile: "Master's disguise skills are indeed superb..."
"This cult leader's disguise skills are the worst. Are you being sarcastic?" Jin muttered under his breath, "Let's get down to business."
"Yes, yes," Yue Yiping quickly replied, observing the situation. "We have taken the liberty of requesting an audience with the leader today because..."
Before he could finish speaking, Protector Qian, Yin Fei, interrupted him sharply: "We have never seen the true face of the leader. How can we be sure that he is the leader based solely on the appearance of the old leader!"
Everyone was stunned.
Yin Fei was indeed reliable in his work, and his personality was indeed a bit too straightforward. Jin deliberately put on a stern face: "Do you dare to doubt me?"
Yin Fei retorted without backing down: "Forgive my rudeness, but the sect leader's status is no small matter, as it concerns important matters within the sect, and we must be cautious."
Jin sneered, "Aren't you afraid I'll punish you?"
Everyone was so frightened that they stood up straight. Jin Yue's methods were well-known. Few had personally experienced them, but just watching from the sidelines was enough to make them feel bad. Now, this new leader seemed even more formidable.
Yin Fei's face turned pale, and he stared blankly.
"Damn it, it's always you who's a fool who sticks your neck out without reading the room, dragging us down with you!" Protector Yue Yiping cursed inwardly, but he knew better than to step forward and try to persuade him.
Jin, however, laughed and raised the Thousand Hands Token: "Now can we trust you, Protector Yin?"
Everyone held their breath in suspense.
Yin Fei bowed his head and said in a trembling voice, "Please forgive me, Master."
Jin Huanlai turned to Yue Yiping: "Report back immediately if anything happens."
Yue Yiping secretly breathed a sigh of relief, carefully choosing his words as he said, "The reason we are so eager to invite the sect leader is actually because of the Jiang family's affairs."
"The Jiang family?"
"Indeed, does the leader remember the Jiang family massacre from a few years ago?"
.
Jin laughed: "Useless Jiang Xiaohu?"
Yue Yiping said, "That's right. The Jiang family was the richest family in Jiangnan and one of the top martial arts families. I heard that when Jiang Xiaohu was born, the Jiang family obtained a rare treasure. When Jiang Meng was overjoyed to have a grandson, he accidentally leaked the news, which led to the extermination of his family more than ten years later."
Jin returned and said, "That kid is still alive."
Yue Yiping laughed: "He's lucky, too. Jiang Meng only has this grandson. I heard that the kid was alright when he was young, but he grew up to be a gambler and womanizer..." Noticing the leader's unfriendly gaze, he immediately stopped the topic: "After Jiang Meng died, his father kicked him out of the house. Later, the Jiang family was wiped out overnight, and his father and mother were killed, but he acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to have fun without saying a word. Otherwise, why would he be called the useless Jiang Xiaohu?"