The one-sided beating continued.
This was hardly surprising.
Beggars living at the absolute bottom of society always harbor more than their fair share of bitterness and misfortune. Unable and terrified to retaliate against those who wrong them, they can only vent their frustration on someone even weaker.
At this present moment, Long Aotian was that weaker person.
The System had already lost hope, yet it refused to give up on its final, futile effort. It persistently held the projection fixed right within its host’s line of sight.
Cen Xianyun could not make the floating display in front of his eyes disappear, but possessed a composed mindset, he ignored it entirely.
He walked along, stopping to rest every few steps.
This physical body was simply too fragile. Even with the support of his primordial soul, it made little difference; he had to pause and catch his breath after taking just a few paces.
The young master’s home was quite far from this street.
Cen Xianyun sighed faintly to himself. Having borrowed someone else’s body, he ultimately had to return it once he was done. He couldn’t just leave it discarded on the street, could he?
“Ugh.”
Unable to endure the relentless beating any longer, a muffled groan escaped from between the little beggar’s bloody, bitten lips.
Cen Xianyun inevitably lost a bit of focus to the image before him, catching sight of the little beggar’s eyes just in time.
The child’s originally black eyes had transformed into emerald-green, vertical slit pupils. The prolonged, unbearable pain made it impossible for him to control his half-demon lineage, gradually revealing his beastial form.
Those crystal-clear, jade-like orbs shone with exceptional brightness amidst the dim, narrow alley and flying dust.
The sight inexplicably reminded Cen Xianyun of a black cat prowling through the night, its pitch-black fur blending almost seamlessly into the dark ink of midnight, with only those beastly pupils emitting a soft glow that betrayed its presence.
Cen Xianyun’s steps slowed to a stop as he muttered under his breath, “Did I ever raise a cat before?”
His voice was extremely faint, like the hushed murmur of someone deep in a dream, dissipating into thin air the moment it left his lips, leaving any onlookers unable to hear it clearly.
“Hey.”
The voice was neither loud nor quiet, albeit lacking a bit of strength. The youth’s shadow was stretched long by the sunlight filtering through the alley entrance. The light and shadow blurred his features, giving the beggars the fleeting illusion of an immortal stepping into the mortal realm by mistake.
The leader of the beggars hesitated for a second, but he quickly realized that the figure before him was merely a frail, delicate lad, nothing to be afraid of.
“Mind your own business!” He brandished his fist and threatened harshly, “Get lost, fast!”
Cen Xianyun acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, stepping slowly into the dark, damp alley.
This allowed the beggars crouching in the shadows to get a clear view of the newcomer’s attire.
Beggars who spent their years roaming streets and alleys might not know much, but they had seen plenty. The clothes on the person before them were exquisitely embroidered, and various bead strands and jade pendants hung from his waist. One look was enough to tell he was worth a small fortune.
The beggar leader took half a step forward with a fierce glare, his murky eyes rolling slyly as the undisguised greed within them spilled over. “Yo, is the young master planning to play the philanthropist today?”
He licked his dry, cracked lips and covertly made a hand gesture behind his side. Several skinny lackeys immediately swarmed forward, blocking Cen Xianyun’s path of retreat.
Young masters from wealthy families were people ordinary folk couldn’t afford to provoke, and beggars like them were even less capable of doing so.
Under normal circumstances, that is.
Right now, this nosy young master had stepped into a deserted dead end entirely on his own. How could they possibly suppress the wicked thoughts rising in their minds?
As for what happened afterward?
They were nameless, homeless beggars whom nobody cared about to begin with, born without a lineage or registered identity. Once they slaughtered this fat sheep and secured a mountain of gold, they could simply move to another territory. Who could ever track them down?
Rootless weeds could thrive anywhere.
“Young master,” the beggar leader grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. “Hand over everything valuable on you, and I’ll spare you this once. How about it?”
Cen Xianyun remained silent for a long moment, appearing to give it serious thought, before speaking just as the beggar was about to lose his patience: “Just spare me this once?”
The beggar failed to grasp the underlying meaning, a trace of confusion entering his eyes. Cen Xianyun kindly reminded him, “I came here to play the hero.”
Following the young master’s gaze, the group saw the little beggar sprawling on the ground. Although they had stopped beating him, a few of them were still pressing down on his body, stepping heavily on his back without moving away.
The beggar leader couldn’t help but laugh out loud, staring at him as if looking at a fool, though his mouth agreed readily: “Sure thing! I’ll spare him too. Hand it over!”
Cen Xianyun looked down at the filthy, yellowed hand thrust in front of his face and gave a soft chuckle. “Sounds pretty good, but…”
He raised his head, a smile playing in his eyes. “I don’t feel like giving it to you.”
The moment those words were uttered, the beggar froze. A second later, flushed with anger and embarrassment, he waved his hand and growled, “Are you playing with me?! Beat him up!”
Several small beggars instantly charged forward. Cen Xianyun took half a step back, dodging the leader’s incoming punch to his face, and lightly tapped his fair, slender index finger in the empty air.
As if someone had hit the pause button, the beggars froze mid-motion, stuck in ridiculous, contorted poses, unable to move a muscle.
Although his cultivation was severely suppressed, dealing with a few street hooligans and beggars was still child’s play.
Cen Xianyun bypassed the frozen men in front of him, walked over to Long Aotian, and squatted down.
The child’s face, already filthy, now bore several dusty shoe prints. Covered under the layer of dirt, it was hard to tell how many injuries lay beneath.
“Hey.” Cen Xianyun stared down at the utterly wretched Long Aotian from above, thinking to himself that these worlds truly favored the trope of placing great responsibility on a chosen one. The Child of Fortune always had to endure a bout of miserable suffering before achieving the Great Dao.
Long Aotian struggled to lift his head. His bright, beastly pupils looked like emeralds fallen into the dirt, soiled, yet unable to conceal their brilliance.
“I want to raise a cat,” Cen Xianyun said nonchalantly, his expression indifferent and his tone airy. “Do you want to come with me?”
The little beggar in the mud seemed as if his soul had been stolen, offering no reaction whatsoever.
Cen Xianyun knew he simply didn’t know how to speak.
Due to his half-demon bloodline, Long Aotian’s growth and development were far slower than that of ordinary people. Having lived on the streets without anyone to raise or teach him, he was already six or seven years old yet unable to utter a single word.
“If you’re willing, nod your head once.” Cen Xianyun curled his fingers, mimicking a person nodding. “If you’re unwilling, nod twice.”
The little beggar stared blankly for a long while. His patience exhausted, Cen Xianyun stopped waiting and turned around to leave.
【Host! Host!】
【He nodded! He nodded!】
The ear-splitting shriek made Cen Xianyun instinctively raise his hand to cover his ears, but since the System’s voice echoed directly inside his mind, covering his ears accomplished nothing.
Cen Xianyun turned back, catching sight of Long Aotian nodding his head repeatedly like a chick pecking at grain, having lost count of how many times he had nodded.
“Does this count as agreeing or disagreeing?” Cen Xianyun asked in his heart.
He had never truly intended to take Long Aotian with him in the first place, which was why he had used such vague phrasing like “nod once or nod twice” with a child who hadn’t even gained sentience yet.
【It counts as agreeing! It counts as agreeing! He nodded, how could it not count!】
Hearing the System’s anxious reply, Cen Xianyun raised an eyebrow slightly. “What is your relationship with this little thing? Why are you looking out for him again and again?”
【…】
The System’s skill at playing dead was indeed perfected to mastery. Cen Xianyun didn’t push further either; he flicked his sleeve, brushing aside the few men who were pressing down on Long Aotian. “Let’s go.”
Battered and bruised, Long Aotian pushed off the ground to stand up, but his legs gave way, making him nearly collapse back down.
Cen Xianyun stared at the corner of the wall overgrown with dark green moss, his mind wandering slightly. Out of habit, he wanted to sigh, but swallowed it back down the moment he opened his mouth.
He had sighed far too many times today. If he kept sighing, he was afraid it would shorten his lifespan.
After a long pause, a fair, slender palm was extended in front of the beggar. Cen Xianyun didn’t spare him a single glance. “Hurry up.”
The beggar’s small, frail hand rested in his palm. A bit of grit rubbed between their hands, bringing a dull, rough sensation.
Holding his hand, Cen Xianyun led him slowly out of the dark, sunless alley.
By the time they returned to the vicinity of the young master’s residence, the sun was already high in the sky. The butler and maidservants charged with caring for the young master were frantic with worry, searching everywhere along the streets.
Sharp-eyed and quick-eared, the servants spotted the two from a distance, calling out and gathering around them in a crowd.
“Young Master! You worried us to death!” Hearing the news, the white-haired head butler hurried over, pushing past the surrounding crowd to squeeze inside.
The head butler grabbed Cen Xianyun’s shoulders, scanning him carefully up and down before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Their young master was born with an innate deficiency. Countless renowned physicians had concluded he wouldn’t live past the age of eight. After consulting countless eminent monks and Taoists, it was suggested that fostering him under an assumed name in the countryside might allow him to live a bit longer.
After all that turmoil, they had barely managed to raise him to the age of ten. If any accident were to happen to him, it would cost the old man his life!
Cen Xianyun listened quietly to the head butler’s nagging. Although they had arrived near the house, there was still a long distance to walk.
To ensure the young master could recuperate in peace, the entire street had been bought out to serve as his residence.
It was truly somewhat extravagantly unreasonable.
Upon reaching home, the head butler immediately summoned the resident physician to check the young master’s pulse. Only after confirming he was unharmed did he notice the beggar who had been standing beside the young master all this time.
“This is…”
By now, Long Aotian’s eyes had returned to normal, looking no different from any ordinary street beggar.
“Oh,” Cen Xianyun blinked, looking as though he had only just remembered bringing someone back, and casually said, “Picked him up by the roadside. Raising him for fun.”
The head butler looked as if he wanted to say something, but stopped himself.
The young master was cooped up in this mansion every day and felt bored; wanting a companion of similar age was understandable. At the end of the day, it was just a beggar. If the young master enjoyed keeping him around, then so be it. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t afford it.
“Then…” The head butler looked at the filthy beggar and spoke thoughtfully, “Shall I have the maidservants take him to bathe and change into clean clothes?”
Turning his gaze, Cen Xianyun caught sight of Long Aotian’s hollow, unblinking eyes. He felt a sudden stroke of regret, but since he had already brought the child back, he couldn’t bring himself to drive him away either.
Deciding that out of sight meant out of mind, he waved his hand, signaling the butler to take the boy away.
The head butler smiled warmly at the little beggar and made a gesture inviting him forward, but unexpectedly, the child seemed not to understand, his large eyes staring straight at the young master.
“Go get cleaned up.” Cen Xianyun’s fingers rested on Long Aotian’s face; with just a light wipe, a thick layer of dust stained his skin. “I don’t like dirty kitties. Do you understand?”
What answered him was an unbroken stream of nods from the little beggar.
He learned quite fast.
Cen Xianyun sighed softly in his heart.
【Look, how obedient he is.】
The head butler had already led the child out of the room. Cen Xianyun pulled out a satin handkerchief, methodically wiping his palm clean before speaking leisurely: “He is quite obedient indeed. I hope that when he cuts me into a thousand pieces in the future, you’ll still be able to praise him just as easily.”