Lin Qianqian carried her bundle, a look of struggle flickering on her face.
"Sister."
At this moment, her younger sister, Lin Shuishui, looked at her with hope in her eyes, as if wishing her sister would agree.
Though still young, she knew how dangerous it was outside; only when their father was home would she dare open the window a crack to glimpse the world beyond.
Lin Qianqian said nothing, but when Qin Yu reached out to take the bundle from her, she only hesitated slightly before letting go.
Does that mean she agreed?
Qin Yu felt a surge of joy in his heart and led the sisters into his own home.
"Uncle Qin…"
Once inside, Lin Qianqian seemed to summon her courage and even met Qin Yu's eyes, though still a bit flustered, yet more resolute. "Qianqian is willing to serve tea and water to uncle as repayment for taking us in, I only hope… only hope that uncle will treat my sister kindly."
Given their current situation, nothing could really get much worse for the sisters.
Now, she could only place her hope in this Uncle Qin before her, trusting—as her father had said—that he truly was a 'good person'.
If they fell into the hands of villains, she feared… Just thinking of that terrifying outcome made Lin Qianqian's fair face turn noticeably pale.
"What are you saying that for!"
Qin Yu's face was full of righteous sincerity. "Uncle only wants to do what little he can to look after you two, don't let your thoughts run wild."
He felt the girl before him seemed to misunderstand his intention. He truly only wanted to…
Squeeze out some Flame Points from her.
There were absolutely no other improper thoughts.
But why, after being in contact for so long, was there still no Flame Point notification?
He thought he saw something about Emotion Points—could it be that Lin Qianqian was not having any emotional reaction right now?
That didn't seem right either.
Unable to figure it out, Qin Yu simply said, "You two wait at home, I'll go hand in the Spirit Stones first!"
With that, he headed out the door.
If he didn't submit the Spirit Stones, the Law Enforcement Team would come looking in a day at most; by then, even Qin Yu himself would be kicked out.
This was not something that could be delayed.
[Lin Qianqian Romantic Point: 5 (Initial Acquaintance)]
Qin Yu paused for a moment as he went out.
It seemed he had already earned the girl's initial trust.
When he exited the house, several windows in the alley opened in succession.
"Hey, Qin Yu, didn't know you had such a big appetite."
The speaker was a bearded man who looked to be in his fifties. He narrowed his eyes and teased, "You took both of them? Aren't you worried you'll bite off more than you can chew?"
His tone was far from friendly; in fact, it carried a hint of threat.
As for Lin Qianqian, these cultivators didn't care; what they had their eye on was Lin Shuishui.
A girl with Middle Grade Root Bone was worth quite a few Spirit Stones!
But, if something happened to her body, her value would be quite different.
Though the houses with the open windows seemed quiet, Qin Yu could sense four or five fierce gazes falling on him, putting him instantly on guard.
He really had been a bit reckless.
Still, he did not regret his decision—if he could steadily harvest Flame Points from Lin Qianqian, improving his Root Bone and Spiritual Power…
Just imagining it made his heart burn.
"Daoist Lin cared for me before. Now that he's gone, I only wish to do my small part to look after the sisters…"
At these words, the alley immediately rang with several obvious sneers.
Clearly, no one believed a word of Qin Yu's explanation.
Qin Yu didn't bother defending himself. Hands hidden in his sleeves, he carefully made his way toward the mouth of the alley.
This move made even the cultivators stirring in the shadows hesitate suddenly.
No one knew what he was hiding in those sleeves—if it was a Talisman, taking a hit would be nasty. And if they got hurt, it'd only benefit others.
At the alley's steward office, Qin Yu first handed over four pieces of Lower Grade Spirit Stone and received two wooden identity tokens emitting a faint glow.
After all that, he had only two Spirit Stones left.
Though it hurt, Qin Yu quickly adjusted and made his way toward the market on the edge of town.
The shops here were all sorts, some opened by cultivators from within the city, others rumored to have Immortal Sect backgrounds… In short, no cultivator dared cause trouble here.
Upon entering the market, Qin Yu headed to a sundry shop named "Evergreen."
You could buy nearly anything here, from food to medicinal ingredients—really quite well-stocked.
Qin Yu always conducted his business here.
He first took out some coins to buy ordinary rice and grains.
These coins were made from special ores mined in the Wuzhao Mountain Range—if one melted them in a furnace, they could be crafted into artifacts.
So it was accepted as currency here: a hundred coins could be exchanged for one Lower Grade Spirit Stone.
Given all the uncertain factors now, to avoid frequent trips, Qin Yu bought enough rice, enough for three people to eat for half a year, spending more than a dozen large coins altogether.
Strange though it was, even as a Qi Refining Cultivator, he still had to eat. It seemed even the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators in town didn't practice Fasting like he thought they would.
The cultivators of this world, compared to the cultivators he'd known from other tales… were a bit different.
Looking at the coins left in his hand, Qin Yu considered for a moment, gritted his teeth, and bought some meat.
Now, he only had two large coins remaining.
Qin Yu's gaze swept across a nearby shelf and saw some snacks and dried fruits. Thinking of young Lin Shuishui, he spent his last two large coins.
Maybe Lin Qianqian's breakthrough would be through her little sister?
"Give me thirty more sets of Healing Herbs!"
Since they might be staying here longer, of course he had to keep up with alchemy to earn Spirit Stones.
Healing Herbs cost five large coins a set.
While ordinary non-graded Healing Medicine Liquid sold for around ten large coins a vial; if his success rate was high, the profits were decent.
Qin Yu sold five Healing Medicine Liquids, got fifty large coins, and then handed over a Lower Grade Spirit Stone, paying the bill.
He now could only hope his home's Alchemy Furnace would last a bit longer.
Now he was left with just one Spirit Stone on him.
Keeping one Spirit Stone wasn't for cultivation, but just in case.
If he were ever robbed, offering up the Spirit Stone might save his life; if he handed over nothing, he'd only court disaster.
On his way out, Qin Yu was carrying a big bag, but it wasn't odd here—most cultivators who enter the market leave looking much like him.
He made it back to Spring Rain Lane with other cultivators, without a hitch.
A Qi Refining Second Layer like him, living as a Junior Cultivator outside the city, what treasures could he possibly have that'd be worth going after? After all, attacking him would be risky.
Back at Spring Rain Lane.
As soon as he stepped into the lane, the hair on Qin Yu's neck stood on end.
So, they really meant to make a move on him?!
Just as he was about to drop his bag and fight, those fierce presences suddenly receded.
Qin Yu looked back.
An old man appearing to be in his seventies or eighties walked into the alley.
The old man was named Wang Bu, with the cultivation of Qi Refining Sixth Layer—he was the eldest cultivator in Spring Rain Lane.
No wonder those who'd meant to act backed off now.
"Grandpa Wang."
At the greeting, Wang Bu just glanced at Qin Yu's direction, nodded with a faint motion, and continued walking ahead.
"Grandpa Wang, could you escort me back home?"
Qin Yu walked over, and without hesitation, handed his last Lower Grade Spirit Stone to him.
Wang Bu paused for a moment.
Naturally, he knew everyone in the alley somewhat. Qin Yu must have run into some trouble to do this.
He glanced around the alley.
In the end, he still accepted the Spirit Stone that Qin Yu offered.
"Let's go!"
Though old, Wang Bu's voice was still full of vigor.
This scene was not lost on the cultivators in the shadows. Even if they were unwilling, no one dared make a move on Wang Bu.
To survive to such an age, he must indeed be ruthless!
At the doorway, Qin Yu finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Grandpa Wang."
He thanked the old man again, showing no sign of distress over parting with a Spirit Stone.
Wang Bu was not a talkative sort.
After taking a few steps, he turned back, "Qin Yu, if you need to go out again, come find me."
By the time Qin Yu looked up, the old man was already striding away.
Back inside, after locking the door, Qin Yu realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He had prepared for the risks, but didn't expect those guys to reach a consensus so fast. If Wang Bu hadn't shown up, today's outcome might have been dire.
After setting his things down, Qin Yu looked up and saw the two girls, one big and one small, still standing where they were, not even daring to sit.
Lin Qianqian looked nervous, twisting the hem of her clothes, clearly still on edge. Lin Shuishui hid behind her sister, only peeking out with her bright eyes—until Qin Yu took out a skewer of candied hawthorn, and her eyes sparkled instantly.
But she didn't take it right away. Instead, she looked at her sister, and only after Lin Qianqian nodded did she accept the candied hawthorn from Qin Yu, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Qin."
Her voice was soft and sweet, quite pleasant.
"Hehe."
Qin Yu chuckled softly and took a bag of snacks from the big bag, showing it to them. "Once these are gone, there's still more."
"Ah!"
"So much yummy stuff!"
Lin Shuishui let out a low exclamation, and even Lin Qianqian looked visibly surprised.
Their father was a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator, but since they had to surrender four extra Spirit Stones every year, their life was even tighter than Qin Yu's.
They obviously couldn't afford to waste money on snacks.
So now, as Lin Qianqian looked at Qin Yu, her face showed clear surprise.
He'd already shown great kindness by taking them in, and yet he was treating them so generously… What was he after?
The girl bit her lip lightly.
If only he truly meant their no harm.
Lin Qianqian's gaze gradually became determined, as if she had made some sort of decision.
"From now on, you'll stay in this room."
The houses in Spring Rain Lane were all the same, a big room and a small one.
The smaller room wasn't really much smaller. It was enough for the two sisters. Before, Lin Qianqian and her sister had also stayed in the smaller room.
The sisters began arranging their things in the side room, while Qin Yu started cooking.
With limited means, all he could do was cut a few pieces of meat to be steamed with the rice once it was almost done.
As the scent of meat wafted out, Qin Yu clearly heard someone gulping.
It was Lin Shuishui.
He wouldn't have guessed this little girl was such a foodie.
Still, perhaps it was that she wasn't yet comfortable with him. She just kept hiding behind her sister, poking out half her head, staring at the pot of rice on the table.
"Come eat."
Qin Yu waved them over and served them rice, each bowl topped with a piece of meat about half a palm's size.
"No need to be polite with uncle! From now on, treat this as your own home!"
Lin Qianqian hesitated briefly before walking over with her sister.
They'd had a tough time lately, living off whatever was left in the house. It had been ages since they'd had a proper meal.
Let alone eaten meat.
"Thank you, Uncle Qin…"
"Thank you, Uncle Qin!"
The sisters thanked Qin Yu again, and only when he motioned them to start, did they begin to eat.