txolops Chapter 104 Recruiting Two Girls
Chapter 104 Recruiting Two Girls
Chapter 104 Recruiting Er Ya
Jiang Fu'an, who was watching quietly from the side, was actually somewhat interested in the two boys with mixed spiritual roots.
But his primary goal today is to take Lin Erya away.
If two more people were recruited at the same time, bringing in three promising talents at once would attract too much attention.
Moreover, this spiritual root testing competition is held every year, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
After the two boys were taken away, the drunkard became extremely anxious.
He shouted again at the top of his lungs, "Who among you is willing to buy my daughter? She also has spiritual roots! The price is negotiable!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Ping glanced at the girl sideways.
Her head was almost buried in her chest, and her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
He shook his head, his tone tinged with disdain: "This girl is too timid. Being sold in public, she didn't even dare to cry out. I'm afraid she'll lack courage in her future cultivation."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
But before he could take a step, he saw Jiang Fu'an walking towards the drunkard.
The drunkard's eyes lit up, and he quickly staggered forward, grinning as he asked, "Sir, do you want to buy my daughter?"
Jiang Fu'an walked up to the drunkard without making a sound, and then said calmly, "Who are you? Other parents just want to find a good future for their children, but you only want to sell your daughter for money."
The drunkard wasn't afraid at all, and chuckled, "My name is Lin Erniu, sir."
Others want their children to succeed because they hope to benefit from it and reap rewards in the future.
"But I think waiting that long is too agonizing, and whether I'll even amount to anything is another matter. It's better to just take a sum of money now, that's more practical!"
Lin Erniu.
Upon hearing this name, Jiang Fu'an's last remaining doubts vanished.
This girl is Lin Erya.
He shifted the light slightly, landing on the little girl who kept her head down.
The drunkard, however, was impatient and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Sir, my daughter is very obedient and will do whatever you ask!"
"If you think it's too expensive, we can discuss it—"
That's enough.
Jiang Fu'an frowned and interrupted him.
He then flipped his right hand, a faint light flashed in his palm, and a heavy wooden box appeared out of thin air.
"Bang—!"
He placed the wooden crate directly on the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
The box lid was not closed, and inside it was neatly stacked with silver ingots, a dazzling white expanse.
Immediately afterwards, he flipped his palm over again, this time revealing ten spirit stones in his hand.
He tossed the spirit stones onto the wooden box, making a few crisp "tap-tap" sounds.
After doing all this, Jiang Fu'an didn't look at the drunkard again. Instead, he squatted down, his gaze level with that of the girl who kept her head down.
He spoke very softly: "What's your name?"
The girl glanced at him quickly, then lowered her head as if startled, her voice barely audible: "—Call me Er Ya."
Jiang Fu'an stretched out his hand and offered it to her: "Er Ya, come with me, I'll take you to Qinglu Mountain."
Lin Erya did not respond immediately, but turned her head to look at her father.
The drunkard was no longer paying attention to her at that moment.
He was squatting beside the wooden box, his eyes gleaming, his fingers trembling as he touched the silver ingots, chuckling softly to himself.
Lin Erya looked at her father and her gaze gradually dimmed.
Finally, she turned around, slowly raised her small hand, and placed it in Jiang Fu'an's palm.
Jiang Fu'an didn't linger. He stood up, took her hand, and walked towards the exit of the training ground.
At this moment, Ma Ping and Lu Changfeng had not yet left and were standing not far away watching.
Seeing him approach, Ma Ping looked puzzled: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, I originally thought that you waited until the end to recruit a seedling of immortality who doesn't want a salary."
"I didn't expect you to give me ten spirit stones without even haggling?"
Jiang Fu'an shook his head with a wry smile: "Qinglu Mountain is indeed not well-off right now. I originally planned to do what the Zhao family did and hire someone who doesn't want a salary."
"But if this drunkard sells his daughter in public, and I try to bargain with him, wouldn't I be treating Er Ya like a commodity?"
Lin Erya, who had been keeping her head down, trembled slightly.
She suddenly raised her head and looked at the profile of the tall man beside her.
The afternoon sun slanted in, outlining his dark face and messy beard.
This scene was deeply imprinted in her mind.
For over a century since then, it has never faded.
Ma Ping smiled, but his tone carried a hint of admonition: "It's good that Fellow Daoist Jiang is kind-hearted. However, we both know about the cultivation of mixed spiritual roots."
"Without accumulating resources, it would probably take several years of hard work just to reach the first level of Qi Refining."
"You'll probably have a hard time recouping your ten spirit stones anytime soon."
Jiang Fu'an simply smiled faintly and did not reply.
Er Ya possesses the Xuan Yin Body, which greatly benefits her cultivation of Yin-attribute techniques.
But he would naturally not say this to outsiders.
Just then, a green-canopied carriage passed by.
The silk curtains on the car window were lifted, revealing half of the face of the person inside.
She was the girl with the pseudo-spiritual root who was chosen by the Yue Ling Qian family.
Her gaze swept outside and she suddenly saw Lin Erya being led by Jiang Fu'an, a look of surprise flashing across her face.
In her opinion, this "little beggar" who was inferior to her in every way and exuded poverty should not be taken in by any cultivation family.
Could it be that the Jiang family is so destitute that they don't even care about personal possessions and just want someone with a spiritual root?
As she was pondering to herself, Lin Erya seemed to sense something and suddenly raised her eyes to look out the carriage window.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
The girl with the pseudo-spiritual root curled her lips slightly, revealing a faint smile that was hard to tell whether it was pity or mockery, before she lowered the curtain.
On the way back to Qinglu Mountain, Jiang Fu'an rode a half-spirit steed, with Lin Erya sitting in front of him, her body stiff and her small hands tightly gripping the front edge of the saddle.
Jiang Fu'an noticed her nervousness and took the initiative to ask, "Er Ya, where's your mother?"
Lin Erya was silent for a while before whispering, "Father beats Mother when he drinks—Mother couldn't take it and ran away."
She spoke calmly, making it impossible to tell whether she was sad or resentful.
Jiang Fu'an's heart stirred, and he gently rolled up Lin Erya's sleeve a little.
On his thin, bony arms, old and new bruises were layered together, some already yellowed, others still purplish-red.
It seems that the drunkard not only beat his wife, but also his daughter.
Jiang Fu'an felt a slight pang in his heart.
The girl's "timidity" was not her nature, but clearly the result of daily beatings and scoldings.
"Does it hurt?"
He asked softly.
Lin Erya shook her head: "It doesn't hurt anymore, I'm used to it."
Have you gotten used to it?
Jiang Fu'an was taken aback, then he understood.
She meant that she'd gotten used to the pain.
An inexplicable anger suddenly surged into my heart.
For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to turn his horse around, go back, and finish that bastard off with a single sword stroke.
But in the end, he suppressed the impulse.
No matter how despicable that man may be, he is still Er Ya's biological father.
Jiang Fu'an took a deep breath, suppressing the murderous intent surging in his heart: "From now on, Qinglu Mountain is your home, and no one will beat or scold you at will anymore."