Chapter 14: Rain Does Not Nourish Rootless Grass

Lin Yan woke up just as the sky began to brighten. He had no habit of sleeping in, whether in his past life or this one. After washing his face and changing into coarse clothes, he carefully tucked his money and silver notes close to his chest.

When he went downstairs, the inn's lobby was already bustling with people. The air was thick with the mouthwatering aroma of food. Lin Yan found a table by the window, sat down, and ordered a plate of braised meat, two steamed buns, and a pot of hot tea from the waiter. The tea was scalding, so he sipped it slowly, his gaze drifting to the street outside that was gradually growing lively. Qingzhou City's prosperity was evident even in the early morning.

As he ate, the chatter from a neighboring table drifted into his ears.

"Did you hear? A plague struck Willow Tree Village outside the city. Dozens of people have died." The speaker was a porter in a short linen jacket, his face full of lament.

"How could I not have? My granduncle's family lives over there. Thankfully, they ran away fast enough."

Another person chimed in, "Doctor Zhou from Renxin Hall in the east of the city is a true philanthropist. He set up a tent at the village entrance to offer free consultations, and he's even paying for the medicine out of his own pocket."

"Sigh, it's hard to be a good man. Medicinal herbs are as expensive as gold these days. I heard Renxin Hall is on the verge of collapsing, and Doctor Zhou is running around trying to raise charitable funds."

"Exactly. In times like these, good men die young..."

Lin Yan picked up a slice of meat and chewed slowly. He thought of the iron chest on his ox cart. Inside it was the gold and silver Duan Laoqi had hoarded over half a lifetime—ill-gotten wealth. Taking from bandits to use for the common people wouldn't be a bad way to spend it. Since he had nothing to do at the moment, he figured he could go take a look after finishing his meal.

Just then, a barrage of curses erupted from the other side of the lobby.

"Beat this old geezer to death! How dare you dine and dash? Didn't you ask around to find out whose shop this is?!"

Lin Yan turned his head and saw a waiter leading three or four kitchen helpers, kicking and punching someone they had surrounded. The person being beaten was a white-haired old man wearing a tattered Taoist robe that was so dirty its original color could no longer be discerned. He squatted on the ground, hugging his head, letting the fists and feet rain down on his body without making a sound or fighting back, like a senseless piece of rotting wood.

Instead of stepping in to stop the violence, the surrounding diners laughed and watched the spectacle.

"This old geezer is back again?"

A burly man laughed. "Last time at the steamed bun stall at the end of the street, he also finished eating and said he had no money. They beat him up and threw him out."

"Right? He pulls this stunt every few days. You'd think a man of his age would feel ashamed."

Lin Yan gently set down his teacup. "Waiter," he called out.

The waiter was just getting into the swing of the beating. Hearing someone call, he turned around. Seeing it was the guest from earlier, he hastily plastered on a smile. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"How much did his meal cost?"

The waiter froze for a moment before replying, "This old geezer ordered two bowls of noodles, a plate of peanuts, and a jug of wine. It comes to a total of fifteen copper coins."

Lin Yan fished out a small piece of broken silver from his chest pocket and placed it on the table.

"I'll pay for his meal. Let him go."

Seeing the silver, the waiter's eyes instantly lit up. He scooped it up with both hands, bowing and scraping as he thanked him. "Oh my, you truly have the heart of a saint, sir! I'll have them stop at once." With that, he hollered at the others, "Stop hitting him! This gentleman has paid his tab!"

Only then did the kitchen helpers stop, dispersing while muttering curses.

The old man slowly stood up from the floor and patted the dust off his clothes, looking as if nothing had happened. He raised his head, cast a glance in Lin Yan's direction, and then sluggishly made his way outside.

Lin Yan didn't spare him another look. After finishing the rest of his food, he got up and headed to the backyard to fetch his ox cart. The weather was quite nice today. He planned to head to Renxin Hall first and then take a proper tour of Qingzhou City. If he hadn't been so unfamiliar with the local layout, Lin Yan would have even considered starting a small business.

Just as he led the ox cart out through the backyard's side gate, a voice suddenly drifted over from behind him.

"Little brother."

Lin Yan stopped and turned around. The old man who had dined and dashed earlier had somehow followed him. He was standing at the entrance of the alley, looking at Lin Yan with a beaming smile.

"Do you need something?"

The old man rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "Thank you for paying for my meal earlier, little brother. However, this old man doesn't know where his next meal is coming from. Since you've already done a good deed, why not go the extra mile and give me a few silver coins?"

Lin Yan looked at him, his gaze calm and indifferent. He had seen many such tropes when reading novels in his past life. There would be hidden experts playing at being mortals, or eccentric masters pretending to be fools, who would be moved by the protagonist's momentary kindness and then pass down peerless martial arts or bestow some earth-shattering fortuitous encounter.

But Lin Yan had no interest in any of that. To grow stronger, all he had to do was complete his quests. In the face of the system, those so-called fortuitous encounters weren't even worth mentioning. He had only helped pay the tab out of habit from his past life. Even lightning wouldn't strike a man while he was eating, so treating a starving person to a meal was no big deal. Thus, he bore no ill will toward the old man, but he also held zero curiosity.

"Heaven does not save those who abandon themselves, and rain does not nourish rootless grass," Lin Yan said, his tone flat. "You have sound limbs. Although you're getting on in years, you can still move around. Do not follow me anymore, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

With that, he turned and led the ox cart out of the alley.

The old man stood rooted to the spot and didn't chase after him. He watched Lin Yan's back disappear at the end of the alley, the smile on his face slowly fading. After a long while, the old man muttered those two sentences under his breath.

"Heaven does not save those who abandon themselves... rain does not nourish rootless grass... Hehehe..."

A glint of sharp light flashed through the old man's eyes. In that moment, his hunched back seemed to straighten a fraction, but he soon reverted to his original wretched appearance.

At the Shen Family estate.

Having rested well through the night, Shen Qingci woke up bright and early. However, she had dreamed again last night. She touched her mattress, her face flushing a deep crimson. She never expected that, even separated by such a distance, she would still dream of that vexing man...

Suppressing her emotions, Shen Qingci washed up and ate her breakfast, waited on by her maidservant. During the meal, her baby woke up and cried for food, so she was forced to pause and breastfeed her son first.

Once he was full, she looked at the maidservant who was tidying up the room. "Bi'Er, where is my second brother?"

"Ah..." The maidservant jolted in surprise before hastily replying, "To answer Eldest Miss, Young Master Zheng is out on a study tour with his friends. He will be back in a while."

Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is that true?"

"This servant wouldn't dare deceive you, Eldest Miss..."

"Wouldn't dare? Isn't that exactly what you're doing right now?" Shen Qingci didn't actually know the specifics; she was merely bluffing the maid. But to her surprise...

"Eldest Miss, it's not my fault! Madam told me to say that!" Bi'Er dropped to her knees, her voice fraught with panic.

Shen Qingci took a deep breath, falling into a heavy silence. Something had indeed happened at home.

"Tell me honestly, what exactly is going on!"

"Eldest Miss... If I tell you, Master will beat me to death..."

"Don't worry," Shen Qingci said softly. "I will protect you."