Chapter 10: Parting with Wealth to Avert Disaster

Tonight at midnight, this book will make its first push for the rankings, and there will be another Chapter update then. I hope all you heroes will lend a hand. The book’s performance this week will determine future official recommendations, so it can be said to be of great importance. The outcome depends entirely on everyone’s support. Xiaomo earnestly begs for the recommendation tickets in your hands.

***

However, Yang Kai didn’t think much of it. This was Wumei Town, which was very close to Lingxiao Pavilion. It was normal for Disciples to come down here to move around.

Before long, Yang Kai arrived at Hex’s Rice Shop. The Rice Shop occupied two storefronts on the street, and business was booming. A shop assistant was busy running inside and out. Boss Hex was at the counter calculating on an abacus, while his wife, Mrs. Hex, was greeting customers.

After waiting quite a while, the crowd of people buying rice gradually thinned out, and only then did Yang Kai step into the Rice Shop.

"Mrs. Hex," Yang Kai called out in greeting. The woman, who was in her forties, looked up and immediately smiled. "Little brother, you’re here to buy rice again."

"Yes." Yang Kai walked straight to the cheapest brown rice and pointed at the sack. "I’ll take a bag of this."

Mrs. Hex agreed. As she filled a cloth sack with rice, she chatted, "Little brother, you only come to buy rice once a month. Is this enough to eat?"

"It’s generally enough," Yang Kai replied.

"Liar!" Mrs. Hex rolled her eyes at him. "Look at how skinny your arms and legs are. If you weren’t starving, how could you end up like this?"

Yang Kai smiled awkwardly. "I also go hunting in the mountains, so I don’t go hungry."

Boss Hex, who seemed to be fully focused on calculating accounts at the counter, spoke without lifting his head. "Dear, there is some old rice over there. It’s just sitting around doing nothing, so give it to the little brother."

"Whatever you say, dear," Mrs. Hex replied with a smile.

"How can I accept that? You are running a small business too," Yang Kai quickly waved his hands in refusal.

Mrs. Hex’s face turned stern. "What’s there to refuse? Those old grains of rice have bugs in them anyway, so they can’t be sold. But my husband says these rice bugs are even more nutritious than white rice. Wait here, I’ll go get it for you."

As she spoke, she headed toward the back room.

Yang Kai felt a complex mix of emotions and didn’t know what to say. Lately, every time he came to the Rice Shop to buy rice, the kindhearted Boss Hex and Mrs. Hex would give him extra. They would also find excuses, like claiming the rice had bugs, when in fact, it was top-quality white rice. This made Yang Kai, who had once believed there was no true warmth left in the world, feel a slight ache in his heart.

"Thank you, Uncle Hex," Yang Kai’s voice trembled slightly.

Boss Hex smiled and looked up. "When you’re all alone in the world, who hasn’t had their down-and-out moments? If you ever get hungry in the future, just come here. Our Rice Shop might not have much else, but we have enough rice to eat."

"Yes." Yang Kai lowered his head. There were still good people in the world, after all.

Just as he was feeling moved, two more people arrived at the Rice Shop. The shop’s only assistant greeted them with a warm smile. Before he even had a chance to speak, one of the men kicked him, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Ouch..." The shop assistant fell hard on his backside, doing a backward roll. The fall was so heavy that he couldn’t get up for quite a while.

"What happened?" Boss Hex hurriedly ran out from behind the counter. Yang Kai also pulled the assistant up and fixed his gaze on the two newcomers.

Their faces were full of Evil Qi. One of them had a Qing and pale complexion and was clutching his stomach, looking extremely weak. The other man supporting him had the back of a bear and the waist of a tiger. This burly man was the exact one who had kicked the assistant.

"Who is the boss?" the man supporting his companion roared.

"I am, I am," Boss Hex quickly replied. He was just an ordinary merchant, but these two men had fierce expressions, wore a Sword and Saber at their waists, and looked extremely vicious. At a glance, it was obvious they were not to be trifled with, so he didn’t dare show any neglect.

"Well then! You black-hearted boss, you actually sold poisonous rice to my brother! Look at him now. A perfectly strong and healthy man ate your rice and turned into this. My brother can normally punch a fierce tiger without breaking a sweat, but now he’s on the verge of losing consciousness. You black-hearted boss, you only care about making money and treat human lives as completely worthless!"

This barrage of angry roars frightened Boss Hex so much that his face turned the color of Earth. "Ah? How could this be? How could this happen?"

The man roared again, "How should I know? My brother bought some rice from you this morning and took it home to cook a pot of porridge. After eating it, he became like this. Thank goodness I didn’t eat any at the time, or else wouldn’t I be heading to the Yellow Springs together with my brother?"

Cold sweat poured down Boss Hex’s forehead. He wiped it continuously with his sleeve and said, "Brave warrior, I’m afraid there must be some misunderstanding here."

"Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding your mother! If he didn’t eat your rice, how could my brother be like this?" the Great Han roared relentlessly.

Yang Kai watched coldly from the sidelines, taking everything in. He knew Boss Hex’s character better than anyone. He frequently helped Yang Kai out and gave him things for free. How could such a kindhearted person do something like this? Setting aside the fact that Boss Hex simply wasn’t that malicious, even if he truly were a black-hearted merchant, he would never poison the very rice he sold.

If word of this spread, how could he continue doing business in the future? Who would dare to buy rice from him?

The excuse these two men had concocted was incredibly shoddy and couldn’t withstand the slightest scrutiny. Therefore, these two men were definitely here for extortion. However, their methods were too vicious; they were practically trying to cut off someone’s livelihood entirely.

Although Yang Kai had a frail physique, he was, after all, a martial artist with the hot blood of youth. Since Boss Hex had been so kind to him, how could he just stand by and watch? His face instantly turned stern as he stepped forward and said coldly, "You two—"

"What?" one of them glared at Yang Kai, his temper flaring up even more.

Before Yang Kai could speak, Boss Hex hurriedly slid in front of him, blocking his way. He gestured to Yang Kai and slowly shook his head.

"Uncle Hex..." Yang Kai was stunned.

"Part with wealth to avert disaster!" Boss Hex whispered softly.

Yang Kai sighed helplessly. Since Boss Hex could say such a thing, it was clear he had also seen through the intentions of these two men. But when running a business, harmony brings wealth. The commotion just now had already attracted the attention of quite a few people. If this entanglement continued, the Rice Shop’s reputation would likely be ruined.

Even though he knew they were here to extort him, Boss Hex had no choice but to play along, solely to quickly send away these two gods of plague. Left with no other option, Boss Hex could only plaster a smile onto his face and say, "Your esteemed brother’s poisoning should have nothing to do with my Rice Shop...

"However, even if it is unrelated, since you have come to my Rice Shop, I, Hex, cannot just wash my hands of it," Boss Hex added quickly before the two men could erupt in anger. "Seeing your esteemed brother in such agonizing pain is truly unbearable. It would be best to seek medical attention immediately. Of course, if you two are tight on money, I, Hex, can cover the consultation fee for you."

By saying this, it was blatantly obvious he was parting with his wealth to avert disaster. If these two men were truly here to extort money, they would know to quit while they were ahead. Furthermore, Boss Hex’s choice of words allowed the bystanders to deduce the truth of the matter, eliminating any worry that the Rice Shop’s reputation would be damaged. It could be said to be an airtight response.

Who could have known that upon hearing this, the two men opposite him wouldn’t show the slightest intention of compromising? The man supporting his companion immediately flew into a rage. "You black-hearted boss! Are you treating us brothers like some forest bandits who rob homes and plunder wealth? This is absolutely outrageous! We brothers walk straight and sit upright; we have clear consciences in this life. But you, you black-hearted boss, selling poisonous rice—where is your conscience?"

These words were spoken with such stern righteousness and resounding force that Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he listened from the side. With that kind of behavior, they still claimed to walk straight and sit upright, with clear consciences?

Boss Hex also stood there dumbfounded. What was going on? Weren’t these two here to extort money?

Just as he was at a loss for how to handle the situation, an elegant young man walked out from the crowd of onlookers. This youth was about the same age as Yang Kai, but he was exceptionally handsome, with red lips and white teeth. One glance was enough to tell that his living conditions were thousands of times better than Yang Kai’s.

The young man casually strolled over to the two Great Hans and circled them with great interest. As he circled, he constantly smacked his lips, making loud TSK TSK sounds.

The bystanders were completely baffled. Only Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have seen these three people on his way here earlier, right in that alleyway.

This burly man who was supporting his companion had even glared at him earlier, and this young man standing before him now was also present at the time!

Weren’t these three part of the same gang? Yang Kai suddenly caught a thick scent of trickery and deceit.

***

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