Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 611 - 610 "Immortality

"You little scoundrel!"

Jin Lang was so furious his head was buzzing, and after chasing forward two steps, he still couldn’t see any trace of Huang Niu’Er.

He had no choice but to turn back and explain, "Grandma, don’t be angry. Let’s not stoop to the level of that little brat. I noticed him hanging out with those no-gooders from the backstreet the other day and scolded him a few times.

He’s probably been led astray, his head filled with foolish notions. After all, he’s still young, and it’s not too late to properly discipline him. I’ll go find him right now!"

In the orange candlelight, the old lady’s silhouette resembled a statue.

She remained motionless for a while, only feeling as if Huang Niu’Er’s words entered her ears and chilled her from the inside out. "There’s no need to worry about him. When that child gets stubborn, he won’t listen to anyone no matter what. Don’t waste your time. When dawn breaks and all the shops close, he’ll come back obediently."

Huang Hanying slightly raised her head and looked at her own wrinkled face in the ancient copper mirror, suddenly having a bad premonition.

Unable to pinpoint where the sense of crisis came from, she just felt that after a lifetime of caution, it was very likely to be ruined by Huang Niu’Er.

She had always trusted her intuition, which had saved her from countless disasters. Opening the bottom of her toolbox, Huang Hanying looked at the angry young man, "Jin Lang, could you do me a favor?"

"If there’s something you need, please say it, and I’ll do my utmost to help!" Jin Lang, still troubled about how to comfort Grandma Huang, quickly responded, patting his chest assuringly.

The old lady slowly got up and handed him a small round pendant. "This is a little trinket I crafted myself. When Niu’Er was young, he was full of energy and curious about everything. Since I’m old and not nimble, I worried that if I couldn’t keep up, I might lose him, so I made two pendants.

One is with me, and the other hangs around his neck. This way, no matter how far he runs, I can always find out where he is.

Now... you can see how things are. Don’t laugh at me, but I’m worried that child has been corrupted by thoughts of money and profit and might act recklessly, causing trouble for this old woman.

So please hold onto this pendant. My legs aren’t good, and I’ll need to trouble you to keep an eye on things after you open shop each day. If anything goes wrong, you can use the pendant to sense my exact location."

These pendants bore witness to the empathy between master and student as if they were mother and son. She originally wanted to keep them so that, in the event of misfortune, she could at least leave something for the child to remember her by.

Now, handing one over to a young man she had only known for less than a year, and entrusting her safety to him, her old eyes grew increasingly blurred with tears.

"If Granny has such concerns, perhaps it’s best not to let Niu’Er come back to live for the time being." Jin Lang picked up on her deep-seated heartache, and felt uncomfortable, thinking to repay her guidance and favor, he said, "Let him stay at my shop for a few days, I’ll help with his discipline, and you can have a good rest."

She waved her hand with a smile and said, "I know that child too well. Staying with you would definitely interfere with your refining of Magical Artifacts. I’m just worried about him acting impulsively, it doesn’t mean anything else.

Who knows, maybe a little rain will clear his mind, and he’ll come back to apologize. Grandma will find a way to solve the problem, though if I fail... I’ll have to bother you."

Jin Lang agreed again, feeling slightly uneasy. He looked back three times as he returned to his small shop, focusing on polishing the customer’s custom-made Magical Artifact.

The market had protective arrays prohibiting fights, and he thought that since Grandma seldom left the market, and he was so close upstairs to intervene at any time, there shouldn’t be any danger.

The night quickly passed, until dawn broke and the market closed in heavy fog, Huang Niu’Er still hadn’t returned home.

He must have stayed over with some mischievous friends, and Huang Hanying felt immensely helpless again.

She had to maintain her small shop to earn enough Spirit Stones to keep the family fed, while also busy with her own cultivation, guiding Niu’Er’s training, and taking care of his daily needs — it was just too much to handle alone.

She also wanted to give him a little freedom to make friends of his age, to have time to play and balance work and relaxation, but it wasn’t possible to watch over him all the time. Despite all the effort and toil, she never expected that everything she’d given would be so...

"Forget it, everyone has their destiny, it can’t be forced, let things take their natural course." Huang Hanying closed the shop door and went off to cultivate.

As night fell again, the rain in the Golden Chicken River Market intensified.

Jin Lang, still uneasy, ran downstairs several times whenever he had the chance, confirming Grandma Huang hadn’t hurt her health out of anger, and that Huang Niu’Er hadn’t returned; he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking if that child left the market in a fit of anger and just went off to wander on his own, it would at least show some boldness.

A young Demon Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm naturally faced countless dangers outside; if he was to die, it would be his own doing. He didn’t appreciate the blessings he had;

But if he really managed to scrape a living and make it in the world, through the harsh lessons he’d understand Grandma Huang’s good intentions, and perhaps someday he could return home gloriously.

"The only fear is he Squeaks a fierce talk but is only bold in the nest, lacking the courage to venture out, perhaps learning more bad things from bad company!" He hung the pendant around his neck, worried for Grandma Huang, but didn’t dare stop his work for even a moment.

He agreed to a rush order from a valued guest, due for completion the next night. If he fails to deliver, wouldn’t it be losing face?

The rain fell in torrents, and Huang Niu’Er, cold and hungry, curled up under an arcade, feeling both angry and upset. Why hadn’t Grandma come to find me yet?

Every time we’d have a little falling out before, she’d always come looking with my favorite candies. This time, I hid near the shop, she couldn’t possibly not find me!

If she doesn’t come and give me a stepping stone, how am I supposed to go home? Going back on my own would just be inviting my friends to laugh at me!

Huge and dense raindrops were pounding on the ground. He was pondering whether to ask a friend for some food, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted to find a reasonable excuse to get a meal without losing face. Then, he saw a familiar figure.

"Mr. Zhao!" Huang Niu’Er looked as if he saw a walking Spirit Stone, not caring about the pouring rain, and greeted him enthusiastically, "It’s been a few days since I last saw you, business must be booming!"

Zhao Gui was walking with a bag of Spirit Stones, holding an umbrella and thinking about using actual cash to impress that old puppet master lady. She was the only one in the entire Golden Chicken River Market, and her prices were reasonable. If he could persuade her to take the job after a few visits, he could earn quite a few Spirit Stones.

Upon hearing someone greeting him, he stopped and looked over, his eyes lit up instantly—it’s the little ox demon from the puppet shop!

After hitting a wall several times, Zhao Gui learned from someone that this little being was the old woman’s Achilles’ heel.

So, the plan was to reason with her and use his emotions to sway her, hoping that the Spirit Stones would entice her into providing a better life for the little ox demon, and agree to refine a puppet.

Unexpectedly encountering him here, Zhao Gui was pleasantly surprised. He inspected the little ox’s state more closely and tried tentatively, "Hey, why are you sheltering from the rain under the corridor alone? Look at that, the strong wind is blowing the raindrops around, getting your clothes all wet. Aren’t you cold?"

Though it was just a casual greeting, Huang Niu’Er felt even more aggrieved.

A mere customer who’ve only met a few times and didn’t even finalize a business transaction was showing such concern for me, yet the old woman was so ruthless. She knew it was pouring but didn’t come to find me!

"I’m, I’m cold and hungry..." The more he thought, the more aggrieved he felt. He started to make up a story with a sobbing voice, "Mr. Zhao, you’ve spoken good words on several occasions, but the old lady just wouldn’t take your job. I argued with her, and she won’t let me in the house now!"

Oh? The old lady is indeed that resolved?

It seems like the plan to move her with the little ox demon isn’t going to work.

With his plan falling short, Zhao Gui was taken aback. Then he considered, since this kid argued with the old lady for that reason, it showed he was a greedy kind of person, someone he might utilize with the right enticement of Spirit Stones. Smiling, he asked, "So, can you refine the beauty puppet I need?"

"I-I haven’t learned it yet," Huang Niu’Er felt embarrassed and mumbled, trying to save face, "Isn’t it because the old lady is stingy with Spirit Stones to train me? If I had enough resources, I could advance my realm in a few months and make more advanced puppets by then!"

If you can’t do it, then why say anything!

Usually, it was Zhao Gui painting big pictures for others, and now this little rascal was painting one for him. He couldn’t help but sneer.

However, to maintain a good relationship, he thoughtfully flicked his finger to cast a small magic spell, shielding the little ox demon from the rain.

Seeing this, Huang Niu’Er felt even more slighted, arrogantly asserting, "Don’t laugh, I’m telling the truth! Even the old lady praised my talent, and when she was happy, she encouraged me with the Longevity Technique! She said if I delve deeply into puppetry techniques, she’ll teach me the Longevity Technique in the future..."

The words "longevity" were the greatest motivation and temptation for cultivators pursuing eternal life.

Hearing him speak like this, Zhao Gui was worried others might overhear, so he pulled him into a corner and lowered his voice, interrupting, "Hush! You can’t speak about these things carelessly. What Longevity Technique does your granny know?"

He’d heard stories before that ghost cultivators could replace their hearts or lungs, some puppet masters could make parts like arms and legs to replace with, and some said puppet masters could refine themselves into an imperishable puppet, living as long as their Divine Soul remained. Apparently, this old lady might know such a technique, which is why she said that!

"Her?" Huang Niu’Er curled his lip dismissively, "Mr. Zhao, look at where she lives and what she wears, she can’t even get into an upper-level shop. Talking about Longevity Techniques is just boasting. You really believe that?"

When others say it, you might be skeptical, but since it’s the old lady’s personally raised child, there’s some credibility.

Moreover, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Even if there’s the slightest possibility, it has to be pursued wholeheartedly. Even if the old lady didn’t master the Longevity Technique, at least one could gather some intelligence.

"Good kid, are you hungry?" Zhao Gui, thinking of this unexpected gain, softened his expression. Bending down, he wiped the rain off his face with a handkerchief, smiling gently, "Come on, let’s go back to my inn at the Lingxiao Pavilion, take a nice hot bath, change into some nice new clothes, and have a hearty meal.

Once you’re cleaned up nicely, I’ll take you to see granny, to have a good talk. Look at you, such a lovely pretty kid, it’s a shame to wear such a short shirt. Ruijin Hall just launched a new summer collection, I think it’ll suit you nicely, let’s go try it!"

Lingxiao Pavilion? Ruijin Hall?

Huang Niu’Er’s eyes instantly lit up, hearing the wealthy Mr. Zhao lavish compliments on him, calling him cute and pretty. He was secretly delighted.

And hearing about getting to bathe at the most luxurious inn in the entire Golden Chicken River Market, and fitting clothes at the most famous cloth shop, he was elated.

He must perform well! Strive to cling onto Mr. Zhao and maybe, just like Xiao Er, rise to become a young master!

Xiao Er merely got onto a carriage and didn’t even get to change his ragged clothes, but Mr. Zhao wants to take me to buy the most gorgeous new clothes!

Both big and small were full of joy, Zhao Gui holding the bouncing Huang Niu’Er, in the pouring rain, headed to the shimmering upper levels, quickly blending into the intoxicating picturesque scene unseen.