The Sorrowmender

Chapter 67 – Rescue them all together

Under the black robe, the young lady slowly raised her hand, and the sight was shocking.

Xu Qingzhou, however, did not show any disdain and directly held the young lady's hand.

Among the countless people in the world, few are truly grateful for the kindness they receive.

Even fewer would risk their lives for a small favor.

Though the person before him was a woman, an ordinary woman, she was someone Xu Qingzhou deemed worthy of reverence.

The Worry-Free Book appeared, a stroke of the pen, and a blue light emerged.

Vertical lines of large characters fell before his eyes, and Xu Qingzhou examined them closely.

[Name: Xiaohua (Maid of the Lin Mansion)]

[Age: 18 years old.]

[Status: Ordinary woman.]

[Personal History: A native of Linfeng, lost her mother at three, father at six, received kindness from City Lord Lin Shuo of Linfeng City, three taels of silver, and to repay the favor, sold herself into the Lin Mansion as an ordinary maid at the age of ten.]

[Three years ago, Lin Shuo was severely injured, and she spent all her savings to bribe the steward to get the job of taking care of Lin Shuo...]

[Later, she secretly changed Lin Shuo's medicine against Lady Mo Shengge's wishes.]

[A year later, after the matter was exposed, she was successively humiliated by dozens of men, had her tongue cut out, her skin flayed, and was abandoned in a ruined temple, barely surviving to this day...]

[Her worry: Wishing for City Lord Lin Shuo to recover from his illness.]

[Solutions are as follows: (1) A Spirit Essence Pill to cure Lin Shuo, costing 300 Merit Points.]

[(2): Do nothing and wait for three years, Lin Shuo will surely die, and this worry will be gone, no cost.]

[(3): Although this person is a woman, she possesses great virtue, knows gratitude and repayment, a rarity in the world. The system spirit was deeply moved after seeing this. If the host is willing, under the premise of method one, an additional pill can be purchased to restore her entire skin. Cost: 1000 Merit Points.]

Looking at the three options, Xu Qingzhou was slightly moved.

The description of this girl's life in the Worry-Free Book was almost identical to what Meng Xiao had said.

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But calculating the age, this child suffered the pain of being flayed at the age of sixteen.

At such a young age, to endure such torment was shocking to him.

What surprised him was that the third solution provided by the system this time was very humane.

Not only did it solve the young lady's worry, but it could also cure her ailment.

With her entire skin flayed, her life was a constant torment, whether in heat or cold.

Covered in a foul odor, her life was unbearable, living was worse than death.

Her life couldn't last long.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but communicate with the system with a thought, teasing it.

"Foster Father, I didn't expect you to be a compassionate person too."

[I am a system meant to aid the world, naturally, I cannot bear the suffering of the world. Enough with the nonsense, are you willing to part with these 700 Merit Points?]

"We're all family, can't you make it a bit cheaper?"

[Please respect yourself, don't make it difficult for me.]

Xu Qingzhou smiled knowingly. When the system provided solutions, whether it was pills or other items, the price was a tenth of what it would cost to buy directly from the mall.

The additional 700 points for this pill had an original price of 7000 points.

But it's not surprising, after all, a pill that can restore flayed skin to its original state would naturally be expensive.

In the end, it was actually a bargain for him.

"You can't always focus on immediate small gains."

"Do not do evil because it is small, do not neglect good because it is small. Since Foster Father has spoken, I must give him this face, and I'll save this young lady along the way."

[Good!]

Xu Qingzhou no longer hesitated, and with a thought, he chose option three.

Subsequently, two pills, one gold and one green, quietly appeared in his storage bag.

In the bewilderment of the two, Xu Qingzhou put away the suspended Worry-Free Book and took out one of the pills.

He handed it to Lin Shuo, not forgetting to say:

"After taking this pill, you will recover, but I hope you won't forget what you said."

This time, he didn't indulge in his usual mischievous humor.

Perhaps it was because the night was too deep, or because everything that happened today felt heavy to him, leaving him uninterested.

Lin Shuo took the pill, but his thin face showed no joy, still bearing a pained expression.

He did not doubt the efficacy of the pill.

After this half-night conversation, Xu Qingzhou had already become an omnipotent immortal in his heart, a reclusive master.

"Lin Shuo dares not forget, but may I ask, Mister, could you..."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the young lady still curled up on the ground, filled with pain and heartache.

Xu Qingzhou naturally saw through his thoughts, "If I tell you that I cannot heal this young lady's wounds, what does City Lord Lin plan to do?"

Lin Shuo withdrew his gaze, tightly holding the pill, and looked at Xu Qingzhou, solemnly saying, "She suffered inhuman torment because of me, and now she has extended my life. In this life, I will stay by her side, care for her meticulously, never abandoning her. If I die, I will linger in the world as a ghost to protect her."

"Even if her entire body festers, and she reeks daily, you won't abandon her?" Xu Qingzhou asked again.

"I won't abandon her!"

"Can I trust the words of someone like you?"

Lin Shuo gazed at the young lady for three breaths, then looked at Xu Qingzhou, resolutely saying, "You can!"

Hearing this, Xu Qingzhou smiled faintly, took a deep breath, and his brows relaxed.

"In that case, very well."

Then he shifted his focus to the young lady on the ground, "However, I cannot bear to see a young lady suffer, especially one who is so loyal and righteous."

"I will also heal her wounds."

He handed the other pill to Lin Shuo.

"Take it, after she takes this pill, in no more than three days, her skin will surely grow back to its original state. She suffered because of you, so you should personally give her this medicine."

Lin Shuo looked at the pill exuding a green vitality, his pupils slowly dilating, and after a brief daze, he was overjoyed.

He hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you, Mister, thank you, Mister—"

Even the young lady under the black robe changed direction, kowtowing frantically to Xu Qingzhou.

Xu Qingzhou withdrew his hand and shook his white embroidered robe.

Calmly, he said, "This matter is settled, it's time for me to leave."

"Before I leave, I have a word for the City Lord..."

"Mister, please speak, Lin Shuo will remember it in his heart," Lin Shuo responded earnestly.

Xu Qingzhou slowly turned around, his back to Lin Shuo, gazing into the night outside, embodying mystery to the fullest.

"To cultivate virtue and establish a name is like building a house and planting fruit."

"In life, you reap its benefits; in death, you leave its legacy."

Lin Shuo listened intently, his expression solemn.

"Mister's words, Lin Shuo will remember, even in death, I dare not forget."

Xu Qingzhou did not look back, like a celestial being above, indifferent to all fame and fortune.

"I'm leaving."

With that, he stepped away, Meng Xiao following closely.

"Mister, please wait, I cannot leave such great kindness unrepaid..."

But before he could finish, Xu Qingzhou interrupted him.

"I am a man of the mountains, uninterested in worldly possessions. What I want, the City Lord cannot give; what the City Lord has, I do not desire. So, there's no need to speak of repayment."

"The City Lord only needs to remember to fulfill what you promised, remember what you said, and be a good person. That is the greatest repayment to me."

His voice lingered, like the thunder of the heavens, resounding, yet like the cry of a crane among the clouds, soothing.

Lin Shuo watched as Xu Qingzhou's white robe disappeared into the night.

Until it vanished, until the footsteps were no longer heard.

He never withdrew his gaze.

That Mister came from the night, bringing him life.

Yet he wore white and entered the night.

He looked at the pill in his hand, then at the girl in the black robe, and finally cast his gaze again to the place where the Mister disappeared.

Everything felt like a lifetime ago, like a dream.

He silently gritted his teeth, his eyes becoming resolute, speaking softly.

"Mister, rest assured, the teachings of tonight, Lin Shuo will remember in his heart, never to forget in this life."

These words were spoken to the wind, to Mister Forgetting Worries, and naturally to himself.

With that, the golden pill was swallowed.

Lin Shuo, lives!