Xiao Ren

Xiao Ren looked at his surroundings in awe, he had known that Wu Tian was from a wealthy family but he hadn't known Wu Tian was the county lord's son. He observed the clothes he wore and run his hands over them, feeling their smoothness.

He was then escorted to meet the madam of the house who seemed to be Wu Tian's mother. He was once again awe struck by her beauty and the majestic atmosphere around her, thankfully she had a gentle motherly smile as she regarded him

Lin Qing was a bit surprised to see how well Xiao Ren cleaned up. Beneath all the grime was a cute lad who was showing signs of growing to be quite handsome. Of course she was aware that her thoughts were colored by the positive impression she had of him for saving her son.

She was curiously about his background but seeing he was a bit nervous smiled gently at him "you did very good Xiao Ren. If it wasn't for you maybe my Tianer would be in a dire situation. You are a very brave young man, your parents must be proud of you."

She noticed a sad look appear across his face and she hesitated which prompted Xiao Ren to say "I have no parents, i'm an orphan, I live in an orphanage in the slums."

Lin Qing was not too surprised, she had seen the maturity in Xiao Ren's eyes, she had known that just being from a poor background did not grant one such experience in the ways of the world. Her expression a bit sorrowful she quickly consoled him and during the conversation learnt a lot about him. He was one of a few kids raised by grandma Mu.

They had all been found and rescued by her and she brought them back to raise them, however she was always away on her travels so they had to find other ways to sustain themselves.

Luckily, some kindhearted well wishers supported them when able to for example the young miss Lin from the restaurant often gave them food and sustenance. It was during such a time when she had instructed Xiao Ren to watch if Wu Tian was all right

Now armed with all the information Lin Qing of course wanted to show sufficient grace and gratitude to all involved. She ordered an official to go and announce a reward for the misty scent restaurant,

she then decided to accompany Xiao Ren to his home and see what she could do for them. Wu Tian of course didn't want to be left behind and unleashed a charm offensive on Lin Qing leaving her no choice but to agree.

The denizens in the less prosperous areas of the city were baffled to see a prestigious carriage accompanied by dozens of guards roll in. This was a practically unseen sight as the those who could afford such a carriage wouldn't deign to visit this area.

They scrambled to make way for the carriage and didn't look for too long incase they irritated the noble in the carriage. Wu Tian was once again shaken by what he glimpsed through the carriage. He saw gaunt faces and mean expressions, he wondered how Xiao Ren had survived this place

In fact Lin Qing was asking herself this very question. How had an old woman and a couple of kids been able to survive in such an environment? It seemed that this grandma Mu was not simple. They maneuvered through the slums and arrived before a dilapidated hut.

Curious grime covered faced could be spotted peeking through the door. Xiao Ren alighted from the carriage and called out a few names. The cautious faces behind the door seemed to recognize his voice and came out. The youngest seemed to be the same age as Wu Tian while the eldest was a bit younger than Xiao Ren.

They were baffled to see Xiao Ren, his voice seemed to be him but why did he look so different.

However, like the kids they were, the moment they confirmed it was him they excitedly crowded around him. They touched and marveled at the clothes he wore, excitedly touching and rubbing here and there.

Their cheer seemed to infect Xiao Ran because for the first time since he met Xiao Ren, Wu Tian saw a smile on his face. The children excitedly gathering around Xiao Ran was quite the heartwarming scene and it inadvertently caused a smile to appear on the soldier's faces.

However, this cheer didn't seem to last since a few footsteps could be heard before a woman in her fifties appeared followed behind by a visibly distraught four year old girl.

The moment she appeared the chattering children were like a cat seeing a mouse and piped down. This reaction was noted by the confused entourage.

Another two people who reacted when the old woman appeared were Lin Qing and the Vice-Captain. When she had appeared vice captain Hou had immediately tensed as he had noted the fresh killing intent rolling off her.

This meant that she had recently killed more than one person. Lin Qing had tensed as she had noted that this person was a cultivator, although she wasn't strong it signaled that the waters here were deep

Grandma Mu was in an extremely good mood, all her work was about to pay off. It had been quite hard but she was almost there. She couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces when she was proved right.

She also had to explore that region again, something seemed to be amiss there, maybe there was a natural treasure sprouting. If there were then …. Her breath sped up just by thinking about it.

But she first had to take care of these brats. They would fetch her enough resources to cultivate to the foundation establishment realm and if she added the one behind her maybe more.

However just as she was envisioning her bright future, she turned the corner to her hut and was surprised to see a squad of guards. She involuntarily looked around to confirm she was in the right place.

She saw the familiar landmarks and confirmed it and was. She turned back to the guards only to see some involuntarily flinch. She winced as she knew that they had detected the killing intent on her.

she observed them again and noticed the coat of arms though she didn't recognize the coat of arms. She hadn't paid much attention to mortal affairs in the recent times and now felt a tinge of regret for it. "Grandma Mu, welcome back" although a bit subdued Xiao Ren obediently welcomed her.

She forced a benign smile on her face as she walked up and patted his head, Xiao Ren though stiffened up as Grandma Mu had never done that before. She noticed this but she ignored it and addressed Vice captain Hou.

"Welcome to my humble abode. I am sorry I wasn't around to welcome you. May I know who you are."

Vice-captain Hou peered at her suspiciously for a while but seeing as she was the host, he grudgingly answered,

"I am the vice-captain of the county lord's guard. I am accompanying my lady to reward this boy for his meritorious service to her." As if in response to his words, Lin Qing who had been in the carriage parted the curtains and gracefully descended.

She then walked towards the older woman and addressed her.

"You must be grandma Mu, I am Lin Qin, wife to the county lord." She paused for a while then indicated at Xiao Ren "You raised a fine young man here, today he risked his life to save my boy. I thus came to convey my gratitude and ensure he and his family are greatly rewarded."

As Lin Qing spoke, Grandma Mu was only half listening to what she was saying. Inside she was screaming expletives at Xiao Ren, why did the little bastard have to be so meddlesome? Couldn't he take a chill pill?

Now that they had drawn attention, it would be difficult to continue for her to continue staying here. She resisted the impulse to turn and glare at Xiao Ren. She decided to observe and react according the situation. She brought her attention back to what Lin Qing was saying only to almost vomit blood in anger at what she was saying.

"since you run an orphanage, it would be good to adopt some kids. How about I take all six of them, and that one you brought too? I can also build you a proper orphanage where you can take in more,"

Bullshit, Grandma Mu almost cursed Lin Qing out. These twerps were her ticket to a good life, if the sects valued any one of them immensely then she would be set for life. No, not if, when. She glared at Lin Qing so intensely that Captain Hou stepped forward and glared back.

She forced an ugly smile and was about to launch into a tearfully story of how they would miss each other and the children couldn't bear to be parted from her, but then from the corner of her eyes she saw the brat's eager faces, asking her to quickly agree. She almost burst a blood vessel in anger