Chapter134

"This old man, aside from doing business, has only ever cared most about my two grandsons. Sigh, these two boys lost their parents when they were little. I raised them myself through thick and thin. I know their bones like the back of my hand even with my eyes closed. Even if my younger grandson had been lost twice, I would never mistake someone else for him.

Thank you for worrying so carefully. Our family is extremely grateful. In the future, whatever you need our family to do, as long as it's not something evil or unjust, we will repay your kindness with everything we have."

Seeing the old man about to kneel again, Elara quickly reached out to stop him.

"There's no need for that, Elder."

Since the old man, their real grandfather, said his grandson was fine, and what he said did make sense, Elara decided to set her doubts aside for now. She helped the old man sit down across from her. Now that the issue with the child was settled, it was time to talk about the mine.

Elara thought for a moment, then said, "There is something I'd like to discuss with you. Elder, your family's mine is indeed a treasure. But if it stays in your hands like this, it'll become a burden or even a curse."

"Your family and Anqi Town are far from the Plumera court. And you also said you didn't want to provoke those wolves from the court. So now I'd like to make a deal with you. Based on past experiences where the Plumera State bought mines, I'd like to purchase the one behind your mountain."

At the same time, in the bathhouse.

The one just thrown into the tub, "Qi Haochen," had a lowered head. The fierce expression that kept others away slowly faded. A few seconds later, a mischievous smile slowly formed on his young face.

He relaxed his small limbs in the warm water. Looking at the dirty, small body reflected on the surface, he flicked the water gently with his fingers and sighed inwardly.

Although the puppet cult's poison pills were weak, he probably took too many.

Other than this moment of clarity, all his thoughts and behavior earlier had completely regressed to his childhood state. His inner force had also been sealed entirely. His temper and behavior were all controlled by that young body's natural instinct.

It was truly unpleasant. He had almost forgotten those years. And now he was being forced to remember again.

Thinking of something, he reached up to touch his cheek. There was still some warmth left from when that woman had rubbed it red on purpose. Looking at his own muddy reflection in the water, he suddenly smiled.

It seemed the poison had also increased the woman's natural attraction to him.

Fine, let her have her moment before the mission ends. But, tsk, back then when he willingly climbed into her bed and gave her his whole body, she didn't want him. Now she was being so gentle with a child version of him, hugging and squeezing.

Heh.

That said, this strange situation did somehow match his expectations.

The child he replaced had a background quite like his own. Also tossed between life and death from birth, also learning young how to survive by any means, and also seen as strange or even a monster by others due to his unusual personality and body.

That was fine. It saved him the trouble of having to stay alert and act carefully to hide.

His mind started to blur again. He knew his clear time was almost up. Tsk, taking too much of that poison really was no good. He didn't know how long it would be before he woke again.

Even so, a spark of excitement grew in his eyes. After all, this was a feeling he had never experienced before.

He was curious. Would she find out his true identity early and kill him? Or could the child version of himself still finish the mission in this state?

"Qi Haochen" smiled faintly. His eyes drooped lower and lower until they fully closed. When they opened again, his expression returned to that cold and guarded look of a small child.

Because both Qi Mufeng and "Qi Haochen" hated being touched, the servants had no choice but to let them wash on their own first. After that, they could only roughly and quickly dry them off, then help them into clean clothes. Finally, they were taken to Oswyn to see the doctor.

But no one expected that right after both young masters entered the clinic, they would suddenly hear a loud crash.

Then Oswyn came storming out in clothes stained with medicine, face dark. The shadow man who always followed the noble woman came out too, leading the two boys behind him.

The main hall of the Qi family residence.

Elara had just finished telling the old master that she wanted to buy their mine when the front door of the hall burst open with a loud bang. Then Oswyn came in, covered in splashed medicinal liquid, followed by two young boys led in by Uno.

Elara looked at Oswyn's miserable appearance and his expression that seemed ready to kill. She immediately had a bad feeling.

As for the two boys brought in by Uno, no matter what expressions they had before, the moment they saw her, Mufeng walked quickly to Elara's side. He stood close to her, carefully grabbing the edge of her robe.

Haoshen was even more direct. He quickly walked to Elara, looked up with a sweet smile, then reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

After being cleaned up, the boys' original appearances were revealed, and both turned out to be very good-looking.

Mufeng, just like his name, had delicate features and fair skin. He looked like a gentle spring breeze.

Haoshen was younger, but his features were also very refined, like a finely carved porcelain doll. The only thing that ruined the image slightly was the faint trace of aggression between his brows, which made people instinctively hesitate to get too close.

Elara looked at the little one clinging to her leg and reached out to lift him by the backside. She directly picked him up into her arms.

The child's hostile aura vanished completely once she took the initiative to hold him. He smiled sweetly again, wrapped his small arms tightly around her neck, and buried his face in the side of her neck, happily rubbing against her.

Behind them, Oswyn, standing there with a dark expression, couldn't help but widen his eyes at the scene.

That little brat not only splashed him all over just now but now dared to climb on her like this in front of everyone?

Unbelievable.

Still, seeing the kid's small frame and thinking about the strange conditions inside his body, Oswyn took a deep breath. He barely managed to suppress his anger and walked over to stand between Elara and the old master. He picked up a teacup and took a sip before glaring at the old man.

"These two are your grandsons, right?"

The way he said it didn't sound like he was asking about grandsons, more like ancestors.

The old master was a clever man. Seeing Oswyn's appearance and thinking of his stubborn little grandson, he guessed that Oswyn had just tried treating him, but the boy probably misbehaved and spilled the medicine on him.

The old man quickly stood up and bowed apologetically to Oswyn.

"Forgive him, Doctor Oswyn, my little grandson, he…"

Oswyn cut him off. He really didn't want to hear about that wild little beast. He simply waved his hand.

"Start packing their things."

The old man froze for a second. "W-what do you mean?"

Oswyn, holding his teacup, sat down beside Elara. He ignored the sharp glare the little boy gave him from her arms, took another sip, then said calmly,

"Your two grandsons have clearly received 'special attention' from the Puppet Sect. Their condition is different from the other townspeople. Ordinary medicine won't work."

"The older one is less serious, but he already has three parasitic worms inside. They're already more than halfway tamed. As for the younger one, his body was fed even more poison. Even though he has strong resistance, there are seven parasites inside him. His taming level is also not low."

While talking, Oswyn glanced at the little one clinging to Elara's neck and glaring at him coldly, as if afraid he might try to take her away.

He scoffed. That brat was still wet behind the ears and dared to act like this? Oswyn couldn't be bothered with him.

But there really was something strange about the kid. Even with all those toxins in his body, there were still other oddities that didn't quite add up. Oswyn couldn't put his finger on it.

The old master, who had been listening, broke into tears again.

Oswyn had never seen an elderly man with graying hair cry this miserably.

Feeling uncomfortable, he waved his hand. "Stop crying. I didn't say they can't be treated."

The crying stopped immediately. The old man stepped closer, full of hope. "Doctor Oswyn, please! If you can cure them, I'll do anything for you."

Oswyn glanced sideways at Elara, then at the boy clinging tightly to her. His brows furrowed briefly before he finally said,

"The older one must come with us for half a year. He needs to drink one drop of her blood every day, along with my antidote. That'll cure him. As for the younger one, his condition is too severe. To cure him fully, he has to stay by her side for at least three years."

Elara was surprised at that. She looked at the child still holding onto her.

Was she about to become someone's caretaker? She had never raised a child in her previous life.

The old master was stunned for a moment after hearing that. Then he suddenly knelt before Elara.

"Honored one! These two are our only bloodline! I beg you, please take them with you for a while." He then quickly added, "The mine you asked about earlier, our family will hand it over to you with no conditions. You can take all the mining and excavation rights as well. Just please save my grandsons. We'll do anything you ask."

Elara looked at the old man kneeling again and couldn't even stand up because of the child in her arms. She said,

"Old master, you don't have to do this. I'll save your grandsons, but the mine is a separate deal. That's another matter."

But the old man, afraid she would say no, stayed on his knees and insisted,

"No, it's the same thing. They are the only successors of our family. Without them, we have no future. That mine is a burden anyway. You're the only one who dares to take it, and we're already grateful for that."

That speech… no wonder he'd been in business for decades.

The old man continued without waiting for her reply. His eyes were full of tears, but his voice was firm. "Even if I don't know what your background is, I can tell you're someone involved in business. You should understand. In business, trust comes from mutual benefit."

"These two children are everything to us. Consider the mine as payment for their treatment. Please don't refuse. Only then can our family have peace of mind."

At this point, Elara didn't even know what to say.

She looked at Oswyn and sighed at how perfectly his arrival helped close this deal.

But Anqi Town was still land under Plumera State. The Qi family were its citizens, her people. Elara liked making money, but she wasn't the type to rob her own.

She gently touched the back of the boy's neck in her arms and said,

"I'll raise your two grandsons until the poison is fully gone. I'll return them to you safe and sound."

The old man was about to kneel in gratitude again, but Elara raised a hand to stop him and continued,

"As for your mine, I won't take it for free. I'll pay for the area at the highest land price in Plumera State."

"Also, your family can keep ten percent of all the profit from the minerals. But I'll need a lot of labor to develop the mine. I have the technical workers, but since Anqi Town is your family's base, it's hard for me to bring in outsiders. So I want your family to manage the mine for me. Of course, I'll send my own people too, so you can rest assured."

The old man looked at this young girl, barely of age, yet more experienced and sharp than he was. Her terms were hitting him like a storm.

Even if the court had allowed him to sell the mine freely, the best deal he could get was eighty percent of the top land price.

But this girl offered him the full top price. She even added a share of the future profits?

Even though she would place people there to oversee operations, the old man still felt nervous. With his grandsons in her hands, he feared…

But before he could speak, Elara noticed his hesitation and said again,

"Old master, like you said, we businesspeople believe in shared interest. You want to trade the mine for your grandsons' safety. I understand and accept that. But I also want this mine to be developed smoothly. Your family is the strongest merchant clan here. I may need to work with you again in the future. So don't decline this deal anymore. Otherwise, I won't feel right bringing more business your way."