Jiang Tingting

"Oh, Old Man Jiang, I'm a little hungry. I happened to pass by your restaurant—do you have anything to eat?"

Lu Zhou replied with a smile.

"Only one roast chicken and a basket of freshly steamed buns!"

"Then give me half a roast chicken and a few buns!"

As Lu Zhou spoke, he placed a gold ingot weighing roughly ten taels into Old Man Jiang's hand.

He had found a small gold mine along the road and casually taken some gold to smelt.

"This..."

Old Man Jiang was nearly dumbfounded as he stared at the gold ingot in his hand!

He had never expected that this youth, who looked no more than eleven or twelve, would spend so lavishly.

He hurriedly tried to return the gold to Lu Zhou.

"Young master, half a roast chicken and a few buns aren't worth this much. This old man can't make change for such gold..."

Before he could finish, Lu Zhou waved a hand.

"This is already the least valuable thing I have on me. It's fine, no need for change. Just bring me the food."

Even though Lu Zhou had said so, Old Man Jiang was still uneasy. It was not that he had never seen so much money, but ever since Little Tingting's parents had died, he and Little Tingting had suffered too many hardships.

That made it difficult for him to accept such sudden, heaven-sent wealth!

"How about... I treat you to this meal, young master?"

Just as in the original story, he was still kind-hearted.

"Well, well, Old Man Jiang, you've got customers? Hurry up, this lord is hungry. Get us something to eat, now."

Before Old Man Jiang could finish speaking, a sallow-faced middle-aged man entered the little restaurant with two servants in tow.

Then he, too, fell silent mid-sentence. His eyes lit up with greed as he stared fixedly at the gold ingot in Old Man Jiang's hand!

Old Man Jiang had clearly noticed the sallow-faced man's gaze as well. At once, he could no longer continue haggling with Lu Zhou.

He hurriedly tucked the gold ingot close against his body inside his clothes.

Old Man Jiang grew even more uneasy, but he still walked over to the sallow-faced man and said, "I still have half a roast chicken and some buns. I'll bring them right over!"

He wanted to spend money to avert disaster, hoping the sallow-faced man would eat and leave as quickly as possible.

He was worried that the sallow-faced man would harm Lu Zhou.

He had already noticed that the man's gaze kept drifting toward Lu Zhou.

"At least you know what's good for you. Hurry up and go!"

He waved his hand as if shooing away flies, speaking as though he were barking orders at his own servants.

Old Man Jiang, however, seemed already accustomed to it.

Lu Zhou took everything in. He narrowed his eyes, and he had more or less guessed the sallow-faced man's identity.

Then Lu Zhou suddenly spoke.

"May I ask, are you from the Li Family in this town?"

"Huh? Kid, why are you asking that?"

"That's right, we're from the Li Family!"

Though the sallow-faced man was curious about why this young fellow had suddenly asked, Lu Zhou was well dressed and spoke politely.

So he still raised his chin and proudly declared that they were from the Li Family.

"Oh! It's good that you're from the Li Family."

The moment the sallow-faced man and the two servants behind him heard Lu Zhou's words, they felt as if they had soared into the clouds.

Lu Zhou merely flicked his sleeve lightly, and all three felt as though they had been struck by an enormous sandbag, sending them flying out of the restaurant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three successive heavy thuds rang out at the entrance of the little restaurant.

"Aah!"

Miserable cries sounded out. They felt as though several bones in their chests and abdomens had broken, and they wailed on the ground.

This sudden scene immediately drew a crowd of onlookers.

Some pointed and whispered, some looked shocked, while others took delight in their misfortune.

All sorts of discussion rose up around them.

Quite a few spectators had long been fed up with the sallow-faced man.

They sympathized with Old Man Jiang and his granddaughter's plight.

Heaven had pity at last—someone finally dared to teach that sallow-faced man and his group a lesson today!

Even so, they worried for Old Man Jiang and his granddaughter.

Most of them knew that the Li Family had immortals.

That was why the Li Family could act so arrogantly in this town.

"Grandpa, what happened? What's going on?"

The cries of the Li Family's three lackeys startled Little Tingting, who was in the inner room.

She ran out from the back.

Jiang Tingting looked only five or six years old. Her hair was tied into two little horn braids, and she was adorably cute. Her clothes, too, were covered in patches.

"Ah! What happened to those bad people?"

Her bright eyes widened when she saw the sallow-faced man and the others struggling to get up outside the restaurant.

"Kid, just you wait..."

After leaving behind that threat, the sallow-faced man limped off toward the Li Family with his two servants.

Lu Zhou remained utterly unmoved.

If he had not wanted their blood to dirty Old Man Jiang and Little Tingting's eyes, Lu Zhou would have killed them outright just now.

"Ah, young master, you... this..."

Inside the restaurant, Old Man Jiang was so shaken by what he had seen that he could barely speak.

"Young master, you should leave quickly. The Li Family has immortals—you've caused a great disaster."

Before Old Man Jiang could finish, Lu Zhou calmly sat down beside a table.

He smiled and said to Old Man Jiang, "It's fine. I know what I'm doing. The mere Li Family is not worth my notice. Old Man Jiang, go serve the food."

"This..."

Old Man Jiang still seemed worried.

Little Tingting, however, was exceptionally intelligent by nature. She blinked her large eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly, and asked Lu Zhou excitedly, "Big Brother, were you the one who drove away those bad people who always bullied Grandpa and me?"

"That's right, little sister!"

"Wow, Big Brother, you're amazing! You must be a good person!"

Little Tingting's understanding was still very simple. In her heart, anyone who drove away bad people was a good person.

"Hehe, someday, you'll be as amazing as Big Brother too!"

Lu Zhou rubbed her little head.

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Who could have imagined that this little girl in clothes covered with patches would one day give birth to a Chaos Body?

Before long, Old Man Jiang brought Lu Zhou a whole roast chicken and a stack of buns. He wanted Lu Zhou to finish eating and leave quickly, lest he be blocked by the Li Family.

Just then, Little Tingting's stomach rumbled.

She could not take her eyes off the food on the table and quietly swallowed.

Lu Zhou smiled and personally tore off a large drumstick for her.

Little Tingting dearly wanted to eat it, but she did not take it!

It had been a long time since she had eaten a chicken drumstick.

In her little mind, chicken drumsticks were the most delicious food in the world. Such food ought to be enjoyed by the big brother who had driven away the bad people.

"Eat it! Big Brother still has another one."

Little Tingting looked at Lu Zhou, then at the drumstick, and finally at her grandfather. Only after seeing him nod did she accept the drumstick held out before her.

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

At that moment, her big eyes curved into crescents, and a sweet smile spread across her face.

Soon, Lu Zhou finished his meal. He did not stay with Old Man Jiang and the others for long, and after eating, he prepared to leave.

"Big Brother, are you leaving?"

"Mm."

"Will you come back here, Big Brother?"

"Big Brother still has things to do. If fate allows, we'll meet again!"

"Big Brother, my name is Jiang Tingting. What's your name?"

"My name is Lu Zhou."

She firmly engraved that name in her heart.

She and Old Man Jiang watched Lu Zhou leave.

Not long afterward, news threw the town into an uproar.

The Li Family, which had occupied the town and committed evil deeds for many years, had been wiped out.

Other than a handful of servants who had never done evil, not a single person from the family survived.

In the little restaurant, when Little Tingting and her grandfather heard the news, Little Tingting's eyes widened.

"Grandpa, was it Brother Lu Zhou who punished those bad people?"

"Now that all those bad people are dead, does that mean no one will bully us anymore?"

Old Man Jiang held Little Tingting tightly and nodded repeatedly, a kindly smile on his face.

"That's right. No one will bully us grandpa and granddaughter anymore."

"Wow! That's wonderful!"

Little Tingting jumped up and down in celebration.

While they discussed the matter, Lu Zhou had already traveled far away from the town, speeding toward his next destination.