No Regrets In This Life (2)

Despite the pouring rain, Hundred Herbs Hall, the largest pill shop in Qinglan City, was still open for business as usual. Inside the main hall, customers browsed for their desired pills in small groups. It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't deserted either.

An idle shop assistant was observing the customers coming and going. If any solo customer showed the slightest intention of buying something, he would immediately step forward and introduce the products with a smile.

"Huh? Where did this little girl come from?"

His gaze swept over, and a little girl, completely soaked by the rain, wearing simple clothes and barefoot, caught his attention. The girl had a delicate and pretty face, but her wet hair drooped down, and there were some scratches on her arms and legs, giving her a disheveled appearance.

"Little girl, how did you end up here? This is no place for you to play."

The shop assistant quickly walked over to Nie Xiaoyu. Most of the customers in Hundred Herbs Hall were dignitaries from the city, and even those in the main hall were not ordinary people. If an unknown, dirty little girl were to offend a customer, and that customer were to make a fuss, the manager would hold the shop assistant responsible.

"Uncle, I'm not here to play, I'm here to buy pills."

Before even entering the shop, Nie Xiaoyu had been awestruck by the magnificent exterior of Hundred Herbs Hall. This was her first time leaving the impoverished district in the north of the city. She had asked many people for directions along the way and finally found this place that could save her father.

Upon entering the grander, more opulent interior and seeing the dazzling counters filled with the scent of pills, Nie Xiaoyu felt even more lost. The adults around her were all dressed in fine clothes, adorned with gold and silver, and her own disheveled appearance clearly didn't fit in.

"Ah? Little girl, stop joking. Hurry and come out with Uncle. You can't afford the pills here."

Hearing that the little girl in front of him was actually here to buy pills, the shop assistant was taken aback. He then forced a bitter smile, clearly not believing Nie Xiaoyu. He knew that the cheapest pills sold at Hundred Herbs Hall were at least Grade 1 common-grade pills, true elixirs, not mere medicine. Even the cheapest Qi Replenishing Pill cost a thousand Cangyun Coins, something a young girl dressed like a commoner could never afford.

"Really, Uncle. I want to buy a Jade Screen Immortal Spirit Pill. My father is sick, and only this medicine can save him. Uncle, will you sell it to me?"

Seeing the adult in front of her about to chase her away, Nie Xiaoyu was on the verge of tears. She quickly grabbed the shop assistant's arm and pleaded, wanting to buy the miraculous medicine that Uncle Fu had said could save her father.

"Ah? Little girl, you even know about the Jade Screen Immortal Spirit Pill? Do you know how much one costs? Ten thousand Cangyun Coins! That's a Grade 3 common-grade pill. Alright, Uncle has a lot of work to do. Go home quickly, don't stay here."

The shop assistant waved his hand at the little girl in front of him and turned to leave. Nie Xiaoyu became anxious. Although she was scared, she couldn't give up if it meant saving her father's life.

"Ouch, where did this wild girl come from? So dirty, you splashed water all over me, this young lady."

Nie Xiaoyu, rushing to catch up with the shop assistant, was a bit careless and collided head-on with a richly dressed young lady passing by. Her small body, already malnourished, was knocked to the ground by the impact. However, it was the bejeweled young lady who cried out first.

The young lady's sharp cry immediately attracted a crowd. Most of the people present were wealthy young masters. Seeing Nie Xiaoyu in rags, they began to point and whisper.

"Why did they let someone who picks through trash inside?"

"Yeah, maybe she's here to steal something? Quickly check if any jewelry is missing."

The commotion in the hall quickly attracted the manager, who was overseeing things on the second floor. He hurried over to the still-complaining young lady in fine clothes and bowed obsequiously.

"Miss Wang, what has upset you so much? Oh my, you are a distinguished guest of ours. You should have informed me in advance so I could have welcomed you properly."

The manager had actually seen Nie Xiaoyu as soon as he arrived. Seeing the timid little girl looking terrified and bewildered, he understood the general situation. Although he felt pity, he naturally couldn't afford to offend these wealthy patrons. He quickly invited the young lady to a private room on the second floor and secretly signaled to the shop assistant beside him, indicating that he should quickly take Nie Xiaoyu away.

"Uncle, I want to buy medicine, the Jade Screen Immortal Spirit Pill. Can you sell it to me?"

The manager, who had just turned to lead the young lady away, was stopped by a clear voice from behind. He turned back in surprise. It was the little girl, her large eyes bravely meeting his gaze, her small chest heaving as if she had made a great decision.

"I know this medicine is expensive, and I don't have money. But I can sell myself to you in exchange for money. I'll work for you my whole life. Please save my father. Xiao Yu kowtows to you."

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the small girl suddenly knelt on the ground and desperately kowtowed to the manager in front of her. The sound of her head hitting the ground made the manager, who had just understood the situation, feel a pang of heartache.

"This is hilarious. A trash-picking girl wants to buy pills? If you don't have money, get out. If you want to sell yourself, go to Twin Phoenix Tower. Though, looking at your build, Twin Phoenix Tower probably wouldn't bother buying you. After all, who would choose a scrawny kid like you?"

The young lady in fine clothes, who had already been led away by the manager, burst into laughter upon hearing Nie Xiaoyu's words, as if she had heard a joke. Recalling her specially chosen long dress now covered in dirty water from this unknown grubby girl, the young lady's anger flared. She pointed at Nie Xiaoyu and unleashed a torrent of abuse.

Nie Xiaoyu looked at the young lady in front of her, dressed in luxurious clothes and adorned with gold and silver jewelry, spewing vulgarities at her. Even more terrifying were the many adults in the crowd pointing and judging her. Even as a child, she could clearly feel the disgust and disdain in their eyes.

Even the manager of Hundred Herbs Hall showed a flicker of struggle in his eyes before turning his face away, allowing the young lady in fine clothes to continue her increasingly harsh scolding.

At this moment, the throbbing pain on her forehead, the scrapes on her arms, and the cold from her soaked clothes were nothing compared to the immense emotional wound. What was wrong with these adults? Why were they cursing her like this? This was nothing like what her parents had told her, nor like the neighbors and aunties and uncles she had met since childhood.

The crowd before her gradually distorted in Nie Xiaoyu's eyes. The women and young ladies with their meticulously applied makeup, and the handsome young men with their servants, all had twisted faces, surrounding her like grotesque demons. She gradually felt like she couldn't breathe.

"All of you, shut up!"

A thunderous shout cut through the air, yanking Nie Xiaoyu out of her boundless fear. She looked back to see a young man, no older than twelve or thirteen, standing behind her, accompanied by an old servant. His clothes were made of ice-blue fine silk, with elegant bamboo leaf patterns embroidered on the snow-white trim, which complemented the mutton-fat jade hairpin on his head. He was clearly also from a wealthy family.