Roast Duck

After Ling Wuyuan and the others gradually stepped down from the platform.

Pei Zhizong, his expression unchanged, asked the old man who was still packing things away:

"How were the children this time?"

The old man immediately reported truthfully in a low voice:

"Patriarch, the children this time were fairly good. Several of them showed quite obvious changes. I imagine they are all seeds with decent aptitude..."

When Pei Zhizong noticed Ling Wuyuan among the people the old man had reported, he was immediately quite satisfied.

Ling Wuyuan's temperament and maturity, coupled with the fact that his background as a beggar was clean, already made him a worthwhile candidate for cultivation.

If he also possessed excellent talent for cultivation...

That would create an effect greater than one plus one.

Even becoming one of the Family's central pillars in the future would not be impossible.

Therefore, if he passed several more tests without any issues...

Then assigning him to the next Patriarch as an assistant and confidant would be a good position for him.

In that fleeting instant.

All sorts of thoughts passed through Pei Zhizong's mind.

And he made a rough arrangement for Ling Wuyuan's future.

However, he showed none of it, much less said that Ling Wuyuan was one of the future helpers he had selected for the younger generation. He merely instructed the person beside him as calmly as ever:

"You heard the names that were just listed, right?"

"Since their aptitude is good, go backstage and ask whether they are willing to join the Pei Family."

"Give them three days to consider..."

The other person immediately accepted the order.

"Yes."

He did not feel there was anything wrong with the matter at all.

Throughout the entire process, Pei Zhizong had never considered whether Ling Wuyuan might refuse.

Because he could clearly see the unwillingness in the boy's heart.

And for a beggar unwilling to sink into the mire, even the smallest opportunity was still an opportunity...

Thus, Pei Zhizong understood that Ling Wuyuan, a beggar with no one to rely on and who struggled even to survive, would certainly join the Pei Family.

Next, he planned to let Ling Wuyuan adapt to life within the Family for a while and familiarize himself with its various Rules before transferring him to one of the Family's younger members.

After all, even the finest uncut jade needed polishing.

The steward specially responsible for training new servants within the Family could conveniently give him some rough polishing.

A few minutes later.

Backstage.

"This is a token used by our Pei Family to recruit servants. Since you have decent aptitude, if you are willing to join our Pei Family, you may come report in within three days. At that time, not only will you yourselves receive better training and have the chance to cultivate profound martial arts, but your families may also receive some care from the Pei Family. For example, your family members may find work in businesses belonging to the Pei Family..."

The speaker was a capable-looking middle-aged man dressed in black.

After introducing himself and explaining his purpose, he added to Ling Wuyuan with particular concern:

"Little fellow, wandering alone is no easy life. Since you have such a good opportunity before you, it would be better for you to seize it and join our Pei Family..."

He said this not at Pei Zhizong's instruction, but simply because it was his own thought.

As someone who had once also been alone and without support.

He knew very well how difficult it was for a little beggar like Ling Wuyuan to survive.

At this moment.

Looking at Ling Wuyuan's pitiful, bedraggled appearance, his clothes in tatters and his whole body filthy.

His words had come straight from the heart.

After saying that.

Without waiting for Ling Wuyuan to answer.

Feeling that saying an extra sentence or two was already the utmost of his benevolence, he immediately told everyone:

"First, register your basic information with me, such as your names and family situations, to prevent someone from using the tokens later to impersonate you and join our Pei Family..."

Watching this scene.

After thinking it over.

Ling Wuyuan could only let out a faint breath and decisively step forward to register his information.

[Name: Ling Wuyuan].

[Gender: Male].

[Age: Ten].

[Family situation: No family, no relatives or friends, no education, currently a professional beggar, skilled at catching rats and birds to stave off hunger, occasionally eats insects and weeds].

The age field was made up.

Ling Wuyuan himself did not even know how old he ought to be considered.

Overall, the information was extremely simple, yet filled with a sense of tragedy.

At least, Ling Wuyuan himself found it tragic.

Though he had never said it aloud.

Because even if he did, nobody would listen.

But his heart truly was bitter...

Several hours later.

The sky had grown late, with only a faint glow of evening clouds remaining at the horizon.

Within Black Stone City, inside a thoroughly ruined abandoned temple whose walls leaked wind from all four sides.

Though he did not know exactly what time it was.

Ling Wuyuan estimated that it was probably close to eight in the evening.

At this moment.

He had just started a fire inside the ruined temple.

Faint warmth, accompanied by dim yellow firelight, continuously spilled forth from the campfire before him.

Beside him.

Other than some dry firewood and branches he had gathered, there was also a bundle wrapped in oil paper.

Faintly.

A hint of meat fragrance could be smelled from it.

It was a roast duck.

A roast duck he had bought with most of his savings.

Ling Wuyuan had mainly bought it to celebrate the fact that his hard days were finally about to come to an end...

How should he put it?

Though the process was extremely simplified, he still wanted something festive?

Perhaps that was how it could be understood.

The only small problem was that when he bought the roast duck, the shopkeeper saw that he was a little beggar and, after picking through them for quite some time, deliberately chose the smallest and skinniest duck for him. In fact, if not for other people nearby seeing Ling Wuyuan pay, he felt that the shopkeeper would probably have confiscated his money and falsely accused him of not paying.

At that point.

Not only would Ling Wuyuan have received no roast duck, he would probably have suffered a vicious beating as well.

However.

All of that had actually been within his expectations.

After all, ever since his previous life, the world had basically always been this cruel to him.

That was why he had paid particular attention to the time when buying the roast duck, deliberately going when there were the most customers in order to avoid the greatest risk.

However.

Even so.

Recalling all those circumstances, a great deal of fury still involuntarily surfaced in Ling Wuyuan's eyes.

In the end.

After being furious for quite a while.

He chose to give up on impotent rage.

He let his gaze follow the temple roof, which leaked light, wind, and rain, toward the sky outside. Then he silently took two deep breaths to steady his emotions.

Ling Wuyuan understood that, for now, there was nothing he could do about such losses except endure them.

"But... soon... strength and confidence of my own..."

Thinking of this.

He clenched his fist hard.