If he had not temporarily spared Ma Shaokang, if he had not followed him, how could he have found this reclusive master of immense value deep within Hengqu Mountain?
More importantly, in Meng Zhao's eyes, Ma Shaokang did not even count as a minor annoyance. He was like a puppet in his palm, his life and death entirely at Meng Zhao's command.
In response to Shanhua's Grandfather's doubts, Meng Zhao smiled and explained,
"This boy means nothing to me, but his experiences reminded me of the protagonists in storybooks—hunted down and persecuted, yet blessed with astonishing fortune. Not only could they escape danger, but they could turn peril into safety and obtain fortuitous encounters.
"And sure enough, it would have been one thing for Ma Shaokang to escape with his life, but he even met a little girl like Shanhua, won her favor, became her friend, and got close to you, old sir. It is clear that Ma Shaokang truly carries a measure of fortune with him."
Shanhua's Grandfather was taken aback. He had not expected Meng Zhao to follow Ma Shaokang all this way without making a move for such a peculiar reason. At least at his level, he could not understand what Meng Zhao hoped to gain by studying Ma Shaokang like this.
Nor did he care about such things. He merely said,
"That is even better. I presume you have witnessed the entire course of events and know that my granddaughter Shanhua and Ma Shaokang merely met by chance. She brought him here only because of her innocent nature and because she was used by others.
"If you wish to take Ma Shaokang away, feel free to act. I will not stop you.
"I only hope that you can avoid letting my granddaughter see it. Otherwise, it