What Do You Want?

Su Yun sneered, pulling his hand back a little as he put several gold coins back into the bag. "Eighty."

Red Hair's eyes widened in shock, and his voice began to tremble:

"You... You're asking me to bend over for money. That's the same as asking me to die!"

Su Yun put a few more coins away. "Fifty."

Red Hair reached out with a tearful look, wanting to grab the money but not daring to. His beanie shoes nervously scuffed the ground.

"How am I supposed to face my brothers from the Buried Love Clan?"

Su Yun kept taking coins back. "Twenty."

Red Hair completely broke down. He lunged forward and grabbed Su Yun's wrist with both hands, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"That's enough, boss!! Don't use this as an excuse to keep deducting more and more!"

Su Yun stopped and looked down at him.

Red Hair gazed longingly at the bag of money, looking as aggrieved as a 200-pound child. He was practically drooling.

"You just said you'd give me a hundred..."

A faint smile tugged at Su Yun's lips as he watched Red Hair's miserable expression with amusement.

"What? Can't a hundred Gold Soul Coins make you stand tall?"

Su Yun leisurely dangled the money bag by its cord in front of Red Hair.

Clink—

Clink—

The clear, pleasant sound of the coins rang through the silent alley.

It was like a demon whispering in his ear.

Red Hair's gaze followed the heavy bag swaying back and forth against his will.

Su Yun brought the money bag a little closer, his voice carrying a hint of temptation.

"Want it? Then say so."

Red Hair bit his lip hard and clenched his hands at his sides, trying to cling to the last of his dignity.

"I, Red Hair... I'm not that kind of person..."

Grrrrrrr—!!!

An even louder protest than before burst from his stomach. Right after that, the bellies of the three underlings behind him let out their own mournful cries.

Su Yun smiled and shook the money bag again.

The clink of the coins was the most beautiful melody in the world.

"You really don't want it? Fine, I'll go find someone else. After all, how many loaves of bread could a hundred Gold Soul Coins buy? I bet you could fill this whole alley with them."

As he spoke, Su Yun pretended to put the money bag away.

Red Hair's body reacted faster than his brain. He suddenly leaned forward.

"I want it..."

Su Yun paused and tilted his head, pretending he hadn't heard.

"What? Speak up. Where did that pride go, the part about standing tall?"

Red Hair trembled all over, his face flushed red as shame and hunger battled furiously in his mind.

At last, he shut his eyes and yelled in utter surrender:

"I want it!"

Su Yun pressed him further, his voice growing gentler by the moment.

"What do you want?"

Red Hair's eyes flew open. He stared fixedly at the bag, even imagining all the food he could buy with those Gold Soul Coins.

"I want Gold Soul Coins..."

"Whose Gold Soul Coins do you want?"

Su Yun asked with great patience.

"Godfather!! I want my godfather's Gold Soul Coins!!"

Red Hair finally broke down. The last shred of his dignity vanished into the heavens.

He cried out in a tearful voice:

"Godfather! Please! Give me the Gold Soul Coins!!"

Su Yun nodded in satisfaction, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing wider.

"That's more like it. People need food to live, so why pretend to be tough?"

Su Yun tossed the heavy money bag, sending it in a graceful arc through the air.

Red Hair practically flew to catch it, as though it held his very life.

The heavy weight in his hands, its solid feel, instantly shattered every last bit of his resolve.

Thump!

Red Hair dropped to his knees, quick and decisive. The ground shook beneath him.

Seeing this, his three underlings dropped to their knees in unison.

Cradling the money bag, Red Hair looked up at Su Yun. The defiant arrogance in his eyes had vanished, replaced by the devotion of someone looking upon the parents who had given him a second life.

He drew a deep breath and shouted his heartfelt vow with all his might:

"Godfather!!!"

The three underlings behind him followed suit, bowing until their foreheads nearly hit the ground.

"Godfather, we pledge ourselves to you! From now on, we'll all do as you say!!"

Their cries still echoed through the alley when Red Hair had already scrambled back to his feet.

Clutching the money bag, Red Hair waved his hand and shouted to his three underlings:

"Brothers! Time to get to work! Go clear out Wang Er Ma Zi's bakery! Then buy two buckets of hot milk from Aunt Li! Hurry!"

"Yes, boss!"

Four brightly colored figures darted away like a rainbow. Just a few minutes later, they came running back with a mountain of bread and two enormous buckets of hot milk.

But they didn't eat any of it themselves. Instead, they headed straight for the shadows at the far end of the alley.

Su Yun raised an eyebrow, stuck his hands in his pockets, and followed at an unhurried pace.

He passed a jumble of discarded wooden crates, then stopped at the sight before him.

At the end of the alley, more than a dozen ragged children huddled together.

Some had dirty faces, others had snot running from their noses. They were clearly orphans who lived on the streets nearby.

When they saw Red Hair and the others return, their eyes lit up at once. They swarmed around them like little sparrows waiting to be fed.

"Uncle Red! Big Brother Green!"

"Wow! Bread! It smells so good!"

Red Hair was nothing like the timid toady who'd been cowering in front of Su Yun moments ago. Though he still sported that flamboyant red hair, his eyes were exceptionally gentle.

As he handed bread to the children, he also tried to maintain his dignity as their big brother:

"Slow down! No snatching! I'll smack the bottom of anyone who snatches! There's enough for everyone!"

"Little Fatty, here's your milk! Careful, it's hot! This is from godfather... Ahem, it's from the kind young master we met today. Don't forget it!"

Red Hair swallowed his own saliva, yet insisted on handing the biggest loaf to a little girl with a broken leg.

So that was it.

Four Soul Grandmasters around level twenty couldn't possibly be starving in a small town like this, no matter how badly they were doing.

Unless they were pouring every last penny they earned into this bottomless pit.

While Su Yun leaned against the wall and watched quietly, a sharp-eyed little boy spotted him.

The boy wore an old shirt that was a little too big for him. He wasn't thin; his cheeks were plump, and he'd clearly been well looked after.

He clutched the half-loaf Red Hair had just given him, with a ring of white milk around his mouth.

When he saw the powerful young master in sunglasses watching Red Hair, his expression changed instantly.

Fear.

To a child his age, a noble young master who looked like a doll usually represented power.

He thought Su Yun was an adult sent by Red Hair's creditors to collect a debt.

The boy dropped his precious bread and stumbled toward Su Yun.

All he could do was timidly reach out and tug at the hem of Su Yun's clothes.

"Young master... Please..."

The boy looked at the child his own age, who wasn't much taller than him but seemed to live in another world. Tears welled in his eyes.

"Please don't let them take Uncle Red away... Don't beat him..."

Red Hair, who was handing out milk, jumped in fright. The spoon nearly slipped from his hand.

"Oh, you little rascal! Let go! Don't get god... Don't dirty the young master's clothes!"

He was just about to rush over and pick the boy up when he saw the child clinging desperately to Su Yun, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Uncle Red never robs anyone... Really... That money was all borrowed... He'll pay it all back, with interest..."

"Young master, I can work. I can shine shoes... We'll pay back the money Uncle Red owes your family, with interest and everything..."

"Please, don't take him away. Uncle Red is a good person..."

The alley fell silent.

Red Hair froze in place, his face instantly flushing red. Shame, embarrassment, and the humiliation of being found out washed over him.

"Um... God... Young master, he doesn't know any better. Please don't..."

Su Yun looked down through his sunglasses at the little boy, who was still trembling and begging.

He didn't recoil from the grime on the boy's face. Instead, he reached out with his fair hand and gently wiped the milk from the corner of the boy's mouth.

"Don't cry."

Su Yun's voice held an unusual warmth.

"I'm not here to take him away. Quite the opposite. I've come to ask Uncle Red to help me with something important."

After speaking, he took another small bag of gold coins from his robes and slipped it into the boy's patched pocket. Then he looked at Red Hair.

Su Yun looked at the children, healthy and smiling through their tears.

Then he looked at the four Soul Grandmasters, gaunt as skeletons.

Su Yun stepped forward and gave Red Hair a gentle pat.

"Good job."

Red Hair looked at Su Yun, his eyes suddenly growing a little watery.

For years, everyone had treated them like good-for-nothing street thugs, the scum of society. No one had ever seen past their flamboyant disguises to the little bit of dignity they fought so hard to protect.

And today, the one who saw through it all was a child.

He sniffed, then abruptly turned away and scrubbed his eyes hard with the back of his hand to hide his tears. Then he shouted to his brothers behind him:

"What are you all standing around for? Didn't you hear godfather? Hurry up and eat! Wash your faces when you're done! We're going to do something big with godfather tomorrow!"

"Yes, boss! Yes, godfather!"

Watching the young men scarf down bread through their tears, Su Yun put his sunglasses back on, hiding the smile in his eyes.