A Small Sum of Money

A Small Sum of Money

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The big man stood nearly two meters tall, expressionless, with a greatsword almost as long as he was strapped to his back. He wore light armor, and on the left side of his chest was a badge with a khaki background and three four-pointed stars, indicating that he was an earth-element Spirit Grade Swordsman.

As for the young man, he was rather handsome and over 1.7 meters tall. He wore a green mage's robe, with a badge engraved with two pale green wind blades on the left side of his chest, indicating that he was a wind-element Guardian Rank mage. From time to time, the young man glanced at the beautiful woman beside him, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"What is it?" Diya asked. His calmness made the mature woman's eyes light up. The big man remained expressionless, but the young man was displeased. He shot Diya a vicious glare, only to be ignored.

"Kid, I want the snake gallbladder in your hand." The young man raised his chin slightly and looked down on Diya. He could not sense any Battle Qi or magical fluctuations from Diya. That meant either this fellow was far stronger than them, at least General Rank or even higher, or he was merely a Soldier Rank cultivator. Given his age, the latter was far more likely. Thus, the young man was not polite at all, and his tone was extremely arrogant.

"How much are you offering?" Diya paid no attention to his tone. He had seen people far more arrogant than this, so there was nothing strange about it. This reaction drew even more of the woman's attention. Normally, young men of this age would feel the urge to show off in front of women, especially attractive women. So when treated with such arrogance, they would usually react.

Yet this seemingly frail black-robed youth possessed a calmness that came from deep within, like a wise elder who had seen through the ways of the world.

"You name the price." Diya's reaction left the young man somewhat discouraged. He had wanted to put on a show before the beautiful woman, but the fellow had refused to cooperate. He could not exactly go over and beat him up; that would only make the woman look down on him. So the young man maintained his arrogant manner but made no further move.

"Five silver coins," Diya said softly.

"Gangge, give him the silver coins," the young man said. The big man immediately took out five silver coins and handed them to Diya. Diya gave the snake gallbladder to the big man, put away the coins, and turned to leave the potion shop beneath the woman's curious gaze.

The young man took the snake gallbladder, opened the cloth wrapping, and laughed. When the boy saw it, he muttered, "It's just some worthless snake gallbladder, and it cost five silver coins."

"It is the gallbladder of a Crimson Blood Python—an adult one at that. It was removed less than ten hours ago and has been preserved perfectly. It is indeed worth five silver coins. This youth is not simple," an aged voice sounded. At some point, an old man had appeared behind the counter.

"The owner certainly knows his stuff," the young man said with a smile. The boy's face turned red with embarrassment at his own ignorance. The old man patted the boy's head. "You are still young. In the future, remember to watch more, listen more, think more, and do more. Only then can you become a qualified pharmacist."

If Diya had known the old man had evaluated him like that, what would he have felt? From childhood to adulthood, he had grown up amid constant cries of "good-for-nothing." If not for the mature and unyielding soul from his previous life, he might have long since died from inferiority.

Yet this was the first time he had received such an evaluation. A trace of joy filled Diya's heart as he walked briskly toward home. Five silver coins were enough for him and Uncle Fu to live on for five months.

"Young Master, why are you back so late?" When Diya arrived home, Uncle Fu's aged figure hurried over, his voice carrying both anxiety and concern.

"Uncle Fu, look what good thing I brought back," Diya said with a smile. He and Uncle Fu supported each other as they walked into the courtyard. As usual, Diya sat on the stone bench while Uncle Fu entered the house to bring out bread and vegetables.

Diya took out the Red Snake Fruits and placed them on the stone table. Then he opened the black cloth bundle, and an enticing sweet fragrance immediately spread through the air.

"Young Master, what is this?" Uncle Fu happened to emerge carrying the food and looked doubtfully at the Red Snake Fruits on the table.

"Uncle Fu, these are Red Snake Fruits. You used to buy them for me to eat," Diya replied with a smile, picking up his bowl and beginning to eat.

"Red Snake Fruits? Young Master, where did you get Red Snake Fruits? Didn't you go apply to become a potion apprentice?" Uncle Fu asked urgently upon hearing this.

"It's like this, Uncle Fu. By the time I went to apply, that potion shop had already recruited all the apprentices it needed. So I went to the edge of the Twilight Rainforest outside the city to look around and see if I could find anything," Diya said slowly.

"Young Master, how could you go to the Twilight Rainforest?" Uncle Fu sprang to his feet, his face full of worry as he looked pitifully at Diya.

"Alright, sit down and eat. Look at me—I'm fine, aren't I? I even got these Red Snake Fruits and a Crimson Blood Python gallbladder, which I sold for five silver coins." As Diya spoke, he set down his bowl and chopsticks, took out the five silver coins, and placed them on the table. Their bright silver sheen made Uncle Fu's eyes widen. Once upon a time, someone accustomed to seeing gold coins would never have been so shocked by silver coins.

"A Crimson Blood Python gallbladder? Young Master, you... you..." Uncle Fu wanted to say more, but Diya interrupted him. "Alright, Uncle Fu. As long as I'm fine, that's all that matters. I promise that if I don't have the strength, I will never go to the Twilight Rainforest again. This was the first time, and it will be the last."

"Alright, Young Master." Uncle Fu sat down helplessly, though the worry had not faded from his face. Fortunately, Diya had not told him about the incident caused by the four Blood-Sucking Mosquito shells, or he would have worried even more.

"Young Master, keep one of these silver coins. You may need it sometime." Uncle Fu pushed one of the five silver coins toward Diya as spending money. The remaining four would serve as living expenses and could support them for another four months. During that time, they could think of other ways.

"Alright." Diya put away the silver coin. It might indeed come in handy. He could not help thinking of how his little sword had reached the end of its life. He needed to get a better one, which would require money. Fine, then he would not go to the academy tomorrow either. He would visit The Smith and commission a little sword.

Overall, dinner was lively enough. Though it was not plentiful—one could even call it shabby—it could not conceal their happiness.

After dinner, Diya and Uncle Fu sat on the stone bench and tasted the Red Snake Fruits. Both of them wore intoxicated expressions.

"Uncle Fu, why have you stopped eating? They taste great," Diya asked when he saw that Uncle Fu had eaten two but did not reach for any more.

"Young Master, you should eat them. I can't eat any more," Uncle Fu said with a chuckle.

"Uncle Fu, it's not good to lie at your age," Diya said. "If you won't eat them, I'll throw them away. I brought these back especially for you."

As he spoke, Diya began to wrap up the Red Snake Fruits, intending to throw them over the wall. Uncle Fu hurriedly stopped him.

"Young Master, don't throw them away. What a waste. I'll eat them," Uncle Fu said helplessly, unable to do anything about Diya. Diya smiled and only then set down the cloth bundle and opened it again.

As he ate, Uncle Fu could not help shedding tears. Diya felt greatly helpless, yet he did not know what to say. After all, comforting others was extremely difficult for Diya, and Uncle Fu was not crying out of sadness.

"Alright, Uncle Fu. Our lives will only get better from now on," Diya said, his tone brimming with confidence. Yet inwardly, he smiled bitterly. It sounds like I'm shouting a slogan. They would get better and better—but when would that be? Could it even be achieved? Still, Diya firmly resolved that no matter what, he had to work for it.

Tomorrow, he would spend some money on forging a better-quality little sword. Then he could continue going to the outskirts of the Twilight Rainforest and see whether he could hunt some lone animals. At the very least, they would not have to worry about food. If he was lucky, he might even find something to sell. Over time, if he accumulated enough, that would not be bad either. Their lives would definitely improve.

As for the academy, it did not matter whether he went or not. There was nothing more for him to learn there, and he still had to spend money. Rather than pay to endure cold stares and ridicule, it was more practical to find a way to make a living.

As for his promise to Uncle Fu, Diya had not broken it. He had only said he would not go when he lacked strength; that did not mean he would not go once he had strength. With a better-quality little sword, Diya could be considered to possess a certain level of strength. At least, if he was cautious, he could still kill beasts like Crimson Blood Pythons. The single strike he had practiced for ten years was not so simple.

At the same time, Diya apologized to Uncle Fu in his heart. He did not want Uncle Fu to worry either, but life was so difficult. If he did not find a solution, the two of them would eventually starve to death. Uncle Fu was already so old and his health was poor. Diya could not let him continue serving him forever.

The two of them spent nearly two hours finishing all twenty Red Snake Fruits, exactly ten each. They divided them evenly, chewing slowly as they ate and chatted, choosing lighter topics to dispel their gloom.

By then, the night was deep.

"Uncle Fu, go to bed early," Diya said before returning to his room. Uncle Fu also went back to his own room and fell asleep. Everything that had happened that night felt so unbelievable to him.

Diya lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, unable to fall asleep. He thought and thought, pondering countless things. Scene after scene seemed to flicker before his eyes, from both his previous life and this one. Before he knew it, his eyes slowly closed, and he drifted into dreams. The night passed without incident, and Diya did not awaken until dawn.