Why Spend Good Money on Something Useless That Eats Like a Horse?

After listening to the two of them explain their purpose in fits and starts, Li Changqing did not hesitate at all.

He set down his chopsticks and reached into his robe.

The next moment, he pulled out a gold card covered entirely in gilded patterns and gently slid it across the table to Jiang Nannan.

"Take it."

His tone was calm. "Don't think about paying it back yet. Treating your mother's illness comes first. If it isn't enough, come find me again."

Jiang Nannan stared at the gold card before her, her entire body going stiff.

Before coming here, she had prepared herself for countless possibilities.

She had considered being refused, brushed off, dismissed, even mocked and ridiculed.

But she had never imagined that Li Changqing would not hesitate even once before pushing a gold card right in front of her.

Her lips trembled as tears instantly welled up in her eyes and silently rolled down her cheeks.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say thank you, wanting to say so many things.

But it felt as though her throat had been stuffed with cotton. She could not force out a single word.

Ye Guyi was stunned as well.

She blinked her beautiful eyes and looked Li Changqing up and down as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her voice was full of surprise. "Oh? Li Changqing, since when were you this generous? How come I never noticed?"

Li Changqing rolled his eyes and looked at her speechlessly. "What, do you see me as some kind of miser?"

"More or less."

Ye Guyi nodded with complete confidence.

Then, under Li Changqing's gaze, she suddenly leaned forward and moved closer. Tilting her head, she stared into his eyes, her tone turning ambiguous and probing. "But what if—just what if—one day I get sick too? Would you spend money to treat me like you did today?"

As she asked, a trace of anticipation flashed through her eyes, one she did not even notice herself.

Li Changqing looked at her expression and chuckled.

The laugh was particularly crisp and decisive, carrying the teasing implication of what kind of fantasy are you having?

He looked Ye Guyi up and down, then bluntly threw out, "You? Just wait to die. Why waste good money on something useless that eats like a horse?"

Ye Guyi's face instantly flushed bright red, and she opened her mouth to snap back.

But Li Changqing had already risen to his feet, walked around the table to Jiang Nannan, and patted her shoulder with just enough force.

"Go back and take care of your mother without worry."

His voice was not loud, but it carried a reassuring certainty. "Don't worry about the money. I have more. Whenever you run short, just come find me."

Jiang Nannan looked up at him through tear-filled eyes and nodded hard. In a hoarse voice, she managed to squeeze out, "Changqing... thank you..."

Li Changqing waved a hand, turned, and strode out of the dining hall.

Sunlight streamed in behind him, stretching his shadow long before it quickly vanished into the glow beyond the doorway.

Only after his figure had completely disappeared did Ye Guyi suddenly come back to her senses. She stomped beneath the table in fury and waved her arms toward the door. "Li Changqing, you bastard! You're the one who should wait to die! Your whole family should wait to die!"

Jiang Nannan hurriedly grabbed her arm, laughing and crying as she tried to calm her down. "Alright, alright, Sister Guyi, forget it... You can't beat Changqing anyway."

The moment Ye Guyi heard that, she immediately lifted her chin and put on an incomparably haughty expression. With a snort, she said, "Who says I can't beat him? I just can't be bothered to lower myself to his level! As they say, a good woman does not fight men! Why would I, the inheritor of the Sacred Angel Martial Spirit, waste my breath arguing with some barbarian? It'd be beneath me!"

Seeing her fierce yet inwardly timid appearance, Jiang Nannan broke into a smile through her tears. The tears still clung to her lashes, but the corners of her lips had already curved upward.

Ye Guyi turned to look at Jiang Nannan's tear-streaked little face. The inexplicable anger in her heart immediately faded, and she softened.

She reached out and wiped the tear tracks from Jiang Nannan's face. Her voice became much gentler. "Alright, stop crying. Come on, I'll go back with you and see how your mother is doing. Maybe there's something I can help with."

Jiang Nannan paused, then said worriedly, "Sister Guyi, would this... delay your cultivation? There are still classes and assignments at the academy..."

Ye Guyi waved it off without a care and grabbed her hand, pulling her outside. "We're sisters. Why talk about delays? You can cultivate any day. Your mother's situation is what matters. Hurry, hurry, while it's still early."

Jiang Nannan stumbled two steps as she was pulled along, and her eyes grew hot again.

But this time, she held back her tears.

She clasped Ye Guyi's hand in return and squeezed it tightly, as if she were holding on to the last support left in this world.

After leaving the dining hall, they first went to the administrative office to ask for leave.

The teacher in charge of approving leave glanced at Ye Guyi, then at Jiang Nannan beside her with her swollen red eyes. Without asking much, he gave a broad stroke of his pen and approved their leave slips.

Although Shrek Academy had strict rules, it had always been understanding when students faced family emergencies.

Outside the academy gates, a broad official road stretched straight into the distance.

The morning sun had fully risen, dyeing the entire land a warm, golden hue.

Distant mountains lay dark and green like painted brows, while nearby waves of wheat rolled in the wind. The breeze carried the scent of soil, grass, and trees.

Jiang Nannan stood at the crossroads, took a deep breath, and pointed southeast. "Sister Guyi, my home is in Heaven Dou City. If we take the official road, it'll take about a day on foot."

Ye Guyi stretched her wrists and ankles, looking full of energy. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Tell me exactly what's wrong with Auntie while we're on the road, so I can get a sense of the situation."

Jiang Nannan nodded, and the two set off along the official road side by side.

In the morning light, the two figures, one taller and one shorter, moved farther and farther down the road, one after the other.

Wildflowers by the roadside swayed in the breeze, while flocks of birds swept through the distant sky, the beating of their wings clear and far-reaching.

After walking for a while, Jiang Nannan suddenly spoke softly. "Sister Guyi."

"Mm?"

"Why do you think... Changqing was willing to lend me so much money? We... aren't really that close, are we?"

Ye Guyi fell silent for a few seconds, then curled her lips and spoke in a deliberately casual tone. "That bastard... Don't be fooled by how carefree and glib he acts all day. His heart isn't as hard as his mouth makes it sound. He... probably just doesn't want to see someone driven into a corner."

She paused, then added, "Besides, think about it. What are three thousand gold soul coins to him? Once he brings out that Heavenly Profound and Earthly Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, he can earn it back just by hunting a few high-level soul beasts. Just use it without worry. Don't let it weigh on your mind."

Jiang Nannan nodded thoughtfully. She looked into the distance, and a trace of warmth appeared in her eyes.

The two did not speak again, merely continuing down the road side by side.

The wind blew from behind them, pushing the hems of their clothes forward like a pair of invisible, gentle hands.