At that moment, a burly figure slowly emerged from the billowing dust. The Black Heart Proprietor, seeing the figure's grave expression, thought to himself, "Damn it! This guy is still alive! Looks like things are getting a bit troublesome!"
Li Changfeng slowly emerged from the dust and smoke, and immediately spotted the person in front of him. He was slightly surprised, "So it's you! I didn't expect you to still be alive after all this time!"
The Black Heart Proprietor was startled upon hearing this and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Senior! You know me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Changfeng chuckled and transmitted his voice, "It's me! Li Changfeng!"
Upon hearing this, the Black Heart Proprietor immediately knelt down and clung tightly to Li Changfeng's leg, startling his men who thought to themselves, "What's wrong with the shopkeeper?! What's going on?!"
The Black Heart Proprietor cried and pleaded, "My lord! My lord! You're finally back! Do you know how much I've suffered these past few days?! Please, grant me release!!"
Li Changfeng scoffed, "You want me to free you? What a joke! Look at what you've done, you even ate human placenta! You... deserve to die!"
The Black Heart Proprietor was completely bewildered. Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, he hurriedly said, "No, no, no! You've misunderstood! I... I only have stillborn placentas and infants. Some people just like that. I'm open for business, so of course I'll do it if there's money to be made!"
Li Changfeng narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, staring intently at him. "Even if it's a stillborn infant, you can't do this! You're guilty just the same!!"
The Black Heart Proprietor was terrified upon hearing this and immediately kowtowed several times, pleading, "I will never do it again! Please, Your Excellency, save me! I promise you I will reform myself and become a Buddhist! I will do a thousand or ten thousand good deeds to atone for the sins I committed!"
"If you don't believe me, sir, I swear! Don't you monks say that you can become Buddhas on the spot after laying down your butcher's knife? Please give me a chance!" The Black Heart Proprietor kowtowed frantically as if he had gone mad, begging for mercy.
Li Changfeng frowned upon hearing this. He had to admit that what he said made some sense. If he could convert someone to Buddhism, it would indeed be of some benefit to him. But was this guy really worthy of forgiveness?
When Officer Chen arrived, he was stunned by the scene before him. He exclaimed in shock, "This... is this the Black Heart Proprietor? Why is he suddenly kowtowing to the master like a madman?!"
Seeing this, Xiao Qing was even more puzzled, "What's wrong with that old man! Why is he kowtowing to me so desperately!"
Upon hearing this, Officer Chen gave a wry smile. "Let's go! Let's go see what's going on!"
The two of them slowly approached Li Changfeng's side. Officer Chen cupped his hands and said, "Master! What... what exactly is going on?"
Li Changfeng smiled slightly upon hearing this, "It's nothing! This guy just said he's reformed and converted to Buddhism, and asked me to give him a chance!"
Upon hearing this, Officer Chen was immediately shocked and deeply admired Li Changfeng. Such a villain was practically impossible to reform, yet Li Changfeng had managed to subdue him with just a few words, which gave him great confidence that Li Changfeng could wipe out the entire underground force.
Seeing this, Xiao Qing looked at the Black Heart Proprietor with pity. "This old man has banged his forehead and is bleeding a lot! Uncle! What did he do to offend you?"
Li Changfeng smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Xiao Qing! He's an utterly wicked person! He committed a crime and is now begging for my forgiveness. Do you think I can forgive him?"
Upon hearing this, the Black Heart Proprietor immediately began kowtowing frantically to Xiao Qing, his head pounding so hard it exploded, blood gushing out. He cried out sorrowfully, "Miss! I truly know I was wrong! Please forgive this old man!"
Xiao Qing's heart softened upon hearing this, and she said to Li Changfeng gently, "Uncle! Please forgive him! Grandma told me that one should be forgiving when possible! Look how pitiful he is already."
Li Changfeng sighed upon hearing this, gently stroking Xiao Qing's head, and said in a deep voice, "You're lucky! Xiao Qing pleaded for you, so I'll forgive you this time. From now on, you'd better stay by Xiao Qing's side and protect her well. Don't let her get hurt in the slightest, or I'll make you regret it!"
The Black Heart Proprietor was overjoyed upon hearing this, and his eyes were filled with gratitude as he looked at Xiao Qing. The Life and Death Talisman was too painful, and he could accept being made a slave now. As long as he could take the antidote, he would not mind anything else.
"Miss! Don't worry! From now on, I'll protect you even if it costs me my life!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing slowly took out a white handkerchief and some hemostatic medicine from inside her clothes and handed them to the Black Heart Proprietor. "Uncle! Quick! Wipe the blood off your face. I have some more hemostatic medicine here, I'll give it to you too!"
The Black Heart Proprietor accepted the handkerchief and hemostatic medicine with gratitude, feeling a warmth in his heart—a feeling he had never experienced before, which suddenly captivated him. He was childless and alone, wondering if he had done too many wrong things that prevented him from having children.
This little girl gave him a feeling he had never experienced before, and he thought to himself, "Is this what everyone calls the joy of family life? I love this feeling, and I will never let anyone else take it away from me!"
At this moment, the Black Heart Proprietor's mindset changed. He had done such things out of desperation before, as he was born in this place. Now, he no longer wanted to go back to being that cruel and ruthless person.
Li Changfeng's eyes narrowed as he observed the Black Heart Proprietor's condition. He thought to himself, "I didn't expect Xiao Qing to have such an ability, to actually change a person's state of mind! Perhaps this is the influence of a truly virtuous person!"
Li Changfeng sighed, "Evil is not evil, good is not good, it's just a temporary obsession."
At this moment, Li Changfeng suddenly realized that this conversation had given him a profound understanding of Buddhism, and his Buddhist practice had improved once again.
The Black Heart Proprietor slowly addressed his men, saying, "You... all of you, disperse! I am no longer your shopkeeper!"
The subordinates looked on in disbelief, their faces full of confusion. "Manager! What... what's wrong with you?"
The Black Heart Proprietor shook his head upon hearing this. "That's all I have to say! I don't want to say any more. I hope you won't do such heinous things in the future, or if you encounter me, I will surely punish you on behalf of Heaven!"
Upon hearing this, the group's faces darkened. They felt that the Black Heart Proprietor had gone mad, so they turned into afterimages and left.
Seeing this, Li Changfeng smiled slightly, slowly walked over, and put a pill in his hand. This was an antidote that he had someone refine when he was in Medicine God Valley to temporarily undo the Life and Death Talisman. The Black Heart Proprietor was overjoyed when he saw this, and quickly swallowed it, slowly letting out a sigh of relief.
He knew all too well the agony of being unable to Life and Death Talisman or die, and he never wanted to suffer that pain again.