Bao'er

"Life is like the two sides of a Spirit Stone. If you never make a choice, you'll never have an answer."

"Do you understand now, boss?"

"Cut the crap. Today, you either pay up or work here to pay off your debt."

At that moment, Pei Zhujiu was discussing a very serious issue with the tavern owner, her face solemn.

Her master had run off, and Pei Zhujiu had no money on her.

"Boss, I can see you have an extraordinary bone structure. How about learning immortal cultivation from me?"

Pei Zhujiu finally decided to reveal her status as an Immortal and see whether she could recruit a disciple for her master.

She figured that her second senior sister had said it anyway.

Do the deed first, then think about the consequences.

For instance, right now, she couldn't beat up a mortal over a little wine money.

"You? An immortal cultivator?"

"Don't make me, Zhang Sanpang, laugh my teeth out."

"Let me put this on record. If you're an Immortal, I'll not only waive your wine bill."

"I'll even brew wine just for you from now on."

"Do you mean that?"

The owner's words made Pei Zhujiu's eyes light up. She fixed her big Carslan eyes on him, as if checking whether he truly meant what he had just said.

"Ask around the neighborhood. I, Zhang Sanpang, have always meant every word I say."

"Wonderful! I'll take you back to meet my master right now."

As soon as Pei Zhujiu finished speaking, her delicate brows relaxed, and she grabbed the owner and ran outside.

Once they were out the door, she took Zhang Sanpang straight up into the sky.

"Holy shit! Fairy, slow down! I'm afraid of heights!"

A long trail of a man's agonized screams lingered in the sky.

Lin Shuishui groggily got up to look for food, only to open her door and find a group of excited men and women.

Then she heard Su Wan'er's cheerful voice.

"Reveal! Four, five, six—big!"

"Everyone gets paid!"

At the edge of the cliff, Su Wan'er's face was flushed with excitement, as though she had just won money rather than lost it.

"Hahahaha! I bet a hundred thousand on that round!"

"I bet sixty thousand too."

The newly admitted disciples were grinning from ear to ear as they accepted the Spirit Stone banknotes Su Wan'er handed them.

"Come on, keep betting! The more you bet, the more you win!"

Su Wan'er had lost nearly a million on that last round alone, but she didn't care in the slightest. In fact, the excitement on her face only grew.

But a closer look would have revealed countless threads, invisible to the naked eye, emerging from her body and binding her tightly to the surrounding crowd.

And the more she lost, the deeper the threads' colors became.

Lin Shuishui knew nothing about this. She walked over to Su Wan'er and said groggily, "Second junior sister, I'm hungry."

"Senior sister, take this money and buy yourself something to eat. I'm busy here!"

"Eldest senior sister, I'll go with you!"

Seeing that Lin Shuishui wanted to find food, a few of those who had won a great deal volunteered to accompany her.

Mostly, these people had won so much that they were getting scared.

They silently counted their winnings.

Good heavens, each of them had won at least several hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

They thought that if Su Wan'er changed her mind later, they certainly wouldn't want to return those Spirit Stones.

So if they didn't run now, when would they?

"Fine, fine. I'd say you lot have won enough."

"Remember to keep eldest senior sister safe!"

Seeing that the ones asking to leave were those with the deepest karmic ties to her, Su Wan'er readily agreed.

Had they been people who had won less, she wouldn't have been so willing!

Su Wan'er felt that her cultivation was about to break through, and she called out for everyone to place their bets even louder.

Lin Shuishui had no objections to whoever came along, as long as they could buy her food.

After saying goodbye to Su Wan'er once more, Lin Shuishui took the three of them and flew toward the nearest town.

The four found a restaurant. After ordering ten roast chickens, Lin Shuishui asked the three, "What do you want to eat?"

"Eldest senior sister, didn't you just order ten roast chickens?"

"That should be enough for the four of us."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Those ten roast chickens are for me. Order whatever you want yourselves."

"Eldest senior sister, do you mean you're going to eat all ten roast chickens yourself?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Watching Lin Shuishui give an adorable nod of her little head, the three couldn't help swallowing before laughing awkwardly. "You certainly have a healthy appetite, senior sister!"

"Mm. Master says being able to eat is a blessing. You should eat more too."

"No, we'll just order a couple of dishes between the three of us."

All three had already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm and could go entirely without food.

Eating was merely a way to satisfy their appetites.

A little while later, the waiter arrived with the fragrant roast chickens.

"Dear customer, your roast chickens are here!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Shuishui clutched a whole chicken in her little hands and stripped it clean in a few bites.

This astonishing sight left both the waiter and the three sitting opposite her dumbfounded.

All four inwardly exclaimed, Good heavens!

Had they run into Taotie's reincarnation?

In the blink of an eye, all that remained on the table was a pile of chicken bones.

Only then was Lin Shuishui satisfied, and she let out a full-bellied burp.

"Burp..."

Noticing that everyone was staring at her, Lin Shuishui asked in confusion, "What? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all."

The four stared at the gleaming pointed teeth inside Lin Shuishui's cherry-like little mouth, afraid she might suddenly leap over and take a bite out of them.

The waiter went back to serving dishes.

Just then, cursing suddenly rang out downstairs.

"You again, you damned beggar! How many times have I told you? You're not allowed in my restaurant!"

Hearing the commotion, Lin Shuishui leaned over the second-floor railing and saw the owner viciously kicking a scrawny little beggar in the back.

Only when the girl turned around did Lin Shuishui get a clear look at her face.

She was a little beggar of about thirteen or fourteen, with enormous eyes whose pupils seemed to shimmer with endless stars.

Watching her desperately stuff other people's leftovers into her mouth,

Lin Shuishui's heart couldn't help trembling.

"Stop!"

Unable to bear it any longer, she leaped down from upstairs and blocked the owner.

When the little beggar saw that the owner had stopped hitting her, she began eating even more desperately.

"W-well, fairy, I..."

"It's all right. I'll pay for whatever she eats."

"Oh, how could I possibly accept!"

A smile immediately appeared on the owner's sleazy face. A moment ago, he had thought this fairy who had suddenly appeared would beat him up!

"Senior sister, what's wrong?"

Seeing Lin Shuishui suddenly jump downstairs, the other three hurried after her, thinking something had happened.

"Nothing. Just pay this owner a little extra later."

"Yes, senior sister!"

Lin Shuishui didn't even turn her head. Her eyes remained on the little beggar as she crouched down, stroked her head, and gently asked, "What's your name?"

When Lin Shuishui's palm stroked her head, the little beggar's frail body couldn't help trembling.

Hearing that gentle voice, she looked at Lin Shuishui's smiling face and whispered, "Bao'er."

After answering, she went back to eating the scraps on the floor.

"Dear customer, if you truly have a kind heart, why not take her home and raise her?" It was the waiter who spoke.

"What about her family?"

"They all died in the war."

"Oh!"

Lin Shuishui nodded to the waiter, then turned to Bao'er with a smile. "Would you like to come with me?"

The little beggar raised her head again. Her bright, enormous eyes stared fixedly at Lin Shuishui. Only after a long time did she nod and say, "Yes. Bao'er would."

"Then let's go!"

Smiling, Lin Shuishui took Bao'er's little hand and walked out of the restaurant...