The Min Household's Glimmer of Hope
The Min Household family mansion was actually quite large, but the group walked quickly, and before they could even get a good look at the small garden, they had already reached the front hall of the main courtyard.
Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue were seated in the front hall, and soon fragrant spiritual tea and various spiritual fruits were served.
"Please wait here for a moment, I will go and fetch the head of the family," the steward said.
Before leaving, he glanced at Shopkeeper Zhao one last time. Shopkeeper Zhao didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly at him.
Not long after the steward left, Shopkeeper Zhao also made up an excuse and went out with him.
Sang Ying watched him walk out of the front hall, and even though she knew that Shopkeeper Zhao was going to talk to the steward, she did not try to stop him.
Anyway, she and Jiang Zhuoxue have already entered the Min Household. Whether they can stay smoothly and whether they can successfully take away the two pieces of black jade depends on their own abilities.
Outside the front hall, on the road leading to the master's residence, the steward, who had been waiting for quite some time, finally spotted Shopkeeper Zhao. He hurriedly went to greet him, his expression somewhat anxious.
"How has the young master been these days?" Shopkeeper Zhao asked before the steward could even speak.
Upon hearing this, the butler's expression immediately darkened. "You know, that's how it looks. The red markings have already grown from the backs of his hands and feet to his chest. It's said that if they continue to spread, and eventually cover his entire face, the young master will..."
He couldn't continue, and Shopkeeper Zhao across from him looked utterly defeated.
"We haven't asked who those two people inside are yet. The previous medical practitioners were all brought by Xiao Sanzi, but this time you came in person. Is there something special about them?" the butler asked cautiously.
Shopkeeper Zhao lowered his voice, his expression mysterious. "Do you remember when I was drinking with your family head, an old man with white hair and beard came to our door begging for food?"
The steward naturally remembered this. That day was the day the young master was born, so Shopkeeper Zhao, unusually, closed the inn and came to celebrate and drink with the head of the household.
On such a joyous day, they would welcome even a beggar asking for a reward. But the old man, after eating and drinking his fill, refused to leave and insisted on seeing their head of household.
The head of the household was in a good mood at the time and had no intention of driving the man away, so he simply met the old man openly and generously.
But the old man, who had just benefited from the Min Household, neither spoke kind words like other mortal beggars, nor left behind low-level defensive talismans like ordinary Rogue Cultivator. Instead, he pointed at their patriarch and said, "Your little grandson probably won't live much longer."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed.
They all understood the importance of the young master to the Household Head Min. The Min Household had only one son per generation for several generations, and the young master was the Household Head Min's only grandson. If something happened to the young master, it would mean that the Min Household might be extinct!
The Household Head Min, who had been all smiles, immediately changed his expression. He had intended to teach the old man a lesson, and even disregarded his composure, shouting that the old man was crazy.
But the old man remained smiling, as if he felt no remorse for offending the host with a single sentence.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper stepped in to stop his friend. The Household Head Min was blinded by anger, but he himself was perfectly sober.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that they are now in the Cultivation World means they can't easily offend this old man who suddenly appears at their door. What if he possesses some real skill?
Although the old man looked exactly like a beggar on the street.
Seeing that the Household Head Min had finally vented his anger, the old man stroked his now grimy, gray-black beard and slowly said, "Family head, there's no need to glare at me. After I explain things to you, you'll probably have to kneel down and beg me!"
Everyone except the old man nearly burst out laughing upon hearing this. The Household Head Min even let out a cold laugh, his gaze towards the old man filled with the chilling coldness of looking at a dead man.
The butler, as one of the witnesses, also felt that the old man was probably insane.
The old man ignored the mocking expressions of the crowd and continued, "Patriarch, your little grandson is destined for a great calamity. If he is lucky enough to encounter a benefactor, he will rise to prominence and make the Min Household one of the most powerful Aristocratic Clan in Spring Returns City and even the Hidden Nether Realm..."
The Household Head Min gradually stopped being sarcastic, and his expression slowly became serious.
"But if he wasn't so lucky, and these two benefactors didn't meet him, then he would only live to be eight years old at most, and you, the white-haired, would have to bury your black-haired son."
As he continued to go too far, the Min Household naturally could not tolerate it. This time, Shopkeeper Zhao had no intention of pleading for the old man and let the Household Head Min take action against him.
Just as they were thinking of teaching the old man a lesson, the young master's wet nurse's shrill screams echoed throughout the entire Min Household.
The Household Head Min immediately disregarded the age difference and hurriedly followed the sound with Shopkeeper Zhao and the others.
Before them arrived at the young master's bedroom were the head of the family's son and his daughter-in-law, who had just given birth but had managed to get out of bed.
One of the couple collapsed beside their son's bed, wailing uncontrollably, while the other silently supported his wife and son's cradle; even this man who rarely shed tears had tears welling in his eyes.
At that moment, everyone stopped in their tracks at the door, afraid that if they took another step forward, some terrible news would come.
However, fate did not favor the Min Household. The wet nurse, who was wiping away tears by the door, was called out by the steward. She sobbed as she told everyone that the young master, whom everyone had hoped for and loved, had developed red marks on his hands and feet!
The tiny baby's redness hadn't completely faded; the red lines, seemingly ingrained in the flesh, pierced everyone's eyes like needles.
When the Household Head Min saw the red marks on his grandson's hands and feet, he was only stunned for a moment before he immediately shouted for help and rushed to the old man.
The old man had already been driven out of the mansion by the servants, but he refused to leave and insisted on sitting by the back door, saying that his master would definitely come to find him later.
The servants were laughing at him when they saw the master of the house, who had never changed his expression even in the face of a collapsing mountain, come running over for the first time with red eyes and in a great panic, loudly asking the servants where the old man was.
The old man who was still sitting in front of the back door happily crawled back into the house, waiting for the Household Head Min to kneel down heavily before him.
The memory abruptly ended there. The butler squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to banish the image of the master kneeling in disgrace from his mind.
"Do you remember now?" Shopkeeper Zhao suddenly spoke.
The butler nodded. "I remember now. What, does Innkeeper Zhao think those two are the important people that person mentioned?"
Shopkeeper Zhao was naturally uncertain. He simply sighed, "I don't know, but I can only bring everyone who might be there, hoping that we can seize the sliver of hope that Heavenly Dao has left for the young master!"