Chapter 71 Staying Behind
Ye Fan was sure that in the following few days this place would become chaotic. Many fights would occur, and even more sects would hurriedly rush over here. These ruins would become a completely chaotic mess due to the Demon Emperor’s Yin Grave.
Looking back in the distance, he could still see the bloody light rising within the ruins as one divine rainbow after another charged over.
“As for whether the Desolate Pagoda is really in the Yin Grave or not, none of it has anything to do with me anymore…” Ye Fan was already extremely satisfied with his gains. What he needed to do now was find a quiet place and calmly cultivate.
The many ferocious beasts that had gathered on the edge of the ruins had long since disappeared, allowing Ye Fan to walk past that region without seeing a single beast.
The stars in the sky were twinkling and the bright moon was hanging within the sky. The curtain of night had already fallen.
Ye Fan decided to pass by the Spirit Ruin Paradise without hesitation. It was time for him to leave that place. Although the Buddhist relics they had found within the Great Thunderchant Temple were all still there, he didn’t feel that it was worth it to go back for them. If he were to chance upon Elder Han he would definitely run into big trouble.
The most important Bodhi seed was always on him anyways. Even if he temporarily lost those broken Buddhist items, he didn’t feel that it was that unfortunate. After all, keeping his life was the more important thing.
Ye Fan’s speed was very quick. Travelling throughout the entire night, he managed to rush out of the mountain range. The battle area was becoming further and further away, but he was still worried.
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Three days later, Ye Fan was already a thousand kilometers away. He travelled only through the empty countryside, not entering into any cities or towns. Only now did he finally let out a breath of air and no longer felt so worried.
It was currently late at night. The clouds were blocking the stars and the moon, making it exceptionally dark. In front of him were a few lights, revealing a town that could not be considered large. Ye Fan felt that he had already reached a safe area and no longer needed to continue running, so he entered the town.
Arriving there, he found that it could only be considered a small town. Most people were already asleep, and only a couple lights remained lit.
Ye Fan walked into the small town, and taking a stroll through it, he finally found a shop in a remote corner that hadn’t closed yet.
This truly was a very small restaurant. There were only seven or eight tables inside, and those tables and chairs all appeared very old, having been wiped so many times they seemed somewhat glossy. Overall it appeared somewhat old and interesting, appearing very clean.
“Uncle, what do you have to eat? Can you quickly whip me up something?”
The owner was an old man with grizzled white hair. The years had long since left their mark on his him. His face was filled with wrinkles, making him seem to have experienced the hardships of life. His clothes had many patches, and his life didn’t seem to be going very well.
Seeing an eleven-year-old appear this late into the night, the old man was somewhat amazed, but he still kindly smiled and responded, “There’s less than half a roast chicken, half a plate of beef, as well as some mantou.”
“Ok, bring them all up.”
“Please wait a moment, I’ll go heat it up for you.” The restaurant was too small. The old man’s circumstances were not very good, and he had to be both the owner and the cook.
Not long later, a pleasant smell of roasted chicken came. The chicken and half a dish of beef were brought up, and Ye Fan immediately started to almost drool. After living with Pang Bo for over a year within the Spirit Ruins Paradise, he had basically been living as a vegetarian without the slightest amount of meat. The simple food in front of him caused his stomach to rumble.
He quickly grabbed that bowl and chopsticks, biting into the white mantous and then tearing a chicken leg, beginning to wolf down his food. Right now, he felt like all the delicacies of the world couldn’t compare to the food right in front of him.
“Don’t rush! Eat it slowly, drink some water. Don’t choke on your food.” The old man brought up a bowl of warm soup as he gave him a kind reminder.
“Thank you, uncle. You cooking skills are a marvel, making my appetite rumble so much,” mumbled Ye Fan through a mouthful of food.
Seeing that Ye Fan’s clothes weren’t those of a poor family’s child, yet also seeing the manner he wolfed down his food, the old man was somewhat flabbergasted. Grabbing an old cloth, he started to wipe the table and chairs that were already originally very clean. Laughing and shaking his head, he said, “Anything you eat will taste super good when you’re that hungry.”
“Grandpa, why haven’t we closed yet…?”
A five-year old little girl walked into the room. The worn-out clothes were she was wearing were very simple and patched. Her hair was split into two braids that made her seem very cute, and her cheeks were bright red.
“Go to sleep, I’ll close very soon.”
The little girl noticed that the table full of food and she couldn’t tear her eyes from it, stealthily swallowing her saliva. She nodded, “Ok.”
Ye Fan completely finished the food in just a short time. Standing up, he said, “Ok, uncle can start closing now.” Saying this, he reached into his robes and immediately felt somewhat awkward. He had forgotten that he didn’t have any money or any silver or gold items to exchange with, so he actually didn’t have any way to pay the bill.
“Does little brother not have enough money on hand?” The old man was very experienced, immediately noticing his embarrassment.
“Uh…I forgot to bring any money.”
“Ah, another bad person.”The little girl started to sob, tears streaming down her face as she glared at Ye Fan. “You guys are so evil. All day you don’t pay for the food. All you know is how to bully me and grandpa. We’re almost unable to feed ourselves even…”
Looking at the chicken bones on the table, her large eyes immediately turned red. “Grandpa said that if no customers came he would give me a chicken leg to eat…but in the end, you came and ate it without paying. You’re definitely another bully.”
The five-year-old girl’s mouth and long eyelashes trembled as tears flowed down her face. Her red cheek was daubed in tears, and she had to continuously use her patched up sleeve to wipe them away.
It was clear and easy to see that their livelihood condition was not very good, to always be bullied every day.
“Little sister, don’t cry…” Ye Fan truly was embarrassed and ashamed. This old and young pairing seemed to have great difficulty in their lives.
“It’s no problem, little brother needn’t blame himself. I can tell that you’re not like those bullying hoodlums; you really did just forget to bring money.” The old man with wrinkles all over his face pulled the little girl to the side, saying, “Don’t cry, grandpa left a piece of chicken for you. There’s also half a mantou so you won’t go hungry.”
“Grandpa…” The little girl immediately felt wronged and cried even more. “I’m not thinking about myself! Grandpa also hasn’t eaten yet. Being bullied all day by those bad people, we don’t even have any savings left. If this continues, how are we supposed to get by…?”
Seeing their old patched clothes and then hearing these words, Ye Fan immediately felt sad for them. His heart was deeply touched, and even his nose became a bit runny. Ordinary people’s lives were full of suffering and pain. This young and old duo had a deep family love, yet were completely helpless, causing him to feel moved in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Don’t cry little sister. I’m not a bad person. Although I don’t have any money, I have some stuff that can be used to pay for this meal.” Ye Fan took out the jade bottle from the time he had exchanged medicinal herbs within the ruins for the Hundred Herb Liquid.
“This jade is too precious, I can’t take it.” The old man shook his head, saying, “Everyone has difficult times. If little brother passes here again he can just pay us then.”
Ye Fan sighed sadly. This old man was already in such a poor situation, yet he actually had such a strong character. Ye Fan truly felt respect for such a person. “Take it, it’s nothing to me.”
“It’s too precious, I really can’t take it. You can leave without needing to blaming yourself. Everyone goes through some difficult times.” The old man’s hands were covered with calluses. He firmly rejected the jade bottle
Seeing him refuse, all Ye Fan could do was take it back
“Since you don’t want it, then how about I stay for a bit and help you do some heavy labor?” Currently he didn’t have any destination in mind, so when he found this simple and kind-hearted old man, he decided to temporarily stay there for a while. He could focus on cultivating here and conveniently help out the old man.
The little girl lowered her head, looking at her toes and blushing, she quietly said, “We can’t even feed ourselves…”
Ye Fan squatted down and tenderly stroked the little girl’s hair. “Don’t worry, I won’t add to your burden by staying here.”