The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 69

“Who knows where they stole this child from? Let’s just raise her for now.”

The shopkeeper, who had rushed over at the sound of the commotion, wore a terrifyingly dark smile. She clicked her abacus beads so violently it felt as if the poor things were about to shatter.

Wonderful. Simply wonderful. The Immortal Empress hadn’t even singed a corner of her kitchen, yet in the blink of an eye, two low-level Core Formation demons had dared to trash her establishment! Over the years, even when Golden Immortals had disputes here, they took it outside. Who gave these two the audacity to be so reckless?

“Forgive the disturbance, guests. Leave these two to me; I will ensure you get an explanation.” The shopkeeper finalized a number on her abacus. Given the look on her face, she clearly didn’t expect the demons to be able to pay. It didn’t look like she was going to give Yun Heng an explanation—it looked like she was going to make these two become the explanation.

Yun Heng walked to Wen Qiwu’s side, leaving the two demons to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper apologized once more, then thrust the abacus in front of the demons. She spoke in a tone that was technically polite but felt like cold steel. “Honored guests, this is the amount of Immortal Stones required for damages. We also accept equivalent Spirit Stones; we can handle the exchange for you.”

The demons said nothing. They simply stared at her with bulging, terrified eyes.

“It seems you don’t intend to pay.” The shopkeeper’s voice dropped several degrees. Holding the abacus in her left hand, she reached into her sleeve with her right.

The cook hurried forward. “Boss, they can’t talk.”

He reached out and pried their mouths open. Sure enough, the insides were frozen solid. However, because the cook was a bit too forceful, everyone heard a distinct crack from their jawbones.

They were likely broken, but it didn’t matter. The restaurant could spare two basic healing pills. As for the ice… unless Yun Heng chose to thaw it, no one else was likely to manage it.

Yun Heng didn’t make things difficult. She released the frost on their tongues and throats. The moment they regained sensation, before they could even form words, blood-curdling screams echoed through the kitchen. Wen Qiwu winced at the sound, but she noticed the child in her arms didn’t react at all.

A blind child should be more sensitive to sound unless… she couldn’t hear, either.

Wen Qiwu tapped gently on a nearby table. The child remained unresponsive. This confirmed her suspicion, and her gaze toward the girl filled with pity.

The shopkeeper, annoyed by the noise, shoved two potent pills down their throats. These were failed batches from the City Lord’s alchemist—brutal in their efficacy at dulling pain and healing wounds, but with nasty side effects.

The medicine worked quickly. Soon, the two demons were able to stammer out words, though they were shaking like leaves. Having felt the gap in power between themselves and Yun Heng, they no longer dared to utter a single insult.

“I don’t have that much money…” A thousand Immortal Stones! Was this shopkeeper trying to rob them?

“No money?” The shopkeeper’s face turned gloomier. The demons, who had tried to act tough earlier, began to tremble uncontrollably.

“I figured as much. Your true forms are Boulder-Fish, aren’t they? I hear your hides are thick. A Core Formation hide can sell for about a hundred stones. Unfortunately, the rest of you is worthless. Even if I sell every bit of you, it won’t cover the loss.” The shopkeeper gave a cold smirk. “Two fish, two hides, that’s two hundred. You’re still short eight hundred. It just so happens our City Lord is developing a new mine. You can work there to pay off the debt. You can leave whenever the eight hundred is paid off.”

Mining to earn eight hundred Immortal Stones? They might not manage that in a thousand years! One demon tried to argue, but his companion tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to be impulsive.

The first demon fell silent, and the other, more composed one, spoke up.

“P-please… give us some t-time. We will… go borrow from f-friends. We’ll p-pay it back soon.” Their tongues, recently thawed, were still stiff, making them stutter.

The shopkeeper’s expression softened slightly. As long as they paid, they were still “good guests.”

“But… but we have to t-take her… her with us!” The fish demon pointed at the child in Wen Qiwu’s arms.

“That won’t do.” Before Wen Qiwu could even speak, the shopkeeper blocked the demon’s view with her abacus. “Our Jiaoyue City doesn’t permit kidnapping or trafficking. Why don’t you two explain exactly what relationship you have with this human child?”

“If you can’t explain it and still want to take her, I’m afraid… we’ll have to take a trip to the City Lord’s manor.”

The two demons exchanged a look of sheer guilt.

“She… this b—… child bit my leg! Look, it’s still bleeding.” One fish demon hiked up his trouser leg, revealing a bloody set of small tooth marks. It was a deep bite; had the child been a bit stronger, she might have taken a chunk of flesh out.

The demon thought this would earn him some sympathy, but he didn’t realize it only made the atmosphere colder. He shivered, sensing the shift.

“We were g-going to find… her family and d-demand compensation!” the demon stammered, his nerves getting the better of him. “We broke your restaurant and have to p-pay; she bit us, so she should p-pay too. Isn’t that f-fair?”

“You’re dodging the main point, and your logic is laughable,” Wen Qiwu said, her voice freezing. “How does a child who cannot see or hear manage to find you and bite you? If you hadn’t approached her and grabbed her, forcing her to defend herself, she would never have had the chance to bite two Core Formation cultivators.” She emphasized the words Core Formation with a sharp edge.

“We…” The dark faces of the two demons flushed red. Their story couldn’t withstand the slightest scrutiny. Fine, they were out of luck. Between these two meddling female cultivators and the City Lord behind this restaurant, they were completely outmatched.

“Forget it. We… don’t want compensation. Once we gather the f-funds, we’ll send them over. Farewell.” One demon tried to pull his partner away, but the shopkeeper blocked their path.

“Wait. Who said you could leave?”

“We s-said we’d pay!” the demon blustered, his voice thin with false bravado.

“No, no. I’m not talking about the compensation anymore. I’m talking about kidnapping and trafficking. You’re coming with me to the City Lord’s manor.”

“Xiao Tong,” the shopkeeper turned to the waiter. “Look after this child. Clean her up and find her some fresh clothes. Since this happened on our watch, I’ll help find her family when I get back.” Who knew where these two fish had stolen her from, but the Interrogation Department at the manor would have ways of making them talk.

The fish demons tried to bolt, but the moment they lifted their feet, their legs were frozen solid, and they crashed face-first onto the floor.

“Thank you, Immortal Empress,” the shopkeeper said to Yun Heng. She then produced a rope-like artifact and looped it around the demons’ necks, pulling it tight enough to make their eyes bulge. These bottom-feeders who tried to cause trouble while the City Lord was wounded needed a harsh lesson.

As the demons were dragged away, the cook and the attendant, Xiao Tong, let out sighs of relief.

“That scared me. Those demons really picked a bad time. The Boss is already in a foul mood because of the City Lord’s injury. They’re in for it now.”

“They deserve it. Who knows what they wanted with that kid? The City Lord has only been in seclusion a short while, and things in the city are already getting weird…” Xiao Tong sighed. Working in a restaurant, she’d noticed a strange atmosphere creeping into the crowds lately.

“Give the child to me,” Xiao Tong said to Wen Qiwu. “I’ll take her to get washed up.”

“Alright. But please be careful, she’s blind and deaf, so she might be frightened.” Wen Qiwu handed her over.

Predictably, the child struggled at first, but calmed down once Wen Qiwu offered some soothing comfort.

The kitchen was a mess of shattered pottery, but the area where the Chestnut Cakes were steaming remained pristine. Yun Heng removed the cakes; the timing was perfect. She took one, let it cool slightly, and fed it to her sister.

The sweet flavor filled Wen Qiwu’s mouth, and her eyes curved. She truly did love Yun Heng’s Chestnut Cakes best. She was glad they hadn’t been ruined by those fish.

The head chef behind them had wanted to ask for the recipe, but after hearing the shopkeeper address Yun Heng as “Immortal Empress,” the staff were too starstruck and intimidated to approach them until they left.

When Wen Qiwu saw the child again, she had been cleaned and redressed. Though thin and malnourished, she was a pretty child of about five or six. Xiao Tong mentioned her legs seemed weak and she couldn’t stand, needing to be carried.

Looking at the girl’s face, Wen Qiwu noticed a strange pallor. She took the child and checked her pulse, her expression darkening instantly. “She’s been poisoned.” It was likely from swallowing the demon blood when she bit the fish demon. The child hadn’t reacted earlier, so Xiao Tong hadn’t noticed.

A frantic search for a medical cultivator followed, and after much effort, the child’s life was stabilized.

By then, the dinner rush had started. With the shopkeeper still out, Xiao Tong was too busy to look after the girl. Wen Qiwu decided to take the child herself.

The child’s stomach was fragile from the demon blood, so Wen Qiwu had the kitchen bring a bowl of plain congee. The girl held the bowl and ate by herself. She was clearly starving—her stomach had been growling for a while—but she didn’t wolf it down. Her manners were refined and poised, like a child from a prestigious family who had fallen on hard times.

Yun Heng had been watching the child for a long time. Her expression had shifted ever since the demon showed his wound. “Ah Que, she isn’t an ordinary child.”

“The hide of a Boulder-Fish is expensive because it’s incredibly hard. It’s used for top-tier defensive artifacts. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator might not be able to bite through it with one go.” Yet this child had left a deep, bloody mark.

Wen Qiwu nodded slowly. She’d realized it too. Curiously, she couldn’t detect any spiritual energy in the girl. “Do you think those demons stole her from a prominent family?”

“Perhaps.” Yun Heng watched the child, her deep gaze unreadable.

If she was from a great family, she should be literate by this age. Even if she couldn’t see or hear, cultivation families had ways of teaching their children.

Wen Qiwu tried tracing characters in the girl’s palm to communicate, but the child only “stared” blankly in her direction, offering no response.

Not literate yet, it seems. Wen Qiwu stroked the girl’s head. The child stiffened for a second, then relaxed and obediently allowed the touch.

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