Jiu'er watched the changes occurring in his young companions and felt a sincere joy for them.
He had known for a long time that he was born without a spiritual root; he was a thorough mortal body.
He didn't even possess the lowest rank of a miscellaneous spiritual root.
But he wasn't jealous. On the contrary, he felt a sense of relief.
At the very least, his younger brothers and sisters wouldn't have to worry about being arbitrarily expelled from the city by the Blackwater Guard anymore.
With their cultivation at the qi induction stage, they could find work or sell their services as domestic servants. At the very least, they could fill their bellies.
Once the joy subsided, however, realistic worries surfaced in his mind.
Gouer stepped forward tentatively, kneeling once again before the monk Ku Chan and Shitou, struggling to maintain his composure.
"Great Master, thank you for saving Big Brother Jiu'er and for... for granting us such a great fortune.
"We know that nothing in this world comes for free. May I ask what price we need to pay?
"We can do any kind of work—carrying goods, cleaning, serving tea... we'll serve you like beasts of burden!
"If... if you need hearts or livers, take mine! Just please, let my brothers and sisters go!"
The other children, though terrified upon hearing this, followed suit and knelt. Their small faces were filled with tension.
There was no mercy in Lantao City.
There were only transactions.
Looking at Gouer's heroic 'ready to die' expression, Ku Chan's exposed gums split into a raspy, eerie laugh.
He waved his hand, lifting the kneeling beggars off the ground.
"Get up, get up, all of you."
As he spoke, Ku Chan reached into the sleeve of his tattered monk's robe and produced a bone carving about the size of a palm.
This was something Lu Cheng and his apprentices had worked through the night to produce after the God's Grace Festival. They were selling like wildfire in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
The man on the bone carving seemed to be hidden in shadows, wearing robes of karma-fire and sitting upon a throne of skulls.
Though his specific features were unclear, the craftsman's hand was skilled; the sacred and majestic aura of the figure was carved vividly.
Ku Chan handed the bone carving to the still-dazed Gouer.
"Young patrons, you worry too much.
"My Bone God is a righteous god who governs the Underworld and shows mercy to the world!
"He ordered us to open this Heart's Desire Hall here to find a sliver of life for all living beings and to form good karmic ties.
"His power is boundless. Why would he covet your insignificant hearts and flesh?
"Do not compare him to evil spirits, or I shall become quite angry."
He paused, feigning displeasure.
"All you need to do is keep gratitude in your hearts. Take his sacred bone image home and worship it sincerely day and night, remembering his divine grace."
As soon as these words were spoken.
Not only were the little beggars stunned, but all the onlookers outside who were straining their ears to listen were dumbfounded.
Such a good deal existed?
No need to sell oneself into slavery?
No need to offer up precious treasures?
They didn't even want spirit stones?
All they had to do was worship this bone statue?
And then they could receive that miraculous pill that allowed mortals to enter the qi induction stage on the spot and helped cultivators stabilize their foundations!
After a brief, dead silence, the crowd instantly erupted!
"Great Master! Great Master! I was here first! I want a divine pill! I've been stuck at the qi induction stage for three years. My life's wish is to break through to the bone coiling stage!"
"Lord Buddha, I beg you for medicine! I'm about to... no, I mean, my elderly mother is gravely ill and needs a divine pill to save her life!"
"Let me in! I am willing to worship the Bone God every day, I just want one divine pill!"
The crowd was like a collapsing dam, surging frantically toward the entrance of the Heart's Desire Hall.
Skull guards, eerie monks—before a divine pill that could change one's fate, none of that mattered anymore.
Everyone was terrified that if they were a step too slow, this heaven-sent opportunity would slip through their fingers.
The scene instantly spiraled out of control.
"Hmph!"
Just as the crowd was about to rush in, a cold snort exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap.
Plague Rat, who had been leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed watching the show, fully released his pressure.
The bone ghost servants raised their bone blades and directly severed the insolent arms of several trespassers.
The arms hit the ground, turning brittle and ossifying into bone before being crushed under Plague Rat's foot.
Murderous intent filled the air, instantly freezing the blood of those in the front.
The frenzied crowd was like a person doused with a bucket of ice water; they skidded to a halt, their faces pale, not daring to take another step forward.
Only then did Ku Chan walk forward slowly, still maintaining that smiling appearance.
"Amitabha. Patrons, pray calm yourselves.
"My Heart's Desire Hall has its own rules. We only receive one destined person a day to fulfill one wish."
His gaze swept over the dark mass of people outside as he spoke slowly.
"Today's opportunity has concluded. If you truly have unfulfilled wishes in your hearts, please come early tomorrow."
Having said that, he ignored the reactions of the crowd and turned around, signaling Shitou and Plague Rat to retreat into the hall.
With a creak, the wooden door closed again, shutting out all the clamor.
Outside the door, some were disappointed, some were anxious, and some were unwilling.
No one dared to speak out in protest, much less force their way in.
After all, the six fourth-stage skeletons guarding the door were not mere decorations.
But everyone's heart was racing with excitement!
Only one person a day!
Didn't that mean whoever arrived earliest tomorrow would have a chance?
Immediately, some people refused to leave and crouched down at the street corner opposite the Heart's Desire Hall, intending to wait in line all night.
Even more people hurried away to spread the word, telling this shocking news to their friends, family, or the organizations behind them.
Meanwhile, Jiu'er took advantage of the chaos to pull Gouer and call the other dazed yet excited kids to squeeze through the gaps in the crowd.
They vanished into a secluded alleyway.
Only when they were sure no one was following did the children breathe a sigh of relief.
Gouer held the carving of Chen Zhou and asked, "Big Brother Jiu'er, what... what do we do now?"
Jiu'er looked at his brothers and sisters, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
Because they had stepped into the qi induction stage, their blood and qi were abundant, and their eyes were much brighter than before.
Jiu'er patted their shoulders. "What else can we do? This is a good thing!
"You are all proper cultivators now. You don't have to fear being kicked out of the city by the Blackwater Guard at any moment.
"You can go to the docks to carry loads or to the shops to be apprentices. You'll be able to find work. You won't have to go hungry and cold every day with me anymore."
He spoke lightly, but his heart felt complicated.
He actually knew he had always been lucky.
Although Jiu'er had no spiritual root and was just a mortal bone.
Back when his village suffered a demon calamity and almost everyone died, he had accidentally fallen into a dry well and survived.
Later, when he was wandering the wilderness, hungry and cold, he always managed to find some wild fruit to eat.
He never encountered any truly man-eating demons along the way.
He had somehow followed a merchant caravan and managed to get into Lantao City.
According to the city rules, mortals without a cultivator's guarantee were not allowed to stay, but even though he led a group of little tagalongs, he always managed to hide whenever the Blackwater Guard patrolled.
It was as if, in the dark, the heavens were truly helping him.
He took in these homeless children just like himself, and relying on that mysterious luck, he led a group of mortal kids to survive with difficulty in Lantao City.
But Jiu'er also knew that begging was not a long-term solution.
He was truly happy that his brothers and sisters could finally start on a proper path.
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