Chapter 75: 【Self-Inflicted Trouble】(Part 2)

The old man gave a weak laugh and said, "I'm already fortunate to have lived this long by heaven's mercy—what does losing a leg matter?" He looked gratefully at Hu Xiaotian and said, "You changed my fate, letting me feel my heartbeat and pulse again; I truly am still alive."

Hu Xiaotian pointed at his broken leg and said, "I need to change your dressing and check the wound." He then glanced at the little girl and said, "You all had better step aside for a moment."

Murong Feiyan took the little girl and left.

Hu Xiaotian covered his mouth with a white gauze, took the sterilized dressing pack, then unwrapped the bandage covering the old man's residual limb. The old man had extraordinary willpower; despite the excruciating pain, he endured without a sound.

The wound was in good condition, with only slight bleeding. After disinfecting it, Hu Xiaotian rewrapped the dressing. Once done, he lowered the white gauze from his mouth and nose and said, "The situation is not bad."

The old man said, "I am Ande Quan! May I ask your honored name, benefactor?"

Hu Xiaotian replied, "My surname is Hu!" He did not tell Ande Quan his full name, and had specifically instructed others to keep it secret, not to reveal their identities in front of these two. He picked up the prepared medicine bowl, ready to leave, but then heard the old man say, "Benefactor, please stay!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Mr. An, is there anything else you need?"

Ande Quan said, "Benefactor, you must already know my identity." He lay naked under the blanket, naturally aware that his bodily secrets were fully exposed to the other party, and his eunuch status could certainly not be concealed.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "In my eyes there are only patients; I never concern myself with anything else." He was tactfully telling Ande Quan, "Rest assured, I have no interest in your affairs and will certainly not publicize them. Actually, out here in these wild mountains, even if he wanted to talk, there's nowhere to do so."

Ande Quan said, "Benefactor, my granddaughter and I were passing through Pengyin Mountain when we unexpectedly encountered bandits. I did everything I could to protect her, but being outnumbered, we ended up like this…"

Hu Xiaotian had no interest in his experience and didn't believe his excuse. If it weren't for this old man and little girl happening to come to Lanruo Temple, he wouldn't bother with such trivial matters. He smiled at Ande Quan and said, "Mr. An, your wounds are not yet healed; you shouldn't speak too much. Rest and recover properly—if there's anything, we can talk after you get better." He was about to leave when Ande Quan suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm. Hu Xiaotian felt as if an iron hoop were wrapped around his hand, as though his bones might be crushed; he groaned in pain, utterly astonished that Ande Quan, despite his grave injury and faint breath, still possessed such tremendous strength—one could only imagine how formidable his martial arts must be when he is uninjured.

Ande Quan loosened his grip on Hu Xiaotian's hand a little, his gaze shifting from suspicion to calm in an instant. This subtle change did not escape Hu Xiaotian's eyes; though fleeting, he still caught a hint of chilling killing intent within it.

Hu Xiaotian's heart involuntarily tightened. The sudden appearance of this eunuch and the little girl, though their identities were unknown, already revealed from the girl's demeanor and speech that her background was certainly extraordinary. The multiple wounds on the eunuch's body were not from accidental collisions; many were knife and arrow wounds, indicating that before arriving at Lanruo Temple they must have endured a desperate battle. The eunuch's formidable wrist strength despite his grave injury shows his martial arts are extremely strong; to inflict such damage on him, his opponent must be fearsome. Moreover, the killing intent he just displayed proves he harbors no gratitude whatsoever—if he suspected anyone of ill will, he would unhesitatingly kill them.

Hu Xiaotian grew more alarmed the more he thought, yet his expression remained unchanged. He smiled, moved closer to Ande Quan, and whispered, "Old sir, you must not move recklessly; if you aggravate the wound, it will become troublesome. Should anything happen to you, wouldn't it worry your granddaughter? If something befalls you, what would become of your underage granddaughter?" His words were soft but firm, essentially reminding Ande Quan not to forget that his underage granddaughter is still in their hands—if Ande Quan dares to act rashly, she will suffer.

Ande Quan nodded slightly, loosening his grip a bit but still not releasing Hu Xiaotian. He said in a low voice, "Whoever dares to harm my granddaughter will regret ever coming into this world." As he spoke, a icy killing intent once again spread out. Hu Xiaotian, standing close enough to feel it fully, shivered involuntarily and thought, "Your granddaughter? You're lying— you're a eunuch, where would you get descendants? Could you even father a child?" He put on a smiling face and said, "Old sir, why are you getting agitated? You're seriously wounded; you must keep your emotions steady, or it will harm your health."

Ande Quan's smile vanished completely; he coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian, his sharp gaze like two daggers piercing deep into Hu Xiaotian's eyes, and said in a low voice, "Tell me honestly—who sent you here, and what is your true purpose?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Old sir, it seems you are not only extremely suspicious but also an ungrateful wretch. Let me make this clear: first, I don't know you, nor do I intend to provoke you; it was that little girl who ran over here seeking help, so we brought you in. Second, if I hadn't seened off your right leg, even with your extraordinary vitality you would likely have bled to death by now. Third, if we weren't helping you, we would have left Lanruo Temple long ago—I simply have no desire to meddle in your affairs."

Ande Quan's gaze toward Hu Xiaotian remained full of suspicion: "Who are you?"

Hu Xiaotian thought, "Old man, I'm your lifesaver; I've seen ungrateful people, but never one so utterly ungrateful. Your wound isn't even healed, and you're already trying to harm me? Besides, that little girl is still in your hands, and you, old eunuch, have lost so much blood that your brain is oxygen-deprived, lowering your IQ—you don't even understand the principle of not harming the hostage. You've forgotten your granddaughter is still in our custody. If you dare to act against me, aren't you afraid I'll harm that little girl?" Hu Xiaotian said, "What I am has nothing to do with you; in short, I have no connection with you—I will neither harm you nor help you again." He gave a hard shake, but still could not free his wrist from Ande Quan's grip.

Ande Quan said, "Don't think my injury stops me; if I wanted to kill you, it would still be effortless." Saying that was tantamount to tearing apart all pretense.

Hu Xiaotian gave a hollow cold laugh: "Kill me? Ungrateful wretch—even if you could kill me, wouldn't you be sacrificing your granddaughter's life?" He turned hostile instantly; Hu Xiaotian was not someone easily intimidated.

Ande Quan unexpectedly released Hu Xiaotian's wrist and said, "How about we make a deal?"

Hu Xiaotian thought he had misheard: "What?" He never expected the eunuch to change his attitude so quickly.

Ande Quan said, "Help me escort my granddaughter to Xiezhou, to the Zhou family residence on Fengze Street, Yujin Lane."

Hu Xiaotian said, "On what basis?" Although he had earlier acquiesced to Murong Feiyan's suggestion, he now felt full of resentment toward Ande Quan's ungrateful behavior and had abandoned any thought of helping them. This world is no different from the past—good deeds are not necessarily rewarded.

Ande Quan took out a piece of mutton-fat jade coiled-dragon pendant from his waist and handed it to Hu Xiaotian, who reached out and took it. Although he was not an expert in jade appraisal, he could tell at a glance that this pendant was far from ordinary—both its material and craftsmanship were of the highest quality.

Ande Quan said, "This pendant is worth a city; consider it payment for your services."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and handed the pendant back: "Based solely on the pendant's value, it would indeed be a generous reward, but the task you entrust me with likely involves great danger. What enemy have you provoked to end up like this? It's not that I don't want to help you—I just don't want to invite such trouble."

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