Chapter 787: Little Ginseng Boy
In the past three days, after the auction, Old Deng did as the Moon Goddess told him to do. That’s to roam around the marketplace acting like a madman wanting to find a treasure and to spend most of his money buying pill ingredients and supplies for the whole sect. During these three days, he was told to pretend not to notice the one who was following him in the shadows and continue to act like a madman. Even if the person approaches him at night, pretend that he didn’t notice and act that nothing is wrong.
But during those three days, he had experienced this friend of his wanting to kill him only to stop at the last moment. It was at this point that Old Deng believed everything the Moon Goddess had told him. It’s just he couldn’t understand. They have been friends for quite a long time. How come his friend wanted to kill him?
The old pill refiner said, "Yes, I believe in the goddess." Well, he had experienced it firsthand, it is almost impossible not to believe at this point.
The Elf King Andromeda said, "Xue’er said if you want to take away the Little ginseng you must sign a life and death contract with the little one. That way you will share his lifespan and no longer have to worry about not having enough time to accompany him. With you and his life connected you sect will not take away the little ginseng from you. After all, you are the only son of the great elder of your sect."
Old Deng was stunned when he heard what the Elf King had said. He didn’t tell them anything about his identity, much less the sect he came from. But to hear about his father, he himself was dumbfounded. Now he believes that someone from this group is capable of calculations or divination to know something like this.
He asked, "Will the little ginseng still be willing to come with me?"
"You know the answer to that yourself?" Elf King Andromeda retorted.
The Old Pill Refiner looked down on the cup he held in his hands and said, "What if I fail to protect him?"
"Then just become strong enough to be able to protect him," another voice answers and it seems to be not from anyone at the table.
Everyone looked up for the source of the voice and saw Yue Xuexia looking out of the veranda from her room and jumping out. Because she is at home, the veil that she is wearing in the auction doesn’t exist at this moment leaving anyone dumbfounded upon seeing such a beauty.
"You’re awake, Xue’er." The Elf King Andromeda said.
The Moon Goddess nods as her great grandfather and joins them on their table. This time another seat had sprouted from the ground but this is not the doing of the Elf King but just the will of the tree itself. Before she took a seat, she pats the tree’s trunk and whispers,
"Thank you."
Seeing the Moon Goddess thanking the tree, Old Deng seems to have noticed it swaying happily as if it was alive. He didn’t expect that his old tree seems to be a sentient one.
Yue Xuexia looked at the Old Pill Refiner and said, "Become strong if you want to protect something. Anyway, now that you cannot go back with your original group, you can take a ride with us and we will disembark at the Outer Haven. You can take your own path to go back from there."
"Thank you, I will take up on this offer and repay you in the future," said Old Deng.
The Moon Goddess added, "Also, the man that sat beside you in the auction hall, he is a demonic cultivator. So there is no use of you asking why he did all those actions against you."
"I didn’t expect that. He is someone from the same sect. So he is a spy all along?" Old Deng said.
The Moon Goddess said, "Every organization had a spy within them."
"I will have him reported when I get back to the sect," said Old Deng.
Meanwhile, the children, noticing that the Moon Goddess had appeared all run towards especially the young Yue Huajin who remains as a toddler as he hasn’t increased much of his cultivation due to some lack of merits. Usually, the Moon Goddess would give him some merits to aid him with cultivation. But merit based existence was usually slow to grow up.
"Mama!" Yue Huajin said as he reached out his chubby hands towards the Moon Goddess while being carried by his elder brother Yue Huashui.
Yue Xuexia took the fat baby from Yue Huashui and said, "Done playing, Xiao Jin?"
"Un. Gugu Sengseng, stop crying!" Yue Xuajin said.
Yue Huashui looked at the only old looking man seated around the table with the rest and said, "Grandpa, can you make Little Ginseng stop crying? If this continues he will dehydrate." Holding the corner of his clothes is none other than a little ginseng boy who still has tears strolling down his face.
Yue Hualei snorts, "He said he is unwanted. I told him if he is unwanted then just stay with us then he keeps crying. What can an old man attract him anyway?"
"Jiejie, you shouldn’t say that!"
Yue Huaxue said. Yue Zhiya held little ginseng’s hand after wiping the little one’s eyes. "Let’s go. You can ask the reason yourself, okay?"
The little moon prince pulled the little ginseng boy towards the old pill refiner and said to the old man.
"Senior, no matter what your reason is you must give little ginseng an explanation. For you he left the sanctuary that can protect him. If he had stayed in the special dimension he wouldn’t have suffered at all. If not for that he wouldn’t get captured and sold like an item," said Yue Zhiya.
The more Old Deng hears the guiltier he feels. The karma he had built himself, he shouldn’t reject it just because he is afraid of losing it. He was looking at the little ginseng boy whose eyes were swelling from crying. Sneaking a peak at him and hiding once caught. Such a cute and innocent soul. He reached out and carried the little ginseng to his lap making the little boy face him. He gently touched the corner of the little one’s eyes and felt regretful of the words he had said before.
"Little one, listen to grandpa. I am only in the True God realm and might not be able to see you grow up in the future. Human lifespans are limited. Also, I might not have enough strength to protect you. There will be many others who would want to covet you. I don’t want you to suffer with me," Old Deng said.
The little ginseng boy grabbed the robe of the old man and said, "I can... can hide my aura. Big brothers, big sister and little brother taught me how to pretend as an ordinary child. I can pretend to be your grandson or disciple! I love gardening, I can help you watch over your garden."
Seeing the old man not talking, the little ginseng thought he hadn’t said enough to convince him and panicked.
"I am very good. If... If you need ginseng roots I can give you some once a year. No, twice a year."
"I don’t eat much. Just water me twice, once a day is enough. I... I..."
Thinking that he still couldn’t convince his chosen master to take him away, the little ginseng’s eyes once again started pooling tears as if he was about to cry out anytime.
Old Deng said, "Alright. I will bring you with me. But until I have enough strength to protect you, we can only live inside the sect. That might last for years, you might get bored. Is that alright with you?"
Only when the little ginseng heard these words did he realize that the master who had saved him from dying had finally accepted him. He is willing to take him away.
Old Deng gently wipes the tears of the little ginseng boy and said, "I might not have enough strength to protect you but I will never let you suffer. I don’t need anything from you, just accompanying this old man is enough. Starting today you are my family. You can call me master or grandfather."
"Okay, Grandpa!" The little ginseng boy said as he hugged the old man while smiling delightfully.
The Moon Goddess and everyone else had watched this warm scene with a smile. Though Yue Xuexia isn’t exactly smiling, at least the depths of her eyes were gentle. Under the help of the Elf King, Old Deng and the little ginseng boy had signed a life and death contract. Of course, it is only stricter towards the side of the old man. If the little ginseng is harmful, he would suffer as well. But once he dies, the little ginseng will not be affected by him. However, thanks to this contract the lifespan of Old Deng is now connected to the sentient little ginseng boy. From a white haired old man with a beard, he suddenly transformed into a black haired, handsome, refined uncle in ancient clothing.
Little ginseng was stunned and asked, "Grandpa, why did you get younger?"
"This... I don’t know?" Old Deng himself looked confused as he felt so refreshed and light. Moreover, even his voice turned younger by a few years.