Chapter 75

The old man laughed weakly and said, "To be able to live until now is already a blessing from heaven; what does it matter to lose a leg?" He looked at Hu Xiaotian with gratitude and said, "You have changed my fate, making me feel my heartbeat and pulse again. I am truly still alive."

Hu Xiaotian pointed to his broken leg and said, "I need to change your medicine and check the wound." He glanced at the little girl and said, "It's best if everyone steps aside."

Muru Feiyang took the little girl and left.

Hu Xiaotian covered his mouth with a white gauze, took a sterilized dressing pack, and then unwrapped the gauze around the old man's injured limb. The old man had an incredibly strong will, and despite the excruciating pain, he remained silent.

The wound was in good condition, and the bleeding was not excessive. After disinfecting the wound, Hu Xiaotian re-bandaged it. After finishing, he pulled down the white gauze from his mouth and nose and said, "The situation is still quite good."

The old man said, "I am Andequan! May I ask for the noble benefactor's name?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I am surnamed Hu!" He did not reveal his name to Andequan and had specifically instructed the others to keep it a secret, not to easily reveal his identity to these two people. He picked up the bowl of used medicine and was about to leave when he heard the old man say, "Noble benefactor, please wait!"

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

Andequan said, "The noble benefactor should know my identity." Lying naked under the sheet, he naturally knew that all his secrets were visible to the other person, and his eunuch status could not be hidden.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "In my eyes, there is only a patient; I never pay attention to other matters." He was subtly telling Andequan, "Don't worry, I have no interest in your affairs, and I won't spread the word. In this remote mountain, even if I wanted to, there's nowhere to go."

Andequan said, "Noble benefactor, my granddaughter and I were passing through Pengyin Mountain when we unfortunately encountered bandits. I did my best to protect my granddaughter, but we were outnumbered, and I ended up like this..."

Hu Xiaotian was not interested in his story and did not believe his reason. If it weren't for the old man and the little girl coincidentally arriving at Lanruo Temple, he wouldn't have bothered with this matter. He smiled at Andequan and said, "Mr. An, you are still seriously injured and should not talk too much. Rest and recover, and we can discuss other matters later." He was about to leave when Andequan suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm. Hu Xiaotian felt as if an iron band had wrapped around his hand, almost crushing his bones. He stifled a groan, feeling extremely surprised. Andequan was severely injured and barely breathing, yet he still possessed such formidable strength. How terrifying must his martial arts be when he was in good health?

Andequan loosened his grip slightly, and his gaze shifted from suspicion to calm. This subtle change did not escape Hu Xiaotian's notice, and he caught a glimpse of a cold, murderous intent.

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank. The old eunuch and the little girl had arrived suddenly, and although their identities were unknown, the little girl's demeanor and speech already indicated that she was from an unusual background. The old eunuch's numerous wounds were not from accidental collisions but from knife and arrow injuries, suggesting that they had been through a fierce battle before arriving at Lanruo Temple. The old eunuch's strength, even in his injured state, showed that his martial arts were extremely powerful. Whoever had injured him must have been even more formidable. The murderous intent he had just shown proved that he had no sense of gratitude and would not hesitate to eliminate anyone he suspected of having ill intentions.

The more Hu Xiaotian thought, the more alarmed he became. However, he did not show any signs of this on his face. He smiled and moved closer to Andequan, whispering, "Old man, don't move around. If you aggravate your wounds, it will be troublesome. If anything happens to you, your granddaughter will worry. What will a young girl do if something happens to you?" His words were soft but firm, reminding Andequan that his underage granddaughter was still in their hands and would be in trouble if he made any rash moves.

Andequan nodded slightly and loosened his grip further but did not let go. He whispered, "Whoever dares to harm my granddaughter will regret ever being born." As he spoke, a fierce murderous intent spread again, and Hu Xiaotian, standing close by, felt the overwhelming killing aura, shivering involuntarily. He thought, "Your granddaughter? Who are you trying to fool? You're clearly a eunuch, how could you have offspring? Can you even produce children?" He smiled and said, "Old man, why are you getting so agitated? You are seriously injured and must remain calm; otherwise, it will be detrimental to your health."

Andequan's smile disappeared, and he coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian, his sharp gaze piercing deep into Hu Xiaotian's eyes. He whispered, "Tell me honestly, who sent you? What is your purpose?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Old man, it seems you are not only suspicious but also ungrateful. Let me clarify: first, I don't know you, and I didn't intend to provoke you. The little girl came here for help, and we brought you here. Second, if I hadn't amputated your right leg, you would have bled to death despite your strong vitality. Third, if we hadn't helped you, we would have left Lanruo Temple long ago. I don't care about your affairs."

Andequan's gaze was still filled with suspicion as he said, "Who are you?"

Hu Xiaotian thought, "I am your savior, and I've never seen such ingratitude. You're not even fully recovered, and you're already thinking of harming me? Besides, your granddaughter is still in our hands. You must be suffering from oxygen deprivation due to blood loss, making you forget the principle of 'not harming the mouse to avoid harming the rat.' If you dare to harm me, I won't hesitate to use your granddaughter as leverage." He said, "Who I am is none of your business. In short, I have no connection with you, and I won't harm you or help you further." He tried to shake off Andequan's wrist but failed again.

Andequan said, "Don't think I can't kill you just because I'm injured. It would still be effortless for me." This was a clear declaration of hostility.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled coldly and said, "Kill me? How ungrateful. Even if you can kill me, do you want your granddaughter to die?" If it came to a confrontation, Hu Xiaotian was not easily intimidated.

Andequan surprisingly released Hu Xiaotian's wrist and said, "How about we make a deal?"

Hu Xiaotian thought he had misheard and said, "What?" He was surprised by the old eunuch's sudden change.

Andequan said, "Help me escort my granddaughter to Xiezhou, to Fengze Street, Yujin Alley, to the Zhou family."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Why should I?" Initially, he had tacitly agreed to Muru Feiyang's suggestion, but now he was repulsed by Andequan's ingratitude and had no intention of helping them. The world hadn't changed much; good people don't always get good rewards.

Andequan took out a jade pendant with a coiled dragon from his waist and handed it to Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian took it, and although he was not an expert in jade, he could tell that the pendant was extraordinary, both in quality and craftsmanship.

Andequan said, "This jade pendant is priceless and can serve as your commission."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and returned the pendant, saying, "The value of the jade pendant is indeed substantial, but the task you are asking me to do is very risky. What kind of enemies have you made to end up like this? It's not that I don't want to help you, but I don't want to get involved in such a big trouble."