Lin Qian's words left the old man stunned. He quickly stood up from the ground, grabbing Lin Qian's shoulders in excitement. "Really? You can truly save Yan'er?"
Seeing Lin Qian nod affirmatively, the old man's eyes lit up with hope. He hurriedly pulled Lin Qian into his humble shack.
Inside the house, the furnishings were incredibly simple—a table, two chairs, a worn-out straw bed, and some broken pots and bowls. There was nothing else of note.
On the broken straw bed lay a child, no more than ten years old, wearing a thin, bloodstained linen robe. The child had a pale, sickly complexion and was coughing violently. Each time he coughed, blood spilled from his mouth.
Seeing this, Lin Qian immediately stepped forward. He produced a faintly glowing red recovery potion, uncorked the bottle, and carefully poured the liquid into the child's mouth.
It wasn't that Lin Qian was being stingy; rather, the child's frail body couldn't withstand a stronger potion.
After administering the potion, Lin Qian tore open the child's shirt and his pupils narrowed slightly.
On the child's chest was a large, blackened footprint. Lin Qian didn't need to look further to know that a soul warrior had kicked the child, causing these grievous injuries.
The boy was already malnourished and fragile, making it all the more shocking that someone could be so heartless.
With a dark expression, Lin Qian gently placed his hand on the child's chest. He infused his cold soul power into the boy, carefully guiding the healing properties of the potion.
The old man watched from the side, no longer shedding tears, but instead watching in amazement as his grandson's condition rapidly improved.
At first, the old man had regretted his impulsiveness in bringing Lin Qian into the house. How could a young man from a remote town possibly heal his grandson's injuries?
But as he watched Lin Qian pour the strange red liquid into his grandson's mouth and use his soul power to heal him, the old man's doubts began to fade.
Though he didn't fully understand the process, he had heard stories of soul warriors using their power to heal injuries.
As he saw his grandson stop coughing up blood, his breathing becoming steadier and his complexion improving, the old man trembled with joy.
After some time, Lin Qian withdrew his hand. The blackened footprint on the boy's chest had disappeared.
Thud!
Just as Lin Qian turned around, the old man fell to his knees with a loud thud. Tears streamed down his weathered face as he repeatedly kowtowed to Lin Qian. "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you!"
Lin Qian quickly helped the old man to his feet. The injury that seemed fatal to the old man was nothing serious to him. "Old man, there's no need for this. Just don't look at me with such disdain anymore, alright?" Lin Qian laughed.
Hearing Lin Qian's words, the old man felt deep shame. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words, ultimately letting out a heavy sigh. "Young man, you're a good person. Why would you want to join the city guard, those devils?"
"Old man, the city guard is part of the Qin Dynasty's army. They're the ones protecting Yushui City. When the forces of Shuangji Palace, Xiaoyao Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley attack, it's them who will defend the city," Lin Qian replied, curious about the old man's intense hatred for the city guard.
Lin Qian's words made the old man snort in disgust. "Protect us? Ha! I wish the Qin Dynasty would be wiped out and the city guard turned into lifeless corpses!"
Hearing this, Lin Qian was left speechless. He hadn't expected such intense animosity.
After venting his anger, the old man noticed Lin Qian's shocked expression. He wiped his tear-streaked face and seemed to be lost in thought.
After a moment, the old man hurried to the door, peered outside, then closed it tightly. He also shut the small window before returning to Lin Qian.
"Young man, tell me the truth. Who are you really?" the old man asked quietly.
Lin Qian gazed deeply at the old man, then allowed his soul power to surge, enveloping the entire room and isolating them from the outside world. Only then did he speak, "To be honest, I'm not from the Qin Dynasty."
Revealing this to the old man was something Lin Qian had carefully considered. He could see the old man's deep-seated resentment toward the Qin Dynasty and the city guard.
The saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Lin Qian still had use for this old man's residence, so it was worth letting him in on part of the truth.
Having saved the old man's grandson and seeing the man's obvious hatred, Lin Qian trusted he could gain his cooperation.
If the old man refused, Lin Qian would have no choice but to eliminate him to ensure the success of his plan. In war, sentimentality was a foolish luxury.
"Now I understand. A good person like you would never join the city guard or know about my grandson's injuries," the old man said, grabbing Lin Qian's hand with relief, as if it were the best news he'd heard in a long time.
Lin Qian pulled over the two chairs in the room, offering one to the old man and sitting opposite him. He then asked curiously, "Old man, I don't understand. Why do you hate the city guard and your own dynasty so much?"
Hearing Lin Qian's question, the old man let out a bitter laugh and asked in return, "If someone treated you like an animal, wouldn't you hate them? If they killed your son, defiled your daughter-in-law, and nearly beat your grandson to death, wouldn't you feel hatred? Wouldn't you want revenge?"
As he spoke, tears once again streamed down the old man's face. His gnarled hands covered his eyes. "If it weren't for your help, young man, I don't know how I would face my son and daughter-in-law in the afterlife."
The old man then began to tell Lin Qian his story, slowly and sorrowfully.
"My name is Qi, but you can just call me Old Qi. That's my grandson, Qi Yan. As I mentioned before, my son was killed by the city guard, all because he asked for a little money for the soul beast pelts he was selling. The city guard took them without paying, and when my son humbly asked for some compensation, they beat him to death.
"My daughter-in-law pleaded for mercy, but they took her away. Ten days later, they sent her body back. When Yan'er cried too loudly, the leader of the city guard kicked him!"
"He only cried loudly, that's all!"
Lin Qian remained silent. He produced a low-grade recovery potion and handed it to the old man.
The man's eyes, filled with blood and tears of rage, were on the verge of going blind, and Lin Qian didn't want to see that happen.