Jin Sect has been quite unrestful lately, Xu Qing thought he was targeted by some extremist cult rebels, but it turned out to be two naive little kids.
Xu Qing, who had been leading them into a narrow alley, silently dismissed the idea of killing and disposing of a body.
"Speak! Who sent you here? What's your purpose? If you don't tell the truth, watch out, I'll send you to school!"
The little girl hiding behind the boy was only two or three years old and didn't know what school meant, but hearing Xu Qing's tone, she instinctively felt that school wasn't a good place.
"No one sent us here, I came on my own!" The boy seemed not at all afraid of Xu Qing, speaking with the demeanor of a little adult.
"You came on your own? So why are you following me? Aren't you afraid I'm a bad guy?"
Xu Qing raised his eyebrows and glared, purposely intimidating the two naughty kids.
"Not afraid! I think you're a good person. The moment I saw you, I felt close, just like seeing my mother!"
"..."
Xu Qing's expression turned dark; he disliked being told two things: one, that he's not capable, and two, that he's a good person.
"Stop following me, or it'll be bad for you!"
Xu Qing left them with a fierce remark, turned around, and started walking back.
However, as he walked out of the narrow alley, the two kids followed him out as well. He headed to Underground Street, and the kids went to Underground Street too.
Xu Qing suddenly turned his head, and the boy immediately turned his body to look at the wall, the little girl, realizing after the fact, also followed suit.
"..."
Xu Qing squinted slightly, suddenly switched direction, and returned the way he came; seeing him heading out of the street, the kids also changed direction and followed him.
This time Xu Qing finally understood; that girl was one thing, but that naughty boy with the sky-high braid was obviously after him!
"Come here!" Xu Qing waved with a smile, and when the naughty boy excitedly ran over, Xu Qing's face suddenly dropped, pointing into the distance and shouted, "Go home and find your parents! Stop following me, got it?"
Although Xu Qing held the divine position of Bao Sheng Temple's deity, it didn't mean he liked taking care of children.
Someone unlucky like him, akin to a zombie, should keep children as far away as possible.
However, after Xu Qing's harsh words, the two kids froze on the spot, and then the little girl following behind the naughty boy pursed her lips. Xu Qing instantly felt something was amiss.
Sure enough, the next moment the little girl began to wail. The boy, initially maintaining a small adult demeanor, didn't see anything wrong and even turned to comfort the girl, saying don't be afraid, don't cry.
But the girl cried inconsolably, and he couldn't soothe her. After all, he was just a five or six-year-old child, and in his helplessness, his lips also began to tremble, and he started crying loudly.
"..."
Xu Qing felt his head throb, thinking to himself: I better run now!
Otherwise, if the neighbors saw, they might think he was bullying the kids.
Just as Xu Qing raised his foot, preparing to use the Divine Travel Celestial Scripture to escape, the little girl behind him suddenly spoke between sobs:
"I, I have no parents, my father doesn't want me anymore! Waa—"
"..."
...
Inside the Funeral Shop, the two kids were seated around a small narrow coffin, eating mung bean porridge.
This small narrow coffin was ordered half a month ago by a customer at Xu Qing's place, saying that in the hot weather, a kid from the family had gotten into trouble playing by the river, requiring a small coffin to collect the body.
Xu Qing asked about the size of the child, and the customer said, "Not very big, thin, about three feet tall..."
At that time, it was already late, so Xu Qing told the customer to come and pick it up the next day, but although they had made this agreement, half a month passed without the person showing up.
Xu Qing decided to use the small coffin as a small dining table. When there's leftover food, he could lift the coffin lid and put it inside, as convenient as it could be.
On a scorching summer day, Xuan Yu sat at the counter, eagerly reaching out a tongue to drink the mung bean porridge from the bowl in front.
Once it had drunk enough, it raised a front paw, while licking, it glanced over at Xu Qing.
"What are your names, and where do you live?"
Xu Qing didn't feel hot but still held a palm-leaf fan, sitting on the Master's Chair, blending in with the local customs.
"My name is Chen Liu'Er, I have three homes. Which one do you want to know about?"
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, curiously asking, "You might as well tell me all about them. Perhaps I know your elders."
The naughty kid with the sky-high braid opened his mouth readily: "My first home is outside the city, Qu Shui Village. My father is the Cloth Shopkeeper, named Chen Feng, my mother's surname is Yin; my second home is in the city Government Office. My godfather's name is Chen Guangrui, he's the County Magistrate in the city."
Xu Qing felt familiarity when hearing about the cloth shop in Qu Shui Village, and upon hearing the boy mention his godfather named Chen Guangrui, Xu Qing realized who this kid was.
About four years ago, Sister Jin from Bao Sheng Temple had rescued a baby from the river while washing clothes, and that child was precisely the one Xu Qing delivered using the Celestial Wish, placing it at Sister Jin's side.
Later, the Chen Family's Cloth Shop's eldest lady was killed by Yuan Hu, and the head of the Chen family, Chen Feng mistakenly believed Sister Jin was responsible and had stolen his family's child.
The County Magistrate investigated the case thoroughly, eventually uncovering the true murderer Yuan Hu, and the fact that the eldest lady had thrown Madam Yin's child into the river, driven by jealousy over the concubine's son.
After the Chen Family case concluded, the County Magistrate Chen Guangrui personally summoned Chen Feng, saying he felt a bond with the child, and in front of the constables, formed a kinship with the Chen family, accepting a godson.
And that godson was the Chen Liu'Er in front of him.
Chen Feng cared about his reputation. When the eldest lady tarnished his reputation, he let Xu Qing dispose of her as he wished; when the County Magistrate acquitted Sister Jin, Chen Feng, for his own reputation, insisted on falsely accusing Sister Jin of murder and child theft, trying to solidify the case.