Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 430: Big Brother, Are You An Immortal?
Children born in ancient times truly are pitiable, unlike in the modern world where there are welfare institutions to rely on, these ancient orphans could only depend on themselves.
Chen Nuo had originally come to inquire about prices. After asking about them, he also discussed the matter of the orphan with the shopkeeper. Time in the mortal world flies swiftly, and before long, it was midday.
Chen Nuo glanced at the bright sun outside and thought that he should buy the shop now. So, he bid farewell to the grain shopkeep and left the grain store.
Upon arriving at the jewelry store, the owner brightened up when he saw a visitor who looked like a refined gentleman, "Are you here to buy jewelry, young master?"
"No, I’m here to buy the shop." Chen Nuo pointed outside.
Outside, the owner had already put up a notice for renting out the shop.
"Young master, I only rent out the shop, not sell it." The shopkeeper said.
"Is that so?" Chen Nuo took out a heavy piece of gold from his pouch and placed it on the table.
Upon seeing the gold, the shopkeeper’s eyes went wide with desire—one piece of gold would cover ten years’ worth of rent for his shop.
But he still had some sense, knowing that taking the money and consuming it would mean nothing left to live on, while renting it out would ensure a steady income from monthly rent.
"Not selling, huh?" Chen Nuo smiled, assuming he had not offered enough money, so he fished out another piece of gold from his pocket and placed it on the table.
The two pieces of gold clinked together, producing a delightful sound that made the shopkeeper’s mind and spirit ripple.
The shopkeeper reached out to touch the gold, but Chen Nuo covered it with his hand and asked with a cheerful grin, "Are you selling the shop now?"
"Selling, selling, selling!" The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, sweeping the gold into his own embrace.
"If I may be so bold to ask, young master, what do you need my humble shop for? I see you look like a businessman yourself, are you planning on starting a business for fun?"
"That’s none of your concern." Chen Nuo didn’t plan on explaining to the shopkeeper. He tapped on the table and said, "Hand me the deeds for the property and land. You should pack up and leave today."
"Absolutely, I don’t have much here anyway."
The shopkeeper, his eyes narrowed into slits from smiling with the gold in hand, quickly fetched the property deeds and passed them to Chen Nuo, "Young master, here are the documents you need. I’ll pack up and be ready to leave immediately."
This shopkeeper was indeed a straightforward person and promptly began to pack up his jewelry.
Chen Nuo wasn’t in a hurry and he told the shopkeeper, "Take your time to pack up, just hand the store over to me when I come tomorrow, and from then on it will have nothing to do with you."
"No need to wait until tomorrow, it already has nothing to do with me today—this is already your store." The shopkeeper said with a smile: "If you are not in a rush, young master, may I offer you a cup of tea?"
"No need, you go ahead and pack up, I’ll just take a walk around the street."
Chen Nuo had intended to leave straightaway, but seeing how swiftly the shopkeeper was packing up, it seemed a matter of just an hour before he would be finished. This was good—it meant he could refurbish the shop a bit today and open for business tomorrow.
Just as he stepped out the door, the little girl he had encountered at the grain store appeared again at the entrance, tugging at the hem of his garments just like before.
Before Chen Nuo could speak, the shopkeeper behind him started shouting, "Hey, you little Macaca, how come you’re begging here now? This is a jewelry store; I don’t have anything for you to eat. Go next door, that pastry shop always gives you food, go beg there."
The little girl shrank back at the sound of the shopkeeper’s voice, but did not leave; instead, she gripped Chen Nuo’s garment more firmly, her large eyes gleaming, as if sure that Chen Nuo would not send her away.
"Shopkeeper, wait a moment."
Chen Nuo stopped the shopkeeper’s actions, then turned to look at the child, "Have you been following me?"
The child didn’t answer, only gripped the hem of Chen Nuo’s clothes tighter.
"Oh, young master, this kid’s not always loitering around here. Besides, she’s still young, and her being around here won’t affect business."
The shop owner, fearing that Chen Nuo might not purchase his shop because of the child, hurriedly explained.
"It’s fine, you go pack up your things. Since I’ve already paid and received the deed, I won’t go back on my word," Chen Nuo reassured the shop owner.
Seeing that Chen Nuo didn’t dislike the child, the shop owner also breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go back inside to pack his belongings.
"You still haven’t answered my question," Chen Nuo asked again.
The child still didn’t speak. Chen Nuo sighed, then said, "If you don’t speak, I will leave."
As Chen Nuo was about to walk away, the child hurriedly followed Chen Nuo’s footsteps. With every step he took, the child took one too, gripping tightly to the hem of his robe.
His robe was flowing, and Chen Nuo wasn’t hindered in his walk by the child gripping the hem.
He walked a distance, and the child followed for that distance. Because he was mindful of the child, Chen Nuo didn’t walk too fast, simply matching the pace of the child.
He didn’t actually want to leave; he just wanted to get some information from the child.
After a few steps, Chen Nuo sighed. Since the child wasn’t an adult, he couldn’t treat him the way he would an adult. He could only turn around, crouch down, and line up his gaze with that of the child.
"If you don’t speak, I will take your hand off."
"Don’t..." Upon seeing Chen Nuo reach out, the child finally uttered a word timidly.
"So you can speak. I thought you were mute," Chen Nuo said.
Chen Nuo smiled, "Why do you keep following me? I merely gave you a candied haw; are you going to follow me indefinitely? What if I were a bad person?"
"You’re not a bad person," the child whispered. "You’re an Immortal."
"I’m an Immortal?" Chen Nuo chuckled. "Just for giving you a candied haw, you’ve made me out to be an Immortal? Aren’t you too easy to fool?"
"I saw you," the child added. "It wasn’t the candied haw, it was afterwards."
"Afterwards?"
"I was following you, and then you suddenly disappeared," the child said, eyes wide looking at Chen Nuo. "You’re an Immortal."
Chen Nuo was taken aback. He hadn’t used Mana since he came to town; how could the child have seen it?
Suddenly, Chen Nuo remembered that when he purchased the courtyard yesterday, he seemed to have used Teleportation once. Could it be that the child had been following him all along, even after he had left the town?
No wonder he always felt something following him yesterday, but when he used Mana to check, he hadn’t found anyone.
The child was thin and small; Chen Nuo thought it was some small dog or other animal, never expecting it to be this child.
"Did you tell anyone else?" Chen Nuo asked.
If others found out about this, it wouldn’t be good. He would have to leave this town and go somewhere else.
"I told my mom," the child said.
Just now, at the grain shop, the shopkeeper had told him the child’s mother had passed away. Could it be that the child told her at her grave? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"They all say my mom is dead, but she’s not really dead, only I can see her," the child spoke.
"Only you can see her?" Chen Nuo scrutinized the child, wondering if he might be having illusions due to some sort of mental trauma.
"Really," the child nodded. "I told my mom, you gave me a candied haw, and that you’re an Immortal."
