After gazing at the moonlight and reminiscing about his crazed old days, Wei Shi Lan returned to the room the family had relegated to him but not without checking on them first. Chang’e slept with her two daughters in their room, making a sleeping space for herself with bedding while the girls slept on a slightly higher bed.

He felt nothing but gratitude for this family that knew nothing about him and still chose to help him. Wei Shi Lan had grown up in a cruel world, and there were only a handful of people who would commit to helping strangers like this without judging them harshly from the beginning.

After making sure they were alright, he retreated to his room and cultivated for the rest of the night, erecting another twelve vital pillars across his meridians. They were instantly detected by the Dark Sea, which helped draw the circulation of the Dark Qi as it flowed through his meridians like lustrous, tenebrous water.

He could feel his body growing stronger as he circulated it, further strengthening the body-tempering process. He also paid close attention to his circulation. Most importantly, he had chosen this heaven-grade cultivation technique so that when his spirit seed formed, it would be of the greatest quality, so flawless that the tribulation of the Spirit Realm would find no fault in it and instead be shocked by the magnificence and purity of his spirit seed.

At some point, he had to rest, and that was how he fell asleep toward the dawning of the day.

When morning came and Xia Xia woke up, the first thing she did was drag herself toward Shi Lan with a sleepy gait, slowly rubbing her eyes as she walked.

When she entered the room and saw that Wei Shi Lan was still asleep and had not covered himself, she took a thick cloth and spread it over him before looking at his face.

The sunlight spilled through the window, dyeing the dark room in an amber, faintly flaming radiance.

It stretched across one side of Wei Shi Lan’s face, causing it to shine dazzlingly.

Little Xia Xia rubbed her eyes and stared wide-eyed.

"Is that Senior Brother Lan?" she muttered to herself in a low tone.

"Why is he so handsome! Even more handsome than Lady Chen’s scholar son that Xiao Fa keeps running after!"

She shook her head and killed the thought. Xia Xia was sure she was still half asleep and was simply wishing that Shi Lan were more handsome because he was a good person and deserved to be handsome.

She sighed and shook her head once more.

"It means nothing if one is ugly. What matters is the heart."

After that, she left Wei Shi Lan’s room.

In time the family woke up and started going about their day. Chang’e prepared her medicinal herbs and seeds. She usually cultivated raw materials and sent them to the Medicine Hall, where they were used to create different kinds of medicine.

This was all she could do to make money since the Hall Leader’s wife had accused her of seducing her husband and had driven her out of the Medicine Hall.

In the morning she would venture into the Lake Forest and search for seedlings and unique herbs, bring them back, and process them for a few days before sending them to the Medicine Hall. The money she earned from this was not even enough to pay off the debt of one hundred and fifty copper coins.

She thought about her husband and cursed him silently before returning to sieve her basket of seeds.

All around, the neighborhood was already bustling with activity in the morning. As they passed, the women greeted her.

"Good morning, Xia Xia’s mother."

"Good morning, Aunt Ming."

"Good morning, Xia Xia’s mother."

"Good morning, Yuna. Is your mother’s back pain finally better?"

A bright and radiant young woman held the wooden gate of Chang’e’s fence and spoke excitedly.

"There is progress, but she’s not getting up yet. She asked for more medicine..."

Her face fell somber.

"But I don’t have enough spare money to buy medicine right now. I want to sell some more fish and come back!"

Chang’e smiled and walked to the gate with a package of herbs. She pressed it into the girl’s hand.

"You can always pay me back whenever."

The girl scrunched her eyes warmly, tears flickering within them.

"Xia Xia’s motherrrr, what am I ever going to do without you?"

Chang’e smiled gently.

"Take good care of Mother Yuring for us."

The young woman nodded eagerly. She was about to leave but suddenly turned back.

"Right, Xia Xia’s mother, did you hear about the gambling den creating an extension restaurant? They’re hiring cooks and workers!"

Chang’e’s eyes widened.

"Are you serious?"

Yuna nodded firmly.

Chang’e stood there for a moment, thinking about it. The gambling den was what had taken the men from them. Now they wanted to steal the freedom of the women and lure many young ladies away from what was truly their inheritance and wealth.

’By offering these jobs, the younger generation would become dependent on the money and status, forgetting that although slowly, they could earn even more by supplying fish.’

Yuna, unaware of Chang’e’s thoughts, said excitedly,

"I want to try it out after closing the shop today."

She looked at Chang’e.

"You should try it too, Xia Xia’s mother. I heard your husband went into debt again."

Chang’e forced a small smile and bade her farewell.

"I will think about it. You focus on taking care of your mother’s shop. It means a lot to her... I’m sure she’s already terrified that she’s losing to Madam Rende because of her backache. Don’t make her despair any further by neglecting the shop."

Yuna nodded before stepping away and heading down the road.

Chang’e returned to processing her seeds, removing dirt from the good ones.

A moment later, a gang of men — each carrying clubs across their shoulders — walked up to her fence. They kicked the door open with force and entered her yard.

The neighbors working nearby were immediately startled and quickly staggered away, though they did not go far. They still wanted to watch and gossip about what would happen to Xia Xia’s mother now.

They wanted to see how this would end. Many of them were already shaking their heads for Chang’e while cursing her irresponsible husband on her behalf.

Meanwhile, when she heard the loud crash of the door, Xia Xia came bolting out, shouting,

"Who is that motherless scum that doesn’t know the worth of a fence!"

Only for her to pause when she stepped outside and saw the men holding clubs and her mother standing in front of them.

The gang leader glared at Xia Xia, pointing the club at her.

"Today, that sharp tongue of yours. I’m going to harvest it."

Xiao Fa also stepped out, curious about the noise outside.

When the gang leader saw this, he laughed joyfully.

"The pack is complete!"

He shifted his gaze to Chang’e.

"Yuen Chang’e, where is my money?"

Chang’e trembled slightly.

"P-Please... if you give me a few months to gather the money—"

"No! Our master is growing impatient! Money is important, and if we can’t get it, we’ll sell each of you for fifty copper coins and get our money back. Boys, grab all of them and take them to the den."

"Please, I beg you... I beg you, I will pay. Just give me one month. Business is slow!"

None of them listened. They ruthlessly handled Chang’e and her daughters. Xia Xia shouted and tried to scream, but a man covered her mouth. She bit his hand, nearly ripping it apart. He let out an angry snarl and threw her over his shoulder.

Xiao Fa was held by two men, while the gang leader and two others dragged Chang’e, trying to pull her out as she struggled against them.

Seeing that she resisted, the gang leader grabbed a handful of Chang’e’s plum-shaped backside and grinned.

"You dare touch my woman..."

Immediately, the wind stopped as a thunderous voice sounded.

In the next second, the gang leader’s hand that had touched Chang’e bent awkwardly.