Jiang Chen maintained a placid expression as he stood amid the crowd, observing the middle-aged man and then glancing at the young girl. Judging by the details, this middle-aged man was no ordinary wanderer. Jiang Chen noted that the skin on his hands—both palms and backs—as well as his neck and face was smooth and fair.
Clearly a man accustomed to comfort and fine living.
As for the girl, though she wore coarse hemp garments, she didn't quite look like a girl from a truly destitute household. This father-and-daughter pair were probably far more than simple itinerant cultivators.
The raucous jeering from the surrounding crowd grated on Jiang Chen's nerves.
Suddenly, a decision crystallized in his mind. He parted the crowd and strode forward.
He placed one hand on the middle-aged man's wrist.
The girl let out a startled cry, her clear voice hurriedly warning, "Don't touch him—his body is poisoned!"
Jiang Chen merely furrowed his brow and made a gesture for the girl to step back. After feeling the pulse for a moment, he formed a rough assessment.
"Miss, your father has been afflicted with a powdered poison. The antidote requires careful compounding. If you trust me, take me to a Spiritual Medicine shop."
His words were earnest and devoid of any ulterior motive, carrying an air of complete sincerity.
The girl's innocent eyes flickered with a trace of scrutiny. After studying him for a moment, she silently rose to her feet and laboriously wrapped her father in the mat, clearly intending to follow Jiang Chen.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen said, "Allow me."
With one hand, he hoisted the man onto his shoulder as though he weighed nothing. He parted the crowd and led the way forward. The girl hurried along with quick, small steps, keeping pace beside Jiang Chen in silence. Her pure, bright eyes darted toward him from time to time.
She was still frightened, still worried.
Jiang Chen offered no reassurances. He merely said, "Just point the way to the nearest Spiritual Medicine shop. Time is short—if the antidote isn't prepared soon, your father won't be saved."
At those words, the girl's delicate frame shuddered. She nodded repeatedly, quickened her pace, and led him ahead.
"Hey, kid, what's your deal? Cutting in like this—trying to steal from other people's mouths?" The onlookers behind them were not about to let this go.
"Exactly! What you're doing isn't right. Everyone's competing fairly, and you think you can just swindle her away with some trick?"
"Stop him! This cheap hero-saving-the-damsel routine—who does he think he's fooling?"
These men with sinister intentions had long since marked the girl as easy prey. Seeing Jiang Chen intervene, they were naturally furious, and several surged forward to seize her.
Jiang Chen's steps halted abruptly. His Evil Golden Eye erupted with a beam of golden light that pierced straight into the depths of their souls.
Their reactions were identical to those of the eye-patched ringleader from before. Every one of them convulsed, their minds going blank for a brief, terrifying instant.
Then came a sensation of their very souls threatening to collapse—a primal dread that sent a tremor through their hearts. Their aggressive momentum evaporated in an instant, and their feet froze to the ground.
"If you want to die, then follow me." Jiang Chen's tone was ice-cold. He cast one frigid glance over them and turned away once more.
Before long, the girl led Jiang Chen to the front of a Spiritual Medicine shop.
She stood at the entrance, her face a picture of hesitation. Her small hands twisted the hem of her garment ceaselessly, and she shifted from foot to foot in agitation.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Afraid I'll cheat you?"
The girl shook her head hastily, blurting out in her haste, "No… it's not that."
"Then let's go in." Jiang Chen smiled easily and stepped through the door. The girl, flustered, reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his robe.
Her clean, innocent eyes held three parts nervousness, three parts awkwardness, and three parts distress.
"I… I should think of another way," the girl whispered, her voice so soft it was lighter than a needle falling to the ground.
"Still don't trust me?" Jiang Chen spread his hands.
"No, really, it's not that." A flush of crimson surged across the girl's exquisite features before she drooped her head again, her voice barely audible. "I… I don't have any money."
Buying Spiritual Medicine cost money, and she currently had nothing—not even enough for food or lodging, let alone medicinal ingredients.
Jiang Chen understood at once and laughed softly. "Come on. I brought money."
He gave no further thought to her hesitation and strode inside, addressing the attendant at the counter. "Young man, I'll need one stalk of Golden Coin Spiritual Bamboo, one Quanyin Grass, and two Sea Origin Pearls…"
Jiang Chen rattled off a long list without pause.
These items were not particularly high-grade—roughly between Earth-rank and Heaven-rank Spiritual Medicine. On Myriad Abyss Island, they were hardly considered top-tier.
The attendant raised no objections. After filling the order, he announced, "That comes to two hundred and sixty thousand Heavenly Ling Shi."
Two hundred and sixty thousand Heavenly Ling Shi was equivalent to twenty-six million Sacred Ling Shi. In terms of price, it was quite reasonable. Jiang Chen was certainly not lacking in Sacred Ling Shi.
He had quite a stockpile of the Heavenly Ling Shi that Shu Wanqing had left behind.
He produced two hundred and sixty thousand Heavenly Ling Shi and settled the bill without a word.
"Where are you staying?" Jiang Chen turned to ask the girl.
At this question, her face reddened once more. The father and daughter had run out of money for lodging days ago and been turned out onto the street.
Reading her reaction, Jiang Chen guessed the answer readily enough.
He asked nothing further. Stepping outside, he located an inn and booked two rooms.
The cost of lodging in this place was exorbitantly high.
But for Jiang Chen, this expense was no concern whatsoever.
Jiang Chen booked two rooms.