Chapter 2

Chapter 2 That... We Don't Have Enough Money After delivering dozens of slaps, Huayu finally stopped, panting for breath. Though the black aura around Xie Changheng was still thick, his face was considerably cleaner. Strangely enough, Xie Changheng, who had been unconscious for three days and three nights without eating and felt as though he had already set one foot through the gates of hell, opened his eyes and stood up after taking those dozens of slaps. Whether he had truly regained his strength or was simply consumed by anger, he clenched his fists as murderous intent surged through his heart. In all of his twenty-six years, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Xie Changheng was blazing with fury. He opened his eyes and looked around, but there was no one in sight. Then he lowered his head and saw a soft, white little bundle sitting by his feet. Huayu wore her hair in a neat little knot atop her head. Her round, exquisitely carved face was pink and plump, and her eyes were as clear and bright as black grapes. She tilted her little head up at Xie Changheng. The two of them stared at each other, and then she flashed her tiny white teeth in a silly grin. “How was that? My slaps are super magical, right? They even got you back on your feet!” “Dad.” Little Huayu sat obediently on the ground, her eyes clean and clear, untouched by worldly affairs. According to Xiaohong, someone surrounded by purple aura had the appearance of one destined for great wealth and status. Hadn’t she gone to all this trouble just to find herself a rich and powerful father? Most of the anger in Xie Changheng’s heart dissipated when he saw the exquisitely carved little dumpling before him. He really hadn’t expected that the person who had dragged him all the way to the riverbank with such enormous strength would turn out to be a child. Since she was only a child, he decided not to hold the slaps against her. What could a child understand? She had merely thought that slapping him would wake him up. Although, to be fair, those slaps had indeed given him some strength. Wait... “What did you just call me?” Huayu tilted her little head, looking completely justified. “I saved you, so you have to be my dad! I’m your daughter Huayu, and you promised to give me money. You can’t go back on your word!” Xie Changheng did remember promising to give her money. But who in the world had decided that being rescued meant one had to become someone’s father? Xie Changheng couldn’t understand Huayu’s line of thought at all, but he had no time to dwell on it. This time, he had set out in accordance with the Imperial Preceptor’s^[1] words, searching for a way to rescue everyone in his household. Not only had he failed to find a solution, he had gotten himself into trouble instead. His subordinates knew how unlucky he was. The carriage they had prepared for the journey was exceptionally sturdy, for fear that something might happen to him. And yet, something had still happened. A loose stone had gotten lodged beneath a wheel, making the carriage jolt. The entire party had remained safe and sound. Only Xie Changheng had rolled out through the carriage window and gone over the cliff. He wondered whether that bunch of idiots had discovered by now that their master was missing. He was in unfamiliar territory, with only this little dumpling by his side. Xie Changheng clasped his hands behind his back. Though his clothes were ragged and his hair was tangled into clumps, he still possessed an extraordinary bearing. “Huayu, do you know the way down the mountain? Your father plans to find an inn and rest for the night.” Although Huayu had slapped him, Xie Changheng was not such a petty man. This little child was alone in the wilderness. For all he knew, someone might have abandoned her. As it happened, he also needed someone to lead the way. Until his subordinates found him, he at least had to ensure his own safety. Since the little dumpling had called him Dad, he would accept the role. In consideration of the life-saving favor she had done him, he would not hold a grudge over the slaps. “I know-y! I’ll take you down!” Huayu clambered up from the ground like a little round ball and scampered down the mountain, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons with delight. “Xiaohong, you were right! This dad definitely has money. He can even afford to stay at an inn!” Back when Xuanzhen Temple had still been wealthy, Master had never once taken her to stay at an inn when they came down the mountain. They had always spent the night at the City God Temple^[2]. Hee-hee! She was so young, yet she was already able to stay at an inn. She would have plenty to brag about to Master later! Huayu had grown up on this mountain and knew the terrain like the back of her hand. By the time dusk had just fallen, she had led Xie Changheng to the largest inn in town. Before they had even entered, the inn attendant covered his nose and stared at the big and little figures outside the door in horror. The little one did look clever and bright. But the big one... He was just a walking rag. Xie Changheng entered with his hands behind his back, completely ignoring the attendant’s strange gaze. He spoke with imposing authority. “Attendant, prepare the best guest room, a tub of hot water, and a set of new clothes. I’ll pay you for everything at once.” Hearing Xie Changheng’s grand declaration, the attendant did not dare respond for quite some time. He looked the rag-like man up and down, finding it impossible to imagine that he was wealthy. Huayu secretly pinched Xie Changheng’s dirty clothes hem from the side. “These things are really expensive. Do you have that much money?” Faced with Huayu’s skeptical little eyes, Xie Changheng’s pride swelled. “It’s only one guest room. Will one hundred taels be enough?” He raised his chin, displaying all the arrogance of a man in a superior position. Heh heh, he was a prince, after all. His wife knew how unlucky he was and had been afraid something else might happen on the road. Before he left, she had sewn a pocket into the back of his undergarments. Inside were one thousand taels’ worth of banknotes! Under the watchful eyes of the attendant and Huayu, Xie Changheng reached behind his waist. Sure enough, his fingers found the corner of a banknote in the pocket. The corners of Xie Changheng’s lips lifted into a smile. He pulled confidently—but only one corner came free. The entire banknote had vanished, leaving behind only a piece the size of a fingernail in his hand. Xie Changheng’s eyes widened, and he stood there in a daze. Huh? Where was his banknote? “Aah!” At that moment, a shriek came from behind him. Huayu stretched out her chubby little hand and pointed at Xie Changheng’s buttocks, which had been rubbed raw and bloody. “Dad, your butt is hanging out!” Xie Changheng’s arm stiffly reached behind him. It was soft, warm, and covered in bloody flesh. Had he really walked all the way to the inn with his butt hanging out in full view? Huayu clicked her tongue sympathetically. Then she suddenly spotted a shredded corner of a banknote embedded in the bloody wound on her father’s backside. Quick as a flash, she tore it out, banknote and scab together. “Dad, this is money too, right?” Xie Changheng bared his teeth and clenched his buttocks in pain, but he did not make a sound. He stared at the two scraps of banknote left on the table, his eyes hollow and despairing. He was already this unlucky. Why hadn’t Heaven struck him dead with a thunderbolt yet? By then, the attendant had silently picked up one of the inn’s wooden clubs and pointed it at the big and little pair across from him. “If you don’t have money, get out.” On the road, Xie Changheng held Huayu’s little hand, his gaze empty and lifeless. But when he saw the disappointment in Huayu’s eyes, he still forced himself to perk up. “It’s fine. Your father still has a thumb ring. It’s a valuable object from the capital. It should be more than enough to cover one night’s room charge.” The thumb ring on Xie Changheng’s hand had been bestowed upon him by his Elder Imperial Brother when he married the Princess Consort. For the sake of staying alive, he had no choice but to pawn it. Unfortunately, the pawnshop in this little town had no appreciation for imperial treasures. It exchanged the ring for only twenty taels. Still, at least they had somewhere to stay that night. After entering the room, bathing in hot water, changing into new clothes, and applying medicine to his buttocks, Xie Changheng appeared before Huayu once more. He had transformed into an incomparably noble and handsome man, as elegant as a jade tree in the breeze. “Wow—” Huayu’s little mouth fell wide open as she stared at her new father, stars filling her eyes. The father she had found was really handsome! “Are you hungry, Huayu? Your father will take you to get something to eat.” Little Huayu’s eyes shone even brighter. “I’m hungry!” After saying that, she lowered her head and poked her little fingers together. “But, Dad, I eat a lot...” Xie Changheng chuckled, his eyes full of an innocent air that suggested he had never seen the world. “It’s fine. Eat your fill.” At the restaurant, little Huayu climbed onto a stool and waved grandly at the attendant. “Attendant, bring us three roast chickens, ten pounds of braised beef, and twenty bowl-sized steamed buns!” Xie Changheng’s eyes went blank. His previously calm expression stiffened slightly as he tugged at Huayu’s little sleeve. “Huayu, your father can’t eat that much.” Huayu turned around and let out an enlightened “Oh.” “I forgot there was you.” She turned back and called to the attendant again. “Bring my dad two more steamed buns and two pounds of braised beef.”