Chapter 229

Before it got completely dark, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi arrived at the Jufeng Town Guard Station.

"The mountain master is out." said the guard at the door.

"Where's Captain Black Bear?"

"I went along too."

Tang Yu'an couldn't help but glance at the map, and saw that Hongli and Hei Xiong had gone to the mountain road and were at the first stronghold, and he didn't know what they were going to do.

"I heard that Sister Hongli brought back a lot of children. Can we go and see them?" Tang Yu'an asked.

The guard glanced at the mountain master's order hanging on Tang Yu'an's chest, hesitated for a moment, and nodded.

"Come in."

"Thank you!"

After entering the garrison, they soon met the guard team that had previously followed Hongli to the deserted city home.

They had met Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi, and had witnessed how they dealt with the fire giant lizard. Their attitude was much warmer than that of the security guard, so they took the initiative to take the job and took them to the room where the child was to be accommodated.

"These 50 children were brought back by us today," said the captain of the guards.

"Although I don't know why the mountain master brought them back, she instructed them to be well-fed and well-cared for. It's not like what those people outside are saying."

Hongli has always been decisive and resolute, and has a high prestige in Jufeng Town. Naturally, there are many people who have been disciplined by her and who dislike her.

So she brought the guards to collect so many children in a high-profile manner, and rumors spread within a day.

"My two distinguished guests, don't listen to their nonsense. Our mountain master is a very kind person!"

Even in the garrison, they had heard those rumors, and they were quite ugly. Something about the mountain master finally revealing her true colors, or that she also ate human flesh, and specifically targeted children...

The guards were worried that the two distinguished guests would misunderstand the mountain owner, thus affecting the cooperation between Jufeng Town and Huangcheng Home.

After all, they knew the relationship between Tang Yu'an and Huangcheng Home, and they also knew that he sold cheap salt in Jufeng Town, so he must be a kind-hearted person.

Tang Yu'an nodded and said with a smile: "Yeah, we know that Sister Hongli is definitely not a bad person."

He was the one who assigned this task to Hongli, so of course he knew it.

They just didn't expect Hongli to act so quickly and so simply and brutally, so much so that they heard rumors on the way to the garrison.

They felt that this was not acceptable, so they had to find a way to maintain the reputation of Red Carp.

Soon, led by the guards, they arrived at the room where the child was.

These 50 children are of different ages. The oldest looks only seven or eight years old, and the youngest is still in swaddling clothes, a baby who was born not long ago.

They were gathered in a room, crowded together. There was only a fire stone in the room, but it was already warmer than outside.

The children's living conditions were very poor. No one cut their hair and nails, let alone take them to bathe.

As soon as Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi entered the house, they were greeted by a foul smell. Lice and fleas were crawling on the children's messy hair, and the two teenagers stopped in their tracks.

When they arrived, they heard cursing from inside.

It turned out that a child had urinated in the house, and two women were cleaning up.

Of course, although they cursed, they did not hit the children, but they were scared to death.

Seeing this, the guard quickly said to the two teenagers, "It's dirty inside, we should just stand outside."

Tang Yu'an looked at the dirty and messy scene inside and felt his scalp tingling, no... it was his scalp itching!

Fortunately, since we were going out into the wild to eliminate dangerous creatures, we applied a strong insect repellent, so we didn't have to worry about fleas and lice crawling on our bodies.

He looked at the guard and said, "Can you cut their hair and nails?"

Although he can use purification magic, the bugs on his body cannot be cleansed away. He needs to cut his hair and nails first to reduce the number of places where the bugs can hide.

Seeing the guard's hesitation, Tang Yu'an said, "I remember there are a few more haircut stalls in Jufeng Town. Please help me find them. This is for you."

Tang Yu'an took out five 2-yuan coins.

When the captain of the guards saw this, his eyes immediately lit up.

They had been to the deserted city home and knew the benefits of this kind of peace coin. Even if the coin had a low value, it was a rare treasure.

"One of these is for each person to hire them, and the rest is for you."

Although the barber didn't know the benefits of the Ping An Coin, Tang Yu'an believed that this clever captain of the guards would explain it to them.

"Okay, okay, I'll arrange it right away!"

So, soon three barbers were called over.

They all imitated grass and stone, made scissors, and then set up stalls at the morning market to grab business.

As the weather got colder, no one wanted to cut hair anymore, so they lost business, but they still kept the scissors.

I was planning to wait until the weather got warmer before taking it out, but I didn’t expect that business would come to me just by sitting at home!

Although it was just a thin thing called a peace coin, smaller than the size of a palm, they knew it was a good thing as soon as they got it!

They heard that these peace coins could be exchanged for things at the Jufeng Grocery Store, but they didn't want to take them out to exchange.

After all, it can generate heat and keep warm in winter. They put this peace coin close to their chest and feel warm immediately.

Only a fool would exchange a treasure like this!

Of course, if they want to really earn this treasure, they have to complete the task assigned to them by the garrison.

The three barbers sat in the yard with a bonfire burning around them, so it wasn't cold.

Then the guards brought out the children one by one and had the barber cut their hair and nails.

Except for a few babies, almost every child had wounds on their scalps covered with blood scabs, which were caused by scratching due to itching.

After cutting their hair and nails, the guards sent them back to the house.

The woman who was cursing in the room at first no longer dared to say anything. Under the "supervision" of Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi, she carefully cleaned the room.

Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi were not idle either. They pretended to leave and then came back carrying buckets of milk.

As soon as I returned to the guard post, a system prompt popped up.

Employee "Red Carp" completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer, earning +6232 points and +1 experience point.

Hongli has completed another big transaction!

Tang Yu'an opened the map and saw that Hongli and Black Bear were rushing back.

He said something to Zhou Qi, then handed the milk to the guard to heat up, and then took out nail clippers to cut the nails of the younger children.

Children born in the wasteland seem to be born knowing how to judge the situation.

No matter how ferocious they were when fighting for food outside, they behaved exceptionally well-behaved and obedient after arriving at the garrison.

Even the baby in the cradle was quiet and didn't make any noise. When it was accidentally hurt, it just pouted, which made Tang Yu'an feel very uncomfortable.

They cannot protect everyone, but at least these 50 children can grow up safely in their home.

Hongli was very quick. As soon as the guards heated up the milk, she brought her men back to the garrison.

After briefly understanding the situation, she went to the yard where the barbers were cutting children's hair.

The three barbers were working quite quickly. Apart from a dozen younger children who only needed their nails cut, the remaining thirty or so children had almost finished their haircuts.

Although the cutting is done like biting with the mouth and there is no technical content involved, it at least leaves the insects with no place to hide.

Because there were 50 children and new clothes were still being made, they could only wear tattered old clothes for the time being.

Hongli looked at the bustling scene and said nothing. She just found Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi who were cutting the children's nails.

"It seems easy for you to command my guards," she said with a smile.

Tang Yu'an brushed off the nails on her body, smiled and said, "Sister Hongli, you're back."

"Shouldn't you give me an explanation?" Hongli crossed his arms and looked at them with some suspicion.

"We came here to accept the mission." Tang Yu'an said.

"What mission?"

"Assist the administrator of Jufeng Town to bring 50 orphans to the deserted city home for resettlement."

Tang Yu'an explained: "Of course, this mission was triggered on the way here. Our main purpose is to give you peace coins."

When he heard the word "peace coin", Hongli's eyes lit up slightly.

"Ten thousand ten-yuan notes?" she asked.

Tang Yu'an nodded, then looked into the house and said, "However, let's settle them first."

"Sister Hongli, have you received the mission as well?"

Hongli nodded, briefly explained his mission, and then said, "I was also worried about how to send them to the deserted city."

Unexpectedly, the mysterious businessman was so considerate and even gave the two teenagers a task to complete?

"Leave this matter to us." Tang Yu'an said, "But the road is still being paved. It will take at least five days to reach the foot of Jufeng Mountain."

Hearing the boy's somewhat regretful tone, Hongli couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"That's pretty quick," she said. "But how long do these kids have to stay with me?"

"Yes, we will hire townspeople to take care of the children. The supplies and expenses will be covered by Huangcheng Home. Sister Hongli, don't worry."

Hongli was not worried about this. She probably understood the reason why Huangcheng Home established an orphanage.

According to the model of the Shangshen religion, population is of vital importance, and although the deserted city home is good in every way, what it lacks most is population.

So they wanted to build roads and snatch people from Jufeng Town, but what surprised Hongli was that the first thing they did was to set up an orphanage.

This matter must require huge initial investment. Compared with directly recruiting ready-made labor, the approach of Huangcheng Home seems too naive.

But it is precisely this seemingly stupid method that makes Hongli feel respect.

"What do you need me to do?"

After all, if she completed this task, she could get 1,000 points and a fuel motorcycle, so she felt embarrassed to just sit back and do nothing.

Tang Yu'an shook his head.

"It's great that you can provide them with a temporary place to stay. Leave the rest to us."

The young man said mysteriously, "Also, there's something special about the mission that the Lord God's Messenger has given us."

"What's so special about it?"

"He hopes that we can demonstrate the means of the God of Commerce." Tang Yu'an said seriously, "It's time for the reputation of the God of Commerce to be revealed in the wasteland!"

When Hongli heard what the boy said, the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching.

If she had not been to the Deserted City Home, if she had not been hired as an employee, Tang Yu'an might have been regarded as a lunatic by her for daring to say these words in front of her.

But she now knew that whether there was a God of Commerce or not, the organization of the God of Commerce Cult was real.

When Tang Yu'an spoke, he did not avoid others, so the guards who followed Hongli heard it.

Facing their strange looks, Tang Yu'an remained calm and collected.

After repeatedly experiencing the embarrassment of dipping his toes into the ground, he has developed the ability to solve the problem. As long as he silently tells himself that he is not the god of business, there will be no problem!

He learned it specifically from Lao Mo!

At this time, all the children had their hair and nails trimmed, and the guards had brought them heated milk.

Tang Yu'an did not give milk to the children immediately. Instead, after settling the children down, he walked to the center of the room.

It was not until everyone looked at him that he finally felt a little nervous and could not help but glance at Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi nodded encouragingly to him and prepared lines for him on the message board.

Tang Yu'an took a deep breath, then clapped his hands, asking all the children in the room to look at him, and then began to speak.

"Children, do you know why the Lord of Red Carp Mountain brought you here?"

The children were all looking at him. In their limited lives, they had never seen a little brother as clean and handsome as Tang Yu'an.

After this little brother came, the adults who looked fierce and ferocious started to treat them better.

Moreover, he and another brother just helped cut their nails...

All of the above made them feel trust and closeness towards Tang Yu'an.

After hearing Tang Yu'an's question, the oldest child shook his head first, and the other children also shook their heads when they saw this.

Tang Yu'an smiled slightly, "Because the Lord of Red Carp Mountain has received instructions from the gods to send you to a new home."

"There, you can have enough food and warm clothes, and you don't have to worry about being bullied... You'll know what it's like when you get there."

"Because the road is still under construction, you need to stay here for a few days. You have to be obedient, understand?"

The children all looked at Tang Yu'an blankly, and only the children over six or seven years old showed a wary look.

Obviously, they understood what Tang Yu'an said, but they did not believe him.

Tang Yu'an was not annoyed and continued, "Now, I will baptize you."

"Remember, we are the Shangshen Cult."

"One day, we will let the glory of the God of Commerce shine upon this wasteland, so that all the poor and weak can have access to food and water, and all the hardworking and brave can find shelter..."

As Tang Yu'an recited the lines Zhou Qi had written for him, light appeared on his palms.

As everyone stared in amazement, the light in his hand grew brighter and brighter until it enveloped the entire room.

Tang Yu'an has already mastered the healing technique, and the purification technique, which was the first light skill he drew, is no problem for him.

Therefore, the purification technique he performed was no longer limited in number and range.

As long as he has enough energy, he can spread the light of purification to dozens of meters away. Now it is more than enough to just fill this room.

Soon, as the light faded, not only the children and guards in the house, but also the roof, beams, pillars and floors became as clean as new.

Everyone stared at Tang Yu'an in a daze; even Hongli's jaw dropped.

God, miracle? This is a miracle, right?

No, is there really a God?

The children stared at Tang Yu'an blankly. They didn't understand what kind of power this was. It was just that everything that happened before their eyes would probably be forever engraved in their memory and they would never forget it.

Tang Yu'an was still very satisfied with the effect.

He withdrew his hand and finished his last line: "The God of Business hates gaining something without working, so your future still needs to be created by your own hands."

"But until that future arrives, you, who are still young, can grow up peacefully in your new home."

"After receiving baptism, you are also members of the Shangshen Cult."

Tang Yu'an smiled and said, "We will come to pick you up in a few days. During this time, you must listen carefully to the guard uncle, understand?"

“I understand…”

A few childish responses finally rang out in the house. The expressions of the children who had just shown vigilance were replaced by shock and awe.

Of course, there is also a vague longing.

It seems like they've really met some good people! A new home... can they really grow up peacefully there?

Tang Yu'an looked at the child closest to him and reached out to touch his bald head.

The child's face suddenly turned red, and the children around him also looked at him with envy.

"Okay, everyone should be hungry, come and line up for milk."

Tang Yu'an clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention again: "Don't crowd, don't grab, take your time, one by one, everyone will have a share."

Under his command, in addition to the babies, even the children who had just learned to walk staggered to the queue and lined up.

The guard who came over with hot milk didn't come to his senses until Tang Yu'an called him.

He quickly followed Tang Yu'an's instructions, poured the milk into cups, inserted straws, and distributed cups to the children.

Children who were too young were naturally not allowed to drink on their own and had to be fed by the guards.

But at this time, no one dared to complain.

Hongli wanted to say something but hesitated, but seeing that Tang Yu'an and the others were busy taking care of the children and had no time to pay attention to her, she decided to leave temporarily to take care of her own business.

As she walked down the street, everything that had just happened was still replaying in her mind.

Of course she knew that Tang Yu'an was trying to win people's hearts, but she never expected that he had such ability and means!

Those children who were as dirty as mud monkeys became clean under the shining light. The contrast was amazing.

And all this happened in just a dozen seconds.

She was inside the house, enveloped in the light, and the feeling was something she had never experienced before.

At that moment, she truly felt peace of mind.

When the light faded, the filth on her body was also taken away. Such power... she had never even heard of it!

"Mountain Master, just now..."

Black Bear's voice rang out, bringing Hongli back to his senses.

"Is that a miracle? Does the God of Commerce that Xiao An mentioned really exist?"

At this moment, Hongli also became uncertain.

She looked up at the dark and cloudy night sky, thought for a moment and said, "I can only tell you that the Shangshen Cult really exists."

Moreover, this organization is very powerful.

She thought about it and asked in the private chat thread.

[Chilong: Old Xie, have you ever been baptized by the Shangshen Cult?]

[Xiang Tianshi: Hmm? What is that?]

[Chilong: Please ask around.]

【Xiangtian Stone: Go】

The red carp slowly exhaled.

If this "baptism" ability is not unique to Tang Yu'an, but can be mastered by all senior members, wouldn't that be too terrifying?

Who else can stop the Shangshen Cult from flourishing in the wasteland? Xiao An's move really made the Shangshen Cult famous!

After Hongli left, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi fed the children with hot milk.

Then they hired guards and asked them to go to the Jufeng Grocery Store to get some down quilts and mattresses.

The children lay in the warm and soft quilt, feeling comfortable and clean. Before they could even realize that they were dreaming, they fell asleep in a daze.

Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi then left.

Only then did they notice that the guards' eyes had changed as they looked at them, and there was a clear fear in their behavior.

Tang Yu'an had expected this, but he still maintained his original friendly attitude, which made the guards feel a little more at ease.

When he found Hongli and noticed that she was looking at him with a strange look in her eyes, he quickly said, "Sister Hongli, please don't look at me like that. I'm just following the instructions of the divine messenger."

"Aren't you... God's messengers?" Hongli hesitated.

"Of course not. The messengers of God are Lords Yin Guang and Wu Yue. We are not at that level." Tang Yu'an said calmly.

Zhou Qi also nodded.

"However, as long as you are recruited as an employee, you will be a core member of the Shangshen Cult and can call yourself an apostle."

Hongli looked at them suspiciously, and finally had no choice but to accept this explanation.

After all, judging from the information learned from Chi Hao, these two teenagers should have been employees for many years.

They should be just like those 50 children, who have been trained by the Shangshen Cult since childhood.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a little envious of those 50 children.

Being trained from a young age means gaining more trust, which is different from relying on other forces.

She shook her head and said, "Okay, let's get back to the point. Did you bring the 10,000 peace notes?"

Tang Yu'an nodded and took out the peace coins from his personal storage.

Hongli knew that they had space, and there was no need to hide this from her.

After counting, she nodded and said, "How would you like to trade? Soybeans, or something else?"

"Can I have something else?" Tang Yu'an's eyes lit up.

"What do you want?"

"Planter!"

Red Carp: “…”

She looked at Tang Yu'an carefully for a few seconds, then beckoned her finger at him, asking him to come to her.

Tang Yu'an walked over hesitantly, and then...

Seeing Hongli stretching out her finger to hit him on the head, he quickly stepped back and hid behind Zhou Qi.

Hongli showed an expression of being amused by anger, and said through gritted teeth: "You think it's a nice idea!"

Tang Yu'an chuckled and said with a cheeky face, "Don't be so quick to refuse. What if I exchange potatoes and sweet potatoes with you?"

Hongli couldn't help but pause, with a look of confusion on his face.