Chapter 57 The Cat Picked Up a Person

The Zhao family of Jingoufang was the largest force in Luofeng City. Now that Zhao Guangyuan was killed, he was wanted and could not move an inch in the city.

The white cat stood at the city gate, looking at the tightly guarded and glowing teleportation array from afar.

Several guards wearing Zhao family uniforms and with a sturdy aura drove away those who tried to pass through the teleportation array.

He knew that given his entanglement with the Zhao family, the Zhao family would not let him go easily. In order to prevent him from leaving this place through the teleportation array, they actually guarded the teleportation array and did not allow anyone to pass.

Bai Qingchen turned around silently, followed the crowd through the strict inspection, and swaggered out of Luofeng City.

As soon as he left the city, Bai Qingchen found an inconspicuous place, transformed himself into a human form, and bought a fairly strong chestnut horse from a passerby.

Bai Qingchen jumped onto the horse and gently squeezed its belly. The horse then carried him and trotted towards the official road leading to Muling.

The official road was relatively flat, but dusty. Bai Qingchen began to regret that he could not fly with a sword yet. Otherwise, it would only take three days to fly from Luofeng City to Muling.

Bai Qingchen let the horse trot, but his mind was heavy. His brows were furrowed, his face was tired and dusty from the long journey, and his eyes were a little dim.

Why does it seem that everyone who has anything to do with him is prone to misfortune?

He was primarily responsible for Liu Wan's arrest, and a heavy feeling of powerlessness entwined his heart like a vine.

After the horses had been running for a few days, the official road turned into a small path and gradually became desolate, and the forests on both sides became dense.

The sky was a little gloomy, indicating that a storm was coming.

Just as Bai Qingchen was thinking about finding a place to shelter from the coming heavy rain, a faint groan came from the grass on the roadside ahead.

He pulled the reins of his horse and looked intently, only to see a young man wearing coarse cloth and covered in mud curled up in the grass, seemingly unconscious.

The boy was pale and looked to be only fifteen or sixteen. There was an obvious wound on his forehead that was still bleeding. There were also many abrasions and scratches on his arms and legs. His clothes were torn in several places, as if he had been attacked by a wild beast.

Bai Qingchen's heart sank. He dismounted and walked to the young man. He squatted down and checked his breath. Fortunately, although the breath was weak, he was still breathing.

He checked the injuries again. Most of them were superficial injuries, but he had lost a lot of blood and fainted due to shock.

"Really..." Bai Qingchen whispered to himself, feeling deeply helpless.

He didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but he got himself into a lot of trouble and was exhausted both physically and mentally.

But seeing the young man lying alone in the wilderness, dying, he really couldn't bear to leave him alone.

Bai Qingchen looked around and found the outline of a dilapidated temple faintly visible in the valley not far away.

"It's the only way."

He lifted the young man up with great effort, half carried him on his back, half hugged him and put him on the horse. He held the reins and walked towards the dilapidated temple.

As soon as I stepped over the dilapidated threshold of the ruined temple, raindrops as big as beans began to fall down with a crackling sound, instantly forming a curtain of rain.

The temple has been in disrepair for many years, with a leaking roof and mottled walls. Only half of the statue remains, covered in thick dust.

But at least it could block most of the wind and rain. Bai Qingchen found a relatively dry corner, cleared out a space, and carefully laid the boy flat.

He built a small bonfire, and the dancing flames barely dispelled the cold and darkness in the dilapidated temple, and also illuminated his exhausted face.

After treating the boy's wound, he helped him feed some water and wiped the stains off his face.

Bai Qingchen paused holding the handkerchief. This young man was 70% similar to Mo Zhiyuan when he was a child. He couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

The sound of rain was rustling and the campfire was crackling. Bai Qingchen leaned against the cold wall, staring at the fire in a daze, his physical fatigue and his inner boredom intertwined.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy let out a low groan, his eyelids trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Those were a pair of very clear eyes, with the confusion of having just woken up. He turned his eyes and saw Bai Qingchen sitting by the fire with a tired look on his face.

"You...you saved me?" The boy's voice was a little dry and hoarse.

Bai Qingchen came back to his senses and nodded: "How do you feel? Can you move?"

The boy tried to move his hands and feet, which pulled on the wound and made him grimaced in pain, but he still struggled to sit up.

"It's...it's okay. Thank you for saving my life." He looked at Bai Qingchen with eyes full of gratitude and dependence.

"Lie down and don't move." Bai Qingchen stopped him, "You're seriously injured and have lost a lot of blood. You need to rest."

The young man lay down obediently, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Qingchen without blinking, his gaze burning.

Facing a face similar to his Taoist companion's, Bai Qingchen felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him. He knew what he looked like now. He was exhausted from traveling for days, his hair was a little messy, there was blue stubble on his chin, his face was tired and his eyes were dull.

His appearance was really not one worth staring at, so he turned sideways somewhat unnaturally and raised his hand to wipe his face, as if trying to wipe away the dust and fatigue on his face.

"What are you looking at? There's something on my face?" He said with a hint of self-mockery in his voice.

The young man was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head embarrassedly and said in a low voice: "No... no, I just think my benefactor is very good-looking." After saying that, the tips of his ears turned red.

Bai Qingchen was choked by this straightforward answer. He shook his head helplessly and said nothing more. He just added a piece of firewood to the fire.

The rain was still falling. The boy was silent for a while, then spoke timidly again.

"Benefactor... My name is Mo Li. I'm an orphan. I followed the village's herb-collecting team into the mountains. I accidentally got separated from the group and encountered a very ferocious beast..."

His voice was filled with grievance and fear, and his eyes were slightly red. "If it weren't for my benefactor, I would definitely..."

Bai Qingchen looked at his pale little face and red eyes, and the softest spot in his heart was touched again.

He had no parents and had to make a living on his own, and he almost died in the mouth of a beast... He was a pitiful child.

"You should take good care of your injuries first."

Bai Qingchen's voice softened. "When the rain stops, I'll take you to the nearest town. There should be a clinic or somewhere you can take care of yourself."

Unexpectedly, when Mo Li heard this, he suddenly raised his head and said anxiously: "No, benefactor, I have nowhere to go. The herb-picking team must have thought I was dead, and no one in the village cares about me. Can I follow you?"

He looked at Bai Qingchen eagerly, his eyes filled with pleading, like a small animal afraid of being abandoned. "The people from the herb-picking team taught me kung fu. I'm very capable and can protect my benefactor!"

Bai Qingchen laughed. Putting aside the fact that a cultivator like him couldn't possibly deserve the protection of a mortal child, even if he was incredibly powerful, he still ended up in such a mess when encountering a ferocious mountain beast...

Bai Qingchen felt that Mo Li's impressive words must have been exaggerated, but he was in a difficult situation now and his future was uncertain. Bringing Mo Li with him would not give him a stable life.

"No." Bai Qingchen refused flatly, "I have something important to do, it's very dangerous, it's not convenient for me to take you with me."

The light in Mo Li's eyes dimmed instantly. He lowered his head, his shoulders shrugged slightly, and his voice was choked with sobs.

"Do you think I'm a burden, benefactor? I will be very good and help you, really... I promise not to cause you any trouble."

He raised his sleeve to wipe his eyes, looking so pitiful.

Bai Qingchen looked at his thin and trembling shoulders, the words of rejection stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them. He scratched his hair in annoyance.

He knew that carrying a wounded person was a nuisance, but leaving him alone in this wilderness, where would he go after his wounds healed? What if he encountered wild animals or bad guys again...

The bonfire crackled, the sound of rain continued outside the temple, and Mo Li's low sobs tickled Bai Qingchen's heart like little hooks.

"Oh..." Bai Qingchen sighed deeply and compromised.

"Forget it, just follow me first. We'll talk about it after we get to the next town and find a place to settle down."

He thought that once they moved to a larger town, they would be able to find a reliable place to house the young man.

Mo Li suddenly raised his head, with tears still on his face, but his eyes were surprisingly bright and full of surprise: "Really? Thank you benefactor, thank you brother," he blurted out.

"Brother?" Bai Qingchen was slightly startled. This long-lost name was like a stone thrown into the lake of his heart, creating ripples.