I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress

Chapter 299: Old Man

"Thank you." Yi Chen received the corn that was wrapped in paper and asked, "How much for all this?"

"That will be 50 bronze notes, Sir," the old lady answered with a smile.

’...I forgot to get some notes from Lady Du.’ Yi Chen realised something all of a sudden as his expression couldn’t help but freeze for a second.

"Is there a matter, Sir?" The lady asked with subtle confusion on her face. Since he was a foreigner, she was sure that he would have more than enough money to pay what she had just asked him.

"Ah, that..." Yi Chen’s eyes immediately went towards the sickly old man and, without a second thought, pulled out a low-grade spirit stone, "Here. I really loved the corn you made."

"T-This..." the old lady’s eyes widened, and a part of her wanted to immediately reach for the stone in his hand. However, with sheer will, she controlled herself and said, "I-It’s too much, Sir. I only prepared two corns for you..."

"Two delicious corns, Ma’am." Yi Chen smiled and gestured towards the old man sitting next to the stall, "If you still find it too much, then you can use the excess to treat that old man every day.... Bye then."

Not waiting for the old lady to say anything further, Yi Chen waved his hand and immediately started walking to his right.

He didn’t realise that the eyes that had been looking all this time aimlessly were suddenly turned towards him, though only for a few milliseconds.

"I’M GOING FIRST!"

"NO, ME!"

It was at that moment that Yi Chen noticed two children less than ten years old manoeuvring out of the crowd of people in front of him and rushing past him.

Their actions naturally attracted his attention, making him turn around and look in the direction they were heading.

"Uncle Li, a sweet potato please!"

"No, Uncle Li, serve me first! I was first!"

Seeing the two kids, Old Li chuckled, "Welcome, you two rowdy boys. Jin Mu arrived first, so he’ll be getting the first potato today."

Noticing the ashen robes and hands of the two boys, Yi Chen couldn’t help but furrow his brows a little.

"So, they are exploiting children, huh...Guess they aren’t as clean as I thought," Yi Chen softly muttered under his breath before turning around and walking.

Along the way, he started noticing quite a few boys and girls of similar age, their clothes and hands blackened, wearing an exhausted expression yet carrying a youthful smiles on their faces.

The frown on his face only worsened seeing this.

’...Whatever, it’s not like it’s related to me,’ he shook those thoughts away and kept walking. He was trying to find a suitable spot to sit and have his meal.

A single corn was nowhere enough to fill his stomach; that was the reason why he had ordered two of them with the intention of leisurely having the second one later.

After a few minutes of walking, his eyes lit up a little. "Oh? There’s a park?"

He muttered in an impressed manner while making his way towards it.

Unlike a normal park filled with greenery, this one was lined with stones of light and dark shades, and in its centre was a ten-foot-tall marble statue built on a small platform.

Although the statue did raise his curiosity, he was more pulled towards the stone benches that had been created beside the pathway after regular intervals.

’Is it because the work hours had just ended that nobody’s at this park right now?’ Yi Chen thought in curiosity while taking a seat and unwrapped the corn the old lady had prepared for him.

It had naturally turned quite cold by now. However, that wasn’t a problem for him. Sending a wave of fiery Qi inside it in a controlled manner, the smoky and tangy smell once again permeated the air, raising his appetite.

He spent the next ten minutes savouring the grilled corn slowly and relishingly.

Pat! Pat! Pat!

Patting his belly in a satisfied manner, Yi Chen burnt the leftover stick to ashes and stood up.

Turning towards the statue, he soon made his way towards it.

The long beard hanging down his chin clearly indicated that it depicted an elderly man.

Stopping a few feet away from it, Yi Chen tilted his head slightly up and looked at the man’s tall figure.

"Is he the Kingdom’s founder?" Yi Chen muttered curiously and opened its status panel.

"That’s Cang Tian, the head of the Violet Heaven House."

Before Yi Chen could even properly glance at the status panel, he was greeted by a voice from right next to him.

’Shii-’

He immediately jumped a few steps back in fright.

"Y-You!"

However, he soon realised that this person who had just scared the shit out of him looked familiar and suddenly dawned upon him.

"Aren’t you the old man from earlier?!" Yi Chen asked in disbelief as his mind worked in overdrive and confirmed his suspicions.

’A-A hidden expert!’

He exclaimed in his mind and immediately opened his status panel.

===== STATUS =======

Name: Bai Tianhe

Age: 1324 years.

Nature: Water

Cultivation: Ninth Level of [Heaven Ascension Stage]

Strength: 3270

Remark: An eccentric old man [Regenerate: 10,000 EXP]

====================

"Yes, I’m indeed that old man," Bai Tianhe chuckled softly at those words.

Unlike earlier, his disposition no longer resembled that of a sickly old man but that of a mysterious cultivator.

Yi Chen’s face immediately turned aghast seeing that man’s status panel. He was expecting him to be at most a Core Building Stage expert, not expecting to meet someone who was at the peak of cultivation.

’Just what the hell is wrong with my luck?! Didn’t I encounter a Mythical beast just last night??? Not even a day had passed fully, and he ended up encountering another powerhouse.’

For a fraction of a second, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his ugly fate.

However, knowing very well that if he even accidentally ended up slighting this person, then the only fate awaited him was death.

Standing ramrod straight, the very next second he immediately bowed towards Bai Tianhe.

"Junior greets Senior!" Yi Chen exclaimed while cupping his fists.

"Oh? Quite perceptive, aren’t you?" Bai Tianhe chuckled softly, seeing the change in Yi Chen’s disposition, and gestured with his hand, "Get up."

The very next second, Yi Chen felt an invisible force over his body helping him straighten his back.

For a second, he had lost all control of his body, making the fear he was feeling in his heart intensify.

"I-Is there something I can help you with, Senior?" Yi Chen asked in a respectful manner, his hands still cupped.

"Hm, there indeed is." A light hum was heard by Yi Chen the next moment as the following words entered his ears, "Why did you say that back then?"

"Back then? I apologise, but I don’t understand what you mean, Senior." Yi Chen responded in confusion.

"At the street earlier, you mentioned children being exploited by the Violet Heaven House, didn’t you?"

’Wait...is he from the Violet Heaven House?!’ Yi Chen thought in horror as his heart pounded heavily.

The fact that he was the one who had revealed the identity of the statue to him only solidified this belief in his heart.

’I-I’m...fucked.’

Yi Chen’s face turned pale the very next instant.

Seeing Yi Chen not responding and the changes that were happening in his body, Bai Tianhe subtly frowned before letting out a soft chuckle in realisation.

"Haha, don’t worry. If I were from the Violet Heaven House, then your head would no longer be intact."

"..."

A wave of relief washed over his body, which was soon accompanied by a chill as the meaning behind those words became apparent to him.

’Me and my bloody mouth...’

If his words were truly heard by a powerful cultivator from the Violet Heaven House, then wouldn’t he be dead by now?

Still...not wanting to take any chances, Yi Chen let out a deep breath and said with his gaze lowered, "If my words had unintentionally angered Senior, then-"

"Cut the crap and answer what I just asked, brat. I don’t have the whole day to waste on you."

Bai Tianhe responded with a frown, irritation apparent in his face.

’Wasn’t he chuckling just a second ago...’ Yi Chen thought in confusion but immediately answered his question, "Yes, Senior...I indeed meant that."

"Then tell me, how are they exploited?" Bai Tianhe asked, a frown apparent on his face.

Yi Chen hesitated a little, but seeing the impatient expression on Bai Tianhe’s face, he decided to speak his mind out, "At the age when even their bodies have not grown up fully, they are forced to that exhausting work...in what manner is it not exploitation?"

"Exploitation, you say? Without that work they wouldn’t get any yellow tablets and would have long died by now. If anything, they would be glad as their parents are unable to get additional tablets for them." Bai Tianhe snorted as a matter of fact.

Although Yi Chen didn’t agree, he knew better and, instead of arguing, nodded his head, "Senior is right... Please forgive this Junior for his foolishness. I’ll forever-UKH!"

Before Yi Chen could finish his words, he found his entire head trapped under a bubble of water, making it impossible for him to breathe.

The water rushed inside his nose and mouth, causing him to cough out in response, only for more water to rush in again, making him once again cough out and lose the little air that was still left in his lungs.

Yi Chen’s vision began to darken soon after, but just then, the bubble vanished, making him fall on his knees while gasping heavily for air.

"I’ve met plenty of sly brats in these years," Bai Tianhe snorted and continued, "Speak! If you try to hide your thoughts again, then don’t blame me for being ruthless."