I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

The light a candle can provide is limited; in the endless darkness, it only brings a small patch of light. In this dim, slightly white light, Xiao Yao saw the noodle shop owner sitting in a chair with his head down.

Seeing that the boss was still there, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

Looking around, the noodle shop was unusually deserted today.

Xiao Yao didn't pay much attention to it; she even wanted to go over and ask the boss how Cai'er's situation was going.

Bai Qingyu took Xiao Yao's hand and looked at the noodle shop owner sitting on the bench.

"You're dead, why aren't you leaving?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao's eyes widened. She looked at the noodle shop owner, then at Bai Qingyu, rubbed her eyes, and looked again. Sure enough, the noodle shop owner was semi-transparent, and the candlelight was not dim at all; it was clearly a burning will-o'-the-wisp!

"Mother!"

Realizing what was happening, Xiao Yao jumped into Bai Qingyu's arms. "He...he...is he a ghost?"

Holding Xiao Yao in her arms, Bai Qingyu continued, "Where is your daughter?"

The noodle shop owner raised his head, his face as pale as paper.

“Cai’er…she, she was sold by that group of people. They said that with my little shop, I would never be able to pay them back in my lifetime. They also said that the only valuable thing I have here is my daughter, Cai’er.”

"Last night, they broke into my yard and kidnapped Cai'er. I held onto them, trying to stop them from leaving. I begged them for more time, but they wouldn't listen. So I wouldn't let them go, and then..."

"And then they killed you?"

The noodle shop owner kept his head down and didn't answer.

Who are those people?

"Longma Chamber of Commerce"

"You committed suicide. I don't understand. If you wanted to marry off your daughter, why did you contact this group of people and the brothel? Your youngest daughter is your daughter, but your eldest daughter isn't? No, I should say, your youngest son?"

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Scroll: Chapter Five - The Hand of Kosode

Upon hearing Bai Qingyu's words, the noodle shop owner raised his head, his eyes seemingly filled with panic. Just like ten days ago, he chose to kneel down and kowtow vigorously. Because he was in ghost form, he couldn't kowtow until his head bled, but instead, black smoke billowed from his kowtows.

The noodle shop owner's body grew increasingly pale, and he kept muttering something, probably something like he was sorry to Cai'er and that he wasn't human.

"What's the use of you kowtowing to me? Things have come to this point, there's no point in you staying here any longer."

Bai Qingyu waved her hand, and her demonic power enveloped the man's body, gradually disappearing from everyone's sight. As she left, they saw the shopkeeper disappear from sight with a deep sigh, the candles on the table went out, and the room fell into darkness again.

Xiao Yao blinked. Her little head was clearly overwhelmed by all the information rushing into it. She was filled with confusion. What had the noodle shop owner done? Wasn't he murdered? Why did she feel that her aunt also considered him a bad guy?

"Auntie, what happened? What's wrong?"

"The matter is a bit complicated to explain. To put it simply, Cai'er didn't go there voluntarily, as we thought. At least, she didn't want to go at first. Her father wanted to sell her."

Holding Xiao Yao, Bai Qingyu pushed open the door and walked out onto the quiet street. She said, "This boss went to the brothel to sell Cai'er, but he didn't expect that Cai'er's eyes would be cured. However, the money has already been borrowed, and he has to pay it back."

"On the one hand, he borrowed money from the Chamber of Commerce to buy a dowry, and on the other hand, he sold his daughter. It sounds contradictory, doesn't it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, these dowries are used to scam bride price. When two people get married, the bride's dowry is given to the groom's family through matchmakers."

"So after Cai'er's eyes and voice are healed, her value will be even greater. Now it will be much easier to find a matchmaker and ask the man's family for money."

"Then, he kept the money from selling his daughter, kept the money given by the man, kept the dowry, and took his youngest son to live in other prefectures. But he didn't expect that after the news of Cai'er's eyes being cured spread, the people from that merchant guild would find out."

“Cai’er is very beautiful, her eyesight has been restored, and she is still young. She can fetch a pretty good price in a brothel. The Chamber of Commerce only cares about money. Just like they said, the small noodle shop will never be able to pay them back in its lifetime.”

"In fact, their initial target was Cai'er."

"And then the current situation came about: I died, and Cai'er was sold."

Bai Qingyu had always told the kids that this was the way of life, that all beings suffered and that tragedy was everywhere. However, she hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She had only just realized everything. At first, she only thought that the noodle shop owner would die in the end, and she didn't know what would happen to Cai'er.

Miketsu sat sideways on Tanuki's back, feeling very down. "Why is this happening? We could have lived a simple life. Aya's eyesight isn't good, but she can still do things, like help out at the noodle shop."

In Miketsu's view, many things are unnecessary.

Why insist on earning money that doesn't belong to you in the first place?

Even if he succeeds in the end, is selling his daughter and taking his son to live a life of hiding and running away what he really wants? Won't he feel guilty? Won't he dream about Cai'er's tragic end when he sleeps at night?

Hiding and hiding will eventually lead to exposure. Even if it doesn't, the money on you will eventually run out. What will you do then?

Miketsu couldn't understand why this was happening, and only felt very sad.

Everything will definitely get better eventually.

I feel quite helpless. How can I help in this situation? I can't just give him money to pay off his debts, can I?

If he can think like this for one day, he'll continue to think like this in the future. Even after paying off his debts, he might still sell his daughter in his delusion of living a better life. Just like my aunt once said, you can satisfy a person's fleeting desires for a while, but what happens afterward? Desires are endless, a hole that can never be filled.

Unless the noodle shop owner can change his mindset and realize that a simple life is the true essence of happiness.

With a deep sigh, Miketsu decided to change the subject, asking, "Auntie, where are we going now?"

"Go and rescue Cai'er. The tragedy has already happened. Let Cai'er live in peace with her younger brother from now on. That would be a good ending to this not-so-happy story."

After Bai Qingyu finished speaking, Xiao Yao's eyes lit up. She immediately gave Bai Qingyu a kiss on the cheek, hugged Bai Qingyu's neck, and couldn't help but smile. "Mother is the best. Yes, let's rescue Sister Cai'er and let her live a peaceful life. She's so pitiful."

"Of course I'll go." Bai Qingyu patted the little girl's head.

Xiaoyao actually took the initiative to kiss someone today, which shows that this matter has had a deep impact on her and she cares about it a lot.

"After Mother brings Cai'er out, shouldn't Xiao Yao give Mother an even bigger kiss?"

It would be an injustice not to tease such a clever girl.

As expected, after the initial excitement wore off, Xiao Yao blushed upon hearing Bai Qingyu's words. Her eyes darted around, but she still gave a soft "hmm" in response. She hugged Bai Qingyu tightly with her little hands and buried her face in his body.

Everyone smiled when they saw Xiaoyao's shy appearance.

Sometimes, Xiao Yao is quite adorable.

After teasing Xiao Yao for a while, Bai Qingyu put her down and told Zhen Tian to take her and the other children back home and wait for news from her. He then set off for the largest brothel in the city.

Of course, you can't bring children to brothels, lest you corrupt them.

Brothels and brothels are actually two different places. In the country of Daling, brothels are considered more upscale than brothels, although they also offer brothel services. The girls there are usually skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. To put it simply, going to a brothel doesn't necessarily mean doing *that* kind of thing. You might just want to hear the girls play music and dance, and afterwards you can get some money to do something else. Brothels, on the other hand, are purely for entertainment.

Cai'er was sold to a brothel. She didn't know how to play the zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting, but she was beautiful enough.

Bai Qingyu followed the demonic power he had left on Cai'er all the way to the entrance of the brothel.

It was already night, and the surroundings had quieted down, except for this brothel, which was brightly lit and bustling with activity, with many people coming and going.

Cai'er was sold last night, and tonight she'll be used as the top courtesan.

This brothel is quite something. Despite its small size, it holds auctions. What are they selling? Of course, they're selling Cai'er's first time and her night with her, and her journey from girlhood to womanhood.

At sixteen, with such a beautiful face, she's sure to attract men who will spend lavishly on her.

Don't let the small size of the county fool you; there are quite a few wealthy people there.

Meanwhile, in the "Phoenix Pavilion" on the top floor of the brothel, Cai'er's hands and feet were bound and tied to a chair. Two old women dressed her in an exquisite fairy dress and applied mature and alluring makeup to her face.

Cai'er is young, and such mature makeup doesn't suit her very well. But the guests who came tonight liked Cai'er like that. The combination of innocence and allure made them unable to resist. They wished they could take her to their room and teach her a lesson right away.

No one cared how Cai'er got in, nor how miserable her past life was, and no one felt sorry for the girl. They thought, "Grandpa has already spent the money, so why can't she enjoy herself? What does it matter if she was forced or not? The more she struggles, the more I like it."

It's not like Cai'er is the only one who's so noble. Out of so many girls, why are you the only one who's so high and mighty?

There's always an adjustment period, right?

Bai Qingyu's figure appeared in the Phoenix Pavilion, where he saw Cai'er who was tied up.

With a wave of his hand, Bai Qingyu knocked the two old women unconscious. He stepped forward and stood behind Cai'er. Through the bronze mirror, Cai'er could clearly see the person standing behind her.

Her eyes widened involuntarily, and a tear slid down her cheek.

She knew Bai Qingyu, and she would never forget him in her life.

It was this immortal who helped her see the world again, but when she wanted to thank Bai Qingyu that night, she found that Bai Qingyu had disappeared.

She thought to herself, "Now that I've been sold here, I probably won't be able to repay Bai Qingyu's kindness anytime soon. This debt of gratitude can only be repaid in the next life."

Unexpectedly, her benefactor came to her rescue.

The ropes binding her hands and feet were untied, and Cai'er could no longer hold back. She stood up and hugged Bai Qingyu behind her. This small action was subconscious. She was too scared, and in this place that made her afraid, desperate, and unable to resist, only Bai Qingyu could give her a sense of security.

"Don't be afraid, I'll take you back. Is your brother here?"

Bai Qingyu gently patted her back and softly comforted her.

Although Cai'er's hands and feet were tied, her mouth was not gagged. Under these circumstances, she did not struggle or shout, which means that she must have been threatened.

Bai Qingyu could only blame her younger brother for the factors that could threaten her and make her obey.

"My benefactor, my brother has been kidnapped by those people! I... I..."

"Don't be afraid, don't worry, I will help you rescue your brother."

Just then, the madam in charge of Cai'er came upstairs and saw the two people lying on the ground and Cai'er holding Bai Qingyu.

She stared wide-eyed, about to speak, but the next moment she froze on the spot, as if she had seen something extremely terrifying on Bai Qingyu. She sat down on the ground and backed away, her mouth agape, pointing at Bai Qingyu and stammering, unable to say a word.

She didn't know Bai Qingyu, but she could see the oppressive aura he deliberately brought to her, a terrifying killing intent like a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

"Bring her brother back, or I'll tear down your brothel." Bai Qingyu said calmly, his murderous intent dissipating. The madam, looking terrified, hurriedly ran out.

Before long, Cai'er's younger brother was not brought up; instead, a Golden Core cultivator carrying a long sword came up with an imposing air.

The madam thought Bai Qingyu was a cultivator causing trouble, but she wasn't afraid. She had people protecting her, so what if he was a cultivator?

This Golden Core cultivator can do whatever he wants in the brothel, but the price is that he helps the brothel deal with some troublesome cultivators.

How big could a brothel in a small county town be? This cultivator was confident that those who were captured here must be very weak, and that his Golden Core strength was enough to handle everything.

"Who's so blind as to dare, dare, dare, dare..."

As soon as the Golden Core cultivator entered, he saw Bai Qingyu with a cold face. At first, he was stunned, wondering where such a beautiful fairy came from. Before he could even indulge in his fantasies, a figure flashed through his mind, and he instantly knew who the person in front of him was.

He knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, I...I really don't know anything! I just came here to vent, and I paid for everything! Your Majesty, have mercy! Your Majesty, have mercy!"

Even in a typical sect, a Golden Core cultivator is considered a high-ranking disciple and is not ignorant of everything. After Bai Qingyu destroyed the Demon Subduing Sect, not only Golden Core cultivators but also many Foundation Establishment cultivators knew her.

So when he saw that the so-called troublemaking "cultivator" was actually Bai Qingyu, he was so frightened that his blood almost turned cold. He knew exactly what despicable things he had done.

Not only did they deal with the troublemaking cultivators, but they also helped threaten the new girls to make them obedient. Of course, something was bound to happen during the process of threatening them.

"Go and bring Cai'er's younger brother over."