“Mr. Foster I am a man who stands tall and proud—how could I ever become someone’s servant?”

Henry Foster spoke the first sentence, and the second followed right after. At this moment, he was already burning with anger inside and forgot to pretend to be humble or submissive. Instinctively, he imitated the heroic, larger-than-life figures from the stories told by Zhu the Blind...

He felt he was being bold and heroic, but those around him only found it absurd.

For a moment, no one knew how to respond to him.

That Young Master Jia was also slightly taken aback, feeling both amused and annoyed. A hint of murderous intent flickered in his heart, but for Little Lily’s sake, and remembering his own status, he suppressed it. He looked at Henry Foster with a half-smile and said, “What a proud and upright young man. Boy, I hope you’ll remember these words when you grow up. The Qin family doesn’t lack someone to sweep the courtyard, nor will we force you!”

As he spoke, he was already standing up and striding out.

Seeing this, everyone naturally understood that Young Master Jia had given up on taking this wild child with him, and they sighed inwardly.

Especially {the old woman in black} and The Maid in Green, who looked particularly helpless.

But Little Lily, at this moment, actually said nothing more, only looked at Henry Foster very seriously.

“Child, although you’ve saved your life, your foundation is already ruined. If you had started cultivating, there might have been some hope, but you... heh, I hope after a few years you’ll understand what this so-called integrity has cost you...”

The Daoist in Green also laughed and sighed, then prepared to leave with the others.

Seeing that everyone seemed about to leave him behind, Henry Foster grew anxious and suddenly called out, “Wait!”

All the cultivators turned their heads, including Young Master Jia, looking at him with that same half-smile.

Facing all these gazes, Henry Foster took a deep breath, his face expressionless and proud, stretched out his hand with the air of a hero, and declared, “I won’t go back with you to be a servant, but I did save your young lady’s life, didn’t I...”

Then, with perfect confidence, he said, “Pay up!”

Chapter 8: A Thread of Karma

It must be said, when it comes to giving money, the Qin family of the Eastern Lands is indeed generous.

Looking at Henry Foster’s open and unashamed palm, Young Master Jia merely glanced at him with contempt, then nodded.

A black-armored guard at his side untied a pouch from his waist, took out a few tokens and magical items, then tossed the heavy bag toward Henry Foster.

It was obvious the bag was filled with quite a bit of silver. Henry Foster caught it with both hands, almost unable to hold it. Seeing Henry Foster’s delighted expression, Young Master Jia softly muttered, “Interesting,” and turned to leave.

The others also left in silence, following Young Master Jia out. Even The Maid in Green went back to the side room to pack up, not intending to say goodbye to Henry Foster, and went to wait in the courtyard. Only {the old woman in black} and Little Lily remained in the hall.

“Henry Foster gege, will you come find me in the future?”

Little Lily looked at Henry Foster, her big round eyes very serious.

Henry Foster was anxious to open the bag and see how much silver was inside, but felt embarrassed to do so in front of {the old woman in black} and Little Lily. Restless, he casually patted Little Lily on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come within ten years!”

In his heart, he thought, these Qin people are rich and foolish—how could I not visit often?

As for saying ten years, it was because he had tricked them out of their family’s secret technique. To avoid trouble, he needed at least ten years to digest it. After ten years, either he’d already become a great figure who could fly and vanish at will, or some immortal elder would come to take him home. Either way, he’d have nothing to fear and could go see her openly!

Little Lily was very satisfied with this answer and nodded with a bright smile.

The Old Woman in Black saw the rare smile on her young lady’s face, glanced at Henry Foster, and felt a heaviness in her heart.

Henry Foster was only in his teens, clearly still a child, but after this ordeal, a seed of disaster had been planted. He had nearly died from depleted vitality, and though he’d been saved, with her sharp eyes, she could clearly see the changes in him.

Now, Henry Foster seemed energetic and healthy, but that was only the effect of the restorative pill he’d taken. Looking closely, one could see that even the roots of his hair were turning faintly white...

...All because the damage to his core was too severe!

Ten years, she thought—could this child even live that long?

“Haha, you have a long journey ahead, best get going. I won’t see you off...”

Henry Foster was very magnanimous, politely bidding farewell to Little Lily and {the old woman in black}, even seeming a bit impatient.

Little Lily nodded, looking at Henry Foster with some reluctance, but {the old woman in black}, after some hesitation, suddenly walked into the hall, picked up a brush and wrote a letter, stamping it with a magical seal at the end. She looked solemnly at Henry Foster and said, “Child, you saved my young lady, which is a great merit. It’s too mundane to thank you with gold and silver. I just want to ask—are you willing to cultivate?”

“Cultivate?”