Volume One: The Young Monk Returns to Secular Life Chapter Sixty-Three: What a Useless Teammate!

“Hero Chen… Chen… I admit defeat… I’ll donate…” The middle-aged man’s face was flushed scarlet.

“Are you certain?” Only then did Chen Bufan loosen his grip and ask.

“But donating everything is absolutely impossible… Hero Chen, you know it too… It’s not that the Huang family is unwilling, but I alone cannot decide everything here… Even if I donate all, you may spare me, but the other clans certainly won’t…”

Chen Bufan’s expression was utterly unmoved. The sword in his hand gleamed coldly, radiating a tangible killing intent.

“But! My Huang family is willing to donate another thirty dan—no, three hundred dan of grain!” The middle-aged man stammered, his body trembling. “Hero Chen, I yield to you, but I beg you, leave the Huang family a way to survive…”

…

At that moment, Little Moon spoke in a soft voice, “Xiao Yan, that uncle’s martial arts are amazing… When I grow up, I want to be a hero too!”

“All right, I’ll teach you martial arts!” Xiao Yan replied with a smile.

“Xiao Yan, you know martial arts too? Are you as good as that uncle?” Little Moon tilted her head, her eyes full of curiosity.

“Of course… I’m much better than he is! When you grow up, I’ll teach you swordplay!” Xiao Yan boasted, full of swagger.

“But I think you’re just bragging.”

Little Moon blinked her innocent eyes, gazing at Xiao Yan.

“You don’t know anything, kid… Look, that uncle’s cultivation and experience are top-notch… but his swordsmanship is terrible, full of flaws… I use his sword manual for wiping my behind…” Xiao Yan continued, puffed up with pride, “Even his son wants to learn how to muck out latrines from me…”

“Really?” Little Moon’s eyes sparkled.

“Twenty-eight levels of inner cultivation, third-rate Chen family sword technique—what a pity.”

“But he beat that uncle just now.”

“That’s because the other uncle’s moves were nothing special.”

“Xiao Yan, what kind of amazing martial arts do you know?”

“Me? I’ve got top-tier Bone-Refining Sutra… a superlative single-player Eighteen Arhats Formation… uh… and Exploding Chicken Divine Skill… No… I can’t teach you that last one…”

“Xiao Yan is much stronger than that uncle!”

“Shh… we must keep a low profile, don’t go telling everyone the unvarnished truth.”

…

“Where did this ignorant brat come from? Is a villain like you fit to gossip about Hero Chen Bufan?”

At that moment, a young woman dressed as a scholar strode over, her voice stern.

Behind her followed an elderly man with white hair, clearly a bodyguard, likely a martial arts expert.

“Ha, and where are you from, little rat?” Xiao Yan turned his head, replying in a teasing tone.

“How dare you!”

The elder behind the young woman barked in a harsh voice, about to step forward.

“Hey, relax… no need to start a fight over a few words… that would make you look awfully foolish…” Xiao Yan said with a grin, then looked down to ask Little Moon, “Right?”

“Mm! Xiao Yan isn’t a bad person!” Little Moon nodded seriously, as if assuring the young woman.

“Uncle Hua, let it go… There’s no need to quarrel with the likes of him...” Though she was angry, the young woman restrained herself.

Little Moon tugged at Xiao Yan’s sleeve and looked up. “Xiao Yan, you promised—when I grow up, you’ll teach me swordplay… I want to be a hero and help others!”

“What good is being a hero? It’s just a foolhardy display of strength. Does it solve any problems?” Xiao Yan shook his head, speaking slowly.

“Hero Chen risked offending all the great clans to collect grain for the disaster victims. That is the true spirit of a great hero… If you keep talking such nonsense, don’t blame me for being rude!” The young woman’s brows knitted tightly, chastising him.

“Heh… Truly, a great hero, serving the nation and the people. Chen Bufan is indeed a hero, I never denied that, and I admire him! But do you really think his actions are effective?” Xiao Yan glanced at the white-robed hero Chen Bufan standing on the roof, then turned to the young woman, speaking quietly.

“How could it not be effective? At least the Huang family is donating three hundred dan of grain—enough to save ten thousand lives…” She shot Xiao Yan a cold glance and continued, “Unlike certain people, who eat the government’s disaster relief grain, do nothing, and still slander good men here!”

“Haha…” Xiao Yan chuckled, studying the young woman for a moment, then nodded and muttered under his breath, “It’s really true what they say—big chested, small brained… Little Moon, when you grow up, you must be an outstanding girl… at least use your head…”

“Oh, okay, Xiao Yan.” Little Moon didn’t quite understand, but nodded obediently.

“You! Scoundrel!” The young woman’s face flushed with rage.

Yet she was a reasonable person. Regaining her composure, she asked, “Why must you insult me so? Was I wrong?”

“Heh…” Xiao Yan smiled. “Three hundred dan can indeed save tens of thousands, but it will also ruin tens of thousands more! Such a simple truth, have you not realized it?” His expression grew uncharacteristically serious.

“Stop talking nonsense! Twisting facts! Grain saves lives—how could it harm anyone?” Now she was thoroughly incensed.

This little monk was simply infuriating. Even if she would be scolded by her father at home, Qin Xuanxuan was determined to teach him a lesson.

“Hey, miss… sister…” The little monk smiled, saying, “Let me ask you, what do you think is the most fundamental problem in the disaster area right now?”

Sister?

Qin Xuanxuan was briefly confused by the address, but guessed it must be a local dialect and didn’t dwell on it.

“That’s obvious—the famine’s root cause is the lack of grain!” Qin Xuanxuan answered without hesitation.

“Wrong! Absolutely wrong! Ha…” Xiao Yan shook his head, gravely denying it.

“You!” Qin Xuanxuan’s cheeks flushed with indignation.

From childhood, everyone praised her for being knowledgeable and well-mannered, clever and obedient. When had anyone ever spoken to her in such a tone?

“Fine! Then tell me—if famine isn’t caused by a shortage of grain, what is the root cause?” she demanded, biting her lip in annoyance.

“Haha, don’t be angry, let’s be scholarly and speak with data. Let me tell you how much grain is actually in the disaster area right now! The Huang family, the Green Mountain Sect—do you know how much grain they have?”

Before Qin Xuanxuan could answer, Xiao Yan pressed on, “Eighty thousand dan! Do you know that? A full eighty thousand dan!”

As Xiao Yan spoke, his voice was low and somber, yet his underlying anger could still be felt.

But he didn’t stop there.

“The Lin family, Heavenly River Escort Agency! Fifty thousand dan!

The Li family, Profound Heaven Sect! Seventy thousand dan!

The Zhang family, Three Peaks Sword Sect! One hundred and twenty thousand dan!

The Mi family, Heavenly Blade Sect, three hundred thousand dan!

The Fang family, Eight Trigrams Sect, two hundred fifty thousand dan!

The Liu family, Shaolin Temple, one hundred eighty thousand dan!

…”

As Xiao Yan rattled off these names and these astronomical numbers, Qin Xuanxuan was dumbstruck, unable to utter a word.

“Tell me, miss, do you still think the root of the famine is a lack of grain? There’s no shortage at all!”

Qin Xuanxuan said nothing, only biting her lip lightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan, waiting for him to continue.

“Heh… Now that you know this, my next explanation will be easier to understand.” Xiao Yan paused, his expression more serious than ever, and went on, “Do you know what will happen now that Chen Bufan has forced the Huang family to donate these three hundred dan of grain?”

“Xiao Yan…” Little Moon tugged at his sleeve, seemingly startled by his sudden gravity.

“Heh… Don’t worry, Little Moon…” Xiao Yan’s smile returned. “Three hundred dan of grain is good. The prefect can distribute it. But what about the Huang family? They’ll simply go to the market and buy back those three hundred dan of grain!”

Qin Xuanxuan said nothing, lost in thought, as if she finally had the answer to the question she’d posed to the little monk at the start.

The white-haired bodyguard behind her, however, asked in confusion, “But so what? At least the Huang family has to spend money to buy grain…”

“Haha, good question. But do you know the current grain price in the market? Normally, a dan goes for a tael of silver; now it’s thirty taels! At that price, some people sell their fields and homes just to survive… Now, when the Huang family scrapes together another three hundred dan from the market, how much will the price rise? Thirty-five taels? Even forty? Heh…” Xiao Yan smiled, looking at the old man. “Do you still think those three hundred dan are a chunk of flesh carved from the Huang family? This is like adding fuel to the fire in the disaster zone! And how many lives will it take to fill this three-hundred-dan gap?”

“Well…” The elder was at a loss for words.

…

The street suddenly fell silent; no one spoke.

From the Huang family’s main gate came the sound of creaking doors as wagon after wagon loaded with grain was sent to the relief council.

Chen Bufan stepped out, bowed in thanks, and departed hastily.

Perhaps he was off to the next great family to persuade another donation.

…

PS: Please vote for this book and recommend it; your support is what keeps me going. Thank you.