"Purple light, how is this possible!"
Lu Qing stared intently at the old man's worn-out money pouch, his eyes filled with disbelief.
In his vision, the old money pouch emitted a faint purple light.
Although the light was faint, it appeared dazzling to Lu Qing.
Since coming to this world and awakening his abilities, he had seen this kind of purple light only three times.
The first time was when he obtained the Divine Rune Sect inheritance, the second time was yesterday when he saw the Li Huo Cauldron in the Wei mansion's underground chamber.
The third time was now, in this old money pouch.
Could this money pouch also be a spirit artifact?
As the thought crossed Lu Qing's mind, the eight-character-mustache man snatched the money pouch, opened it, weighed it, and stuffed it into his bosom along with the pouch.
The eight-character-mustache man sneered.
Among the onlookers, those familiar with the man's nature showed contempt at his hypocritical demeanor.
But this man had a brother-in-law working in the County Magistrate's office, who managed this market.
They had to make a living in the market, so they didn't dare to offend him easily.
Even though some sympathized with the old man, they remained silent in the end.
The old man stood there, looking grief-stricken.
The silver taels were his morning earnings from selling grain.
It was nearly half a year's savings for his family.
He had planned to buy a gift for his granddaughter. She was learning needlework but often pricked her fingers because she didn't have a good thimble. Seeing her hurt made him feel sad.
He wanted to buy a nice thimble for her while in town.
Unexpectedly, disaster struck, and all the money was gone.
Thinking of how he would explain to his son and daughter-in-law, the old man's head heated up, and blood surged. Suddenly, he let out a cry and rushed towards the corner of the wall in front of the eight-character-mustache man's stall.
The unexpected change caught everyone off guard.
The onlookers were mostly ordinary people and couldn't react in time. They could only watch in horror as the old man rushed towards the wall.
Just as he was about to crash, a figure appeared before him, gently pressing his shoulder to stop him.
It was a young man in fine clothes, holding a fairy-like little girl, with a peculiar black beast on his shoulder, smiling.
"Old man, even if you feel wronged, there's no need to seek death. Otherwise, it would only cause pain to your loved ones and joy to your enemies."
Seeing someone stop the old man, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The eight-character-mustache man, startled, cursed: "Old man, what are you doing?"
Terrified, he realized if the old man died in front of his stall, the County Magistrate's office would intervene, and even his brother-in-law might not be able to help.
Thinking of this, he glared fiercely at the old man: "Old man, if you want to die, do it elsewhere. Can you afford to dirty my stall?"
His ferocious demeanor frightened the surrounding people.
Seeing the man still spewing venom, Lu Qing's face darkened. He moved swiftly, slapping the man's face.
The man's body spun several times like a ragdoll, landing on the ground unconscious.
His face swelled grotesquely, with a few teeth mixed with blood falling aside.
Lu Qing's current strength was formidable. Even though he held back ninety-nine percent of his power, the slap was more than the man's frail body could bear.
Surviving was already Lu Qing's mercy.
But he would certainly be left disabled.
Lu Qing's slap had a soft force, causing internal damage far beyond the superficial.
A hush fell over the scene.
Everyone was stunned.
No one expected the young man, who had been smiling, to suddenly act so ruthlessly.
Looking at the man's face, it seemed he would have trouble eating even if cured.
Strangely, seeing the man's miserable state, everyone felt a surge of satisfaction.
Many shopkeepers in the market had long been fed up with him.
If not for his luck having a brother-in-law in the County Magistrate's office, he would have been kicked out long ago.
Now seeing someone finally deal with him, they almost wanted to cheer.
As for the two lackeys, they had long disappeared.
After knocking out the eight-character-mustache man, Lu Qing casually picked up the old money pouch from his bosom and handed it back to the old man.
"Old man, this is yours. Please take it back."
The old man stared at Lu Qing blankly. When the pouch landed in his hand, he came to his senses.
He hurriedly said, "Young man, you hit someone. You should leave quickly, or you'll be in trouble when the authorities come!"
"Yes, yes, his brother-in-law works in the County Magistrate's office. It's troublesome. Young man, you better leave."
The onlookers chimed in.
Though Lu Qing's attire was extraordinary, suggesting he was from a noble family, the County Magistrate's authority was still daunting, and no force in the city dared to oppose it openly.
"Don't worry. This man extorted the old man with fake antiques and almost caused a death. Such behavior, I think, even the County Magistrate's office wouldn't publicly cover up, right?" Lu Qing said calmly.
The crowd was speechless.
They thought the young man was naive. If the County Magistrate's office were so just, how could this scoundrel have roamed the market so long?
"Old man, there are too many eyes here. Let me escort you out."
Seeing the crowd silent, Lu Qing spoke to the old man again.
The old man wanted to leave long ago. He remembered the indifferent looks of these people.
Now that he had shown his wealth, he dared not stay any longer.
"Thank you, young man." The old man said gratefully.
Lu Qing led the old man out.
Before leaving the street, he paused and said, "If the County Magistrate's people come to ask, tell them to find me at the Wei mansion. My name is Lu Qing."
With that, Lu Qing left with the old man.
Leaving the stunned crowd watching their departing figures.