As Lu Qing saw Mago off, he gazed at the two martial arts manuals in his hand and fell into deep thought.
Not long ago, Mago had come to visit, bringing part of his spoils from Happy Fort and two pieces of news.
One piece of news was that he had cleaned up all the bodies in Happy Fort and made proper arrangements for those unfortunate girls. Lu Qing wasn't surprised by this. Earlier in the day, he had gone out again and found that Happy Fort had been reduced to ruins. Not only had Mago dealt with the bodies, but he had also burned down the entire fort.
The other piece of news was somewhat unexpected: the Wei family had stepped in to help cover up the incident. This meant that, for the time being, he didn't need to worry about the Black Wolf Gang coming to the village to cause trouble.
"The Wei family... I owe them a favor this time," Lu Qing thought to himself.
He could guess why the Wei family would help him. It was likely because they saw his potential in martial arts and wanted to invest in him early. Understanding this was one thing, but Lu Qing still noted the favor in his heart. After all, in this world, there were many who would add flowers to a brocade but few who would send charcoal in snowy weather. This time, the Wei family had sent charcoal.
However, Lu Qing didn't have the ability to repay this favor for now and could only keep it in mind.
"Ah Qing, are you home?"
As Lu Qing was deep in thought, a call came from outside the house. Recognizing Grandpa Zhang's voice, he put away the two manuals and stepped outside.
"Nothing much, I just saw you had visitors earlier and came to check," Grandpa Zhang said.
"Yes, they just left," Lu Qing replied.
He had originally wanted Mago and his companions to stay for dinner, but Mago seemed to have other matters to attend to and regretfully declined.
"Ah Qing, the people who came earlier looked familiar. Was one of them Master Ma from the Grand Bazaar?" Grandpa Zhang asked.
Grandpa Zhang occasionally visited the Grand Bazaar and had some impression of its overseers.
"Yes, it was Master Ma. We have some connections, and he brought some things for me," Lu Qing confirmed.
"It really was Master Ma!" Grandpa Zhang was surprised. "Ah Qing, you're becoming more impressive, able to associate with such important figures."
To a rural old man like Grandpa Zhang, Mago was one of the most prominent figures in the area, being someone who managed a large bazaar. He was astonished that Lu Qing knew such a person.
"It's just that Master Ma thinks highly of me," Lu Qing said modestly.
"But you must have abilities of your own, otherwise, even if someone tried to force a connection, Master Ma might not even look their way," Grandpa Zhang disagreed with Lu Qing's modesty.
Although Grandpa Zhang didn't have much experience, he knew that someone like Master Ma, who appeared friendly to everyone, actually had very high standards. Rural folks like them wouldn't catch his eye. Otherwise, with the bustling bazaar, he wouldn't be so courteous to anyone, let alone visit personally.
"Let's not talk about this. Grandpa Zhang, I was just about to cook. Would you like to stay for dinner?"
Lu Qing smiled, changing the subject.
"No, I've got my share at home. Actually, I came to talk about these banknotes and this IOU," Grandpa Zhang said, taking out a few banknotes and an IOU from his pocket.
Lu Qing recognized them as the ones Han Lao Wu had offered in exchange for his life. After killing Han Lao Wu and the others, he had been too busy seeking information from Mago to pay attention to these small matters.
"These banknotes were given to you by that Black Wolf Gang villain. Now they are returned to their rightful owner," Grandpa Zhang said, handing over the banknotes and the IOU.
Lu Qing took the IOU but left the banknotes.
"Grandpa Zhang, I don't need these banknotes. Please distribute them to the villagers," he said.
"You don't want them?" Grandpa Zhang was stunned. The three banknotes totaled three hundred taels of silver. It was hard to believe that Lu Qing would refuse such a sum.
"Grandpa Zhang, after this incident, I realized there were many hidden truths about my parents' deaths. If it weren't for the villagers' help back then, Xiao Yan and I would have been captured by the Black Wolf Gang long ago. And yesterday, if it weren't for everyone's efforts to protect Xiao Yan, she wouldn't have waited for me to return and would have been taken away."
"The villagers have been very kind to us siblings, and I can't repay this kindness. These silver taels are a small token of my gratitude," Lu Qing said sincerely.
He had seen how the villagers protected Xiao Yan with their lives. Although Xiao Li was there and Han Lao Wu couldn't have harmed Xiao Yan, the villagers' bravery touched him deeply. Having encountered despicable people like Zhao Lao San and the other scoundrels, he valued the villagers' purity even more.
A few hundred taels of silver was nothing to him now. It was better to use it to improve the villagers' lives as a token of appreciation for their care.
"Ah Qing, your words put us to shame," Grandpa Zhang sighed. "If it weren't for your grandfather, most of the villagers wouldn't have survived until now. Your grandfather's kindness to Jiuli Village was a matter of life and death."
"If we let you and Xiao Yan be bullied by those villains, how could we face your grandfather in the afterlife?"
"So, you should keep these banknotes. We just did what we had to do."
Seeing Grandpa Zhang's serious expression, Lu Qing finally took one banknote.
"Alright, I'll take this one hundred taels. The rest is my token of appreciation."
Seeing that Grandpa Zhang still wanted to say something, Lu Qing added, "Grandpa Zhang, with my abilities now, do you really think I won't earn more silver in the future?"
Grandpa Zhang thought of how easily Lu Qing had defeated the Black Wolf Gang, his apprenticeship under the old doctor, and his connection with Master Ma. He realized that Lu Qing was no longer the helpless boy he once was. He was now capable of handling things on his own, and his future accomplishments were beyond their imagination.
Finally, Grandpa Zhang nodded.
"Alright, I'll thank you on behalf of everyone," he said.