Xu Hao noticed that the matters here were almost settled and said, "Xiao Lan, since I'm free now, why don't you come with me to the mall? We'll buy everything you need."
At this moment, Xiao Lan and the others no longer had any guard against Xu Hao.
Xu Hao had unlocked their cage and even saved the old dean, which filled her with immense gratitude towards Xu Hao, leaving no room for any wariness.
Meng Jiu now found Xu Hao more and more pleasing to the eye as she observed him. Such a remarkable young talent was extremely rare, she thought, and now reconsidered, realizing Xu Hao and Xiao Lan were quite a good match.
Indeed, a case of a talented man matched with a beautiful woman!
However, she harbored some worries about Xu Hao's identity.
She spoke up, "Xu Xiao You, I don't oppose some matters since you've also helped me, but I want to understand one thing—are you a disciple out on training from a great noble family?"
She couldn't help but think this way, considering Xu Hao knew so much and possessed such formidable strength. She couldn't think of any other identity for such a young and powerful talent, except maybe a genius from a reclusive noble family.
Xu Hao cleared his throat and replied, "Sort of. I know what you're worried about, but you really don't need to worry. I'm willing to help you all, not just because of Xiao Lan, but because of all these children, I want them to have a good life."
Seeing the sincerity on Xu Hao's face, Meng Jiu sighed lightly, "Ah, I'm old, and I shouldn't meddle in the affairs of you young folks."
When Xiao Lan heard Xu Hao's words, she suddenly felt a bit disappointed, but it also brought her some peace of mind. Hearing Meng Jiu's words, she hurriedly said, "Old dean, you're not old at all."
Xu Hao smiled and said, "The old dean is only in her forties, but it's just that she looks older because she's been eroded by the evil energy here. You said you've been trapped here for ten years, which means, ten years ago, you were at the Great Perfection Mastery Level…"
The old dean suddenly moved her body as if stretching, which also stimulated the Qi Force within her.
Just then, before Xu Hao could finish saying "Great Perfection," he suddenly interrupted himself, "No! You were already a Half Step Grandmaster Level expert ten years ago!"
Ten years ago, Meng Jiu, still in her twenties, was already at the Half Step Grandmaster stage!
Ling Yunzi was also in utter shock and immediately questioned, "A Half Step Grandmaster level expert in her twenties, why didn't the Meng Family come to save her?!"
Meng Jiu shook her head slightly and said, "The past is like smoke, it's unnecessary to speak of it."
All she looked at the children gathered around and smiled, "For me now, being able have a quiet, stable life with these children is all I could ask for, let the past pass."
Note from the editor: Always check * for corrections.
Seeing that Meng Jiu truly didn't want to dwell on it, Xu Hao and the others didn't press further.
When Ling Yunzi was leaving, Xu Hao mentioned that he would surely visit their Taoist temple when he had time and would also some money for incense.
Ling Yunzi was extremely grateful. As Taoist cultivators, they couldn't just intervene at will, as Qi Force could take time to restore even though it could eventually recover, and their interventions were often at the discretion of the others; they needed to intervene no matter if the other party could afford it or not.
So, seeing Xu Hao, such a wealthy individual intending to make donations, Ling Yunzi was naturally very pleased.
Xu Hao watched as Ling Yunzi left and mused that the Taoist way was weakening while the Buddhist Sect was thriving, divine souls flourished in the markets, yet the truly strong Taoists secluded themselves in the mountains, living a challenging life.
He sighed softly; now was not the time for him to be contemplating these issues, as his biological father still harbored numerous enemies, and he also needed to quickly develop his own strength. Otherwise, when the crisis actually arrived, being unprepared would be quite difficult.
Turning to Xiao Lan, Xu Hao said, "Let's go and buy some essentials, and also get some new clothes for each of the kids."
Xiao Lan was thrilled and immediately called out to the children, "Everyone, get ready, we are going shopping for new clothes with Superman Big Brother!"
"Yay! Superman Big Brother, I love you!" a little boy shouted sweetly.
The other children also started shouting, but those who were shy and timid clearly couldn't let loose fully.
Xu Hao looked at Meng Jiu and smiled, "Aunt Meng, I have cosmetic products developed by our corporation here; you might want to give them a try. They're truly miraculous and might help you regain your youth."
Saying that, Xu Hao took out a beautifully packaged bottle of cosmetics from his pocket and placed it in Meng Jiu's dry hands.
Meng Jiu's hands trembled slightly as she held the cosmetics, knowing that Xu Hao must undoubtedly be a prodigy from some secluded noble family; thus, the product he offered had to be genuine.
However, as someone from the Meng Family, she understood how incredibly magical and extremely costly a medicine that could restore youth would be!