Severed ties and living in a dilapidated house? No worries, the poor thing has a space.

This was the first time Fang Xin had witnessed such a scene, and she was inevitably a little flustered. She opened her mouth but couldn't speak: "You... what happened to you? Were you injured just now?"

Fang Xin crouched down, trying to find wounds on him, but just as she touched his collar, the beggar grabbed her wrist and said weakly, "Dirty."

Fang Xin ignored him and reached out to check on his injuries.

The beggar took out a well-preserved medicine bottle from his pocket and, with trembling fingers, handed it to Fang Xin: "Your hand, medicine."

After saying that, he slowly stood up, feeling his way along the wall: "Wait for me here."

Fang Xin held the medicine bottle tightly. She should have stopped him, but seeing his unsteady back, she ultimately chose to obey.

After waiting for a while, the beggar came in carrying the basket she had left behind.

Fang Xin's nose suddenly stung with tears. She ran over quickly, not to take the basket from him, but to support him, her tone somewhat domineering: "I'll take you to see a doctor."

She was quite strong, but she couldn't budge him an inch. The beggar put his basket on the ground, pulled his arm away from hers, and looked up at the sky slightly: "No need."

"Why?!"

The beggar, who had taken two steps, paused slightly, but ultimately said nothing and left.

Fang Xin had no intention of letting him go. She slung her basket over her shoulder and followed him. She could clearly sense the beggar's aloofness, so she didn't get too close.

Upon reaching the city gate, the beggar finally turned around, but his voice remained indifferent: "Don't follow me."

Fang Xin kicked at the pebbles under her feet, not looking at him, and muttered to herself, "I didn't follow you, I just went home."

The beggar fell silent, pressed a painful smile to his lips, and turned to continue walking.

Fang Xin followed the beggar wherever he went.

As it was getting late, the beggar who had been patiently waiting his turn finally seemed unable to bear it any longer and sat down on a tree trunk by the roadside.

Fang Xin didn't go over, but sat down on a nearby stone. She had a feeling that the beggar was very weak and urgently needed to see a doctor.

She took out the water pouch and handed it to him: "Have some water."

His lips were already cracked and dry, and his face was still so pale.

The beggar didn't take it; instead, he pushed it back with his hand, saying, "I don't need it."

Fang Xin unscrewed the cap directly: "You're not dirty, I don't mind, drink it."

In her eyes, although he was a beggar and looked a bit fierce, he was kind-hearted because he had already saved her twice.

The beggar still wouldn't take it. He took a deep breath and suddenly laughed: "You should go. It's getting late. You don't want your sister to worry about you, do you?"

elder sister!

Fang Xin had completely forgotten that Fang Yu had said he would come to pick her up. This road wasn't far from home, and she didn't know if she had missed her sister.

But the beggar looked terrible, and she couldn't rest easy about him. But if she didn't go back soon, her sister and mother would worry.

The beggar was still laughing. Fang Xin was torn between the two options. In the end, she stuffed the two taels of silver that Fang Yu had asked her to keep into his pocket into his pocket, and kept the water bag.

"You should go see a doctor right away, you can't delay any longer. I'm going home now. Will I be able to see you again tomorrow? You've helped me twice, I should thank you."

Looking at the water pouch beside him and the silver in his hand, the beggar's smile deepened noticeably.

Fang Xin tightened her grip on her basket, seemingly turning away resolutely, but in reality, her eyes were already red.

The further she walked, the longer her strides became, until she finally ran away. After she had gone some distance, she couldn't help but tear up.

The beggar was on the verge of death himself, yet he still came to save her.

Because she remembered that when they were in the city, the beggar vomited black blood. She often came into contact with herbs, and she knew that the beggar must have some incurable disease, which was why he was like that.

Fang Yu, who was hiding in the shadows, saw this scene clearly.

Fang Yu arrived shortly after Fang Xin left the city, but she didn't appear because she saw the beggar walking ahead.

Having followed them all the way, and observing the beggar and Fang Xin's condition, Fang Yu had already roughly guessed the ins and outs of the matter.

Fang Xin reached the fork in the road. Afraid that Fang Yu would come, she quickly wiped away her tears and the dried blood on her fingertips, then hastily applied some medicine.

Just as I finished doing all that, Fang Yu indeed came to the intersection. She deliberately asked, "Xin'er, how did you end up here? I almost missed you."

Fang Xin pretended to wipe away non-existent sweat from her forehead and explained guiltily, "Sister, I don't know what happened. I just suddenly got confused and took the wrong turn. Let's go home now."

Fang Yu tidied up Fang Xin's slightly messy hair: "Xin'er, can you go back by yourself first? I have something to take care of, I'll be back soon."

Fortunately, it wasn't far from Qingshan City, so Fang Xin didn't think much of it and assumed that Fang Yu wanted to buy something. She nodded and agreed, "Okay, then I'll go home and cook. Sister, come back early."

After Fang Xin turned and walked forward, the smile she had just managed to force gradually disappeared, and her face slowly darkened. She took a deep breath, steadyed her pace, and walked towards home.

Only after Fang Xin's figure had completely disappeared did Fang Yu turn around and head towards the beggar.

The beggar was still sitting under the tree, clutching the water jug ​​tightly in his hand, his eyes gently closed, leaning back against the tree trunk, looking as if he were waiting to die.

Fang Yu stopped in front of him. The beggar didn't open his eyes, but he spoke: "She's alright."

"I know." Fang Yu lowered his eyes and glanced at the corner of his mouth where there was still poison blood. "Now you are the one in trouble. Since you helped Xin'er, you can make a request."

"I intervened simply because she deserved it."

He raised the corners of his lips, seemingly smiling, but actually counting how many hours he had left to live—perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow.

Fang Yu squatted down in front of him, raising her eyebrows: "Now you have two choices. One is to wait until you die, and I'll pick out an auspicious burial site for you. The other is..."

Fang Yu paused deliberately, stroked her chin, and carefully examined him. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Well, you're not bad-looking. Since you don't want to live anyway, why don't you sell yourself to me?"

"It's my good fortune that a dying man can still be of some use, but..."

The beggar took a breath: "I can only choose the first one."

He opened his palm, glanced at the two taels of silver Fang Xin had given him, then clenched it tightly before saying, "Could you please trouble you, young lady, to throw me into the mountains and forests after I die?"

He tilted his head back, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He clearly didn't want to die, but he had no choice but to. He was unwilling to accept it.

Fang Yu sighed, too lazy to tease him anymore, and took his hand to check his pulse: "If you really don't want to sell to me, then so be it. You helped Xin'er, so it's only right that I help you."