Chapter 1016: Thank You!
Instant noodles were something Yang Haoran had eaten countless times before. While they offered little nutritional value, for a starving person, nutrition wasn't important; what mattered was simply filling one's belly.
"Of course, it meets my requirements."
Yang Haoran said with a smile. Hearing this, Huang Sha immediately retrieved a bucket of instant noodles from his independent space and respectfully handed it to Yang Haoran.
Taking the instant noodles, Yang Haoran's gaze returned to the scrawny youth, then he offered him the bucket of noodles in his hand.
"Looking at how weak you are, it seems you haven't eaten in a long time. Instant noodles aren't much, but I believe you won't despise them."
Though instant noodles weren't nutritious, in this chaotic world, they were a coveted item that many longed for but couldn't obtain. Some could only dream of having such an opportunity, and this youth before him clearly belonged to that category.
The youth's gaze was drawn to the instant noodles in Yang Haoran's hand. He licked his dry lips, his face filled with longing, but he neither spoke nor reached for the noodles.
It was clear he desperately wanted the instant noodles in Yang Haoran's hand, but out of fear of Yang Haoran, he dared not take the bucket, only staring with an expression of intense yearning.
Yang Haoran said with a smile. However, the youth still didn't reach out, his expression subtly shifting once more, longing mixed with hesitation.
"Alright then, if you won't accept my goodwill, there's nothing I can do."
Yang Haoran gave a helpless smile and prepared to withdraw his outstretched hand. But just then, the youth suddenly mustered his courage, snatched the instant noodles from Yang Haoran's hand, tore open the packaging, pulled out the noodle block, and crammed it into his mouth, as if terrified Yang Haoran would actually take the bucket back.
Due to his excessive force and cracked lips, the noodle block tore his lip as he shoved it in, blood flowing from the wound and staining the noodles. Yet, he paid it no mind, chewing the blood-soaked noodles along with the rest.
In the blink of an eye, half of the noodle block was ravenously devoured. Just as he was intensely gnawing, his movements suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
"Heh heh, what's wrong?"
Yang Haoran had been watching the youth closely. Seeing him suddenly stop, he asked with a smile.
The youth glanced at the middle-aged man on the wooden board, then at the half-eaten noodle block in his hand, before finally speaking.
"Thank you."
The youth only thanked Yang Haoran but didn't explain why he had suddenly stopped. However, Yang Haoran wasn't foolish; even without the youth saying anything, he could guess why he had abruptly stopped eating the noodles.
"Who is he to you?"
Yang Haoran looked at the middle-aged man on the wooden board and asked the youth with a smile.
"My dad."
The youth replied, his voice very low. On one hand, it was due to his fear of Yang Haoran; on the other, it was because he was too weak, making his words barely audible.
"Oh, where are you planning to take him?"
Yang Haoran lightly hummed in acknowledgment, then continued his questions.
The youth was originally reluctant to answer this question, but he glanced at the half-eaten noodle block in his hand and decided that Yang Haoran didn't seem like a bad person. So, after a moment of hesitation, he spoke.
"I want to take my dad away from Ancient Demon City and find a safe place to start a new life."
Hearing this, Yang Haoran thought for a moment before speaking.
"In these chaotic times, finding a safe place is incredibly difficult. And looking at your dad's condition, I'm afraid he might not last until that day. Not to mention your dad, whether you yourself can survive until then is also an unknown."
The youth bit down hard on his bloodied lip, remaining silent. Yang Haoran's words had silenced him. Although he was still young and didn't know much, living in these chaotic times, there were some things he understood.
"I'm severely lacking manpower right now, so I can make an exception and give you an opportunity. As long as you're willing to follow me from now on, I can not only guarantee you'll be well-fed and clothed, but also that you'll live a more respectable life than before. However, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Following me also has its downsides, and that downside is. . . you might lose your life at any moment. Are you willing?"
Hearing this, the youth shook his head immediately, without even thinking.
"I'm not willing. I just want to find a safe place and live well with my dad."
The youth answered softly, carefully watching Yang Haoran as he spoke, as if worried that Yang Haoran would fly into a rage and kill both him and his father.
Hearing this, both Huang Sha and Xiang Chuan's expressions changed. Neither of them had expected the youth to actually reject Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect Big Brother's move to fail on a child. What a pity."
Xiang Chuan shook his head, a wry smile on his face.
"Kid, you're truly too young. Before making a decision, it's best to think first. Do you know what you've missed?"
Huang Sha looked at the youth, speaking with a regretful expression. Naturally, he wouldn't feel goodwill or pity for humans without reason, but Yang Haoran had intended to take the youth in, and yet the youth had refused. He was worried Yang Haoran would be disappointed, which was why he spoke those words.
However, Yang Haoran remained perfectly composed. Even when the youth rejected him, his expression didn't change in the slightest.
"No one can say for sure in life. Not following me doesn't mean he definitely has no path forward. Perhaps he'll even fare better on his own than if he followed me."
Yang Haoran said with a smile, then turned his gaze to Xiang Chuan.
"Go see what's wrong with his old man. It's fate that we met, so lend a hand."
Xiang Chuan chuckled. This time, he didn't argue with Yang Haoran.
"Since Big Brother has spoken, this little brother will naturally handle things perfectly. Don't worry, as long as he still has a breath in him, I can drag him back from the Ghost Gate."
As his words fell, Xiang Chuan walked up to the middle-aged man. The youth felt some fear, but more than that, he felt wariness, afraid that Xiang Chuan would harm his dad.
"Don't worry, if we wanted to kill you two, a mere puff of breath would be enough. There's no need for such trouble."
Yang Haoran said with a smile. Hearing this, the youth finally didn't stop Xiang Chuan, but his inner wariness didn't diminish.
Yang Haoran didn't offer much explanation. He turned his gaze to Huang Sha and asked.
"How many instant noodles do you have left? Take them all out and give them to him."
Huang Sha dared not disobey Yang Haoran's instructions. Besides, instant noodles were not precious items for people like them; they could get as many as they wanted. Even taking them all out wouldn't cause him any heartache.
With a wave of Huang Sha's hand, two boxes of instant noodles appeared before him. One of the boxes was already open. Following Yang Haoran's order, he retrieved all the instant noodles from his independent space.
Meanwhile, Xiang Chuan merely performed a brief examination of the middle-aged man's body and pinpointed the problem. He then retrieved a bottle of Pharmacist's Medicine from his independent space and dripped a single drop into the middle-aged man's mouth.
After ensuring the middle-aged man had taken the medicine, Xiang Chuan didn't administer any other drugs. He stood up, put the medicine bottle back into his independent space, clapped his hands, and walked over to Yang Haoran.
"Done. He'll wake up in half an hour at most, and his body will be even stronger than before, definitely not as weak as it is now."
Yang Haoran nodded gently. Xiang Chuan was a Spirit Medicine-level Pharmacist; having him treat an ordinary person was complete overkill, so he didn't doubt Xiang Chuan's words in the slightest.
"Youth, good luck."
Yang Haoran looked at the somewhat bewildered youth and said with a smile. Afterward, he didn't linger, taking Xiang Chuan and Huang Sha, and walked towards Ancient Demon City.
The youth stared blankly at Yang Haoran's retreating back. It wasn't until Yang Haoran's figure vanished from sight that he snapped out of his daze.
He looked at the middle-aged man lying on the wooden board, then at the two boxes of instant noodles placed before him. Although one of the boxes had already been opened, they were still priceless treasures to him.
It was then that he suddenly remembered something. He quickly shouted towards the direction where Yang Haoran had disappeared.
"Thank you! ! !"
Though only three short words, those three words were uttered with the youth's greatest strength.
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