Chapter 23: Jiaoren, Human

“Meng Qingcheng…”

Li Mo mulled over the name Meng Yingxing had given her for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“What’s wrong?” Meng Yingxing asked, not knowing what Li Mo was smiling about.

Li Mo shook her head, “It’s nothing, I just think Little Benefactor’s name sounds quite nice.”

Well now, Li Mo had stopped calling Meng Yingxing ‘Benefactor’ and switched to ‘Little Benefactor’.

Meng Yingxing looked himself over and wondered, “Do I look that young?”

‘You do look quite young. Shorter than me, even.’ Xiu Qingcheng loved to tease Meng Yingxing; she never missed an opportunity to poke fun at him.

Of course, the reference point Xiu Qingcheng used for this statement was herself from when she was still a man.

Xiu Qingcheng quickly added: ‘Did you hear that, my dear disciple? This Jiaoren girl is praising my name.’

Although he didn’t know why Xiu Qingcheng felt so smug about this, she… was just happy.

“Yes, yes, Master.”

Meng Yingxing wanted to defend his height a little more, but in the end, it turned into a sigh of resignation, his tone towards Xiu Qingcheng tinged with indulgence for his master.

“Miss Li Mo, why did you come to this alley alone? This alley… isn’t very safe.”

Meng Yingxing turned to Li Mo in front of him, wanting to know how she ended up in this alley and was coincidentally ‘picked up’ by his master.

And by unsafe, he was naturally referring to that crooked shop that murdered and robbed people for profit.

After all, according to Xiu Qingcheng, a Jiaoren was a walking ATM—far too dangerous.

“Because my grandfather and I just moved to Yongning City to open a clinic. I needed to go out and buy some things, and this way is faster.” Li Mo had nothing to hide and said it openly.

Meng Yingxing hesitated for a moment, but his sense of justice made him say the warning words to Li Mo.

“If I’m not mistaken… Miss Li Mo, you’re from the Jiaoren clan, aren’t you?”

As soon as Meng Yingxing’s words fell, Li Mo, who was in front of him, froze on the spot in a panic, as if a secret had been exposed.

“How did you know?” she turned around, one hand behind her back, staring at Meng Yingxing with extreme vigilance.

‘She’s reaching for a small knife hidden at her waist.’ Xiu Qingcheng narrowed her eyes, very familiar with what Li Mo’s actions were preparing for.

Meng Yingxing quickly held up his scraped hands and waved them, “Miss Li Mo, don’t be nervous. I don’t mean you any harm. Besides, in my current state, I couldn’t do anything even if I wanted to!”

“The reason I know you’re a Jiaoren is because I saw the scale on your neck, which only the Jiaoren clan has.”

Hearing this, Li Mo quickly raised her hand to cover the spot on her neck with the scale, exclaiming in dismay: “Ah, I forgot to wear something to cover it when I went out—”

‘This Jiaoren girl specifically took this alley to avoid being seen and reduce the chance of being discovered, not because it was closer like she said.’

Xiu Qingcheng easily guessed the other’s true intention for taking this path and casually said to Meng Yingxing: ‘But, my dear disciple, when I was telling you about the Jiaoren clan just now, I thought you weren’t listening. I didn’t expect you to take it all in. Not bad.’

Meng Yingxing had no time to chat with Xiu Qingcheng right now. He continued his standoff with Li Mo: “I just wanted to remind you that this alley is very dangerous. It’s better not to take it in the future.”

Li Mo pursed her lips, locked in a standoff with Meng Yingxing for a while before the expression on her face finally relaxed. The hand that was about to grab the knife also came out calmly.

Seeing this, Meng Yingxing knew she had lowered her guard against him.

After relaxing, a trace of weariness seemed to climb onto Li Mo’s face.

She gave Meng Yingxing a gentle smile, “I misunderstood you just now, Little Benefactor. I suppose you are not that kind of person. Since you know about the Jiaoren clan, you must also know our situation, so… I had to be on guard. I hope Little Benefactor can understand.”

‘Not that kind of person’… Meng Yingxing didn’t think Li Mo’s killing intent from just now was fake. The look in one’s eyes when they want to knife someone can’t be hidden.

“Also, I ask that Little Benefactor forget this matter. I’m not a Jiaoren right now. I just want to be an ordinary human.”

With a smile of unknown sincerity at the corners of her mouth, Li Mo bowed to Meng Yingxing.

Perhaps this request contained a great weight that only she herself knew.

Meng Yingxing nodded slightly and said no more, letting Li Mo continue to lead the way.

There were many things he couldn’t ask the person in front of him directly.

But he could talk to his master.

‘Master, why do you think… she and her grandfather have to live in a place like this? It’s too dangerous.’ Meng Yingxing couldn’t understand it at all.

Those not of our kind are sure to have a different heart.

The heritage of the human race, passed down like an unceasing flame, exists in almost every corner of the world.

But it was precisely such a vast race that often could not tolerate other races.

Not to mention the Jiaoren clan, who were covered in treasures; surviving among humans was like adding frost to snow.

Meng Yingxing didn’t know what could make a Jiaoren live incognito while braving such risks.

Xiu Qingcheng was silent for a while before she finally spoke slowly:

‘There are only two reasons that allow people to endure in this world for a long time.’

‘Belief and desire.’

‘My dear disciple, which one do you think it is for her?’

Perhaps such matters were still too complex for Meng Yingxing, who had never studied philosophy. His large eyes held even greater confusion, and in the end, he just shook his head silently.

“I don’t know.”

Li Mo wasn’t wrong; she and her grandfather were indeed opening a medical clinic.

It was just that when Li Mo brought Meng Yingxing to the clinic, it hadn’t officially opened yet. Two strings of unlit firecrackers hung by the newly decorated entrance, suggesting that everything was ready and they were just waiting for the right moment.

After leading Meng Yingxing inside, Li Mo gestured for him to sit to the side.

“I’ll go get my grandfather to bandage you up.” After saying this, Li Mo prepared to head into the inner room.

But before Li Mo could go in, an elderly voice came from the inner room first:

“Ah Mo, you’re back?”

Following this voice, an old man with a full head of white hair and a white beard came out from the inner room, trembling as he leaned on a cane.

What neither Meng Yingxing nor Xiu Qingcheng expected was that the old man who came out was not another elderly Jiaoren as they had thought, but a genuine human elder.

He didn’t look to be in good spirits, and his eyes were murky.

But the moment the old man’s gaze fell on Li Mo, his murky eyes cleared like melting snow and dispersing fog, becoming as bright as a youth in fine clothes.

“Grandfather!”

When Li Mo saw her grandfather come out, she hurried over to support him and immediately tried to introduce Meng Yingxing, whom she had brought back.

“I was almost in trouble just now…”

Before Li Mo could finish, the old man became agitated, his withered hands gripping her arm tightly.

“In trouble? Ah Mo, are you alright!?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, Grandfather.” Li Mo gently patted the old man’s hand, comforting him, and took the opportunity to properly introduce Meng Yingxing.

“It’s all thanks to this Little Benefactor named Meng Qingcheng who saved me. But he was badly injured in the process. Grandfather, can you take a look at him?”

‘Master, do you think… a human can have a Jiaoren granddaughter?’

While Li Mo was talking with the old man, Meng Yingxing was whispering with Xiu Qingcheng on the side.

‘Who knows?’ Xiu Qingcheng’s words were light and casual, ‘Perhaps she’s an adopted granddaughter or something like that.’