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âYouâre here, little girl. Wait a moment.â Grandma apparently knew this young woman. As she got up with difficulty, she picked up a bag from the side and passed it to her.
There were about seven to eight sweet rice dumplings inside the bag.
The woman hurriedly waved her hands, âI donât need so many sweet rice dumplings.â
Ignoring her protest, Grandma stuffed the bag into her hands and patted the back of her hands, âJust take it. Donât be overly polite with me. Moreover, everyone has gone to Seven Stars Sect, so I canât sell all the dumplings anyways. Theyâll turn sour after one night. Since youâre pregnant, youâre supposed to have more food so that your child will grow to be healthy.â
The woman hung her head low and pressed her lips together while her eyes turned slightly red. Eventually, she simply bowed to the older woman and thanked her before leaving in a hurry.
Watching her leave, Grandma let out a sigh, âSheâs such a poor girl.â
Pretending to be nonchalant, Yang Kai asked, âAre there still people who donât have enough food on the table now?â
Grandma took a seat and replied, âNot really. Youâre still young, so you might not know what had happened in the past. This continent is already much better than the previous one us older people resided in once. As long as one is able-bodied, they wonât find it hard to get enough to eat. Initially, she and her husband had a restaurant, and their business was booming; however, a few months ago, he got drunk and fell down the stairs. He passed away just like that. Since sheâs pregnant, itâs hard for her to work. She has also used up her savings, which is why she canât get enough food for herself.â
Yang Kai nodded, âYouâre indeed a kind-hearted person, Grandma.â
Grandma put on a smile, âSince we live in the same town, weâre supposed to help each other out. I initially wanted her to come to my place, but youâve seen her face. Itâs not suitable for her to do business like me. Her beauty might attract some unwanted attention.â
âThere are indeed some ill-intentioned people out there.â Yang Kai fully understood that.
After finishing his soup, Yang Kai put down eleven coins and said, âIâm going to Seven Stars Sect now, Grandma.â
âGo ahead. I suppose the Disciple Recruitment has started. There must be a lot of people over there. If I were only 70 or 80 years younger, I wouldâve gone over to take a look.â Grandma waved her hand, then gave him some advice, âDonât feel too dejected even if youâre not accepted. Things are really different now. As long as youâre hardworking, you wonât starve to death.â
Yang Kai replied with a smile, âIf Iâm not accepted, Iâll help you sell rice dumplings here.â
âThatâs great. I can pass on all my skills to you. Of course, itâd be wonderful if youâre accepted. Your life will be more valuable than ordinary people like us if you have a right to cultivate.â
There were indeed many people who had taken part in the Disciple Recruitment of Seven Stars Sect as the area outside the entrance was crammed. Their requirements for accepting disciples were neither strict nor loose; however, they were adamant about accepting only young people.
Yang Kai decided to take part in the recruitment for fun, and as expected, he was knocked out during the registration process. This couldnât be helped, as he was too old to be accepted. The device used to examine the age of his bones revealed that he was already 27 years old. With that said, if he had powerful cultivation, those from Seven Stars Sect might still take him on; however, the cultivation he had showcased was only in the True Element Boundary.
Certainly, those from Seven Stars Sect wouldnât take on a person who was relatively old and weak.
In the evening, Yang Kai returned to the town. Grandma wasnât surprised one bit when she saw him as she consoled him by saying that he wouldnât starve to death as long as he worked hard. He just had to help her out with selling rice dumplings and pass on her craft to future generations.
In response, Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
As the sun sunk over the horizon, Yang Kai pushed the cart, which had all the tools needed to make rice dumplings, and shuffled towards the East of the town alongside Grandma.
This was where the old village was located, but it had been merged with the town following an expansion project. However, this place appeared to be in a dilapidated state, so it looked somewhat like a slum outside Seven Stars Town.
Yang Kai then took out all the things from the cart before getting some clean water from the well to wash them up.
To the side, Grandma looked smilingly at him and said, âYouâll always have enough food since youâre a good worker.â
Since that day, a young man had started helping out with selling sweet rice dumplings at a certain stall in Seven Stars Town. In the morning, Yang Kai would push the cart to the stall to sell affordable soup and rice dumplings alongside Grandma. In the evening, she would teach him how to make these simple foods. Their business was doing well as they could earn a profit of 20 to 30 coins per day.
The pregnant woman lived in a house that wasnât far from Grandmaâs place. Sometimes, Grandma would tell him to send the unsold rice dumplings to her in the evening.
When Yang Kai knocked on her door for the first time, the woman didnât dare to open it. Left with no choice, he put down the bag full of rice dumplings just outside and left.
After a few times, the young woman became less wary of Yang Kai, especially when she saw the man selling rice dumplings alongside Grandma; however, she still wouldnât dare to talk to him.
Every time Yang Kai arrived at her place, she would cautiously take the bag and thank him.
He heard from Grandma that the woman was named Yu Lu.
The reason Yang Kai turned his Divine Sense into an avatar and travelled across his Small Universe was to relax and unwind. Usually, he would return to the outside world after ten days to half a month.
However, since he came across Yu Lu, he had to change his plan.
His Divine Sense Avatar was never retracted, but his true body had not been complacent either. He was still trying to comprehend the secrets of the shattered space. Nevertheless, his progress had been slow over the past 30 years, so he wasnât even sure how long it would take him to fully comprehend the secrets of the Space Secret Technique.
He wasnât in a hurry though as he wouldnât run into any danger in the shattered space. The matter in his Small Universe required his attention as well.
It could be said that Yu Lu came as a pleasant surprise to him.
However, in that case, while his true body became focused on comprehending the mysteries of the shattered space, his Divine Sense Avatar in the Small Universe would fall into a dazed state, as though his soul had left his body. Every time Grandma saw him in such a state, she thought that he was struck with some kind of illness. She couldnât help but feel sorry for such a young man who had suffered from a mental condition.
As time passed, Yu Luâs belly grew bigger. A worried Grandma would check on her almost every day. On the other hand, Yang Kai would catch some fish from a river outside of the town so that Grandma could prepare some fish soup and send it to her.
At that, Grandma teased him by saying, âBrat, do you have your eyes on her?â
Naturally, Yang Kai denied the charge.
It wasnât certain whether Grandma believed him or not, but she stopped asking about it eventually. If Yang Kai wasnât married, and he didnât mind the fact that the woman was a widow who was pregnant with a child, Grandma would be more than happy to see them getting together.
After living with Yang Kai for a few months, Grandma grew increasingly fond of him. He was a quick-witted, hardworking, and conscientious. Although a woman wouldnât become wealthy by marrying him, she wouldnât suffer from any hardship either.
The only thing was that Yang Kai would fall into a daze from time to time, but it wasnât really a big deal.
Unfortunately, he had said that he had several wives, so he wasnât suited for Yu Lu.
One night, a sudden rainstorm hit the town.
Yang Kai, who was spacing out in his room, detected something as a thought flashed through his mind. When he came to his senses, he heard someone rapidly knocking on the door.
Grandma, who was in the main room, was heard getting up.
Yang Kai hurriedly got to his feet and opened the door, only to see Yu Lu holding an umbrella. However, some parts of her clothes were damp and stuck close to her body, which outlined her curvy figure.
âWhatâs wrong?â Yang Kai asked.
A pale Yu Lu replied in a shivering voice, âHalf of my house has collapsed. I wouldnât dare to stay there.â
Yang Kai looked into the darkness and saw that the roof of Yu Luâs house had indeed fallen in. Her house was old and dilapidated, so the reason such a disaster befell her was that rain was pouring heavily tonight.
Instantly, Yang Kai was drenched in cold sweat. It was fortunate that she wasnât hurt when the accident happened; otherwise, the consequences wouldâve been dreadful.
It surprised him to see that the rain was torrential on this day. Earlier, his true body was at a critical moment of comprehension, and coupled with the fact that it was now the middle of the night, he hadnât paid any attention to what was going on in his Small Universe. It wasnât until Yu Lu knocked on the door that he was alerted.
âCome in first.â Yang Kai hurriedly stepped aside.
Grandma put on a coat and shuffled out of her room with an oil lamp in her hand, where she was astonished to see Yu Lu.
After Yang Kai informed her about the situation, she simply nodded, âItâs fortunate that youâre fine. Iâll tell Yang Boy to help repair your house when the sun comes up. Before that, you can live with me.â
âMany thanks, Grandma. Many thanks, Big Brother Yang.â Yu Lu expressed her gratitude with reddened eyes. It was apparent that she was still reeling from the shock.
Yang Kai suddenly sniffled and asked, âAre you hurt?â
Yu Lu shook her head, âNo.â
âWhy is there the smell of blood then?â Yang Kai frowned.
Realising something, Grandma went over and touched Yu Luâs pants, which felt damp and sticky. She then took a glance at her own palm and saw that it was covered in blood.
âYouâre about to give birth!â Grandma declared confidently.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai widened his mouth in disbelief while Yu Lu was also dumbfounded.
Grandma was an experienced woman, however, so she soon came to her senses, âThe due date is not for another ten days. I guess the little one is eager to come out after sensing the fright you just went through. Yang Boy, go to the West of the town and tell the midwife to come over. I already told her about it some time ago. Just say that itâs me who invited her to come. Remember to give her a red envelope.â
âEn,â Yang Kai replied and turned around before dashing into the rain.
Yu Lu yelled from behind, âUmbrella!â
However, Yang Kai was already nowhere to be seen.
âYouâd better come into the room and lie down.â Grandma supported Yu Luâs weight as they shuffled into the room. After Yu Lu was settled down, she started appearing to be in pain. It was apparent that her belly was aching.
After placating her in a gentle voice, Grandma hurriedly left to boil some water and get the things needed to deliver a child ready.
In the West of the town, Yang Kai arrived at a house and rapidly knocked on the door. He was both anxious and flustered.
Since he started cultivating, he had encountered countless life-and-death battles, but he had always managed to pull through even if his life was hanging by a thread. However, he had never witnessed a woman give birth before.
He was adept at killing, but he was a complete novice when it came to the birth of a new life. Although he had accidentally hatched Yang Xiao out of a Dragon Egg, he knew that it was very different from childbirth.
If Grandma had not been there to give him instructions, he wouldnât have even known what to do.
Given the fact that he was the owner of this Small Universe, and that he was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it wasnât hard for Yang Kai to help a woman deliver a child in this place. However, he reckoned that a woman and a man who were not married were not supposed to come into such close contact. Furthermore, he came to realise that Yu Lu took her modesty and virtue serious, so she definitely wouldnât want that to happen. Hence, after receiving the order from Grandma, he rushed over to the West of the town without hesitation.