Ye Wen paid to have the Madam buried, constructed a grave mound, and together with the small child, burned paper offerings. He labored until the late afternoon of the next day to complete everything.

During this time, the child seemed genuinely afraid of disturbing his mother, never making a fuss. Even when he cried, he bit his lip, refusing to make much noise. It was only then that Ye Wen realized he didn't even know the child’s name.

"My name is Yaya."

"Yaya?" Ye Wen repeated. "You're a girl?"

Yaya nodded, seemingly a bit puzzled as to why this older brother would ask such a thing.

To be honest, seeing how bravely the child acted when he thought his mother was being bullied, and how strong he appeared after her death, Ye Wen had always assumed it was a boy.

Furthermore, Yaya’s grubby appearance made it truly difficult to discern she was a girl.

However, none of this mattered to Ye Wen. With the burial of Yaya’s mother complete, his next concern was how to handle the child.

"No matter what, I'll take her back to the Shushan Sect first. Perhaps entrusting her to Aunt Zhao for upbringing is the right choice. Aunt Zhao is, after all, this child's maternal aunt; for now, no one seems more suitable than her."

As for the immediate moment, he needed to return to the inn. Although Chief Escort Yue had mentioned resting for two or three days here to replenish food and water before continuing their journey, he couldn't just wander outside indefinitely.

"Can I come see Mother in the future?"

Before returning to the inn, Ye Wen took Yaya home to pack. In reality, there wasn't much to pack; it was just a habit before leaving home to tidy up a bit, gathering essential items to carry along.

Yaya did the same. Perhaps children from poor families mature early, or perhaps Ye Wen had underestimated this child; she was much more composed than he had anticipated.

While packing, Yaya gathered her mother's belongings into bundles, while she herself had very little. Once everything was sorted, Ye Wen led the child out. On the way, Yaya spotted a steamed bun discarded on the ground. After a moment’s thought, she picked it up, carefully wrapped it in a piece of cloth, and placed it inside her small bundle.

Ye Wen didn't understand her reason for doing this, but he didn't ask, simply standing quietly by and watching. Once Yaya finished everything, she walked over to him and asked, "Are we going to Shushan County?"

Ye Wen didn't answer; he was actually contemplating that very question. He couldn't possibly take the child all the way south with them.

This question was answered for him by Yue Hang after they returned to the inn.

Upon learning about Yaya's situation, Yue Hang sighed, unsure what to say. He looked at the small child sitting quietly, drinking water, and offered his suggestion: "If Sect Leader Ye trusts me, I can have one of my men escort this child back to Shushan, or straight to your sect's gates, or she can even stay temporarily at my Yueshan Escort Agency for now. Any option is acceptable."

Ye Wen nodded, making his decision immediately: "In that case, I must trouble Chief Escort Yue. Please send her directly to our mountain gate. Her relative is there, which would be best."

Yue Hang nodded. "Indeed."

Ye Wen immediately wrote a letter as proof. Yue Hang then called over a trusted subordinate and instructed him to take the child back to Shushan, ensuring she was delivered safely to the Shushan Sect gate.

Ye Wen gave instructions: "My junior sister is on the mountain right now. You can hand this letter to her then." He said nothing more unnecessary, handing the letter directly to the burly man.

The man was straightforward, cupping his fist: "Sect Leader Ye, rest assured. I guarantee I will not fail this trust." Then, the robust man took the very thin, little child and set off. However, as they departed, Yaya's eyes, which seemed to hold the shadow of being abandoned once more, troubled Ye Wen for quite a while.

Finally, Liu Qingfeng, True Man Liu, came over to comfort him: "This is ultimately better for her. We can't have a child suffering alongside a group of us men, traveling south through wind and exposure."

It seemed this matter was concluded. If it ended just like this, perhaps it would have been for the best.

After resting for two days, the southward traveling party was ready to depart again. They had lingered here for a few days because the next stretch of road was likely to involve frequent outdoor camping, but now that preparations were complete, there was no reason to delay further.

But precisely the night before, after everyone had eaten their fill, Ye Wen sat alone in the front hall drinking to pass the time, when he overheard a piece of news that greatly concerned him.

He was sitting tucked away in a corner, a few tables away from two men. They looked like local ruffians, perhaps having acquired some money somewhere, and were now enjoying some drinks and revelry.

Perhaps because the group was smaller and the alcohol flowed more freely, the two men spoke with a surprising lack of restraint, discussing many things they normally wouldn't dare utter.

Normally, it wouldn't have mattered, but today, Ye Wen happened to overhear them.

"What were you two just saying about that man surnamed Zhou in the east of the city?"

The conversation between the two men wasn't his business, but as they spoke, they suddenly mentioned a man surnamed Zhou in the east of the city who had been swindled out of a large sum of silver by Wang Mazi's gang. Then, Wang Mazi had deliberately lent the Zhou man money, only to set up a scheme later to force the Zhou man to flee.

Ye Wen, drinking alone initially, paid little mind, but moments later, he connected those words with the family of Yaya, whom he had just sent away. It sounded exactly like what happened to Yaya’s family.

"If what those two say is true, then that Zhou fellow was conspired against and tricked out of his entire fortune?" Hearing this, he could no longer sit still. He walked over to the two men and directly questioned them: "What did you two just say about the Zhou family in the east of the city?"

The two men were happily chattering away, even remarking on how ruthless Wang Mazi was—not only tricking the man out of his wealth and forcing him to run, but also not sparing the orphaned wife and child, harassing them daily for the debt. They heard the wife was near death from illness at home.

Just as they were saying this, Ye Wen spoke up. At this moment, even without Ye Wen asking, he knew these men were discussing the Zhou family he knew, the family whose wife he had personally paid to have buried.

One of the men was grinning about how vicious Wang Mazi was when he was suddenly interrupted by another voice. He glanced over, saw a slender, scholarly-looking young man, and cursed, "Which blind dog is this? What business is it of yours to butt in?"

The man immediately cursed Ye Wen. Ye Wen’s rage flared. The residual anger stirred by the tragic plight of the Zhou mother and son over the past two days surged straight to his head. He slapped out a hand, delivering a resounding blow that left the man spitting blood and losing several teeth: "Can you speak like a human? Do you need me to teach you?"

Ye Wen hated his foul language, and his own resentment fueled the blow, which carried internal energy. The thug saw stars and took a long time to recover.

The other man, perhaps intoxicated, only reacted when he saw his companion struck and bleeding profusely. He stood up and spat out, "You damned whelp, you're courting death!"

Unexpectedly, Ye Wen didn't even look at him, simply returning with a backhand strike that nearly sent the man flying. He crashed to the ground and lay there groaning for a long time without rising.

At this point, the two thugs finally understood the situation. The cheap liquor they had consumed was instantly sobered by Ye Wen's actions. Moreover, judging by the force of Ye Wen's second blow, which nearly sent a grown man airborne, the power behind it was certainly not small.

The first thug who was hit regained his senses, then saw the long sword Ye Wen held in his hand, and immediately flinched, realizing he might have offended someone he shouldn't have.

These types of thugs operated on instinct: if they perceived softness and weakness, they would readily pile on insults and abuse until they were satisfied. But if they encountered something hard, their skills in groveling, begging, and kneeling in supplication were second to none. Thus, after Ye Wen struck them twice and they understood that although this person looked gentle, he was not someone they could afford to cross, they immediately put on fawning smiles: "We were blinded by drink, good sir, please forgive our offense, forgive us."

Ye Wen didn't bother with petty retribution. A couple of insults warranted a minor punishment to make them understand the situation, and that was enough. He then asked again: "Tell me more about the matter of the Zhou family in the east of the city you were discussing earlier."

"Yes, yes, please, good sir, sit down, I will tell you in detail," the thug said with a subservient smile, offering Ye Wen a seat. He glanced at his companion still moaning on the ground and thought he wasn't too unlucky; his friend was far worse off.

The thug then detailed how the Zhou family man in the east of the city was tricked by Wang Er Mazi's gang into going out gambling, how they set a trap to drain him of all his business assets and savings, and how they even forced him to take out numerous debts. Furthermore, they heard Wang Er Mazi forced the Zhou man to place his handprint on a contract, although the Zhou man, driven to desperation, steadfastly refused to sign it.

"But I heard Wang Er Mazi is quite capable; he somehow managed to get the Zhou man to put his handprint on that contract."

"What contract?" Ye Wen asked casually. Upon hearing this, the thug’s expression became very strange, and he hesitated for a long moment without speaking.

It turned out that although the thug lacked skill, he was quite adept at reading expressions. While speaking, he had been covertly observing; when he mentioned how Wang Er Mazi tricked the Zhou family, this master’s face showed only anger, clearly indicating some connection to the Zhou family. Therefore, when discussing the contract, he wasn't sure whether he should speak or not.

Seeing the thug’s continued silence, Ye Wen grew impatient and snapped, "What contract is it?"

"A contract to sell his wife and daughter," the thug blurted out in fright, immediately regretting it, thinking, I hope this good sir doesn't take me as a punching bag.

Hearing this, Ye Wen was enraged. The hand he had been resting on the table slammed down fiercely, and he was about to roar in fury, but before he could open his mouth, a sharp shout erupted from nearby: "This is utterly outrageous!"

P.S.: Ah~ Will the debt have to be paid tomorrow?