They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 7: A Gift of One Tael!

On a narrow path through the dense forest, Wu Cheng sat on a withered tree stump and asked Qingque, who stood upright before him holding an oil-paper umbrella, "Sister Qingque, do you have any honey water?"

Qingque turned and left, saying, "This servant will go and search for Your Highness."

"Wait!" Wu Cheng quickly called out to her.

Seeing the questioning look in her eyes, Wu Cheng sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's so hard to find someone who can pick up on a joke. By the way, Sister Qingque, what are we going to eat later?"

Qingque said, "Your Highness, we have finished all the dry rations. I will go and find some game and wild vegetables later."

"Couldn't we go to a nearby village or town to buy some food?"

All the money has been spent.

Wu Cheng asked curiously, "I'm not a extravagant person, so how come my money is going to disappear so quickly?"

"This servant didn't have much money on her to begin with, and Your Highness also gave the guards' silver to the innkeeper of Longmen Town."

Qingque remained expressionless. "And what happened a few days ago? Has Your Highness forgotten?"

Wu Cheng blinked. "What is it?"

"On the day he passed through Mianchi Town, a woman was selling herself to bury her father. His Highness gave her money, but was worried that a weak woman carrying gold in the bustling market would get into trouble, so he escorted her home."

Seeing the resentment in Qingque's eyes, Wu Chengqian smiled, "It's not like I've taken a liking to her. I'm just a little soft-hearted and can't stand seeing these things. If I hadn't seen it, it would have been fine, but now that I have, how can I ignore it?"

If you didn't have the ability in your past life, so be it. But doing this simple thing can make you feel good for a whole day, so why not?

Qingque looked at him and said, "This servant knows that the woman's appearance is just beginning to take on a human form, so Your Highness naturally doesn't like her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited for Your Highness to come and buy her. But why did Your Highness teach her two younger brothers martial arts? And why did you help her open a shop?"

Wu Cheng shrugged and explained, "As the saying goes, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' She was a weak woman with two younger brothers, and she didn't have much money. These half-grown boys would eat their fathers out of house and home. So I taught them some farming skills to protect the family business, and I also taught their sister how to open a steamed bun shop. That's how we achieve a perfect ending."

Qingque looked at him with her cool eyes, "How does Your Highness know how to knead dough for buns?"

Wu Cheng changed the subject without changing his expression, "I learned it in the palace when I was young. By the way, Sister Qingque, even if we gave some money to that woman who sold herself to bury her father and daughter, we shouldn't run out of money, right?"

Qingque looked at him calmly, "The other day when I passed through that village, they gave me some water to drink, and Your Highness gave them fifty taels of silver."

"We can't let good people bleed and weep," Wu Cheng chuckled. "The whole village can't even scrape together a few pairs of pants, yet they're still willing to give us water. I can't just watch them starve to death because of a bad harvest, can I?"

Qingque remained expressionless. "And there's that charcoal seller, that opera singer, that..."

"Alright, alright!" Wu Cheng interrupted her. "We're able-bodied; we won't starve even if we hunt some game in this forest. Money is just an external thing; once it's gone, it can come back."

Qingque tilted her head. "Where did Your Highness learn to compose poetry?"

Wu Cheng said with a serious face, "I learned it in the palace."

"These skills cannot be taught in the palace. It is Your Highness's exceptional talent that allows you to write such exquisite verses," Qingque said calmly. "Your Highness, please rest for a moment. I will be right back."

Seeing Qingque go out hunting with an oil-paper umbrella, Wu Cheng shrugged, then picked up some dry branches and started a fire.

"Such a good poem must have been written by Li Bai. Without Teacher Da D, I couldn't even write a doggerel."

Of course, it refers to the historical Li Bai.

Not long after, Qingque returned empty-handed.

Her cool face was expressionless, but a hint of confusion appeared in her clear black and white eyes.

Wu Cheng's face lit up with joy. "Wow! I never thought I'd actually succeed in cultivating immortality!"

Qingque tilted her head in confusion, "Your Highness?"

Could it be that His Highness sometimes has episodes of illness? Is he not completely pretending to be stupid?

Wu Cheng rubbed his stomach and chuckled mischievously, "Sister Qingque, I've discovered that I'm not hungry even when I don't eat. Doesn't that make me an immortal who can live on air and dew?"

Qingque pursed her lips and lowered her head, "This servant is incompetent."

"No, I was just joking." Wu Cheng sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

He only said that to comfort Qingque, who hadn't caught any prey, so how did it have the opposite effect?

"Sister Qingque, did you not find any living creatures?"

Qingque nodded in confusion, "Something's wrong with this forest. I've searched the area for miles around, but I haven't seen a single rabbit or pheasant, not even a snake, let alone any insects or ants. I haven't even heard any birdsong."

Wu Cheng's face lit up with joy again. "Great news! There must be houses nearby! And they're definitely not small!"

Qingque was taken aback.

"Think about it, it's not something that three or five hunters could do to clear this forest so clean. This means that there are not only people living nearby, but they must be quite large, maybe even a big estate."

Wu Cheng dropped the branch and stomped out the flames, then stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's go get a free meal!"

Qingque quickly caught up, "But Your Highness, we have no money left."

"It's alright, money isn't such an inconvenient thing," Wu Cheng said, brushing the grass clippings off his clothes with a pure smile. "As the saying goes, one shouldn't hold onto a good deal overnight."

"...Which one?"

"It's probably the one written by Zhuge Liang," Wu Cheng said, making things up as he walked.

After walking for about three or four miles, the woods gradually opened up, the terrain ahead gradually rose, and the view suddenly opened up before us.

In the distance, a fortified village sits atop a gentle slope.

The fortified village was surrounded by high walls on all four sides, with watchtowers and arrow slits on top. The main gate was a brick and stone gate tower that was two zhang high, and there were two corner towers that were three zhang high on either side. Each corner tower had a large red lantern with the character "寿" (longevity) hanging on it. Above the main gate was a stone plaque with the three large characters "沈家庄" (Shen Family Village).

Outside the fortified village, there were a dozen or so horse-drawn carriages and mule carts, along with dozens of horses. Many servants from the village were carrying goods, and there were also many martial arts practitioners carrying knives and swords, bowing and exchanging compliments while queuing up. It looked quite lively.

Wu Cheng stroked his chin. "This kind of setup doesn't seem like an ordinary estate. The visitors aren't here with good intentions..."

"Your Highness, we are the ones who have come." Qingque's gaze swept over the flags on the carriages, her eyes filled with doubt. "Golden Saber Sect, Iron Palm Gang, Wind and Thunder Hall, Yuxi Escort Agency... these are all second- or third-rate martial arts sects."

Wu Cheng laughed after hearing this, "Then it's nothing serious. Judging from the lanterns, it must be the manor lord's birthday celebration. But the fact that he can't invite any big sects to his birthday celebration means that this is just an ordinary manor. We can go and join in the fun, get a meal, rest for the night, and leave tomorrow."

Qingque nodded slightly.

There shouldn't be anything wrong. Before her rebirth, she wasn't very familiar with the young prince. She didn't go to the Wentian Sect with the prince that time. By the time she saw the prince again, it was already time for the prince to return to the capital. Therefore, she didn't have any impression of Shen Family Village.

In front of the gate tower of the fortified village, there was a long mahogany table. A middle-aged man who looked like a steward was writing down the guests' gifts, while two servants stood by with their hands at their sides.

Wu Cheng swaggered forward. The steward glanced at him and noticed his luxurious clothes, extraordinary demeanor, and the beautiful woman behind him. He became more cautious.

As Wu Cheng entered, he stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask your honorable name, young master? And which school of master are you a distinguished disciple of?"

Wu Cheng returned the greeting with a clasped hand, his expression unchanged. "My name is Mei Gensheng. I came to offer my congratulations upon hearing of Old Master Shen's birthday."

Qingque, who was standing half a step behind him, pursed her lips.

The butler thought for a moment but couldn't figure out who this Megan Sheng was.

"Mei Gensheng...may I ask which family's young master Mei you are?"

You don't know? That's good!

"Never heard of it?" Wu Cheng's attitude became even more relaxed upon hearing this. "Indeed, my Mei family has been away from the martial world for a long time. Please note, Steward, that Mei Gensheng's congratulatory gift is one thousand taels of silver."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and the butler almost dropped the calligraphy brush he was holding.