Chapter Eighteen: The Benevolent Children's House

Traveling by himself, he continued onward until he reached a place that was somewhat cleaner. Here stood an orphanage called “Mercy Children’s House.” There were a dozen such orphanages scattered across Wangjing City, all funded by Princess Seven of Da Dong. At the time of their founding, her charitable act garnered unanimous praise throughout the nation.

Yet, as public sentiment faded, Princess Seven’s support for these orphanages gradually dwindled, and many have since closed their doors. Only a handful still struggle on, including the one here on Rag Alley.

As he approached Mercy Children’s House, he caught sight of Qiu Shilu, though she was accompanied by five strangers in gray coats.

“They’re officials!” Liang Zhi quickly ducked behind a tree.

Lord Crow asked curiously, “How can you tell?”

Liang Zhi sneered, “After you’ve stolen nearly a hundred times, you develop this sort of intuition.”

...

“I don’t know that person. Everything I know is already in the newspapers,” Qiu Shilu said helplessly to Pan Tu and his four companions. This was their third visit.

“Instead of chasing after that ‘Night Crow,’ why not deal with what I reported? The cyborgs, Peach Blossom Spring—those are far more important.”

Pan Tu was silent. He, too, wished he could investigate Peach Blossom Spring, but as soon as he submitted a request, it was immediately rejected. Their Trace Eradication Bureau seemed powerful, but its authority was limited to “traitors” and certain criminal ability-users. Anything else required higher approval.

He glanced back at the fifth member of their group, cloaked and silent, and shook his head inwardly. With him around, even private investigations were impossible.

“We may return to you again. If you get any news about the Night Crow, please reach out to us promptly,” Pan Tu said, bowing slightly to Qiu Shilu before leaving with his subordinates.

Qiu Shilu watched their backs, shaking her head in resignation. The matter of the cyborgs was far more complicated than she had imagined.

She had first tried to expose the truth about Peach Blossom Spring, but after submitting her draft, she was dismissed from the News Bureau and transferred to the East City Life News. Her report had to be rewritten in the style of a novel before it was allowed to be published.

Later, people from the Trace Eradication Bureau came to find her. She had believed an organization like theirs would be able to handle the Peach Blossom Spring incident, but ultimately, nothing came of it.

...

After Pan Tu and his group departed, Qiu Shilu resumed her tasks. The interview had long since ended; she stayed only to help Mercy Children’s House with some chores.

With her was a man dressed in white, cultured in manner, strikingly handsome from any angle.

Liang Zhi lingered hesitantly at the door.

For reasons unknown, seeing this man made him uncomfortable, unwilling to approach. It wasn’t fear—it was pure dislike, for no reason at all.

“You there, brother, you’ve been behind that tree for quite some time. Why not come in and sit?” The man beckoned in Liang Zhi’s direction.

Reluctantly, Liang Zhi stepped out from behind the tree. Qiu Shilu gasped in surprise upon seeing him, “It’s you!”

Though Liang Zhi’s appearance had changed somewhat since before, Qiu Shilu recognized him instantly.

Liang Zhi pulled Qiu Shilu into a corner of the orphanage. “I saved your life, didn’t I? Otherwise, you’d have been sold off by that guy.”

Qiu Shilu raised an eyebrow, ready to argue.

Liang Zhi quickly changed tack. “At least we’re comrades now, aren’t we? Do me a favor—publish another article, criticize me mercilessly, curse me, the harsher the better.”

“No, that goes against my principles!”

Liang Zhi grew anxious. “My feud with Wu Zinan is personal. If you write me up so positively, that’s false reporting. I’m a villain with a sterling reputation—how am I supposed to mingle in the circles now?”

“I won’t make things up,” Qiu Shilu refused flatly. “I speak with facts. That’s my bottom line as a journalist.”

Liang Zhi covered his forehead, knowing the negotiation was doomed. He, too, had once been as full of passion as Qiu Shilu.

To persuade someone like her, one had to present another version of “facts.” “To tell the truth, whether it was risking my life in Peach Blossom Spring or rescuing those children—it wasn’t really my intent. I’m worse than Wu Zinan.”

Qiu Shilu smiled gently, pushing Liang Zhi’s shoulder toward seven children playing in the sand. As soon as they saw Liang Zhi, their faces lit up with joy and they rushed to his side.

It turned out the children Liang Zhi had rescued were from this very orphanage.

One slightly older girl pulled a piece of candy from her pocket and handed it to Liang Zhi. “Thank you, uncle, for saving us. Here, have some candy.”

“Sorry, uncle. Last time we saw you, we cried because we were frightened. The master brother has already taught us,” another child said, clutching Liang Zhi’s trouser leg.

Master brother?

Liang Zhi’s lip curled. Why call that guy “brother” and him “uncle”?

Qiu Shilu stood behind Liang Zhi and whispered into his ear, “Repeat what you just said to me, tell them you don’t care at all whether they lived or died, that saving them was just an accident, that you like hurting them like Wu Zinan does...”

Liang Zhi stayed silent.

“If you can’t say it, then my report wasn’t wrong,” Qiu Shilu said cheerfully, picking up a rag to continue cleaning the windows.

Liang Zhi covered his face. “Ah, so this is karma, the heavens spare no one. Now I’m the one being bound by moral judgment.”

Their conversation ended, and the white-robed master greeted Liang Zhi warmly. “So you’re the one who saved my children. Stay for dinner tonight. Reporter Qiu, you shouldn’t leave either—play with the children a bit longer.”

Liang Zhi felt goosebumps rise, but unable to refuse, he inexplicably stayed, playing childish games with the group.

Of course, it helped that he didn’t actually dislike it; otherwise, he would have insisted on leaving.

Lord Crow perched in the branches, mocking him, until Liang Zhi caught him and turned him into a toy for the children. With this distraction, their attention shifted quickly, and Liang Zhi felt much more at ease.

Mischievous children can be troublesome, but playing with them now and then cleanses the soul—especially for someone like Liang Zhi, forced into wrongdoing.

As he chatted with the children, Liang Zhi learned more about Mercy Children’s House.

Due to funding shortages, the orphanage on Rag Alley had been preparing to close over a month ago, but at that very moment, the white-robed man, Xie Zhi Tu, took it over.

In just a month, the environment improved drastically. Many introverted children became cheerful under Xie Zhi Tu’s guidance.

Xie Zhi Tu often led the children to clean the streets nearby, so the area around the orphanage became the cleanest in Rag Alley.

Neighbors in need of help rarely faced refusal from Xie Zhi Tu. Sometimes he even took the initiative to help those in difficulty. He was, in every sense, a paragon of virtue.

Yet, as he listened to the children praise Xie Zhi Tu, Liang Zhi couldn’t help but feel a certain discomfort.