[Chapter 31: Greetings Martial God]
Looking at the gold soul coins before them, Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao were stunned.
For a noble, this amount might not be significant, but for Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao, it was a considerable fortune.
One hundred gold soul coins!
"Master Yu Heng, this is an unearned reward. We cannot accept this money," Huo Yuhao said firmly, waving his hand.
Having just arrived in Liyue, receiving such sponsorship felt unexpected.
Was it solely because of his background?
"Yes, we just arrived in Liyue, and you're already offering this..." Tang Ya also hesitated, declining the offer.
Back at Shrek Academy, she had been admitted through the Tang Sect quota without even taking the entrance exam.
As for finances, she relied on working while studying, as Shrek Academy provided no direct support.
Now, Yu Heng was offering 100 gold soul coins right from the start.
Though not an extravagant sum, it carried an inexplicable sense of goodwill that left her uncertain.
Huo Yuhao was even more moved.
No one had ever shown him such direct and profound kindness, making it difficult for him to accept immediately.
"Please accept it, my friends. While I cannot assist you in your cultivation, I can offer some basic support for your daily lives. Focus on your training. If you can contribute to Liyue in the future, that will be the best reward for me," Yu Heng said, adjusting his glasses.
He added, "By the way, if you encounter any difficulties, you can also apply for subsidies. Liyue provides assistance based on your actual circumstances."
Hearing this, Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao grew even more bewildered.
Subsidies? They could apply for those?
Beibei, who had been listening, shuddered slightly and looked at Yu Heng in surprise.
He understood why Yu Heng had sponsored Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya but not him.
It was simple: his name, Beibei, was well-known in Shrek City.
Moreover, his martial soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, made him stand out.
Offering him subsidies would have seemed insincere, even hypocritical.
Instead, Yu Heng had chosen to help those in genuine need.
Subsidies for civilian soul masters? It felt like a distant concept.
Only because he was Mu En's great-great-grandson did he have some understanding of such a system.
Ten thousand years ago, civilian soul masters could register their identities with the Spirit Hall and receive monthly subsidies.
This practice had ended with the fall of the Spirit Hall Empire...
In Liyue, not only soul masters but also ordinary people could apply for subsidies, provided they met the necessary conditions.
"This Lord Martial God is either genuinely kind-hearted or has grand ambitions," Beibei thought, his pupils narrowing.
After a moment, he leaned more toward the former.
Based on what had happened at Shrek Academy, the Lord Martial God seemed to have a benevolent heart toward ordinary people, no, toward humanity as a whole.
If any other god had been provoked the way Xuanzi, Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, and others had provoked this one, Shrek would likely have faced annihilation.
But this god was different. Although he had destroyed Shrek Academy in his anger, he had only killed Xuanzi and the others, sparing any innocent lives.
"Alright, take your property certificates, identity documents, and gold soul coins, and you may leave. I still have a lot of paperwork to attend to," Yu Heng said, his tone calm but firm.
"Xiao He, take them to choose a place to live and register it on the property certificate."
The current property certificate was blank.
They needed to select a location, register it, and finally report it to Yu Heng.
"Understood, Master Yu Heng!" the staff member, Xiao He, responded promptly.
He then led the three dazed individuals out of the office.
"Here are your identity documents. Make sure to keep them safe," Xiao He said, handing over the IDs.
He then passed two cloth bags to Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya. "This is a small donation from Lord Yu Heng. You could also call it a businessman's investment. Please accept it."
Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao exchanged glances before finally accepting the gold soul coins.
"A businessman's investment?" Huo Yuhao muttered under his breath.
Despite knowing it was an "investment," they couldn't help but feel a strange warmth in their hearts.
Not long after, the three of them selected adjoining houses, and Xiao He left with the backup property certificate.
The trio sat in Tang Ya's yard, facing the sea, but the silence between them was heavy.
What they had witnessed and experienced that day had shattered their long-held perceptions, and they needed time to process it all.
Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence, startling them.
"What a shame, Zhongli, that you don't like seafood. Otherwise, we could have seafood dinners every day!"
"Few people enjoy eating sticky things, right?"
Two figures strolled along the beach, coming into view.
It was Zhongli and Paimon, seemingly engaged in a casual conversation.
"No, I always eat seafood when I'm with the Traveler! Grilled sea fish, giant octopus, sea shells..." Paimon rambled on, her voice filled with enthusiasm.
Zhongli's eyes twitched slightly, and he felt his stomach churn at the thought of those slimy, sticky delicacies.
"Paimon, if you like seafood, you can buy it with your own money," Zhongli said, waving a hand dismissively.
"But I refuse to eat such things."
He believed that what one chose to eat was a matter of personal freedom, and he had no right to interfere.
However, he drew the line at certain foods and would not touch them under any circumstances.
Suddenly, Zhongli seemed to sense something.
He frowned and turned slightly, his gaze shifting toward Huo Yuhao and the others.
"Really? Are you serious? Paimon can really have a seafood dinner?" Paimon exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked at Zhongli.
Seeing that Zhongli was looking in a particular direction and not responding to her, Paimon followed his gaze.
"Hey, aren't those the boy and girl we met in the Star Forest?" Paimon exclaimed, recognizing Huo Yuhao and the others.
At Zhongli's glance, Huo Yuhao and the other two were momentarily stunned.
Their minds went blank, and they struggled to find the right words to say.
This was especially true for Beibei and Tang Ya.
When they had first met Zhongli, they had assumed he was just an ordinary spirit master with no remarkable future, merely a title, not a profession.
They had never imagined that he was actually a god, and an incredibly powerful one at that!
Huo Yuhao, too, was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Under the astonished gazes of the three, Zhongli and Paimon stepped into the yard.
"My friends, it has been a while," Zhongli said with a gentle smile.
His tone was calm and carried no hint of condescension or arrogance.
It was simply a warm greeting, as if meeting an old acquaintance.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao and the others were momentarily taken aback.
They felt a mix of confusion and awe.
If they hadn't known Zhongli's true strength, calling them "friends" might have felt natural.
But now, knowing his divine status, his unchanged demeanor left them both humbled and uncertain.
They could no longer bring themselves to casually address him as "Brother Zhongli."
"Greetings, Lord Martial God!" The three of them quickly stood up, bowing slightly as they spoke in unison.