"Can you stop giving me nicknames?" the boy said, stepping forward and looking up at the man in green. "You don't need to know what we're called. Just know that I'm a pitiful child, and he's..." He glanced at the young man, "...a useless youngster. So, before you cross this path, you have to pay up." He held out his small hand.
The man in green watched the boy with amusement, smiled, and then looked at the young man. "You say he's your brother, but I feel like he's more like your elder brother."
The young man rolled his eyes and said, "You could say that."
"Brother, crouch down a bit," the boy beckoned to the young man.
The young man took a deep breath and squatted down with a grin.
The man in green looked down at the young man and also crouched. "Little brother, you hold them for me, and I'll give you silver. But first, you have to hold them. If you can't, the responsibility is yours, and you'll have to pay the money too."
"I'm still a child," the boy said.
The man in green glanced at the boy's brown cloth tunic and said, "If you can rob people in a place like this, it means you're from here. Of course, if you're just an ordinary person, then you'll have to bear ordinary responsibilities."
Hearing the man in green's words, the boy felt a surge of displeasure. "Give it to me," he extended his hand.
The young man looked at the boy's small hand and asked, "Can you handle it?"
"I can," the boy stated firmly.
The man in green smiled. "Here you go." He then slowly unwound the silver rope from his hand.
Behind them, the monsters watched the man in green's actions, each preparing to flee.
"This kid looks useless."
"With his skinny arms and legs, he thinks he can hold us? What a dream."
"Exactly. Look at his imbecile of a brother, acting so weirdly. He doesn't look like any use at all."
"Right."
The young man heard the monsters' dismissive remarks about him and the boy and scoffed.
The man in green cast a glance at the young man and handed the rope to the boy.
The boy looked up at the monsters, a cold sneer on his face. "Heh, don't look down on people." With that, he took the rope and pulled sharply. The monsters lurched forward, each taking a step.
"What's going on?" the first leopard-patterned monster exclaimed, looking at the boy in surprise.
The boy waved to the man in green. "Step aside."
The man in green smiled faintly, stood up, and obligingly moved aside.
"Don't ever underestimate a cultivator child, you ugly monsters," the boy said, looking up. He glanced at their expressions and suddenly burst into laughter. "Wow, I've never actually captured monsters who've committed so much evil. This really is a magical place."
Hearing the boy's words, the young man stood up and looked at the monsters who hadn't taken him seriously earlier, exclaiming in astonishment, "These are all monsters who carry sins on their backs. I've never really seen them before. How amazing."
"Who exactly are you two?" the man in green asked them.
They exchanged a look. The boy said, "You don't need to know who we are. You should be busy finding the silver, that's what you should be doing."
"Boy, asking people for silver like this isn't a good habit," the man in green said in a lecturing tone.
"I think so too," the young man mumbled.
Hearing this, the boy looked up at the young man and said, "It's all because of your one useless remark that I'm out of a job."
The young man lowered his head.
The man in green glanced at the young man and asked, "Are you Yincha here?"
"Something like that," the young man replied.
"If that's the case, I'll give these guys to you for free," the man in green said, looking down at the boy. "Take them back and turn them in, and they'll give you silver. Then, you can teach your brother some manners."
"I don't need you to manage my affairs," the boy said rudely.
"I'm not managing you," the man in green replied, patting the boy's head.
The boy looked unhappy.
Seeing the boy's expression, the monsters also dared not make a sound.
"Alright, I'm leaving," the man in green said, turning his back.
However, the moment the man in green turned, the young man's expression suddenly changed. "You can't leave."
Hearing this, the man in green, confused, turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Instead of answering, the young man reached out and touched the man in green's chest.
"What are you doing?" The man in green was startled and quickly pulled the young man's hand away.
The young man's eyes widened. "It's this temperature."
"A willow vine spirit," the boy exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes," the young man nodded, looking directly into the man in green's eyes, and asked, "Do you have a chain inside you?"
"Yes, I picked up a chain." As he spoke, the man in green took out the chain from his chest.
Following that, both the young man and the boy looked at the chain in the man in green's hand in surprise, and frowned.
"Is this it?" the young man asked, looking down at the boy.
The boy looked up at the chain for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
Hearing the boy's reply, the man in green couldn't help but laugh. "You two really are so jumpy." He then loosened his grip.
"Idiot."
At the sound, the man in green looked down at the chain. A dark green misty glow emanated from around it.
Seeing this, the boy quickly shouted, "Throw it away!"
The man in green, momentarily stunned by the boy's shout, unthinkingly tossed the chain away. Instantly, the chain transformed into a dark green mist and disappeared into the fog.
The monsters looked at the disappearing chain in terror. The second leopard-patterned monster exclaimed, "That's... a willow vine spirit."
"Why didn't you notice it earlier?" the young man asked, looking down at the boy.
The boy said with an unnatural expression, "From my angle, he didn't look like that."
"You..."
"Didn't you see it?" the man in green interrupted.
The young man looked at the man in green, his eyes darkening. "I didn't look closely last time. Even if I had, I forgot. I thought he remembered, but he's just like me, it seems."
"Blame me, then," the boy said dismissively.
"Never, never," the young man shook his head.
"Alright, we made another mistake," the boy said, his head drooping dejectedly.
"Willow vine spirit, I will definitely catch you," the young man clenched his fist.
"Before you catch them, why don't you send these guys back first and get some silver?" the man in green suggested.
"Okay," the young man nodded.
Following that, the first leopard-patterned monster said excitedly, "I can help you!"