Chapter 2427: The Family's Resources Drained Dry

Like Zhu Xiuer, the eyeball spider couldn't see the red monster, so it found Shangguan Biao's behavior very strange.

Shangguan Biao ran faster and more urgently; from his expression, it seemed he was about to be chased away, so he turned his steps and rushed into a broken firewood shed by the road.

The door of this firewood shed couldn't close tightly; Shangguan Biao rushed in, pressed his back hard against the door panel, and panted for a long while.

He Lingchuan guessed that the red monster was speaking to him again, Shangguan Biao's cheeks were clenched tight, and he was drenched in sweat.

Only after a short while did he open the door and walk out, estimating that the red monster had left once again.

This time, Shangguan Biao's steps were very heavy.

He Lingchuan said: "We should withdraw too."

The master of the house is about to return, so it's not proper for us to linger any longer.

But before the three had even left the small wooden hut, the eyeball spider on Shangguan Biao's shoulder spotted a slender figure darting out from the roadside, and heard a clear female voice: "Hey, Shangguan Biao!"

Shangguan Biao stopped abruptly.

Standing before him was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, with almond eyes and a jade-like nose, her skin white with a hint of red, like a red apple just fished from the water.

When she smiled, a small dimple appeared on her left cheek, lifting the mood of anyone who saw it.

Shangguan Biao also unconsciously followed her smile: "Xiao Ying, how did you come here?"

"I brought you something." Xiao Ying stared at the wound on his head and exclaimed, "What happened to your head? Why are you bleeding so much?!"

Shangguan Biao had bumped his head in the passage; to stay alive, he hadn't cleaned the blood or applied medicine.

"I went to clean out the lair of the Earth Mother, but ended up encountering a landslide." Seeing Xiao Ying about to bandage and medicate him, Shangguan Biao waved his hands repeatedly: "No need, the bleeding has already stopped, it just looks frightening. I have good medicine there, I don't need you to do anything."

Xiao Ying tried to reach out several times, but each time he pressed her hand down, until she finally believed he truly didn't need help, and then gave him a strange look: "I originally wanted to go to your house, but the terrain of Duzhi Mountain is too awful—I can't figure out how to get there no matter how I walk."

"Not going back yet. It's getting dark soon, and there are more idle people around Huaiwu." Shangguan Biao looked up at the sky: "Let's go to the Danxiang Pavilion and sit for a while; it's usually quiet there."

The little girl had no objections.

On the mountainside lies a large stone, like an eagle spreading its wings; the Danxiang Pavilion is located at the eagle's head. Sitting here, one can hear the gentle flow of the stream and see the golden-red autumn mountains.

Xiao Ying walked here and unconsciously took a deep breath of the fresh air: "The great sects really are different—the spiritual energy here is much richer than in my Yuan'an Sect. Cultivating here for one year could match several years back there."

Shangguan Biao smiled: "If you like it, you can stay here a few more days."

Seeing Xiao Ying, his gaze softened, his expression relaxed, and the previous gloom was swept away completely.

But Xiao Ying smiled: "That latter part of what you just said—someone already said it to me earlier."

"Who?"

"Maybe one of your senior brothers? He seems to be surnamed Xu. When I was coming up the mountain earlier, I asked him for directions, and he actually knew who I was and remembered I'd been here twice!" Xiao Ying blinked: "He gave me directions and chatted with me for a few sentences."

"Senior Brother Xu?" Shangguan Biao's face changed, he looked a bit tense: "What did he say to you?"

"He said the work on Duzhi Mountain is very arduous, but you are diligent and hardworking, and Senior Uncle Li has noticed. Heaven rewards diligence—you are more hardworking than others, so you will surely turn your luck around." Xiao Ying recalled: "Saying that made me very happy! Then he also told me that Duzhi Mountain has many outsiders, so I can stay here a few more days, and the sect is very welcoming."

She paused: "His attitude was very good, not like those fellow disciples you usually talk about."

What could Shangguan Biao say? He fell silent for a moment, then said: "The last time you left, Senior Brother Xu still asked about you. But whenever you see this person in the future, it's best to keep your distance."

"Ah, is this person really that bad?"

"I haven't told you yet—this world is full of people who hide knives behind smiles, even close relatives can betray you."

"Is the one surnamed Xu that kind of person? Alright, I'll avoid him in the future." Xiao Ying added casually: "By the way, this is the material your father entrusted me to bring to your door."

She took off a ring from her left hand and handed it to Shangguan Biao.

He took it, stared at it for a few moments: "For your father to gather this much money and these materials now—it must not be easy, right?"

"Indeed, the Shangguan family is not what it used to be. Your father sold the last few shops on Salt Street, and I heard he even sold several ancestral secret recipes of the Shangguan family."

For generations, the Shangguan family have been medicine merchants, holding some powerful secret formulas—those are golden geese laying eggs. Now the Shangguan family has sold those golden geese outright to others, showing how desperate they are for money.

Shangguan Biao's Adam's apple moved as he swallowed a mouthful of bitter water.

"This ring contains a rare five-hundred-year-old Longzong herb. Your father had people wait through more than ten sales events to buy this single stalk, and it's quite expensive." Xiao Ying asked softly: "Exactly who needs this? The person demanding these herbs is truly shameless."

"Who else?" Shangguan Biao clenched the ring tightly in his palm.

"Your Senior Uncle Li?" Xiao Ying pouted her red lips: "He asks for this and that every few days, quickly draining your family's savings, and still hasn't gotten your matter settled? Isn't it said he could help you regain your original status?"

Hearing this, He Lingchuan and the others felt a stir in their hearts.

So it turns out. Shangguan Biao has already realized that to survive and stand out in Fengfeng Valley, relying on outside help is necessary, and navigating human relations and worldly affairs is unavoidable.

So he went to Li Yun to seek a solution.

What status does Li Yun hold in Fengfeng Valley? People like him naturally have high standards—can you even produce that bit of money?

To get Li Yun to help you return, wouldn't you have to pay a corresponding price?

After being demoted to Duzhi Mountain, Shangguan Biao's family was also anxious; whatever Li Yun wanted, they tried every way to raise it. That's because he is the overseer of the Xian Sect of Su City, and his son is in their hands—what they demand, they dare not refuse. But Li Yun asked again and again, three or four times, then five or six times, then seven or eight times; eventually he stopped pretending, simply made a list and gave it to the Shangguan family, telling them to prepare according to the materials list.

Even the most affluent family cannot withstand such draining by an immortal. So Li Yun kept taking and taking, and soon had nearly emptied the Shangguan family's resources.

This sheep is too thin—it can't withstand being sheared.

But Shangguan Biao is still in Duzhi Mountain, still doing menial labor, still hasn't returned to his original status. He doesn't even dare hope to advance another level; he only wishes to leave Duzhi Mountain and return to the status of an inner disciple. To Li Yun, this seems like a trivial matter, yet it has dragged on for so long without resolution.

The eyeball spider noticed that Shangguan Biao's cheeks were clenched, but he still said: "Actually, there have been several occasions when progress was made, but each time it fell just short, so nothing came of it. Two months ago, Senior Uncle Li should have transferred me away, but Duzhi Mountain received a new task for cultivating spiritual medicines, I grew them well, so I was— I was temporarily retained, not allowed to transfer. Senior Uncle Li just said, wait a bit more, after these two months there will still be a chance."