Chapter 83: Why Don't You Go Ask Xiao Zhangqing?

"Aren't there still quite a few good things?"

"That's it for today. We'll be back next month. Hopefully by then we can have Spirit Stones ready, so you won't have to force us to act."

"A few debt collectors, carrying the valuables they had looted, swaggered away."

"Hu Youquan and Zhou Yun'e not only had their robes and artifacts taken, but their home was also ransacked, every drawer and cabinet searched."

"The entire cave dwelling looked as if it had endured a great battle—messy and chaotic."

"Hu Youquan slumped in the chair; though his heart ached with pain and humiliation, he felt a sigh of relief."

"At last he had sent those people away, so they wouldn't come back to chase debts—for now."

"As for next month…"

"Hu Youquan turned his head, his expression numb, his once beautiful cold‑proud face now only showing Zhou Yun'e's desperation; he quickly stood up and walked over, trying to hug her to comfort her."

"Zhou Yun'e reached out and pushed him away, saying coldly, 'Don't touch me!'"

"Her robe had been taken by the debt collectors, so she was now wearing a plain long dress."

"One of the reasons she left Xiao Zhangqing was to wear a Baibao Lou robe; later, after following Hu Youquan, she actually bought two Baibao Lou robes over the years."

"Now they're all gone again."

"Hu Youquan, seeing this, immediately apologized and slapped himself hard twice, 'Yun'e, I'm sorry, it's all my fault! I should have listened to you from the start, stopped in time, and not greedily borrowed Spirit Stones to buy a shop and a cave dwelling. If I had heeded your words, I wouldn't be in this situation today.'"

"Zhou Yun'e was unmoved by Hu Youquan's self‑inflicted punishment, only letting out a wry laugh, 'What's the point of saying this now? Haven't you always thought that me letting you use Spirit Stones for cultivation was harming you, that my selfishness was trying to take advantage?'"

"It was, after all!"

"Hu Youquan thought silently to himself."

"Although his current fate is miserably tragic, it doesn't deny that Zhou Yun'e had been selfish before, only wanting to spend his Spirit Stones."

"Of course, had he known today's outcome in advance, he would have let Zhou Yun'e take advantage, spending all his Spirit Stone reserves on her."

"No…"

"If Zhou Yun'e hadn't been so wasteful with Spirit Stones, with no restraint, I wouldn't have been so pained that I tried to find a place to invest, and this situation wouldn't have arisen! Hu Youquan's heart began to resent again."

"Some people are just like that—never admitting their own mistakes, always finding a way to shift the blame onto others."

"But Hu Youquan no longer dared to voice those thoughts."

"He still needed to coax Zhou Yun'e, still needed to rely on her to do certain things."

"\"Yun'e, you can scold me, you can hit me, I will never fight back! I know I'm wrong! I will definitely change in the future! \" Hu Youquan said humbly."

"When they were together before, although Zhou Yun'e was the one he pursued, as a local cultivator of Nanshan Fang he held the economic power, so he had always been in the dominant position."

"He was willing to coax Zhou Yun'e, would smile pleasantly, and try his best to agree to the conditions she put forward."

"But if he became displeased and didn't want to dote any more, the party that would yield in the end would always be Zhou Yun'e."

"This complete, utter humility was the first time for Hu Youquan."

"Unfortunately, Zhou Yun'e wasn't buying his act at all; instead she grew more sorrowful and irritable, saying coldly, 'Stop putting on a show for me. Think carefully about what to do next month! This time they looted everything, taking all the valuables. What if they come again next month? If you can't produce Spirit Stones, do you think they'll let you off easily?'"

"Hu Youquan, thinking of next month's predicament, showed a fearful expression and trembled, 'Then... what should we do?'"

"Zhou Yun'e frowned and said, 'It's simple. We have only one option now: sell all our cave dwelling and shop. Even if the price is low, we must let go! We can't just wait to die.'"

"'How can that work?!' Hu Youquan reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, leaping up, shaking his head repeatedly, and insisted, 'No, no. With prices this low, even if I sell everything, my years of savings would be gone and still not enough to repay the debt! I'd still be chased for payment! I want to keep the house. I believe Nanshan Fang will soon restore order and prosper again! Then I can make a comeback!'"

"\"Stop dreaming! \" Zhou Yun'e scolded coldly, 'Hu Youquan, what kind of spring‑autumn dream are you still having? Even if Nanshan Fang can fend off Evil Cultivator attacks and won't become the next Silver Leaf Peak, it is still on the border, at the core of the conflict between the Da Yu Cultivation World and the Demon Sect! In such a place, how could property prices ever rise?'"

"Hu Youquan felt deeply humiliated by the scolding, his ears turning red."

"If it had been before, he would have stood up and shouted back, telling Zhou Yun'e to get lost, and eventually she would have softened and apologized to him."

"Now…"

"\"Then, what do you suggest? If we sell, we still can't pay all the debts, \" Hu Youquan said resentfully."

"\"Even if we can't repay everything, at least only a small portion will remain. Then the debt collectors won't be as relentless as today; they'll give you time, letting you figure out how to earn Spirit Stones to repay. \" Though Zhou Yun'e was desperate inside, she thought clearly, her eyes flashing, \"Moreover, after we sell the cave dwelling and shop and obtain Spirit Stones, we don't necessarily have to use them to repay. Later, we could even try to slip away! Leave Nanshan Fang, find a new place and start over! \""

"\"Leave Nanshan Fang? \" Hu Youquan was taken aback."

"He had never considered that path."

"Because he was a native cultivator of Nanshan Fang, his family had been rooted there since his grandfather's generation."

"If not forced into a dead end, he would absolutely refuse to leave Nanshan Fang."

"But now, it is already a dead end."

"If we really could escape with a large sum of Spirit Stones, leaving Nanshan Fang, it's not unacceptable. Soon, Zhou Yun'e shifted tone again, saying, 'But I guess we can't escape. The people behind the Casual Loan have probably already placed eyes on you, especially after you start selling the cave dwelling and shop; there might even be cultivators in the Late Stage of Lian Qi watching you at any time. By the time you get the money, before you even warm it up, they'll be at your door.'"

"Just as hope had risen in his heart, Hu Youquan's spirit revived, but upon hearing that, his heart died again, and he asked, 'Then what exactly should we do?'"

"\"Of course we still have to sell! Not selling is a dead end; selling, even if we can't escape, at least our lives should be safe. Don't you know how to choose? \" Zhou Yun'e said without emotion."

"After hesitating for a while, Hu Youquan suddenly gritted his teeth and said, 'Actually, there's another option. If it succeeds, it could not only get us through the crisis but also catapult us to great success…'"

"Zhou Yun'e frowned, 'What fanciful dream are you dreaming up now?'"

"Hu Youquan shook his head, speaking earnestly yet timidly, 'As long as you, Yun'e… you are willing to ask Xiao Zhangqing, and he agrees to help us, just one sentence from him and all our crises would be resolved!'"

"Wow! Zhou Yun'e's eyes showed disbelief as she demanded, 'What did you say? Say it again?!'"

"Hu Youquan immediately stepped forward to embrace, but Zhou Yun'e pushed him away again."

"\"Yun'e, I truly have no other way. Go ask Xiao Zhangqing once; if he agrees to help, then you… you…\""

"Hu Youquan's face was also pained; Zhou Yun'e was his Dao Partner, and the thought of making her kneel and beg Xiao Zhangqing, humbling himself and being manipulated, filled him with deep humiliation."

"Back then, when he had taken love by force, who could have imagined today's predicament? He who insults others will always be humiliated."

"Hu Youquan endured the humiliation, gritting his teeth, 'In any case, there is a saying in the Mortal World: a day's marriage yields a hundred days of grace; perhaps Xiao Zhangqing still holds onto old feelings.'"

"\"What if he has no lingering feelings? \" Zhou Yun'e stared at him intently."

"Hu Youquan dared not meet his gaze, lowered his eyes, and whispered, 'Then let him make any request; you just comply. You've known him for so many years, you should know his preferences and be able to please him, right? As long as he can vent his anger, whatever revenge he wants, I will accept…'"

"Zhou Yun'e's eyes showed complete disappointment."

"Before, although she was desperate, regretful, and numb, she hadn't completely denied her past."

Now, she finally realizes that everything she has done was wrong.

At first, although she looked down on Xiao Zhangqing, he, no matter how bitter or difficult, never said that she should please other men! "Your acceptance is your business, but I do not accept!"

Zhou Yun'e's eyes shed two clear tears, and she turned and left.

She can regret, she can have a heart gnawed by countless ants, she can wake up at midnight countless times without knowing why…

But she cannot bring herself to kneel and beg Xiao Zhangqing for forgiveness.

Because she knows it's useless; it would only discard the last shred of her dignity for nothing.

……

……

Cave Residence Jia Yi.

Since moving in, Lin Ziyu has become busier each day.

Compared with the previous Cave Residence Yi Shi, besides the rise in spiritual vein level, the cave residence's area has also increased severalfold, enabling the planting of more spiritual plants and even the raising of a few low‑damage spiritual beasts used to lay spiritual eggs for eating; she can hardly handle them all by herself.

Lately she has begun to consider whether to discuss with her lord about hiring some servants to manage the cave residence, while she serves as steward.

After all, she also needs to spend time cultivating each day.

Moving into a cave residence with such a high spiritual vein level would be a waste if she didn't seize the time to cultivate! Moreover, Lin Ziyu reached the Fifth Layer of Lian Qi years ago, and lately she vaguely feels she is about to breakthrough to the Sixth Layer of Lian Qi.

After the Sixth Layer of Lian Qi comes the impact of the Late Stage of Lian Qi.

Although she does not think she can succeed in Foundation Establishment, crossing into the Late Stage of Lian Qi is still no problem.

Inside the spacious new studio.

On the desk in front of Xiao Zhangqing, there were as many as eleven Second‑rank lower‑grade Stabilizing Spirit Talismans.

As for the First‑rank upper‑grade Stabilizing Spirit Talismans and Demon‑breaking Talismans, they have already been piled into two thick stacks, each exceeding fifty pieces.

This is his result after more than a month.

The quantity of Second‑rank Talisman Scripts is not large, mainly because Nanshan Fang's Second‑rank Talisman Script materials are simply too scarce; Gong Wansheng is not very reliable, having promised to return and immediately have Luoxia Sect allocate Second‑rank Talisman Script materials for him, yet there has been no progress so far.

Fortunately, he is now regarded as Nanshan Fang's top master, with enough face, and he managed to have Lin Zixi collect a batch of materials.

"With so many Demon‑breaking Talismans and Stabilizing Spirit Talismans, even if that mysterious jade stone still retains some evil energy, it should be able to suppress it…"

"Then… let's give it a try and see if it gets recorded by the system!"

Xiao Zhangqing, filled with anticipation, used his magical power to transfer the mysterious jade stone out of his storage bag.

(End of Chapter)