Chapter 211: Jiang Ye: Let Old Man Help You Solve This Not-So-Troublesome Trouble!

"Unfair?!"

Su Yan couldn't help but let out a bitter, angry laugh.

She never imagined these three Golden Core cultivators would dare compare her to Liu Liu Qingshi.

Not to mention the master-disciple bond between her and Liu Liu Qingshi.

Simply the fact that when the Su family first arrived in Fucheng and struggled to survive, Liu Liu Qingshi, still wounded and not fully healed, tirelessly ran errands to protect their trade caravans—this debt of gratitude far outweighed any profit from the trade route.

How dare these three even compare themselves to Liu Liu Qingshi???

Su Yan's icy gaze swept over Zhang Cheng, then landed on the other two cultivators, her voice cold:

"Zhou Offering, Wang Offering, is this also your view?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qiang and Wang Qi exchanged a glance, both showing hesitation.

They were both at the early stage of Golden Core.

The compensation Su Yan offered them was already generous.

Had it not been for Zhang Cheng's constant goading, they never would have dared come here demanding a share of the trade profits.

Seeing Su Yan's firm tone, both knew...

If they pushed further, they'd completely burn their bridges.

"Zhou brother, Wang brother, are three of us Golden Core cultivators really inferior to a Qi Refinement Liu Liu Qingshi?!"

Zhang Cheng suddenly spoke, giving the two a meaningful glance.

Zhou Qiang and Wang Qi took a deep breath—how could they let this fortune slip away now...

Besides, before coming, they'd already prepared for the worst, even lined up their next employers.

Golden Core cultivators like them had no shortage of opportunities in Fucheng.

They could be honored guests anywhere.

"Young Lady Su..."

The two were about to speak.

Su Yan cut them off coldly before they could:

"Liu Offering's treatment is none of your concern."

"Since the three of you insist on making outrageous demands, I'm afraid the Su family cannot meet them!"

"Please find other employment."

Since taking over the Su family's trade affairs, she had long shed her naivety and handled such situations with growing decisiveness.

Although the Su family indeed needed Golden Core cultivators to hold their ground now,

these three's appetites kept growing—endless concessions would only breed a tiger that would turn on them.

Cutting ties now would minimize losses.

Her face remained cold and hard, but inside she sighed quietly...

Though the Su family had grown rapidly lately, its foundation was still too shallow; once a Golden Core cultivator turned treacherous, this exact situation would arise.

The three offerings' expressions shifted slightly.

Yet Zhang Cheng, their leader, seemed to have anticipated this—he slowly retracted his smile, his tone calm yet each word dripping with chill:

"Young Lady Su, no wonder you're the Su family's leader—truly impressive."

"For Golden Core cultivators like us, you summon us when needed and dismiss us at will..."

"What great authority!"

Su Yan's expression didn't change; she replied coldly: "These words humiliate this humble girl. It's just that the Su family's temple is too small to house three great Buddhas!"

Zhang Cheng's lips twisted in a hollow smile:

"Very well, since Young Lady Su insists on driving us away..."

"We won't force our stay."

"But if you pay us the thirty thousand taels you promised, we'll leave immediately."

Su Yan frowned, sneering:

"You made outrageous demands, broke the agreement first, and now you want payment?!"

"Do you think the Su family runs a charity hall?!"

Zhang Cheng's smile vanished completely; his voice turned dark and slow: "Young Lady Su, if you refuse to pay, this matter won't end here..."

Su Yan's bright eyes blazed with fury: "You dare threaten me?!"

At that moment,

hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

The Su family's steward nearly ran into the reception hall, breathless and trembling with excitement:

"Young Lady! The Jiang Elder of Tianqing Sect... has come to visit..."

At these words, the entire hall's atmosphere shifted instantly.

"The Jiang Elder has come?!"

Su Yan's bright eyes widened sharply, her gentle face flickering with disbelief.

Zhang Cheng and the other two froze, expressions locked in shock.

The Jiang Elder of Tianqing Sect?!

Is this real?

They'd vaguely heard Su Yan had visited the Jiang Elder and offered gifts.

But they'd never taken it seriously.

Who was the Jiang Elder of Tianqing Sect...?

He had stormed into Feng's town and killed "Mount Crushing Hand" Zhang Kui; crushed Zhao Jing, the master of Hou Tu Peak, in the training grounds.

Just days ago, he teamed up with Liu Liu Qingyu, the master of Xuan Shui Peak, to slay several Gangqi-stage demons during a Qisha Sect ambush.

Every prominent family in Fucheng wanted to curry favor with him.

The Su family was merely a newly arrived upstart from Anxi County—how could they possibly have any connection to such a towering figure...?

In their eyes, it was just a rumor Su Yan invented to puff up her own status.

"Y... Young Lady Su..."

"Th... this..."

Zhou Qiang and Wang Qi's bodies began trembling uncontrollably.

Beside them, Zhang Cheng sneered and barked:

"What are you two panicking for? Don't be fooled by her!"

"What are the odds? The Jiang Elder of Tianqing Sect just happens to visit now? That's obviously fake!"

He wore a smug, knowing smirk, glancing at Su Yan with condescension:

"Young Lady Su, your trick is crude. You're still too young to play games with old man me..."

Before he finished speaking,

a frail old man in plain gray robes, his posture as straight as a spear, walked slowly into the hall, escorted respectfully by Su family guards.

His aged, indifferent face, his thin yet upright frame—exactly matched the legendary figure from Fucheng rumors who had crushed Zhang Kui with one palm and knocked out Zhao Jing.

"Jiang Elder!!!"

The instant she saw him, Su Yan's eyes blazed with brilliant light.

She never expected this acting peak master of Tianqing Sect would actually come to the Su family.

In this moment, all her coldness and exhaustion melted into indescribable emotion.

She forgot the three offerings still standing in the hall, stepping forward quickly, her skirt fluttering behind her, her voice trembling with suppressed excitement.

Meanwhile, the three men in the hall felt the sky had collapsed...

This Jiang Elder of Tianqing Sect was famed throughout Yunling Prefecture.

Though they'd never seen him in person, they'd seen his aged, impassive face in portraits around Fucheng.

"Gulp..."

Zhang Cheng's smirk froze; his throat convulsed as he swallowed hard.

His earlier smug confidence vanished entirely; his body shook worse than Zhou Qiang and Wang Qi beside him.

Jiang Ye looked at Su Yan approaching him and smiled faintly:

"Young Lady Su, I happened to be passing by today, so I dropped in."

As he spoke, his gaze casually swept over the three pale-faced Golden Core cultivators, his tone casual:

"Didn't interrupt your business, did I?"

Su Yan shook her head quickly, voice brimming with emotion:

"No, no! Jiang Elder's visit is a great honor to the Su family."

"They're just a minor trouble..."

She said it was nothing, but the bright glint in her eyes held a faint shimmer of grievance—exactly caught by Jiang Ye.

"Oh? They're a trouble?"

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly with quiet thoughtfulness:

"After all, I accepted a True Yang Ginseng from you."

"Let old man help you resolve this not-so-troublesome trouble."