Chapter 2045: Feeling as if I'd suffered a loss, yet also feeling as if I'd gained

In the courtyard, a deathly silence fell; everyone stared at each other, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.

They had just finished listening to Ye Zhangqing's explanation, and their hearts were churning like stormy waves, unable to calm down for a long time.

It turned out that the Thieves' Sect, which had been running amok and committing crimes all over the Immortal Realm, was actually connected to Ye Zhangqing in countless ways.

What was even more shocking was that these members of the Thieves' Sect were actually elders who had come up from Xia Jie together with him.

According to Ye Zhangqing, these elders have now set up camp not far from here, within the Wuji Shanmai, and have established a sect called the Dao One Immortal Sect.

All of the many precious treasures that had been stolen earlier were used without exception to build this newly risen immortal sect.

Part of these treasures has already been put to use, exerting their unique effects; however, another part remains untouched, still lying quietly in the treasury of the Dao One Immortal Sect.

Regarding these unused treasures, Ye Zhangqing declared on the spot that he was willing to return them in full to everyone present, so that the joy of recovering what was lost could return to each person's heart.

Furthermore, he promised that in the days to come he would give everyone a certain degree of compensation to make up for the losses caused by this incident.

As for the treasures that had already been used, Ye Zhangqing looked somewhat helpless and spoke candidly.

"Currently our Dao One Immortal Sect perhaps temporarily lacks the ability to compensate for them, but please rest assured, we will absolutely not shirk responsibility or deny the debt. Once our sect develops and grows stronger in the future, we will definitely repay double, without going back on our word."

After saying these words, he bowed deeply to everyone present, expressing his inner remorse in earnest words.

"The sect elders only wanted to quickly establish a foothold in this Immortal Realm and carve out a domain of our own, which is why they acted somewhat radically, leading to these consequences. As a junior, I represent the Dao One Immortal Sect here to offer my sincere apologies. I know my abilities are limited, but if you all have any delicious dishes you wish to eat in the future, please just let me know, and I will do my utmost to satisfy everyone's appetite—consider it my modest expression of apology."

Ye Zhangqing spoke with utmost sincerity; his words were as gentle as a spring breeze, yet the profound meaning they contained made everyone present's eyes light up involuntarily.

Especially that last sentence, which was like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's ears, made them stare at each other with faces full of shock.

Everyone secretly pondered the meaning of those words, wondering if from now on, as long as they were with Ye Zhangqing, they could freely enjoy delicious food without having to endure long queues.

Once this idea surfaced, it spread like wildfire, stirring everyone's hearts.

After all, over the years everyone has followed Ye Zhangqing on his travels, and the chance to eat a meal personally cooked by him has been something they longed for desperately.

However, achieving this wish is easier said than done.

You should know that getting a good meal from Ye Zhangqing cannot be solved by money alone.

Take the precious treasures stolen from everyone earlier, for example: even if they were all used to buy food, setting aside whether the price is reasonable, whether they could actually be purchased remains uncertain.

Even if Ye Zhangqing himself nodded and agreed to sell, those who have long coveted them would surely not give up easily, inevitably leading to another fierce contest of wealth.

But now, the situation has actually undergone such a dramatic change.

The theft of the sect's and families' treasuries ought to have been a heartbreaking tragedy, yet unexpectedly it turned into a rare opportunity for a meal.

For a moment, everyone's mood became extraordinarily complex, hard to put into words.

There was both excitement and delight from the unexpected good fortune, mixed with regret and helplessness over the theft incident.

At that moment, someone finally snapped out of this tumultuous emotion and hurriedly spoke up.

"Brother Ye, is this true? Will we really be able to freely enjoy delicious food here from now on?"

His words were full of anticipation and nervousness.

Just as that person's words fell, an old man with a full head of white hair and the aura of an immortal immediately took up the conversation.

"Young Master Ye, what are you talking about? Those are merely some mundane trifles; if they're gone, they're gone—what's the big deal? It's all my fault for not knowing beforehand that you needed them; otherwise, there would be no need to go through all this trouble—just send someone to deliver them directly to you."

Huh???

Upon hearing the white-haired old man suddenly speak, the people around first froze slightly, then all turned their gazes toward the speaker, their mouths twitching involuntarily.

Secretly thinking, this old fellow really knows how to show off.

The white-haired old man then continued speaking.

"Young Master Ye, from now on please don't stand on ceremony with this old man; if you lack anything, just tell this old man directly."

His words were indeed bold and generous, but who among those present didn't see through his true intentions?

It was obvious that this old man merely wanted to leave a good impression in Ye Zhangqing's mind so that he could later obtain more benefits from him, such as free meals and drinks.

Seeing someone take the lead, the others naturally did not lag behind and immediately chimed in with their own voices.

"Yeah, Young Master Ye, I don't really like hearing that; between us, do we really need to be so formal? Just tell me straight what you need or lack."

"Exactly, Young Master Ye, as long as it's something you need, even if it's the stars and moon in the sky, we'll find a way to get it for you."

In an instant, the whole scene became extraordinarily lively, with everyone chattering around Ye Zhangqing, saying all kinds of flattering and fawning words.

"Exactly, although my Wang family isn't a top-tier immortal clan, if Young Master Ye has any need, my Wang family will spare no effort to help. And Young Master Ye, if the sect elders still need assistance anywhere, just let me know and I'll have my Wang family disciples lend a hand."

Huh???

Finally, even Wang Yu, whose family treasury had been robbed just two days ago, spoke up.

But as soon as he spoke, he immediately earned the white eyes of many present, who looked at him with contempt.

This bastard is really a dog.

A few days ago, someone was loudly proclaiming that they had caught the thieves and would surely tear them apart limb from limb.

Now you've completely changed your tune, even dragging in the elders?

What happened to that fierce, man-eating attitude you had before?