Dividing the Loot

Wen Qingxue had arrived uninvited, leaving the three of them staring at each other in surprise.

Xu Xian asked helplessly, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Wen Qingxue replied calmly, "Martial Uncle Qingshan said that while he's away, I'm to follow you whenever you leave the sect. I'm to stay by your side and protect you."

Slightly speechless, Xu Xian rolled his eyes. "Is that really necessary? I'm already in the nascent soul stage. Do I really need a bodyguard? Besides, I'm not going far. Who in the Northern Borders would dare touch me?"

Wen Qingxue remained unfazed. "Last time you went out, there were two nascent soul cultivators with you, and it was also within the Northern Borders. Things still went wrong. This time I'm here. I'm in the seventh stage; I can protect you."

"That was an accident, alright?"

"And who knows if there will be an accident this time?"

"Fine. If you want to follow, then follow."

Xu Xian figured it was just one more mouth to feed—no big deal. Besides, his relationship with Wen Qingxue was decent enough.

However, the atmosphere became inevitably awkward with a seventh stage expert joining the group.

Lin Qianqian was fine, but Zhang Yang wasn't very familiar with Wen Qingxue, so he became much more restrained.

As they were about to set sail, another figure came flying toward the Cloud Boat, shouting from a distance, "Little Grand-Uncle, wait for me!"

Xu Xian instinctively froze. He looked up and recognized the newcomer immediately. His lip twitched as he muttered under his breath.

"Ugh... he's like a lingering ghost!"

Zhang Yang asked curiously, "Brother Xian, who is that?"

Xu Xian casually spat out two words: "Don't know him!"

The newcomer was none other than Hao Ren, whom they had met that night in Luoxia Village.

As soon as Hao Ren landed, he rushed straight to Xu Xian, flashing a mouthful of white teeth in a fawning smile. "Little Grand-Uncle, I shouldn't have the wrong person this time, right?"

Xu Xian didn't deny it. He sat on the deck and sighed, answering with a question of his own. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you want to follow me home too?"

Hao Ren was baffled and shook his head blankly.

"No!"

"Then tell me, what do you want?"

Xu Xian was already prepared for Hao Ren to condemn him for his past actions. It was no big deal—a real man knows when to yield and when to stand tall.

Hao Ren sat down beside him, pulled out a storage bag, and dumped it onto the deck. Dozens of spirit stones clattered onto the floor.

Everyone watched, confused.

Xu Xian was also lost. "What is this for?"

Hao Ren pushed the spirit stones toward Xu Xian and smiled. "These are for you, Little Grand-Uncle."

Xu Xian was stunned.

What the hell?

Wasn't he supposed to be asking for his merit points back? Why was he giving him spirit stones instead?

Xu Xian's expression wavered between confusion and suspicion, much like the expressions of the three people beside him.

Xu Xian tested the waters. "Do you need a favor?"

"No!"

Xu Xian motioned toward the stones. "Then this is..."

Hao Ren realized the confusion and quickly explained, "Little Grand-Uncle, you've misunderstood. This is the money from selling the pangolin's skin and bones. It sold for a total of 30,000 merit points. I immediately exchanged it for 300 spirit stones. We're splitting it fifty-fifty, so that's 150 each. This is your share."

Xu Xian's eyes flickered. This guy was actually this principled?

"You looked for me just for this?"

Hao Ren replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Yeah!"

Xu Xian felt a bit touched. He realized he had been judging a gentleman with the heart of a scoundrel.

However, Zhang Yang chimed in at an inappropriate moment. "I say, Senior Brother, you can bully my Brother Xian for being illiterate, but you can't lie through your teeth like this. Do you think we can't count? You're telling me there's a hundred stones here? How exactly did you count them?"

Hao Ren looked Zhang Yang up and down. "And this fellow Daoist is?"

Zhang Yang cupped his hands and introduced himself. "Zhang Yang of Zhujian Peak, a third-generation disciple."

Hao Ren returned the gesture. "Hao Ren, from the Personnel Hall."

Zhang Yang blinked. "A good person?"

Obviously, another misunderstanding. Hao Ren was used to it and briefly explained his name before coming clean. "Junior Brother Zhang Yang is right. There are indeed only sixty-some stones left. I couldn't find Little Grand-Uncle, and I ended up spending the rest. You have no idea—I'm the kind of person who can't keep money in his pocket. If I have it, I have to spend it. So, this is all that's left."

Zhang Yang: "...."

Xu Xian pushed the spirit stones back and smiled. "I appreciate the gesture, but you should keep them. We agreed back then that they were yours, so they're yours."

Hao Ren refused and pushed them back again. "No, no. This is a matter of principle. You have to take this money, Little Grand-Uncle."

"I don't want it."

"You have to."

"I really don't want it."

"Little Grand-Uncle, you must take it!"

Watching the two of them push the stones back and forth, Zhang Yang's eyes darted left and right with the pile. Suddenly, he slammed his hand down.

Slap!

The two of them froze and stared at him simultaneously.

Zhang Yang looked at Xu Xian, then at Hao Ren, and said solemnly, "Since neither of you wants them... why don't we just split them among ourselves?"

Hiss!—

This kid was a freaking genius!

Hao Ren looked at Zhang Yang, then at Xu Xian.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Xu Xian said, "I think that works."

Lin Qianqian nudged closer to Xu Xian and giggled. "Then everyone present gets a share, right?"

Wen Qingxue, who had been leaning against the mast, actually walked over upon hearing this. She squatted down beside them, hugging her knees, and stared calmly at the spirit stones on the floor.

She didn't say anything; she just watched...

Xu Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Since it was Hao Ren's gesture and a bit of a windfall, they might as well split it.

"Fine. We're all friends here. Let's split them."

With Xu Xian's approval, Zhang Yang volunteered.

"Brother Xian, give me a chance to show off. I'll do the honors."

"Sure!" Xu Xian agreed without a second thought. "The four of you split them. I don't need any."

Spirit stones were always good to have, but as a prestigious Grand-Uncle splitting a few stones with his juniors, it would be embarrassing if word got out. Mostly, it was just too little money to bother with.

And so, the four of them formed a semi-circle as Zhang Yang began dividing the loot.

"One for me, one for Senior Brother Hao."

"One for me, one for Sister Qianqian."

"One for me, one for Senior Sister Wen."

"One for me..."

Zhang Yang divided the spoils with a straight face. By the time the others each had one stone, he had three in front of him. By the time they each had three, he had a whole pile.

Hao Ren's lip twitched.

Lin Qianqian gritted her teeth.

Wen Qingxue's gaze turned cold enough to kill.

As for Xu Xian, he had long since run out of things to say.

Unable to watch any longer, he cleared his throat and asked, "I say... is that really the right way to split them?"

Zhang Yang replied shamelessly, "Yeah, why wouldn't it be? One for each person—it's very fair."

Xu Xian opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He silently turned his back to them.

"I didn't see anything!"

The moment Xu Xian turned around, Zhang Yang let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.

"I have never seen anyone so thick-skinned and shameless!"

"I'll show you how to split them!"

"Is it still fair? Answer me!"

"Ah! Brother Xian, save me!"

Xu Xian stayed out of it, acting as if it were none of his business.

A moment later.

The Cloud Boat set off as scheduled, heading east. The four of them had finished splitting the loot, each ending up with sixteen spirit stones and a much better mood.

Only Zhang Yang looked miserable, his hair messy as a bird's nest.

Fortunately, as a sword forger, he was thick-skinned and tough enough to handle a beating.

Xu Xian said to Hao Ren, "Hao Ren, your parents didn't waste that name on you."

"You flatter me, Little Grand-Uncle!"

"Are you busy?"

"Not at all."

Xu Xian invited him, "Then come home with me."

Hao Ren acted reserved. "That... wouldn't be appropriate, would it?"

Xu Xian said indifferently, "If you don't want to go, then—"

Hao Ren straightened up immediately. "Fine! Since you've invited me so warmly, Little Grand-Uncle, I'll go!"

Xu Xian: "????"