Pay Up

Xu Xian rolled his eyes, looking as if he wouldn't believe her for a second.

He scoffed, "Are these trivialities really considered 'official business'?"

Ye Xianyu pursed her lips and said meaningfully, "As the saying goes, 'the imperial family has no private matters, and the sect has no small matters.' Everything within the mountain, no matter how minute, must be treated with seriousness. There's a saying for this."

Ye Xianyu raised her voice, "Details determine success or failure!"

Surprisingly, Xu Xian didn't argue. He simply asked for confirmation, "So, Senior Sister, is your official business finished?"

Ye Xianyu thought back to ensure she hadn't missed anything, then said, "Hmm... that seems to be all of it. I'm done."

"Then can I talk about my official business?"

Ye Xianyu took a small sip of hot tea, her gaze sweeping over the boy. "What official business could you possibly have?"

Xu Xian didn't waste words. He tossed the dao jade from his sleeve onto the table and said coolly, "Pay up."

Ye Xianyu swallowed her tea and looked at him blankly, feigning ignorance. "Pay up? Pay what?"

"Don't play dumb."

Ye Xianyu blinked her large eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering as she deliberately feigned a girl's innocence. "I'm not playing dumb. I really don't know what money you're talking about."

Xu Xian spoke plainly, "Fine, let me make it clear. You made a bet with Li Qingshan for 5.55 million merit points. I've brought the person across the Longevity Bridge, so you lost. You need to pay up."

Ye Xianyu wasn't surprised at all; she had guessed this long ago.

Li Qingshan and Xu Xian were in cahoots, setting a trap together to fleece her. However...

Taking money out of Ye Xianyu's pocket was not going to be that easy.

She immediately tried to deflect, "My disciple and I—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Xian raised his hand and unceremoniously interrupted, "Don't give me that. I'm telling you clearly: I represent him. Don't say you don't believe me, because I won't believe anything you say either. Don't ask what you shouldn't, and don't ask what you don't need to. Just transfer the points to me."

Ye Xianyu stared at him. "But—"

"No excuses. You have a thousand excuses, but I have ten thousand reasons."

"Then—"

"Don't say you don't have it. If you don't pay, I'm going to the Ancestral Peak right now to find Ninth Senior Brother."

Ye Xianyu was so choked up she couldn't finish a single sentence.

She simply shut her mouth and stared at him in silence.

The atmosphere grew quiet for several breaths.

Xu Xian took back his dao jade and made a show of leaving. "Fine, I'm going to the Ancestral Peak to find Ninth Senior Brother. I'll tell him that you, Ye Xianyu, are a sore loser who refuses to pay her debts."

Ye Xianyu looked at him with disdain, still remaining silent.

Xu Xian lifted his rear from the seat. "I'm really going."

Ye Xianyu sipped her tea, completely ignoring him.

Xu Xian began to feel a bit uncertain. Why didn't this trick seem to be working?

Could it be that Li Qingshan had lied to him?

That guy really was a bastard.

However, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. If he sat back down now, he would lose too much face.

He decided to double down, stood up, and walked toward the courtyard exit without looking back. He didn't forget to throw a parting threat: "You don't believe me? Just wait, I'm going right now."

One step.

Ten steps.

Twenty steps.

He was almost at the gate, yet Ye Xianyu still hadn't called him back.

Xu Xian finally lost his nerve.

Truth be told, this Senior Sister of his was just like him—responsive to persuasion but resistant to coercion.

He felt a twinge of regret. He should have spoken more nicely earlier. It was all Li Qingshan's fault; he had fallen for that kid's scheme.

Just as his thoughts were racing and he was about to step out the door, he heard the heavy thud of a teacup being set down.

Thump.

Then, Ye Xianyu's cold voice drifted over.

"Stop right there!"

Xu Xian's heart skipped a beat, followed by a surge of joy. He masked his happiness, kept his face stiff, and turned back with an expressionless look. "What?"

"Get back here," Ye Xianyu said crisply.

Xu Xian obediently walked back.

Ye Xianyu reached out. "Give it to me."

Xu Xian obediently pulled out the dao jade and handed it over.

Ye Xianyu rolled her eyes at him, fiddled with it for a moment, and then tossed it back to him, giving him another glare for good measure.

There was a heavy sense of resentment in the girl's eyes, like a young wife who hadn't been satisfied.

Xu Xian caught the dao jade and checked it, feeling delighted inside. Although 5.55 million merit points were a mere drop in the bucket for him now, winning them from Ye Xianyu was a different matter entirely.

Of course, on the surface, he remained extremely calm. "See? Wouldn't it have been easier to just do this from the start?"

Ye Xianyu shot him a look and refilled her tea. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you telling on me?"

Xu Xian looked back at her without saying a word, but his eyes said it all.

Isn't it obvious?

Ye Xianyu answered her own question, "I just didn't want to bother arguing with you two."

Xu Xian didn't argue, simply nodding in agreement.

Ye Xianyu said irritably, "Now get lost."

Xu Xian's attitude shifted instantly. He gave a ninety-degree bow in farewell. "This Junior Brother takes his leave."

With that, he strode out of the gate in high spirits.

Ye Xianyu, on the other hand, was sullen.

The tea on the table tasted more and more bitter, so she eventually stopped drinking. She stood up, glanced at the peach tree full of withered branches, and murmured, "It should start snowing here in a few days."

Sigh.

With a light sigh, she transformed into a gust of wind and left the sect for the Demon Suppression Abyss.

The snow was still falling at the Demon Suppression Abyss, though it hadn't reached the Wendao Sect yet. She had already traveled back and forth several times. The city had just begun its construction, and the East Desolation was still in chaos. There were things she had to do.

Even if they were just trivial matters.

But as she had told Xu Xian, details determine success or failure.

...

As soon as Xu Xian stepped out of the courtyard, Lu Yuan approached him, peeking into the immortal abode before looking at Xu Xian. "Your Senior Sister didn't hit you?"

Xu Xian was puzzled. "Why would she hit me?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Tsk, that woman has a surprisingly good temper."

Xu Xian: "..."

Good grief. He finally understood. This kid had been lurking by the door because he was afraid Xu Xian would get... no, he was afraid she would get violent when he asked for the money.

One had to admit, the kid was quite cautious.

After leading Lu Yuan away from the Peach Blossom Immortal Abode, Xu Xian headed straight for the Immortal Pavilion on Tianjian Peak.

He lit a soul lamp for Lu Yuan and placed it on the second floor.

Next, they went to the Dao Pavilion so Lu Yuan could get familiar with the place. Finally, they went to the Personnel Hall on Zhijian Peak to get him a dao jade.

Along the way, Xu Xian chattered incessantly, just as Wen Qingxue once had with him.

He explained the rules of the Wendao Sect, the cultivation techniques in the Dao Pavilion, and the uses of the dao jade. Naturally, he also explained the significance of the lamps in the Immortal Pavilion.

Adopting the air of an elder, he cautioned Lu Yuan to cultivate diligently and never slack off. He expressed his hope that one day Lu Yuan's lamp would reach the fourth floor and the bell would be rung for him.

Lu Yuan's head throbbed from listening, and his responses were purely perfunctory.

Finally, as he stared at the dao jade and the information within, Lu Yuan could hardly hide the disdain at the corners of his mouth.

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Identity: Second-generation disciple]

[Realm: Beast king stage (Peak)]

[Merit Points: 1,000]

With a casual toss, he threw it to the side of the road when Xu Xian wasn't looking.

But after walking a few steps, he doubled back and spent a long time sneaking around and rummaging for it.

Xu Xian witnessed the whole thing and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

In the entire Wendao Sect, was there anyone else besides Lu Yuan who had joined so reluctantly? Well, perhaps himself.

Xu Xian understood Lu Yuan's mindset to some extent.

By the time everything was finished, it was near dusk. Seeing the sunset, Xu Xian brought Lu Yuan back to the Zuiwan Residence. Pushing open the door, Xu Xian said casually, "This is my home, and from now on, it's your home too. Just find a room to stay in."