"I should take them?"
Fang Chen froze. Perhaps he had grown used to being exploited on Dragon Tiger Mountain, but Elder Yun's generosity left him at a loss.
Li Yanshan nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Fang Chen, you told us this secret because you consider us your own. We're glad you do. Elder Yun is right: these Spirit Stones came to you by fate. For cultivators, nothing matters more than such opportunities. Take them!"
"H-how can I?"
Fang Chen came to his senses and said, "Uncle Li, Elder Yun, everyone who sees them should get a share. Why don't we split them?"
"Hahaha..."
Elder Yun could not help laughing. "It's enough that you offered, Fang Chen. We really don't want the Spirit Stones. You've only just entered the outer sect, and you'll need money for all sorts of things. Keep them and spend them yourself!"
"Exactly. No need to stand on ceremony with us!" Li Yanshan added.
"All right! Thank you, Uncle Li. Thank you, Elder Yun!"
Fang Chen bowed deeply to them both, then put the Spirit Stones into the jar.
He picked up the jar and turned to leave, but after a few steps, he came straight back and set it on the stone table.
"What is it?"
Li Yanshan and Elder Yun both looked at him in puzzlement.
"Uncle Li, Elder Yun," Fang Chen said, "I don't need to spend the money yet. I'd like to leave these Spirit Stones with you for safekeeping."
Li Yanshan smiled. "You don't have to do that. Dog Head Ridge is about the shabbiest place in the outer sect. Even rats curse when they pass through. No thief would come here to steal anything. Just take the Spirit Stones back and find somewhere to hide them."
"Exactly!" Elder Yun nodded, then turned to Li Yanshan. "Your turn. Hurry up and make your move. You're going to lose this game!"
Li Yanshan waved Fang Chen away. "Go on back. Come find me in half an hour, and I'll show you around!"
"Okay!"
Fang Chen nodded, picked up the Clay Jar, and left.
Once Fang Chen was gone, Elder Yun placed a piece on the board and said admiringly, "Now there's a rare thing. That boy isn't greedy!"
"He isn't," Li Yanshan agreed with a slight nod. As the saying went, men died for wealth and birds for food. In the Glazed Sword Sect or anywhere else, everyone coveted riches—even powerful, enlightened masters.
Elder Yun looked up at Li Yanshan and smiled faintly. "The boy's interesting. He's still buried in debt, yet when he saw those Spirit Stones, he didn't try to claim them all for himself. That's rarer still!"
"He's buried in debt?"
Li Yanshan paused. He knew little about Fang Chen and wondered how Elder Yun had learned all this.
Elder Yun smiled. "I had Old Ghost Qu ask around for me. The boy came to the Glazed Sword Sect three years ago and has worked as a servant on Dragon Tiger Mountain ever since, enduring no end of bullying. This morning, while he was cutting bamboo on Thousand Bamboo Ridge, two servants from Dragon Tiger Mountain tried to rob him. He fought back and killed them both!"
"He killed two servants?"
Li Yanshan's gaze sharpened. Fang Chen looked frail; he had not expected the boy to be so ruthless.
Elder Yun nodded. "He was always an obedient boy before. I imagine they bullied him for too long, and when he couldn't bear it anymore, he finally erupted. He broke through after killing those two. A pity he has no Spiritual Root!"
"If he had a Spiritual Root, he wouldn't have come to Dog Head Ridge," Li Yanshan said with a sigh.
Back at his quarters, Fang Chen set the Clay Jar on the living room table. Li Yanshan's and Elder Yun's words kept running through his mind. Their attitude toward the Spirit Stones had surprised him.
These were Spirit Stones. If they split them evenly, each of them would get six.
If Cao Bin had found out, he would certainly have taken every last one.
Yet Fang Chen had offered Li Yanshan and Elder Yun a share, and neither wanted it. The difference between people truly was enormous.
Then again, perhaps they were Outer Sect Disciples who were used to far greater sums and simply had no interest in his few Spirit Stones. After all, Outer Sect Disciples could earn far more than servants.
After hiding the money, he continued cleaning the house.
In the servants' quarters on Dragon Tiger Mountain, beneath Azure Cloud Peak, a streak of Rainbow Light came whistling in and hovered above the residential area. It was Xu Yi, with two servants standing behind him on his Flying Sword.
Both servants were older men, thin as sticks.
Sensing the powerful waves of Spiritual Power coming from the Flying Sword, Cao Bin and the other servants hurried out of their rooms.
Cao Bin and the servants of Dragon Tiger Mountain immediately knelt before Xu Yi.
With a wave of his hand, Xu Yi sent two gentle currents of force to lower the servants behind him to the ground. "These two letters contain the Enforcement Hall's findings and ruling on Fang Chen's murder case, and information on these two servants."
After handing the letters to Cao Bin, Xu Yi turned his Flying Sword and departed.
Cao Bin stood at once and opened the first letter.
The other servants of Dragon Tiger Mountain rose too. They had yet to learn how the outer sect's Enforcement Hall had ruled on Fang Chen.
By the time Cao Bin finished reading, he was shaking with rage.
"Bastards!"
Cao Bin tore the letter to shreds. He was furious with the Enforcement Hall's ruling. For killing Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu, Fang Chen had been fined a mere 1,010 Spirit Stones: 1,000 for Tian Hu and ten for Zhang Tieniu.
Zhang Tieniu had been even stronger than Tian Hu. Given time, he would surely have reached the Qi Refining Realm and become an Outer Sect Disciple. Now Fang Chen had killed him, and the sect had fined Fang Chen only ten Spirit Stones for it. Dragon Tiger Mountain would not see a single coin of that fine, either.
Zhang Tieniu's death was a terrible injustice. Had he lived, Cao Bin would surely have received a handsome reward one day.
The more Cao Bin thought about it, the angrier he grew. He opened the second letter. It contained detailed information on the two new servants before him. Their Identity Tokens carried basic information too, but nothing so complete.
After reading it, Cao Bin tore this letter apart as well. Both servants were old, and neither had a Spiritual Root. In his eyes, servants of their caliber were worthless.
Dragon Tiger Mountain had lost two elites, and all those above had sent him in return were two pieces of trash.
"Bastards! Pfft..."
Cao Bin felt his chest tighten. A mouthful of blood burst from his lips, his vision went black, and he collapsed.
"Steward Cao!"
"Steward Cao!"
The servants around him panicked at the sight and rushed forward.
The two newcomers stood at a loss. They could not understand why reading their information had upset Cao Bin so badly.
Meanwhile, a letter from the Enforcement Hall was delivered to Residence Thirteen on Golden Bull Ridge in the outer sect. Its owner was Zhang Tielin, Zhang Tieniu's elder brother. He possessed a Dual Metal-Fire Spiritual Root and had reached the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm.
After reading the letter, Zhang Tielin's face turned livid with rage. He crumpled it into a ball.
"Damn him! He even dared to kill my brother!"
He hurled the ball of paper to the ground, then rose and strode out of the courtyard.
Half an hour later, Fang Chen had finally finished cleaning the entire courtyard. He headed down the mountain. At its foot, he found Li Yanshan resting with his eyes closed in a rocking chair beneath the large elm in front of the house. Xiao Liu lay beside the chair, fast asleep and snoring.
Fang Chen approached Li Yanshan and respectfully greeted him. "Uncle Li."
Li Yanshan slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Fang Chen, he stood and said, "Come on. I'll take you around the outer sect so you can get to know the place!"
"Mm!" Fang Chen nodded.
"Woof! Woof! Woof..."
Just then, Xiao Liu began barking furiously toward the entrance to Dog Head Ridge.
Fang Chen and Li Yanshan looked up. Three people were striding toward them, murderous intent written all over their faces.
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