Goodbye

Sang Ying put the matter of compensation on the agenda, Wuyue Qing, seeing that there was Image-Retaining Stone as evidence, really had no way to deny it.

She paused for a moment before saying, "We did attack you, but didn't you also steal my Storage Bag?"

"So Miss Wuyue is blaming us?" Jiang Zhuoxue looked up and slightly curved the corners of her mouth.

Wuyue Qing certainly didn't mean that. She just felt that she had put in a lot of effort for nothing. Not only was she about to lose the competition, but her things had also been stolen, and she would have to compensate the person who stole them.

She was unhappy no matter how she thought about it.

But Sang Ying wasn't the type to let her off the hook just because she was unhappy.

"We could have spent the next ten days or so searching for treasure, but because of your attack, we had to chase after you to save our lives. Your Storage Bag is compensation for the ten days of delay we caused. This is not the same as compensation for the murder you committed against us."

Wuyue Qing was furious. How could they say such a thing?!

"What, do you two think that the lives of two outsider cultivators are only worth a Storage Bag?" Jiang Zhuoxue spoke up at the right moment.

His words practically placed the Moonless Clan and the otherworldly cultivators on opposite sides; how could Wuyue Qing dare to admit it?

"That's not what I meant..." She regretted her rashness again. "Then what do you want? How can I compensate you both to appease you?"

When she asked those questions, Wuyue Qing was practically grinding her teeth to powder.

Sang Ying naturally sensed the dissatisfaction in her words, but so what? Anyway, they were the ones in control now, not Wuyue Qing.

"Since Miss Wuyue has put it that way, then we won't stand on ceremony. This matter concerns our lives, and we want to make everything public. Miss Wuyue won't stop us, will she?" Sang Ying said.

Wuyue Qing was filled with hatred, but what good would it do even if she stopped it? So she could only shake her head.

"Very well, we were attacked by you and almost lost our lives, so it's not unreasonable for the Moonless Clan to offer something good enough to buy our lives, is it?" Sang Ying said again.

Wuyue Wenren glared at him. "Something good enough to buy your lives? How much would it cost to buy your lives?"

Wuyue Qing called out to him sternly, and the man, looking Qi Ingestion, took a step back.

But these words still angered Jiang Zhuoxue, who stepped forward and deliberately looked at Wuyue Wenren: "I don't know how much your life is worth, but our lives are priceless. Your Wuyue family is probably going to suffer a great loss this time."

The two parties finally agreed that he would compensate them with at least a million high-grade Spirit Stone worth of valuable items.

Moreover, the two of them used the excuse that they did not trust the character of the Moonless Household and were worried that they would change their minds after leaving, so they insisted that they settle all debts within the secret realm.

However, Wuyue Qing's Storage Bag had already been given to Sang Ying, and the two of them didn't have anything of value on them, so the responsibility of compensation fell on the other members of the clan.

As a result, the Moonless Household family members contributed almost all of their gains within the secret realm to barely pay off the compensation. However, after the compensation was paid, the family members' attitude towards Wuyue Qing deteriorated considerably.

The forty members of the Moonless Clan gave Sang Ying all the good things they found. Even if the remaining ten guest elders found more good things, they still couldn't compare to the fifty people from the Yin Mountain Sect!

Now, there's no need for anyone to go out and calculate the scores; we can just declare the Yin Mountain Sect the winner!

Liu Duanyue laughed heartily on the side. He had been a little worried, fearing that he would lose this time and have to compete in a tiebreaker.

But unexpectedly, the Moonless Clan resorted to so many underhanded tricks, and in the end, they were the ones who suffered the most!

If it weren't for the need to maintain an image in front of so many people, Liu Duanyue would have burst out laughing on the spot.

During the time he waited for the secret realm to reopen, Liu Duanyue had imagined countless scenarios of the Yin Mountain Sect being declared the victor. He could almost see his father becoming the acting sect leader and leading the Yin Mountain Sect to even greater heights!

However, his smile quickly faded.

Sang Ying Jiang Zhuoxue at his side without him noticing, giving him not only the Image-Retaining Stone containing evidence, but also the things she had obtained from Wuyue Qing and most of the compensation.

Holding a chest full of wonderful things, Liu Duanyue was momentarily at a loss for what expression to make.

"What are you doing? Didn't we already agree that these are all for you? Our Yin Mountain Sect doesn't tolerate you handing over your belongings." He even made a joke at the end.

But Sang Ying's expression was more serious than ever before. "You can keep it; it's no use to us."

Liu Duanyue's previously cheerful expression instantly changed. He looked at the two of them nervously. "What do you mean by this? Is there something we did wrong? If you feel these things are missing, I can give you what I got as well."

His tone was filled with urgency, because Liu Duanyue had already sensed something from Sang Ying's words.

Sang Ying simply shook her head. "I'm sorry, we can't leave with you. I plan to let Jiang Zhuoxue stay in this secret realm. But don't worry, he'll only stay for a hundred years; consider these treasures as rent for those hundred years."

"As for me," she paused, "I'm leaving this place."

"Where are you going, Fellow Daoist Sang? Are you going to another small world? If Fellow Daoist Jiang wants to stay in the secret realm, then he can stay. Anyway, the Severed Vitality Mystic Realm has already promised him a reward, so he can stay here for life if he wants. But Fellow Daoist Sang, if you want to leave, could you wait until my father becomes the city lord before you go? The three of you have done a great favor for our Yin Mountain Sect, and I really want you to see my father become the city lord." Liu Duanyue was full of reluctance.

Sang Ying smiled upon hearing this, "Even if I can't see that scene, I know you will all be doing better and better. Besides, the place I'm going to is quite far away, and it's in a bit of a hurry, so I might not be able to live to see that day."

As they were talking, the stone door behind them slowly opened.

Seeing Sang Ying's resolute expression, Liu Duanyue knew that she definitely couldn't persuade her.

Finally, he could only sniffle, trying hard not to cry, "Alright, Fellow Daoist Sang, I understand. You can go travel elsewhere without worry. I will take good care of Fellow Daoist Jiang."

He earnestly assured the two of them.

But Jiang Zhuoxue could no longer hear what he was saying; she was just staring intently at the person in front of her, as if trying to etch her image deeply into her mind.

With a "boom," the stone gate opened completely. Sang Ying took one last look at Jiang Zhuoxue, then followed Liu Duanyue and the others out of the small secret realm.

Jiang Zhuoxue watched her retreating figure without moving. Both of them knew that this separation would likely last for a long time.

Before the stone gate closed again, Sang Ying turned to look at Jiang Zhuoxue, and in the boy's gray-white eyes, the female cultivator's figure gradually became transparent.

That was a sign that Sang Ying was about to return to ten thousand years in the future...

A note from the author:

Alright, it's time to say goodbye to young Jiang Zhuoxue, and young Jiang Zhuoxue will soon return to everyone's sight.

See you tomorrow~