The Three Leave
Taking advantage of the opportunity to argue in front of Zhao Ting, Dong Fuzhu, Lan Fusheng, and others were able to leave Listening Tide Sect smoothly.
At first, Zhao Ting didn't think much of it. In his opinion, it was just a spoiled young lady throwing a tantrum. He thought that once Dong Fuzhu's senior brothers and sisters went over to comfort her, she would definitely come back.
However, just in case, he still had people keep a close eye on Sang Ying and the others to prevent him from missing any important information.
The disciple responsible for monitoring Sang Ying and the others would return each day to report whether Sang Ying gone out to look for her junior sister that day, and whether she had persuaded the three to return the next day.
Zhao Ting was getting tired of these unchanging reports, but one day, the disciple who came to report to him changed his story, "Sang Ying didn't go out today."
"What do you mean? She's not going to persuade her junior sister anymore? Judging from her junior sister's appearance, could it be that she said something that angered her and made her unable to bear it?" Zhao Ting that based on what he had seen of Dong Fuzhu that day, the other party was very likely to do such a thing.
Normally, he might have found such a conflict between outsider cultivators interesting and taken a second look.
But now is the crucial moment to find the sacrificial offerings, and they don't know what Green Lotus and those new outsider cultivators have done, as it's becoming increasingly difficult for their sect to lure people back. Therefore, they absolutely cannot afford to lose Sang Ying and the other six!
The disciple himself was unsure. His cultivation level was not as high as Sang Ying's, so even if he tried to follow her, he dared not follow too closely, lest he be discovered and alert her.
But from a distance, it becomes difficult to see Sang Ying and her group's actions clearly.
Zhao Ting was aware of this, but given the difference in their cultivation levels, he wouldn't be too harsh on his disciples.
After realizing he couldn't get anything useful out of him, Zhao Ting the initiative to approach him himself.
Sang Ying had already guessed that he would come looking for her, but she still pretended to be surprised.
When Zhao Ting asked why her junior sister and two junior brothers hadn't returned yet, Sang Ying revealed a bitter and helpless expression.
"Steward Zhao probably doesn't know that my junior sister is my master's only daughter. Because she's the only child, she's also very talented. So, she's been pampered by my master and mistress since she was little. They give her whatever she wants, and they won't tell her to go east if she wants to go west. Originally, we didn't plan to bring her along on this training trip, but because Fuzhu wanted to come to the Cloud Mulberry Realm, we were forced to change our route and come here with her."
Zhao Ting nodded; he could have guessed these things, but that wasn't what he wanted to hear.
Zhao Ting Sang Ying seemed about to complain endlessly, Zhao took the initiative to remind her, "It's alright, children are just like that and don't know any better. Find her and teach her properly, and your junior sister will understand your good intentions in the future."
But Sang Ying sighed again upon hearing this, "Do you think I didn't want to? I thought that as Master's eldest disciple, I had to take good care of my junior brothers and sisters, so I was very attentive to her along the way. I even agreed to let her go to the Endless Sea to see the Jiaoren without hesitation. But who knew that just because we couldn't find a suitable boat for a while, she would throw a tantrum at me and move out with her two other junior brothers!"
"I've been going to see her every day these past few days, and I promised her that I would definitely find a boat and take her out to sea. But she insisted on seeing a boat before coming back with me, and when I said a few more words to her, she got angry. I went to see her again today, but who knew, who knew..." Sang Ying suddenly covered her face with her hands and cried with genuine emotion.
Zhao Ting was extremely anxious. "What's wrong? Tell me!"
"Who knew that they could no longer be found in the wasteland where they had settled, and even the bamboo house and magical Law Artifact they lived in had disappeared!" Sang Ying said pitifully, her voice trembling with tears.
Zhao Ting immediately stood up. "What does this mean? What do you mean 'disappeared'? Aren't you their senior sister? Contact them!"
Sang Ying seemed a little aggrieved by his words: "Of course I contacted them, but my junior sister completely ignored me. Only my two junior brothers replied to my messages. They said that my junior sister was determined to see the Jiaoren and insisted that they take her to another place to find a ship. They said that judging from my appearance, she knew I definitely wouldn't be able to find a ship to return to."
"They're gone?! You just let them go like that?!" Zhao Ting's eyes widened, her eyes so red they looked like they could drip blood.
He unconsciously kicked the stool behind him far away. Zhao Ting scratched his neatly tied hair and pointed at Sang Ying angrily, yelling, "As the senior sister, you can't even control your own junior brothers and sisters! You didn't even know they were sneaking off! How can you be their senior sister?"
Sang Ying's crying grew even louder, attracting the attention of Jiang Zhuoxue and Duan Hanyi inside the room. The two quickly went out and saw Zhao Ting scolding Sang Ying.
They were also among the planners and participants in Sang Ying's escape, and immediately began to play along. "What do you mean, Zhao? You invited us here as guests, we didn't beg you! Dong Fuzhu ran away so disobediently, how can you blame Sang Ying? She's already worked hard enough these past few days, searching for boats and going to appease people. Besides, Sang Ying's junior sister is missing, why should an outsider like you care?"
Jiang Zhuoxue then pulled Sang Ying up, saying, "Forget it, it seems the Listening Tide Sect doesn't really welcome us. Let's leave here and find somewhere else!"
After saying that, the three of them actually packed their luggage and prepared to leave.
Upon Zhao Ting's usually fluent mouth began to stammer. He was already at a loss because of Dong Fuzhu and the other two leaving, and now it was uncertain whether he could even find them. After all, the courtyard was protected by a formation, and he didn't know if the people inside had eaten the food they had brought.
But if these three people were to leave as well, Zhao Ting would be committing a grave offense.
Thinking this, Zhao Ting quickly stood up and stopped them. "Gentlemen, please don't do this! It was my fault for being rude just now, I misspoke. I'll just slap myself a few times, please don't hold it against me."
After saying that, Zhao Ting hardened his heart and slapped his face a few times.
"I only misspoke in a moment of panic after hearing that Fellow Daoist Sang's junior brothers and sisters had gone missing. Our sect leader is very hospitable and warm-hearted, and invited you all to stay here in order to ease the relationship between the Cloud Mulberry Realm and other small worlds. If my words have offended you and forced you to leave, then it would be a huge mistake on my part." Zhao Ting was quite capable; he could maintain a certain air of superiority while also being willing to swallow his pride.
After much persuasion, he finally managed to calm them down. Once Sang Ying and the others stopped mentioning leaving, Zhao Ting said, "After all, they left within our Listening Tide Sect's territory. Don't worry, the three of you, our Listening Tide Sect will definitely mobilize manpower to help you find your junior brothers and sisters!"
Sang Ying hesitated, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for the Listening Tide Sect?"
"How could that be? It's what we should do," Zhao Ting quickly replied.
Only with Sang Ying's approval could they openly go out to find someone without arousing suspicion. Even if they used some inappropriate methods to bring the person back, they could blame it on Sang Ying.
After seeing Sang Ying reluctantly nod in agreement, Zhao Ting breathed a sigh of relief and left to run his errand.