Taking Responsibility for What You've Done
Sang Ying did not hide the matter of the array fragments from the Zhang Household.
After they had visited Zhang Ru'an and left the house, Sang Ying briefly explained the reason for their daughter's illness.
However, she did not elaborate on the matter of the High Antiquity Teleportation Array, only stating that such a powerful array existed in the sea.
"This formation is somewhat special; it requires immense Spiritual Power to activate and maintain. Even though it's buried deep underwater, its fragments have been scattered by the seawater. One of them landed on your daughter, and because Zhang Ru'an is a cultivator, he possesses some Spiritual Qi. This Spiritual Qi activated the formation fragment, causing it to uncontrollably absorb Zhang Ru'an's Spiritual Qi."
After Sang Ying finished speaking briefly, the Zhang Household were full of doubt.
Zhang Ping'an stated frankly, "But since my sister was born, we haven't taken her to the beach much. Usually, it's just my father and me going out to sea; we've only taken her to the pier a few times. Could it be that my sister encountered the fragments of the formation at the pier?"
Sang Ying shook her head. "It was just a short stop at the dock, not enough for the fragment to get into her body. I guess she probably swallowed it by accident."
As she spoke, she revealed the fragment, which was only the size of half a fingernail. "Think back, have you caught any strange seafood that you brought back for Zhang Ru'an to eat?"
Upon hearing this, the family immediately began to recall, and after a moment, Zhang's mother clapped her hands and stood up abruptly. "I remember now, Ping An did catch a strange fish back then. It was clearly a spirit fish, but it had no Spiritual Qi. It was thin and small, and it died not long after we brought it home. I saw that the fish was too small and dead, and I knew I couldn't sell it. It was too small for the whole family to share, so I thought I'd cook it for Ru'an."
"Ru'an also told me that she seemed to have eaten something strange, but I thought it might be fish scales or spices or something, so I didn't pay much attention and let her eat it." Zhang's mother was full of regret. "If I had known it would turn out like this, I definitely wouldn't have let her eat that fish!"
When these things were mentioned, Zhang's mother immediately became emotional.
She truly had no idea that her act of lovingly caring for her daughter would cause her such great harm. "If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have let her eat it!"
She repeated these words several times before her emotions gradually calmed down with the gentle comfort of Zhang's father and Zhang Ping'an.
After everyone had calmed down, Sang Ying continued, "If that's the case, could you please take us to the place where we caught that fish?"
The Zhang Household was taken aback, but Zhang Ping'an immediately understood and readily agreed to Sang Ying's request.
Since the younger sister was still asleep and it was still dark outside, even if everyone went to the spot where the fish was caught, they probably wouldn't be able to see the situation in the water clearly. So they agreed to meet at the dock after dawn.
Zhang Ping'an nodded in agreement, and Sang Ying and the others then left.
Blue-Green Village is a poor fishing village. The highest cultivation level in the village is Zhang Ping'an, who is at the Qi Refinement Great Perfection. Therefore, there are no inns or other places to rest in the village. Sang Ying and her companions did not intend to stay at other people's houses, since there were not many extra rooms available.
So they all went back to the big ship to sleep.
Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue had just reached the dock, preparing to fly back on their swords, when someone suddenly blocked their way.
The young master of the Qian Household, his face grim and filled with rage, blocked their path and demanded, "Hey, where did you go all day? Why are you only coming back now?! And how much longer are you going to stay in this wretched village? When are you finally going to send us back to the Qian Household?"
Even Sang Ying was somewhat surprised by the boy's words. "Why should we send you back to the Qian Household? Firstly, we're complete strangers who met by chance, and secondly, there's no benefit for us in helping you. Besides, we have things to take care of."
The boy, puffing out his cheeks, retorted angrily, "You still dare to talk back! We came here on your ship. As soon as we landed on this dock, those reckless fishermen rushed at us and grabbed my servants. If it weren't for the steward protecting me and getting me away in time, we'd definitely be locked up right now! You're the ones who caused this mess, you have to take responsibility!"
"But it's also you who caused those fishermen to lose their families and their boats, their means of survival. Why haven't I seen you take responsibility for that?"
Sang Ying's words made the boy's face turn pale and then red. "All the Spirit Stone we had fell into the sea. When I get home, I will definitely compensate them!"
Sang Ying found it laughable. "Do you think you can just say you'll compensate them? What if you run away and abandon them, or what if your family covers it up and refuses to pay compensation? Are these people just going to wait for you to give them a sum of Spirit Stone that will never come? Besides, you can compensate for the damaged ships, but how are you going to compensate for the lives lost?"
While the two were talking, Steward Qian finally came up.
His experience today was far more thrilling than it had been in the past few years!
As soon as the Qian Household's small boat landed, it was surrounded by the people of Blue-Green Village. Although the Qian Household had arranged many guards for their young master when he went to sea, most of them died protecting him while confronting the sea monsters.
Among the remaining people, there were some powerful ones, but the sudden surge of so many low-level cultivators from Blue-Green Village caught them somewhat off guard.
In a panic, only she managed to escape with the young master; the rest stayed behind to hold off the people from Blue-Green Village.
Steward Qian originally intended to take this opportunity to leave with the young master, so that once they returned to the Qian Household, they could teach these uncouth people a good lesson.
Who knew that his young master would disobey him and find an opportunity to run away, waiting for Sang Ying and the others at the dock.
At that moment, Steward Qian rushed over and, seeing the situation, immediately shielded his young master. "What are you two trying to do?! Our young master is the youngest son of the Qian Household head of Subdue the Sea Shipyard. If you hurt him, Subdue the Sea Shipyard will definitely not let you off!"
As expected, it was Subdue the Sea Shipyard; Sang Ying guessed right again.
"You want to go home?" Sang Ying didn't pay attention to the guarded attitude of the Steward Qian.
Steward Qian didn't answer. Having almost been arrested, his attitude towards the two was no longer one of trust and intimacy. He was now filled with regret, wishing he hadn't brought the young master to Blue-Green Village.
But the boy walked past him and replied, "I want to go home. What will it take for you to help us?"
"The accounts of several lives and more than ten boats are not so easy to settle. You should stay here for now, and I will have the people from Blue-Green Village discuss it with you when I have time. Once a suitable result is reached, you can go home and get your money." This was the only advice Sang Ying could give.
"This is the only path you can choose. You have to take responsibility for your own actions, don't you?"
Sang Ying's gaze fell on the boy, and she emphasized the word "responsible" with extra force.