Making a Choice
The news of the fleet's voyage caused quite a stir in Blue-Green Village. At the time, many people looked at the family that had suddenly become wealthy and felt incredibly envious.
So when that family suggested taking other people to the deep sea area to try their luck, many families in the village did not refuse.
Most of them came from impoverished families and wanted to earn more Spirit Stone to improve their cultivation and extend their lifespan. Others had children with better aptitude and wanted to accumulate more Spirit Stone to secure a bright future for them.
Therefore, most of those who went on the adventure were the breadwinners of their families, and those who died unexpectedly came from even more impoverished families. It was precisely because of these hardships that they were reluctant to part with their only ship and the things on it.
This slight delay caused the boat and its crew to sink into the sea.
The village chief naturally wouldn't stand idly by after Blue-Green Village suffered such a great loss.
Those who returned yesterday had listened to Sang Ying and the others' instructions early on, and as soon as they got back to the village, they immediately went to visit the village chief and explained their experiences.
With the support of a Spirit Transformation cultivator and several Nascent Soul Cultivators, the village chief led his men to block the Qian Household and their group without saying a word. Although Steward Qian managed to leave with his young master Qian Wencong in time, the remaining servants fell into the hands of the people from Blue-Green Village.
However, the people of Blue-Green Village were not unreasonable. Although they had lost their boat and loved ones, they did not vent their anger on the servants. They simply locked the servants in their rooms, waiting to capture Steward Qian and his companion before discussing a solution.
This could only appease those who lost their boats, but it couldn't comfort the families who had lost loved ones. They never imagined that a simple voyage at sea would result in the loss of their husbands or sons.
The only person in the family who was still able to move had no choice but to carry the child to the village chief's house, demanding that the village chief allow them to meet with the Qian Household get an explanation from them.
It was at this moment that Sang Ying, accompanied by Qian Wencong and the Steward Qian, arrived at the door amidst a chorus of pitiful cries.
The village chief was an old man with a white beard, exuding the aura of Qi Refinement Great Perfection. It was clear that with just a little help, the other party could probably break through the Qi Refinement and advance to the Foundation Establishment.
But unfortunately, they didn't have such a good fortuitous opportunity.
"Is there something important that you've come to see me so late, fairy?" The village chief had already seen Sang Ying and her party from afar before, and now he recognized them at a glance.
Sang Ying then pulled Qian Wencong and the other man out from behind her. "I'm bringing these two back to the village chief for safekeeping."
The crying inside the house stopped abruptly. Before the village chief could say anything, he was shoved aside and a harpoon fell on his head, about to take Qian Wencong's life.
Fortunately, Sang Ying and her companion reacted quickly. One blocked the harpoon, and the other reached out and pulled Qian Wencong and the butler out of the room, thus averting a conflict that could have had terrible consequences.
"Hey! What are you doing? A bunch of troublemakers trying to kill someone?!" Steward Qian shouted, quickly shielding Qian Wencong behind him. Both of them were pale-faced, clearly still reeling from the terrifying scene just now.
The old man, whose back was hunched over by Jiang Zhuoxue, looked humble and pitiful. Judging from his appearance alone, no one would have imagined that he would dare to use a harpoon to assassinate the young master of the boat shop.
But even this very person, when stopped by Jiang Zhuoxue, struggled desperately, brandishing a harpoon at the two people in front of him. "You killed my son! You murdered him! I'll make you pay with your lives, pay with your lives!"
The crying from inside the house began again, this time even louder and more sorrowful than what they had heard outside the door.
"You just want Spirit Stone, right? We'll give you both the Spirit Stone and the boat when we get back to the Qian Household. Besides, this isn't entirely our fault. If they hadn't insisted on sailing the small boat into the deep sea, they wouldn't have lost their lives for nothing. The fact that we're willing to take responsibility is already a testament to the kindness of the Qian Household!" Steward Qian retorted.
The young woman, who had been silently weeping, stood up, holding her child who couldn't yet speak, "Were they wrong to risk their lives for Spirit Stone? Everyone in the village saw it; there haven't been any big waves at sea these past few days. They could have easily returned with just one or two small fish. It was you, it was you who provoked the sea monsters, causing them to perish at the bottom of the sea!"
"Those waves were so big they destroyed even your own large ships, let alone theirs! Knowing the sea monsters were powerful, you still went and provoked them. Now that people have died, are you going to blame us?!"
The child didn't know what was happening; she just cried helplessly, receiving no comfort from her mother.
Having said that, Steward Qian silently fell silent.
Because the young woman was indeed right; during the more than twenty days they spent at sea, both before and after their return, there were indeed no large waves.
Even if sea beasts appeared, it was only because Sang Ying and her group's ship was too large and had too much Spiritual Qi that it attracted the attention of the Demon Beast.
But they can't admit to these crimes now, or they, master and servant, might die here!
Steward Qian's eyes darted around, and he was about to say something more when Qian Wencong stepped out from behind him, "I was wrong..."
Looking at the room full of people, young and old, he felt as if something had been added to his back, making it hard for him to breathe.
"It was my fault." Qian Wencong gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a cry. "I... I didn't expect things to escalate to this point. I didn't expect... I didn't know your family members would die in that accident. I'm sorry..."
Upon hearing those last three words, the old man's hands loosened, and the harpoon clattered to the ground. He lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
Sang Ying looked at Jiang Zhuoxue, and the other woman looked back at her.
A sense of pity for Blue-Green Village appeared in their eyes.
The crying inside the house finally subsided after a long time. Once they had calmed down a bit, Sang Ying continued what she had been interrupted about, "We brought them back to discuss with Blue-Green Village how to resolve this matter. Qian Wencong has already agreed to make compensation, but since this involves lives and so many boats, the decision on how to compensate is up to you."
"You can choose to demand Spirit Stone and a boat, or you can make them pay with their lives. However, these two are from Subdue the Sea Shipyard, and Qian Wencong is the youngest son of the Subdue the Sea Shipyard's owner. If he dies here, the entire Blue-Green Village will likely be..."
Qian Wencong couldn't stand it anymore. "Don't talk nonsense! How could our Subdue the Sea Shipyard be so terrible?! You're making it sound like if I died here, Blue-Green Village would be wiped out."
"Ahem!" Steward Qian covered his mouth inside the room. "Young Master, our Subdue the Sea Shipyard might actually be able to make it."
Qian Wencong:?!