A Bold Female Cultivator
In the following days, Hai Tingzhou would come to the courtyard to see Sang Ying from time to time.
Sang Ying, who was wary of the Hai Household, refused to let him in again. The other party was not angry about this. Instead, he bought the yard next to Sang Ying's, just waiting for Sang Ying to go out so he could try his luck and have a chat with her.
Unexpectedly, Sang Ying entered a meditative state for several days and nights, and did not leave the house at all.
After waiting for three or four days, Meng Luosheng tried to persuade him to give up, but Hai Tingzhou persisted. Fortunately, he finally got his wish.
After learning from Meng Luosheng that the neighboring courtyard had opened its gates, Hai Tingzhou hurriedly went out, only to bump into another group of people who had come looking for Sang Ying.
The other person was impeccably dressed and had an arrogant demeanor. He was holding a wooden tray covered with a red cloth, which seemed to contain something important.
When Hai Tingzhou arrived, the leader of the other party was talking to Sang Ying: "We should have come to see Fairy Sang Ying long ago, but she hasn't gone out for the past few days, so we didn't dare to disturb her."
The man who looked like a butler spoke eloquently, but his affected manner revealed a hidden arrogance to Sang Ying.
"May I ask who you are?" Sang Ying asked softly.
The other party smiled and said, "It's understandable that you don't know, Fairy. I am the steward of Hai Pingge, the young master of the Hai Household. I've come today to repay a sum of Spirit Stone on his behalf."
Repaying Spirit Stone? She hadn't lent any Spirit Stone to anyone; the only one who owed her something was...
Sang Ying's eyes darkened. "Is your young master here to return Spirit Stone on behalf of a Miss Su?"
The steward smiled again, "The fairy is indeed clever; I have indeed come to help Fairy Su return the Spirit Stone."
He waved, and the person carrying the tray behind him immediately stepped forward. The red cloth was lifted, revealing over a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stone.
"There are 110 mid-grade Spirit Stone here. My young master said that the extra ones are a reward for the fairy. Seeing how hard the fairy's life is, she's so stingy with even 100 mid-grade Spirit Stone, and it's really not worth ruining the relationship between the two sisters over this!"
Even Hai Tingzhou, who was unaware of the background, could clearly hear the butler's sarcasm, let alone Sang Ying.
Hai Tingzhou couldn't stand by and watch his brother's butler humiliate the master he wanted to become a disciple of. He was about to step forward to speak up when Sang Ying glanced at him, and Hai Tingzhou immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Oh, Young Master Tingzhou is here too. I didn't even notice him. Why isn't Young Master Tingzhou cultivating at home? What are you doing in a place like this?" His words offended a whole bunch of people.
The phrase "this kind of place" already revealed his contempt for Sang Ying.
Although Sang Ying was good-natured, she wasn't made of clay. After understanding the meaning behind the other party's words, she immediately turned serious. "This is a matter for my Flowing Light Sword Sect. It would be best if Young Hai Household didn't interfere."
Her words were neither too harsh nor too mild, but they sounded rather grating to the butler's ears.
He then put on a smiling face and said, "Fairy, there's no need to be so polite. My young master and your senior sister are close friends. It's just a small amount of money; my young master can easily afford it."
Because Hai Pingge was highly favored by the Hai Household head, the steward also received many benefits and was always fawned over when he went out.
Now that he was assigned to personally deliver Spirit Stone to a low-priced female cultivator, the steward was already displeased. On top of that, the other party kept putting on airs, which naturally made the steward even more unhappy.
Unfortunately, Sang Ying was the kind of person who "didn't know what was good for her": "I thought the Hai Household should be able to understand human speech?"
The steward's expression changed abruptly. He sneered, "I thought you were a smart person, Fairy. Since my young master gave you Spirit Stone, you should just accept them. But don't forget, Fairy, you're currently in Haizhou City. Don't get involved with the wrong people!"
Sang Ying raised her eyelashes, her gaze towards the butler filled with coldness. "The person you shouldn't have offended, are you referring to Hai Pingge, whom you mentioned?"
"Since you already know, why ask? Believe me, the consequences of offending Young Pingge in Haizhou City are something you'd never want to know!"
"Oh, really?" Sang Ying's words held a hint of anger. "Speaking of which, my Flowing Light Sword Sect is acquainted with the City Lord Hai. I should pay him a visit in a few days and ask him properly about the serious consequences of refusing to accept the Spirit Stone sent by his son."
Sang Ying's words were light and casual, yet they struck the butler like a heavy blow. His cold and arrogant expression froze instantly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
It wouldn't matter if he said this to others, but if it reached the ears of the city lord, the situation would be completely different!
That's right, the person in front of him is the disciple of Sword Master Gu Huaiwei! If the other party really wants to see the city lord, he really can't stop him.
The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. The butler swallowed hard, and when he spoke to Sang Ying again, his initial arrogance was gone, replaced by a fawning tone. "Please don't misunderstand, Fairy. I was just joking with you earlier."
"My young master is more than happy to befriend you, fairy. The extra ten Spirit Stones are merely interest. I misunderstood your meaning and misspoke. Please don't take it to heart, fairy!"
As he explained, he gestured for people to respectfully present the Spirit Stone again, his demeanor noticeably different from before.
Hai Tingzhou, who was standing to the side, was both surprised and impressed to see that Sang Ying had managed to subdue the steward all by herself.
When the butler brought the tray to serve again, he deliberately came over to join in the fun. "Steward Li has served my second brother for so many years, and there are times when you can't figure out his thoughts? Tsk tsk tsk, then you really should remember this lesson well. It's only because Fairy Sang Ying has a good temper; if it were anyone else, they probably would have thrown you out long ago."
Upon hearing this, the butler could only force a smile.
How could he forget that there was a direct descendant of the Hai Household standing here? If that person told the family head about his slip of the tongue, not only would he be in trouble, but Young Master Pingge would probably be implicated as well.
The steward was filled with regret, and even began to resent Su Fuyun, the very person who had caused all this trouble. If Su Fuyun hadn't borrowed the Spirit Stone and refused to return them, how could he have suffered such a calamity?
After silently sighing a few times, the steward, holding the tray, spoke again, "Fairy Sang Ying is very magnanimous. I misspoke and misunderstood. I will certainly apologize to my young master when I return. However, please accept these Spirit Stones!"
The tray he offered so attentively was pushed away by Sang Ying.
The young female cultivator, though still young, already possessed a captivating beauty that would later unfold. Even with a stern expression, she exuded a certain air of authority. "You should take these Spirit Stone back with you. And tell my senior sister that I want her to return the Spirit Stone, not for her to repay me with someone else's money. If she can't afford it, then it's best to return the demon pet to the seller."
These words conveyed only one meaning to everyone: If you don't have money, why are you buying a demon pet?
Even though Su Fuyun had nothing to do with him, the butler still felt incredibly embarrassed after hearing that.
Fearing that staying any longer would anger the two, the steward didn't dare force Sang Ying to accept the Spirit Stone. He could only say a few more kind words, and then obediently returned with the Spirit Stone and servants.
Hai Tingzhou watched the group leave, his face beaming with undisguised pleasure. "Fellow Daoist Sang Ying, you're truly amazing. You scared Steward Li away with just a few words."
"It's nothing." It's just borrowing the name of the Flowing Light Sword Sect; no steward would dare to provoke Gu Huaiwei's personal disciple so easily.
She looked at Hai Tingzhou, whose face still held a smile, suppressed the complex emotions in her eyes, and asked with a mixture of doubt and seduction, "Have you ever thought about becoming the next head of the family?"
"Wh-what?!" Hai Tingzhou was so startled that he dropped the fan in his hand.