Ye Jinxiu returned home as usual, planning to have a meal and stay for another night.
Although her senior brothers and sisters often said that the path of immortality was long and arduous, and mortal kinship was nothing but fleeting smoke that would eventually pass away, urging her to sever these ties early and pursue the Dao wholeheartedly.
But at her age, not even sixteen, in the prime of youth, innocent and carefree, how could she possibly understand the true meaning behind those words?
Yet, when she stepped into her home, what greeted her eyes was a group of fierce-looking thugs squatting in the courtyard, eyeing her like hungry tigers and wolves.
“Who are you people? Why are you in my house?”
Startled, Ye Jinxiu instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword with her delicate hand—only the magic tool in her palm could provide her a sliver of security. At this moment, she also noticed her parents tied up in the corner.
“Father, Mother, are you all right?”
Ye Jinxiu called out anxiously, only to see that her parents’ mouths were stuffed, so they could only make muffled “mmph mmph” sounds. From their anxious eyes, it was clear they wanted her to run, afraid she would be caught up in this misfortune.
‘How could I possibly run away?’ Ye Jinxiu gripped the sword hilt even tighter, her fingertips turning slightly pale.
“What do you want? Let my parents go first.”
Ye Jinxiu said in a low voice, “I don’t know who you people are, but I’m a disciple of Lingyun Sect! If you dare lay a hand on me, Lingyun Sect will never let you off!”
“You’d better open your eyes wide and think carefully, don’t ruin yourselves!”
“Hahaha, look at this little girl, she’s shaking all over and still trying to threaten us. Isn’t it hilarious?”
“Hahaha, this little girl’s head probably hasn’t turned the right way yet. Sure, we can’t afford to provoke Lingyun Sect, but she’s only an outer sect disciple. Who would care if she disappeared?”
“Would a True Lord of Lingyun Sect really turn all of Southern Borders upside down just for an outer sect disciple?”
The White Tiger Hall members laughed recklessly, their voices echoing in the not-so-large courtyard, making Ye Jinxiu’s face turn even paler.
“Don’t be so arrogant. I’m not afraid of you.” Ye Jinxiu forced herself to act calm.
“Don’t worry, little sister. We mean no harm, just came to discuss a few matters with you.”
A slightly odd voice sounded. Ye Jinxiu turned toward it and saw a sissy man smiling at her, making her feel extremely nauseated.
That kind of clearly scheming, yet pretending-to-be-kind look made Ye Jinxiu deeply uncomfortable.
Ye Jinxiu frowned and said, “If we’re here to talk, then why did you make a mess of my home and tie up my parents?”
“If you want to talk, we should sit down and have a proper discussion, shouldn’t we? What is this supposed to be, threatening us for better results?”
Huang Luochen just smiled without speaking, his meaning obvious.
Huang Luochen continued, “Actually, it’s because your father owes us a large sum of spirit stones. To prevent him from running away, we had no choice but to resort to this.”
“Don’t worry, we wouldn’t dare offend Lingyun Sect. Everything we’ve done is within the law, rest assured.”
‘Owes spirit stones? Looks like they’re here to collect a debt. That makes sense then.’
Ye Jinxiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her tense little face relaxed a bit. “How much does he owe? I’ll pay it back.”
‘Father’s just a mortal, no matter what, he couldn’t owe too much. Even if these guys make outrageous demands, it shouldn’t be more than a hundred spirit stones. Worst case, I can pawn my magic tool and send them away.’
“Not much.”
Huang Luochen’s face was calm as he stated a astronomical figure, “A total of 2,000 spirit stones. How does little girl plan to pay? We’ve already prepared the bags to load your things.”
The White Tiger Hall men waved their sack and patted it, showing they were ready.
“That’s impossible, what are you talking about?!”
Ye Jinxiu cried out, “2,000 spirit stones, how is that possible? My father’s just a mortal, how could he possibly owe you so much? You’re just making things up!”
“I’m going to find the Law Enforcement Hall and let them seek justice!”
Ye Jinxiu was an outer disciple of Lingyun Sect, but even if she completed missions, after handing in the sect’s required share, she’d be lucky to save up a hundred spirit stones a year if she didn’t cultivate at all.
Two thousand spirit stones—even selling herself wouldn’t be enough!
So Ye Jinxiu was certain the people before her were just making outrageous demands.
“Don’t be so absolute.” Huang Luochen shook his head with a smile. “Why not let your father explain to you himself?”
The White Tiger Hall men stepped forward and yanked the rag out of her father’s mouth. Regaining the ability to speak, Father Ye immediately shouted:
“Run, daughter! Don’t mind us, these people are no good, they’re after you—run, don’t worry about—ah!”
Halfway through his words, a White Tiger Hall member smashed his leg with a stick, making him howl in pain.
“What nonsense are you spouting? We told you to explain, not to babble. Do you believe I won’t beat you to death?” The White Tiger Hall thug threatened, raising his stick again.
“Stop! Don’t hit my father!” Ye Jinxiu shouted in panic.
She wanted to save her father, but the other side outnumbered her, and with her parents in their hands, she didn’t dare make any rash moves.
The White Tiger Hall thug standing in front of Father Ye looked toward Huang Luochen. Seeing him make a subtle gesture to stop, he finally put down his stick, but still waved it threateningly in front of Father Ye.
Ye Jinxiu sighed and persuaded, “Father, just tell me what’s going on.”
Father Ye’s face twisted in pain and struggled for a long time before speaking with deep shame:
“I fell into their trap at the gambling house and owed them all those spirit stones. At that time, I don’t know what came over me—there was a fire burning in my chest, I didn’t even think of the consequences.”
“In any case, don’t mind me anymore. You have a bright immortal path ahead of you, you should go, you really don’t have to—mmph mmph.”
Father Ye’s words to urge Ye Jinxiu to leave hadn’t finished before the White Tiger Hall members stuffed his mouth again. “Enough! You don’t need to say another word!”
‘How could I possibly leave?’
Ye Jinxiu looked conflicted, bitterness welling up in her heart, her teeth clenched tight. “I’ll pay the spirit stones, but I don’t have that much on me now. Give me some time and I’ll gather it.”
“Release my parents first.”
“Let them go? What if you run?”
“How about this.” Huang Luochen sneered. “Your father even signed a promissory note, written in black and white: if he can’t pay back the spirit stones, your entire family will be used to pay the debt.”
“You happen to have some items we need. Hand them over, and we’ll call it even.”
!
Ye Jinxiu was horrified and looked sharply at her father. When she saw the guilt in his eyes, a wave of despair crashed over her.
“You’re not afraid the Lingyun Sect will come after you for this?” Ye Jinxiu made one last desperate struggle.
Huang Luochen snorted, “It’s all written clearly. We’re following the rules, and besides, this debt isn’t all ours—part of it belongs to Miss Lin as well. There’s nothing to fear.”
Only then did Ye Jinxiu notice, in the area of the courtyard where no White Tiger Hall members were standing, there was a girl sitting alone, sipping tea, as if she was separated from the world.
‘Lin Huanhuan, why is she here?’
Lin Huanhuan glanced up at her, raising her teacup slightly. “This tea’s not bad. Want to try some?”
‘Complete disaster!’