Chapter 51: The Unscrupulous Merchant's Dilemma

  More than a dozen days later, the floodwaters receded, and Shuixian immediately took Xiaoxiao and Xiaomei to the sect's intelligence department to sign up, queue up to apply for rewards. This kind of thing that requires going through procedures to get rewarded, you let this little girl go - she's invincible!

  The ape flew back with a flash of light on its body, revealing an iron-like physique. It tossed the Zen staff aside and panted heavily, cursing loudly:

  "These little rascals, I didn't even lift a finger and they're already playing with big moves, humph! They've all been utterly defeated by me. Little monkey, this is the spoils of war from this great battle, take it and have fun!"

  Xiao Dou suspiciously took over the two large bags, carefully examining their contents. Inside, there was a huge pile of high-grade spirit stones, estimated to be tens of thousands! He immediately wiped away cold sweat and forced a smile, saying:

  "You're being too generous? Hmph! I'd rather die than believe it. Out with it, what's your ulterior motive?"

  The ape flew up and stared with big cow eyes, a face full of interest loudly asked: "Little monkey, don't say you little brat know nothing, tell me, how did you know to release the flood?"

  No matter how everyone asked, Xiao Dou endured for over a decade without speaking, and with a cruel smile on his face, he said with a glint in his eye:

  "I knew you'd ask that, hehe, I won't say ~ maybe I'll get even more benefits!"

  "Hey, you little monkey, your heart is as greedy as a snake swallowing an elephant! You're truly a cunning merchant's brainchild. If you don't take advantage of the last bit of profit, you won't let go. This is part of the treasure of four Tribulation Period cultivators and six Nascent Soul stage cultivators. You little brat still won't speak the truth honestly? You're asking for a beating!"

  "Hey, I should get it! If the sect had known about the flood earlier, the loss would have been greatly reduced. You're just trying to use me to get rich, Master! Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

  The gibbon flew and scratched its ears, pacing back and forth on the urgent path: "How did I take in such a cunning apprentice, not even getting a bit of advantage, no way, I must get my hands on the three feathers of our sect, ah ha ~"

  Suddenly, Yuan Fei's face revealed a cruel and sinister smile as he said: "Little Monkey, that Cold Huan, isn't he your friend?"

  "Ah, what's going on? You're not saying that my brother fell into the enemy's hands, are you? Humph! Impossible! His old man is a high-ranking expert in the Tribulation Period, and our family has a large number of experts, it's unbelievable! Don't even think about deceiving me!"

  The ape flew in with a smile on his face, "This time the flood is a plot by the Wan Guizong, but the seal of that trap was also your old ancestor's doing. Because he was too greedy and wanted to get more treasures, he inadvertently opened it. The disaster that befell our sect is so great that anyone who gets involved will die. Alas, poor Leng Xiaozu, if not for the sudden appearance of a hidden master from his family who had been hiding for thousands of years and stopped this event, he would have died ten thousand times already."

  Xiao Dou's face turned pale as he shouted: "Dead? No way! My eldest brother, the heavenly proud son who had hopes of ascending to heaven, how could he possibly be dead?"

  The mischievous Monkey King laughed and said: "He's not dead, but has been imprisoned for 500 years on the Nine-Treasures Mountain of Suffering!"

  "Five hundred years!" Xiaodou's eyes were red-rimmed as she paced back and forth anxiously: "Five hundred years, I've been stupid for decades and almost went crazy. That place didn't even have anything to eat, it was so bitter! Eldest brother doesn't have a good body like mine, how could he possibly hold on? What can we do now?"

  "Is it bitter to not eat?" Yuan Fei's right eyelid twitched wildly, and he scolded in a bad mood: "I curse you first! You young man haven't experienced the feeling of killing one of your own selves, only for another self to emerge, this one even stronger and more urgent, needing you to grow up to defeat it. After finally defeating it with great difficulty, another person just as strong as you appears again, and you have to fight once more. Except for death, there is no end to this, don't you think that's bitter?"

  Xiaodou shook her head in confusion and said, "What's going on here? As long as I think of Xiaofei, I have endless energy. Every time I encounter a desperate situation, thinking of Xiaofei can turn danger into safety!"

  The gibbon flew low and whispered: "Can this really make that happen? It's really damn mysterious!" Immediately, he waved his big hand and said loudly:

  "Poor little guy, it's only been a dozen or so days and I've heard he's already attempted suicide six or seven times. Luckily, people secretly sent by his family have saved him each time. Haha, who knows how long he can hold on? Maybe the next moment, or maybe even now, he'll be gone."

  Xiao Dou quickly turned around in circles, tears streaming down his face as he muttered to himself: "Wuuu~ Eldest Senior Brother, this foolish Eldest Senior Brother, he's also doing it for everyone, how can our sect be so unreasonable?! What can we do now?! Ah, right! Master, don't you have the Thousand Mile Mirror? Let me take a look!"

  The ape let out a sly laugh, pulled out an ancient bronze mirror with strange triangular patterns on its surface, and a beam of colorful divine light shot out from the mirror. Suddenly, a picture appeared above the master and apprentice, and when they saw that Cold Huan, who was usually elegant and refined, was standing on the cliff, struggling to support himself, Xiao Dou let out a loud wail!

  The ape sat down leisurely, and the usually fierce cow eyes looked deeply at the sky where the sudden rain was falling. He took a sip of tea, and with an expression that seemed to say "I've got you beat", he smiled slyly:

  "Little monkey, you rascal! If you reveal that secret, I'll give you ten more jars of fine wine. Haha... With this 'Get out of jail free' card that I earned for my great achievement back in the day, and was personally awarded by the sect leader from ancient times, I'll lend it to you once. With it, humph! Even if you killed Sect Leader Mo, no one would dare fart! Let alone just saving a little troublemaker like you!"

  Xiao Dou wiped away his tears and, with the instincts of a sly merchant, carefully thought back over the events of the day. He felt that Master seemed to have intentionally helped him, so he quickly stood up, his face full of suspicion, saying:

  "Amnesty gold medal! Is that thing useful? What's it look like, Master, tell me in detail, or else I'll lose face when I go to their place!"

  The gibbon flew over, its big mouth saying: "You take it now and go to the Ninth Hardship Cliff to rescue your good elder. When you come back, tell me your secret. Don't worry, this thing is not useful, I'll drink wine and rot my tongue afterwards. It can be used twice, even if it's used up, it's still a treasure..."

  Looking at Xiao Dou's greedy face, Yuan Fei suddenly jumped up and shouted loudly: "Hou ~ you little monkey, what do you want to do? Tell you, don't be greedy, don't force me to get angry!"

  Xiao Dou stepped forward with a confident face and said: "I have a huge secret, don't you want to know? Ah, come on! You're a master, how can you be so stingy? You're already an immortal, what are you afraid of being killed by a mortal cultivator? The Golden Token of Immunity is useless to you anyway. As my master, you've never given me anything, don't you feel ashamed? And didn't you owe me a promise? I'll use it up this time. Alright, that's settled, the Golden Token of Immunity belongs to me now. After I verify it and save Eldest Brother, I'll come back and tell you!"

  Before long, under the collective gaze of his fellow disciples, Xiao Dou suddenly took out a new low-grade earth-element flying sword he had just forged and hastily flew out of Shengu Valley. Because he was using a low-grade flying sword that didn't match his fire-element cultivation method, on the surface it looked weak but in reality it was strong, and his body wasn't light either. He flew with an awkward posture, looking like he would fall from the sky at any moment. The new disciples who had just entered the sect also watched with furrowed brows.

  When this virtue appeared before his eyes, Leng Han's face, which had been gloomy for many days, burst out laughing for the first time.

  "Little bean, please, don't be so annoying every time you appear, it's really frustrating, I'm totally fed up with you!"

  Xiao Dou said with a difficult expression: "I thought I wouldn't need to use the flying sword anymore, so I gave it to them. Who knew something like this would happen? And this low-grade flying sword was made by me myself, just successfully crafted, but the quality isn't good, how embarrassing!"

  "Ah~ Xiao Dou, you've finally learned some real skills! In 500 years, you can follow me and continue being my deputy!"

  "It's really been 500 years!" Xiao Dou frowned and said: "I thought that old guy was cheating me, I didn't expect it to be true. Eldest brother, seeing you like this makes my heart ache!"

  Leng Han Ming said with a face of impatience: "We're all brothers, what's the point of talking about those romantic nonsense? Alright, Xiaodou, you can rest assured. Xiao Fei has a fiancé, it's because his old man owed someone a favor and thought his son was good enough, so they arranged this marriage. Now, humph, you can boldly go after her. If that kid dares to show up, I'll take him down! Anyway..."

  "Anyway, you don't want to live anymore, right?" Xiaodou sighed and smiled bitterly: "Old Big Brother, why are you so stupid? What is my status, I'm clear about it in my heart. It's not that I'm not worthy of her, but going to confess and get rejected is just something a man should do - a life without regrets! But if this time I really can't save you, then I'll have lifelong regret!"

  "Ah! What did you say, Xiao Dou?! You want to save me?! Ha! You're even crazier than I am, no wonder you're the one who single-handedly took down the Little Nine Heaven Dragon God. Listen, don't get any ideas, okay? Down below is the Seismic Central Palace, and not just Yuan Ying stage cultivators, but even Transcendent and Tribulation stage masters are present...!"

  "Good grief!" Xiaodou's eyes flashed with a hint of desolation, then turned back to face the Seismic Central Palace, using the Nine Yang Divine Technique to let out an earth-shaking roar:

  "Mount Jiuhua's Supreme Master - The Golden Placard of Amnesty is here."

  "Ah~" Leng Han Ming Zhang Da Zui, a cold sweat dripped down his face as he let out a mournful howl: "Xiao Dou you're crazy! Making such a big noise here is a capital offense! I'm doomed!"

  Suddenly, in an instant, a dense crowd of flying swordsmen appeared in the sky, gathering more and more, alas, this guy has really been defeated, every time he appears, several tens of thousands of people gather to watch the excitement, and there are always big shots, truly admiring him to death!