By noon the next day, having rested sufficiently, the two set off once again.
To avoid disturbing the common folk, they intentionally walked out of the town’s boundaries, planning to fly through the air once they reached a secluded, uninhabited area.
However, not long after they exited the city gates, a figure burst into their line of sight.
A young girl with slightly dirty clothes but delicate features was running toward them, looking lost and panicked.
Her hair was disheveled, and her face was stained with tears, her expression full of terror.
Behind her, three or five men wearing white vests and sporting fierce expressions chased her, shouting loudly.
“She’s here! Don’t let her run!”
The group of men rushed forward aggressively and reached out to grab the girl.
“Let go of me! Let go!”
“Help! Help me!”
The girl screamed, struggling desperately, but her strength was useless against the men.
Yunlian raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the girl and the men.
Seeing that they were all mortals without the strength to even truss a chicken, she couldn’t help but hesitate.
Cultivators did not easily interfere in mortal affairs, and she was wavering on whether or not to act.
However, before she could make a decision, Chen Yuyang had already moved.
The youth’s body shifted slightly, and a burst of spiritual power erupted.
The force wasn’t great, but it was precise, hitting the men and sending them stumbling back several steps.
One by one, they fell to the ground.
Chen Yuyang walked forward expressionlessly, standing between the girl and the men.
Seeing this, Yunlian reacted immediately.
She stepped forward and pointed at the men, shouting, “In broad daylight and under the clear sky, you scoundrels actually dare to commit such foul deeds against a weak woman! This is intolerable. Since we have encountered this today, we cannot sit by and do nothing!”
Hearing this, Chen Yuyang couldn’t help but give the girl a small eye-roll.
He then sent a secret transmission.
[Don’t jump to conclusions. Ask about the situation first.]
The men who had been knocked down took a moment to recover.
Feeling the invisible force that had struck them, how could they not realize they had encountered the legendary immortals?
Panic-stricken, they immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing like they were pounding garlic.
“Exalted Immortal, have mercy! Exalted Immortal, have mercy!”
One man, who appeared to be the leader, looked up and explained hurriedly, “Exalted Immortal, please be the judge! We aren’t trying to do anything foul! It’s this girl’s father—he owes our gambling den a massive amount of money. Since he truly couldn’t pay it back, he personally used his daughter as collateral to pay us off!”
“It’s just that the girl refused to comply. Just now, while we weren’t looking, she used a stone to wound one of our brother’s heads and ran away. We had no choice but to chase her!”
“Nonsense!”
Hearing this, the girl immediately shouted back, her eyes filled with tears.
“My father never gambles! How could he possibly owe your gambling den so much money?”
“It’s clearly because you saw my beauty on the road and wanted to kidnap me. I only escaped because I fought back with everything I had!”
“Little girl, stop being so difficult!”
The leader pulled a folded IOU from his chest, shook the paper, and glared at her.
“It’s written here in black and white. Is this your father Li San’s name? It even has his thumbprint! Are you still going to deny it?”
The girl’s face turned deathly pale, but she still refused to believe it, shaking her head desperately.
“Nonsense! My father is an honest man. It must be you villains who used some despicable means to trick him!”
Chen Yuyang and Yunlian both glanced at the document.
The name “Li San” and the thumbprint were indeed clearly visible.
Seeing that neither Chen Yuyang nor Yunlian said anything, the man regained some confidence.
He turned and bowed to Chen Yuyang, a flattering smile spreading across his face.
“Exalted Immortal, please be the judge. It is only natural to pay back what one owes.”
“Even though we run a gambling den, we aren’t unreasonable bullies. This Old Li San owes us a full 500 silver. We didn’t treat him roughly; he was the one who insisted on giving us his daughter to settle the debt. We only reluctantly agreed.”
After a pause, the man added, “If the Exalted Immortal doesn’t believe us, we can take you to find her father right now to confront him. Once we ask, the truth will be clear!”
“Ah, this…” Yunlian looked at the IOU and then at the girl’s appearance.
For a moment, she was caught in a difficult position.
Stealing a glance at Chen Yuyang, she secretly sent a transmission.
[Senior Brother… it seems they are actually in the right. In the mortal world, using children to pay off debts is quite common… did we meddle unnecessarily?]
[I told you, don’t be in a hurry to reach a conclusion.]
Chen Yuyang’s voice rang in Yunlian’s head again, still steady and calm, showing no emotion.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yuyang spoke indifferently to the leader.
“In that case, we shall confront him.”
Hearing that they were actually going to confront him, a layer of fine sweat broke out on the leader’s forehead.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous, but he repeatedly agreed.
“Yes, yes, the Exalted Immortal is right. Let’s go now, let’s go now!”
The group turned around and headed back toward the town.
Before long, they arrived outside a small courtyard that looked quite neat.
Although the yard wasn’t luxurious, it was well-kept.
The person living here might not be wealthy, but they should at least have some modest savings.
Chen Yuyang took the lead and stepped into the yard.
Yunlian followed closely, supporting the girl, while the men from the gambling den trailed behind.
As soon as the girl entered the gate, she could no longer hold back.
Crying and shouting “Father,” she ran straight toward the main hall.
Soon, a middle-aged man walked out of the house.
Seeing his daughter, Li San was momentarily stunned.
A flash of panic and guilt quickly crossed his face, and he instinctively turned away, not daring to meet the girl’s eyes.
Seeing her father’s evasive look, the girl felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
She froze in place, and the tears in her eyes finally spilled over, rolling down in large droplets.
Without saying another word, she lowered her head and silently began to wipe her tears, clearly understanding most of the situation.
“Li San!”
Seeing this, the leader immediately stepped forward and shouted sharply, “You were the one who begged us, saying you’d give us your daughter to settle the debt! Now your daughter not only refuses to comply but even wounded one of our brothers’ heads! You tell us what should be done about this!”
Li San kept his head down like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze.
He only mumbled in a low, muffled voice, “You… you’re several grown men, and you couldn’t even catch a slip of a girl… why come and ask me…?”
“You bastard!”
Seeing his behavior, Yunlian flared up in anger.
She couldn’t help but step forward and point at him, shouting, “You clearly have this courtyard that could be used to pay the debt, yet you chose to send away your own daughter! Are you even human?”
Li San was scolded so severely that his face turned red and white, but he only lowered his head further and remained silent.
Seeing this, the leader jumped in to fan the flames.
“Exalted Immortal, look for yourself! This is Li San’s true nature. We even advised him at first, saying this courtyard is probably worth several hundred silver and that selling it would settle the debt. He’s a teacher; even without this house, he has the skills to make a living.”
“But look at him! He claimed this courtyard was ancestral property, his capital for his old age, and that it couldn’t be touched no matter what! He even said his daughter would eventually marry out anyway and become part of another family, so selling her was fine. He said his son has already established a family elsewhere and the Li family line is secured, so it doesn’t matter if he has this daughter or not!”
The man spat as he spoke.
“Exalted Immortal, please judge this. Where in the world is there a father like this? Besides, to put it bluntly, though his daughter is pretty, she isn’t worth 500 silver.”
Hearing this, the girl cried even harder.
She looked up at her father with tear-filled eyes, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only let out a sob and lowered her head to cry again.
Hearing those words, Yunlian grew even more enraged.
Her chest heaved, and the hand pointing at Li San shook.
“Senior Brother! What else is there to say? This father is a total scoundrel. Hmph, isn’t it just a mere 500 silver? I’ll pay it for her! I’m taking this girl with me. Even if I bring her back to the sect as an outer disciple, it’s better than leaving her here to be sold and ruined!”
Hearing this, Chen Yuyang gave Yunlian a brief glance, his eyes filled with a bit of helplessness.
‘Junior Sister is still too impulsive.’
Shaking his head, Chen Yuyang didn’t immediately answer Yunlian.
Instead, he walked slowly toward Li San and looked at the middle-aged man who kept his head down.
His voice was calm but carried an invisible pressure.
“Li San, your daughter said you never gamble. Is that true?”
Li San’s body stiffened, and he bit his lip hard.
“Yes… yes…”
“Oh?” Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow, his tone unreadable.
He continued, “Then, since you don’t gamble, why do you owe such a large sum to a gambling den?”
Li San lowered his head even further, his voice as quiet as a mosquito.
“That… that day… the steward of the Zhang Manor came to find me, saying we should go to a brothel for some wine…”
“I… I usually don’t go to such places, but I felt like it that day. I don’t know how much I drank, but my head was spinning. Then, I don’t know who suggested it first, but they said… they said small bets are fun and would liven things up…”
“I… I had never gambled before, so I just watched from the side for the fun of it.”
“Unexpectedly, halfway through, one person said he had to use the latrine, so he insisted I play two rounds for him. He even said… even said the wins and losses wouldn’t be on my account.”
“Once I started, I don’t know if luck was on my side or what, but in just those two rounds, I made over 100 silver! It was equivalent to three or five years of my teaching.”
“When that person came back, I… I couldn’t help myself. It was like I was possessed. I started using my own money to gamble too.”
“At first, I won a bit, and the silver in my hand kept stacking up…”
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he continued, “But later, for some reason, even though my hand was clearly good and I felt like I could win every time, I just kept losing… I lost all my own capital.”
“That Zhang Manor steward egged me on from the side, saying my luck was strong today and that I was just temporarily unlucky, and that I’d eventually win it all back with interest… He then found these men to lend me 500 silver…”
“That 500 silver… as soon as it hit the table, it was all gone in two rounds… I… I…”
At this point, Li San’s voice choked up completely, and he couldn’t go on.
He only kept his head lowered tightly.