Volume 1, Chapter 10: The Ye Siblings

"Huh?"

Li Hanzhou picked up the Prajna Axe, weighed it in his hand, and couldn't help but say speechlessly, "The dignified Taixuan Holy Land, a place this grand, only gives out a broken axe as a participation prize? Sigh, forget it, it's all fate."

"I ask for your punishment, Uncle-Master," Liu Dongyue said, cupping his fists.

"Forget it, I can't blame you." Li Hanzhou had no intention of punishing Liu Dongyue; after all, in his view, Liu Dongyue must have tried his best. The Changsheng Temple was dirt poor, and they couldn't even provide enough nutrition for their disciples daily. How could they possibly compete with those elite disciples who had everything they wanted at their fingertips?

Liu Dongyue was somewhat surprised. He had braced himself for a severe tongue-lashing from Li Hanzhou upon his return, but to his surprise, Li Hanzhou didn't scold him at all. How strange.

"By the way, Uncle-Master, is there something wrong with the crafting of your Seven-Treasure Gourd?" Liu Dongyue couldn't help but ask.

"Something wrong?" Li Hanzhou's heart skipped a beat. He had suspected the gourd might be faulty ever since it started emitting green light. It seemed that the reason he hadn't placed in the rankings this time was because the Seven-Treasure Gourd didn't work properly.

Liu Dongyue hesitated for a moment before recounting the events, though he omitted the part about winning the championship. He was afraid Li Hanzhou wouldn't be able to handle that news.

"It sucks up clothes?" Li Hanzhou was stunned after hearing this. The manual didn't mention that the Seven-Treasure Gourd had such a function. The code he had written for it didn't have any issues either; how could such a thing happen?

"So, you stripped the Zhao family and the disciples of the Tyrant Blade Sect bare?" Li Hanzhou was taken aback.

"Yes," Liu Dongyue said sheepishly, "and Lu Tianxing of the Taixuan Holy Land, among others."

Li Hanzhou’s face turned grim. Not only did he fail to bring back any money, but he had also offended so many people. What if they came knocking for an explanation? Maybe I should just disband the sect and head back to my Gao Village.

Seeing Li Hanzhou's expression turn ugly, Liu Dongyue quickly added, "But the talismans you drew were truly powerful. Lu Tianxing, with his ninth-grade cultivation, couldn't even break through your Vajra Talisman with a single blow. Uncle-Master, since when did you have such powerful cultivation..."

Before he could finish, Liu Dongyue was dumbfounded. It was only then that he realized there wasn't a trace of true energy left in Li Hanzhou. He seemed just like an ordinary person. What was going on? Even though his cultivation hadn't been high before, he at least had sixth-grade strength. How could he not even have first-grade strength now?

"Sigh, how am I supposed to go on living?" Li Hanzhou ignored the mention of the Vajra Talisman. In his eyes, that was just Liu Dongyue changing the subject. Did he not know what kind of garbage he had drawn himself? How could that thing possibly be useful? Block an attack from a ninth-grade martial artist? That was just absurd.

"What exactly happened to Uncle-Master?" After Li Hanzhou returned to his small courtyard, Liu Dongyue asked Shi Ming and Yun Qianzhu, but both shook their heads; they had no idea what had happened to him.

"Uncle-Master said he wants to ascend," Shi Ming told Liu Dongyue.

"Pfft!" Liu Dongyue nearly choked on his own saliva. "Uncle-Master must be ill," he surmised.

Not long after, Li Hanzhou set out with his Pingjin Sail. He had to make another trip to White Cloud City to see if he could bump into a few suckers, earn some money, and pay off his gambling debts.

"You all stay home and behave; I’m going out to earn some money," Li Hanzhou said, leaving the Changsheng Temple.

"Earning money?" Liu Dongyue sighed softly. "It seems Uncle-Master is seriously ill."

Upon arriving in the familiar White Cloud City, Li Hanzhou first inquired about the situation at the City Lord's Mansion. Using his Qi-Observation Technique, he had seen a menacing aura hanging over Ye Yun's head that day, leading him to guess that the entire Ye family should have been wiped out by now. However, after asking around, he discovered that absolutely nothing had happened to the mansion.

"Strange," Li Hanzhou muttered to himself in surprise. "With such a menacing aura, they are still alive?" Could my Qi-Observation Technique be faulty?

Holding onto this doubt, Li Hanzhou was just about to set up his stall when he heard the sound of many footsteps behind him. He turned his head and saw twenty or thirty people approaching. The leader, a man with a scar on his face, looked extremely fierce, and the others glared at Li Hanzhou menacingly. This made Li Hanzhou's heart sink. Based on his memories, these were men from the casino.

"Li Hanzhou, I didn't expect to run into you here. How is the money coming along?" the scarred man sneered. "There are only three days left until the repayment deadline. If you don't pay up, don't expect to keep your hands."

"Isn't there still three days left?" Li Hanzhou frowned. "In three days, I will definitely pay you those eight hundred taels of silver."

"Eight hundred taels?" The scarred man shook a finger and said, "Eight hundred taels is just the principal. You haven't counted the interest. With interest, it comes to a total of four thousand two hundred taels."

Li Hanzhou fell silent upon hearing this. He didn't bother arguing, as he knew perfectly well that the other party was blatantly extorting him and that arguing would be useless. It seemed he really had to run away. Four thousand two hundred taels. Where could he possibly steal that from?

"Eight hundred taels of silver, and you want four thousand two hundred taels with interest? That's quite a demand. Who gave you permission to calculate money like that?" Just then, a voice came from behind the scarred man.

"Who’s so bold as to interfere with the business of the White Cloud Casino?" The scarred man roared, but when he turned around and saw a young man sneering at them from a carriage, he froze.

"Ye Yun!" The scarred man was startled. "So it is Young Master Ye Yun," he said, suddenly becoming very polite.

"How much money does this senior owe you? I will pay it off for him," the carriage curtain rolled up, and Ye Ziying slowly stepped out. A powerful aura pressed down on them instantly. The group from the casino was terrified; they hadn't expected Ye Ziying herself to be here.

"Miss," everyone said respectfully. The scarred man also laughed sheepishly. "Eight hundred taels. He owes our casino eight hundred taels that he hasn't repaid."

Without wasting words, Ye Ziying took out a banknote and tossed it in front of the scarred man. "Here is one thousand taels. Take the money and get lost; don't disturb the senior's mood!"

"Yes, yes, we're leaving right now!" The scarred man picked up the banknote and hurriedly led his men away.

Li Hanzhou watched from the side, his heart bleeding. He only owed eight hundred taels; why couldn't they find the change for the other two hundred?

"Ye Ziying, disciple of the Shangqing Sect, pays respects to the senior," Ye Ziying walked up and bowed respectfully to Li Hanzhou.

"Ye Yun pays respects to the senior," Ye Yun hurriedly stepped forward to bow as well.

This left Li Hanzhou somewhat surprised. The two weren't here to cause trouble; they had helped him pay his gambling debt and were being so polite. Why?

"No need for formalities," Li Hanzhou said. He activated his Qi-Observation Technique and looked at Ye Yun, shocked to find that the menacing aura above his head had completely vanished. The threat was resolved? Had someone helped them defy heaven and change their fate?

"Thank you, Senior, for bestowing that Evil-Warding Talisman upon me. It saved my entire family's life. My father asked us to come today to invite you to the City Lord's Mansion as a guest so we can show our hospitality," Ye Yun said eagerly.

"Invite me as a guest?" Li Hanzhou looked at the two and pondered. Could these two have realized they were swindled by me and now want to lure me to the City Lord's Mansion to break my ribs while no one is looking? That doesn't add up; I only swindled them out of five hundred taels, but they just paid off a thousand taels of debt for me. That doesn't seem worth it. Could it be that my Evil-Warding Talisman really solved their problem?

"Could it be..." Li Hanzhou couldn't help but think of the web novels he used to read when he was bored in his previous life. Could it be that he was actually a peerless expert, and he just didn't know it? Were the talismans he drew actually incredibly powerful? Was he, in fact, a genius?

While Li Hanzhou was lost in thought, Ye Ziying was observing him. She realized she couldn't detect a single trace of true energy on him. This made her even more certain that Li Hanzhou was a peerless expert. She had once seen the ancestor of the Shangqing Sect; reaching that realm, one was similarly unfathomable, with no trace of true energy to be sensed. Had this big shot already reached that level?