Seeing the expressions on the faces of the Outer Sect Disciples, Ya Ya narrowed her eyes. "What? Just because I'm small, are you planning on not paying me?"
Qian Kun's eyelids twitched. He looked at Ya Ya, his eyes flickering several times before he forced a smile. "How could we not pay? It's just... you know we don't carry that many Energy Stones on us. How about you come with us to get them? What do you say?"
Hearing this, the disciples behind Qian Kun exchanged glances. A cold, murderous light flashed in their eyes before they nodded slightly in agreement with Qian Kun's suggestion.
At this point, coughing up that massive amount of Energy Stones was simply impossible for them. Even if they couldscrape it together, they wouldn't. Since they couldn't pay, only one solution remained: eliminate the little girl in front of them.
They were well aware this girl likely had an unusual background, but they had no choice. Several hundred thousand Energy Stones? Even the Outer Sect Elders couldn't produce such a sum on the spot!
In this moment, their thoughts aligned with perfect, chilling synchronicity.
Hearing Qian Kun's words, Ya Ya swept her gaze over the disciples. Seeing no one object, she pointed a small finger at them and sneered. "Good. Very good. You think Ya Ya is an idiot? An Outer Sect Disciple only gets twenty Energy Stones a month! Even the top-ranked disciple on the outer sect board only gets an extra hundred! Where would you possibly get that many stones? You want to lure Ya Ya to a quiet place and then kill her, is that it? Is that it?"
Qian Kun's smile froze. He hadn't expected this little girl to be so sharp. He quickly laughed it off. "We're Outer Sect Disciples! How could we possibly do something like murder? I'm telling the truth. If you're willing to come with us, we'll definitely give you the stones. If you're not... then there's nothing we can do. Right, everyone?" He glanced back at the crowd.
"Right! Little girl, if you won't come with us, we can't help it!"
"We're Outer Sect Disciples, would we lie about a few Energy Stones?"
"Exactly! Come with us, we'll pay you. Do we look like liars?"
"..."
Watching them brazenly renege, Ya Ya's little face flushed red with anger. She pointed at them, trembling. "Fine! Fine! Very fine! No one has ever dared to bully Ya Ya like this! You just wait! Just you wait!" With that, she turned and ran towards the Duel of Death Arena.
Seeing Ya Ya run off in a huff, the Outer Sect Disciples collectively sighed in relief, then watched curiously to see what she would do.
As Ya Ya ran onto the arena platform, the elder below frowned. When his eyes fell upon the character "Talisman" embroidered on her chest, his frown deepened. "That Little Devil Girl... what is she doing here?" he muttered under his breath.
Ya Ya's arrival caused Li Hao, who had been absorbing energy, to open his eyes. He was about to greet her when she pointed dramatically towards the crowd of Outer Sect Disciples and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I, Ya Ya, hereby announce! From now on, Talisman Peak will provide no moreTalismans as rewards for any Outer Sect Disciple competitions! Talisman Peak will no longeraccept Inscription or repair requests for the Profound Treasures of any Outer Sect Elder! In short, anything and everything related to the words 'outer sect' will be refused service by Talisman Peak!"
Her declaration was met with stunned silence, followed by roaring laughter from the disciples, including Qian Kun's group.
"Who does she think she is? The Sect Master? I'm dying of laughter!"
"Refusing to provide Talismans for Outer Sect Disciples? Has she lost her mind from anger?"
"This is the funniest joke I've heard since coming to Sword Sect! Haha!"
However, Elder Duan Ming, standing below the arena, paled dramatically upon hearing her words. He turned to the laughing disciples and roared, "SILENCE!" The command, amplified by his profound energy, thundered in the ears of the hundreds of disciples like a clap of thunder.
The disciples' faces instantly changed. They looked at the furious Outer Sect Elder, bewildered by his outburst.
Duan Ming ignored them. In a flash, he appeared on the arena platform. Looking at the still-fuming Ya Ya, the stern expression on his face melted into an ingratiating smile. "So it's Ya Ya! What brings you here to play today?"
Seeing this scene, the disciples' hearts sank. They realized things might have just gotten very, very serious.
Witnessing the elder appear on the platform instantly, Li Hao's expression turned grave. 'A King Realm expert,'he thought. After the Profound Practitioner Ninth Grade came the Innate Realm, and only after that, the King Realm. The ability to move without external aid was a hallmark of the King Realm. For a King Realm expert to show such deference to Ya Ya made Li Hao even more curious about her background.
Seeing the elder wore an Outer Sect Elder's robe, Ya Ya snorted coldly. "You ask them what happened! I'm telling you, if you don't give me a proper explanation, your Outer Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Elders can forget about ever being welcome on Talisman Peak again!"
Duan Ming sighed inwardly. In a blur, he reappeared in front of Qian Kun and the others, his voice icy. "What happened? If you dare hide anything, I'll cripple your cultivation and expel you from the Sword Sect!"
Terrified, the disciples immediately confessed everything.
When Duan Ming heard they owed the "Little Devil Girl" over three hundred thousand Energy Stones, his cheek twitched. When he heard they had tried to get her to follow them to "get the stones," his eyes turned frigid. He was old and shrewd; he knew exactly what they had been planning. He gave them a cold, piercing look. "Hundreds of thousands of Energy Stones? And you wanted her to follow you to get them? To silence her permanently? Good. Very good. I have half a mind to slap you all to death right now! Let me make this clear: if you can't beg her to take back what she just said, I guarantee you will become the enemy of everyOuter Sect Elder and Outer Sect Disciple!"
Their faces turned as white as a sheet. Qian Kun bowed respectfully. "E-Elder... wh-who exactly is that little girl?"
"Never mind who she is!" Duan Ming barked. "Right now, you will all go and borrow Energy Stones! Borrow from your friends, and go tell the other Outer Sect Elders what happened! For the sake of their own interests, they'll lend you the stones!"
"E-Elder, the amount is just too large... this..." Qian Kun stammered, his face full of difficulty.
"Do you want to be crippled and expelled from the sect?" Duan Ming's voice was dangerously soft.
The disciples shuddered. Now they truly understood the severity of the situation. Not daring to waste another second, they scattered to borrow the astronomical sum.
On the platform, after hearing the story from Ya Ya, a warm feeling flowed through Li Hao's heart. He hadn't expected this little girl to trust him so much, to gamble hundreds of thousands of Energy Stones on him!
"Hmph! I won't let them off easily this time! They actually thought about killing me to cover their debt!" The more Ya Ya thought about those disciples, the angrier she got. Since she was little, no one had ever dared to bully her like this!
Elder Duan Ming reappeared on the platform. Seeing Ya Ya was still fuming, he sighed internally and forced another smile. "Ya Ya, look, I've made them go gather the Energy Stones. About what you said earlier... could you perhaps... reconsider?"
Ya Ya snorted. "I'm not taking it back! I told you, you lost, you pay! You didn't want to pay, and you even thought about tricking Ya Ya to kill her! Old Man, I'm telling you, when my grandfather gets back, you're all dead! None of you Outer Sect Elders will ever get to ask my grandfather for Inscriptions again!"
Duan Ming's smile froze. In his heart, he cursed the families of those foolish disciples to the eighteenth generation. Dozens of them digging their own graves was one thing, but dragging all the Outer Sect Elders down with them? He squeezed out his most gentle smile. "Ya Ya, Little Ancestor, this matter has nothing to do with us Outer Sect Elders! Please, don't tell your grandfather, alright?"
"No!" Ya Ya said stubbornly. "I willtell Grandpa! Let him see how your Outer Sect Disciples bullied me!"
Seeing she was still unmoved, Duan Ming was at his wit's end. How could he possibly afford to offend this particular young lady?
Roughly half an hour later, Qian Kun and the others returned. This time, they weren't alone. Four other Outer Sect Elders in blue-and-white robes accompanied them. Li Hao recognized one of them – Elder Shu.
Seeing Elder Shu, Li Hao quickly bowed in respect. Elder Shu nodded slightly at him, then turned his attention to Ya Ya. They had all come to apologize to the Little Devil Girl.
When the four elders saw Ya Ya, their expressions shifted. One round-faced elder smiled wryly, took out a ring, and said, "Y-Ya Ya... there are three hundred ninety thousand Energy Stones in here. If you could... take out your Space Ring, I'll transfer them to you."
Mentioning the sum of three hundred ninety thousand Energy Stones made the elder's face twitch involuntarily, his heart bleeding. This was everything they, the Outer Sect Elders, and the disciples had managed to scrape together. Because of this single bet, the entire outer sect was practically bankrupt.
Ya Ya snorted coldly, snatched the ring from the old man, and held it against her small pouch. With a thought, a silver light emanated from the ring. After a moment, she handed the ring back. But then, as if remembering something, she pulled her hand back. She waved the ring in her hand. "I'll keep this Storage Ring too. You don't mind, do you?"
The round-faced elder's hand, still outstretched, froze mid-air. His expression was a sight to behold. After a moment, he managed a dry laugh. "N-no... no, not at all..." Meanwhile, he was screaming internally, 'You little bastards! Just wait until I get back! I'll make you pay! A single Storage Ring is worth ten thousand Gold Coins! Gone, just like that!'