Chapter 107

Chapter 107: All for Nothing
Ji Han Zhou let out a long breath.

After sitting still on the reef for days, his bones were almost stiff.

The hard days were finally over.

He perked up and said: “Senior Sister Yu, whatever you say, I will listen to you.”

Yu Zhao raised a brow. Why did it feel like Ji Han Zhou had been waiting for her to say this for a long time?

“This island is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and we cannot tell directions. If we move rashly, there is a high chance we will get lost deep in the Nanming Sea. So my idea is to make a few more rafts and use them to travel on the sea. That way we save our strength and also have a place to stand.”

Of course, taking a raft was very risky too. With one swing of its tail, a sea beast could smash a raft to pieces.

But Yu Zhao had very few things she could use right now. A raft was already the best water transport she could think of.

As soon as Ji Han Zhou heard this, he turned and ran toward the forest on the island without another word, shouting: “I will go cut wood!”

Making rafts was not complicated. Working together, the two of them made dozens of rafts in less than an hour.

“Set out.”

After the rafts touched the water, Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou jumped onto a raft at the same time.

Driven by spirit power, the raft swayed as it floated away from the island and sailed toward the unknown.

Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou stood on the bamboo raft and looked into the distance.

There was no confusion about the future in their eyes, only the same firmness and expectation on their faces.

Cultivating immortality was an act against heaven. If one was timid and afraid, how could they ever talk about living forever?

…

To the east of Nanming City.

In a small courtyard house.

Little Red got up early in the morning to chop firewood and boil water.

Right after she lit the firewood, she took a bucket to the well at the end of the street to fetch water.

After she had filled a big water vat, she rushed to the front street to buy breakfast for her three younger brothers, not resting for even a moment.

When she got home, the three younger brothers were still snoring in their rooms.

Little Red put the breakfast on the stove and glanced at the empty money box, her brows tightly furrowed.

Before, when she worked as a guide, she could earn five low grade spirit stones in a day and would be so happy she could not stop smiling. But now that they had moved into this house, five low grade spirit stones were not enough for even one day’s expenses.

The children who lived nearby all came from families that were not poor. Her three younger brothers wanted the best of everything so they would not be bullied by the other children.

Little by little, the spirit stones were spent like flowing water.

She had no spirit stones left.

Even so, Little Red was not too anxious. She still had six high grade spirit stones placed with Grandpa Tea.

It was just that, last time, she had carelessly talked about Grandpa Tea to others, so she had not dared to see him again.

Now she had no choice but to go to the Floating Fragrance Teahouse.

Little Red quietly closed the door.

On the way, she kept thinking about what she should say when she saw Grandpa Tea so that he would not be angry.

She had not listened to Grandpa Tea and had run home on her own. Grandpa Tea must be very disappointed.

But she could not ignore her younger brothers. If she apologized sincerely, Grandpa Tea should forgive her.

Without noticing it, she arrived at the Floating Fragrance Teahouse.

When she lifted her head, what stood before her was not a three story teahouse full of rich tea scent, but a field of broken ruins.

Little Red’s mind went blank. Her whole body went cold, and she fell weakly to the ground.

How could this be…

How could it be like this?

Suddenly thinking of something, she stumbled up from the ground and ran to the wine shop next to the Floating Fragrance Teahouse. She grabbed a waiter and cried hoarsely: “How did the Floating Fragrance Teahouse become like this? Where are the people in the teahouse? Where is Grandpa Tea? Where did they go?”

The waiter was startled and pushed Little Red to the ground with a lift of his hand.

“Crazy girl! Get lost! Do not touch me!”

“Please! Please tell me what happened to Grandpa Tea and the others! Please, I beg you!”

Little Red’s eyes were red. She cried as she knocked her head against the ground in front of the waiter again and again.

The nearby passersby all looked over with strange eyes.

Feeling uneasy under their gazes, the waiter pulled Little Red up: “Stop yelling. I will tell you.”

Little Red bit her lip and stared at him with pleading eyes.

“Sigh.” The waiter let out a heavy breath. “No one knows which lord the people from the Floating Fragrance Teahouse offended. A group of people came a few days ago and smashed the whole teahouse.”

Little Red’s vision went black, and she almost fainted.

The waiter quickly grabbed her arm: “Do not worry too much. None of them died. Only the tea master who brewed the tea had one arm cut off and was thrown out of the city along with them. By now they have probably escaped somewhere else.”

Little Red had not even had time to feel glad at the first half when the bad news in the last half hit her. Her knees went soft, and she knelt on the ground.

Grandpa Tea was gone.

Her five high grade spirit stones were gone too!

How was she supposed to raise her three younger brothers now!

Little Red went home like a lost soul and saw her three younger brothers sitting in chairs, their round bellies sticking out as they hummed in comfort.

When she went into the kitchen, sure enough, all the breakfast on the stove was gone. Not even her share was left.

She pressed her empty stomach but did not say anything. All she could think about was what to feed her younger brothers at noon.

Just then, the voices of her younger brothers calling her came from the main room.

Little Red hurried in.

Little Fur sat with his legs crossed and said boldly: “For lunch I want the Eight Treasure Wontons from the main street.”

“I want roast goose!”

“Meat patties! Meat patties!”

The youngest, Little Xi, picked up his chopsticks and banged them hard against his empty bowl, waving his arms and legs in excitement.

Little Red looked troubled and said: “We have no spirit stones left at home. Let us eat something simple at noon. When I earn money, I will buy you wontons and roast goose, all right?”

“No spirit stones left? What about that mid grade spirit stone? You spent it all!”

Little Fur stood up in anger, his small fists tightly clenched.

The other two also looked at Little Red with displeasure.

“No, it was not me.” Little Red shook her head in a hurry and started counting their recent expenses on her fingers: “We spent sixty low grade spirit stones just to rent this house. Then I bought you new clothes and shoes, and fresh food…”

“What is the point of saying so much? It still means you are useless!” Little Fur cut her off, his face full of scorn. “Did you not say that senior gave you a big pile of spirit stones to thank you? Where are your spirit stones? Where did they go? Did you secretly hide them?”

“No, I did not hide them. I left the spirit stones with Grandpa Tea…”

“Then go get them!” Little Bean shouted.

“Grandpa Tea is gone. I cannot find him.”

Little Red lowered her head in grievance, tears dripping down one after another.

Grandpa Tea clearly knew she needed that pile of spirit stones. Why had he not given them back to her before leaving?

Or did Grandpa Tea also want those six high grade spirit stones, so he ran away with them?

“How can you be so stupid? You actually gave spirit stones to someone just like that! Now look, you got cheated! What use are you? You might as well go die!”

“Do you have a pig brain? How could you dare give spirit stones to someone else?”

“Ah, you are a bad person! I will hit you! Hit you to death! Give me back my spirit stones!”

Their childish fists rained down on Little Red’s body, and she could not help crying even louder.

It was all her fault for being too stupid, for trusting others so easily and losing all the spirit stones.

These past few days were like a dream. Now that the dream was over, they would have to slink back to live in the South City District again.