Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Spoiled by Yu Zhao
Lan Zi Yu’s face turned completely dark.

These past few days he had still been dreaming that Yu Zhao would bow her head and admit she was wrong. He gritted his teeth and stayed in the cave dwelling for days without going out.

In the end, the person he wanted never came. Instead, Su Ming came with bad news.

The Little Bird Pouch had been sewn stitch by stitch by Yu Zhao herself.

With no one to teach her, she had pricked herself so many times and shed who knew how many tears.

Lan Zi Yu had seen all of this and even stewed over it in secret for a while.

Yet now Yu Zhao had taken that pouch, still stained with the blood from her fingertips, back from Su Ming.

Lan Zi Yu suddenly felt a chill run through him.

Yu Zhao seemed serious this time.

She was really angry.

On the other side, Su Ming was still fuming.

He complained: “She has borrowed spirit stones from me so many times before, so what if I borrow from her one more time! Besides, this time I actually have a proper use for them!”

When he thought of what had happened that morning, Su Ming was filled with resentment.

He was about to go on about how he had been fleeced when he caught a glimpse, from the corner of his eye, of a tall figure quickly walking toward them.

He and Lan Zi Yu stood up one after the other and bowed: “First Senior Brother.”

They might have complaints about the other senior brothers in their hearts, but when it came to Fang Cheng Lang, they were completely convinced.

Fang Cheng Lang looked at the two with cold eyes. He did not say anything, just went straight to the empty seat beside them and sat down.

Lan Zi Yu and Su Ming exchanged a look, both feeling confused.

Su Ming asked carefully: “First Senior Brother, who made you angry?” [I haven’t done anything wrong lately, right? Mm, he probably isn’t here for me.]

Fang Cheng Lang lifted his eyes and swept a glance over the two of them: “I think I just heard you talking about Little Six?”

Su Ming curled his lip and rushed to complain first: “First Senior Brother, you really should do something about Yu Zhao! She is too out of line! Do you know she actually brought Zhou Jin Yue with her to the Eight Treasures Pavilion today to demand spirit stones from me? She made me lose all my face!”

Su Ming got more and more worked up and did not notice that the air around Fang Cheng Lang had grown several degrees heavier.

Lan Zi Yu, however, could tell something was wrong, but with First Senior Brother sitting right across from him, he could not speak up to warn him.

Bang!

Fang Cheng Lang slapped his palm on the table with a dull bang, and the stone table shook hard.

Su Ming was stunned for a moment, then actually got excited and even pretended to comfort him instead: “First Senior Brother, don’t be too mad. Yu Zhao just doesn’t know any better. Scold her a few more times and she’ll learn her lesson. I think we should just throw her back into the Black Prison for a few days. Once she completely knows she is wrong, then we can let her out.”

Even Lan Zi Yu could hardly stand listening to Su Ming’s nonsense.

He snapped coldly: “Shut up!”

Su Ming glared at him, unwilling to back down: “I’m not wrong! What, even after Yu Zhao gave your Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute away, you still want to speak up for her! Tsk tsk, you really are a loving brother and sister!”

Lan Zi Yu let out a cold snort. [If he wants to dig his own grave, he has no one else to blame.]

Seeing that Lan Zi Yu did not say anything, Su Ming wanted to press his advantage, but Fang Cheng Lang pointed at him and shouted angrily: “Su Ming! You still have the nerve to talk about others? Take a look at what you have done yourself!”

“W-what did I do…” Su Ming’s arrogance faded by more than half at once, but he still stiffened his neck and argued.

“Hah, nothing?” Fang Cheng Lang’s face was so dark it looked like water might drip from it: “Then tell me, over these years, how many spirit stones have you borrowed from Yu Zhao!”

Yu Zhao again!

Su Ming thought bitterly: [She went to complain to First Senior Brother! She is going too far!]

Su Ming clenched his fists and let out a low, angry growl: “Yes, I borrowed some spirit stones from her! But I already paid her back, didn’t I! And she still dared to complain about me! She really needs a good lesson!”

He flipped his sleeve and was about to rush out, but Fang Cheng Lang grabbed him and hauled him back.

“Some? You call that some! Six hundred and ninety-eight spirit stones! A full six hundred and ninety-eight spirit stones! That is the savings Little Six spent seven years gathering, and you blew it all by yourself! What more do you want!”

Even Fang Cheng Lang’s voice was shaking.

He had known that Su Ming often went to Yu Zhao to borrow spirit stones, but he had thought it was only a few dozen at a time, just small favors, and had never taken it to heart.

So when Zhou Jin Yue stopped him today and told him about it, he had not thought much of it at first. It was only when he heard the huge number at the end that he was both shocked and furious.

No wonder, no wonder Little Six did not like to use spirit stones to recover her spirit power and never bought the clothing and accessories that young girls liked.

Fang Cheng Lang had thought Little Six was just stingy and stuck in her old habits. He had never expected that it was Su Ming who was greedy by nature and did not know when to stop taking from Yu Zhao. How was he any different from a bloodsucking leech!

“Six hundred and ninety-eight spirit stones?!” Lan Zi Yu was just as shocked when he heard that number.

When he had heard Su Ming complaining earlier, he had also thought Yu Zhao was making a big fuss over a small matter and being too stingy. He had not expected that Su Ming had hidden such an important piece of information.

To put it this way, if Su Ming came to borrow spirit stones from him, not to mention six hundred and ninety-eight, even if the amount were cut in half, he would never agree.

He knew for sure it would be a deal where he would never see his money again.

The fact that Yu Zhao had been willing to lend spirit stones to Su Ming clearly meant she had not planned to ask for them back.

Yet today she had gone to Su Ming anyway and was ready to fall out with him just to get her spirit stones back.

All these clues added up again, and Lan Zi Yu once more realized how determined Yu Zhao was. His face actually turned ashen.

Su Ming lowered his head and muttered: “It’s not like I said I would never pay her back. Didn’t I pay it all back today?” He did not dare to look straight into First Senior Brother’s furious eyes.

Seeing that he still looked so stubborn and unrepentant, Fang Cheng Lang could not help but shake his head and sigh.

Su Ming had been spoiled by Little Six.

He could not even be bothered to care about nearly seven hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

This many spirit stones would be enough to stir up a bloody storm in the cultivation world.

Fang Cheng Lang could not help but think of Quan Ye, who was still training outside.

[That guy is a bastard too! Why is everyone from Lone Moon Peak so much trouble!]

“First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother!”

Su Ming’s eyes lit up. He quickly looked toward the voice and grinned, dimples appearing on his cheeks, as he called out with the others: “Junior Sister!”

When Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu saw Ye Cong Xin walking over with a gentle smile, the hard looks on their faces also softened, and faint smiles appeared in their eyes.

Ye Cong Xin walked up and sat down as she asked with a bright smile: “What are you three Senior Brothers talking about here? I also want to listen.”

Ye Cong Xin sat down in the last empty seat at the square table, propped her chin up with both hands, and looked at the three of them with bright eyes.

Fang Cheng Lang beat Su Ming to it and gave her a gentle smile: “Nothing much. Junior Sister, are you not cultivating by Master’s side today?”

Ye Cong Xin stuck out her tongue: “First Senior Brother, people get tired. You have to balance work and rest.”

Su Ming said enviously: “You are the only one who can receive personal guidance from Master every day, Junior Sister.”

The few of them as senior brothers all received guidance in cultivation from First Senior Brother. Only when they met something even he could not figure out would they go to Master for help.

In their eyes, Fang Cheng Lang was like a second master.

Ye Cong Xin laughed softly and said: “Third Senior Brother, there is no need to envy me. It is only because my body is weak and Master worries about me, so he personally guides me. I envy you instead. You can ask First Senior Brother for advice anytime. First Senior Brother is the gentlest.”