Chapter 733 - 222: Brother Xiaohai, Hated by All
Chapter 222 [Man Hated by All, Brother Xiaohai] (6800)
Chen Yan had already walked to the courtyard gate, standing inside looking out, when he saw Zhao You standing by the mountain path. Zhao You was bowing and apologizing repeatedly to someone, his expression both helpless and frustrated, yet he didn’t dare to show it, seemingly burdened by many concerns.
As for the person Zhao You was incessantly saluting, Chen Yan only glanced over and was immediately taken aback, subconsciously pulling his head back slightly.
The person looked no more than 1.4 meters tall, clearly resembling a school-aged child, with a topknot on his head and a face that was as fair and rosy as a baby from a New Year’s painting.
He wore a child’s tunic, with a gold bell hanging from his wrist.
However, the words he spoke came out in a deep, old voice, coldly saying: "It’s just some jade coins for the Primordial Qi array, do you really think I would default and not pay you back?! You flatter those above and belittle those below, looking down on me!"
Zhao You was sweating from his forehead, looking as if he was about to kneel: "Your Honor, Fellow Daoist, it’s not me... Alas, the money you owe is for the district’s array fees, this is what the West Platform City office requires, what has it to do with me? Once you pay, not a single coin falls into my pocket. You refuse to pay, yet demand I activate the array for you, this, this, this I..."
The person also looked awkward for a moment, but he could only grit his teeth, his face turning stern as he angrily said: "I’m about to achieve a breakthrough! I demand you activate the Primordial Qi array in the cave within an hour, if you ruin my realm breakthrough, see if I spare you!"
Having said that, the person probably also realized his unreasonable behavior, and he didn’t have the gall to utter more shameless words, so he simply snorted heavily, turned around, and left. Chen Yan saw clearly, this guy actually walked right into the neighboring courtyard, waved his sleeve, and the courtyard gate slammed shut.
Once the person entered the courtyard and quickly went into the cave dwelling, Zhao You stomped his foot heavily, cursing angrily: "How unreasonable! Such arrogance, why doesn’t he go to the office to show off instead! What’s the point of bullying a lowly district steward like me! Using his cultivation to bully small cultivators like me!!
Says he doesn’t default, but isn’t this exactly defaulting!"
Chen Yan then walked out of his courtyard, approaching Zhao You.
Seeing Chen Yan come out, Zhao You took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation, and forced a smile at Chen Yan: "Sorry to let you witness a joke..."
Chen Yan nodded, glancing at the neighboring courtyard: "What’s... the situation?"
"A... rogue tenant." Zhao You said resentfully: "He’s been living here for a long time, initially able to pay, but later on, he couldn’t even pay the wages of the courtyard servants, and then he stopped paying for the daily Primordial Qi array.
He kept saying he would owe it first, and since his cultivation isn’t low, we thought he’d be good for a few jade coins, but we didn’t expect the debt to grow more and more, now over a month overdue.
In our district, the office requires a monthly settlement, so when I went to ask for payment, he said these rogue words!"
With a sigh, Zhao You continued: "I’m just down on my luck to meet such a rogue. In the beginning, I was deceived by his sweet talk, which is why I let him owe the debts. In a few days, when the accounts are settled, if the money doesn’t match, I’m afraid I’ll be punished, and if I can’t cover it, I might even lose my position."
He gave Chen Yan a cautious look, lowering his voice: "Fellow Daoist, living here as his neighbor, you must be careful and avoid any dealings with this scoundrel—these days, many residents around the mountains have lent him money—he borrows and doesn’t repay!"
Hearing this, Chen Yan couldn’t help but turn his head to stare at the neighboring courtyard gate for a while, with some confusion in his eyes.
This guy... shouldn’t be like this, right?
Back then, when I lit the "Li Huo Candle," Brother Xiaohai inside saved my life—this Brother Xiaohai’s cultivation was high, and his presence was quite extraordinary.
How could Brother Xiaohai the sword cultivator be such a rogue?
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, do you know the name of this esteemed neighbor, and how long he’s lived here?"
"His title is East Sea." Zhao You curled his lips.
Chen Yan was stirred inside, the name matches...
However, Zhao You continued: "He’s been living here for over three years, spending freely at first, but who knew he’d turn rogue later on."
Over three years?
That doesn’t match up.
Chen Yan recalled that more than half a year ago, Brother Xiaohai "East Sea" was still in the Li Huo Candle.
Still, he pondered these thoughts in his mind, not showing it on his face, so he nodded, casually thanking Zhao You for the warning. Zhao You, however, was full of helplessness and worry as he took his leave.
After Zhao You left, Chen Yan again looked at the neighboring courtyard gate.
The same name, same appearance.
But the timeline doesn’t match.
Could it be... not the same person?
·
Chen Yan did not rashly approach this "East Sea" next door but turned back into his own courtyard, tidying up in his cave dwelling a bit, and taking out some daily items from his Storage Jade Pendant.
About half an hour later, there was some fluctuation in the array outside the courtyard, and Chen Yan came out of the cave dwelling to the courtyard, using a jade talisman to open the array’s gate.
Outside the courtyard gate on the mountain path, several people were kneeling, four men and two women, all dressed as ordinary humans in short-sleeved garments, kneeling respectfully outside the courtyard gate.
The middle-aged man kneeling at the front looked somewhat composed, lifting his head to respectfully look at Chen Yan: "Reporting to the cultivator master, we are the servants dispatched by the district to serve you, master."