Chapter 1742 - Debt

Four trays of fruits, four cold dishes, eight sets of meat and alcohol, twelve portions of rice and side dishes.

A huge feast that took up the entire table.

The alcohol being served was also the most well-aged liquor they had. Two people sat across one another at the table.

Xie Dao Ling was eating slowly but earnestly.

Gu Qing Shan was thinking about the Wraith realm’s shelter, then about the heavenly beings, then about Merit. It wasn’t until Xie Dao Ling reminded him that the food was getting cold that he finally put those matters out of his mind.

—–it feels wrong to be casually eating a meal like this right now.

But since Shifu had ordered so, let’s eat I guess.

“Here, Shifu, let me serve you” Gu Qing Shan said.

“Come, have a drink” Xie Dao Ling raised her cup.

“Shifu was imprisoned for a bit long, perhaps you should eat some more” Gu Qing Shan told her.

“That dish looks quite decent, bring the plate to me” Xie Dao Ling pointed at one of the side dishes.

“Yes”

Gu Qing Shan brought the plate over to her and commented: “The food here is indeed considered to be at a passable level”

“Oh? You seem to hold some pride regarding the art of spirit cooking?” Xie Dao Ling asked.

“Yes Shifu, in the past, it was always me and Second brother who were responsible for food in the sect” Gu Qing Shan answered.

“How are your skill levels?” Xie Dao Ling wondered.

“Second brother’s skills can easily be considered number one below this heaven. I was no match for him in the past, but right now, I should be at the same level as him” Gu Qing Shan casually explained.

This was the truth, and Gu Qing Shan wasn’t exactly a humble person, so he didn’t mind saying it out loud.

——in front of Xie Dao Ling, he was already used to talking his mind.

Even if this was Xie Dao Ling’s previous life incarnation.

Hearing that, Xie Dao Ling put her chopsticks down.

“Does Shifu not want to eat anymore?” Gu Qing Shan asked.

“I’m full already, let us go” Xie Dao Ling replied.

Gu Qing Shan reminded: “Shifu, we still haven’t paid”

“Then go ahead and pay” Xie Dao Ling said.

“Shifu, I don’t have any money to pay with Gu Qing Shan helplessly told her. Xie Dao Ling was stunned when she heard that. “What’s the matter?” she observed Gu Qing Shan and asked.

“There’s no matter, I’m simply poor” Gu Qing Shan earnestly answered her.

The two of them both looked straight into the other’s eyes and went silent.

—- it was as if they had never ran into this issue ever before in their lives, and this was the very first instance of it.

“That can’t be, is my sect perhaps very poor?” Xie Dao Ling pondered. “It’s unrelated to the sect, the problem lies with me, I currently owe someone else a large sum of money...”

Gu Qing Shan explained the matter regarding the Book of the Sea to her.

Xie Dao Ling shook her head: “Dear disciple, you’re still a bit too immature—— take that book out, I’ll talk to it”

Gu Qing Shan took out the Book of the Sea as instructed.

Xie Dao Ling then spoke to the Book of the Sea: “My disciple Gu Qing Shan owes you money equal to 3000 years and 1 day worth of his income, is that true?”

The Book of the Sea answered: (That is indeed true]

“Very well, I’ll pay the money instead of him, so you can nullify his debt” Xie Dao Ling told the book without batting an eyelid.

[So you want to pay his debt for him?] the Book of the Sea asked.

“Indeed, he’s only a disciple of my sect, how would he have money to pay you back? So I’ll do it instead” Xie Dao Ling curtly answered.

The Book of the Sea thought briefly and replied: (Great, then from now on, you owe me 3000 years and 1 day worth of income] “What about him?” Xie Dao Ling asked. [He no longer owes anything) the Book of the Sea replied.

“Good, I want a contract to confirm this fact” Xie Dao Ling requested.

[No issue] the Book of the Sea answered.

Following the Book of the Sea’s words, a contract manifested out of thin air and silently hovered in front of Xie Dao Ling.

Xie Dao Ling read it, then nodded: “Indeed”

She traced her finger across the contract a bit, then retrieved it into her sleeve.

“Hm, that’s now done with——- dear disciple, you can put the book away now”

Gu Qing Shan put the Book of the Sea away, feeling emotional: “Shifu...”

“It’s nothing significant, only a bit of debt” Xie Dao Ling replied. “Yes!” Gu Qing Shan said.

But he was still a bit uneasy and asked: “Shifu, how do you intend to pay it back?”

“Pay it back? Why should I pay anything?” Xie Dao Ling asked.

Gu Qing Shan was stunned.

Xie Dao Ling coldly sneered: “It merely said a few words and managed to deceive you into owing it money for 3000 years, why should I

pay it?”

Gu Qing Shan asked: “Then are we going to ignore this debt?”

Xie Dao Ling calmly explained: “Money is a mortal object, one that has never gone through the hands of your master, so there are no issues even if we ignore it. However, as this is a contract you formed with someone else, it could harm the reputation of our sect”

“Then Shifu, you mean——“.

“When we arrived here earlier, I’ve already collected the sub-world belonging to those heavenly beings” “Yes, but then what?” “That sub-world itself was a treasure, one that contains the soul vessel signature of a thousand and one heavenly beings, heavily guarding them—– unfortunately, they don’t know that all those treasures belong to me, which I had bestowed for them to use—– so now I’m going to use the sub-world in order to transfer the debt contract onto them”

“...Is that really ok?”

“And why would it not be? They were the ones who betrayed me in the past; and now even when the Samsara has been reset, they’re still clinging onto the glory of the past, wishing to stagnate in a quagmire instead of taking a single step forward. So now, I’m going to have them each take on three years of your debt, thus lessening their later punishment”

While she spoke, Xie Dao Ling took out the contract from earlier together with a jade orb that radiated chilling air.

The scenery of the sub-world could faintly be seen within the jade orb, while the chilling air was clearly Shroud’s frost powers.

Xie Dao Ling held onto the jade orb with one hand while her other hand rapidly moved while tapping the contract.

She muttered: “Heed my order, aid from the three realms!”

In an instant, the contract scattered into glittering sprites of light as it was absorbed into the jade orb, gradually fading away.

Very quickly, the entire contract was gone.

Xie Dao Ling put the jade orb away and casually said: “It is done, now you can go ahead and

pay”

“...Shifu”

“Are there any other issues?” “I’m not in debt anymore, but I’m still not carrying any money with me”

“Please don’t worry Shifu, I’ll go talk to the restaurant’s owner for a bit”

Gu Qing Shan opened the door of the private room and quickly made his way downstairs.

Xie Dao Ling sat still and slowly drank the alcohol from her cup one sip at a time.

A few moments later.

Her expression slightly changed.

“A single spirit cooking recipe... was able to fetch such a huge sum of money... In that case, his spirit cooking skills are significantly higher compared to this restaurant...”

Xie Dao Ling muttered under her breath, her beautiful eyes slowly narrowed.

“...I need to think of a reason for him to make me some nice food...”

The sound of footsteps going up the stairs could be heard from outside.

Gu Qing Shan opened the door and smiled: “Shifu, the meal is paid for, we can go now”

Xie Dao Ling’s expression became stern and solemnly declared: “Very well, let us go”

“Where are we heading, Shifu?”

“The Elements War Zone”

“Pardon?”

“You are the successor of the Wraith realm, where else would you go if not the Elements War Zone?”

“But there’s a legion of heavenly beings surrounding that place, I’m afraid——“

“Hm, as my strength is currently nil, it certainly isn’t a good idea to alert the Heavenly Emperor before we find another place of shelter, but I have a way to take you inside”

At another location.

The Elements War Zone.

The entrance of the Wraith realm’s shelter. A thousand and one heavenly beings were standing in a war formation while exuding intense killing intent. “Heavenly King sir, the successor of the Wraith realm has not emerged”

“Hm, no matter, we will wait, this king has ample patience”

All of a sudden——-

Some commotion could be heard. As time went by, the commotion didn’t die down at all, instead it began to spread even more, quickly enveloping the entire war formation.

“How impudent! What are they making all that noise for?” the Heavenly King shouted loudly.

One heavenly being nervously flew towards him and reported: “Sir, something unusual has happened”

IU

“What is unusual?” the Heavenly King asked.

“Everyone’s money is gone”

“Money... is gone? Strange, how many people did that happen to?”

“Everyone, sir!”

The Heavenly King looked at his subordinate’s fearful expression and instinctively reached for his own Inventory Bag.

He froze stiff as well.

There wasn’t even a speck of dust left in his bag.

All of his money was gone too!