Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"Sect Leader, Senior Brother." A soft voice called from behind.

Su Xiao had appeared beside him at some point, holding a thick ledger with a worn and faded cover, her face showing a hesitant expression.

"It's Junior Sister Xiao." Shen Mo didn't turn around, asking calmly, "Is everything... all taken care of?"

"Mmm." Su Xiao responded softly, stepped forward, and stood side by side with Shen Mo, gazing together at the undulating mountains in the distance.

"Manager Chen of Baibaoge... has already left with his men. Before he left, he specifically came to see me one more time."

"Oh?" Shen Mo tilted his head slightly to look at Su Xiao. "What did he say this time?"

Su Xiao pursed her lips, organized her thoughts, and then said, "Manager Chen said... said that Manager Qian felt that the small debt that Qingyun Sect had with us before was really... not worth mentioning."

"So...so on behalf of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he formally proposed to waive all the debts previously owed by our sect, totaling...eighty-seven low-grade spirit stones. Consider it...consider it as establishing a good relationship."

After speaking, she raised her eyes, carefully observing Shen Mo's expression. Forgiving the debt was supposed to be a good thing. But for some reason, Su Xiao didn't feel much joy; instead, she felt a heavy weight in her heart.

This "good fortune" came too easily, and... too deliberately. In the previous formal talks, Manager Qian did not mention this topic, probably to save face for Shen Mo, but instead had Manager Chen relay the message to Su Xiao privately.

This Manager Qian is really good at dealing with people!

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo showed no surprise or joy on his face, only a slight, ambiguous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He reached out and took the heavy ledger from Su Xiao's hand, then casually turned to a page.

The ledger was filled with neat yet slightly immature small regular script, densely recording every income and expenditure of the Qingyun Sect in recent years. Between the lines, an undeniable sense of...financial hardship was evident.

"Treasure Pavilion...eighty-seven low-grade spirit stones..." Shen Mo's finger lightly swept across this column, and then he turned a few more pages.

"The debt of thirty low-grade spirit stones that was previously owed to Linggu Zhang has been paid off yesterday when Wang Lie went down the mountain and sold the last few bundles of low-grade 'Firefly Grass'."

"The wages for repairing the roof of the east wing by the rogue cultivator Liu were twenty low-grade spirit stones, which were also paid three days ago with a few 'dust-removing talismans' from our inventory."

His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were speaking to Su Xiao. With each number he said, Su Xiao's heart tightened.

She wrote all of this down stroke by stroke. She knew better than anyone how the entire sect had cut back on food and clothing to pay off these "small debts." They even had to carefully calculate the dosage of the most common "Qi Gathering Pills" used for daily cultivation.

"Now..." Shen Mo closed the ledger, looked up at Su Xiao, "besides the debt 'forgiven' to Baibaoge, what else does my Qingyun Sect owe to others...? Only one debt remains, right?"

Su Xiao's heart sank, her pretty face turned slightly pale, and she whispered three words: "Black...Black Wind Village".

"Hmm." Shen Mo nodded, his tone still calm, but his eyes sharpened slightly. "The principal was five hundred low-grade spirit stones, and the interest... according to their calculations, they're demanding eight hundred. The one-month period... how many days are left?"

"There are...nine days left." Su Xiao's voice trembled slightly.

Black Wind Stronghold weighed heavily on the hearts of every Qingyun Sect disciple, like a boulder. They weren't "rule-abiding" merchants like Baibaoge; they were a group of true... outlaws!

Last time, Black Wind Stronghold Chief Hei Yun Sha personally came to collect the debt, and it was only by activating the stone lion left by the founder and using the "Edit Mythology" sword energy from the system that Shen Mo managed to scare it away. But if these desperate criminals don't pay by the end of the month, they'll probably come back, and the consequences of that return...

The image of the nearly broken stone lion immediately flashed through Su Xiao's mind, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Nine Heavens..." Shen Mo repeated the number, his gaze once again fixed on the distance. The sun had completely set, leaving only a faint crimson hue on the horizon.

A mountain breeze blew by, carrying the coolness of the night, swirling up a few fallen leaves on the ground, causing them to disappear into the dim twilight.

"Junior Sister Xiao," Shen Mo finally spoke after a long silence, "why do you think Baibaoge would proactively forgive our debts at this time?"

Su Xiao paused for a moment, shook her head, and dispelled the image of the stone lion from her mind. After thinking carefully for a while, she cautiously replied:

"Xiao'er thinks... there are two possibilities. First, they really want to build a good relationship and invest in... the future of my Qingyun Sect. After all, the potential shown by our Sect Leader today is enough for them to take us seriously."

"And the second one?" Shen Mo remained noncommittal.

"Secondly..." Su Xiao's voice lowered, "Perhaps... on the other hand, they feel that this debt... will soon become a bad debt. Rather than losing everything later, they might as well do a favor now..."

Even Su Xiao herself felt a little cruel saying this. But it was indeed her deepest worry.

The threat from Black Wind Stronghold was like a sword hanging overhead.

The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is well-informed; it's impossible they didn't know. Their "goodwill" seemed rather subtle at this moment.

"You see things very clearly." Shen Mo glanced at Su Xiao approvingly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. This junior sister is thoughtful and insightful, and her understanding of issues is becoming increasingly profound.

He then changed the subject and asked, "So tell me again, what's our current financial situation?"

Mentioning her "family fortune," Su Xiao couldn't help but smile bitterly. She took a small cloth bag from her bosom and handed it to Shen Mo:

"This is all the available spirit stones and materials in the sect's treasury right now. After deducting the minimum consumption required for daily cultivation, the amount that can be used for emergencies is no more than this."

She held up five fingers.

"Five hundred low-grade spirit stones?" Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.

Su Xiao shook her head, her voice so low it was almost imperceptible: "It's... fifty yuan."

Fifty low-grade spirit stones!

This number was like a bucket of ice water poured over their hearts. Although they were mentally prepared, hearing it with their own ears still sent a chill down their spines.

Five hundred in initial capital ballooned to nearly a thousand in debt! And they were facing the infamous Black Wind Stronghold! All they had to offer was... fifty spirit stones!

This is a world of difference! It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot! And right now, the sect still has eleven people to support!

An unspoken silence spread between the two. Only the howling mountain wind seemed to play a mournful melody for their desolate situation.

"Sect Leader Brother..." Su Xiao looked at Shen Mo's profile, which was calm to the point of being frightening, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She couldn't help but say, "How about... we... we should still..."

"Or what?" Shen Mo interrupted her, turning his head to look at her intently, his gaze sharp as he asked in a deep voice, "Or should we abandon the sect and everyone flee for their lives?"

Su Xiao's heart trembled under his gaze, and she couldn't say anything more. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she lowered her head.

Abandon the mountain gate? This is their only home! But... what else can they do if they don't give up? Are they really going to all... die here together?

"Don't worry." Shen Mo's voice suddenly softened. He reached out and gently patted Su Xiao's shoulder. The girl's slender shoulder trembled slightly under his palm.

"The sky hasn't fallen yet."

"But..." Su Xiao raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears.

"No buts." Shen Mo's tone became firm again. "The debt is owed by me, the sect leader. The sect is our home. Now that I'm in this position, I will never allow anyone to harm the Qingyun Sect in the slightest!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable resolve and... an indescribable confidence! It was as if the desperate situation before him was not insurmountable in his eyes.