Dividing the spoils

"Pfft—"

When Chu Liang uttered the words “fifty thousand,” Shang Shuwen nearly spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

You look so refined and decent, but the moment you open your mouth, it’s utterly outrageous!

Fifty thousand sword coins.

You really dare to say it.

Even as a peak master, I couldn’t possibly take out fifty thousand sword coins at any given time, and you—a mere Divine Will realm cultivator—could have that much? Even if you did, with such a large pile of sword coins here, Zhang Xingyuan wouldn’t even dare to pick them up if they were lying on the ground. What kind of lawless madman would dare commit such a huge crime? Claiming he robbed you of that much—only a fool would believe it.

Even Princess Feng showed some surprise in her eyes upon hearing this, clearly not expecting Chu Liang to name a figure even higher than she’d anticipated.

Then, the look she gave Chu Liang was tinged with approval.

But the most devastated of all was Zhang Xingyuan, standing behind Shang Shuwen.

The other side was obviously stronger, and his master intended to settle things peacefully. He certainly didn’t mind paying compensation, but… how did things suddenly spiral so far out of control?

Fifty turning into fifty thousand—what sort of ridiculous escalation was this?

Could any human being even say such a thing?

He hurriedly shouted, “Impossible! Master, by heaven and earth, I only asked him for fifty sword coins! He’s just making things up!”

Hearing this, Shang Shuwen immediately turned and glared at him.

So, the extortion actually did happen.

Now it would be impossible to deny being at fault…

At these words, Princess Feng’s eyebrows immediately lifted. “Oh? You say fifty, he says fifty thousand—that’s quite a difference. Peak Master Shang, how about this…”

Her gaze shifted to Zhang Xingyuan. Looking at the young man in the Golden Core realm, the corners of her lips curled up.

“I’ll burn him and see exactly how many sword coins he has on him. If there are indeed fifty thousand, we’ll take them and leave. If not, I’ll offer a personal apology.”

“How about it?”

Thud.

At these words, Zhang Xingyuan immediately collapsed to his knees with a dull thud, his legs trembling so much he couldn’t stand up again!

It wasn’t that he was weak-willed.

But when Princess Feng looked at him and casually uttered the words “burn him,” perhaps to others it sounded like a threat, but in that instant… he truly felt that she might raise her hand and kill him on the spot!

As easily as crushing an ant!

That was the pressure and aura of a Dao-seeking master, and the murderous energy honed on battlefields piled with corpses and seas of blood. Even a single thread of it falling on his shoulder was more than he could bear.

Without even realizing, his face was already twisted in terror, tears and snot streaming down.

Shang Shuwen stepped forward, shielding Zhang Xingyuan, trying to protect his disciple. But among the Shushan peak masters, his cultivation was only mid-tier; though the sixth realm’s peak was enough to found a sect in the martial world, before Princess Feng, it was hardly worth mentioning.

With her full aura bearing down, Shang Shuwen grunted, his face grave.

After a pause, he said, “At most, I can compensate you with five thousand sword coins, and let this matter be settled once and for all. If you refuse to accept, then take it to the Law Hall or even to the Boundless Palace—I will not compromise further.”

After all, Yun Yao Peak was in the wrong, and the other party was not someone who could be trifled with, so Shang Shuwen could only choose to make a hefty payment to settle matters.

Fifty thousand sword coins was utter nonsense; five thousand was already no small sum.

“Five thousand?” Princess Feng’s eyes narrowed dangerously, glinting with a cold light. She seemed to weigh it, then glanced at Chu Liang. “What do you think?”

“My master has always taught us that Silver Sword Peak values harmony with others,” Chu Liang nodded. “Since Peak Master Shang wishes to make peace, we shouldn’t disturb the fellowship among our sect.”

“Exactly.” Princess Feng smiled, and the oppressive atmosphere instantly dissipated, as if clouds and rain had cleared and everyone on Yun Yao Peak could finally breathe freely. “Silver Sword Peak always values harmony—let’s consider the missing forty-five thousand as the price of friendship.”

“More friends, more paths,” Chu Liang agreed.

Princess Feng patted her chest. “From now on, we’re pals.”

The master and disciple joked and laughed, instantly livening up the previously stifling mood.

Shang Shuwen, however, kept his face serious. After a moment’s silence, he tossed out a green jade slip, which Princess Feng caught.

“Take your sword coins and go. I have family matters on Yun Yao Peak to handle,” Shang Shuwen said, forcing his tone to remain calm as he issued a polite dismissal.

“See you around.” Princess Feng accepted the storage jade slip, swept it with her divine sense to check the sword coin count, and, finding no errors, dropped the matter.

The master and apprentice, with smug looks of triumph, cheerfully made their way home.

Only Shang Shuwen remained, turning to look at his disciple still kneeling on the ground, not yet recovered, and the land that had only moments before been his home, now reduced to a wasteland.

“What happened?” he asked.

“It… it was Senior Brother Shang.” Zhang Xingyuan knew the matter had escalated beyond his ability to cover up, so he simply confessed, “He asked me to help teach that Silver Sword Peak disciple a lesson, so I… I only did it because he told me to…”

“Shang Ziliang?” Shang Shuwen’s brows finally knitted together at the mention of his own son’s name.

Without hesitation, he wrote out the name in midair, and a swirling wind swept Shang Ziliang over.

Shang Ziliang had been on Yun Yao Peak as well, and naturally had witnessed the recent scene. His heart was already restless, and now, in a blink, he was yanked in front of his father.

Facing Shang Shuwen’s cold expression, sweat poured down Shang Ziliang’s face like a waterfall.

“What happened?” Shang Shuwen’s tone was still calm.

But Shang Ziliang knew that this was how his father looked in his most furious state.

“Father…” His teeth chattered, and he could barely form words. “Um… I confess, I’ll admit everything. But before that, I want to confirm one thing. That is…”

“I really am your own son, right?”

…

“You did well today.”

Inside the Silver Sword Peak’s tower, Princess Feng gave special praise to Chu Liang.

“I was worried you’d ask for too little, but you named an even larger sum than I had in mind. Young people really do have guts.”

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Master,” Chu Liang replied, still humble and cautious.

“Keep up the good work.” Princess Feng nodded.

Chu Liang fell silent, only glancing up at Princess Feng with lowered brows.

“What’s wrong?” she asked in confusion.

“Master, we profited handsomely today, didn’t we…” Chu Liang said with a smile.

“Heh, you rascal…” Princess Feng grinned. “Don’t worry, you won’t lose out. I’ll give you a thirty percent cut!”

With that, she tossed him a pouch of sword coins.

Chu Liang caught it, weighed it in his hand, and found there were only about a hundred coins. A quick scan with his divine sense revealed exactly one hundred and fifty.

“Master?” He blinked.

“Thirty percent, right? You get three, I get ninety-seven. No problem with that, is there?” Princess Feng declared, perfectly justified.

“…” Chu Liang was speechless.

But today’s gain truly depended on Princess Feng standing up for him, and getting a share was already a good deal. Besides, he was well accustomed to his master’s ways by now—once money went into her hands, it might as well have been fed to the dogs. For her to spare even a crumb for him was generosity itself.

So he didn’t fuss about it.

As long as he could quietly sell his fruit teas, life would still be bright and full of promise.

Just as he thought this, he felt a tremor in his pocket.

The Soul Summoning Order?