The fierce-looking burly men didn't hurt anyone or destroy anything; instead, they stared at the beautiful girl playing the zither with hostile expressions.
Judging from the expressions of the other guests, as well as the teahouse manager and staff, it was clear that this group of people were regulars and their intentions were not good.
The burly man at the head of the group put one foot on the bench next to him and glared fiercely at the girl playing the zither: "Zhao Pianran, are you coming with us on your own, or are we going to kidnap you?"
The girl, Zhao Pianran, was on the verge of tears, her eyes, like autumn water, filled with pleading and innocence: "Big brother, can you give me some more time? At most a month, I will definitely be able to pay back the money."
The burly man at the head of the group remained unmoved, only coldly laughing, "What do you think?"
Ye Sisi frowned, somewhat puzzled. These people were clearly cultivators, though their cultivation levels weren't high, only around the second or third level of Qi Refining. But what kind of money could an ordinary little girl owe them? Spirit stones? Hmm, I don't understand. I'll keep watching.
Zhao Pianran burst into tears and knelt on the ground, crying and kowtowing as she pleaded, "Big brother, please! My mother is seriously ill, and my sister is always taking medicine. I'm the only one left who can earn money to support the family. Please, have mercy and give me a little more time!"
The man in the lead turned to his henchmen and said, "Such a beautiful woman is pleading with you. Why don't you show her some pity and help her pay back the money she owes?"
The group quickly retreated and waved their hands in unison. They looked at Zhao Pianran, who was in tears, without any pity. Instead, they looked at her as if she were some kind of monster.
Seeing that the others weren't buying it, Zhao Pianran quickly turned around and kowtowed repeatedly to the innkeeper, pleading, "Grandpa innkeeper, please help Pianran one more time! Pianran promises to pay you back!"
The old shopkeeper, with his graying temples, had a complex look in his eyes, but he never nodded.
The shop assistant, unable to bear it any longer, couldn't help but sneer, "Miss Pianran, our manager is a businessman, not a saint. He hasn't accumulated much wealth over the years, and he's lent you money so many times. You really don't know that he never intended for you to pay it back. But our old manager is kind-hearted, so you can't be so heartless. Do you want him to sell his shop to pay off your debts?"
The old steward waved his hand and sighed, "That's enough."
The waiter couldn't help but mutter, "She's pitiful, but not everyone in the world owes her anything. Just because she's pitiful doesn't mean we should help her. There are so many pitiful people in the world, how can we possibly help them all?"
Zhao Pianran simply kowtowed without saying a word. Perhaps the leading man had lost patience, or perhaps he saw that the shopkeeper really had no intention of paying, so he waved his hand and said, "Since this woman is so ungrateful, then we'll just drag her away by force!"
Zhao Pianran panicked and kowtowed repeatedly towards the direction of the private room on the second floor: "Please, two immortals, help us! My family really can't do without me! Please, two immortals!"
Ye Sisi raised an eyebrow. So that's why they made such a high-profile entrance. When they entered the teahouse, this Zhao Pianran was indeed not far away on the street. So they thought that because they were rich, they would definitely help her for the sake of the so-called immortal's face?
He glanced at Su Jiuli, who nodded and said, "Do as you please."
Ye Sisi didn't lift the curtain by the window, but asked directly, "How much money do you owe?"
Zhao Pianran's voice trembled with joy as she held up four fingers and said, "Four hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Don't worry, fairy, I will repay you one day."
Ye Sisi was shocked. She knew that this was not a large cultivation city, but just an ordinary small town with thin spiritual energy, where the strongest cultivators were only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator might not be able to come up with four hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
That's equivalent to 40,000 low-grade spirit stones, or 4 million taels of gold.
What kind of illness requires so much money? Most importantly, how did an ordinary person manage to borrow so much money?
What makes you think I'd help you?
"Fairy, I know you're certainly not short of money. Please have pity on my seriously ill mother and sister. There's a saying that goes, 'Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.' Your help is equivalent to saving three lives. If I'm taken away, I won't have a good ending."
Ye Sisi's eyes were playful. Oh, was this some kind of moral blackmail?
“You’re right, I’m not short of money. Four hundred mid-grade spirit stones are indeed just a drop in the ocean for me. But why should I help you?”
Zhao Pianran was taken aback. Wasn't what she said obvious enough? Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Besides, the other party was clearly so rich, so why couldn't they help her? Why couldn't they share some with her? Was she so poor because she wanted to be poor? She didn't want to beg for help everywhere and be looked down upon.
Just then, a cold female voice came from another private room on the second floor: "It's just a few hundred spirit stones, there's no need to humiliate people like this here."
As soon as she finished speaking, a storage bag landed in Zhao Pianran's hands. Overjoyed, Zhao Pianran kowtowed repeatedly towards the private room, her forehead turning red from the kowtows, showing that she had used quite a bit of force.
Ye Sisi already knew that there were two Foundation Establishment cultivators sitting next to her, but were Foundation Establishment cultivators really that generous, spending so much money on a stranger?
The men with spiked clubs weren't aggressive. After taking the money, they tossed back a stack of contracts and a storage bag, then turned and left.
Zhao Pianran accepted the storage bag and a stack of contracts with a joyful expression. The other person who generously gave her money was even more generous than anyone had imagined, not only giving her spirit stones to repay her debts, but also clearly having extras.
Ye Sisi looked away, took a sip of the spiritual tea which wasn't particularly rich in spiritual energy, and Su Jiuli asked with a smile, "How does it feel?"
Ye Sisi shook her head: "I want to take another look."
Su Jiuli nodded, without urging him.
After Zhao Pianran thanked him profusely, she went upstairs. Ye Sisi watched her every word and action, while also sending a wisp of her consciousness to listen to the group of men collecting money.
On the surface, Zhao Pianran appears to be a devoted daughter, struggling to support her crumbling family and willing to trample on her self-respect to beg for help.
The old shopkeeper seemed like a good person no matter how you looked at it, helping her without considering his own gains or losses, but he also had his limits. He wouldn't risk everything for someone who wasn't really involved, which is only human nature.
Those fierce-looking men seemed unreasonable, bullying a defenseless little girl without any mercy. Both their behavior and appearance made them look like bad guys.
The female cultivator in the adjacent private room who generously donated could be described as chivalrous, or perhaps naive.
As for her, this so-called fairy who is cold and unapproachable, in the eyes of the public she should be considered harsh and lacking in compassion, or perhaps even a cultivator with a wicked temperament.
But is the truth really as simple as it seems on the surface? Human hearts are so complex. In fact, she already knew why Su Jiuli had brought her to see all this.
She wasn't looking at who was right or wrong, but rather at their humanity, their joys and sorrows, their conspiracies and schemes, the myriad aspects of life, and those things that seemed to be getting further and further away from her.
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