Yuanshi stared at him.
"My lord, I've already returned the jade seal. I don't believe I've offended your honor in any other way," she said carefully.
He tilted his head slightly, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Aiyah… I truly thought you'd have more wit about you, considering you had the guts to try swindling a group of cultivators."
He sighed and returned to his seat, reclining as if it were a throne.
"I expected to be thoroughly entertained by a cultivator who had no fear for her life—or the lives of others. Perhaps some hidden trump card… or maybe a secret monster waiting to appear."
He waved his hand lazily.
A scroll materialized in the air and flew toward Yuanshi.
"That," he said casually, "is what you owe me."
Yuanshi caught the scroll and slowly opened it.
It unfurled nearly a foot long.
Yuexi grabbed the other end of the scroll, and the moment she saw the number written on it, her face turned pale.
"Ten… ten million silver taels?"
Her legs nearly gave out.
She handed the scroll back to Yuanshi.
Yuanshi read the number once… and immediately vomited another mouthful of blood.
Silence filled the room.
Then Yuexi spoke.
Her voice was unexpectedly calm—cold, even.
"I do not believe we can be held liable for this debt."
She raised her chin and pointed toward the red-eyed boy.
"We have indeed offended you by stealing a seal from one of your attendants."
The boy's crimson eyes flared with fury.
"Do you know who this great one is?" he snapped. "Who are you calling an attendant?!"
Yuexi ignored him completely.
"The seal was returned undamaged and in its original condition. Therefore, I fail to understand this nonsensical bill."
Yuanshi almost wanted to cry.
Inside her mind she praised Yuexi repeatedly.
Her sister would clearly rather die than pay ten million silver taels.
The fox-masked man suddenly laughed.
"You see," he said lazily, "the Ruishang Inn happens to belong to me."
Yuanshi froze.
"And your little business venture earlier caused quite the disturbance," he continued. "My inn suffered extensive damage."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Naturally, the two of you are responsible for compensating those losses."
Yuexi frowned.
"We are not responsible for that damage. Common sense would suggest you pursue the cultivators who actually destroyed your inn."
She crossed her arms.
"We absolutely refuse to pay for this."
Then she added coldly,
"And how exactly am I supposed to trust your valuation? For all we know, this bill could be wildly inflated."
Yuanshi silently applauded her again.
The fox-masked man sighed.
"I think the problem," he said mildly, "is that you believe I'm one of your fellow beggars."
His voice turned colder.
"If you refuse to repay your debt… then I suppose it will have to be paid in blood."
"Fang Sang."
At his command, the silent attendant drew his sword.
The sound of steel leaving its sheath echoed sharply in the room.
Yuanshi jumped to her feet.
"We'll pay!" she shouted desperately. "We'll pay! Please don't hurt him!"
The masked man raised an eyebrow.
"Very well."
He leaned back again.
"Considering your… current financial situation, I doubt you'll be able to repay ten million silver taels anytime soon."
"So instead," he continued casually, "you will repay the debt with your services."
"However," he added, "if you somehow manage to gather the full amount, your debt will be considered settled."
Yuanshi frowned.
"What exactly do you mean by 'services'?"
He looked her up and down slowly before chuckling.
"Relax. I have far better taste than foul-smelling beggars."
Yuanshi nearly exploded with anger.
Excuse me?!
She was extremely beautiful, thank you very much.
She was just… temporarily covered in dirt.
"Anyway," he continued, clearly amused, "I will give you assignments—missions, if you prefer."
"For each successful mission, your debt will be reduced by ten thousand taels."
"For each failed mission…"
His voice darkened slightly.
"Your debt will increase by ten thousand."
Yuanshi's mind immediately started calculating.
Ten million divided by ten thousand…
That meant they needed one thousand successful missions to clear the debt.
Assuming they didn't fail even once.
Yuexi asked cautiously,
"How long will each mission take?"
The fox-masked man shrugged.
"A day… a month… perhaps a few years."
"That depends entirely on you."
Yuanshi frowned.
"At this rate, we might end up working for you for the rest of our lives."
Suddenly he stood up.
"If you fail ten missions, you will pay the price in blood."
The two girls shrank back.
He looked down at them briefly before continuing.
"Your first mission is simple."
"You will infiltrate the Wei Family of Yanjing City."
Yuanshi's heart skipped a beat.
"You are to uncover secrets about the family," he continued calmly. "If you fail to provide any valuable information, the mission will be considered a failure."
"You have three months."
"You will report to Fang Sang once every week."
"He will know how to find you."
Yuanshi felt her heart climb into her throat.
How are we supposed to do something like that?
Then another thought struck her.
Wait…
How does he know we were planning to escape to Yanjing City?
The fox-masked man gestured toward Fang Wu.
The red-eyed boy released Ergu, letting the small child fall gently onto the floor.
The masked man turned toward the window.
Just before leaving, he suddenly paused.
Then he tossed several talismans toward them.
"They're invisibility and speed talismans," he said without turning around.
"I'd rather not have you die before repaying your debt."
He flicked another small bottle toward them.
"Blood-replenishing and healing pills."
His robe billowed dramatically as he stepped through the window.
In the next moment, he was gone.
Both of his attendants followed him into the night.
---
Outside
After entering their carriage, Fang Sang finally spoke.
"My lord… why did you give them talismans and pills?"
The fox-masked man—Bai Hetian—leaned back comfortably.
"Reasonably speaking," he replied, "I should protect my assets."
Fang Sang frowned.
"Are they one of us now?"
"No," Bai Hetian said flatly.
"Then why send them to investigate the Wei family?"
Bai Hetian's lips curved slightly beneath the mask.
"It's a test."
After a brief pause, he added,
"Considering what they managed to pull earlier…"
"I believe they might actually succeed."