Chapter 43: Ask For Compensation

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Ask For Compensation

The spirit beast crashed heavily onto the ground, sending dust scattering across the area. Its enormous body struggled for a moment before finally going still. Although it was still breathing, it no longer had the strength to get back up.

The surrounding cultivators remained frozen in place.

Just moments ago, the beast had suddenly gone berserk and charged straight toward them. Several people had barely managed to dodge, and if Yizhou had not intervened in time, Sui Sui would have been caught in the attack as well.

Sui Sui looked at the subdued beast before turning toward Yizhou. He was about to say something when an angry voice suddenly came from behind them.

"What do you think you are doing?!"

A group of cultivators quickly hurried over. The person leading them was a young man around sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in an expensive-looking yellow robe. Several people behind him wore the same clothing, making it clear that they belonged to the same sect.

The moment the young man saw the Ironstripe Tiger lying on the ground, his expression changed.

"How could it have become like this?" He immediately pointed at Yizhou. "You! Why did you have to attack my Ironstripe Tiger? Don’t you know how much it costs to raise a spirit beast like this?"

"Exactly! How could you suddenly attack Young Master Ming’s spirit beast?" another disciple in yellow immediately chimed in.

From the way the others surrounded the young man and hurried to defend him, it was obvious that his status within the sect was rather special.

The surrounding cultivators began whispering among themselves. Sui Sui soon learned that they were disciples of the Wanzen Sect, one of the larger sects in the northern region.

However, what followed made his brows slowly knit together.

What surprised Sui Sui was how naturally they placed all the blame on Yizhou, as though they had completely forgotten that their own spirit beast had been the one to suddenly go berserk and attack everyone first.

Sui Sui stared at them for a moment, then glanced at the Ironstripe Tiger lying on the ground.

Was this person serious?

He could not help himself and said loudly.

"Are you blind?"

The young master’s expression changed, clearly not expecting anyone to actually talk back to him.

"What did you just say to me?"

Sui Sui ignored the hostility in his voice and pointed toward the cultivator who had nearly been attacked.

"Your spirit beast suddenly went berserk and attacked people. If my senior brother hadn’t stopped it, then many people would have already been injured. Instead of thanking him for saving people, you’re blaming him for intervening?"

"You—" The young man’s face flushed with anger. "But even so, he shouldn’t have attacked my spirit beast so harshly!" The young master said indignantly.

Sui Sui folded his arms and looked at him as though he were trying to understand his reasoning. "Then explain what my senior brother was supposed to do. Stand there and watch your spirit beast attack everyone?"

The young master was momentarily speechless.

Sui Sui continued, "Unless you can explain why your spirit beast suddenly went berserk, don’t stand here and act as though my senior brother was the one who started this trouble."

The young man’s face darkened further, his expression becoming increasingly unpleasant. He had clearly not expected to be questioned so openly, especially in front of so many other cultivators.

For a moment, he seemed unable to find a suitable retort.

Around them, the surrounding cultivators exchanged glances. A few quietly nodded, clearly agreeing with Sui Sui’s words. After all, everyone present had witnessed what happened. The Ironstripe Tiger had been the one to suddenly lose control and attack first, while Yizhou had only stepped in to stop it.

The young master’s face flushed red, then turned pale as he struggled to contain his anger. Being contradicted in front of so many people had obviously left him feeling humiliated.

"You..." he finally spat through clenched teeth. His gaze fell on the battered Ironstripe Tiger before returning to Yizhou. "So what? You still injured my spirit beast, don’t you know how much it took to raise this one up? You must compensate me!"

Sui Sui almost laughed when he heard this.

He looked at the Ironstripe Tiger, then slowly turned back toward the young master. Rather than arguing further, his expression suddenly became calm.

"Compensate you?" Sui Sui paused for a moment, as though seriously considering the matter. "Fine. Then let’s properly calculate the compensation."

Hearing this, the young master’s expression immediately turned smug, clearly thinking that Sui Sui had finally realized who was in the wrong and was prepared to compensate him.

However, Sui Sui’s next words wiped the smile from his face.

"Since we’re talking about compensation, then we should calculate everything properly." Sui Sui pointed toward the cultivator who had nearly been attacked. "Your spirit beast suddenly went berserk and nearly injured several people. Shouldn’t you compensate those it attacked for their injuries, damaged belongings, and the shock they suffered?"

The young master’s expression slowly stiffened.

Sui Sui then pointed at himself. "I was almost attacked too. I’m a weak cultivator, and I was frightened enough that I might have developed a mental trauma from this. Shouldn’t I receive compensation as well?"

"You..." The young master’s mouth twitched.

Sui Sui paid him no attention and continued counting on his fingers.

"And my senior brother had to intervene because your spirit beast was out of control. Subduing spirit beasts is also a legitimate job, isn’t it? Since he took the trouble to save everyone, shouldn’t you compensate him for that as well?"

The faces of the young master and the disciples surrounding him grew increasingly ugly. They had originally come over demanding compensation, yet somehow, with every word Sui Sui said, the situation was gradually turning against them.

Sui Sui, however, was not finished.

"Most importantly, you’re the owner of the spirit beast. You failed to control it and allowed it to attack everyone here. Shouldn’t you at least apologize to those who were nearly dragged into this mess?"

He gave the young master an innocent smile, as though he were merely helping him settle the matter fairly.

"After all, if we’re really going to calculate who owes whom, I’m afraid you won’t be able to afford the final bill."

A few cultivators nearby could no longer hold back their laughter. Even some who had been watching silently turned away, their shoulders trembling as they tried not to laugh too openly.

The young master’s face turned red with embarrassment.

Sui Sui was secretly feeling rather proud of himself. He had always thought he was not particularly good at arguing with people, but this time, he had actually managed to make the other side speechless.

Unfortunately, his moment of satisfaction did not last long.

From the corner of his eye, he happened to glance toward Yizhou.

The moment he saw the other man’s expression, a strange chill crawled down Sui Sui’s back.

Yizhou’s face remained completely calm. There was no anger or impatience to be seen, as though he had not even been paying attention to the argument. Yet somehow, the darkness in his eyes seemed deeper than before.

Sui Sui’s smile slowly disappeared.

He suddenly remembered something from the novel.

Yizhou had never been particularly fond of people in general. However, there were certain kinds of people he despised far more than others.

One was people who betray others.

And second was those who were ungrateful.

In his previous life, Yizhou had risked his life to save people, only to be betrayed by the very same people he had protected. Perhaps because of that experience, he had little tolerance for anyone who repaid kindness with resentment.

Sui Sui glanced at the young master from the corner of his eye.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

Of all the people you could have offended... why did you have to pick this one?

He silently lit a candle for the young master in his heart.

Judging from Yizhou’s personality, this fellow had probably just managed to offend someone who would return every grievance tenfold.

The young master’s face darkened further after being thoroughly embarrassed by Sui Sui’s words. His pride had already taken a beating, and now he was clearly looking for a way to regain some of his dignity.

"You little—"

Before he could say anything else, a clear female voice suddenly came from behind the crowd.

"What this young friend said is right. We shouldn’t repay kindness with grievance. Young Master Ming, I suggest you show some restraint, unless you want karma to come knocking later."

The crowd parted slightly, revealing a young woman who had just stepped forward. She had a valiant appearance, with her long hair tied into a high ponytail and held in place by a silver crown. Her phoenix-shaped eyes carried a sharpness that made her look more like a female general than a sheltered young cultivator.

She wore a crimson robe, and embroidered along its hem were several words that immediately caught Sui Sui’s attention.

Vermillion Moon Palace.

Sui Sui’s eyes widened slightly when he recognized the sect.

The Vermillion Moon Palace was a female-only sect, but despite this, it was by no means a sect that could be underestimated. Its disciples were renowned for their beautiful swordsmanship, and the strongest among them were said to be capable of surpassing many male cultivators of the same generation.

He had not expected that even the Vermillion Moon Palace would send disciples to participate in the investigation.

"See? Even this pretty sister knows what’s right and wrong."

Sui Sui immediately looked toward the young woman as though he had found a reliable ally.

The young master Ming’s expression became even more unpleasant, but he did not immediately argue back. Although he was arrogant and unreasonable, he was not completely foolish. The Vermillion Moon Palace was not a sect he could afford to offend over something like this.

For now, he could only swallow his anger.

He had already decided that he would settle this matter with Sui Sui and Yizhou later, once there were no outsiders around.

Just as he was about to step back and leave, however, a cold voice suddenly sounded from the side.

"Halt. The matter isn’t over yet."

The cold voice came from Yizhou.

He stood where he was, his back straight and his expression as indifferent as ever. Yet there was a faint curve at the corner of his lips, carrying a hint of mockery that made the young master Ming’s expression immediately stiffen.

"Didn’t this person hear what my junior brother said earlier?" Yizhou’s gaze fell calmly on him. "Since you were the one who brought up compensation, then we should settle the matter properly."

The disciples of the Wanzen Sect immediately looked at one another, their expressions turning grim.

They had originally intended to leave after being forced to swallow their anger, but Yizhou clearly had no intention of letting them off so easily. In the end, they had no choice but to compensate the cultivators who had nearly been injured by the Ironstripe Tiger.

Even Sui Sui received a portion of the compensation despite not suffering any actual injuries.

When the young master Ming tried to argue that Sui Sui had not been hurt, Yizhou simply pointed out that being frightened by a rampaging spirit beast was also a form of mental trauma.

Sui Sui silently accepted this reasoning.

After the compensation was finally settled, the Wanzen Sect disciples were left with no choice but to leave. Their faces were dark enough to look as though they had swallowed several bitter pills.

The surrounding cultivators gradually dispersed as well, and the commotion finally began to settle.

Just as Sui Sui thought the matter was over, however, the female cultivator from the Vermillion Moon Palace called out to them once again.

"Young friends, please wait."