Chapter 904: Choice is greater than effort

Ma Jie, who had been kowtowing repeatedly, stopped and stared blankly at Young Master Gu Beize in front of him.

He couldn't believe that the always kind and generous young master would say such words.

Gu Beize sighed and said, "The ones you should apologize to are not me, but those people you deceived and oppressed!"

"You haven't realized your mistake at all; you just want to survive and hope I'll plead for you."

Gu Beize's words pierced Ma Jie's heart, exposing his true intentions completely.

Ma Jie's face turned pale, and he painfully turned his head to look at the equally bewildered cultivators of the Qingshan Sect in the distance.

He stood up, gritting his teeth, and limped towards Gu Qianqian and the others.

Now, it was the cultivators of the Qingshan Sect who were terrified.

Ma Jie, a deacon at the Elemental Infant stage, was actually going to apologize to them?

"Hmph!"

Suddenly, a cold snort came from afar, and a streak of light shot out.

Ma Jie's body froze.

A bloody hole appeared in the center of his forehead, pierced through by a single finger.

"Disgraceful fool! A disgrace to the Gu Family, death is too good for you!"

Gu Yunlong slowly withdrew his hand and dusted off his sleeve.

If the Ma family made a mistake, he could execute them, but he would never allow them to apologize to a group of outsiders, especially a small sect like the Qingshan Sect, as it involved the dignity of a great family.

Even though their reputation was already in tatters.

Ma Jie slowly fell to the ground, lifeless, and his body was carried away by a group of people.

Gu Beize let out a long breath; he couldn't bring himself to personally end the life of a steward who had been with him for over a decade. Dying at the hands of the Grand Elder was a good outcome.

Gu Beize picked up Ma Jie's storage bag from the ground, which contained only over ten thousand spirit stones.

The spirit stones he had given to Ma Jie over time exceeded fifty thousand, indicating that Ma Jie had hidden quite a bit or had already used them, but it no longer mattered since Ma Jie was dead.

He took out three thousand five hundred spirit stones from it and handed them to Gu Qianqian.

"This is what you deserve, my apologies!" Gu Beize said sincerely.

Gu Qianqian accepted the spirit stones, feeling as if she were dreaming.

Xu Hei had once promised to return tenfold the two hundred spirit stones they lent him, and they thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be true!

And it was openly fought for from the Gu Family.

Everyone couldn't help but be moved to tears.

"Not enough!" Hei Huang shook his head and said, "This is just for once. We were blackmailed twice in total, plus interest! Charging you a hundred thousand spirit stones isn't excessive, right?"

As soon as he said this, the entire crowd was in an uproar, even Xu Hei's mouth twitched.

This wasn't what they had agreed upon!

A hundred thousand spirit stones, you really dare to ask for that! Even blacker than the Gu Family!

"You blackmailed us thirty-five times, so we charge thirty-five times the interest, isn't that fair?" Hei Huang said with a smile.

Gu Beize was also taken aback; even as a direct descendant of the Gu Family, he couldn't come up with that many spirit stones.

Gu Yunlong obviously wouldn't agree to such an unreasonable demand. He said, "Deacon Ma's storage bag contains a total of thirteen thousand spirit stones, which can be used as compensation, and we will additionally offer to refine an artifact for you once. This is the limit. What do you two think?"

"Alright, I agree!"

Before Hei Huang could speak, Xu Hei quickly agreed to prevent the old dog from saying something shocking again.

The crowd was in an uproar.

The Gu Family actually compromised, not only did they not break ties after being confronted, but they also compensated with over ten thousand spirit stones and offered a free artifact refining opportunity.

The Gu Family was a renowned artifact refining family in Tiandou City, and people seeking their services could line up the entire street; even spending money might not guarantee their help.

The price for their artifact refining services was even above ten thousand spirit stones, which was already a very sincere offer.

Wang Xiaotian sighed in disappointment; he wished the two sides would fight to the death so that the Wang Family could benefit as a third party, but the Gu Family truly knew how to endure.

Especially offering to refine an artifact for the other party was a masterstroke.

No wonder they were a cultivation family in Tiandou City; none of them were simple!

"Fellow Daoist Xu... Senior Xu, these spirit stones were fought for by you!" Gu Qianqian hurriedly handed all the spirit stones to Xu Hei.

Xu Hei did not refuse, but he still took out two thousand and handed them to Gu Qianqian.

Tenfold return, not a single one less!

Although Gu Qianqian dared not accept, under Xu Hei's insistence, she still took the spirit stones.

The harvest from this trip was equivalent to a year's income for the Qingshan Sect! Everyone was overwhelmed with joy.

They had worked hard all their lives, unable to save even a little spirit stone, while Xu Hei effortlessly gained over ten thousand and forced the Gu Family to bow.

This was the power of a true strongman!

A Divine Transformation cultivator, whether in terms of earning ability or status, was far beyond what they could compare to!

And what made them even more grateful was having Xu Hei as a backer. Even if Xu Hei wouldn't act for them in the future, after today's events, who would dare to trouble the Qingshan Sect?

Who would dare to withhold the Qingshan Sect's spirit stones?

They had worked diligently for hundreds or thousands of years, but it was not as useful as meeting a benefactor.

Xu Hei put away the ten thousand spirit stones, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you, I have other matters to attend to, farewell!"

"Fellow Daoist Xu!" Gu Yunlong hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Our Gu Family can still offer to refine an artifact for you once. When would you need it?"

As an artifact refining family in the Spirit Realm, Xu Hei certainly had a need, but not now.

He was still severely injured, and if he rashly entered someone else's family, what if he was trapped? He wouldn't go in easily until his injuries healed enough to take on a whole family alone.

But if he refused directly, it would arouse suspicion.

A free artifact refining opportunity, who would refuse such a good chance? The value of this was far beyond ten thousand spirit stones, and any normal-minded cultivator wouldn't refuse!

Gu Yunlong stood silently thirty meters in front of Xu Hei, smiling warmly.

It seemed like he was offering a favor, but in reality, it was also a test.

Retreating to advance, testing whether Xu Hei dared to agree and go with them for artifact refining.

If Xu Hei truly had such confidence and showed enough strength, the Gu Family might even turn enemies into friends and try to win him over. After all, he was a newly emerged Divine Transformation cultivator, and every family would have their eyes on him.

But if he didn't dare, then he had something to hide!

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Xu, our Wang Family is skilled in pill refining. If you have any inconvenience, feel free to come to our Wang Family, and our Ancestor will personally tend to you!"

Wang Xiaotian flew over, also with a bright smile.

His gaze met Gu Yunlong's, and though their smiles remained, they both understood the meaning in each other's eyes.

Just as Xu Hei was caught in a dilemma.

Hei Huang shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! What's going on? I want to leave, and you still want to block me? You two, get out of the way, don't you dare block the path!"