Mortal Bones

Chapter 4: Thirty Taels, Little Taiping Severs Mortal Ties

“What crime has he committed?”

The red-clad Junior Sister couldn’t help but let out a silvery giggle. She waved her hand dismissively.

“We haven’t descended the mountain to subdue demons. We are here to bring this youth, Xu Taiping, back to the peaks.”

“Up the mountain?”

The villagers, Xu Erniu included, stared back with blank, uncomprehending faces.

“Xu Taiping has manifested a Spirit Bone, and his name has been inscribed upon the Immortal Register. We are here to escort him into the Qingxuan Sect.”

The blue-robed youth explained, his expression as placid as an ancient, undisturbed well.

“Accepted into… the Qingxuan Sect? Then… doesn’t that mean he’ll become an Immortal? Our Xu family… is producing an Immortal?”

The words struck Xu Erniu like heavenly tribulation lightning. He stood rooted to the spot, endlessly muttering to himself in a daze.

The two disciples of the Qingxuan Sect ignored the gawking mortals, turning their attention solely to Xu Taiping and extending their hands.

“Little Taiping, come with us. From now on, you will be the Junior Brother of our Seventh Peak.”

The Junior Sister smiled, her voice as sweet and soothing as a gentle breeze.

Hearing her tone, a foreign warmth blossomed within Taiping’s chest. For a brief, dizzying moment, it felt as if he had found family once more.

“Wait!”

Just as Taiping reached out to take her hand, thick fingers clamped down on his arm. His aunt violently yanked him back.

“T-Two exalted Immortals, y-you can’t just snatch our Taiping away like this! He is the very pillar of our Xu family. He is destined to become a top mortal scholar and bring eternal glory to our ancestors!”

The plump woman forced a sickeningly sweet smile, her beady eyes practically overflowing with feigned ‘reluctance’ to part with her beloved nephew.

A bitter chill washed over Taiping’s heart.

Since the day he was born, this woman had treated him like a curse, a worthless leech draining their grain. When had she ever harbored hopes of him bringing glory to their ancestors?

Unaware of the mortal household’s vile inner workings, the Qingxuan Sect disciples assumed the woman was simply a grieving elder struggling to let the boy go.

“How could a mere mortal scholar ever compare to a disciple of my Qingxuan Sect? Still, since you are his blood relatives, take this golden bowl. Treat it as a greeting gift from our Sect.”

With a flick of his wrist, the Senior Brother produced a gleaming golden bowl from his sleeve and offered it to the aunt.

“No—”

“Esteemed Immortals!”

Just as Taiping opened his mouth to expose the truth, the Bai family steward leapt down from the carriage. Grabbing Taiping’s other arm, the steward frantically waved the newly stamped parchment in the air.

“This Xu Taiping has already been sold into my Bai family by his aunt and uncle! It is written in black and white! He is property of the Bai Manor, so that golden bowl rightfully belongs to my master!”

Who wouldn’t be driven mad by the prospect of an Immortal’s treasure?

Hearing this crude exchange, the two Qingxuan Sect disciples frowned in unison.

“Exalted Immortals, he is spewing nonsense! I only sent Taiping to work for the Bai family to learn a trade; I never sold him as a slave!”

Flustered and infuriated that her prize was being contested, the plump aunt lunged forward, desperately clawing at the contract in the steward’s hand.

“Exactly! My nephew is now a disciple of the Immortal peaks! This contract with your Bai Manor is null and void!”

Not wanting to lose out, Xu Erniu snapped out of his daze and threw himself into the scuffle.

“All of you, silence!”

Disgusted by the chaotic squabbling, the Senior Brother unleashed a thunderous reprimand.

With that single shout, a formless, suffocating Pressure erupted from his figure. To the mortals, he suddenly felt as terrifying as a bloodthirsty tiger, instantly frightening the aunt and the steward into a paralyzed, trembling silence.

“Taiping, is it true? Have you been sold into the Bai family as a slave?”

Once the dust settled, the red-clad Junior Sister stepped in front of the boy, her eyes brimming with genuine concern.

Taiping met her gaze for a moment before giving a slow nod.

“Yes.”

The moment the word left his lips, an invisible weight lifted from his shoulders. A profound, euphoric sense of liberation washed over him, as if a rusted shackle had finally snapped.

Hearing his confirmation, the Junior Sister’s gaze softened, overflowing with pity and sympathy for the abused child.

“You little ingrate! How dare you spout such lies?! After all these years of feeding you—”

“Unhand him.”

The plump aunt sneered, reaching out to grab Taiping by the ear. But the Junior Sister merely flicked her crimson sleeve. A violent gust of wind blasted forward, slamming into the heavy woman and sending her stumbling backward.

“You… you may be exalted Immortals, but you must still obey reason! I… I…”

Terrified by the casual display of immortal arts, the woman’s mouth continued to bluster, but her feet frantically backpedaled.

“Immortals, esteemed Immortals! Look here, I have the slave contract signed by Xu Erniu himself. Black ink and red thumbprints! Xu Taiping belongs to the Bai Manor, and this wretched couple cannot deny it!”

Seeing an opportunity, the money-grubbing steward groveled, offering the parchment up with both hands.

The Senior Brother plucked the contract from the air. He scanned the contents, a cold, mocking sneer curling his lips as he glared at Taiping’s relatives.

“A disciple of my Qingxuan Sect was traded for a paltry thirty taels of silver?”

Hearing that the couple had sold their own flesh and blood for such a pathetic sum, the fiery Junior Sister’s face contorted in outrage.

“You sold your own nephew for thirty taels of dirt, yet you dare stand before us and demand a reward?! I think you are begging to have your bones broken!”

Possessing a fiery temper and a hatred for injustice, she raised her hand, ready to summon another spell.

“Immortal, spare us! Spare our lives!”

Xu Erniu and his wife collapsed to their knees, weeping and kowtowing frantically.

“Junior Sister. Remember the Master’s strict instructions.”

The blue-robed youth gently patted her shoulder, shooting her a meaningful look.

Gritting her teeth, the Junior Sister reigned in her surging spiritual energy and lowered her hand.

“Since this contract is legally binding, how much silver do you demand for my Qingxuan Sect to redeem his freedom?”

The Senior Brother held up the parchment, his piercing gaze locking onto the Bai family steward.

“T-This… well…”

The steward stammered, sweat pouring down his forehead. After agonizing over the calculation, he gritted his teeth and held up three trembling fingers. “T-Three hundred taels!”

“A disciple of the Qingxuan Sect is only worth three hundred taels?”

The youth scoffed again.

Reaching into his spatial sleeve, he withdrew a bulging cloth sack and casually tossed it into the mud at the steward’s feet.

“This—!”

The steward tore the bag open. The dazzling luster of solid, flawless gold ingots blinded him. He fell to his knees, utterly dumbfounded.

The surrounding villagers, along with Taiping’s aunt and uncle, gasped, their eyes practically popping out of their skulls at the sight of such unimaginable wealth.

“Is that sufficient?”

The youth asked, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“It’s enough! More than enough! This gold could be exchanged for three thousand taels of silver!”

Clutching the heavy bag to his chest, the steward nodded so fast his neck threatened to snap.

Hearing that number, all the blood drained from the faces of Xu Erniu and his wife.

They were uneducated peasants, but even they understood the staggering difference between thirty taels and three thousand taels.

“Exalted Immortals! That silver shouldn’t go to the Bai family! We… we only got thirty taels from them!”

Driven mad by greed, the plump aunt threw herself at the Senior Brother’s legs. Yet, with a slight blur, the Immortal shifted his position like a phantom, causing her to faceplant directly into the dirt.

“Taiping! Taiping, quickly tell the Immortals! Those three thousand taels belong to your Second Uncle!”

Seeing his wife fail, Xu Erniu lunged forward to grab Taiping.

Swoosh!

Before the mortal’s filthy hands could touch him, the Junior Sister grasped Taiping’s hand. In a flash of light, they reappeared five feet away, completely out of reach.

Realizing the Immortals were untouchable, the deranged aunt and uncle turned their bloodshot eyes toward the steward. Howling that the gold belonged to them, they threw themselves at the Bai family servants, plunging into a vicious, muddy brawl over the glowing ingots.

“Taiping, your mortal ties have been severed. Are you willing to follow us to Yunlu Mountain and seek the immortal path?”

Unbothered by the pathetic display of mortal greed rolling in the mud beside them, the Senior Brother calmly tore the slave contract into confetti and extended his hand to the boy.