"What crime have you committed?"
The red-robed female disciple chuckled at this and then waved her hand, saying:
"Our descent this time is not to subdue demons, but to take this young man, Xu Taiping, up the mountain."
Everyone, including Xu Erniu, still looked puzzled.
"Xu Taiping has developed spiritual bones, and his name has been entered into the Immortal Register. Today, we will take him up the mountain to join the Qingxuan Sect."
The young man explained to the crowd with a calm expression.
"Join... the Qingxuan Sect, so doesn't that mean... he will become an immortal? Our Xu family... will have an immortal?"
Upon hearing the young man's words, Xu Erniu was struck as if by lightning, standing there in a daze, muttering to himself.
The male and female disciples of the Qingxuan Sect no longer paid attention to the villagers and extended their hands to Xu Taiping together.
"Little Taiping, come with us. From now on, you will be our junior brother of the Seventh Peak."
The red-robed female disciple said to Xu Taiping with a sweet smile and a gentle voice.
Hearing her voice, Xu Taiping felt a warmth in his heart, momentarily having the illusion of regaining his family.
Just as Xu Taiping was about to take the hand extended by the female disciple, his Aunt Erniu grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Two, two immortals, you can't just take our Taiping away like this. He is the pillar of our Xu family, and he will become a top scholar to bring glory to our family."
Aunt Erniu, with a fat face, smiled at the two disciples of the Qingxuan Sect, her eyes full of "reluctance."
Hearing this, Xu Taiping felt even more cold inside.
From a young age, this Aunt Erniu had always treated him as a burden and a harbinger of misfortune. When had she ever had the expectation of bringing glory to the family?
The two disciples of the Qingxuan Sect, unaware of the true situation, thought that Aunt Erniu was genuinely reluctant to let Xu Taiping go.
"A mere mortal top scholar, how can he be compared to a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect? However, since you are his aunt and uncle, this golden bowl will serve as a token of our visit."
The young disciple of the Qingxuan Sect took out a golden bowl from his sleeve and extended his hand to Xu Taiping's Aunt Erniu.
Just as Xu Taiping was about to tell the truth to the Qingxuan Sect disciple, the steward of the Bai family suddenly jumped off the carriage, grabbed his arm with one hand, and held up the indenture with the other, shouting: "This Xu Taiping has already been sold to our Bai family. It is clearly written in black and white. He is now a member of the Bai family, and this golden bowl should belong to the Bai family!"
Who wouldn't be envious of the gift from an immortal?
Upon hearing this, the young male and female disciples of the Qingxuan Sect frowned.
"Two immortals, he is lying. I only sent Taiping to work for the Bai family, not to sell him into slavery!"
Aunt Erniu, in a panic, argued while trying to snatch the indenture from the steward.
"That's right, my nephew is now a disciple of the immortals. This indenture with the Bai family must be nullified!"
As he spoke, Uncle Erniu also joined the struggle.
Seeing the chaos, the male disciple of the Qingxuan Sect couldn't help but shout.
As he spoke, an invisible pressure spread from his body, making him look like an angry tiger, scaring Aunt Erniu and the Bai family steward into silence.
"Taiping, is it true that you were sold into slavery to the Bai family?"
After the crowd fell silent, the red-robed female disciple stepped forward to Xu Taiping, her tone full of concern.
Xu Taiping looked at the female disciple and then nodded:
As soon as he spoke, he suddenly felt a sense of liberation, as if the shackles and constraints on him had been removed.
After receiving Xu Taiping's response, the red-robed female disciple's gaze towards him was clearly filled with more sympathy.
"You little ingrate, how can you speak such lies? All these years..."
Aunt Erniu was about to grab Xu Taiping, but the red-robed girl waved her sleeve, sending a strong wind that pushed the woman away.
"You... you are immortals, but you must also be reasonable, right? I... I..."
The woman was clearly frightened by the red-robed girl's power, though she still tried to argue, she kept stepping back.
"Immortal, two immortals, I have the indenture signed by Xu Erniu. It is clearly written in black and white with a red fingerprint. Xu Taiping is now a member of the Bai family, and his parents cannot deny it!"
The greedy steward of the Bai family then handed over the indenture.
The young man of the Qingxuan Sect took the indenture and scanned it, then smiled coldly and looked at Uncle and Aunt Erniu:
"Is a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect worth only thirty taels?"
Upon hearing that the couple had sold Xu Taiping for a mere thirty taels, the red-robed girl was instantly furious.
"You two, for a mere thirty taels, you sold your own nephew. Now you dare to ask for more from us? I think you deserve a beating!"
The red-robed girl, with a fiery temper and a love for justice, was about to wave her sleeve again.
"Immortal, spare us, spare us!"
Uncle and Aunt Erniu quickly begged for mercy.
"Junior sister, don't forget Master's instructions."
The young man in green patted the girl's shoulder and looked at her deeply.
Hearing this, the girl, though still angry, retracted her hand.
"Since the indenture is not fake, how much silver do you think is appropriate for us to redeem him?"
The young man in green held the indenture and looked at the steward of the Bai family.
The steward hesitated for a long time before finally biting his lip and holding up three fingers: "Three hundred taels!"
"Is a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect worth only three hundred taels?"
The young man laughed coldly again.
As he spoke, he took out a bulging cloth bag from his sleeve and casually threw it to the steward.
The steward opened the bag and found it full of pure gold ingots, instantly dumbfounded.
The villagers, including Uncle and Aunt Erniu, let out a collective gasp upon seeing the gold ingots.
The young man asked with a smile.
"Enough, more than enough. This gold is worth three thousand taels of silver!"
The steward, holding the bag of gold, nodded excitedly.
Upon hearing this, Uncle and Aunt Erniu's faces turned pale.
They were not well-educated, but they knew the difference between three thousand and thirty taels.
"Two immortals, this silver should not go to the Bai family. We only received thirty taels!"
Aunt Erniu pounced on the young man, but he seemed to have the ability to move out of the way, and she fell to the ground.
"Taiping, Taiping, tell the two immortals that the three thousand taels should go to Uncle!"
Seeing Aunt Erniu's failed attempt, Uncle Erniu grabbed Xu Taiping.
Unexpectedly, Xu Taiping, held by the red-robed girl, moved back several feet in an instant.
Unable to get what they wanted, the greedy Uncle and Aunt Erniu turned to the steward, shouting "The silver is ours" and started to fight with the steward and his two subordinates.
"Taiping, your mortal ties are now severed. Are you willing to follow us to Yunlu and seek the path of immortality?"
The young disciple of the Qingxuan Sect tore up the indenture and extended his hand to him.