The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

Qi Luye snatched the letter and opened it.

In his letter, Huang Chenghe stated that the six-month period was about to expire. If Su Zinong and Qi Jiaojiao successfully married, Huanghe Manor would send 100,000 taels of silver as a wedding gift to congratulate them on their marriage.

Qi Luye was also unsettled. His hands trembled as he held the letter, his face quivered, and his legs went weak, causing him to slump into a chair.

"Father, Young Master Zhao said the dowry is five thousand taels, but Yellow River Manor says they'll give one hundred thousand taels if we marry Su Zinong. The difference is too big!" Qi Renfu said with a sigh.

"Sigh, those are cultivation families, they're all incredibly wealthy, especially the Yellow River Manor. Whether it's Tianqi Mountain or Tianqing Mountain, these sects are dirt poor, so being able to come up with five thousand taels is quite a sum. Other sects spend about the same amount on weddings." Qi Luye couldn't help but sigh as well.

"What should we do then? Should we turn down such easy money? It's a real dilemma to choose between the powerful Young Master Tian Qingshan and the wealthy Young Master Su!" Qi Renfu voiced his father's concerns.

"I'm also undecided! Well then, since we've already promised Tianqingshan, we can't go back on our word. Once we have power and a great reputation, it shouldn't be difficult to amass some wealth," Qi Luye said after analyzing the situation.

"What should we do about Su Zinong? Should we just send him down the mountain?" Qi Renfu asked.

"Let's keep him calm for now. I'll discuss it with the elders. He came to our Tianqi Mountain to join our sect and become a formal disciple, shedding his status as a rogue cultivator, in order to seek refuge. I'm wondering if our sect can make an exception and accept him as a formal disciple."

“In this way, Huang Chenghe won’t be able to say anything. Although he may not ultimately give 100,000 taels, he can still give 50,000 taels out of consideration for their relationship. Then we can say that the elders haven’t made up their minds yet, and let him show his sincerity. Then Huang Chenghe will know how to act and will obediently offer a generous gift.” Qi Luye was indeed a cunning old fox.

"Father is wise!" Qi Renfu gave a thumbs up.

"That rogue cultivator is closest to Old Ding. I'll have Old Ding comfort him later," Qi Luye said calmly, confident of success.

Old Ding was ordered to comfort Su Zinong, so he bought beef, lamb leg, fat chicken, peanuts, and liquor.

"You seem to be in such high spirits today, Uncle Ding," Su Zinong said with a smile. Old Ding had always treated him well, but this was the first time he had been so generous.

"Oh dear, you're always the one treating me to drinks and food, so let me treat you once in a while," Old Ding said with a smile.

"Excellent wine!" Su Zinong took a sip and gave a thumbs up. "I didn't expect Uncle Ding to be so good at chess, and his taste in wine is also excellent!"

It's only proper to praise someone who's treating you to a meal; it's a matter of etiquette.

"Not at all! Seriously, do you usually let me win when we play Go?" Old Ding felt that Su Zinong's Go skills were superb, and he was probably no match for him, but he could usually win one or two games each time.

“Letting you win? There’s no such thing as letting someone win in chess. I just accidentally let you get an advantage, but it wasn’t that I willingly lost to you,” Su Zinong explained.

"Alright, whether it's a toast or not, come on, let me toast you." Old Ding raised his glass high, in high spirits.

"Young Master Su, you've been at Tianqi Mountain for quite some time now. I'd like to ask you a question: are you truly here to marry the young lady, or do you wish to join the Tianqi Mountain sect?" Old Ding asked abruptly halfway through the drink.

"I want both!" Su Zinong didn't hide anything. "Before I came here, I had never met Miss. I only thought that by getting married, I could join the Tianqi Mountain sect, end my wandering life, and find a stable place."

"After arriving, I found that Miss Jiaojiao was beautiful, intelligent, and kind, and someone I could entrust my life to. Therefore, I realized that marrying her would be a good idea."

"By the way, Uncle Ding, why did you stay in Tianqi Mountain? There are plenty of other ways to do accounting. Besides, you said that the financial resources here are insufficient and that being an accountant is hard work."

"At first, I also came to Tianqi Mountain to seek refuge, so that my enemies wouldn't dare to come looking for me. I was just like Young Master Su in that respect. Ten years ago, I learned that my enemies had been killed by someone else, and I didn't want to make any more moves, so I stayed here. I'm getting old, and I'll retire and return to my hometown in another five years," Old Ding sighed.

"I suppose the financial situation here isn't good. You've worked hard here for many years, and even if you retire, you won't get much retirement pay. Just tell me when the time comes, and I'll give you a hundred acres of land and two shops." Su Zinong was generous; on this day, Old Ding was the only person Qi Shan could get along with.

"How can I accept this? I can't accept something for nothing." Old Ding shook his head and waved his hands, embarrassed to accept.

“What do you mean by ‘no reward without merit’? Then you can help me manage the shops and real estate. When you’re bored, you can collect rent. It won’t be too tiring. After we collect the rent, we can split it,” Su Zinong said.

Upon hearing this, Old Ding suddenly burst into tears. Su Zinong tried to persuade him repeatedly, but to no avail, so he had no choice but to let him cry for a full quarter of an hour.

“I’ve been in Tianqi Mountain for so long, and in the past twenty years, no one has ever treated me as well as you have. That’s why I’m so grateful.” Old Ding wiped away his tears and snot.

He sighed silently, and after thinking for a while, he finally made up his mind and said, "Young Master Su, you've been here for over four months now. I see you're a kind person, and I really can't bear to tell you this..."

"Oh, Uncle Ding, what do you want to tell me? Why are you being so serious? Just say it!" Su Zinong said with a smile.

“I’m indignant on your behalf, alas… You might not know this from your time in the other courtyard, but it’s all over Tianqi Mountain. Miss Qi has already fallen for someone else, and lately she’s been spending a lot of time with Young Master Zhao from Tianqing Mountain, the two of them exchanging glances. Although you and Miss Qi aren’t formally engaged, you came here to marry her, and she shouldn’t treat you like this! Besides, what you’ve done for this sect, what you’ve contributed, is truly immense, and you even saved Miss Qi’s life. This person is so ungrateful. I know you’ll be unhappy to hear this, but I can’t help but say it, I can’t let you stay in the dark forever…” Old Ding said, shaking his head.

Su Zinong's face turned ashen.

He had indeed not received this information. It turned out that the entire Tianqi Mountain Immortal Sect knew, and he was the last to find out! In an instant, he felt betrayed, and a surge of anger rose within him.

No wonder Qi Jiaojiao has only come to the villa once in the past month, back at the beginning of that month.

The rest of the time, Su Zinong would go into the mountains to find her, and each time he would say that he had important business to attend to and would only have a brief meeting before having to leave.

Even the maids and servants whispered among themselves, secretly discussing something.

So that's how it is! Tianqingshan is one of the top ten sects, and its strength is even greater than that of Tianqishan.

If Qi Jiaojiao and the son of the Tianqingshan sect leader were to truly marry, it would certainly be an alliance between the two factions, a powerful union that would greatly increase their strength.

But if you're going to get married, you should at least let me know. If you're not going to marry me, Su Zinong, then fine. Why keep me in the dark and waste my time like this?

Su Zinong forced himself to restrain himself, after all, he was no longer as impulsive as before. He had become low-key and calm, planning his actions carefully before acting.

Since I'm already here, and I've already wasted more than four months of my life, with only a little over a month left, I'm determined to stay and see what happens.

Later, Qi Luye asked Lao Ding to tell Su Zinong that the marriage could not be arranged, but he had persuaded the elders to make an exception and accept him as a formal disciple.

Su Zinong listened without commenting.

He knew about Huang Chenghe's promise of a 100,000 tael betrothal gift. That day, Qi Shan was still preoccupied with the 100,000 taels of silver from Huanghe Manor, and wanted to use this as an exception to admit Su Zinong into the manor in order to win that betrothal gift...