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

Tianqi Mountain is, after all, a major sect with a very high status and influence in the local area. The surrounding people respect and even fear them, so ordinary people dare not come to the area around the mountain easily. Even some experienced hunters dare not get too close when they come to the vicinity. As a result, there are many prey near Tianqi Mountain.

In the past few months, Su Zinong has been diligently cultivating, and his true qi and strength have increased. He can now hunt normally to pass the time. Of course, he only hunts pheasants, rabbits, and goats. If he encounters a huge animal like a wild boar, he does not dare to attack it easily.

That day, he spotted a gray hare approaching from a distance. He quickly crouched down and, seeing the hare getting closer, Su Zinong held his breath and hid in a grove of trees to wait for it to come to him.

However, at that moment, they noticed two people walking towards them from a distance, talking as they approached.

Looking through the gaps in the branches and leaves, one could see a man and a woman. The woman was Qi Jiaojiao, and the man was of medium build, with thick eyebrows, narrow eyes, and dark skin. He was none other than Young Master Zhao from Qingshan.

He spoke with a smile: "You've been with me every day this month, won't your fiancé be jealous?" He then laughed.

"What do you mean 'my fiancé'? We don't have a formal engagement. My dad said we should see if we get along well before we can get married," Qi Jiaojiao quickly explained.

"Oh, so you've been spending almost half a year with him. Is that appropriate?" Young Master Zhao asked.

"Of course it's not suitable. If it were, why would I be with you? That man has no cultivation techniques or true energy left; he's practically a cripple! He's still clinging to my Tianqi Mountain, eating our food, living in our house, and doing absolutely nothing. He's dreaming of entering my Tianqi Mountain sect as a formal immortal cultivator through marriage. I'm even a little ashamed for him, but because he helped me a little when I was injured by a poisonous snake, my father is too soft-hearted to kick him out, so he's let him stay." Qi Jiaojiao said resentfully, as if Su Zinong had eaten millions of taels of silver from her.

“Then we should explain things to him quickly, so as not to waste his time. Once it’s clear, he will leave naturally. There’s no need for both sides to drag this out in vain,” said Young Master Zhao from the side.

"I also spoke to my father, but he said he was discussing with the elders whether they could make an exception and accept him into our Tianqi Mountain. My father is just too soft-hearted. What's the point of keeping this useless person around? He's already past the age limit for the immortal sect to accept him, and he's only at the first star cultivation level. Unlike you, Young Master Zhao, who has already reached the peak of the fourth star at such a young age, with a limitless future..."

"This rogue cultivator is on good terms with the young master of Yellow River Manor. He must have swindled a lot of money from Yellow River Manor and is now incredibly wealthy. Moreover, he entered Tianqi Mountain under the pretense of discussing marriage and has been staying for several months. It's inevitable that he'll gossip and spread rumors that the girl is fickle. Let's go all the way and just get rid of him. After all, he's a cripple with no cultivation..."

Su Zinong couldn't bear to listen any longer and quietly left.

Upon returning to the villa and seeing Old Ding, Su Zinong smiled and said, "Uncle Ding, I'm going down the mountain now. I'm so grateful for your care these past few days."

Old Ding looked up at Su Zinong, nodded and said, "It's time to leave. I think you will have a bright future. There's no need to linger here."

Su Zinong quickly packed his belongings; there wasn't much he needed to take. He then left a letter behind.

The letter read: "Since Miss's heart belongs to another, I, Su, cannot force her to stay. Thank you for your hospitality over the past few months; may we meet again someday in the martial world."

Su Zinong also wrote another letter to Huang Chenghe, and asked someone to deliver it to Huanghe Mountain Villa when he went down the mountain to the town.

“Uncle Ding, please take these five thousand taels of silver. This is our last meeting, so please don’t refuse.” Su Zilong said.

Old Ding took the silver note, his hands trembling.

After making the arrangements, I left in a hurry.

The next day, when Lao Ding gave Qi Luye Su Zinong's letter, he wasn't surprised. He simply said, "Oh, I know." In fact, he seemed relieved.

"The wedding between Miss and Young Master Zhao will be finalized soon. The accountant needs to set aside funds for Miss's dowry. Our rival is a major sect of Tianqing Mountain, so we can't afford to be disrespectful. My wife and I have discussed it, and the dowry should be at least 100,000 taels; otherwise, Miss will be looked down upon after marriage. I'll trouble you, Old Ding, to arrange for the funds to be allocated," Qi Luye instructed.

"Sect Leader Qi, I understand, but our Tianqi Mountain has no silver left to use!" Old Ding said with distress.

"Ah, the vast Tianqi Mountain can't even come up with a mere 100,000 taels of silver?" Qi Luye was very puzzled.

“Recently, there haven’t been many new disciples, and the sponsorship fees paid are also low, so our income has plummeted. We were already quite in debt three or four months ago, nearly 60,000 taels,” Old Ding said.

"But everyone has had plenty of food for the past three months, and the food in the kitchen seems to be better than usual. Everyone has also received new cloth and clothes, and all kinds of daily necessities are plentiful. Why are we still in debt?" Qi Luye asked with a suspicious look.

"That's because Young Master Su Zinong took out 30,000 taels of silver from his own money to subsidize us. In addition, he bought real estate and shops in the town at the foot of the mountain, which I collected the rent on his behalf, and it was also used to help with the expenses of Tianqi Mountain. In total, we received 60,000 taels of silver. Otherwise, we would have been unable to afford the expenses long ago. At that time, he also said that after getting married and joining the sect, all his property would be given to the sect," Old Ding said.

"Oh, what about Young Master Su? Has he left yet? If he hasn't left, try to keep him here for me. I have something to say to him," Qi Luye said anxiously.

“He left yesterday evening! He said he saw the young lady exchanging glances with other men and was heartbroken, unable to stay any longer. Yesterday he went to town, bought a fast horse, and hurriedly left, his whereabouts unknown. He's probably hundreds of miles away by now,” Old Ding said truthfully.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Qi Luye said with dissatisfaction.

“I don’t think Young Master Su is an important person in our Tianqi Mountain. Everyone thinks he’s dispensable, and since he hasn’t officially become a member of Tianqi Mountain yet, it’s not a big deal, so I didn’t report it to you,” Old Ding said.

"Sigh..." Qi Luye sighed, thinking that it was indeed true. The people on the mountain didn't take Su Zinong seriously at all; they just let him go.

"Regarding the 100,000 taels, Sect Leader Qi should try to find a way to borrow it from elsewhere first, or reduce the amount to 50,000 taels so that we won't be in too much trouble," Old Ding advised.

"That's all we can do. I'll discuss it with Madam again and see if her family can think of a way to raise some money for us to use in the short term," Qi Luye said with a sigh.

The groom only gave five thousand taels of betrothal money, but the bride wanted a dowry of one hundred thousand taels. They're insane! They're desperately trying to please others without even checking if they have any money in their own pockets! These people from the sect are really something... Old Ding thought to himself, but he dared not say it aloud.

Su Zinong left Tianqi Mountain overnight. He did not go to Huanghe Mountain Villa, feeling that no matter who he relied on, he would ultimately have to rely on his own strength.

He had already taken back the real estate and shops, entrusting them all to a brokerage firm for management and rent collection. He thought he would first travel around to see if there were any opportunities, and then he would work hard.

After a night of running around, Su Zinong was exhausted, so he stayed at a small inn.

He slept for three hours, then got up, ate, and rode his horse slowly eastward. By this time, he had put his human skin mask back on, concealing his handsome appearance.

Suddenly, two fine horses galloped up from behind, coming with great momentum. They quickly passed Su Zinong and then suddenly reined in their horses, blocking his way.

Su Zinong's horse brakes failed to stop, and it nearly crashed into the two horses in front of it...