Chapter 20: Tenfold Compensation

The Speed Clan—this name might still carry some weight in Tiandou City, but here in the lawless Sunset Town, it is little more than an ancient and distant legend. Rumors say they are as swift as ghosts, while others claim they are as frail as reeds. As for training with weighted gear, that is the exclusive domain of Power-type Spirit Masters, the hallmark of brutes. To link these two concepts is, without a doubt, a blatant mockery.

In the tavern, many gloating eyes turned their way, eager to watch a good show. Bai He held his water cup without even lifting his eyelids, as if the young man were merely a fly buzzing in his ear. Having lived for nearly a hundred years, he had seen every kind of situation; to lose his temper with a wet-behind-the-ears child would be beneath his station.

He stayed silent, but that did not mean Bai Chenxiang would suffer it. She lifted her head, her eyes—clear and devoid of any impurity—resting quietly upon the purple-clad youth before her. There was no anger, nor any fear; she merely looked at him as if he were an interesting object, studying him from head to toe with a gaze of pure curiosity.

"Heretical and crooked?"

She repeated the four words, tilting her small head slightly, her tone filled with genuine confusion. "Is binding iron blocks to one's body considered heretical? If so, is eating and drinking also a form of heresy? After all, they both increase the weight of the body."

This childishly logical retort left the insults the purple-clad youth had prepared stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor going down. He felt as if he had punched a pile of cotton; the opponent had completely missed his point.

"Sophistry!" The youth’s face darkened. "We Spirit Masters cultivate to pursue the harmony of our spirits and the refinement of our spirit power! Your Speed Clan should be pursuing ultimate lightness, yet you act in opposition, imitating those clumsy Power-type Spirit Masters. If that isn't a downfall, what is?"

"Who told you I am imitating a Power-type Spirit Master?" Bai Chenxiang countered, her tone remaining calm. She extended a small finger, pointing first to the ground beneath her feet, then to the rafters above, speaking as if stating common knowledge:

"I am learning from the mountain. The mountain is heavy, which is why it can remain unmoved for eternity. I am also learning from the wind. The wind is light, which is why it can be everywhere. If one does not understand the foundation of weight, how can one grasp the true essence of lightness? You cannot even fathom why the wind can blow away sand and stones but fails to move a mountain; how are you qualified to discuss cultivation here?"

"Pfft—"

In the corner, Bai He, who was holding his cup and feigning deep contemplation, couldn't hold back and sprayed a mouthful of water. He hurriedly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, though his shoulders shook uncontrollably. *This girl,* he thought, *she cuts people down without using a single dirty word.* Her words were no longer a rebuttal; she was teaching the boy how to be a person. And yet, she maintained such an innocent, matter-of-fact expression that the lethality was tenfold.

The entire tavern fell into an eerie silence. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the little girl, with only one thought in their minds: *What was this child fed to grow up like this?*

The purple-clad youth's face turned the color of pig liver. Born into the noble Purple Lightning Family, he had been the pride of his clan since childhood—when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Especially being lectured by a slip of a girl who looked younger than his own sister, using a set of twisted logic he couldn't even comprehend!

Blinded by shame and rage, he cast aside all decorum, a fierce light flashing in his eyes. "A sharp-tongued little girl indeed!" He sneered. "Since you talk so much, let me see exactly how heavy this 'mountain' ability of yours really is!"

Before he finished speaking, a surge of spirit power belonging to a Great Spirit Master erupted from his body, like an invisible wave crashing toward Bai Chenxiang! Behind him, the phantom of a purple electric snake hissed, its violet light intensifying. He didn't dare to kill, only wanting to use spirit pressure to make this ignorant girl embarrass herself publicly and force her to her knees.

The middle-aged Spirit King nearby frowned, but ultimately did not intervene. In his view, the young master was merely giving the girl a lesson; there would be no real harm done.

Facing the incoming wave of pressure, Bai Chenxiang remained steadily seated. She did not turn pale or tremble as the youth had expected. She simply took a soft breath. In that instant, she seemed to sink half an inch lower.

It was not that she was forced down; rather, she had proactively merged her center of gravity—along with her ninety-pound weights, the chair beneath her, and the earth beneath her feet—into a perfect unity. Her "bow-body," tempered through thousands of trials, was long accustomed to loads far exceeding this. To her, the youth's spirit pressure was merely an extra puff of wind against a mountain that was already heavy.

The wind cannot move the mountain. She remained as immobile as a mountain.

However, the wooden chair beneath her could not withstand this sudden pressure.

"Creak... crack!"

In the deathly silence, the crisp sound of snapping wood was jarring. The four legs of the chair Bai Chenxiang sat upon splayed outward, let out a groan of terminal stress, and then collapsed entirely. Everyone expected the little girl to land on her bottom.

But a more bizarre scene occurred. Losing the support of the chair, Bai Chenxiang did not fall. She maintained her seated posture, her small body descending slowly and steadily. The moment before her hips touched the ground, her feet tapped the floor like a dragonfly skimming water. She stood up silently.

From beginning to end, her upper body had not swayed in the slightest, and not a single drop of water had spilled from the cup in her hand. She stood quietly amidst the pile of splintered wood, looked up at the completely petrified youth, and with a sincere, apologetic expression on her small face, she said:

"See? I told you, your spirit power broke the chair."

The purple-clad youth’s mouth hung open, his mind blank. His pride-and-joy spirit pressure hadn't harmed her in the slightest, but instead had become the tool she used to prove her point? What in the hell was this?

The Spirit King behind him felt his pupils contract, his face turning grim. *This little girl isn't resisting at all; she’s diffusing the force, she’s borrowing the momentum! She channeled his pressure, along with her own weight, and dispersed it all into that innocent chair! This level of power control, this understanding of the center of gravity—it has already transcended mere technique; it is approaching the Dao itself!*

*These two, grandfather and granddaughter, are definitely not ordinary people!*

At that moment, Bai He, who had been silent all along, finally set down his cup. He didn't even stand up, merely casting a faint glance at the purple-clad youth from the corner of his eye. There was no surge of spirit power, no release of aura. But the moment his gaze swept over him, the youth felt his entire body stiffen, as if he were being watched by an ancient, primordial beast that had slumbered for ten thousand years.

A chill originating from the depths of his soul caused the purple electric snake spirit behind him to let out a whimpering cry and instantly retract back into his body. He stumbled back three steps, crashing into the table behind him, his face deathly pale, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

The Spirit King’s expression shifted drastically. He stepped forward, shielding his young master, and bowed deeply to Bai He, his tone filled with immense trepidation: "Senior, please calm your anger! This junior failed to discipline his charge properly and has disturbed you. I hope you will forgive us!"

Only then did Bai He slowly withdraw his gaze. He picked up his cup, blew off some non-existent dust, and said to the Spirit King in a tone of genuine heartache:

"Whether I forgive you or not, we'll set that aside for now." He pointed a finger at the pile of broken wood and spoke with righteous indignation: "Your young master broke my granddaughter's chair; this must be compensated."

Spirit King: "..."
Purple-clad youth: "..."
Everyone in the tavern: "..."

This shift in the situation left everyone stunned. Bai Chenxiang glanced at the splintered wood, then at her grandfather, and added with utmost seriousness:

"According to the tavern's rules, for damaged items, one must pay ten times the value. This chair was made of nanmu wood; the market price is about three silver soul coins. Ten times that is thirty silver soul coins."

Bai He nodded in satisfaction, reached out a hand covered in calluses toward the youth who was on the verge of tears, and said:

"Pay up."