Su Chan immediately covered her mouth, but her eyes were still curved into crescent moons, occasionally letting out muffled snickers.

Li Yundong laughed out of exasperation, "I always thought you must be the most unreliable fox spirit under heaven, but I never expected the entire den of fox spirits in the Hu Chan Sect to be even more unreliable than you! Is this a fine tradition of the Hu Chan Sect?"

Su Chan wrapped her arms around Li Yundong’s arm and chuckled, "Who told you that you are now the head of our Hu Chan Sect? Besides, my Master said most of my Martial Uncles and Aunts have never left the Hu Chan Sect, so they are a bit eccentric. You’ll have to forgive them!"

Li Yundong forced a smile and sighed, "A bit eccentric? They are downright bizarre!"

He sighed again, shaking his head, "Forget it. Do you know where the former sect master’s room is?"

Su Chan grinned, "Of course I do." With that, she took Li Yundong’s hand and led him down a corridor, around a bend, and pointed at a slightly ajar room, saying, "It’s right here."

Li Yundong pushed the door open and stepped inside. Though the furnishings were simple, the decoration exuded a classical charm, and the corner rack held a miniature rockery, lending an air of elegance.

Li Yundong passed through the front hall into the study behind it. There, beside a desk set with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, stood a bamboo bookshelf holding several volumes of thread-bound books.

Li Yundong approached and flipped through the books, successfully locating a small, purplish-gold wooden box tucked inside the shelf.

The box was about eight inches long, five inches wide, and five inches high. A small brass lock hung from it. Li Yundong reached out a finger to pull it open, only to see a line of runes light up on the lock. Su Chan, standing nearby, immediately cautioned, "Don't pull hard, there’s a rune array on it."

Li Yundong set the wooden box down, glanced around, and said, "Then there must be a key. Let’s look for it!"

Su Chan helped search for a while and finally found a small, thumbnail-sized brass key inside a book on the shelf. With a beaming smile, she announced, "Found it! See if this works!"

Li Yundong took the key and laughed, "Making it this complicated, there must be treasure inside!"

Su Chan nodded inquisitively from the side, "Mm-hmm!"

With a crisp click, Li Yundong unlocked the brass latch. He took a deep breath and opened the small wooden box. Looking closely, he saw that the top item was an identification card. Beneath the ID were several bank passbooks, and under those, a stack of white papers.

Li Yundong couldn’t help but offer a wry smile, "Your former sect master is dead; what use are these passbooks? Unless they have passwords, we can’t withdraw any money!"

Saying this, he took out the ID and the passbooks, set the ID aside, and first flipped open the last printed page of a passbook. He scrutinized the details and immediately sucked in a sharp breath: the space for the balance clearly read: 3.28 Yuan!

"No way?" Li Yundong’s eyes glazed over. "This is an empty passbook!"

He quickly flipped open the remaining two passbooks, turning to the final written pages. Without exception, each showed a balance of only one or two yuan!

Li Yundong felt a chill creep up his spine, "No way, not a single penny left? What the heck is this?"

Su Chan stopped smiling too and quickly urged, "See what the papers underneath say?"

Li Yundong opened the stack and found that it was a lease agreement for this very Daoist temple, the Hu Chan Sect. Li Yundong gasped when he saw the rental price: Five million three hundred thousand for five years! He checked the expiration date and was startled again—it was next month!

"Good heavens, misfortune never comes singly, and neither does good fortune!" Li Yundong held the contract, tilting his head toward Su Chan, "I’m starting to feel like we’ve boarded a pirate ship."

Su Chan pouted defensively, "You're not allowed to speak about our Hu Chan Sect like that! It wasn't easy for Ancestor Shi to run this sect all by herself!"

Li Yundong forced a bitter smile, "Alright, now it’s my turn to take over. Where am I supposed to conjure up this five-plus million from?"

Su Chan also looked troubled, "Yeah, if it were just ten or twenty thousand, it would be manageable, but five million—what can we do?" She frowned in thought, then suddenly her mind sparked, and she jumped up, exclaiming, "Why don't we go discuss it with Martial Uncles and Aunts?"

Li Yundong shook his head like a rattle drum, "Forget it, forget it. I estimate that your former sect master used a paternalistic management style, never letting them interfere in anything, handling everything herself. As a result, even though they seem grown up now, they are actually just like you—inexperienced and clueless about worldly affairs. I initially thought that Cao Yi was the better one, but now it seems, well..."

Su Chan immediately jumped up, pouting coquettishly, "Don't you dare say that!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily, spreading his hands, "Alright, alright, I won't say it. But how do we solve this immediate problem? Our Hu Chan Sect will be sleeping on the streets soon!"

Su Chan’s eyes darted around, and she suggested, "Then let them stay at our place?"

Li Yundong immediately shook his head vehemently and glared at Su Chan, "Are you crazy? Do you think it’s just two or three people? There are over a dozen people here! How can we fit everyone? Will you sleep on the floor, or will I?"

Su Chan sat down heavily in a chair, her mouth pursed, "That won't work, and this won't work either. What on earth are we going to do then!"

Li Yundong pulled over a rosewood armchair and slumped down beside Su Chan with a heavy sigh, "Yeah, what do we do? What you said before was absolutely correct: Before understanding the Dao, the difficulty lies in the method; after understanding the Dao, the difficulty lies in the wealth! Where am I supposed to find this money in a single day? I can’t very well take this whole group of fox spirits and end up homeless, can I? Hey, didn't I say something about ending up on the streets when we argued with that guy pursuing you? Did the retribution arrive that quickly?"

Su Chan laughed and spat, "Pah, don't talk nonsense. You are my great hero; how could you end up on the streets! You definitely have a way!"

Li Yundong sighed, his brows furrowed in deep thought, searching desperately for a solution. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he slapped his thigh, laughing out loud, "I have a way!"

Su Chan touched her thigh and scolded loudly, "You have a solution, so why are you slapping my leg!"

Li Yundong quickly rubbed it for her, chuckling sheepishly, "I got too excited, accidental injury, accidental injury!"

Su Chan pouted high, but her curiosity about the solution Li Yundong conceived made her press him, "What were you just thinking of?"

Li Yundong chuckled mischievously, "When I ascended the mountain earlier via the Hu Chan Sect’s back entrance secret chamber, I saw many antiques and paintings. Although... cough, cough, I might have damaged a few, there should still be some intact ones inside that we can sell. Even if I just sell one, your grandpa here will be a millionaire!"

Su Chan was simple-minded. Seeing that Li Yundong had come up with a stopgap measure, she didn't think anything was wrong with it. The little girl just felt relieved that her grandpa could solve the problem; as for what was sold, it was selling the family inheritance—it wasn't her savings, so she didn't care!

Su Chan beamed with delight, "Where is it? Where is it? Take me to see quickly, I’ve never been there!"

Having found a solution, Li Yundong’s voice immediately gained conviction. He laughed heartily and waved his hand grandly, "Fine, your grandpa will take you to broaden your horizons!"

The two left the room, chatting and laughing all the way, the previous gloom completely gone. Li Yundong couldn't help but reflect: what the ancients said was absolutely true—a single penny can foil a hero! No matter how skilled in combat or how profound the powers, what good are they without money?

Li Yundong and Su Chan arrived at the back door of the Daoist temple. He held the little girl's hand, channeled his energy, and immediately lifted into the air.

Su Chan was both surprised and delighted, exclaiming, "Yundong, you can fly now? Back then, you couldn't fly, and I had to help you!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily, "If I couldn't fly, how could I drive away the enemies of the Hu Chan Sect?" He smiled at Su Chan and added, "Before, you carried me as we flew; now it’s my turn to carry you."

Su Chan smiled sweetly, their eyes met, and both felt a profound sweetness, as if they had drunk honey, soaking straight to their hearts.

They flew along the hillside to the hidden cave entrance. As Li Yundong pushed aside the grass and leaves covering the opening, a flurry of black shadows suddenly flew out. Li Yundong’s heart gave a jolt, and he immediately pulled Su Chan far away.

Once they were clear, he realized it was just a flock of birds flying out, followed by a group of monkeys scrambling out with squeaks.

Li Yundong chuckled, "So there are guests inside. I thought it might be enemies."

Su Chan, with her sharp eyes, noticed that the monkeys scrambling away seemed to be clutching something in their hands. She remarked, "Those monkeys seem to be holding something."

Li Yundong didn’t pay much attention and laughed, "Maybe fruit?"

The two flew back to the cave entrance and walked down the passageway. After walking a short distance, Li Yundong arrived in the large stone chamber where he had previously cultivated the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Technique. Su Chan spotted the long-dead Lin Youfa at once, cried out, and couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, he was the sect master, yet he ends up without a burial place. Yundong, can you find a place to bury him?"

Li Yundong sighed, "You are kind-hearted. He even hurt you, yet you speak up for him."

Su Chan took Li Yundong’s arm and said, "The dead should be respected. Let the past go. Aren't we doing fine now?"

Li Yundong nodded, "You are right. We’ll find a place to bury him later; it will bring him peace."

With that, he took Su Chan's hand and pointed to the writing on the wall, saying with a smile, "See what this says."

Li Yundong had deliberately kept the fact that he had seen the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Technique carved by the Heavenly Secret Mystic Fox a secret from Su Chan earlier, intending to give the little girl a surprise.

Indeed, Su Chan jolted the moment she started reading, her eyes widening until they were enormous. By the time she reached the end, she was so overwhelmed her face flushed red, her nostrils flared, and she was panting heavily. She let out a sharp shriek, gripped Li Yundong’s hand tightly, and kept shouting, "Yundong, Yundong, this was left by the Heavenly Secret Mystic Fox! Heavens, this is why our Hu Chan Sect hasn't moved for thousands of years!"

Su Chan stared at every word on the wall with blazing eyes, filled with excitement and longing. After rereading it several times, her emotions slowly calmed. She looked ahead with yearning, "It would be wonderful if I could one day be like the Heavenly Secret Mystic Fox!"

Li Yundong gently stroked her hair and murmured softly, "That day will come!"

Su Chan nodded forcefully, "Yes, you've become so strong; I need to become strong too!"

Li Yundong tapped the tip of the little girl’s nose with his finger and chuckled, "Alright, I'll make sure you do!"

Su Chan giggled, "From now on, I want you to teach me cultivation! Before, I taught you; from now on, you teach me!"

Li Yundong chuckled, "Deal, but you're not allowed to slack off!"

The two walked deeper, chatting and laughing. Occasionally, mice scurried out of the passageway. Li Yundong found it strange, "That's odd; there weren't any mice in here last time."

Su Chan explained, "It must be because you didn't close the stone chamber door, so the monkeys, birds, and mice all ran in!"

Li Yundong laughed, "It must be..." But before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he grabbed Su Chan, running wildly deeper inside.

Su Chan shouted in confusion, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Li Yundong didn't answer, pulling Su Chan until they reached the lower stone chamber. He stopped dead at the entrance to the room, as if rooted to the spot.

This stone chamber was teeming with rats, frantically gnawing at everything strewn on the floor.

Li Yundong took a deep breath, covered Su Chan's ears, and let out a ferocious roar, instantly shaking all the rats in the room to death.

Li Yundong looked at the silent, fallen rats, his eye twitching, and told Su Chan, "Hurry up and check if anything is still intact."

Su Chan was momentarily stunned. She quickly squatted down, ignoring the piles of dead rats, and began searching through everything.

The two searched the stone chamber back and forth several times. When they stood up and looked at each other, Li Yundong’s eyes were wide as he looked at Su Chan, and Su Chan’s eyes were equally wide as she looked at him. Both shook their heads simultaneously.

Li Yundong let out a long, mournful sigh, "Heavens, I’ve really become a bankrupt debtor! Not a single intact antique or painting left! Isn’t this just too tragic!?"