Early the next morning, Zhang Zhensheng received replies from Yuan Dawei and the others. They were willing to cooperate.
Zhang Zhensheng did not waste any time. He immediately informed them of the departure time and meeting place, made the necessary preparations, and waited for Yuan Dawei’s group to arrive.
[Didn’t you say you weren’t going to interfere?] The Sword Spirit, hiding in the shadows alongside Shu Xin, could not resist mocking her.
“I’m not interfering. Unless someone far beyond their cultivation level makes a move, I won’t step in even if they face a life-or-death crisis. But staying in the courtyard all day is boring. I’ll just treat it as a live show. Don’t you think it’s interesting?” Shu Xin countered. “Let’s see whether these little rabbits in the palm of my hand will be driven into showing their fangs. It’ll also let them learn how this cultivation world is really meant to be played—and how to play it well.”
[You’re just so idle you have nothing better to do,] the Sword Spirit remarked.
Shu Xin did not answer, which was as good as admitting it.
Was she not allowed to find a little entertainment for herself?
Meanwhile, Yuan Dawei, Cao Ru, and Qi Feiyang had also arrived at the agreed meeting place after preparing a few things.
They had also spent some time using the Hu family’s connections to gather information.
Unfortunately, there was not much to be learned about Zhang Zhensheng. All they knew was that he had performed exceptionally well in his previous assignments. Coupled with his late Core Formation cultivation, he had been selected for this escort mission.
As for the Wang family, too much time had passed since the Hu family had wiped them out. Many of the younger maids knew nothing about it. They promised to help investigate, but expecting reliable information before their departure was asking rather too much.
This also showed, from another angle, that Zhang Zhensheng had not feared them looking into his background when he proposed the partnership.
Yuan Dawei and the other two decided that they would have to test Zhang Zhensheng’s capabilities themselves.
If there was no problem, so much the better. If there was, they knew a thing or two about throwing punches.
“So, the three of you are finally here.” Zhang Zhensheng spotted them from a distance, a clear smile appearing on his face.
“Since we made an agreement, naturally we wouldn’t keep you waiting,” Yuan Dawei replied with a smile.
According to Zhang Zhensheng, the Wang family’s ancestral grounds now belonged to the Hu family. Therefore, they would use the excuse of “going out for pleasure” and gather at an inn near the former Wang estate.
Only after midnight would they leave the inn, sneak into the old Wang grounds, and retrieve the resources hidden there.
And if they were going to put on an act, they had to see it through. Naturally, they would need to spend the entire day leisurely passing the time at the inn.
“Logically speaking, since I was the one who proposed this cooperation, I should be the host this time. But the expenses at this inn are rather steep, and my purse is sadly light. So I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble the three of you this time, fellow Daoists.” Zhang Zhensheng deliberately made himself appear weak, which instead made it easier to close the distance between them.
Zhang Zhensheng had dealt with disciples from prominent families before. If he revealed himself to be poor and down on his luck, those young aristocrats would feel a sense of superiority. Not only would they spend generously, but they would also intentionally or unintentionally show off. Sometimes, over drinks, they might even let slip crucial information.
Thus, Zhang Zhensheng was simply using the same old tactic once again.
“How expensive is this restaurant?” Cao Ru did not agree right away. Instead, she asked, “”
“It’s not expensive. Generally speaking, a full table of dishes, plus two jugs of good wine, costs no more than thirty spirit stones for a day in a private room. If you also want a few companions to entertain you, it’ll be around a hundred spirit stones.” Zhang Zhensheng smiled. “For the few of you, that’s merely a small—”
“Far too expensive!” Cao Ru said without hesitation.
“Exactly. That’s way too expensive,” Qi Feiyang agreed.
“Sorry, Fellow Daoist Zhang. We’re short on money too.” Yuan Dawei lowered his head as well.
Zhang Zhensheng looked at the three of them, taking in their fine clothes before glancing at the magical artifacts in their hands. He simply could not believe that these three Core Formation cultivators from respectable backgrounds could not even produce thirty spirit stones.
【Hahaha, you only give them ten spirit stones a month. Even if the three of them didn’t eat or drink for an entire month, they’d only have thirty spirit stones between them. Where would they get the money?】The Sword Spirit could not resist mocking them.
Shu Xin had outfitted the five disciples and attendants under her charge, but those clothes and accessories were strictly for work. In their daily lives, she did not provide for any of this.
In Shu Xin’s own words: “Your monthly allowance on the mountain comes from your master. It has nothing to do with me. In fact, I’m a Grotto-Heaven True Person who has to protect you personally, so charging each of you five thousand spirit stones wouldn’t be excessive at all. But considering that you’re fellow disciples of mine, I won’t charge you this protection fee. I’ll even pay you the same basic living allowance you received on the mountain—ten spirit stones per person per month.”
Want more spirit stones?
Submit a request first, or find a way to earn them yourselves.
You’re already Core Formation cultivators. Aren’t you embarrassed to keep reaching out for money?
At the time, Shu Xin had delivered these words with such righteous confidence that she had seemed utterly shameless.
But those five disciples and attendants had no idea how harsh the world was. Instead, they thought they had gotten an incredible bargain.
Just think about it. Their Eldest Senior Sister could earn a thousand spirit stones a month merely by taking on an escort job, and she had only been using her Dao Infant cultivation.
Yet now, their Eldest Senior Sister, a dignified Grotto-Heaven True Person, was protecting them. Not only would charging them five thousand spirit stones have been completely reasonable, it would practically have been a bargain.
And to top it all off, their Eldest Senior Sister was not only refusing to charge them—she was actually giving them money.
What kind of heavenly Eldest Senior Sister was this?
If their Eldest Senior Sister were willing, all she would have to do was give the order, and they would support her becoming the new sect master of the Inquiry God Sect!
As a result, Yuan Dawei and the others all expressed their willingness to work off their debts. They even said that if they obtained any resources in the future, they would repay her whether or not she asked for them.
The Sword Spirit was deeply impressed.
It had known that Shu Xin was up to no good.
How could she exploit young people like this?
And after being exploited, those young people were still grateful to her.
Ten spirit stones a month was enough to make a Core Formation cultivator work like an ox for you. Even demonic cultivators did not go that far.
“I’m doing this for their own good. Young people are liable to get cheated if they have too many spirit stones in their hands,” Shu Xin declared righteously. “Besides, I’m not even complaining that they’re idiots. That’s what an internship is like. When I was an intern, I actually had to pay out of my own pocket. Look, they’re even thanking me. This is their first hardship after entering the world, so I’ll be the one to give them that lesson.”
And so, faced with a restaurant this expensive, Cao Ru and the others had absolutely no chance of going inside.
Zhang Zhensheng was somewhat taken aback. “Surely the three of you aren’t joking with me? Are you deliberately trying to reassure me by coming up with such an excuse? I appreciate your good intentions, Fellow Daoists, but there’s no need for you to put yourselves out.”
“We truly don’t have any spirit stones,” Cao Ru explained. “Our Dao Lord usually takes care of our food, lodging, and cultivation. Since we rarely leave her side, naturally we don’t have much in the way of spirit stones. As for our monthly allowance, the sect distributes it. The Dao Lord says that she’s protecting us, so it’s already good enough that we don’t have to hand over our spirit stones to her.”
“Exactly. A Dao Nascent Soul cultivator can earn a thousand spirit stones by escorting goods for the Hu Family for a month. Our Dao Lord protects several of us, yet she’s never charged us a single spirit stone. All we do is help out and serve her, so we’re already the ones getting the better deal.”
“Fellow Daoist Zhang, under these circumstances, how could we possibly have the nerve to ask the Dao Lord for money?”
The three of them chimed in one after another, evidently believing this explanation with all their hearts.
Zhang Zhensheng opened and closed his mouth, but not a single word came out.
What in the world…
He had heard before that some major sects and prominent clans treated their disciples and servants rather harshly, but he had always assumed it was just a joke.
Now, however, it seemed that it was probably true!
The three of you have practically made yourselves slaves and servants, yet you’re still worried that your pampered master might suffer a loss?
Zhang Zhensheng cast a suspicious glance at the three cultivators. On the one hand, he wondered if they were deliberately acting foolish. On the other, he couldn’t help taking a few more looks at them, wanting to see exactly how much water had gotten into their heads.
“In that case, why don’t we pool our resources and order the cheapest set meal? We can skip the wine. Fifteen spirit stones should probably be enough,” Zhang Zhensheng offered helplessly. “If we don’t enter the restaurant, the Hu Family may grow suspicious later. Since we’ve decided to do this, we might as well go through with it properly.”
“All right. I still have three spirit stones.” Cao Ru felt around and reluctantly took out three spirit stones.
She didn’t want to, but there were still plenty of pretty and interesting trinkets to be found at the foot of the mountain. She had already been very restrained, yet she only had three spirit stones left.
“I have two spirit stones left.” Qi Feiyang reluctantly handed over two spirit stones as well. He had his eye on a bottle of pills, but could only afford to buy them one at a time.
“Ahem, I’ll owe you for now. I genuinely don’t have a single spirit stone on me,” Yuan Dawei said, tilting his head to gaze at the sky. “If I had any, I wouldn’t have come treasure-hunting with you, would I?”
There was, admittedly, nothing wrong with that logic.
Zhang Zhensheng’s face darkened, but he could only pay the remaining ten spirit stones himself and reluctantly lead the three blockheads into the restaurant.
He was feeling rather irritated. With the three blockheads this poor, how many resources could he possibly get out of them later?
Well, the magical artifacts on them were fairly decent. If he sold them at the black market, perhaps he could make up for some of his losses.
The four of them entered the restaurant and took a seat in the main dining hall.
As they came in, Cao Ru and the others kept looking around, their eyes filled with curiosity.
“Restaurants outside may be somewhat small compared to the lavish establishments of your major sects, but this one is considered one of the best in the area,” Zhang Zhensheng said, having clearly misunderstood something.
Cao Ru and the others were too embarrassed to admit that this was actually their first time entering such an upscale restaurant.
In the past, whenever they occasionally went out with their master, they always stayed at the most ordinary inns. When they were hungry, they simply ate Fasting Pills. As for spirit rice and spirit-beast meat—food specially intended for cultivators—they basically never ate any.
Shu Xin, meanwhile, had transformed her appearance and swaggered into the restaurant. She asked for a private room on the second floor and ordered the most luxurious banquet the restaurant had to offer.
Well, she couldn’t finish it all by herself. She could pack up the leftovers and take them back for the others later.
“Come to think of it, I’m rather curious myself.” Zhang Zhensheng pretended to speak casually. “Judging by your appearances, the three of you should be coming down the mountain for the first time. What do you usually do up there? I’m a carefree wanderer and have never had the chance to see how a great sect operates.”
“We don’t really do anything. Mainly, we cultivate.” Qi Feiyang took a sip of the spirit wine included with the banquet. The spiritual energy in it was so weak that it was practically negligible. How did they have the nerve to charge so much for it?
“And besides cultivation?” Zhang Zhensheng continued to ask.
“Nothing else.” Cao Ru answered from the side. “Basically, all we need to do is cultivate. Occasionally, we spar with our fellow disciples, and whenever we encounter difficulties in our cultivation, we ask our master. He explains everything to us.”
“You don’t have to do anything else?” Zhang Zhensheng pressed, unwilling to give up.
“What else would we need to do?” Yuan Dawei countered. “There’s nothing else we can do, anyway.”
Zhang Zhensheng was dazed for a moment before putting on a polite smile. “Indeed. We cultivators only need to cultivate.”
How enviable.
Enviable enough to make him wish they would hurry up and die!
Of all the countless cultivators who had gone from ordinary mortals to Core Formation, who knew how many had been trapped forever at the threshold of comprehending the Dao?
Yet in the eyes of these three, it seemed as ordinary as eating and drinking.
They had nothing to do besides cultivate.
How utterly revolting!
“That’s right. A cultivator only needs to cultivate.” Wearing a flawless smile, Zhang Zhensheng raised his cup and toasted them again. “Although we’ve only known one another for a short time, I feel that the three of us share the same interests. Let’s drain our cups!”
They drank and exchanged cups, and time slipped by in the blink of an eye.
For cultivators, a few cups of spirit wine were nowhere near enough to affect their minds.
As for Zhang Zhensheng, he truly seemed to be doing nothing more than cultivating their friendship. Otherwise, he would ask about their daily cultivation, or even discuss the problems Core Formation cultivators encountered during their practice.
Could it be that they had really misjudged him?
“Are you blind?”
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the restaurant.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator was shouting abuse at a brother and sister standing at the entrance.
The siblings were dressed very plainly, and their cultivation was only at the Qi Condensation level. No matter how one looked at them, they were the most ordinary—and lowest-ranking—cultivators in the cultivation world.
Those who remained stuck at the Qi Condensation level either had truly terrible innate aptitudes or were simply too poor.
At this stage, cultivators were only a little stronger than ordinary mortals. In the cultivation world, the only jobs available to them were the ones no one else wanted, and even then they could barely make a living. Without some great stroke of fortune, they would likely spend half a century muddling along before settling in a mortal kingdom as minor landowners.
“Sorry—we’re actually here to work at the restaurant.” The brother and sister hurriedly nodded and apologized. “Please, Senior, be magnanimous and spare us.”
“Heh, spare you? Is this restaurant really a place for cultivators like you, with barely any spiritual roots at all?” The Foundation Establishment cultivator took one look at the siblings and saw that their spiritual roots were nearly nonexistent. They would be easy to bully.
“Senior, we truly didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You think a single apology is enough to put this matter behind us?” The Foundation Establishment cultivator looked the siblings over again. Though their cultivation was meager, the elder sister was pretty and the younger brother was adorably delicate. At once, wicked thoughts arose in his heart.
“I could forgive you. As it happens, I know a place that’s hiring. With the two of you working there together, I guarantee you’ll save up enough spirit stones for Foundation Establishment within ten years.” The cultivator stretched out a hand, intending to grab the siblings by the shoulders.
The other patrons in the restaurant were utterly unsurprised by the scene.
Those without the strength to protect themselves would be sold sooner or later, even if they escaped it this time.
Adult cultivators, if fortunate, could work as guards and risk their lives. If they were unlucky, they would be sold off to spirit-stone mines.
As for children like these, merchant guilds specializing in dual-cultivation businesses were naturally willing to take them in.
“This is outrageous! How can he bully them like this?” Zhang Zhensheng slammed his palm onto the table and rose to his feet.
Cao Ru and the others were equally indignant. They had already rushed to the entrance of the restaurant, with Zhang Zhensheng following close behind.
When the Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly saw four Core Formation cultivators staring at him, his legs nearly gave out beneath him.
“M-Mercy!”
“Is this a place where you can run wild?” Zhang Zhensheng glanced at the Foundation Establishment cultivator and rebuked him quietly. “Why haven’t you gotten lost?”
How could the man dare say another word? These were mighty Core Formation cultivators!
Still, why were such powerful Core Formation cultivators sitting in the main hall rather than in private rooms upstairs?
“Thank you, Seniors, for coming to our aid.” The brother and sister immediately bowed deeply to them.
“No need to thank us. It was nothing more than a small effort.” Cao Ru took out several bottles of pills and a few talismans, handing them to the siblings. “Don’t come to work today. Try again another day. You’re still young; it would be better to improve your cultivation first before taking on work. The next time you go out, remember to disguise your appearance.”
“Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!” Overjoyed, the siblings quickly accepted the spirit stones. After some thought, they removed a jade ring hanging around their necks and offered it to Cao Ru. “This jade ring contains very little spiritual energy and isn’t worth much, but please, Senior, you must accept it.”
Unable to refuse, Cao Ru saw that the jade ring was indeed of ordinary quality and reluctantly accepted it.
The siblings thanked them profusely before finally leaving.
“I never expected Fellow Daoist Cao to be so chivalrous and warmhearted,” Zhang Zhensheng remarked with feeling.
“I simply couldn’t stand watching those people bully others by throwing their weight around.” Cao Ru was in a good mood as well. She felt that she had taught a bad man a lesson and saved an innocent pair of siblings.
“Fellow Daoist Cao, may I take a look at this jade ring?” Zhang Zhensheng suddenly asked.
“Of course.” Cao Ru handed the jade ring over.
Zhang Zhensheng’s face lit up with delight. After glancing around cautiously, he pulled Qi Feiyang and the others outside. “This is truly a stroke of heaven-sent luck! Do the three of you know who that brother and sister were?”
“How would we know?” Yuan Dawei asked, completely bewildered.
“Good people truly are rewarded.” Zhang Zhensheng laughed heartily. “Do you know that those siblings are the surviving heirs of the Wang family? The reason I brought you three fellow Daoists to this tavern was to see whether we might run into them. I never expected Heaven to favor us this time. Fellow Daoist Cao helped them on a whim and obtained this Wang family jade ring. With it, we can venture deep into the former Wang family grounds and gain access to even more resources. Fellow Daoist Cao, you must keep this jade ring safe. It will surely prove invaluable when the time comes.”
“Ah, what a pity. I was a step too slow just now—I’m nowhere near as kindhearted as Fellow Daoist Cao.” Zhang Zhensheng proceeded to lavish Cao Ru with praise.
Cao Ru felt a little embarrassed by the compliments, yet she also believed she had indeed done a truly good deed.
Before they realized it, Cao Ru, Yuan Dawei, and Qi Feiyang were all looking at Zhang Zhensheng with considerably more warmth.
Perhaps Fellow Daoist Zhang really wasn’t such a bad person after all.
【Tsk, tsk. With tricks like these, he’s playing your three junior brothers and sister as easily as dogs.】The Sword Spirit sighed with feeling. It and Shu Xin had seen far too many tactics like this.
Playing the hero to save a beauty, championing justice, wiping out evil and protecting the innocent—run them through the whole routine, and before long, you’ll think you and this person are comrades bound by life and death. Any guard you had up will come crumbling down.
If time weren’t so pressing, Zhang Zhensheng would probably have tailored a full-fledged “pig-butchering scam” for each of the three of them.
“He knows Cao Ru is the least trusting of him among the three. And since she is a female cultivator, he deliberately arranged for a pair of siblings like this to lower their guard. He calculated that Cao Ru would certainly step in to help. Or rather, even if she didn’t, those siblings would have approached her for help anyway.” Shu Xin rubbed his chin. “The human heart is strange. Once people have done something together, they instinctively begin to see one another as being on the same side. Little do they realize that this is only the beginning of the scam.”
Those three had become sharper than before, but they still had no idea how countless the swindles beneath the mountain were.
No scammer would ever write the words “I’m a fraud” across their face.
On the contrary, in the early stages, scammers often give you things you care about.
For people like Cao Ru and the others, who had only just come down from the mountain, what they needed most was a sense of accomplishment and recognition.
You want to be a hero? Then they’ll let you play the hero.
【There’s an eighty-percent chance something is wrong with that jade ring. Do you need me to destroy it?】the Sword Spirit asked.
“No. Let’s watch a little longer.” After thinking for a moment, Shu Xin took a recording jade from his storage ring. “Let’s make a proper record of this. Later, I’ll send it to the Asking Gods Sect for my dear master to see, so he won’t think I’m not getting anything done.”
You just want to preserve evidence of them falling for the scam, so you can keep using it to hold them over a barrel later.
Sigh. These idiots have already fallen for Shu Xin’s grand scam—how could they possibly fall for someone else’s little one?
That night.
The four of them finally left the restaurant and quietly followed Zhang Zhensheng to the so-called former grounds of the Wang family.
It was an almost completely desolate suburb, with scarcely a trace of spiritual energy in the air. Naturally, no cultivators would choose to stay in a place like this.
“Fellow Daoist Zhang, there’s nothing here,” Qi Feiyang said curiously.
“The Wang family’s former grounds can only be entered by a special method.” Zhang Zhensheng shook his head. “Since you already have the jade ring, Fellow Daoist Cao, you don’t need any other method. Please bond it to yourself with a drop of blood and make the ring the key to opening the formation around the Wang family’s former grounds.”
“Bond it with my blood?” Cao Ru hesitated. “I’m not a member of the Wang family. Will it still work?”
“The Wang family has already fallen into ruin, so the formation’s power has naturally weakened considerably.” Zhang Zhensheng smiled. “Are you worried that using the jade ring given to them by the surviving heirs of the Wang family to seize their resources would be inappropriate? If you can’t bear to do it, Fellow Daoist Cao, you can simply give those siblings two Foundation Establishment pills afterward. With their abilities, there’s no way they could obtain the Wang family’s resources themselves. Rather than let them go to waste, it would be better for us to take them and give the siblings a little compensation.”
“You do have a point.” Cao Ru thought it over and decided that she really shouldn’t be so hung up on such matters.
Qi Feiyang and Yuan Dawei stood guard on either side of Cao Ru, worried that she might be attacked while bonding the jade ring to herself.
【I’m often baffled by the stupidity of the human race. How did they ever manage to become the leaders of the myriad races?】the Sword Spirit said sincerely. 【Can blood-bonding really be done so casually? How many demonic cultivators from the Demonic Sect of Spirit Possession have used this trick to deceive naïve cultivators into letting themselves be possessed?】
The cultivators of the Demonic Sect of Spirit Possession had apparently drawn inspiration from popular stories of the mortal world. Whenever they had nothing better to do, they would pretend to be some old grandpa or fairy big sister living inside a ring, deceiving young cultivators who believed themselves to be chosen by heaven. Those cultivators would not only spend all their spirit stones restoring the “old grandpa” or “fairy big sister”—they would even voluntarily open their spiritual senses and accept their “transmission of cultivation techniques.”
It was indeed a transmission.
It was just that after the transmission, they would become someone else.
“Once we get back, make them write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism.” Shu Xin nodded in agreement. “Later, when they have spirit stones, I’ll find some worthless junk, pass it off as a treasure, and sell it to them. I’ll scam them out of every last spirit stone.”
【…Could you try acting like a decent person?】
The instant Cao Ru let the drop of blood fall onto the jade ring, the previously deserted suburb suddenly changed.
A violent fluctuation rippled through the air.
“It really worked? Wait—this isn’t a formation.” The smile on Cao Ru’s face lasted less than a moment before she realized that something was wrong.
She tried to warn Qi Feiyang and Yuan Dawei, but the jade ring—which she had inspected several times and found to be perfectly safe—suddenly shattered. Several strands of demonic energy emerged from within and plunged straight into her dantian.
“Old Zhang, you’re taking your sweet time.”
A pair of siblings slowly stepped out of the air.
Junior Brothers and Sisters: QAQ The world below the mountain is terrifying. We want to go home.
