章 10: Penniless
編集者: celllll, Nou
The name of the mask wasn’t actually recorded; none of the three men knew its correct name, and all items of this nature were usually recorded just as 'low-grade spirit tool'. The record being made had set this event in stone, and the mustached man newly regarded Fang Xing without emotion. "Good. All done now. Congratulations on your new spirit tool; off you go."
Still pretending to be uncertain, Fang Xing asked again, "You’re definitely sure this is good? What if…."
"Nonsense! You’ve already chosen this item and it’s already been recorded down. You cannot give it back for exchange any longer."
"But… you just said I could come back and swap it for something else if it’s no good…" Fang Xing pretended to be in shock on the surface while continuously mocking the three men in his mind.
"Swap?" the mustached man laughed, "It’s not impossible, it just depends on how you act when you come back."
It wasn’t as though things like this hadn’t happened before. Most of the disciples who didn’t pay the Spirit Stone in the beginning would come back later and be forced to pay an even higher price to exchange their spirit tool for another. Using this method, the three men had gained quite a generous savings of precious gems and rare items.
The sect would never be able to find out exactly which item Fang Xing had chosen, after all; the jaded plate only had "low-grade spirit tool" engraved on it. It would be a lot more difficult if the name of the mask or another item Fang Xing chose was known since it would be recorded, making it impossible to secretly swap or exchange at a later date.
"Okay, I guess that’s how it is!" As if finally convinced, Fang Xing took the mask into his arms and walked off.
As soon as Fang Xing left the pavilion, all three men burst out into laughter. "He really chose that mask thing! Hahaha, and look at him treasuring it as though it’s actually worth something!"
"It was his own fault for offending us, yet he actually wanted something good? In his dreams!"
"Hah, watch me burn a hole in his pocket when he comes back for an exchange!"
—
As soon as Yu Sanliang saw Fang Xing walking out of the pavilion, he hurried closer with a worried expression and quickly asked what had been chosen. Fang Xing passed the mask to Yu Sanliang, and the man carefully examined it in his hand. "What is this thing?" he asked in confusion; the mask was old and tattered, and it definitely didn’t look useful.
"You don’t know shit; this is definitely something good," Fang Xing replied before snatching the mask out of the plump Daoist’s hands. "Now go, take me to where I’ll be sleeping tonight!" Seeing how Fang Xing was confident in his chosen item, Yu Sanliang stopped his questioning and asked Fang Xing to follow him closely as they walked towards their next destination.
—
After working at the Miscellaneous Department for several years, Yu Sanliang was quite knowledgeable of the sect. Furthermore, despite the fact he wasn’t very popular, he was also up to date with the latest gossip since he usually ran the less pleasant errands for the other departments and was exposed to a lot of people.
"Take a look at this side, this place is known as Clear-Sound Valley, where all the female disciples live. There’s a large pool of crystal-clear spring water running outside the valley that female disciples usually go to bathe at. Apparently, to prevent any male disciples from peeping into the pool, the elders placed a smog spell around it that they claim to be impenetrable all year ‘round. But, there was a shixiong who claimed he managed to see them bathing once, and he even bragged about it for months afterwards!
"Now if you look towards this cliff, this is where Elder Song Gu holds his classes. He is extremely powerful and knowledgeable, and he’s even a bit of a legend here in the sect. He’s also one of the few elders who are friendly and easygoing; even for people with poor talent like us, if you ask him a question—any question—he will greet you with a smile and answer you with patience. There’s also Elder Song Yan who visits here every ninth day of the ninth month to speak about the ways to cultivate or to give hints and tips for using spells. It’s always packed when he comes, so even those core disciples try to get in there early.
"That place over there is known as Danxia Valley, one of the four inner courts of our sect. All the disciples there are dedicated to studying the path of alchemy, and not one—not a single one of them—has a good temper. They’re all arrogant assholes, but everyone needs their help with medicinal pellets and elixirs, so it’s best to avoid their bad side. They do, however, house the highest number of female disciples within the sect, and they’re all quite pleasing to the eyes. Maybe when you’re a bit older, we’ll try to find you a wife there; it should be really beneficial for your cultivation."
Hidden-Cloud Summit was where some of the outer court disciples lived. It took more than four hours before they’d finally reached the summit by foot, yet Yu Sanliang hadn’t stopped talking once during this time. To others, Yu Sanliang could come across as a nuisance, but this was an opportunity for Fang Xing to learn and find out as much gossip and information about the sect as possible. For Yu Sanliang, it was finally his chance to show off everything he knew about the sect, and he turned into an unceasing torrent of information during the journey.
"The inner court disciples live over in that mountain peak. Don’t go near it without a good reason…"
"Those who break the sect rules are sent here…"
"That’s the Culinary Department. All outer court disciples who want to dine there will have to pay a hundred silver taels per month…"
"This is the Pavilion of Enlightenment. It has collections with all of our sect’s important spells and books, but only inner court disciples can go in there…"
—
"This is where you will stay. Mine is close by, so if you need anything, just let me know!"
The summit was covered by a white fog that alternated between hiding the area below and revealing the few hundred little cottages that were scattered about. Its vast size kept it from feeling crowded, and the surroundings were quite pleasant as well; a small waterfall flowed through the valley, and a light breeze of wind would cause the bamboo forest nearby to rustle with soft sounds. Although it was already late autumn in the Chufung Kingdom this time of year, the abundance of spiritual veins caused the Qing-Yun Sect courts to still flush with spring blossoms.
According to Yu Sanliang, Hidden-Cloud Summit was merely one of the ten districts allocated for the outer court disciples, and he himself lived in a neighboring valley a few miles away. In fact, all of the outer court disciples lived in cottages like this, and it was only after becoming an inner court disciple and reaching tier four that they would be able to move to one of the better locations closer to a spirit vein. If they managed to achieve tier seven, they would even be awarded an entire summit for their cultivation use, receiving the same resources and treatment as the sect elders.
Once the pair arrived, a man came politely towards the two of them. He was in charge of room assignment and orientation despite only being in the second tier, and after checking Fang Xing’s token with his name and rank, he assigned Fang Xing a cottage next to the spring well and asked whether or not he would be dining at the Culinary Department.
"If you want to eat there, you’ll have to pay a hundred silver taels per month," Yu Sanliang reminded.
Stumped, Fang Xing showed a bitter smile at that—he didn’t have any money at all. He tapped Yu Sanliang on the shoulder and said, "In that case, lend me a hundred silver taels and I’ll give it back to you another day!"
This only left Yu Sanliang stumped as well. "You don’t have even that much?"
Fang Xing was unwilling to admit his penniless state and lied, "No, I just don’t have it on me right now!"
Unfortunately, Yu Sanliang did not bring enough with him so he had to ask if they could pay tomorrow. The man fortunately agreed without much of a fuss, but he gave a fleeting glance of obvious disdain towards Fang Xing.
In the world of cultivation, if one didn’t have any extraordinary talent, then the only other way to thrive was with money… but it was an unlikely bet even still. Then there were people like the looks of this boy, unable to afford even a hundred silver. ‘It’s almost guaranteed nothing will come of him,’ the man thought to himself.
Fang Xing headed back to his cottage. Despite how plain it was, it actually wasn’t too shabby; not only did it use a good pinewood known to repel mosquitoes, but there was a bed, table, and set of chairs inside as well.
Such things costed money, but this naturally came out of Yu Sanliang’s own pocket as well. He’d already decided to pay for Fang Xing’s meal plan, after all; there was no point being stingy and holding back from paying a little bit more. He’d brought this situation on himself with his choice on who to befriend.
章 11: Cultivation Resources
編集者: celllll, Nou
"I see, so this is the completed version of Qing-Yun’s Qi Formation." It was already well after nightfall, yet Fang Xing was still awake and sitting cross-legged on his bed with a thin booklet in front of him. He’d received this completed version after becoming an outer court disciple, and although the differences between this one and the last weren’t huge, this version included such things as how to use Spirit Stones to help increase the flow of Qi. The elders of the sect had even left various comments and methods of training as well.
The simplified version handed down to daotongs was only there to see if someone was able to cultivate any Qi at all, so there were no in-depth analyses of the tiers and stages. Besides, regular daotongs would be sent down to the villages after working at the sect for ten years, causing the simplified version to make its way into the hands of ordinary people. By not including more details, comments, and methods, there was no risk of exposing the precise methods the Qing-Yun Sect used for cultivation.
Not even the outer court disciples had it easy. If they didn’t break through into tier two within three years, they would be sent down to the village just like the daotongs. Furthermore, even if they made it through, they would only be given another three years for tier three, and five years after that for tier four. The sect was not a charity that kept freeloaders.
The sect wouldn't force anybody to leave, but those who decided to overstay their welcome would have the resources they received drastically cut. In order to obtain all the resources required to advance from that point on, the disciple would need to either accept dangerous sect missions or apply for work at one of the various departments for a petty amount of resources and wages, like Yu Sanliang who worked at the Miscellaneous Department.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Still sitting cross-legged, Fang Xing closed his eyes and began to practice cultivation. Beside him, a red Spirit Stone began to float into the air and brightly shine to the rhythm of his breath.
This was a method described in his new manual. It was possible to practice cultivation much faster and smoother with the aid of an outside spiritual source, such as a Spirit Stone.
Ever since Fang Xing had become a genuine disciple at the sect, he no longer used the method of Hwa’jin. The destruction it caused to his body far outweighed the gains; if he were to continue consuming Hwa'jin, it was unlikely he’d live past twenty years of age. It was nothing more than a shortcut—both to cultivation and to the end of his life. Even at his current age, strands of gray hair could already be seen thanks to how often he’d used the weed.
For those who were endowed with great aptitude, Qi could be easily accumulated through simple breathing exercises even without any external help, although this was unfortunately not the case for those like Fang Xing. Without using the weed, the next fastest method was through Spirit Stones or medicinal pellets and elixirs, but pellets and elixirs were far more difficult to obtain, so most cultivators typically only used them to break through a bottleneck. A Spirit Stone, on the other hand, contained a large amount of concentrated Qi within itself, and the method described in the new manual allowed Fang Xing to draw out the Qi from the Stone and use it while practicing cultivation.
This method didn’t harm the user’s body like Hwa’jin did; on the contrary, this method would actually improve his mind and health, increasing lifespan and longevity. Although this method was far more gentle, however, it was also much slower to achieve higher tiers than the method using Hwa'jin, and Spirit Stones were perhaps more valuable as a currency than as cultivation materials. To lavishly rely entirely on Spirit Stones would usually need an entire family fortune—or sometimes even the support of entire clans and sects—to maintain such monstrous consumption.
Even with that being said, it was definitely far more appealing than dying at the age of twenty!
As of right now, Fang Xing was still quite new to this method, and he looked slightly troubled after estimating the stone would likely last no more than ten days at his current rate. With the small amount of Qi he’d accumulated so far, if he did not accumulate more within fifty days, his progress would actually start to regress.
It was similar to when someone had just eaten. They would have energy for the rest of the day, but if no one fed them for the next few days, they would no longer have any more energy. Worse still, they would likely have even less energy than what they’d started with.
It was already Yu Sanliang’s seventh year in the outer court and—due to his own lack of resources—he’d gotten close to the second tier but had never actually managed to make it through. There’d already been two times he was nearly sent down to the village, but both times he somehow managed to bribe his way to remain and was now working ever so cautiously and conscientiously at the Miscellaneous Department. It was unfortunate that the more he did so, the less likely he would be able to gain extra income for the purpose of cultivation or have any time to actually practice Qi.
"No, I can’t be like this forever or I’ll turn into another Shixiong Zhu. I must do something…" Fang Xing spoke softly to himself. He suddenly opened his eyes and the Spirit Stone—no longer shining with a bright red light—dropped into his lap.
Laying the Spirit Stone in his palm, Fang Xing began to think to himself, ‘There’s over thousands of outer court disciples, and I’m sure there are plenty with rich families and clans behind them…. The majority are likely D-Ranked, but they’re rich; even if they run out of Spirit Stones, they can afford it with silvers and golds. But I’m penniless….
‘Unless….’
The bright moon hung innocently above the entire land of the Qing-Yun Sect. Most of its pupils were either heavily asleep or quietly practicing their breathing exercises, and no one would have imagined that their ten-year-old shidi was scheming something involving their fortunes at that very moment.
—
"Shidi Fang! Are you there?"
Two weeks had passed since Fang Xing became a real disciple at the sect, and his single Spirit Stone was already completely used up. Just as Fang Xing was staring blankly into space, someone from outside had called his name: it was none other than the plump Daoist Yu Sanliang with a jug of wine and a bundle covered in lotus leaves in his hands.
Although Yu Sanliang was always seen bossing around the daotongs, no one within the outer court circle seemed to want to befriend him; not only was his cultivation level incredibly low, but he was also quite poor. Now that the enmity between him and Fang Xing had melted into friendship, he’d been coming over to drink and chat, and it was already the second time he’d come to visit in the past couple of weeks. The rest of the disciples laughed at him, ridiculing him for befriending a ten-year-old child, especially since Yu Sanliang was well in his thirties, yet he didn’t mind—he’d never had someone he could eat, drink, and laugh with until now.
"Come on in, Shixiong Zhu!" Fang Xing warmly invited Yu Sanliang inside, but the boy’s body was so lazy that only his mouth bothered to move.
"I’ve told you so many times: my name is not Zhu, it’s Yu! Why can’t you remember it…?" As Yu walked in, he placed the wine and the bundle of lotus leaves on the table. Once the leaves were unwrapped, a whole roasted chicken was revealed, and Fang Xing began to send the meat down his throat even before Yu Sanliang had filled up the wine.
"By the way, Shixiong Zhu, what did you say about this Black Market thing among us outer disciples?" Even with his mouth half full, Fang Xing couldn’t hold back his question any longer.
"It’s not Zhu, it’s Yu! Look at my mouth when I speak… Yu!" Yu Sanliang shaped his mouth like a fish, but then continued, "About that Black Market, well, even within the outer court, there are plenty of people with money or some pretty neat stuff they don’t need. A group of them started this Black Market where everyone can exchange for the stuff they actually need.
"The sect rules don’t actually allow private exchange markets since we’re supposed to exchange for items we need with the sect, but the exchange rates are so much worse and the items required for exchange are not always what we have or can easily get…. And then there’s also those people who want to get rid of things they obtained through irregular methods... so the Black Market happened.
"No one knows who you are. Everyone goes disguised and nobody will ever ask for your identity or how you got the item."
"I see. Keep an eye out for the next Black market for me," Fang Xing requested while nodding his head.
"Why the hell do you need to know? Do you even realize how poor you are? Are you going to magically find something valuable to trade now? Do you know who’s been paying for all of your expenses in the past month!" Yu Sanliang raised his voice while pouring more wine into Fang Xing’s bowl.
"Just do as I say. It’s only like a hundred silver taels; how stingy can you get! Just you wait, I’ll give you back double…."
"One hundred and ten! Tch, I don’t care if you give it back to me or not anymore; it’s my fault for giving it to you in the first place. Let’s just drink…."
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