Chapter 78
“There's a rule to it. They won't really do anything to you—you just have to grit your teeth and not buy anything, and they won't dare to touch you,” Sister Zhang seemed to read his thoughts.
Zheng Fa thought about it and realized that while those senior brothers were rough, they hadn’t actually harmed anyone—aside from their initial cold stares, this group seemed surprisingly law-abiding.
“Why is that?” he still couldn’t understand.
“After the decline of spiritual energy, the resentment among the lower disciples has grown heavier... Compared to killing and robbing, the sect can tolerate a little money loss.”
Zheng Fa fell silent.
Sister Zhang turned to him and suddenly said, “I’ve been deceived by senior brothers too.”
“What happened then?”
“Those senior brothers ended up selling books for me,” she replied lightly, stopping in front of a small courtyard. “As long as you’re strong enough, you can ignore all of this.”
As she was leaving, Sister Zhang added, “In this time of declining spiritual energy, the immortal sect is no paradise. If you can’t handle these people and matters, I’ve misjudged you... Consider this a small trial for you.”
……
The next day, when Zheng Fa opened the door, he found the chubby senior brother squatting at his doorstep, looking rather bitter.
“Senior brother, what’s going on?”
“Sister Zhang said that since you’re new to Jiu Shan Sect, I’m supposed to guide you for a few days,” the chubby senior brother said in a mournful tone, clearly not thrilled about it. “Today, we’ll first go register your nameplate and collect your cultivation methods…”
… Why does it feel like Sister Zhang is trying to toughen up this senior brother instead?
**Chapter 88: Benefits**
Zheng Fa felt like he had entered an unhappy arranged marriage.
He and the chubby senior brother exchanged glances, both at a loss for words.
“May I ask your name, senior brother?” Zheng Fa finally broke the silence.
“Han Qi,” the chubby senior brother adjusted his expression, took a deep breath, and stood up. “I’ll take you to get your nameplate.”
Zheng Fa followed him outside.
After a tiring journey yesterday, he had only caught a glimpse of Jiu Shan Sect. Today, as he looked around, he found it a bit hard to comprehend:
He was living at the valley entrance, which was the most bustling part of Jiu Shan Sect. From the dock, the flow of people never ceased.
To the west of the valley entrance seemed to be the residential area, where Zheng Fa lived in a small courtyard that was considered quite upscale for this location.
Half of the buildings in this residential area were single-story houses where you could see from the front door to the back door in one glance.
The spaces between the houses were narrow, and the architectural styles varied, making the entire area feel crowded and chaotic.
To the east of the valley entrance was likely the market, with six rows of similar-looking small houses neatly arranged.
The sounds of vendors calling out, conversations, and bargaining echoed from the market.
Zheng Fa found it somewhat familiar, in a way that felt warm—this place didn’t seem much like an immortal sect; instead, it was filled with the hustle and bustle of the mortal world.
What puzzled him was why all these buildings were crammed at the valley entrance—looking into the valley from the entrance, the density of buildings decreased significantly, and it appeared much more spacious and sparsely populated.
Seemingly noticing his confusion, Han Qi chuckled, “You probably don’t know, but we outer disciples, along with our mundane relatives, can only live at this valley entrance. Most of the houses here are even self-built.”
Zheng Fa understood—oh, it’s like a village within a city.
“Only inner disciples who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage can live in the valley. Look…” He pointed to a cluster of small courtyards closest to the valley entrance. “Those are the residences of inner disciples.”
… Upscale community.
“As for the true disciples in the Golden Core stage or elders, like Sister Zhang, they can live at the foot of the mountain.”
… Villa area.
“And those in the Nascent Soul stage can live on the mountain.”
… Mountain-top garden.
“But what’s the point of this division?” Zheng Fa still couldn’t quite grasp it; aside from appearances, he didn’t see much difference.
“Spiritual veins,” Han Qi’s tone turned cold. “In our Jiu Shan Sect’s grand formation, the closer you are to the center, the richer the spiritual energy. We lower disciples don’t even have the right to breathe in more spiritual energy.”
“…” Zheng Fa truly understood why Sister Zhang said the lower disciples were filled with resentment.
……
Seemingly aware that his earlier comments had been a bit too blunt, Han Qi didn’t say much more and led Zheng Fa deeper into the valley. “Today, we’ll first go to the Administrative Hall to register your nameplate, then we’ll head to the Scripture Pavilion to choose your cultivation method.”
“Understood.”
Zheng Fa felt a wave of gratitude, mainly towards Sister Zhang—having a senior brother to guide him was indeed quite convenient.
As they passed through the valley entrance, Zheng Fa noticed some differences.
Behind the entrance stood about ten small buildings, some of which had signs hanging, clearly indicating they were shops.
Compared to the small houses in the market, these buildings were superior in both scale and location.
“Senior brother? What’s that?”
“That’s the Wanfu Pavilion, run by our Jiu Shan Sect, specializing in selling talismans. That’s the Jiu Zhuan Pavilion, run by the Qingmu Sect, selling elixirs, and that’s the Baibao Building, from the Chongyue Sect, specializing in magical artifacts…”
With Han Qi’s explanations, Zheng Fa began to understand—those in the market were likely individual vendors, while these ten or so small buildings were well-known chains from the Hundred Immortals Alliance, each representing a sect, with high-end products inside.
What puzzled Zheng Fa was that it seemed quite deserted here.
“Han senior brother, since the goods here are good, why isn’t there much business?”
Han Qi glanced at him and smiled, “You know about the decline of spiritual energy, right?”
“I do.”
“For the past ten thousand years, the prices of spiritual ink, spiritual valleys, spiritual artifacts, and talismans have all risen… Anything infused with spiritual energy is getting more and more expensive.”
“So people can’t afford it anymore?” Zheng Fa understood.
“However, there’s one thing that has dropped in price…”
Han Qi pointed to a shop in the far corner of the square, where business was the best among the ten or so shops, with people coming in and out frequently.
“People.”
“Ah?”
“That’s the Xunfang Pavilion, run by the Sunu Sect… Hmm, I’ve heard that the appearance and skills of the fairies inside have improved quite a bit recently.”
“…”
“Not to mention, I heard that ten thousand years ago, new disciples could receive spiritual stones for joining… Now, the Administrative Hall only pays in gold.”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa gained a deeper understanding of the current state of the immortal sect—prices have risen while wages have fallen; in two words, it’s a disaster.
……
The Administrative Hall was located at the foot of the mountain, close to the valley entrance.
It was a large hall with two side halls.
“The Uncle Fang in charge of the nameplates is quite proud and has some background; he usually doesn’t pay much attention to people—don’t be reckless, just follow my lead,” Han Qi advised.
Zheng Fa knew he meant well and nodded lightly.
Han Qi led Zheng Fa into the right side hall, where a middle-aged man with three strands of long beard sat on a mat, legs crossed, eyes closed, seemingly meditating and clearly slacking off.
Han Qi, however, took a very humble stance—he didn’t call out to the man but instead pulled Zheng Fa to stand quietly in the hall.
It wasn’t until nearly half an hour later that the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes. Upon seeing the two, he didn’t seem surprised but coldly asked, “New disciple?”
“Yes, please help this junior brother register his nameplate, Uncle Fang.”
“What’s his name?” The middle-aged man glanced at Zheng Fa, asking casually.
“Zheng Fa.”
“… Zheng Fa?” The middle-aged man paused, his legs springing off the mat as he jumped to the ground. “The Zheng Fa brought back by Sister Zhang?”
“… Yes.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to neglect you!” The middle-aged man clapped Zheng Fa on the shoulder, looking very enthusiastic. “Sister Zhang already informed me; I’ve been waiting for you… Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
Zheng Fa slowly turned to look at Han Qi beside him.
The middle-aged man followed his gaze to Han Qi.
Han Qi opened his mouth, finally managing to squeeze out a sentence from his throat: “... It’s my fault!”
……
“Zheng junior brother, Sister Zhang told me that as a new outer disciple, your monthly allowance for the first ten years is one spiritual stone—this cannot be changed.”
“Ten years?”
“After ten years, if you can’t establish your foundation and become an inner disciple, then you won’t receive any spiritual stones…” The middle-aged man paused before adding, “With Sister Zhang’s regard for you, that shouldn’t happen.”
Han Qi’s expression darkened at this.
“However, Sister Zhang mentioned that you have exceptional talent in talisman crafting, so I’ll additionally allocate you a hundred sheets of talisman paper and two portions of spiritual ink each month—this is also time-limited, and it will end after six months.”
I’m the best in a thousand years!
I came here for a scholarship!
Is that all?
Zheng Fa glanced at Han Qi beside him, whose face clearly read: That’s a lot of money!
**Chapter 89: Choosing Techniques**
Zheng Fa received his nameplate and followed Han Qi out of the Administrative Hall, heading towards the Scripture Pavilion.
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