Chapter 99: Chapter 95: Watch Your Hides
During the entrance exam, anyone who fainted or wet their pants was deemed unqualified and sent to the Outer Sect Lower Courtyard.
They had to fight their way through brutal carnage just to return to the Outer Sect Upper Courtyard.
Not even one in ten made it back.
Most had their bones, sinews, and even their souls refined into the Demon Artifacts of their sect brothers.
Even their flesh and blood, the most useless parts of their bodies, became fertilizer for special Spirit Medicines.
Most of the people Gu Xiaofang had befriended back then had since perished.
If not for Du Youqian’s help back then, Gu Xiaofang was certain he would never have made it through.
That was why Gu Xiaofang had always been grateful to Du Youqian and was looking for a chance to repay him.
Unfortunately, when Du Youqian fell into the hands of an Inner Disciple, there was nothing he could do.
"How are you out today?" Gu Xiaofang glanced behind Du Youqian. "I heard that on the few occasions you came out before, you always had several experts at the Qi Cultivation Middle to Late Stage following you."
"Wait a second..." Gu Xiaofang sized up Du Youqian, his expression shifting from suspicion to shock, his tongue twisting in his mouth. "You... you... holy crap, Brother Fei, don’t tell me you’ve already reached the Qi Cultivation Late Stage?"
Du Youqian saw no reason to hide it. "Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer," he said with a smile.
Before Gu Xiaofang could get sidetracked, he asked, "What are you doing here? You look like you’re in a hurry."
Gu Xiaofang’s face immediately scrunched up in distress. "It’s not that I look like I’m in a hurry... I *am* in a hurry. You know I’m running errands for an Inner Disciple at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, the one who handles posting Sect tasks? I had a pouch of Jade Tokens with task details from other people that I was supposed to deliver. And I lost it!"
"That’s not such a big deal," Du Youqian said comfortingly. "It’s just a pouch of Jade Tokens. Even if they’re lost, you can just have the people who posted the tasks record them again."
Gu Xiaofang looked like he was about to cry but couldn’t even shed a tear. "Brother Fei, you really don’t get the plight of us Outer Disciples. Even though you were under house arrest by Senior Sister Xi, you were also under her protection. If something like this happened to you, she’d naturally step in. But me? I’m different! The Inner Disciple I work for won’t stick up for me."
"For him, it’s less trouble to just chop off my head than to apologize to everyone whose Jade Tokens I lost and ask them to record new ones."
"Sigh... Brother Fei, it’s a good thing you’re out today. If I can’t find those Jade Tokens, this will be the last time we ever see each other."
"If I die, I hope you’ll collect my body. I really don’t want to be refined into a Demon Artifact by one of our sect brothers."
Du Youqian offered some "comfort." "Don’t worry. If I’m not mistaken, you’re still in the Qi Cultivation Early Stage, right? No one would bother using your corpse for Artifact Refining. They’ll probably just send it to the Spirit Medicine fields to be used as compost."
Gu Xiaofang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Brother Fei, you sure have a way with words."
Du Youqian roared with laughter.
When he finished laughing, he said, "You lost them, so just find them again. Simple as that."
Gu Xiaofang rubbed his face in frustration. "You think I haven’t tried? I can’t find them! Someone must have picked them up. If you erase the information inside, you can still trade the blank Jade Tokens for a few Spirit Stones or Elixirs."
"Plus, there are people who specifically collect the task information from these Jade Tokens. I don’t know what they use it for, but someone’s willing to pay a high price for that kind of intel."
"Don’t worry," Du Youqian said. "In any case, I’ll find them for you."
With that, he glanced around, then leaped up and snapped a branch off a tree.
In a few quick motions, he stripped off all the twigs and leaves, leaving behind a bare, relatively straight stick.
"Brother Fei, what are you doing?" Gu Xiaofang asked, watching with a puzzled expression.
"Just watch." Du Youqian stood the stick on the ground, thin end up and thick end down. He muttered an incantation and then let go.
After the stick fell, he pointed in the direction its thin tip was facing and said with a smile, "Your pouch of Jade Tokens is that way."
Gu Xiaofang shook his head. "Stop messing with me, Brother Fei. I haven’t even been in that direction today. Hey, look, I’m really glad to see you, but I have to find that pouch of Jade Tokens, and fast."
"I told you, I’ll help you find them."
Gu Xiaofang, of course, didn’t believe him. "And if you don’t?"
Du Youqian shot him a glare. "Just come with me. I’m at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. Would I lie to you?"
Gu Xiaofang had no idea what being at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer had to do with whether or not someone would lie.
But for some reason, despite being normally shrewd and even a bit cunning, he just dazedly agreed and followed after Du Youqian.
Du Youqian picked up the stick, threw out his skateboard again, and sped forward.
Gu Xiaofang summoned his own Transportation Spiritual Artifact. It was a bit shabby, but he managed to keep up.
After traveling for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Gu Xiaofang suddenly let out a startled "Huh?"
Du Youqian stopped immediately, only to see Gu Xiaofang staring fixedly at two Qi Cultivation Disciples in Outer Sect robes under a locust tree by the side of the road.
Du Youqian smiled. "Found them?"
Gu Xiaofang snapped out of it and yelled excitedly, "Found them, I found them! Brother Fei, you’re my savior! Heh, these two broke-ass losers actually dared to steal from me! Watch me borrow your power to scare the living daylights out of them!"
’You’re going to borrow my power, but why announce it to me first? Do you need my permission?’ Du Youqian couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Still, those two Qi Cultivation Disciples both seemed to be at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. Gu Xiaofang was definitely no match for them. It was only natural that he’d want to borrow the prestige of a "Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer" cultivator.
The two Outer Disciples looked up, somewhat surprised to see Gu Xiaofang swaggering toward them.
As fellow Outer Disciples, while they might not know him inside and out, they at least had some idea of what Gu Xiaofang was like.
Normally, this Gu Xiaofang was furtive and pathetic. He’d always dodge trouble, preferring to swallow his pride rather than make enemies.
So why the sudden change in demeanor today?
Gu Xiaofang walked right up to them and held out his hand. "Hand it over!"
"Hand what over?" one of them played dumb.
Seeing a cultivator with an imposing aura like Du Youqian—clearly at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage—they didn’t want a direct confrontation.
But they were also unwilling to just hand the items back to the timid, cowardly Gu Xiaofang.
If they found the right buyer, these Jade Tokens could sell for over a hundred Spirit Stones!
Gu Xiaofang puffed out his chest, planted his hands on his hips, and put on an imperious air. "Stop playing dumb with me! You were just holding them a second ago. That pouch of Jade Tokens—give it back!"
The other man chuckled. "Gu Xiaofang, you’d better watch your mouth. If you ruin our reputation, can you afford to pay the price?"
Gu Xiaofang quickly glanced back at Du Youqian. Seeing him give a slight, smiling nod, his courage swelled once more. "I specifically brought my big brother here today. Open your dog eyes and take a good look—he’s at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage! If you don’t hand them over right now, I’ll have your hides!"
