Chapter 17: Asking For Money
"That is Shang Ziliang, the son of Peak Master Shang from the Cloud Horizon Peak," Xu Ziqing muttered to Chu Liang as soon as they left the Hall of Weapons. "Because his father is the peak master, he has always acted like he's remarkable. And so, I never liked him. Even so, he still keeps approaching me. I hate it."
I see.
The Peak Master of Cloudy Horizon Peak, Shang Shuwen, is a Confucian cultivator of Mount Shu. He was once a distinguished figure whose name was inscribed at the Noblemen's Hall in Jiangnan. He is famous in the martial world. His son, on the other hand, doesn't seem to live up to his reputation.
As Chu Liang was thinking about this, he saw a streak of firelight descending from the southeast like a shooting star, heading towards Silver Sword Peak.
Chu Liang's eyes immediately lit up.
"Junior Sister Ziqing, that must be my teacher. She's back. I have to go greet her, " said Chu Liang.
"Oh..." The young girl nodded, her gaze lingering as she watched Chu Liang's retreating figure.
Flying on his sword, Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak, and as expected, he saw his teacher in the peak master's pavilion. Dressed in a dark red robe accented with black trim, Di Nufeng sat there exuding an imposing aura. Her chest heaved with each breath, suggesting she was quite agitated.
She was so angry that the brilliance of the Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade was flashing.
"Esteemed Teacher," Chu Liang greeted while approaching Di Nufeng, "Now that you have returned, I'm here to welcome you back."
"Hmm, nothing much happened these past two days, right?" Di Nufeng asked.
"No, I completed another mission, and it went rather smoothly," Chu Liang replied and then asked, "And how was your journey?"
"Don't get me started," Di Nufeng grumbled, her eyebrows furrowing, "I was in the East Sea looking for any misbehaving monsters, and those people from Penglai Supreme Sect insisted on intervening, accusing me of harming the East Sea's ecosystem. They practically forced me to leave! If it weren't for my considerations for the entire Mount Shu Sect, I would've had to fight them."
Chu Liang fell silent for a moment.
His teacher's behavior turned out to be just as he had predicted.
While she casually mentioned she was looking for monsters, Chu Liang could imagine her actions were far from calm.
In times when monsters wreaked havoc, Di Nufeng could help eliminate the danger. But in the absence of such disturbances, Di Nufeng herself would become the danger.
It seemed that her actions had caused turmoil in the East Sea, catching the attention of the members of the Penglai Supreme Sect. As a result, the Penglai Supreme Sect intervened and stopped her.
Penglai Supreme Sect was one of the Divine Nine too and had their territory in the East Sea, so they obviously wouldn't tolerate her wrecking havoc in their territory.
Their behavior seemed justifiable and reasonable.
Even though this was what he thought, he still said, "The members of the Penglai Supreme Sect are so rude!"
Di Nufeng nodded angrily. "Yes!"
As she was talking about this, she thought something was amiss.
She raised her brow and glanced at Chu Liang, asking, "You, boy, aren't this well behaved normally. Did you greet me upon my return for a reason? Do you need something from me?"
"Isn't it my duty as your disciple to welcome you home?" Chu Liang said with a smile, "But... I do have some matters to discuss with you."
"Psh." Di Nufeng scoffed and said, "Tell me."
"During my last mission, I coincidentally worked with disciples from Jade Sword Peak. Among them, there's one who has achieved the Golden Core Realm and whose cultivation level far surpasses mine. He wields exceptionally powerful flying swords and divine techniques. However, this person isn't even a core member of Jade Sword Peak. I'm concerned about how we can compete with them at the upcoming Mount Shu Summit," Chu Liang explained.
"You still have time to grow stronger. You must believe in yourself," Di Nufeng said nonchalantly.
Chu Liang continued, "Therefore, I am asking how I can improve and become stronger. Aside from needing to cultivate diligently and increase my level of cultivation, I think I'm lacking in divine techniques as well. And so, I am asking if you can teach me some powerful divine techniques."
"Divine techniques?" Di Nufeng froze, then continued, "How would I have any to teach you?"
She was telling the truth.
Back then, the leader of the Mount Shu Sect didn't allow her to take in any disciples because she was not only stubborn and disobedient but also a physical cultivator.
Physical cultivation, in contrast to martial arts practice, was dedicated to enhancing the body's strength and resilience using specific principles and techniques. It didn't incorporate martial arts techniques but instead concentrated on developing a robust physical constitution.
Di Nufeng cultivated the body of a reigning fire phoenix, pursuing the path of physical cultivation. Her power was undoubtedly formidable.
But people who followed the path of physical cultivation were extremely rare. It required luck to achieve success in this path, and she wouldn't be able to teach her disciple any of her cultivation techniques.
But... There were two ways disciples could acquire divine techniques. Aside from inheriting from the teacher, they could get it from the Hall of Conservation. If Chu Liang wanted to learn divine techniques that his teacher had yet to master, he could just buy them from the Hall of Conservation.
And so, Chu Liang smiled and said, "Therefore, I would like to buy some from the Hall of Conservation."
Di Nufeng, sensing potential trouble, narrowed her eyes slightly and replied, "Buy them then."
"But I, your disciple, is... a little short on funds," Chu Liang said softly.
"Heh," Di Nufeng sneered and said, "Oh boy! I see you have resorted to desperate measures for money... You chattered about this and that for the sake of money?"
"It's all for your great cause," said Chu Liang in an earnest manner.
He was constantly practicing the art of communication.
"Hm..." Di Nufeng leaned her chin on her hand and her sleeve slipped down, revealing her fair wrist. She then said, "You need divine techniques and enchanted artifacts... I can help you think of ways to get them... but as for the money you are asking for, I really have none."
"Esteemed Teacher, don't you get a generous monthly stipend? And aren't there extra allowances for peak masters?
Actually, this was something he had been wondering for a long time. The Silver Sword Peak had always seemed poor. He had experienced it from a young age, so he hadn't thought much of it.
But as he grew older and saw the wealth of the other peaks, he obviously found it weird, especially considering that there was only one disciple in the Silver Sword Peak and there was no need for allocation of resources.
Even if his teacher could give him a little bit of allowance per month, he would have saved enough to buy a flying sword.
"Sigh." Di Nufeng sighed and said, "What can I do with that little bit of money... Not only am I broke now, but I also owe a lot of money."
"Why is that?" Chu Liang asked puzzledly.
Di Nufeng patted the wine gourd at her waist. "Do you think you can purchase the kind of wine that can make a cultivator of my level drunk for a cheap price? One gourd of this Drunken Immortal Brew costs five hundred sword coins."
"What?"
Chu Liang had seen Di Nufeng drinking this same liquor since he was young, but little did he know that it cost as much as a flying sword?
He was shocked.
This wasn't just excessive drinking; it was burning money.
"I have told you the truth. I have nothing but debts right now. Despite all my travels throughout the years, aside from this Phoenix Blood Jade, I have never owned a single enchanted artifact or weapon. I relied solely on my physical prowess." Di Nufeng shrugged, adopting an attitude that seemed impervious to adversity. "Even if you were really in a rush for money, I have nothing I can sell. If I really have to sell something, it would have to be my body."
Chu Liang raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Have you ever thought about doing that?"
"Get lost."
...
As Chu Liang was walking back to his wooden cabin, he felt really disheartened. His plan of begging for money was unsuccessful, and he had learned the dreadful news that Di Nufeng had no intention of quitting drinking for the next century.
It seemed that in the future, he would have to rely on himself.
He knew he would have to rely on his own strength to earn the money he needed, saving up to purchase the flying swords, enchanted artifacts, pills, dowry, and talismans that he desired.
Alternatively, he could choose not to make any purchases and simply wait for these items to materialize as part of his rewards for slaying monsters.
As he circled the hill, he saw an unexpected figure.
With thick eyebrows, big eyes, a splendid robe, and a radiant countenance, it was none other than Lin Bei, the disciple of the Jade Sword Peak.
Seeing Chu Liang, Lin Bei immediately greeted him with a gleeful laugh. "Hehehehe!"
Lin Bei exclaimed, "Brother Chu, my friend, you're finally back!"
"Brother Lin, why are you waiting for me here? Is there something you need?" Chu Liang asked.
"Of course," Lin Bei said with a bright grin, "I've stumbled upon a highly rewarding mission that requires two disciples in the Spiritual Awareness Realm with exceptional skills, quick wits, and dashing looks to collaborate. Of all the disciples in the Mount Shu Sect, it has to be us, right?"
Ignoring Lin Bei's praises, Chu Liang asked, "Where are we going?"
"The South Mountain Academy near Yanjiao City."
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