Chapter 23: The "First True Person Law" Must Be Memorized! |
Yulou had not expected that Wang Xianmao, with the dignified status of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would go to such lengths.
He checked the rooms one by one, conversing with the rogue cultivators to gauge their experiences after moving in, trying to find room for optimization and improvement.
This was absolutely not something a Foundation Establishment cultivator should be doing. Even for a Qi Refining cultivator, it would seem absurd.
If the previous Wang Xianmao had struck Yulou as a reliable, approachable, and profoundly kind elder...
Then, at this moment, Yulou saw his true brilliance and formidable nature.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator lowering himself to converse with impoverished rogue cultivators wasn't terrifying. What was terrifying was the operational logic Wang Xianmao revealed behind the behavior.
To do a job well, he was willing to go to such extremes.
A person like this could achieve monumental success even in the mortal world, let alone the cultivation world!
"How are you two doing today?"
The wooden building's corridor was narrow, so Yulou angled his body slightly to leave space for the Patriarch.
"Master had his daughter pass a message through us. He wishes to accompany you to pay his respects to Danri True Person, and says he will offer a generous reward."
"What do you think?"
"He's not a simple character."
Yu'an still had no idea what was going on.
Hongmei's probing, the Wang Clan's response, Yulou's worries—he was oblivious to all of it.
"Indeed, which is exactly why we must take him along."
Heading downstairs, Wang Xianmao waved his hand. Seeing this, Tang Nianqiu hurriedly trotted over for instructions.
"Make the following adjustments to Fortune Source Residence. Note them down.
"They all understand the pricing, but the key is to make water usage more convenient. Also, set up a place for them to store their luggage.
"These rogue cultivators trust our Wang Clan and will store their belongings with us. If they survive to retrieve them, we can collect a storage fee.
"If they don't return, after a certain number of years, those items will belong to us.
"Although it might not amount to many spirit stones, it's still a source of income."
"Nianqiu understands!"
Tang Nianqiu replied respectfully.
"Mm."
Wang Xianmao nodded and left the backyard, with Yulou hurriedly following.
Seeing Bailu walking in with a tray, Yu'an still wanted to eat first. This made Bailu anxious; she shoved the tray into the small of his back, signaling him to quickly follow his older brother.
After the bewildered Yu'an left, Tang Nianqiu placed his hands behind his back and asked expressionlessly,
"You get along well with them?"
Not understanding Tang Nianqiu's tone, Bailu subconsciously replied,
"No! Not at all! Young Master Yulou and Young Master Yu'an only treat me as a worker. They are both noble sons of the Wang Clan; naturally, I just do whatever they order me to do."
"Mm. Pay attention to your words and actions in the future. Don't act out of turn like you just did, understand?"
"Yes, Manager. Bailu knows her mistake!"
——
Back in his room, Wang Xianmao sat in a chair and began educating the two boys.
"Hongmei is not simple, but our Wang Clan is similarly not simple.
"Danri True Person is your Ancestor Jingyi's martial uncle. Both she and Ancestor Jingyi's master, Xuanzhuan True Person, study under the tutelage of Mangxiang True Person.
"Regardless of what Hongmei's purpose is in meeting Danri True Person, we have nothing to worry about."
True Person, True Person, True Person... Yu'an felt a little dizzy just listening to it.
"Patriarch, Danri is only at the Purple Palace cultivation base, so why do you all call her Danri True Person? Also, Xuanzhuan True Person is also at the Purple Palace cultivation base, isn't he?"
The Patriarch smiled, shook his head, and pointed at Yu'an.
"Silly child, how many Golden Core True Persons are there? Which Purple Palace cultivator doesn't want to attain Golden Core?
"When there are no Golden Cores present, we address Purple Palace Grand Cultivators as True Persons. This is our respect for our seniors!"
At that moment, a gray sound-transmission talisman flew over. As it reached the window of Wang Xianmao's room, it was blocked by a raised formation array.
Wang Xianmao raised his hand and caught the talisman. With a sweep of his divine sense, he burned it to ashes.
Did something happen again?
"Let me test you again. If you meet a Golden Core True Person, how should you address them?"
Faced with the Patriarch's question, Yulou shook his head, and Yu'an knew even less.
"You call them Immortal Venerable, hahaha! When you meet a Purple Palace cultivator, you call them True Person, and when you encounter a Golden Core True Person, you must call them Immortal Venerable.
"I call this the 'First True Person Law.' You must memorize it firmly and never make a foolish mistake in the future."
Good heavens, the First True Person Law.
Yulou had learned something new again.
Cultivation, cultivation... there were details everywhere!
"Alright, come with me to a banquet. Jingyi's martial junior, Guo Baichi, also accompanied Danri True Person this time. I'll take you to broaden your horizons."
Wang Jingyi, the Wang Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor who ranked as a Core Disciple within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Yulou hadn't expected this. Initially, he just wanted to pass on a message and grab a free meal along the way—and it would have been fine if he didn't get one.
But suddenly going to meet the disciple of a Purple Palace cultivator was a bit too dramatic.
——
At the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor, Wang Xianmao led the two brothers into the banquet hall.
The former number one figure of Clear Stream Market, Jiang Baobian, sat in the first seat on the left.
Seated at the head was Danri True Person's disciple, Guo Baichi.
The first seat on the right was occupied by Daoist Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave.
The second elder of the Gu Clan had grabbed a seat near the back, keeping a low profile and acting meek.
"Fellow Daoist Baichi, we meet again."
Everyone present was from a prominent sect or powerful clan, but Wang Xianmao wasn't timid in the slightest. He leisurely greeted Guo Baichi at the head of the room.
The Wang Clan had been a vassal of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for many years. They were essentially on the same side, roughly equivalent to the relationship between a head office executive and a branch manager.
"Brother Xianmao, take a seat. Tonight is just a casual exchange." From the head seat, Guo Baichi raised a hand to invite Wang Xianmao to sit, his words and actions quite polite.
Guo Baichi was different from Jiang Baobian; he didn't come with an innate blur or an invisibility cloak. Yulou quietly shot a glance at him and discovered that this Purple Palace disciple actually had three eyes.
When Yulou looked over, Guo Baichi's normal two eyes were looking toward the banquet, but the third eye on his forehead nimbly turned toward Yulou, scaring him into quickly lowering his head.
Guo Baichi obviously wouldn't mind the gaze of a Qi Induction realm junior. He simply focused on chatting with the Foundation Establishment cultivators at the banquet.
Sitting behind the Patriarch, Yulou fell deep into thought.
Wang Xianmao, who was entirely green and practically resembled a zombie.
Jiang Baobian, who possessed a natural blur and invisibility.
Guo Baichi, with a third eye growing out of his forehead.
These three Foundation Establishment cultivators were clearly different from Daoist Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave and the second elder of the Gu Clan. Each one looked less human than the last.
In Yulou's mind, the likes of Jiang Baobian and Wang Xianmao should be more powerful.
After all, Jiang Baobian was a disciple of a Purple Mansion family, possessing an innate divine ability of static concealment.
The Patriarch was their own family's ancestor and could interact with Guo Baichi as an equal, so naturally, his strength had to be estimated highly.
"Alright, almost everyone is here. Let's discuss business first."
Seeing that everyone who received a sound-transmission talisman had arrived, Guo Baichi prepared to get to the main event of the evening.
The moment he spoke, the hall instantly fell silent.
Only the two attendants adding temporary seats for Yulou and Yu'an were still moving.
Indeed, among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators present tonight, only Wang Xianmao had brought his family juniors to broaden their horizons.
This was also why Yulou believed his Patriarch possessed extraordinary strength.
"The Merit Hall of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect has been setting up in sect markets for a few years now, and you all know the reason.
"It is simply because Martial Ancestor Mangxiang wishes to attain Golden Core, and he is still lacking a great deal of resources.
"Everyone here is an old affiliate of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. You are all clear on how the sect treats you.
"This time, my master personally brought the Merit Hall to Clear Stream. There is a change behind this—the items available for exchange in the Merit Hall this time will be better than ever before!
"The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's unique Candlefire Spirit-Nourishing Pills and Golden Basin Mending Pills will both be available. Wondrous medicines that aid in Foundation Establishment will be completely unrestricted, including—"
The crowd no longer cared about what Guo Baichi said next.
The Candlefire Spirit-Nourishing Pill was the best supplementary spiritual pill in the Wunan Basin for breaking through to the Purple Palace realm. It was a secret inheritance of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, a priceless treasure that couldn't be bought even if one had the money.
The Golden Basin Mending Pill was an essential, foundation-mending treasure for single spirit root cultivators breaking through to the Purple Palace realm. With four Golden Basin Mending Pills, a Foundation Establishment complete cultivator with a single spirit root could skip the lengthy process of mending their Dao foundation and directly begin their breakthrough to the Purple Palace. It was also a priceless treasure.
"Fellow Daoist Baichi, the Candlefire Spirit-Nourishing Pills and Golden Basin Mending Pills are exorbitantly expensive. I'm afraid we cannot afford them,"
Daoist Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave sighed.
Having finished introducing the changes to the Merit Hall this time, Guo Baichi took a sip of spirit wine. Smiling, he set down his cup and said,
"No matter. Martial Ancestor Mangxiang attaining Golden Core is the most important matter for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect in the next hundred years.
"None of you are outsiders. You can use your clan or sect's future profits as collateral to exchange for merit points.
"This way, even if you can't afford them right now, you can still use these precious pills first and slowly pay off the debt later."
Yulou's grip on his chopsticks tightened slightly.
Having a person from a mega-merchant family as the sect master.
Deploying a cultivation-world scheme to fleece the masses down to a Qi Refining market they would normally ignore.
And now, they were laying claim to the future profits of vassal sects and clans, using loans to harvest them ahead of time.
The Red Lantern Illumination Sect... the Ten Sects were truly extraordinary.
He finally understood why the rogue cultivators in the ghost market were so desperate to buy Water Jade!
But meeting the disciple of a Purple Palace cultivator so suddenly was a bit too dramatic. Inside the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor, Wang Xianmao led the two brothers into the banquet hall.
Jiang Baobian, the former head of Clear Stream Market, occupied the first seat on the left. Sitting in the seat of honor was True Person Danri's disciple, Guo Baichi.
The first seat on the right was occupied by Daoist Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave. The Second Elder of the Gu Clan had taken a seat further back, keeping a low profile and playing the part of a meek subordinate.
"Fellow Daoist Baichi, we meet again."
Everyone seated was from a prominent family or major sect, but Wang Xianmao wasn't intimidated. He casually greeted Guo Baichi at the head of the table. The Wang Clan had been a vassal of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for many years.
Essentially, they were all on the same side; it was roughly equivalent to the relationship between an executive at headquarters and a branch manager.
"Brother Xianmao, please take a seat. Tonight is just a casual gathering," Guo Baichi said from the head seat, raising a hand to invite him to sit.
His words and actions were remarkably polite. Unlike Jiang Baobian, Guo Baichi didn't come with his own natural blurring effect or invisibility cloak.
Yulou stole a glance and discovered that this Purple Mansion disciple actually had three eyes. When Yulou looked over, Guo Baichi's normal eyes were focused on the guests, but the third eye on his forehead nimbly darted toward Yulou. Startled, the boy hurriedly lowered his head.
Guo Baichi obviously wouldn't mind the gaze of a junior in the Qi Drawing realm, and simply focused on chatting with the Foundation Establishment cultivators at the banquet. Sitting behind the Patriarch, Yulou fell deep into thought.
Wang Xianmao, whose skin was entirely green, looked almost like a zombie. Jiang Baobian came with his own natural blur and invisibility cloak. And Guo Baichi had a third eye growing on his forehead. These three Foundation Establishment cultivators were clearly different from Daoist Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave and the Second Elder of the Gu Clan.
Each one looked less human than the last. In Yulou's mind, cultivators like Jiang Baobian and Wang Xianmao were likely the more formidable ones.
After all, Jiang Baobian was a child of a Purple Mansion family and possessed a divine ability that naturally concealed his form when still. The Patriarch was their own family's ancestor and could interact with Guo Baichi as a peer, so his strength was naturally estimated to be high.
"Alright, everyone is just about here. Let's discuss official business first."
Seeing that everyone who had received a sound-transmitting talisman had arrived, Guo Baichi prepared to start the main event of the evening. The moment he spoke, the room instantly fell silent.
Only the two attendants setting up temporary seats for Yulou and Yu'an were still moving. Indeed, among the Foundation Establishment cultivators present tonight, only Wang Xianmao had brought his family's younger generation along to broaden their horizons.
This was also why Yulou believed his Patriarch's strength was extraordinary. The establishment of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Merit Hall in the local markets had been ongoing for a few years now, and everyone knew the reason: Ancestor Mangxiang was preparing for attaining Golden Core, and still lacked many resources.
"Everyone here is a veteran of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect," Guo Baichi began. "You all know perfectly well how the sect treats you. This time, my master personally brought the Merit Hall to Clear Stream, and there is a change—the items available for exchange in the Merit Hall this time will be even better than before!
"The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's unique Candlelight Spirit-Nourishing Pill and Golden Basin Mending Pill will both be available. The miraculous medicines that assist in Foundation Establishment will also be fully released, including..."
The people in the room no longer cared about what Guo Baichi said next. The Candlelight Spirit-Nourishing Pill was the best auxiliary spiritual pill for opening a Purple Palace in the Wunan Basin, a secret transmission of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, and an incredible treasure that had a price but no market. The Golden Basin Mending Pill was an essential supreme treasure for cultivators with a single spirit root to mend their foundations when opening a Purple Palace. By swallowing four Golden Basin Mending Pills, a Foundation Establishment complete cultivator with a single spirit root could skip the lengthy process of mending their Dao foundation and directly start attempting to break through to the Purple Palace. It was yet another incredible treasure with a price but no market.
"Fellow Daoist Baichi, the Candlelight Spirit-Nourishing Pill and the Golden Basin Mending Pill are exorbitantly priced. I'm afraid we won't be able to afford them," Daoist Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave sighed.
Having finished introducing the changes to the Merit Hall, Guo Baichi took a sip of spirit wine, smiled, put down his cup, and said, "It does not matter. Ancestor Mangxiang attaining Golden Core is the most important event for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect in the next century.
"You are not outsiders. You may use your family's or sect's future profits as collateral to exchange for merit points. This way, even if you cannot afford it right now, you can use these precious pills first and slowly repay the debt later."
Yulou's grip on his chopsticks tightened slightly.
Taking someone from a massive merchant family as sect master. Deploying a Xianxia-style crop harvester into Qi Refining markets that they previously wouldn't even pay attention to. And now, starting to pre-order the future profits of vassal sects and families, using loans to harvest future crops. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect... the Red Lantern Illumination Sect...
The Ten Sects were truly extraordinary. He now understood why those rogue cultivators in the ghost market wanted to buy Water Jade so badly!
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