Chapter 76: You Won't Even Give Me Six Hundred Spirit Stones! |
Clear Stream Market, Prefecture Cultivator's Manor.
Zhou Yingxi was probably the last person to know that her position as a referee had been taken over by her own father.
To Yulou, a penny saved was a penny earned. Early Qi Condensation Zhou Yingxi wanted six hundred spirit stones, but Mu Chunze, an accomplished Foundation Establishment cultivator, was appearing for free.
Was there even a need to choose?
The cute girl cost six hundred, while the seasoned old man was free. Choose the old man!
Anyone who hesitated might as well give up on cultivating immortality—their Dao heart wasn't firm enough.
"Xi'er, your father didn't want to go either, but that old thief Wang Xianmao is incredibly crafty. He forced my hand; I had no way to refuse."
Seeing his daughter's displeased expression, Mu Chunze spoke cautiously.
This was what it meant to be a live-in son-in-law.
Compared to Zhou Yingxi, Mu Chunze's status within the Zhou Family was similar to that of a long-term hired hand—even lower than Tie Qinhuo's status in the Wang Clan.
"If Father goes, I naturally have no objections. But why on earth is the Wang Clan not giving you a single spirit stone?"
Zhou Yingxi was too embarrassed to mention that Wang Yulou had played her for a fool, so she came up with an excuse to brush off her nominal father.
She was a noble daughter of the Zhou Family. Calling Mu Chunze 'father' was her showing proper etiquette, but to say she highly respected this live-in son-in-law of a father was completely out of the question.
Wang Xianzhou looked down on him, and Zhou Yingxi looked down on him too!
"Well, as the Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market, keeping this region safe and ensuring its prosperity is also my responsibility. Spirit stones or no spirit stones, none of that matters. It really doesn't matter."
Spouting watered-down nonsense, Mu Chunze put on a sanctimonious front. Zhou Yingxi didn't say a word and got up to leave.
After his daughter left, the smile on Mu Chunze's face slowly vanished. He let out a long sigh and continued cultivating.
What else could he do?
A live-in son-in-law. This was what it meant to be a live-in son-in-law.
All choices came with a price.
Since he wanted the Zhou Family's protection, he had to bear their cold stares.
He naturally knew Zhou Yingxi's attitude toward him. Even as he watched his daughter look down on him more and more, Mu Chunze didn't feel a single trace of regret.
Not a single trace!
If he had to be a turtle grandson, then a turtle grandson he would be. It was worth it!
However, whenever he thought of how his daughter used to cling to his pant legs and call him 'Daddy' when she was little, Mu Chunze still felt a pang of melancholy.
—
At Forge Peak Residence, Cuiguo found Yulou, who was currently reading How to Deal with Sword Cultivators: Eighteen Methods to Counter Flying Swords.
Sword cultivators generally possessed top-tier magical combat skills and excelled at using various flying swords.
As for flying swords, ranging from magical artifacts to magic treasures, many Master Artificers thoroughly researched them.
Therefore, knowing how to deal with sword cultivators was a discipline every immortal cultivator had to master.
"Wang Yulou, the Young Miss is calling you over."
When it came to Yu'an, Cuiguo struck out with heavy punches. But when it came to Yulou, she was timid and submissive.
"Where?"
Yulou stood up. He still had to give Zhou Yingxi face; she was the unquestionable core disciple of the Purple Palace immortal clan, the Zhou Family, and they were the same age.
To make her cultivation more convenient, Mu Chunze had been directly assigned to Clear Stream Market as the Town Guardian Cultivator. The majority of the spiritual essence of the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme was used by Zhou Yingxi.
This female cultivator's cultivation wasn't really cultivation; it was burning spirit stones.
Even if such a person couldn't become a Dao Companion, getting along well meant securing a future connection.
"Flavorful Bistro. The Young Miss seems a bit angry, so you'd better be careful."
Along the way, Cuiguo chattered on, giving him warnings.
Heading upstairs, Yulou found Zhou Yingxi sitting by the window, staring blankly at the street outside.
Through the side of her veil, he could see Zhou Yingxi's perfect profile. Below her beautiful peach-blossom eyes was an exquisite, jade-like nose, and her somewhat thin lips were pressed firmly together.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi?"
Yulou sat opposite her and asked.
"Should we order some food? They have Water-Yuan Spirit Ducks today. We can have the kitchen make the Wang Clan's Secret Recipe Roast Duck."
The Wang Clan's Secret Recipe Roast Duck was another new dish Yulou had come up with, though it wasn't very well known. After all, few cultivators could afford ninth-grade ducks.
Retracting her gaze from outside, Zhou Yingxi looked at Wang Yulou, her eyes filled with resentment.
"You won't even give me six hundred spirit stones. Wang Yulou, isn't this a bit too much?"
However, to Zhou Yingxi's surprise, Wang Yulou suddenly laughed.
It was the kind of laugh he couldn't hold back, which made Zhou Yingxi even more furious.
Yulou also felt helpless.
It was just that Fellow Daoist Yingxi was too funny; Yulou simply couldn't suppress the amusement welling up inside him.
Fellow Daoist Yingxi was wearing a red magical robe today. With a red ribbon in her hair, she wore a beautiful flying-loop hairstyle—making it look as though she were wearing a red hat.
Coupled with her line, 'You won't even give me six hundred spirit stones,' it was truly too much to handle.
"Here's the thing, Fellow Daoist Yingxi. The procedures and scale of the Talisman Master Competition have indeed undergone some minor changes.
My clan's ancestor and Senior Chunze will be serving as referees. It's no longer appropriate for you to be a referee, so..."
Without waiting for Wang Yulou to finish, Zhou Yingxi decisively launched into a tirade.
"Then you should have notified me! You didn't even mention it to me. I only found out when my father told me.
Oh~ So I was fired by you!
Wang Yulou, your Wang Clan has done a great job keeping secrets. A very, very great job.
Everyone else knew I was fired, and I, Zhou Yingxi, was the last to know.
If my father hadn't mentioned it to me, was I supposed to foolishly show up on the day of the competition and make a fool of myself?"
Fellow Daoist Yingxi was still very cultured. She was clearly angry, clearly furious, and clearly venting her emotions, but there was no insult in her words.
In this regard, she truly deserved the title of a little fairy—the positive kind.
"Hahaha, it's like this. I've been quite busy lately. Even if you hadn't come, I would have chosen a day to visit and inform you of the changes. Moreover—"
Zhou Yingxi interrupted Wang Yulou's explanation once again.
"Fine, you've informed me. Then our discussion ends here. If it isn't necessary in the future, we don't need to be friends anymore.
Your Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom is proud and unwilling to suck up to your superiors—though I don't consider myself a superior either. But I understand your pride.
Patriarch Mangxiang is going to attain Golden Core. Naturally, the chickens and dogs he raises are different from before. Let's just leave it at that!"
Fellow Daoist Yingxi raised her chin, extremely satisfied with her own aggressiveness.
She hadn't cursed him by name, but she had achieved great success in her passive-aggressive mockery.
The chickens and dogs Mangxiang raised were naturally different from before—I, Zhou Yingxi, am truly amazing.
"The Yang Clan is cooperating with us and has invested thirty thousand spirit stones in preparation funds for the Talisman Master Competition.
Many of the plans I initially set have been modified. It's indeed inappropriate for Fellow Daoist Yingxi to continue as a referee.
However, I also fought for this with the Patriarch. Fellow Daoist Yingxi excels in the Dao of Music, so you could perform as a warm-up act before the competition begins.
You are, after all, a noble daughter of the Zhou Family. For this performance, we are willing to pay a thousand spirit stones as remuneration. What do you think?"
Remaining unfazed by favor or humiliation was basic. Wang Yulou wouldn't slap someone's face, nor would he actively offend descendants of major clans like Zhou Yingxi. Therefore, he had prepared a new position for her.
Wang Yulou understood clearly that what this girl lacked wasn't spirit stones, but the experience of participating in novel things.
Having grown up in the clan and a grotto-heaven since childhood, and then coming to cultivate in a backwater like Clear Stream Market, Zhou Yingxi was already so bored that she treated watching the crowds on the street as sight-seeing. What else could he expect from her?
"Ah, this?" After venting her frustration so satisfyingly, Zhou Yingxi realized things weren't as she had thought.
Since the Wang Clan and the Yang Clan had already invested thirty thousand spirit stones into the competition, it was naturally impossible for them to let an early Qi Condensation cultivator like herself serve as a referee.
And Wang Yulou had also given her another task as compensation, with clearly higher pay.
With Wang Yulou being so straightforward, it made her recent behavior seem somewhat unreasonable and clownish.
At this moment, Old Tang attentively came upstairs carrying a teapot. Seeing that neither of the two at the table was speaking and the atmosphere seemed slightly awkward, he silently poured two cups of tea and quickly slipped back downstairs.
Zhou Yingxi lowered her head and saw a person reflected on the surface of the tea.
Who was this person?
Oh, it was her clownish self.
Putting herself in his shoes, Wang Yulou was indeed a true friend. What about herself?
Withdrawing her gaze from the window, Zhou Yingxi looked at Wang Yulou, her eyes filled with a touch of resentment.
"You aren't even willing to give me six hundred spirit stones. Wang Yulou, isn't that a bit too much?"
However, to Zhou Yingxi's surprise, Wang Yulou suddenly burst out laughing.
It was the kind of genuine, irrepressible laughter that made Zhou Yingxi fume with anger.
Yulou, however, was truly helpless.
It was simply because Fellow Daoist Yingxi looked too comical, and Yulou hadn't been able to suppress the laughter welling up inside him.
Fellow Daoist Yingxi was wearing a red magical robe today, with a red silk ribbon tied in her hair, styling it into a beautiful flying-ring bun—making it look as if she were wearing a little red hat.
Paired with her aggrieved line, 'You aren't even willing to give me six hundred spirit stones,' it was truly hard to keep a straight face.
"Here's the thing, Fellow Daoist Yingxi. The process and scale of the Talisman Master Competition did undergo some minor changes.
My clan's ancestor and Senior Chunze will be serving as referees. It's no longer appropriate for you to be a referee, so—"
Without waiting for him to finish, Zhou Yingxi launched into a passionate tirade.
"Then you could have at least notified me! You didn't even mention it; I only found out when my father told me.
Oh! So it turns out I was fired!
Wang Yulou, your Wang Clan does a great job keeping secrets—a truly spectacular job.
Everyone else knew I was fired, but I, Zhou Yingxi, had to be the last to know.
If my father hadn't mentioned it, would I have just foolishly shown up on the day of the competition to be a laughingstock?"
Fellow Daoist Yingxi still possessed an excellent upbringing. She was clearly angry, furious even, and loudly venting her emotions, yet she didn't throw out a single insult.
In this regard, she truly deserved the title of a little fairy—in the most positive sense of the word.
"Hahaha, it's like this: I've been quite busy lately. Even if you hadn't come today, I would have picked a day to visit and inform you of the changes.
Additionally—"
Zhou Yingxi once again interrupted Wang Yulou's spellcasting.
"Fine, you've finished informing me. Let's end the conversation here. In the future, unless absolutely necessary, there's no need for us to be friends anymore.
Your Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom is proud, unwilling to pander to your superiors—and although I never considered myself a superior, I understand your pride.
Patriarch Mangxiang is going to attain Golden Core, so naturally, even his chickens and dogs are elevated to a new status. Let's just leave it at that!"
Fellow Daoist Yingxi raised her chin slightly, highly satisfied with her own aggressiveness.
She hadn't cursed anyone by name, yet she had achieved massive success in the art of sarcastic mockery.
'Of course the chickens and dogs raised by Mangxiang are different from before—I, Zhou Yingxi, am truly amazing.'
"The Yang Clan has partnered with us and invested thirty thousand spirit stones as preparatory funds for the Talisman Master Competition.
Many of the plans I initially set were modified. Fellow Daoist Yingxi, you are indeed no longer suited to be a referee.
However, I also fought for you with the Patriarch. Fellow Daoist Yingxi is skilled in the Dao of Music, so when the time comes, you can put on a warm-up performance before the competition begins.
You are, after all, a noble daughter of the Zhou Family. For this performance, we are willing to pay one thousand spirit stones in remuneration. What do you think?"
Remaining unfazed by favor or disgrace was his absolute baseline. Wang Yulou wasn't one to slap someone's face, nor would he proactively offend a scion of a major family like Zhou Yingxi. Therefore, he had prepared a new position for her.
Wang Yulou saw things clearly: what this girl lacked wasn't spirit stones, but the thrill of participating in something novel.
Having grown up within her clan and a grotto-heaven since childhood, and then coming to cultivate in a remote backwater like Clear Stream Market, Zhou Yingxi was already so bored that she treated watching the flow of people on the street as a scenic activity. What else could he expect from her?
"Ah, this?" After Zhou Yingxi finished her satisfying rant, she finally realized that things weren't as she had assumed.
The Wang Clan and the Yang Clan had already invested thirty thousand spirit stones into the competition. Naturally, it was impossible for them to let someone like herself, who was only in the early Qi Condensation stage, act as a referee.
Not to mention, Wang Yulou had even found her another task as compensation—with noticeably high pay.
With Wang Yulou being so straightforward and generous, her recent outburst seemed a bit unreasonable and clownish.
Just then, Old Tang attentively came upstairs carrying a teapot. Seeing that the two people at the table weren't speaking and the atmosphere felt somewhat awkward, he silently poured two cups of tea and quickly slipped back downstairs.
Zhou Yingxi lowered her head and saw a person reflected on the surface of the tea.
Who was this person?
Oh, it turned out to be her clownish self.
Putting herself in his shoes, Wang Yulou was indeed a true friend. But what about herself?
Comments 1