Chapter 86: 86. Pay attention to your tone of voice.
Ancestor of Ten Thousand Immortals?
Fang Zhou shook his head and set down the Sect Leader Seal.
Although he didn’t know the origins of this so-called Kunlun Ruins Hidden Sect, Fang Zhou could guess that the first Sect Leader of this Hidden Sect definitely disliked eating celery.
Such grandiosity, enough to make one dizzy, daring to claim to be the ancestor of ten thousand immortals? So incredible, why not ascend to heaven then?
Well, now that I’ve gotten the Sect Leader Seal, doesn’t that make me the Sect Master of this Hidden Sect?
Talking about predecessors , what if they could actually hear me?
Fang Zhou thought for a moment, lifted the Sect Leader Seal with both hands, and respectfully said, “Ancestor of Ten Thousand Immortals, truly a lofty aspiration rarely seen, admirable admiration.”
After saying that, Fang Zhou collected the three items back into the Sword Box. Though he forcibly learned the Sword Control Technique’s mantra with the help of Wise Time, this kind of cheating won’t last long.
Now, unable to comprehend the entire Heaven and Earth Qiankun Technique and Sword Control Technique, Fang Zhou could only wait to study and practice them slowly in the future.
Of course, even if he can’t understand them later, it’s no big deal; he could just rely on the Wise Time once a month to forcefully practice.
After tidying up, Fang Zhou opened his Personal Attributes and found that the entire Wise Time skill had dimmed, now in cooldown, temporarily unusable.
Such matters, if too frequent, can harm the body, if too rare, can cause frustration; so once a month is just right, can’t be forced.
Having entered the entry-level of Sword Control, he has already risen above the level of the weak, and now being the Sect Master of Kunlun Ruins Hidden Sect, Fang Zhou felt his whole demeanor was different.
A slight noise came from outside. Fang Zhou looked up and saw Ling Xiaoyue with her hands clasped behind her back, slowly stepping inside.
Fang Zhou picked up a flint and lit a candle, asking her, “How was your haul today?”
Ling Xiaoyue walked to the table, sat down, took a swig from her flask: “None of your business, it’s all the toilsome earnings of your master.”
Fang Zhou silently retorted in his stomach but feeling good about his successful entry into Sword Control and not wanting to quarrel with this selfish woman.
“So when do we leave?”
“Tomorrow, we’ll leave tomorrow.”
Ling Xiaoyue replied nonchalantly, her gaze falling on the purple gourd placed alongside the Sword Box: “This gourd of yours…”
Fang Zhou quickly interrupted her: “Don’t even think about it!”
Ever since they left Lanruo Temple, Ling Xiaoyue had been using various reasons and excuses to coax Fang Zhou into selling the gourd.
Saying it wasn’t much use, barely managing against Innate Realm enemies, better to sell it for some real silver and gold.
This gourd might not be very useful to Ling Xiaoyue, but for Fang Zhou, it was a precious treasure and a commemorative trophy, not to mention it still housed seven gourd children he hadn’t dealt with.
Seeing Fang Zhou’s intense reaction, Ling Xiaoyue also showed a displeased expression: “Stingy ghost, showing no respect or honor to your master, even if you offered it, I wouldn’t want it.”
Fang Zhou was also displeased: “Mind your tone, I am now the distinguished Sect Master of Kunlun Ruins Hidden Sect, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry.”
Ling Xiaoyue seemed amused and laughed: “Oh, Sect Master, huh? Where’s your sect located? How many disciples and followers do you have?”
Fang Zhou’s expression stiffened. Although Yan Chixia had mentioned her mentorship under Kunlun Ruins Hidden Sect, she never disclosed the address of the sect’s main gate; perhaps it no longer existed.
With the Hidden Sect passed down to Yan Chixia already dwindling in numbers, transferring to Fang Zhou would leave him all alone, inheriting the position of Sect Manager without even a witness.
Moreover, the Hidden Sect sounded fancy, but it might just be a few people nesting in the deep mountains and wild ridges, living like savages.
As soon as Fang Zhou thought of that scene, the prestige of the Kunlun Ruins Hidden Sect in his heart plummeted to rock bottom.
A sense of boredom spread in Fang Zhou’s heart; he thought he had already escaped the ranks of the riffraff, but it seemed he was still struggling in a mire filled with them.
Ling Xiaoyue pinched Fang Zhou’s cheek: “What’s being the head of a Hidden Sect? You are my disciple, and that alone is enough for you to swagger through the Cultivation World.”
Fang Zhou gave her a sideways glance: “And then get killed by someone?”
Ling Xiaoyue laughed heartily: “As long as you walk fast while swaggering, even if someone wants to kill you, they can’t catch up. Remember, our sect’s motto is never to lose in words, never to stop in steps, run when it’s dangerous, and frolic when it’s safe. Got it?”
Damn, that actually makes some sense.
Fang Zhou felt Han Li might be more suitable as Ling Xiaoyue’s disciple, as these two, one who runs at the first sign of danger and the other who runs if they can’t win, both truly comprehend the art of escaping, they must have a lot in common.
Ling Xiaoyue then looked at the gourd: “Don’t use this gourd for now. You can use it because of the Golden Core, but each use makes the Golden Core fuse more with your heart, and it will be troublesome once it fully integrates.”
That’s a new one! Fang Zhou frowned slightly: “What should I do then?”
Ling Xiaoyue patted his shoulder: “Don’t worry, when I get time after returning, I’ll help you refine the gourd to sever its connection to the Golden Core. As for the Golden Core, you will need to slowly refine it yourself.”
Fang Zhou pondered for a moment and then asked, “For free?”
Ling Xiaoyue chortled: “I’ll give you a 20% discount.”
Fang Zhou boldly said: “Put it on my tab.”
Ling Xiaoyue stared at him suspiciously: “You’re not planning on not paying, are you?”
Fang Zhou remained calm: “You know exactly how much pocket money I have. If I can’t pay, you can just sell me.”
Ling Xiaoyue thought about it and then felt reassured.
The next morning, under Ling Xiaoyue’s urging, Fang Zhou got ready and left with her.
However, upon departure, they heard the local residents say that the place was even haunted; many wealthy merchants who approached the house where the master and disciple lived had fallen down mysteriously and could not get up.
After over two months of long journey, with stops and starts, master and disciple finally arrived at the location of their sect—the Cloud Sea Mountains.
The master and disciple did not rush into the mountains but took a break in a small city called Yunshan City situated at the mountain’s entrance.
In Yunshan City, Ling Xiaoyue actually had a small courtyard that had been uninhabited for a long time and was dusty everywhere; moreover, there was a lush big tree in the courtyard that had to be Ling Xiaoyue’s nest.
Sure enough, after setting down their luggage, Ling Xiaoyue jumped onto the tree canopy to sunbathe and tossed down her wine jug, asking Fang Zhou to buy some daily necessities and some good wine to fill her jug.
Buying supplies could be understood as there wasn’t a convenience store on the mountain; if they didn’t stock up on daily necessities, they would have to rely on hunting and self-sufficiency, which is not cultivation but rather outdoor survival.
But here’s the problem… Fang Zhou looked up and shouted to the canopy, “Where’s the money?”
Ling Xiaoyue’s languid voice came down, “Don’t you have your private stash? Everything you buy is for your use, your master doesn’t need it.”
You know it’s called private money?
Fang Zhou directly threw the wine jug back up: “Then I don’t need to drink wine either.”
After a while, the wine jug was thrown back down, along with a piece of silver and Ling Xiaoyue’s annoyed voice: “Don’t you know how to honor your master? Even buying wine requires money from your master, you unfilial disciple!”
Fang Zhou tossed the silver lightly, smiling faintly – extracting some feathers from this iron rooster really wasn’t easy.
Then he whistled and went out.