Gift from Zheng Tao
Han Yan took the jade badge, glanced at it, and her eyes widened instantly. "Why are you giving me so much?"
She had thought Mo Qingkuang was just trying out the formation within the jade badge and would transfer only a few dozen points to her. She hadn't expected him to give her so much! Five hundred points, equivalent to receiving the entrance reward all over again! This would allow her to buy quite a lot of things again.
Although she was a princess, she received no special treatment within the Inner Court and was treated as an ordinary disciple.
As she looked at Mo Qingkuang's figure walking away gracefully, her beautiful eyes sparkled with even more admiration.
The Inner Court disciples who hadn't yet dispersed saw the change in Han Yan's badge's numbers, and each one of them couldn't help but twitch their mouths in disbelief.
No wonder the Ninth Princess was so devoted to Mo Qingkuang. He was so generous. If they were girls, they'd be willing to follow him too!
Five hundred points, that was at least the monthly income of the top fifty on the Qingyun Stele. To accumulate that amount through missions, they would need to complete at least a high-level, black-ranked mission, which was the second-highest difficulty level in the Inner Court's external affairs office!
Mo Qingkuang walked briskly towards the Star Pavilion, a smile tugging at his lips.
"The sixth rule of the Ancestor's Guide to Wooing: don't ask if she wants it, just give it! Give her what she needs the most!"
***
The Star Pavilion was located atop a mountain deep within the Inner Court, a small courtyard built at the peak. This was the highest mountain in the Inner Court and the closest to the stars in the sky, hence Zheng Tao named it the Star Pavilion.
The mountain pierced through the clouds; its peak shrouded in mist. The Star Pavilion stood high, looming over the clouds like an ethereal realm, yet it commanded a view of the entire Inner Court.
"The old man sure knows how to create an artistic atmosphere," Mo Qingkuang chuckled as he knocked on the door.
The one who opened the door was Wu Ming. Upon seeing Mo Qingkuang, Wu Ming's mouth twitched. "You sure know how to make enemies."
Mo Qingkuang laughed awkwardly. "Master Wu, you're flattering me."
Given the Star Pavilion's position and the cultivation levels of Wu Ming and Zheng Tao, it was impossible for Mo Qingkuang and Li Sheng's duel to escape their notice.
Mo Qingkuang naturally understood what Wu Ming was referring to.
Entering the room, he reached Zheng Tao's chamber and respectfully bowed to the seated Zheng Tao. "Disciple Mo Qingkuang greets the master."
Zheng Tao lifted his eyelids and slowly sipped his tea. "Rise. How does it feel to be newly admitted to the Inner Court?"
Mo Qingkuang stood up; a bit embarrassed. "The senior brothers are all very... enthusiastic."
Zheng Tao gave him an exasperated look but didn't say much more.
He knew Mo Qingkuang's temperament well. It was troubling that there was no one among his peers who could keep him in check. Letting him act out freely was not a solution, which gave Zheng Tao a bit of a headache.
"This is the first time I am taking on a disciple, so I don't know what to teach you," Zheng Tao said directly. "If you have any doubts about your cultivation, feel free to ask me."
"Master, my cultivation is progressing steadily, but..." Mo Qingkuang hesitated deliberately.
"But what?"
"It's just that cultivation resources are very scarce. Master, you know that my Mo family is small and has suffered great hardships. They really can't provide much help," Mo Qingkuang said with a smile.
Zheng Tao's mouth twitched at these words. He knew this kid didn't become his disciple for cultivation advice.
He just wanted a big backer and occasionally come here to get some resources.
However, Zheng Tao also knew that a master leads the way, but cultivation depends on the individual. As a teacher, it was his duty to impart knowledge and resolve doubts. Mo Qingkuang didn't have any doubts at the moment, and Zheng Tao couldn't find anything specific to say.
Looking at Mo Qingkuang's current state, he seemed full of energy, with a rosy complexion and abundant inner energy, showing no signs of going astray in his cultivation.
"What do you want?" Zheng Tao asked with some helplessness.
Having such a disciple and feeling somewhat guilty about the Mo family's migration incident, he thought he should fulfil some of his disciple's requests.
"Master, you're so generous. I've heard that in the Inner Court, as long as you have points, you can exchange for anything. Why not grant me a hundred and eighty thousand points so I can go shopping?" Mo Qingkuang rubbed his fingers together, looking ingratiated.
Zheng Tao's forehead darkened, veins bulging as he almost couldn't resist pinning this shameless kid to the ground.
"A hundred and eighty thousand points? You want to buy the entire Inner Court?"
"Points are the rule in the Inner Court, and as your master, I can't break that rule," Zheng Tao shook his head.
"Oh..." Mo Qingkuang pretended to be dejected and lowered his head. "Then Master, give me whatever you wish. I will be grateful for anything."
The ancestor's teaching was wise: ask for a lot initially, then take a strategic retreat.
Feeling guilty, Zheng Tao would definitely give something good.
Zheng Tao, being a clever person, saw through this trick easily. However, this kid was still his only direct disciple, so he had to bear with it.
Sighing, Zheng Tao spoke softly, "You already have divine-grade cultivation methods, so the ones I have wouldn't interest you. As for martial skills, I don't have any heavenly-ranked ones, and the differences among earth-ranked ones aren't significant. Quality over quantity is key, and you already have the 'Flower Plucking Manual,' which is sufficient."
"Regarding your cultivation, you borrowed the royal family's Thousand Year Cold Jade, so you're basically fine. Moreover, I see you don't often use weapons, so I really don't know what to give you."
"How about this? I have some top-grade healing elixirs that are of better quality than those available in the Inner Court. You can use these," Zheng Tao waved his hand, and three jade bottles flew out of his sleeve to Mo Qingkuang.
Mo Qingkuang quickly took the bottles, opened one, and poured out a pill. Each bottle contained only one pill, which was emerald green and emitted a strong medicinal fragrance, along with a cool sensation.
"This is Jade Drop Pill, a fifth-grade elixir, considered a rare healing treasure on the market. As long as the injury isn't too severe, like losing a limb or life-threatening, it can heal quickly," Zheng Tao explained.
Mo Qingkuang was overjoyed. Zheng Tao was right; he didn't lack cultivation methods, martial skills, or weapons. What he lacked were auxiliary elixirs.
There were few elixirs that assisted in cultivation, and most had side effects that were harmful to reaching higher levels later. Healing elixirs, in a sense, were like a second life.
Recovery elixirs like Qi Restoration Pills were of lower grade, and Zheng Tao didn't have them on hand.
This was, after all, Mo Qingkuang's initiation gift. Taking out a fifth-grade elixir was reasonable.
"Thank you, Master," Mo Qingkuang carefully put the pills back into the bottles and bowed in gratitude.
Zheng Tao adjusted his sleeves and took out a seemingly ordinary small ring, tossing it to Mo Qingkuang. "When travelling the world, carrying big bags is inconvenient. This is a Sumeru Ring. Use it."
***
stones~~