Chapter 17 Need Money_1

"That Shang Ziliang is the son of Peak Master Shang of Yunyao Peak," Xu Ziqing muttered to Chu Liang after they left Chuan Jian Hall, "He always pretends to be very fierce, leaning on his father's title of Peak Master. I've never liked him. However, he always gravitates towards me, which annoys me so much."

So that's the case.

Shang Shuwen, the Peak Master of Yunyao Peak and a Confucian Cultivator on Shu Mountain, is well-known in various scholarly circles in Jiangnan which garners him fame in the martial world. But his son does not seem to live up to his father's reputation.

While pondering, he saw a streak of fiery light falling from the southeast, like a meteor, landing in the direction of the Silver Sword Peak.

Chu Liang's eyes instantly brightened.

"Junior Sister Ziqing, it seems that my Master has returned. I need to go back and meet her," Chu Liang said.

"Oh..." The young girl nodded and watched Chu Liang's retreating back.

Her gaze was lingering and reluctant to let go.

When he flew back to Silver Sword Peak with his flying sword, he indeed saw Empress Feng in a black robe with red lapels, sitting powerfully in the Master's attic, her chest heaving as if she was angry.

Her Phoenix Soul Blood Jade flickering intermittently as if affected by her anger.

"Master," Chu Liang moved forward and said, "A disciple has seen Master return and specially came to welcome."

"Hmm, did anything happen these two days?" Empress Feng asked.

"Nothing, the disciple has just completed a task, quite successfully," Chu Liang nodded, and then asked, "What about Master, was your trip successful?"

"Just don't mention it," As soon as she mentioned this, Empress Feng's brows furrowed with anger, "While I was searching the Eastern Sea for any monsters causing trouble, those people from Penglai Upper Sect had to intervene, claiming that I was disrupting the balance of the Eastern Sea! They even tried to drive me away! If it weren't for the consideration of the entire Shu Mountain Sect, I would have started a fight with them!"

"..." Chu Liang paused for a moment.

The actions of his Master were exactly as he had predicted.

Although she simply stated that she was looking for monsters, he could imagine that her actions were not as calm as she claimed.

When there were monsters causing trouble, Empress Feng could help you eliminate threats; when there were no monsters around, Empress Feng herself posed a threat.

It's likely that she caused such a commotion in the sea that the people from Penglai took notice and tried to stop her.

The Penglai Upper Sect is one of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sects, and their territory includes the Eastern Sea. Naturally, they wouldn't allow her to cause trouble at their doorstep.

Their actions were reasonable and justifiable.

Thinking this way, he said, "The Penglai Upper Sect are too rude!"

"Exactly!" Empress Feng nodded angrily.

Speaking of which, she felt something wasn't right, she arched an eyebrow and glanced at Chu Liang, "Why are you suddenly so obedient, rushing to greet me as soon as I returned? Do you need something from me?"

"Isn't it a disciple's duty to greet his Master?" Chu Liang asked with a smile, "However… I do have something that I want to discuss with Master."

"Hmph," Empress Feng snorted, "Speak."

"I was on a mission with some members from Jade Sword Peak. Among them was an early-stage Golden Core disciple. His cultivation far surpasses mine and both his flying sword and Divine Skills are extremely powerful. And he's not even the main force of the Jade Sword Peak. As a disciple, I'm a bit worried… during the Shu Mountain Peak Conference, how am I to compete with them?" Chu Liang expressed.

"Don't you still have time to become stronger? You have to believe in yourself," Empress Feng casually said.

Carrying on with the conversation, Chu Liang continued, "So, I wonder how I can strengthen myself. Apart from diligent cultivation and improving my own level, I think I have few Divine Skills in my grasp. So, I thought of asking Master to teach me some powerful Divine Skills."

"Divine Skills?" Empress Feng was stunned, "What Divine Skills do I have to teach you?"

She was telling the truth.

Initially, the Shu Mountain Head Master did not allow her to take disciples because of her naughty character. But more importantly, she was a Body Cultivator.

A Body Cultivator, unlike Martial Arts Cultivators, cultivates their physical body with Daoist techniques, aiming to forge a strong body.

Empress Feng's Red Flame Divine Phoenix Avatar is terrifyingly powerful due to her Body Cultivation technique.

However, Body Cultivation is extremely rare and requires multiple coincidences to succeed. She simply can't pass on the path she has cultivated to her disciples.

But nonetheless.

The ways for disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect to acquire Divine Skills included mentorship and the Law Protection Hall. If one desired to practice Divine Skills not even mastered by their mentor, they could directly purchase it from the Law Protection Hall.

Chu Liang smiled slightly at this, "Therefore, I wish to make some purchases from the Law Protection Hall."

Empress Feng narrowed her eyes, as if sensing a hint of danger, "Then you should just go buy."

"Isn't it that a disciple... is short of money..." Chu Liang confessed in a low voice.

"Ha." Empress Feng chuckled coldly, "Young man, revealing your sharp dagger only after exhausting every avenue... fussing around for such a long time, you are really trying to mooch money off me, aren't you?"

"This is all for the great cause of the mentor." Chu Liang earnestly explained.

Always carrying the art of language through.

"Hmm..." Empress Feng propped her chin, her sleeves sliding halfway down, revealing a fair wrist, "If you need Divine Skills, Magic Artifacts, your mentor can help you think of some ways... But if you need money, I truly have none."

"The monthly salary of mentor in Shu Mountain Sect isn't low, right? And isn't it said that the Peak Master has additional disbursements..." Chu Liang delicately inquired.

He had always wondered why they, of the Silver Sword Peak, always seemed poor. But having grown accustomed to it since childhood, he found it not unusual.

But later, as he grew older and saw other peaks prospering, he inevitably found it strange. Especially since Silver Sword Peak only had him as a disciple, therefore there was no issue of resource division.

Even if mentor could give him some pocket money every month, saving it up should be enough to buy a Flying Sword.

"Sigh." Empress Feng sighed, "What can that trifling amount of money do... Your mentor is not only penniless now, but also heavily in debt."

"Why is that?" Chu Liang questioned.

Empress Feng patted the Wine Gourd at her waist, "Do you think the wine that can get someone of my Cultivation drunk is easily purchasable? This Drunken Immortal Brew, a gourd of it cost five hundred Sword Coins."

"What?"

The wine which he had seen Empress Feng drink since his childhood actually cost a Flying Sword per gourd?

He was shocked.

This wasn't drinking excessively, this was burning money.

"Telling you all the truth, except for debts, your mentor now has nothing. For all these years, roaming around the world, I haven't had a single Magical Treasure weapon, except this Phoenix Soul Blood Jade, relying entirely on my physical body." Empress Feng spread her hands, showing an attitude of a dead pig not being afraid of scalding water, "Even if you really urgently need money, your mentor has nothing to sell. If it really comes down to it, I will have to sell this physical body of mine."

Chu Liang's eyebrows twitched, "Is that possible?"

"Get lost."

...

Chu Liang returned dejectedly to his own small wooden house. His money acquiring plan had failed spectacularly, and he learned of the dire news that Empress Feng had no plans to quit drinking for nearly a century.

It seems that from now on, he can only rely on himself.

If he wants Flying Swords, Magic Artifacts, Elixirs, dowries, Talismans, he must save up by himself...

Or simply not buy and wait for Monsters to drop them.

As he walked around the mountain bend, he saw an unexpected figure.

Bushy eyebrows, big eyes, dressed in a brocade robe, exuding vitality, it was that disciple Lin Bei from Jade Sword Peak.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Upon seeing Chu Liang, Lin Bei immediately laughed loudly, and greeted, "Junior Brother Chu, you have finally returned."

"Brother Lin, why are you waiting for me here? Is there something?" Chu Liang asked.

"Of course." Lin Bei's face was full of smiles, "I now know of a rewarding task that requires two cultivators who are highly skilled, tactful, and handsome as hell at the Divine Consciousness Realm to complete together. I thought about it, and out of all the disciples in the Shu Mountain Sect, it can only be you and me."

Chu Liang ignored his flattery, and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Yanjiao City, Nanshan Academy."