Chapter 275: Do You Want to Hitch a Ride?
“Why don’t you join our Ness Cesary Sect?” He patted on his chest as he gave a “I will cover for you” look.
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched, reminding him. “I’m just a dandelion demon!”
“I know!” Qu Qu nodded. “My wife was as well. Such a coincidence.”
Coincidence, your sister!
“Aren’t practitioners and demons at odds with each other?” Little tyrant even wanted to kill her when they first met. Wouldn’t she be courting death if she entered a sect of human practitioners?
“Oh, right!” Qu Qu nodded, as if he had just thought of this problem. Suddenly, he pulled onto her hand and cast an art with a single hand. Then, he brushed his finger about her palm, and said. “Done. It should be fine now.”
Zhu Yao lowered her head to take a look, only to see four words neatly written on her palm – ‘I am a human’!
“…”
Zhu Yao glanced at him with a darkened expression. People will treat me as a human with just a few words on my hand? Are you a joker? If this actually works, I shall take up your surname, alright?
Just as she was about to make a fuss, she suddenly felt the aura all around her body beginning to retract. All the signs of her being a demon had disappeared without a trace in an instant!
(⊙o⊙) It actually works.
“Oh hero!” Zhu Yao grabbed onto his hand, and said with an excited look. “What is that mystical art you just used? Can you teach me? I didn’t tell you this earlier, but my grandfather is surnamed Guo- I mean, Qu as well.”
This was too mystical. If she were to learn this trick and write the name “Li Gang” on her palm, would everyone call her ‘father’!?
“This is Word Enchantment!” Qu Qu replied. “This is not a mystical art. It was a coincidence for me to receive its inheritance as well. Initially, I had planned on passing it on to my wife, but you…”
“Then forget it!” The hell, so it was a body selling contract.
“Senior-martial uncle Qu!” The little tyrant tugged onto Qu Qu’s sleeves. “If Sect Master finds out that you have once again taken in a disciple randomly, he will be really angry.”
Qu Qu’s expression darkened a little. “In any case, he makes a fuss every two to three days, I’m used to it.”
“It’s not that.” The little tyrant shook his head. “I’m referring to the fact that today is the day where we open the gate to the mountains once every ten years. If…”
“You’re right!” His eyes shone, as he pulled Zhu Yao and ran outwards.
“Where are we going?”
Before Zhu Yao could even react, she was pulled into a formation. With a white flash of light, she was standing in front of a gigantic white boulder a moment after. Two words could be seen floating about above it – Ness Cessary.
This is the mountain gate of Ness Cesary Sect?
Qu Qu instructed. “My sect has always been pretty strict with taking in disciples, and we are not allowed to privately take in people into the sect. All those who wishes to become a deity and question the Dao must climb up the mountain gate themselves.”
“I say…”
“This is a defensive mystic tool. This is a water weakening talisman. This is a fire weakening talisman. This is a light body talisman. And this is a blood supplementing pellet…” He opened up his storage pouch, pulled out a large number of items, and pushed them all into her hands.
“Umm…”
“Good luck. With these, you will definitely be able to reach the mountaintop.”
“Actually…”
“Go, I will be waiting for you at the mountaintop~! When that time comes and you choose to become my disciple, no one will dare to bully you.”
“I never thought of…”
“Good luck, little sister-in-law!”
Who’s your sister-in-law!?
Qu Qu patted her on the back, and she was immediately pushed into that gigantic mountain boulder.
The hell, I never have the thought of joining Ness Cesary Sect, hey! Does the Consumers Association know of your hard sell tactics?
Zhu Yao simply felt her a bright white light flashing in front of her eyes, as her entire being was absorbed into the white light. In a blink of an eye, a different scenery appeared before her.
A large field of grass could be seen in front of her eyes, though there was a large concentration of people as well. Most of them were children of about ten years old. Some were alone, and there were adults as well. With a large pile of items in hand, she appeared so suddenly in front of this large crowd.
In an instant, everyone’s eyes swept quickly towards her. Every single one of them looked as if they were watching a conman.
Zhu Yao: …
“The deities are here!” Someone among them shouted, and the crowd was instantly in an uproar as they began to squeeze towards the front.
From afar, two disciples dressed in azure robes flew over from the sky, both of them were of the early-stage Foundation level. They did not land on the ground, instead, they were sweeping their eyes below while standing atop their flying swords. When their eyes landed on Zhu Yao, they evidently paused for a moment, as if they found it strange that such an elderly “talented person” was actually here. Their faces stiffened for a moment, before immediately returning to normal.
They pointed at the two paths at the end of the field of grass, and said in a loud voice. “Those who wish to enter our Ness Cessary Sect have to climb the mountain with their own abilities. Wandering practitioners who already possess cultivation shall take the Path of Clarity on the right, while mortals shall take the Path of Beginning on the left. Those who reach the great hall before sundown will pass.”
After finishing his words, they waved their hands. In an instant, two barriers were erected around the two paths – one red and one blue. Most likely, they were used to verify one’s cultivation level. The two disciples did not idle any longer, as they turned about and flew off.
The crowd immediately moved, and Zhu Yao was pushed forward by the others. Along the way, she had dropped several talismans and medicinal pellets, and when she regained her senses, she had already been brought before the red barrier on the right. Just as she was about to cross, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a skinny figure on the left.
A strange feeling suddenly arose in the depths of her heart. Had she seen this child from somewhere in the past?
“Fellow daoist, hurry. If you don’t enter now, you won’t make it in time.” Before she could even take a clearer look, a person behind her casually gave her a push, and she fumbled into the barrier. The scenery before her changed again, and she found herself in the depths of a thick forest.
It seemed like the barrier was not simply used to distinguish if one possessed cultivation, but also carried the ability to send participants to a random location.
When she raised her head to take a look, she saw that the floating mountain that was just close-by earlier, was now merely a single spot in the sky.
The hell, how did I get transferred so far away? Being able to reach there before the sky turns dark like this is impossible, right?
She lowered her head to search through the pile of items Qu Qu forcefully pushed onto her, and realized that she had everything, but a transportation tool.
As expected, someone else’s man was not reliable at all.
Why not give up then? After all, she had no intentions of joining Ness Cesary Sect in the first place.
“Fellow daoist, do you want to hitch a ride on my flying sword?” A male voice suddenly resounded from the back.
When she turned her head to take a look, she saw a middle-aged male practitioner holding onto a transportation tool in his hand. Filled with smiles, he was presently looking at her… hands which were holding onto a bunch of talismans.
Zhu Yao subconsciously tightened her hands.
“Fellow daoist, do not misunderstand.” The male practitioner chuckled. “I simply saw that you have been standing here all alone for quite a while, so I figured that you might not have a flying sword and came here to ask. How about it? Do you want to take a seat on my flying sword? It’s only five low-grade spirit stones for a single ride. It’s a fair price and fair trade~”
So he was here to do business. “I don’t have money.”
“Don’t worry, using talismans to trade is fine as well.” He pointed at the talismans in her hands. “I shall take one talisman per kilometer travelled, how about it?”
“…” The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. That’s daylight robbery, isn’t it!?
“How about this then? If you don’t think it’s worth, I shall give you a discount for being an elderly. Five talismans and I will bring you to the foot of the mountain, how about it?” He said while looking as if he was going to make a loss.
The hell was an elderly discount?
“Fellow daoist, let me tell you this. This flying sword of mine is of the second rank. It’s consumption is small, but it’s speed is phenomenal. It’s a great life necessity, and I’m afraid you might become too satisfied with it.”
“…” What’s with this ridiculous advertisement? “Fine then, then I will have one… Ah pui! Then I will have to trouble you.”
“Alright!” The man cast an art, and the flying sword instantly grew larger. He got up onto it first, before signalling Zhu Yao to climb on it as well. He then happily flew in the direction of Ness Cesary Sect. “Oh right. Fellow daoist, you must be preparing to join Ness Cesary Sect as well, right? I have yet to inquire about how I should address you?”
“Yu Yao.”
“So it’s fellow daoist Yu.” He chuckled. “Like you, I’m here to join Ness Cesary Sect as well. In the future, if you have any miscellaneous errands such as running, sweeping or engraving mystic arts, please feel free to call upon this little brother. I promise to arrive as soon as I am called, and I will give you a loyalty member discount. Oh right, I’m called Po Fude.”
Profiteer?
“Alright…” He sure lived up to his name.
“Of course, if fellow daoist has anything that you want to see, know or understand, you can ask me as well. This lowly one will definitely know of everything, and I will keep the incident quiet as well. As long as a small amount of spirit stones is paid.”
In the end, he’s still a profiteer, right? “Are you very knowledgeable about Ness Cesary Sect?”
“But of course. Putting aside the small details, regarding this entrance examination geared towards wandering practitioners, it’s split into three portions. The sword flying technique is merely the first segment. There are still two other segments after this.”
“What are the other two segments?”
“About that…” He glanced at the talismans in her hands.
Zhu Yao’s face darkened. She pulled out a piece and patted it onto his hand. He instantly revealed a sunny smile. “The second segment tests one’s mystical arts. Most likely, once we arrive on the mountaintop, there will be a battle to test our abilities to adapt to situations. The third segment is the most simple, and the most mystical test. We merely have to cross the door at the top of the mountain. It’s rumoured that the door was left behind by one of the ancestors who created the sect, who have already ascended. An incomparable amount of comprehended Dao is left on that door. Fated ones who can sense even the tiniest bit of the Heavenly Dao on that door might be able to receive a sudden enlightenment, and their cultivation will suddenly rise. It’s a great benefit to practitioners.”
“In other words, the final test is a welfare pack.”
“That’s right!” He nodded. “It’s said that many disciples from other sects would even come to pay tribute to this famed door as well. However, the number of people who receive sudden enlightenments are but a very small few.” He paused for a moment. As if he had suddenly recalled something, he said with a mysterious look. “It’s rumoured that the old ancestor has even left behind a riddle. As long as someone is able to guess the answer, that person can receive the cave residence left behind by the old ancestor, along with the various treasures within. However, it’s been so many years. There have been people who receive sudden enlightenments, but none has solved that riddle.”
There actually existed such a mysterious door. Zhu Yao’s curiosity was piqued.
They flew for exactly an hour before arriving at the foot of the mountain. After entering the Great Mountain Barrier Formation, they could no longer fly on the sword and had to walk on foot. Along the way, Profiteer constantly imparted her with various knowledge of Ness Cesary Sect. Naturally, she had to pay for these information. When she regained her senses, the items in her hands had all entered his pockets.
He was like a know-it-all. If not because she had nothing left on her hands to trade with, he most likely could have even revealed the colour of the underwear the sect master was wearing today.
“Seeing how we have such a pleasant cooperation so far, I shall give you another piece of information.” He said mysteriously. “Among the Three Peaks and Six Halls of this Ness Cesary Sect, you can join any single one of them, as long as it’s not the ‘Talisman Spirit Peak’.”
“Why?”
“I have heard rumours that the Peak Lord of Talisman Spirit Peak is a little… abnormal.” He pointed at his own head, and hinted.
“What is the name of the Peak Lord of Talisman Spirit Peak?”
“I heard that he’s surnamed Qu, and bears the name Qu… Qu Qu!”
“…” It seemed like it was already too late for her.