novelraw Chapter 112 - 109: Organizing the Grand Ceremony (Part 2)
Chapter 112 - 109: Organizing the Grand Ceremony (Part 2)
Chu Shoupu was a middle-aged Cultivator who looked to be around forty. His expression was gentle, and one could tell at a glance that he was an old hand at such social receptions. After arriving, he handed a celebratory gift to Fang Qingyuan and said,
"Jiang Kui, we last saw each other ten years ago, wasn’t it?"
Jiang Kui replied quietly,
"Elder Chu, it was eleven years ago. You came to celebrate the Elder Dean’s birthday that year. We met once then."
Chu Shoupu paused for a moment, then smiled.
"To think so much time has passed in the blink of an eye. Ah, Brother Jiang."
After a sigh, Fang Qingyuan noticed Zhao Liangde’s sour expression and discreetly nudged Jiang Kui.
Taking the hint from Fang Qingyuan, Jiang Kui forced a smile and said,
"Elder Chu, please take the seat of honor. Our Sect Leader will be out shortly."
Chu Shoupu chuckled, glanced at Zhao Liangde and his group, and then sat in the first seat on the right.
Before Jiang Kui could return to her own seat, three distinct waves of Golden Core pressure washed over them. Everyone froze, then quickly bowed in salute.
Then, Lechuan, Wei Tong, and Wei Yuan flew down from the mountain’s peak and settled into the seats of honor at the head of the gathering.
The personal appearance of three Golden Core Ancestors was a real eye-opener for the surrounding Loose Cultivators. It was rare for an ordinary person to see even one Golden Core Ancestor, let alone three at once. After this ceremony, these Loose Cultivators would have bragging rights for a long time to come.
After everyone had paid their respects to the three Golden Core Ancestors, Fang Qingyuan finally looked up at the trio. Lechuan looked the same as ever, but Wei Tong was glowing with vigor, showing none of the dejection he had when signing the contract.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan’s heart sank. ’For Wei Tong to be like this... either he obtained some miraculous elixir to extend his life, or it means his end is near.’
’I hope he can hold on for a while longer. Otherwise, once Wei Tong dies, the balance of power between the three families will be disrupted again.’
These thoughts flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind, but he quickly realized it was useless to overthink it. It was better to focus on the present.
Once all the Cultivators were seated, Lechuan said a few pleasantries and declared the celebration had begun. A stream of Spiritual Food was served, course after course. The variety and quality of the dishes left the Loose Cultivators marveling in astonishment.
Afterward, the young disciples from the White Mountain Hehuan Sect, hired at great expense, presented a song and dance performance that pushed the atmosphere to its peak.
Watching the performance, Fang Qingyuan ate with great satisfaction. The sect was covering all the expenses for the celebration, so Jiang Kui didn’t have to spend a single Spirit Stone. Naturally, Fang Qingyuan was happy to eat his fill.
Besides, seven days ago, Fang Qingyuan had taken Jiang Kui to negotiate various matters with Zhao Liangde and had secured many favorable terms. For now, they had no more worries.
Jinbao sidled up to Fang Qingyuan, also eating with gusto. His little bear face was smeared with all sorts of sauces.
When the banquet ended and the dancers withdrew, Jiang Kui took the stage to share her insights on achieving Foundation Establishment. The Qi Cultivation Cultivators listened, utterly entranced, while the Foundation Establishment Cultivators also gained some understanding. Even the three Golden Core Ancestors nodded in approval.
As for Fang Qingyuan, he didn’t understand much of it. But he wasn’t worried. If he wanted to hear it again, he could just ask Jiang Kui directly. This senior sister of his was willing to give him private lessons.
As the sky darkened, Jiang Kui appropriately concluded her lecture. The crowd awoke from their captivated state, and looking around, they realized the three Golden Core Ancestors had already left.
At this moment, Zhang Yuan took the opportunity to announce,
"Fellow Daoists, please come this way to receive a return gift. There is one for everyone..."
...
After a festive and successful Foundation Establishment ceremony, while Zhang Yuan was still distributing the return gifts, Fang Qingyuan and Jiang Kui returned to her residence on Celestial Gate Mountain. The two began to calculate their gains from the event.
Fang Qingyuan analyzed the situation as he tallied the congratulatory gifts:
"You can tell the attitude of these various sects toward you from their gifts. The more respectful ones gave more. For example, the She Family’s gift was worth nearly two thousand Spirit Stones. They alone gave as much as two other sects combined."
"But the Li Family and Zhao Family gave much less, not even a thousand. In the future, when it’s your turn to give a return gift for one of their events, pay attention to the closeness of your relationship. Don’t be a fool and give them too much."
Watching Fang Qingyuan bustling about, Jiang Kui couldn’t help but chuckle. Hearing her, Fang Qingyuan stopped what he was doing and said,
"What’s so funny? The sect may have paid for the celebration, but all those return gifts came out of your pocket. You had to give one to several hundred Qi Cultivation Cultivators. Even after adding up the gift money from the Inner and Outer Disciples, you didn’t make much this time."
Jiang Kui stopped laughing and asked blankly,
"So how much did we make?"
After finishing the count, Fang Qingyuan handed a list of the gifts to Jiang Kui and sighed.
"Only five thousand Spirit Stones."
Hearing this, Jiang Kui cried out in pleasant surprise,
"Five thousand isn’t a small amount! You don’t think that’s a lot?"
Fang Qingyuan said, exasperated with her naivete,
"A lot? You’re a Foundation Establishment Cultivator now; your perspective needs to catch up. Five thousand is certainly a lot for a Qi Cultivation Cultivator, but what is it to someone at Foundation Establishment? Leaving aside other things, how long do you plan on using that Tier One Upper Grade Magical Artifact of yours?"
At the mention of her magical artifact, Jiang Kui clearly lost her confidence. A Tier Two Lower Grade magical artifact cost at least two or three thousand Spirit Stones, and that wouldn’t even get you a top-quality one. To get a magical artifact that was both powerful and perfectly suited to her, it was best to buy the spiritual materials and have someone custom-make it. But that would be a huge expense.
Five thousand Spirit Stones would be just barely enough. And since Jiang Kui had already spent her entire fortune to reach Foundation Establishment, she was now only slightly wealthier than Zhang Yuan.
Moreover, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t just have one magical artifact; they needed a spare one as well. Besides magical artifacts, her Daoist Robe, Cultivation Technique, the spiritual materials needed for cultivation, and various Elixir Pills all had to be purchased with Spirit Stones.
When all was said and done, how could five thousand Spirit Stones possibly be enough?
By the time Fang Qingyuan and Jiang Kui finished their calculations, Jiang Kui’s face had turned pale. She asked, unwilling to accept it,
"But don’t I have a mine? That mine can produce fifty thousand Spirit Stones a year."
At the mention of the mine, Fang Qingyuan sneered.
"You hand over forty percent to the sect and give ten percent to Zhao Liangde to maintain relations. That leaves half. Then you have to replace a batch of the mining Shrimp Turtle Beasts every year. Add in all the other costs, and you’ll be lucky to see twenty thousand Spirit Stones. Besides, the vast Yuanling Mountain needs money everywhere. Sprinkling twenty thousand Spirit Stones around won’t have much of an effect."
Jiang Kui sighed, a bitter feeling welling up inside her. ’I thought that after becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, my life would be much better than before. But it seems you can’t live well anywhere without money.’
Seeing Jiang Kui’s dejection, Fang Qingyuan was also at a loss. ’I have Spirit Stones, but they can’t see the light of day. And even if I could bring them out, I wouldn’t want to.’
’Business is business, and personal is personal. I can’t dip into my own pocket for official matters. It would be too easy for things to get messy and give people something to gossip about.’
’We’ll just have to endure a few hard years first. Once we’ve established a firm foothold on Yuanling Mountain, we can think about buying more Shrimp Turtle Beasts and trying to expand the mining operation. Then I might be able to skim a little off the top for myself.’
Thinking this, Fang Qingyuan left the heartbroken Jiang Kui where she was. He took Jinbao and Yinbao and prepared to return to his own small courtyard.
Even a humble home is worth a fortune to its owner. Since he had decided to move to Yuanling Mountain, he had to pack up everything here. The thought of no longer having to do annual sect missions brought an irrepressible smile to Fang Qingyuan’s lips.