parentshiftbook Chapter 73 Huge Tuition Fees
Chapter 73 Huge Tuition Fees
Juyun Peak is located directly north of Yingke Peak.
The peak is over 180 zhang high, much taller than the welcoming peak in front of it.
The mountain path is lined with neat stone steps, and wherever the terrain is flat, there are many buildings and courtyards situated on it.
Along the way, they encountered many disciples who would stop to look at Lu Cheng and his companions, bow to the man, and address him as "Uncle Yang".
The man was extremely easygoing with everyone.
While responding to greetings, they will also offer praise or a few words of advice.
Lu Cheng didn't care much at first.
But it was later discovered that this person could actually call every disciple who passed by by name, and the guidance he offered made those disciples happy.
The Dongyang Sect occupies a vast area of 600 li of Lingbi Mountain and has a large number of disciples.
An elder in the Body Refinement Realm who can remember the situation of each disciple and is willing to give guidance is truly dedicated.
The group reached the summit in less than half an hour.
The summit is open and spacious, with a lower elevation in the south and a higher elevation in the north. Several buildings are built on the mountainside, and the entire ground is paved with bluestone slabs.
In the center stands a grand hall with green tiles and red walls, and a plaque inscribed with the three characters "Juyun Hall".
There is a side hall on each side, which looks like a steward's office.
Behind the side hall are two more three-story pavilions facing each other, with upturned eaves and corners, nestled among the pines and cypresses.
Yang Shou led Lu Cheng and the other three to the outside of the left side hall and called out towards the inside:
"Who is in charge today?"
Inside the hall, a thin man of about eighteen or nineteen years old stood up from behind his desk upon hearing the sound and quickly walked out.
The man was dressed in a blue silk robe with a belt around his waist, and he was holding a pen in his hand.
Upon exiting the door and seeing the visitor, the man cupped his hands in a respectful greeting:
"Uncle Yang."
Yang Shou nodded with a smile:
"So it's Junior Nephew Liu."
As he spoke, he turned to the side and pointed at Lu Cheng and the other three:
"These are disciples sent from Cuiyun Temple in Yangcheng County. They will be practicing in our sect for three years. You can make arrangements, register them, assign them accommodations, and explain the daily rules to them."
After saying that, he turned to Lu Cheng and the other three:
"This is Liu Cong, a disciple of the Hall of Affairs at Juyun Peak. Let him show you around Juyun Peak first. If you need anything in the future, you can contact him directly."
After giving his instructions, he left again with Xuanming and the other two.
As a subordinate sect of the Dongyang Sect, Cuiyun Temple was a place where Xuanming and his companions naturally had to pay their respects to elders and sect leaders like Yun Huizi.
Liu Cong watched Yang Shou and his men walk away into the distance.
Only after they were out of sight did he turn around, glance at Lu Cheng and the other three, smile and point to the side hall behind him, then turn and walk into the hall.
"Come with me."
The room was simply furnished, with several bookshelves filled with books against the wall.
There were only a few long tables in the open space in front of the bookshelves, one of which had books spread out on it.
Liu Cong pulled a booklet from a bookshelf, sat back down at his desk, opened it, and dipped his brush in ink:
"Name, age, cultivation level, original sect, family situation, and whether or not you are married, the more detailed the better."
Pang Ju, Zhang Lin, and Xiao Yue each gave a brief account of their own situation.
When it was Lu Cheng's turn, Liu Cong looked extremely surprised:
"Changfeng Escort Agency, you've reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining? Brother Lu, you're incredibly skilled!"
Seeing this, Zhang Lin excitedly interjected:
"Yes, Senior Brother Lu is the number one among the younger generation in Yangcheng!"
"A month ago, I defeated two martial artists at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, including the captain of the Zhenwu Camp, and won 30,000 taels of silver and 10,000 doses of Blood-Activating Powder. I even won over a thousand pills of various kinds for the Body Refining stage!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Cong froze behind the desk, only reacting when a drop of ink dripped from his brush with a "splat":
"Ah, really? Truly, heroes emerge from among the young."
He then dipped his brush in ink again and began to write.
But for some reason, my hand kept shaking, and I even wrote two words incorrectly.
He only calmed down after registering Lu Cheng's information and said:
"The Dongyang Sect charges 2,000 taels of silver annually for tuition, and 50 taels per month for food and lodging, not including cultivation elixirs."
"In addition, sect members need to purchase their own clothing and daily necessities from the Mundane Hall."
So expensive!
Lu Cheng and the other three exchanged glances, all shocked by the exorbitant cost of the tuition.
Zhang Lin hesitated for a moment and asked:
"We were given the opportunity to cultivate at the Dongyang Sect by Senior Yun Huizi. Do we need to pay tuition fees like other disciples?"
Their three spots were earned through thirty years of offerings to Cuiyun Temple, so paying an additional two thousand taels for tuition would be a real loss.
Liu Cong gave a surprised "hmm," his tone and expression revealing a hint of mockery:
"That's natural."
"The entire Dongyang Prefecture has nearly a hundred counties and a population of hundreds of millions, yet the Dongyang Sect only accepts a few disciples each year?"
"So many people would fight tooth and nail for just one spot."
"You should know that the Dharma is not easily passed on. You've already been extremely lucky to have this opportunity. Do you really think you can take advantage of the sect?"
Before Zhang Lin could say anything more, Liu Cong changed his expression:
"What, Junior Brother Zhang, do you think I'm lying to you?"
"This two thousand taels is not what I want. Sect construction and the cultivation of our teachers all require money."
"I would say the same thing even in front of my grandmaster Yun Huizi."
As he spoke, he raised his hand:
"If you don't want to pay, we won't force you. Just go back to where you came from."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lin dared not refute any further.
Pang Ju immediately apologized to ease the tension:
"No, no, we're just a little unfamiliar with the rules, please don't be offended, Senior Brother Liu."
"Hmph, good that you understand." Liu Cong stood up, slightly annoyed, and put the booklet back on the bookshelf.
"To be honest, what does your two thousand taels amount to? All the sect wants is an attitude."
"However, you don't need to worry too much. Once you make contributions to the sect, you will be able to receive corresponding reductions."
"Besides, once I become a body-refining martial artist, making money won't be difficult, will it?"
As he spoke, he found the keys to the four people's house:
"Let's go, I'll take you to your lodgings, and on the way I'll tell you about the Dongyang Sect's rules and requirements."
The five people left the side hall, but instead of going down the mountain along the previous path, they took another path behind the hall.
On the way, Liu Cong's mouth never stopped.
They talked for a full quarter of an hour, and it was all about the so-called "rules" and "precautions".
It also includes information on the personalities, preferences, cultivation techniques, and daily travel routes of the various elders and peak masters.
Lu Cheng found it increasingly strange as he listened.
Sure enough, once they reached a secluded spot, Liu Cong furtively took out a booklet:
"This is all the information about the Dongyang Sect that I have compiled for you, brother."
"Besides the sect rules that I didn't have time to talk about, the information about the elders, peak masters, and even the sect leader and the other three elders is also included."
"With this booklet, you can quickly integrate into the Dongyang Sect, and even become a disciple of Elder Lian Shen, just like Junior Sister Du Ruo—no, Martial Aunt!"
"If this works out, not only will tuition be waived, but we won't have to worry about the three- or five-year terms either."
Zhang Lin's face lit up with joy, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Liu," and reached out to take it.
Liu Cong quickly snatched the booklet back, and raised a finger with his other hand:
"Considering you're from the same hometown as Junior Uncle Du Ruo, here's a hundred taels of silver for you."
"That's equivalent to twenty-five taels per person. How about that, pretty good deal, right?"
Zhang Lin was dumbfounded.
Pang Ju and Xiao Yue were also stunned.
Even if they were stupid, they would know that Liu Cong was just trying to swindle money from the four of them.
Even after realizing what had happened, seeing Liu Cong's expression, Pang Ju gritted his teeth, took out a hundred-tael silver note from his bag and handed it over.
Liu Cong immediately smiled and quickly took the silver note.
"Let's go, it's getting late. You should all get some rest today. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the cultivation technique pavilion to choose your cultivation techniques."
Upon hearing this, the group immediately suppressed their displeasure.
With the Earth-rank cultivation technique right before his eyes, even Lu Cheng put aside his surprise and displeasure.
A great deal of anticipation welled up in my heart.