Chapter 410 - 263: Tuition Fee or Protection Fee? (2)

So, it was perfectly normal for them to quickly cultivate to the True Qi Realm.

Of course, though they were all at the True Qi Realm, their actual combat prowess was no match for that of a Martial Artist.

Take this short-haired woman, for instance. Zou Feng could probably kill at least three of her with a single palm strike.

However, even though the natives of the Eastern Earth Immortal Realm were no match for Martial Artists from the Outer Realm in terms of combat strength, that didn’t stop the vast majority of them from looking down on them.

Their confidence stemmed from nothing more than their belief that they were younger and had more potential.

Zou Feng nodded and said, "Miss, I’m from the Great Yan Dynasty."

"Great Yan Dynasty? Never heard of it!"

"And another thing, show some respect. Am I someone you can just call ’Miss’? It’s Senior Sister to you!"

Zou Feng had no intention of starting a conflict with her. Since she had indeed joined the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect before him, he calmly replied, "Greetings, Senior Sister."

Seeing that Zou Feng was reasonably obedient, the short-haired woman’s expression softened slightly.

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now that you’re living in Courtyard No. 9, the first thing you should do is go pay your respects to Brother Yang."

Wherever there are people, there is Jianghu.

The Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect was massive. Whether in the Outer Sect or the Inner Sect, forming cliques and factions was hardly anything new.

Even though this was just a courtyard belonging to the Taian Mountain Dining Hall, the Brother Yang she mentioned was clearly the equivalent of Courtyard No. 9’s "Courtyard Master."

Zou Feng was already mentally prepared for this.

’A bit of Jianghu conflict was a good thing. Otherwise, his patrons on the list would have fewer and fewer reasons to support him.’

But Zou Feng didn’t want to appear too much like a maverick, nor did he want to bait them into a confrontation just to make a point.

It was no problem to play along with some harmless social customs, as long as they didn’t interfere with his cultivation.

"As it should be!"

"I hope Senior Sister can show me where Brother Yang is now?"

The short-haired woman glanced at him, a hint of surprise on her face.

In her experience, the vast majority of newcomers from the Outer Realm were arrogant and couldn’t grasp their own situation.

They wouldn’t learn their place until they’d been taught a painful lesson.

’This one, however, seems to have some sense.’

"’Come with me!’ she said, turning and heading down the corridor.

Zou Feng immediately followed. "I am Zou Feng. Might I ask for Senior Sister’s name?"

"Qiu Lan!"

After a few minutes of awkward small talk, Zou Feng was led to Room A of Courtyard No. 9.

Room A was the best in the entire courtyard, with a living room that faced the courtyard’s pond.

"Brother Yang, the newcomer has arrived. This is Zou Feng, Junior Brother Zou!"

"Mm, let him in."

A lazy voice came from inside the room.

’Clearly, Qiu Lan hadn’t brought me to see Brother Yang out of some kind-hearted reminder. She’d been sent by him from the very beginning.’

Entering the room, he saw a man of about thirty wearing a loose brocade robe and powdered makeup. He was leaning back in a recliner, leisurely sipping tea.

Beside him were two maids, one feeding him fruit and the other holding his teacup.

’No one could live in this courtyard without being a member of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.’

’So these two maids had to be Outer Disciples as well.’

’They had probably given up hope of advancement, or for some other reason, had willingly attached themselves to this Brother Yang.’

Zou Feng then stepped forward to pay his respects.

After some polite conversation, Zou Feng learned that this Brother Yang’s name was Yang Haoyu, and he was one of the Head Chefs at the Taian Mountain Dining Hall.

He was especially skilled at preparing various nourishing soups and was quite well-known among the Outer Sect’s Spirit Chefs.

Soon, the small talk ended. Yang Haoyu changed the subject and got straight to the point.

"Junior Brother Zou, are you interested in learning some real skills in the Dining Hall?"

"Real skills?"

Qiu Lan, who was standing to the side, chimed in, "You think being a Spirit Chef is that easy? The ingredients here in the Eastern Earth Immortal Realm have extremely complicated preparation methods."

"Furthermore, if many of these ingredients aren’t handled just right, they can no longer be used and are completely wasted!"

"And you’re held personally responsible for the cost of any wasted Spiritual Food!"

Yang Haoyu chuckled. "Qiu Lan, don’t scare Junior Brother Zou. It’s not that serious. You’re only held accountable after you’ve wasted a certain quota."

"You’ll just be punished with extra work, or fined a point or two of Immortal Fate."

’It might not sound serious, but extra work meant less time for cultivation.’

’And getting fined one or two points of Immortal Fate was even more of a pain, considering Outer Disciples only received a stipend of five points per month.’

"Well..." Zou Feng waited for them to continue.

Yang Haoyu said, "Living in the same courtyard means we’re bound by fate. In fact, here in Courtyard No. 9, we all get along harmoniously, like one big family..."

Qiu Lan chimed in again, continuing their double act. "Don’t you get it, Junior Brother Zou? Brother Yang is willing to teach you the real skills of a Spirit Chef."

"Once you learn these skills, I can’t guarantee you’ll become a Head Chef, but at least you won’t make mistakes as a kitchen helper, and no one will be able to bully you."

’It sounded great. So what’s the catch?’

’They’ve laid enough groundwork... ’

"Of course I’m willing to learn some real skills. It’s just..." Zou Feng deliberately trailed off.

Qiu Lan took the hint and finally revealed their hand. "Brother Yang is busy with his duties in the Dining Hall and also has to focus on his cultivation. He can’t just serve a Junior Brother he’s only just met for free."

"But Brother Yang is a benevolent man and can’t bear to watch new greenhorns like you keep making mistakes."

"The fee is two points of Immortal Fate per month for a two-year term. The contract must be bound to our Tokens as proof."

"Don’t worry, the price is more than fair. You can ask around the other courtyards if you don’t believe me."

Zou Feng cursed inwardly.

’Fucking daylight robbery. Two points of Immortal Fate a month, and I have to sign for two years straight.’

There was no way Zou Feng would accept such terms.

’He was already in a hurry to save up for the Yin-Attraction Art and hadn’t even figured out how to earn Immortal Fate yet. Was he really going to let these people squeeze him for the pathetic little he had?’

’Sure, the rookie mistakes Qiu Lan and Yang Haoyu mentioned were probably real, but they weren’t worth paying such a steep price to avoid.’

’Logically, anyone deemed by the Kouxian Gate to have the aptitude of a Spirit Chef fit for the Dining Hall couldn’t be bad at cooking.’

’Once he started working as a helper in the back kitchen, even if he didn’t know how to process the ingredients at first, he could just observe the other helpers’ techniques and workflow. By drawing parallels, he’d learn soon enough.’

After all, Zou Feng refused to believe that the Spiritual Food prepared for Outer Disciples could be so complex that he couldn’t master it in a short amount of time.

Back on the Flying Celestial Ship, the meals they had were likely the same kind of Spiritual Food commonly eaten by Outer Disciples.

While it was true that Zou Feng had never seen many of the ingredients, to him, it wasn’t a big deal.

If he were to prepare it himself, with his "Hand of Poisoning" ability, he would only make the food more delicious. There was no way he would waste anything.

At this thought, Zou Feng couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on them.

’They were all just Outer Disciples. There was absolutely no need to cower.’

Back when he was a slave in the Yang Mansion, and later when he first joined the Black Flood Dragon Gang, he was just starting out under heavy restrictions. It was only natural to lie low and play it safe.

But things were different now. He had reached the stage of seeking the Dao and pursuing immortal cultivation; he couldn’t let his spirit falter.

’Why should a Seeker of the Dao, one who aspired to eternal life and freedom, have to put up with this kind of bullshit?’

"Thank you, Brother Yang, Senior Sister Qiu!"

"What the two of you said does make sense, but... I refuse," Zou Feng said calmly.

They had been chatting amiably just a moment ago, and Zou Feng’s attitude had been cooperative. Both Yang Haoyu and Qiu Lan had thought the matter was settled, with no need for further persuasion or tricks.

’Who would have thought he’d refuse so decisively?’

After a moment of stunned silence, Qiu Lan’s face fell. "Junior Brother Zou, this is how everyone gets by in the Dining Hall. You don’t actually think we just made all that up to trick you out of your Immortal Fate, do you?"

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Besides, if you learn from Brother Yang, you’ll have the chance to earn even more..."

Qiu Lan was about to further explain the stakes, but Yang Haoyu suddenly waved his hand, cutting her off.

Although Yang Haoyu looked surprised by Zou Feng’s refusal, he didn’t appear angry.

"It’s fine. Since Junior Brother Zou is unwilling, I certainly won’t force him."

"However, should you ever change your mind, Junior Brother Zou, you can come find me at any time," Yang Haoyu said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

’He could see that Zou Feng was a tough nut to crack; mere words would be pointless.’

’But the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect had no shortage of tough nuts.’

’If they insisted on being tough, their only fate was to be boiled into soup.’