Although he hadn’t appeared in the cultivation world for several years, Wang Tong felt his luck in grabbing red envelopes was still just as bad as before.
“Designated magical tool eighty percent discount voucher.”
“Special price magical robe discount coupon.”
Wang Tong opened the pouches and looked at the discount vouchers bearing the Yuxiao Sect’s seal. Sorrow welled up from his heart. The discount vouchers were indeed very good, but he fundamentally couldn’t afford things from Yuxiao Sect.
Any random magical robe cost several hundred to a thousand spirit stones. Never mind eighty percent—even at ten percent, his heart would still twist like a knife. He turned his head to look at his two disciples. One had a fifty spirit stone exchange voucher inside, the other had an eighty spirit stone exchange voucher. These were much more practical than so-called discount coupons. Unfortunately, treacherous large sects like Yuxiao Sect would never distribute too many exchange vouchers.
Wang Tong stuffed the discount voucher back into the pouch, working hard not to reveal his jealous emotions. On the cultivation path, strength was very important. Though fortune was something mysterious and intangible, everyone wanted to have good luck.
When he first took on these two disciples, he had even disdained these two children for having ordinary root bones. Who knew these two children would have exceptionally good fortune? Their cultivation speed was no worse than those heaven’s favored children within the sect, to the point that others in the sect all said he had used up all his luck in this lifetime on accepting two disciples with good fortune.
Fortunately, these two disciples were filial and often stood up to help him resolve difficulties when his funds were tight. Thinking of it this way, Wang Tong’s heart was happy again. What belonged to his disciples belonged to him too. The meat was still in the pot even if it stewed to pieces.
“Master.” A soft childish voice sounded. The little girl with loose hair hugged a pile of pouches, her round face scrunching up like a bun. “I can’t hold them anymore.”
“Put them in here.” Tan Feng found a cloth bag and had Kong Hou toss the pouches inside, then held her hand and said: “Little martial sister has such good luck. Let’s go back to the inn and open them slowly.”
“Mm.” Kong Hou nodded, very curious about these pouches. “Can these pouches be exchanged for a lot of money?”
Tan Feng wanted to say this was actually Yuxiao Sect’s promotional method for selling their own magical tools, pills, and other items. However, facing little martial sister’s expectant gaze, he nodded against his conscience: “Mm, they can. Little martial sister has such good luck. We couldn’t catch this many red envelopes.”
Children—adults just needed to praise them more.
Kong Hou was very happy hearing Tan Feng’s words. She had just arrived in the cultivation world and could already grab so many useful red envelopes. Master and martial brothers would definitely like her even more.
Arriving at the inn, after the novelty of the inn wore off, Kong Hou sat properly upright in her chair and said to Wang Tong and the three others: “Although you didn’t grab too many pouches, don’t be sad. When I open them later and get good things, I’ll share them with you.”
Wang Tong held his teacup and silently drank tea. The deceitful merchant Yuxiao Sect was going to make his little disciple happy for nothing.
“Really?” Tan Feng cooperatively displayed a pleasantly surprised expression. “That’s wonderful.”
“Mm.” Kong Hou nodded emphatically. “I keep my word.” She wasn’t a two or three-year-old child. If she said she’d share, she’d share. She absolutely wouldn’t go back on her word.
Having made this solemn promise, Kong Hou began opening the pouches. Halfway through, she looked up at Tan Feng: “Second martial brother, I’ll open them for you to see, okay?”
“Okay.” Tan Feng was very interested in playing the game of opening red envelopes with little martial sister.
“Ten spirit stone exchange voucher.”
“Twenty spirit stone exchange voucher.”
Wang Tong raised his eyelids to look at his second disciple. It seemed that during the years he wasn’t in the cultivation world, second disciple had saved quite a nest egg and could take out this many spirit stones to humor a child.
“One… one hundred spirit stone exchange voucher.” Tan Feng picked up the teacup on the table and moistened his throat.
This time even Cheng Yi began to look at Tan Feng sideways. Little martial sister still had a pile of pouches to open. Was martial brother planning to greatly empty his pockets just to coax martial sister into a smile?
“Magical robe exchange voucher.”
Wang Tong couldn’t help but pull at his second disciple’s sleeve, using a sound transmission technique: “Little Second, Yuxiao Sect’s magical robes are very expensive. Kong Hou is still small and at the age of growing taller. Isn’t wearing such good clothes somewhat extravagant?”
“Master…” Tan Feng pushed various exchange vouchers in front of Wang Tong, his expression extremely subtle. “Little martial sister really won them.”
Looking at the spirit stone exchange vouchers one after another, Tan Feng stared at Wang Tong suspiciously: “Master, did you discover little martial sister had good fortune and so abducted and deceived her from the mortal realm?”
“Nonsense. Is this master that kind of person?” Wang Tong smiled as he touched the spirit stone exchange vouchers on the table.
Tan Feng: …
That actually seemed quite likely.
After going through all the pouches, Master Wang Tong and his three disciples calculated for Kong Hou. She could exchange for nearly five hundred spirit stones, plus a magical robe exchange voucher worth at least five hundred spirit stones. This truly counted as a windfall from heaven.
Wang Tong felt even more heartbroken. Who would have thought that his little disciple, having been in the cultivation world for less than two hours, was already richer than him? What dignity did he have left as a master?
“Oh right.” Kong Hou felt around in her sleeve and pulled out a golden pouch. “This was also caught just now. What’s it for?”
Staring at this golden pouch, Wang Tong finally couldn’t suppress his jealous feelings.
A golden pouch—the golden pouch that Yuxiao Sect only distributed one of every New Year’s Eve—this year’s was actually in his disciple’s hands?
After a long silence, Wang Tong slapped the table and stood up.
“Master?” Kong Hou was sharing spirit stone exchange vouchers with her two martial brothers and was badly startled by Wang Tong’s action. She stared at Wang Tong with her shiny black eyes wide.
“When we return tomorrow, this master will go register at the Five Elements Hall and arrange your discipleship ceremony.” Wang Tong said, “The sooner the better.”
Kong Hou nodded repeatedly: “Okay, okay.”
After saying this, she pushed the spirit stone exchange vouchers in front of Wang Tong: “Master, this is for you.”
One hundred fifty spirit stones.
Wang Tong looked at the spirit stone exchange vouchers, then looked at the little girl before him smiling with complete innocence. He smiled and touched her head: “You keep them. How can a little girl not have spending money on her?”
Kong Hou was puzzled: “But I promised to share with you.”
“Silly child, what you gave this master, this master received. These…” Wang Tong worked hard to move his gaze away from the spirit stone exchange vouchers. “These are Master’s goodwill. Gifts from elders cannot be declined. Understand?”
Kong Hou thought for a moment and figured out this “you give me, I give you back” cause and effect relationship: “Thank you, Master. You’re so good.”
Wang Tong helplessly touched her head. How could this child be so naive? If he were a cultivator with evil intentions, this child would probably be ruined for life.
Sigh, he’d better worry more in the future.
Late at night, lying on an unfamiliar carved flower bed, Kong Hou couldn’t quite fall asleep. She felt under her pillow and pulled out the golden pouch. Inside was a jade stone the size of a thumb. Holding it in her hand felt very comfortable. Her whole body felt light and airy, as if lying on feathers. Master said this was a stone that helped dredge meridians and activate channels. Wearing it on the body was beneficial for cultivation.
What was cultivation?
Was it like the protagonists in cultivation story books, sitting cross-legged to comprehend the spiritual energy and five elements of the eight directions and six unions? Thinking this, she climbed up from the bed and sat cross-legged for a while. She didn’t sense spiritual energy, only felt cold, and her legs were very numb.
Dejectedly lying back under the covers, Kong Hou began to worry again. What if she had no cultivation talent? Would Master and martial brothers send her back to the imperial palace?
But…
She touched the stone that made her feel very comfortable. She would rather stay in this cultivation world where she understood nothing than return to that resplendent and magnificent imperial palace.
No one there liked her, and no one cared about her.
Tossing and turning on the bed thinking for a long time, Kong Hou finally fell into a deep sleep. She had a dream. She dreamed Emperor Jing Hong led a large army charging into the imperial palace. She ran alone through a long alley, running for a very long time without finding an exit.
The sounds of slaughter were right behind her. She kept running and running, finally seeing a door. This door was wide open. Behind the door were pure white clouds, chirping and singing birds, and endless freedom.
“Little martial sister.”
Kong Hou opened her eyes and stared blankly at the gauze canopy.
“Little martial sister, I’m coming in.”
After another while, Tan Feng came in carrying a set of clothes. Seeing Kong Hou still lying in bed, he smiled and said: “Still lazing in bed? I’ve asked for a woman to come comb your hair. Can you dress yourself?”
“Second martial brother.” Kong Hou blinked and nodded. “I can dress myself.”
“Then I’ll go out first. You don’t need to rush.” Tan Feng put down the clothes. After walking out of the room and closing the door, he said to Cheng Yi waiting outside: “The little girl is already awake. How did you know little martial sister couldn’t comb her own hair?”
“She’s the imperial princess who helped Master successfully pass his tribulation.” Cheng Yi brought Tan Feng to his own room. “Though she may not have had it too good in the palace, things like combing hair—they shouldn’t have made her do it, and she wouldn’t know how.” If she could tie her own hair, she wouldn’t have let her hair hang loose all last night.
“Then what do we do when we return to the sect?” Tan Feng shook his head repeatedly. “I don’t know how to comb hair for little girls.”
Cheng Yi stared at Tan Feng for a long while before saying with a straight face: “I don’t know how either.”
The two martial brothers looked at each other, never having imagined that the first difficulty in raising little martial sister would be combing her hair.
Kong Hou got up from bed and changed into the clothes second martial brother had brought. The clothes had fuzzy edges at the collar. After Kong Hou put them on, she looked like a baby fox spirit that had just taken human form. Even people who didn’t like children would have to praise her as cute.
The woman who came to comb hair praised Kong Hou repeatedly after seeing her. On top of her bun, she tied two fuzzy little balls. Now she looked even more like a baby fox demon.
Master Wang Tong and his disciples, seeing Kong Hou after she changed clothes, finally understood why some fellow sect members liked to show off their children or little disciples.
“It’s snowing outside.” Cheng Yi walked before Kong Hou. “This brother will hold your hand as we walk.”
Kong Hou placed her soft little hand in Cheng Yi’s hand. Cheng Yi’s face showed a satisfied smile: “Let’s go. Martial brother will take you shopping.”
Wang Tong: …
Disciple, half an hour ago, when this master wanted to buy a few more sets of clothes, you said you didn’t bring enough spirit stones with you.
This unfilial disciple!
Giving things to young cute creatures was a biological instinct many adults couldn’t control. Cheng Yi bought several sets of fuzzy winter clothes for little martial sister before summoning his flying sword. To Wang Tong, whom he had forgotten for a long time, he said: “Master, shall we return?”
Wang Tong shook out the magnificent clothing he had newly changed into and maintained the bearing of an expert with a straight face: “Mm.”
He wanted to let the entire sect know that he, Wang Tong, had returned in glory, and moreover had directly skipped the Nascent Soul stage to become an Out-of-Body stage great power.