Passing through the main gates, Cheng Yu made her way toward the side compound.
She eventually arrived in front of a fairly decent courtyard. Stepping under the moonlight, she approached her room and gently pushed the door open, careful not to wake anyone.
Yet the moment she closed the door and turned around, she found a woman standing before her with a dark, sullen face.
Cheng Yu's pupils contracted the instant she recognized her.
Before she could speak, the woman's eyes flared with venom, and her hand whipped downward.
*Smack!*
A crisp, loud slap rang out.
Cheng Yu stumbled sideways, barely keeping her footing.
Before she could right herself, a hand seized her by the hair, dragging her head upward with brute force as a shrill voice hissed, "Useless trash! How did you fail to win a qualification spot?
"What have you been doing all these years?
"I spent so many spirit sources nurturing you—what did you do with them?
"Why couldn't you even secure a single spot?"
Her voice was vicious and frantic with rage, as if she wanted to devour her alive.
Forced to crane her neck, Cheng Yu stared at the woman in terror, completely at a loss for words.
*Smack!*
Another ringing slap landed.
Then she was hurled roughly to the floor.
Cheng Yu sat there with her head bowed, not daring to rise.
"I worked so hard to please them, fighting tooth and nail to secure all those spirit sources for you. And what were you doing? With so many spirit sources poured into you, you couldn't even beat those paupers?" The woman glared down at Cheng Yu and screamed, "Speak! I told you to speak!"
*Smack!*
Yet another slap came down.
A trickle of blood now leaked from the corner of Cheng Yu's mouth.
Still, she kept her head down and said nothing.
"Ever since you were young, I taught you how to scheme, how to strike at people's weaknesses, how to disguise yourself, and how to seize opportunities.
"I not only taught you, but I also provided you with spirit sources and hunted down more spells for you. And this is how you repay me?
"Even raising a pig wouldn't end in such a miserable state." Fire blazed in the woman's eyes as she glared at Cheng Yu. "What, do you dislike being a young mistress? Do you hate being a genius? Do you despise having people respect you?
"Do you want to be like me—a concubine waiting hand and foot on others just to scrounge for scraps of dignity?
"Without a qualification spot, without entering a sect, what the hell are you?
"You're just a servant girl! Those young masters and mistresses would feel degraded even speaking to you!
"Do you understand?
"Do you have any idea what you've thrown away?
"You threw away your only chance to change your origins!
"How could I give birth to a wretched thing like you?
"I pinned all my hopes on you, and this is how you repay me?
"I shouldn't have raised you back then! I shouldn't have softened my heart when you said you wanted to cultivate, bending over backward just to provide for you!"
With that, the woman sank onto the floor and began to weep.
"Do you understand what kind of life we'll lead once I fall out of favor? Only if you join a sect can we truly gain a foothold here.
"Only then will we count as real human beings." Despair washed over the woman's voice. "I'll be old soon. Once my youth fades, I won't be able to protect you at all.
"Do you understand, or don't you?
"I've offended so many people just to compete for favor.
"You don't understand anything at all."
Sobbing filled the room, heavy with suffocating pressure.
It felt like an endless pit of despair.
***
For Jiang Man, the half-month break consisted entirely of cultivating and earning spirit stones.
He could now earn ninety spirit sources a day.
Aside from the hours spent earning spirit stones, every moment was dedicated to cultivation.
The new technique, the Morning Light Qi-Linking Method, was indeed harder to grasp than the Simplified Qi-Linking Method.
Fortunately, it was not as obscure and convoluted as a superior-grade method. After pondering it for a day or two, he began his cultivation.
In just one day, he progressed from layer one to layer six of the Qi-Linking Method.
In three days, he successfully reached layer nine.
Starting from the tenth layer, his progress slowed somewhat.
On the fifth day, he broke through to layer ten.
On the seventh day, he attained layer eleven.
Jiang Man let out a breath of relief.
Afterward, lighting the lamps in the Spirit Gathering Hall became much easier.
It no longer placed any strain on his body.
Throughout these days, he had been waiting to see if anyone would come looking for him.
According to Fang Yong, someone should have approached him for talks.
After all, he was the top rank of his courtyard.
Regrettably, no one came looking for him all the way through the end of the twelfth month.
Not until the first day of the first month.
A new year had begun.
The Yunqian Division grew bustling once more.
During the half-month break, many had returned home.
Only those from distant villages chose to remain in the Yunqian Division.
Going back not only cost time and effort, disrupting cultivation, but also hindered earning spirit sources.
Thus, staying in the Yunqian Division was the most sensible choice.
Besides, Jiang Man hardly remembered where his home village was anymore.
They had likely forgotten him as well.
Putting such thoughts out of his mind, Jiang Man swept the stable clean and headed for the Sixth Courtyard.
Along the way, he noticed that quite a few people looked dispirited, though the majority had not been affected by the spots.
After all, most had known from the very beginning that they stood no chance of winning a spot.
They were simply focused on advancing their cultivation and seeking other paths.
Just as Jiang Man arrived at the Sixth Courtyard, Zhao Leming called him over.
This took him by surprise.
"You took first place in our courtyard, ranked fourteenth in Qingyun Pavilion, secured a qualification spot for the sect assessment, and hail from a village," Zhao Leming said, looking at Jiang Man. "Several prominent families consider you good material and are willing to provide you with resources, but they have their conditions."
Saying that, he produced three sheets of paper and handed them to Jiang Man. "Take a look at these. They are the offers laid out by the Li family, the Cheng family, and the Luo family.
"If you agree, you can sign a contract with them.
"Also, for any student cultivator of the Yunqian Division who has secured a qualification spot, formal contracts like these must be executed through the Yunqian Division.
"Whether more offers will follow later is hard to say.
"Some people soar straight to the clouds, while others fade into obscurity. You must weigh this carefully.
"Furthermore, among these three families, the Li family has the deepest foundation.
"Your future with them would be better, but their offer is not high."
Jiang Man was quite surprised. Someone really had approached him after all.
It turned out the proposals had been delivered straight to Zhao Leming.
He picked up the sheets and reviewed their contents.
Jiang Man discovered that the Li family's terms were very straightforward: should he enter the sect, he would have to serve the Li family for ten years and unconditionally aid their members three times within the sect.
In return, starting from now, they would provide him five thousand spirit sources each month as sponsorship.
If he failed to enter the sect, he would have to repay all the spirit sources he had received.
If he could not afford to repay them, he would have to serve as a guard for the Li family for thirty years to clear the debt.
After reading the Li family's terms, Jiang Man looked at the Cheng family's.
The Cheng family's condition was that if he managed to enter the sect, a daughter of the Cheng family would be given to him in marriage; however, his firstborn son would have to join the Cheng family and take their name.
In addition, he would have to act as a dao protector for the Cheng family's disciples in the sect for fifteen years, obeying their commands.
The resources they offered were five Spirit Gathering Pills, three Qi-Blood Pills, one Mind Concentration Pill, and three thousand spirit sources each month.
If he failed to enter the sect, he would have to enter the Cheng family and serve them for thirty years.
The Cheng family's offer was quite generous, offering a wife, pills, and spirit sources.
It carried substantial value.
However, Jiang Man had no intention of considering it. Spending fifteen years as a dao protector bound to obey their orders sounded far too perilous.
Next, Jiang Man turned to the final sheet.
The Luo family's terms.
He would have to participate in the sect assessment under the Luo family's name. If he passed, he would have to marry into the Luo family as a matrilocal son-in-law, continuing to receive their sponsorship.
If he failed to pass the assessment, he could still marry into the family, but he would have to spend his entire life serving the Luo family.
Their offer consisted of five Spirit Gathering Pills, five Qi-Blood Pills, five Mind Concentration Pills, Luo family spells, the Luo family Qi-Linking Method, the Luo family Qi-Blood Method, instruction from Luo family powerhouses, and one thousand spirit sources each month.
Chapter 55