“You have received a considerable sum. For this kind of work. You’re a hard worker and have brought up more goods than any other sect member. That has saved the sect some money, which has added to your contribution.”
“Oh.” Wu Ying grinned. “How do I tell how much I’ve received?’
Elder Huang snorted slightly, reaching into his robe and pulling out a small jade stamp. He palmed it for a second before tossing the jade stamp to Wu Ying, who caught it deftly. “Bring it to any of the services you wish to use. They will let you know your total. Do not lose the stamp, or else you would lose all your points. You may have tomorrow afternoon off.”
Wu Ying bowed once again, lower than ever this time. The Elder snorted, shaking his head as he turned around, muttering about idiot teenage boys. Once Elder Huang was gone, Wu Ying found himself dancing a little. An afternoon off! And contribution points! Now the question was, who to ask about what he could spend it on?
Tou He unfortunately was as ignorant as Wu Ying. But unlike Wu Ying, his ignorance was based on a conscious decision to ignore the entire issue.
“Don’t you want to be an inner sect member?” Wu Ying said with a frown as they spoke over lunch.
As usual, the pair was sitting together after martial arts and cultivation training. By this point, their martial arts training had progressed to studying forms for different weapons and repeating those forms till they had each memorized. However, Senior Chi Shing had indicated that they would begin the sparring portion of their training very soon.
“I do. But there is no rush,” Tou He said.
“Yes, there is,” Wu Ying said.
“Why?”
“Because you might be kicked out otherwise!”
“They only remove the bottom hundred. So long as our cultivation level is high and has progressed and we consistently contribute to the sect, we are safe.” Tou He inclined his head slightly, looking at Wu Ying curiously. “I thought all your work with Elder Huang was for that purpose.”
“No. I just forgot about the library.” Wu Ying scratched his head. “And I didn’t really get a briefing on my options when I came.”
“Really? Your sponsor offered nothing?” Tou He looked pityingly at Wu Ying. “Well, as I have the afternoon free, shall we work on your knowledge lapse?”
“Sure. But who do we ask?” Wu Ying said.
Really, Wu Ying only knew a few people. Senior Chi Sing had no desire to spend time with them. Wu Ying could not bother any of the Elders he knew with such a trivial matter, especially Elder Cheng. After all, Elder Cheng would have already spoken to him on this if he intended to. As for Fairy Yang… well, he had heard rumors that she had entered secluded cultivation to break into the Core Formation stage. At this juncture, it was impossible for her to speak with anyone. And really, Wu Ying remembered the cold, beautiful woman who had led him here and shuddered. No. Not her. That left…
“Senior Lee?” Wu Ying muttered to himself. She had been nice that time he bumped into her. They had even exchanged greetings when they had seen one another around. She seemed, unlike so many others, accessible at least.
“You know someone?” Tou He said with a smile.
“Maybe.”
“Then let us go! I’d rather not see Elder Yun again if possible.”
“Eat first!” Wu Ying said, jabbing his chopsticks at Tou He, who had risen.
The ex-monk flushed and sat back down, rubbing his bald head apologetically. Wu Ying rolled his eyes but suited action to words.
Finding Senior Lee was easier than expected and only required them to interact with two other seniors and run one extra errand. It was a good result, considering how most inner sect members liked to make outer sect members who bothered them run random errands. Senior Lee herself was actually at home at the time, seated in the inner courtyard of the small house she had been provided as an inner sect member.
“Wu Ying, was it not?” Senior Lee greeted Wu Ying after the pair had entered and made their own greetings.
“Yes, Senior.”
“Why did you look for me?” Liu Tsong asked.
Her hand absently came up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear, distracting Wu Ying for a second. One of the dangers of joining the sect was the sheer amount of distraction the women in the sect provided. Cultivation cleared the skin, perfected the body, and made one more “true” to who they were meant to be. In most cases, that meant making said person more beautiful. But like any good thing, constant exposure had increased the boy’s resistance and he quickly shook off his enchantment.
“We were hoping Senior Lee would be willing to provide some guidance,” Wu Ying said.
“Guidance? Well, you’d normally speak with the Elder—or the Senior they assigned—for that,” Liu Tsong said doubtfully.
“I have not seen Elder Cheng since he offered me this position months ago,” Wu Ying said with a bob of his head. “And Fairy Yang is in seclusion.”
“Oh, Elder Cheng!” Liu Tsong exclaimed, as if his name explained everything. When Wu Ying and Tou He looked at her blankly, Liu Tsong smiled. “Elder Cheng is known for his eccentricities. He believes in the Dharma of Fate and expects that those picked by him are either fated to progress or not. As such, he does not belief in providing further help. Of course, all that means is that the other Elders and Seniors take up the burden of helping his recruits. If they wish, of course.”
Wu Ying groaned slightly before he stopped, glancing fearfully at Liu Tsong. Liu Tsong just offered a sympathetic smile. Sometimes, actions like his audible groan could be considered a major loss of face for his benefactor. After all, Wu Ying was complaining about him in public. Such actions could be punished, if Senior Liu Tsong felt the need for it. As his initial reaction faded, Wu Ying realized that it was quite possible no other Elder would have chosen him. So perhaps Elder Cheng’s whims were a form of good fortune as well.
“Then will you help us?” Tou He said, getting right to the point.
“Well, I guess so. If it’s only questions,” Liu Tsong said, casually brushing hair out of her eyes with a graceful sweep of her hand. Sadly, her actions were lost on the innocent Wu Ying and had little effect on the ex-monk.
“What kind of facilities do we have access to as outer sect members?” Wu Ying said.
“For now, you have access to the first level of the library, where basic martial arts techniques and some less rare cultivation techniques are available. Of course, you should stick to the Yellow Emperor’s Cultivation System for now, but it is possible to supplement his cultivation system with others if you’re insightful enough. And there are scrolls on the cultivation methods available for the next stage—Energy Storage,” Liu Tsong said, ticking off items on her fingers. “You’ll want to begin practicing those battle techniques soon, if you intend to learn any. When the tournament begins, you’ll want to be well versed in them.”
“Thank you. I was thinking the very same,” Wu Ying said with a nod. “You should train too, Tou He.”
“I have my own techniques,” Tou He said with a shake of his head.
Wu Ying frowned then shrugged. Tou He was particularly cagy about the name of the temple he had come from, though Wu Ying had at least gotten him to admit that it was not the infamous Shaolin or Wudang Temples. But whatever temple it was, Tou He had been practicing for years, which probably would put anything Wu Ying learned in this short period to shame. Anything except for his own sword technique.
“Next, there’s the apothecary. You can trade in your spiritual herbs and minerals, if you have any, for contribution points. But I warn you—they’re very picky about the quality of the herbs, so if you do not know how to care for them, I recommend you just mark the location and sell that information. You can also borrow books about herb gathering there, if you’re interested,” Liu Tsong continued. “In addition, if you’re facing a blockage in your cultivation, you might speak with the apothecaries about a suitable pill. Of course, it’s quite expensive. Truthfully, at the Body Cleansing level, there should be no blockages that time and dedication cannot fix.