Chapter Thirty-one: Senior Brother, Like a Father Doting on His Daughter’s Education
In front of Shop Number Thirteen in the Xuan Xing Sect marketplace.
“Put that inside, and help me move that vase over here! For the beds, five per room inside, and the screens too…”
A handsome youth stood at the entrance, directing a group of strong servants to tidy up the shop he had just rented.
While Pei Lianxue and Feng Yu Die participated in the sect selection, Ye Anping had been tirelessly working for his physiotherapy shop. After all, this shop was their future source of income.
He had spent these past two days inquiring around the marketplace. Normally, disciples who successfully passed the sect selection would be provided with resources by the Xuan Xing Sect. They wouldn’t need spirit stones for their daily expenses, would receive free pills every month, and would even be custom-fitted with spirit swords and spirit taming items in the future.
However, his junior sister was different. As a companion reader disciple, she was required to pay tuition fees. And it wasn’t just tuition. Eating at the Xuan Xing Sect cafeteria required spirit stones. Using the training grounds required spirit stones. Buying clothes required spirit stones, and even accommodation had a fee.
It was essentially like his previous life’s private school, but at the price of an elite academy, without any scholarships or financial aid. Therefore, as a senior brother, he had to work hard to earn more spirit stones to support Pei Lianxue’s and his own cultivation at the Xuan Xing Sect.
He had considered asking his father for some financial assistance, but he felt a bit embarrassed. Relying on parents in this world of cultivation… It was also a chance to gain experience by striving on his own. Worst case scenario, he could always return home and inherit his father’s Hundred Lotus Sect.
“Hoo—” Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ye Anping looked at the sign of his “Ye’s Physiotherapy Hall” with great satisfaction. He knew that if Ye Ao found out he was doing physiotherapy outside, he would definitely chase him down with a flying sword to spank him. But…
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone!” He patted the door panels and took out several jars of wine and food from his storage bag. “I bought some drinks and roasted chicken and duck. Come and eat after you’re done!”
“Got it! Thanks, boss!” The “construction worker” in the lead grinned, and his work became twice as efficient. At this rate, with a little bit of overtime tonight, his physiotherapy center could open by tomorrow.
Stretching his shoulders, Ye Anping checked the sky. It was almost the next day, so he prepared to eat a late snack with the craftsmen and then rest in the inner room. He figured the sword test should be over by now. According to the game’s plot, Senior Sister Bai Yuexin should be hiding in her room, crying her eyes out. His “Marketplace 20% Discount Coupon” was waiting for him to console her.
As Ye Anping ate roasted chicken, he pondered how he would console Bai Yuexin. He couldn’t enter the sect yet and certainly couldn’t go to Tianyun Peak. If Bai Yuexin remained shut in her room, seeing her would be difficult.
“By the way, boss, what is this physiotherapy center for? We’ve been working in this marketplace for decades, and this is the first time we’ve heard of a physiotherapy center.”
“It’s massage.”
“Massage? Isn’t that something from a brothel?”
Ye Anping chuckled and said, “Where do they massage in brothels? I don’t do that. If you’re curious, you can try it out. I’ll give you a 10% discount.”
“How much is a 10% discount?”
“Forty-five spirit stones for twenty minutes.”
“That expensive? We can’t afford it!” The craftsmen shook their heads and stopped talking about it, returning to their meal. Ye Anping didn’t mind. His intended customers were the Xuan Xing Sect disciples, and this price was just the reward for one mission for them.
He quietly took out an account book and began calculating with his spiritual energy. “Three thousand spirit stones, minus rent, renovation… Junior sister’s tuition, miscellaneous fees… It’s all gone, sigh—” Ye Anping complained inwardly. Why couldn’t that Wu You bring more spirit stones when he left?
He then remembered that Wang Shouren had told him when he visited the Hundred Lotus Sect that he could claim a reward using Wu You’s identity token at the Xuan Xing Sect’s administrative office. But he couldn’t possibly do that. If he claimed the reward with Wu You’s identity token, anyone around could easily find out that a cultivator named Ye Anping had claimed a reward using Wu You’s identity token. It would be easy to infer that he had looted Wu You’s storage bag. He was currently at the Qi Refining Stage, carrying a pile of magical artifacts belonging to a Core Formation Stage cultivator. If this were exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable. He really had no easy way to deal with those magical artifacts right now.
“Sigh—” Ye Anping sighed again.
At that moment, a small hand gently patted his shoulder. “Can… can you give me another physiotherapy session? Like last time… *hiss*—”
Ye Anping was startled. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed someone sneak up behind him. When he turned his head and saw a desolate-looking woman, he didn’t immediately recognize her.
“…”
“*Hiss*— *Hiss*—”
“White… Senior White?”
“Mhm.” Bai Yuexin pursed her lips and nodded.
“You… what’s wrong?” Ye Anping looked her up and down, disbelief etched on his face. He knew Bai Yuexin would be disheartened by Feng Yu Die, but she didn’t just look crestfallen; she looked utterly defeated. Bai Yuexin was like Meng Jiang Nü, who wept so hard the Great Wall collapsed; she exuded an aura of deep sorrow. Even some craftsmen drinking and eating roasted chicken couldn’t help but move their stools further away with reverence.
Ye Anping thought for a moment, quickly grabbed a plate of roasted chicken, and tossed a bag of spirit stones to the craftsmen. “Eat up, everyone! This is today’s wages. Distribute it amongst yourselves. If it’s not enough, come find me tomorrow.”
“Got it!” After giving instructions, he immediately took Bai Yuexin’s hand, holding roasted chicken in the other, and led her into the physiotherapy center.
Looking at the current decor of the physiotherapy center, Bai Yuexin weakly asked, “How much is one physiotherapy session?”
“This…” Ye Anping hesitated for a moment, then smiled, “It’s not open yet today, so it’s free.”
“That won’t do…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Didn’t Senior give me a hand in vetting the shop application? This is just a thank you.”
Ye Anping guided Bai Yuexin into the inner room, had her lie down on a bed, and then lit an incense burner. “Senior, please lie down and relax.”
“Mm…”
