Chapter Thirteen: Price Gouging

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Jiang Yao whimpered, leaning into the embrace of Immortal Snow Cloud.
“Mother, please don’t blame my sister. It’s all my fault—I didn’t steady myself.”
Jiang Wan thought to herself: Who says she’s just an ordinary three-year-old? I could stand on my head and eat... elixirs.
“Mother,”
Before she could finish speaking, Immortal Snow Cloud lifted Jiang Yao into the air and flew away.
Jiang Wan couldn’t understand it—there really were people who didn’t like their own children but favored others’.
Zi Xiang stood nearby watching. Seeing the sect leader’s wife leave, she quickly approached.
“The little junior sister is fine. The sect leader’s wife is probably just angry temporarily. Her anger will pass in a day or two.”
Jiang Wan wasn’t angry at all; her stomach was growling.
“Sis Zi Xiang, I’m hungry—can we eat now?”
Seeing that she didn’t look too upset, Zi Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and carried her back to her courtyard.
Far away in the main courtyard, Immortal Snow Cloud returned with Jiang Yao. Seeing the bruises covering her arms, she tenderly used her spiritual power to apply medicine.
“Yao Yao, does it hurt? Mother will put on some medicine, and you’ll feel better.”
Jiang Yao, dressed in a pink little dress, obediently sat still as Immortal Snow Cloud tended to her wounds.
“It doesn’t hurt. It’s just that when Sister Wan’er pushed me just now, I remembered that dream again. In the dream, Sister Wan’er was surrounded by black energy—it was so terrifying.
The sword immortal who taught me the sword technique said that was demonic energy. Mother, what is a demon?”
Immortal Snow Cloud paused for a moment, then continued applying the medicine.
“You’re still young and don’t need to know about those things for now. Yao Yao, promise me you won’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
Jiang Yao’s heart stirred, and she nodded obediently at once.
“Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t tell anyone—I promise.”
Immortal Snow Cloud gently stroked her head, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. If what Yao Yao spoke of was something that would happen in the future, what should she do?
Jiang Wan, cradled by Zi Xiang, flew back on a sword to her own small courtyard. As soon as she landed, she dashed inside.
“Sister Zi Yun, I’m hungry. Can we start eating now?”
Zi Yun was cultivating but had already prepared the meal in advance, knowing Jiang Wan’s large appetite, she had specially brought out two extra portions.
“It’s all ready, just waiting for you to come back!”
Seeing the table full of delicious food, Jiang Wan was overjoyed. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing little arms like lotus roots, and grabbed a chicken leg to start eating with gusto.
“Sis Zi Xiang, Sis Zi Yun, are you going to eat too?”
Zi Xiang and Zi Yun shook their heads.

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“We’ve taken the Fasting Pills and don’t eat this kind of food. These are specially prepared by the sect leader for you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Wan didn’t insist. She placed the tabby cat by the table and handed it another chicken leg.
“Be good, kitty. If you stick with me, you’ll get three meals a day!”
“Meow~.”
At the large round table, the little girl in a pale purple dress munched on her chicken leg, while a white cat at the nearby table also lowered its head to nibble on its chicken leg. The big and the small both ate heartily.
Full and satisfied, Jiang Wan leaned back in her chair, rubbing her round little belly. The white cat’s belly was also stuffed and it lay sprawled on the stool, fast asleep.
Fighting off sleep, she picked up the snowy-white kitten and went to the bedroom—it was more comfortable to sleep on a bed.
A foundational stage female cultivator named Ning Shuang, sent by Immortal Snow Cloud, came to teach her discipline. In truth, she was there to explain the basics of the cultivation world. It wasn’t as frightening as Jiang Wan had imagined, thankfully.
In these past few days, Jiang Wan had been very obedient, especially since the annoying Zhao family had been locked away at the Reflection Cliff, and her father was in seclusion, so she didn’t have to go out to receive visitors. Even Jiang Yao hadn’t come to bother her.
Every day she listened to Ning Shuang talk about the cultivation world and learned that their sect, subordinate to the Great Ten Thousand Sect, had to pay annual tributes to the Great Ten Thousand Sect.
Even the young prodigies had to go to the Great Ten Thousand Sect to cultivate. Beneath the Great Ten Thousand Sect were many cultivation families.
In short, their Wan Fu Sect was like a very small branch company producing only one kind of product under a large corporation.
Thinking of it this way, the “sect” in Wan Fu Sect’s name seemed a bit inflated.
Time flew by, and in just one month, her cultivation had risen from Qi Condensation Stage One to Qi Condensation Stage Two.
She had grown a little plumper, and the fat cat she had named Fat Tiger was named aptly.
Now, she and the cat went to the riverbank to catch fish and practice swimming—purely out of boredom.
Senior sister A: “Have you heard? Senior Brother Chuzhou has returned, but he’s badly injured.”
Senior sister B: “I always liked Senior Brother Chuzhou the most. He has a pure Yang body. It’s such a pity that his injuries are so severe this time.”
Senior sister C: “Why are you two lamenting?
Although Senior Brother Chuzhou is injured, as long as he marries his fiancée, Immortal Shu Yin, not only will he recover, but his cultivation will also improve!
If you ask me, our sect’s joyful event is near.”
Senior sister A: “I heard Immortal Shu Yin has a pure Yin body, and when combined with our Senior Brother Chuzhou’s pure Yang body, oh my, I dare not imagine how fast their cultivation will rise.”
Senior sister B suddenly noticed a small figure emerging from the river, with a fluffy white cat atop her head.
“So it’s the little junior sister! Greetings, little junior sister. We have business; we’ll be going now.”
“Ah,”
Jiang Wan wanted to ask about Senior Brother Chuzhou, but the three left as fast as rabbits.
She climbed ashore, reached into the water, and fished out the turtle that had hatched a few days ago to let it dry off.
Zi Xiang ran over and saw her soaking wet. Fortunately, with a shake of her head, her clothes quickly dried.

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“Sis Zi Xiang, I caught several fish again today. Are we having grilled fish?”
Jiang Wan said as she tucked the turtle into her spiritual beast pouch at her waist.
She had hidden her Spirit Beast Bracelet, appearing only with the spiritual beast pouch. After Jiang Yao tried to snatch her bracelet, she decided to keep a low profile from now on.
Zi Xiang shook her head.
“Forget about food for now. We need to go see Senior Brother Chuzhou. He’s your elder brother, and you haven’t met him yet.”
Jiang Wan knew that Immortal Snow Cloud had two sons and one daughter; the two sons had not been seen yet, and the daughter was herself.
Unexpectedly, her elder brother was a pure Yang body with a single fire spiritual root. Why then was she a mixed five-element spiritual root?
Never mind that for now; with her elder brother back, she wanted to go and see him.
“Junior sister! Junior sister! Senior Brother Chuzhou is back. Let’s go see him!”
A young boy, a cultivation fanatic despite his youth, ran over. His cultivation was already in the late Qi Condensation stage.
“Alright, senior brother. Let’s go together.”
Jiang Wan looked up at Zi Xiang, who understood immediately. She sent out a flying sword and led them to the main peak.
It was not peaceful at the main peak at this moment.
“Without three spirit stone mines and three ninth-grade talismans, our Shu Yin cannot come over as a bride.”
Immortal Snow Cloud sat at the head of the table, clenching her fists in frustration. Her gaze swept across a small head peeking from the doorway, but she said nothing and continued bargaining with the representatives of the Nangong family.
“We had agreed on one spirit stone mine as the betrothal gift, but now you suddenly demand three more. That’s excessive.
As for the ninth-grade talismans, there was no prior mention of adding those, especially three of them.
Only the elder of our sect at the Deification stage can craft ninth-grade talismans, and it takes a month to make them. You know Chuzhou’s situation; we cannot delay any longer. Are you Nangong family really adding demands at this juncture?”
Jiang Wan understood—they were raising the price.
Just then, Zi Xiang took her away to Chuzhou’s cave dwelling.
When Jiang Wan saw her elder brother, his skin was covered with burn marks from fire.
[Re-encounter the stone statue of Emperor Chuzhou. You recall how he braved the molten lava of a ten-thousand-meter volcano to protect you at all costs, even though you had already fallen to demonic energy then.
You have always cherished this debt of gratitude. Until Emperor Chuzhou’s death and Dao dissolution, you slaughtered the entire Nangong clan to avenge him, yet still lamented your inability to bring him back from the river of time.
Mission: Emperor Chuzhou is sealed within the stone statue. Break the seal and dispel the fire poison.
Mission difficulty: Supreme!
Mission reward: Phoenix Feather Robe.]