"Boss ! How have you- wait , you broke through again ? What the-"
"Sigh...underling , shouldn't you be used to my breakthroughs by now ? I mean , they're so slow ! I should have reached the ninth layer of physique transformation by this time rather than the sixth layer . Tch... simply hiding in a hut and cultivating cannot be the way of overlords ! I must go out on a mission again !"
Upon hearing Mu Ran's woeful declaration , Xuhan's eyes lit up .
"Again ? Where do we go this time ?" He asked enthusiastically .
"I'm not sure yet . I'll just go to the task administration pavilion and pick the hardest one . I don't care how difficult it is . I must train myself at the edge of life and death-"
"Really , boss ? Awesome ! I'll pack my bags right now..."
Leaving a stunned Zhanxian behind , Xuhan rushed within his hut and pulled out a tiny package from one of his bags and put it inside his mouth . Then he randomly hauled some bags up on his shoulder and ran back out .
"Let's go , boss- Ugh- ack !!!"
A spray of blood gushed out of Xuhan's mouth and painted his porch red . Grabbing onto his chest , Xuhan stumbled and fell on the ground like a log .
"Master !" In mock concern , Zhanxian rushed forward to support Xuhan , which broke Mu Ran's stunned reverie .
"Underling ! What happened ? How do you feel ?"
Kneeling down to check Xuhan's pulse , Mu Ran's expression darkened .
"What happened to my master ?" Zhanxian enquired tearfully .
"A qi deviation . All the signs match . Weak pulse , erratic heartbeat , jammed blood circulation...this is bad ," Mu Ran muttered .
"My unstable breakthrough must have caused this..." Xuhan croaked . "Looks like I won't be able to accompany you this time , boss ."
As he finished this sentence , he coughed out another stream of blood , spraying Mu Ran's clothes .
"Zhanxian , carry me back inside the hut . I've got the pills that can remedy this from the medicine pavilion . I saw this coming , after all ," Xuhan said weakly . Zhanxian didn't waste another second , complying with his commands with incredible enthusiasm . Xuhan knew exactly why though . Not going on an adventure with Mu Ran meant the skeleton wouldn't have to do risky stuff anymore . Of course Zhanxian would be perfectly obedient in that little drama .
Lying on his bed , Xuhan consumed a couple of legitimate pills for qi deviation treatment with much heartache , just in case Mu Ran was secretly a legendary pill god with heavenly pill discerning eyes and whatnot . Dozens of spirit stones were wasted just like that , but at least he wouldn't be forced to accompany Mu Ran anytime soon .
"Boss , there is something we must discuss . If you're going to leave soon , it'd be for the best if we have the discussion right now ," Xuhan finally broke his 'too-weak-to-speak' act and said .
"Sure underling . Speak up ." Mu Ran nodded solemnly .
"What do you think the benefits would be... if we started teaching our fellow disciples the language of laws for free ?"
Mu Ran's eyes widened in shock .
"For free ? Why the hell would we do something so ridiculous ? I know you're soft hearted Xuhan , but there are limits to chivalry . This world of cultivation is a harsh place . Only by assimilating your own personality with this world can you succeed !"
Xuhan nodded , expecting the exact reaction from the guy .
"Of course , boss . I understand this perfectly . And that's why i came up with this idea ."
"...I'm afraid I don't quite get it , underling ."
"The benefit we can get through the plan is actually quite vast . Think about it , boss . Our sect has always been pretty expensive to survive in . There are few disciples in the outer court who can afford expensive cultivation manuals . Although everybody has a decent family backing them up , the techniques in the sect are bound to be superior by a large margin .
Now , we own one of those techniques sitting inside the archives . So , if we suddenly start handing out free lessons on that exact technique without outright selling it , how many disciples would be tempted to buy the complete manual once they've mastered the basics ?
Cultivation has always been about constantly chasing after more power . It's a vicious race against time . So any technique that can save our time due to our past knowledge of it , shouldn't it be a priority to us the moment we earn enough money to buy a technique ?"
By the time Xuhan stopped explaining , Mu Ran's eyes were wide open with excitement . Even protagonists needed money for cultivation . Recently , Mu Ran's pockets had been full due to Xuhan's generosity , and his cultivation speed definitely saw an upward spike . It was an addictive feeling !
"But that's not all boss !" Xuhan added as an afterthought , noticing the excitement burning within Mu Ran's eyes . He had the guy right where he wanted .
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"Once our technique becomes popular among the grassroots of the sect , our business would see another boom ! We are obviously not the last generation of disciples to be recruited here . Once the new disciples enter the sect , they'll not have the inhibitions toward the language of laws that the current generation possesses due to their knowledge of its background . By then , our technique would be widely known and practiced ! We only need to indirectly nudge the new disciples toward the technique and it'd sell like that 'Harem Maker' book that got real popular a couple of months ago . Think about the profit , boss !"
"Hahahah , you're a genius , underling !"
"Hahahah , your brilliance still overshadows mine by a large margin , boss!"
From Han Xuhan's hut , the sound of demonic laughter rang out for a very long time , followed by some sounds of harsh coughing and a shout saying 'Oh , I think my deviation is acting up again , urrk-"
....... ......... .......
Half an hour later , Xuhan's condition 'stabilized' and Mu Ran left after being assured that Xuhan's condition wouldn't deteriorate . Before leaving , he took that aura editing trinket they had confiscated from old man Di Qian on their first mission , much to Xuhan's chagrin .
That gadget was so useful...dammit !
Regardless , it wasn't his own to begin with , so Xuhan didn't brood over it much . His only disappointment was that he wouldn't be able to prank his fellow disciples by suddenly breaking through in the middle of a conversation , repeatedly .
A man can only dream... sigh .
"Yo , is he gone ?" He finally asked the skeleton who was on the lookout at the door of the hut in a low voice .
"Yup ," Zhanxian turned around and flashed him a thumbs up .
Just to make things sure , he kept up the acting for a while more , lying weakly on his bed .
In this one month , Xuhan had prepared for many future scenarios . Escaping his duty as a follower of a trouble magnet like Mu Ran was naturally one of them. He wasn't strong enough yet to accompany that guy on those horrifying adventures .
Spitting out the blood storage packet from his mouth , Xuhan sat up and contemplated his next move .
Last week , he had received the official felicitation from the sect , along with Yuen Zhou and Mu Ran . They had stood in front of the student body , and a particularly loquacious elder had lavished them with enough praise to make even Mu Ran blush . They had received a small reward of three hundred spirit stones each , free access to the archives and library , and their bi-monthly fees had been waived for the year .
It was enough to make even the most well off disciples jealous . But thankfully , nobody went out of their way to express their envy , unlike those arrogant young masters in xianxia stories . Sure , there were many snide remarks and doubtful questions slithering among the disciples , but none among the trio really gave a fuck or tried to fight the skeptics over it . So the commotion slowly died down soon .
But still , the possibility of jealous peers taking up the role of arrogant young masters wasn't something he could ignore . So Xuhan had come up with a plan... and today he could finally execute it now that he had broken through to the third layer . The scheme he had fed Mu Ran was but a small part of it .
"Pack the bags , Zhanxian . We're about to pull some ridiculous shit today , and we'll need every type of contingency devices we have amassed , to be on the safe side ."
Han Xuhan leaped out of his bed and rolled his shoulders , his head full of plans for the day .
Walking out of the hut , Xuhan headed toward Yuen Zhou's hut with Zhanxian in tow carrying multiple large bags . After becoming a legitimate undead cultivator , Zhanxian was slightly stronger than before , the perfect coolie material , something Xuhan was determined to use to his advantage whenever possible .
"Martial sister Zhou , are you in there ?"
His shout from outside her yard brought Yuen Zhou out of her hut . Judging by her appearance , she was probably in the middle of a cultivation session . Wearing neat , unruffled clothing , somewhat stiff posture and puffy eyes...yep , definitely signs of lengthy cultivation sessions .
"Did you need something , martial broth- Oh ! You broke through ! Congratulations !"
Han Xuhan flashed her an unabashed smile and got to the point without beating around the bush .
"Ah , thank you ! To be honest , I did need your help with something . Can I interest you in a financially beneficial partnership , martial sister ?"
........ ......... ..........
That day , a rumour spread like wildfire across the numerous mountain peaks of Crimson Snow sect . The recently lauded disciples of the new generation , Han Xuhan , Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou , were about to start a free class for any disciple interested in a technique they had salvaged from the super mysterious Holy Land of Laws .
Obviously , they weren't going to hand out the original technique for free . The agreement deal with the sect was quite strict about that particular clause . Those who wanted it could buy the manual from the sect's archives easily for a pretty cheap price . But since it was a new addition to the archives , few elders in the sect knew about it , and almost none could claim to be skillful enough at it to teach newly initiated disciples... None except Han Xuhan , Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou , all three of whom had been forced to cultivate the technique during their mission .
Han Xuhan , Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou used every bit of their newly acquired to fame to sensationalize the rumour , and the result wasn't half bad . Xuhan even went out of his way to convince Xiao Wu and several other outgoing disciples nearby to help him . The memories of being at the receiving end of shameless marketing techniques from his previous life all finally came in handy .
That evening , a handful of disciples whose pockets tended to stay on the lighter side appeared at the foot of the Black Sheep Mountain peak , looking somewhat embarrassed and unsure of their decision .
But as the saying goes , the lonely people feel shame while the mob feel fearless . Once the few of them saw that they weren't the only ones desperate enough to go for cheap techniques , they grew less inhibited .
As the crowd settled down on the designated meeting area , Yuen Zhou appeared at the edge of their vision , walking down the slope of the mountain with steady steps . Han Xuhan trailed behind her , appearing as dashing as a starved young man can hope to , a sword scabbard on his waist , a wine flask in his hand , his jet black hair fluttering in the gentle wind , his face lit by the radiant golden sunlight of dusk...
Had he been a jade beauty , more descriptions would be required to keep up the tradition but thankfully , this wasn't the case .
Yuen Zhou would take the lead today as planned beforehand . Xuhan gave her a grateful nod once they reached the small crowd at the foot of the mountain and summoned Zhanxian to help him with the props .
While Yuen Zhou stood in front of the crowd and met their expectant gaze with her own steady , unflinching one and became the temporary centre of attention , Xuhan set a blackboard behind them and Zhanxian dragged a humongous sized clean mattress on the ground .
"Alrighty , then . The class begins...now ! Sit down on the mattress and pay attention to the lessons !" He shouted after they were done .
Today , a seed would be planted . In the future , with proper care it would grow into a giant tree . Then that tree would bear fruit , or more accurately , spirit stones .