Chapter 16
Questioning Heaven, Desiring the Way 16: Extortion
“Pushovers?” Gu Suihan scoffed. The contempt in his eyes was unmistakable. “All of you think you’re somebody really important, huh? The three major factions of power? Haha!” He wasn’t laughing very loudly, but everyone could hear the disdain in his laughter very clearly.
“You…”
“I’ve come here only because one of the new disciples that the Way Seekers Alliance has taken in this time has a feud with me.” His gaze moved past Miss Mo to land on Nan Xingyuan, who had just come outside with the other new disciples.
Everyone could see that Gu Suihan was looking at one particular person, so they all turned to look at the slightly confused Nan Xingyuan.
“Gu Suihan, it’s you!” Nan Xingyuan stared hatefully at the smiling Gu Suihan from a distance. She hissed through gritted teeth, “You can’t fight for no reason within the sect, so what are you trying to do?”
“I see, so you are Gu Suihan.” Miss Mo looked a little surprised and she asked, “And what feud do the two of you have that makes our junior brother here unable to let go of it?”
Nan Xingyuan noticed Han Qing groaning in pain on the ground and her heart sank. She didn’t expect Gu Suihan to actually launch an attack. She quickly explained what happened to Miss Mo via telepathy.
“So, that’s what happened,” thought Miss Mo, “But since that’s the case, his actions aren’t actually considered overboard, and it would be best to reach an agreement and settle this matter as soon as possible. But if he decides not to accept my offer while I’m being nice, then…I’ll have to get nasty”
After thinking it through, she looked up and smiled. “In that case, as a senior sister, let me apologize on her behalf and we’ll let this case rest. How about that?”
“If I incapacitate your dantian and just say ‘Sorry about that!’, would you accept it?” said Gu Suihan with a mirthless smile. He certainly didn’t care for her apology.
“What do you want then?” Miss Mo spoke with a sweet smile on her face, but her gaze was filled with hostility.
“If my guess is right, this girl has already been given a place within this residence, right? This block here can take five people, I hear.” Gu Suihan did not answer her question and turned to comment on the luxurious residential area behind her instead.
Based on the way Gu Suihan was behaving, it wasn’t hard for everyone to tell what he was up to. He was here to milk some benefits for himself.
Nan Xingyuan gave the pretentious looking Gu Suihan a dirty stare. “You can forget about it! This residence belongs to the Way Seekers Alliance! If you know what’s good for you, then leave as quickly as you can. Otherwise…”
She didn’t have to finish her sentence. The threat implied was clear.
Miss Mo shut her eyes and took a deep breath, then said calmly, “Name your price.”
“Miss, we can’t just let him have his way!” exclaimed Tianyu anxiously as his heart sank.
If they made an exception for Gu Suihan this time, what were they going to do if another person came forward to do the same thing? If this kept happening, the Way Seekers Alliance would lose all its prestige and would not be on par with the other two factions anymore.
“I know what I’m doing.” Miss Mo’s expression was very serious. “He’s just an exception. After all, he’s a new disciple who hasn’t even spent a day in the sect, yet he knows all the rules and even remembers the obscure ones. I’m very sure someone is giving him instructions. We have to give in this time. If we allow Gu Suihan to saunter into our territory as and when he likes, then that would truly be a loss in prestige and authority.”
“Indeed, indeed.” Gu Suihan was surprised at how accurately Miss Mo had analyzed the entire situation.
Threatening to take over the Way Seekers Alliance’s residence was just a red herring. So was the whole thing about settling his feud with Nan Xingyuan. Nan Yuntian, Nan Xingyuan and their entire family were doomed to die sooner or later. He didn’t have to spend so much effort and risk having to offend the Way Seekers Alliance to pick a fight with Nan Xingyuan.
He was here for a completely different reason. He was banking on the Way Seekers Alliance’s culture of protecting their members to get some resources for himself.
When he saw that Miss Mo was ready to give in to his demands, he decided to stop beating about the bush and said with a smile, “500 Spiritual Stones, ten bottles of high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and one magic weapon. How’s that?”
“No.” Miss Mo’s eyes bulged as she glared furiously at Gu Suihan. “You’re asking for way too much. 100 Spiritual Stones and three bottles of pills. No more than that.”
Gu Suihan smiled even more brightly to reveal his pearly whites. “300 Stones, five bottles of pills and one magic weapon. I’ll promise not to tell anyone about what happened today.”
“Swear by the Way that you will not tell anyone about what happened today,” said Miss Mo as she breathed heavily in anger. Her full bosom heaved and coupled with her angry, reddened cheeks, she looked even more alluring than usual.
“Tsk,” Gu Suihan stared blatantly at her chest, then swore by the Way solemnly when Miss Mo’s expression grew even more furious.
“Give the things to him and make sure he leaves.” Miss Mo was clenching her teeth so tightly that they chattered, as she glared fiercely at Gu Suihan’s annoying smiling face. A green beam of light appeared after she waved her fair wrist and she flew into the sky, disappearing out of sight almost instantly.
“Thanks for the generosity,” said Gu Suihan cheekily as he snatched the bag out of Tianyu’s clutches.
Meanwhile, Han Qing had already fainted from losing too much blood.
“Take him away, don’t let him die,” said Miss Mo’s maid emotionlessly with a frown. After that, she left as well.
“Oho, this was unexpected,” murmured Gu Suihan quietly on his way out. “And now, it’s time to actually find a place to stay.”
“You’re really shameless!” That complaint came from the broken knife inside Gu Suihan’s bag.
“You don’t know anything,” sneered Gu Suihan. “You’d better behave yourself. I’ve got a million and one ways to discipline you if you don’t.”
He randomly found a residence and settled in.
The East Compound covered a vast area, but few disciples lived in it. The total number of new disciples each time combined with any disciples who didn’t make it to the next stage was only one or two hundred.
Up to five people could live in one residence and each disciple was entitled to two servants. And even so, there was still a lot of space available.
The residence that Gu Suihan had chosen had nobody else but himself.
After he hung up the sign to indicate that someone was staying in this residence, he started walking towards Fortune Court.
Fortune Court was where the disciples came to collect their benefits. Each disciple’s monthly supply of Spiritual Stones, rewards from the sect for certain contributions and other items were all dispensed from here.
“What a coincidence,” said Gu Suihan after he walked in and noticed a few familiar faces.
“Humph!” The smile on Tianyu’s face instantly faded when he saw it was Gu Suihan. He scoffed and walked away in response.
Gu Suihan wasn’t bothered by Tianyu’s reaction at all. He turned to one of the staff at Fortune Court and said, “Give me everything I’m entitled to for the month and two maids.”
He then handed over his disciple token to the staff.
“Please wait here.” The staff’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the token and he had a much more polite expression on his face.
He behaved like this because the residents of the East Compound were held in much higher regard compared to those from other Compounds, especially new disciples who were allocated directly to the East Compound right from the start. Such disciples were geniuses with high levels of giftedness and the staff couldn’t afford to offend them.
Before long, the staff came back with two maids. “Will these two do? They were just sent here last month, and nobody has picked them yet.” He motioned to the two maids to quickly bow and greet Gu Suihan.
“Greetings, Young Master,” said the two maids in a demure and sweet voice as they bowed.
Just then, a nasty and demanding voice called out, “I’m taking these two.”
The entire place fell silent as everyone turned to see a heavyset man in an expensive brocade robe and a gold belt around his waist, who looked every bit like a stereotypical nouveau riche. Everyone in Fortune Court instantly had a look of disgust on their faces.
At the same time, some of the disciples who had been around longer exchanged anxious glances and secretly took several steps back.
“You over there, pick another two for him.” The nouveau riche had a snobbish look on his face as he peered down at Gu Suihan from the corner of his eye.
“Senior Brother Li, this gentleman here is a new East Compound disciple,” the staff whispered into the man’s ear. He was now in a very difficult position.
“Oh?” Li Xianming frowned upon hearing these words. He had noticed that one of the maids had a body of inner charm1 and that would be highly beneficial to his cultivation. He hadn’t considered Gu Suihan’s status at all. But the staff’s warning was not to be taken lightly. The fact that Gu Suihan was from the East Compound made this situation a little trickier.
“I’m sorry about this, junior brother, but I feel an affinity with these two maids, so could you let me have them?” Li Xianming quickly made a decision to smile and ask Gu Suihan nicely as he placed one palm against his other fist politely.
“How many Spiritual Stones are you willing to give me in exchange for them?” asked Gu Suihan flatly.
“I…” Li Xianming was fuming inside. They were both East Compound disciples and the fact that he had apologized was already a compromise on his part, but Gu Suihan obviously didn’t care for it at all. “Hoho…how about ten Spiritual Stones? You must understand that even East Compound disciples only get 30 Spiritual Stones a month after all.”
“Ten stones?” Gu Suihan raised an eyebrow and snorted. “A body with inner charm is only worth ten stones to you? Are you dumb?”
“Look, junior brother, I’d advise you to tone it down, otherwise disaster might befall you when you go out.” Li Xianming’s expression fell as he threatened Gu Suihan with a frosty smile. “I’m offering you ten only because you’re a fellow East Compound disciple. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t even get one.”
Gu Suihan suddenly marched towards the other man, his footsteps making a dull echo resound throughout Fortune Court. He observed the other man more closely and said, “You haven’t even reached the Perfect Physical Realm yet and your rank of aptitude2 barely made it to seven. Haven’t you spent many years cultivating? Where did all of that go?”
“You little bastard! How dare you insult me!” Li Xianming flew into a rage and his eyes gave off a sinister glint. “I’m going to teach you how to respect your seniors today!”
He suddenly closed the folding fan in his hand, then stabbed it in the direction of Gu Suihan’s chest at high speed. At the same time, he pulled his left hand back into his large sleeve and pinched his fingers together in a particular way.
Pak! Gu Suihan flicked his fingers, pushing the folding fan aside and allowing his fingers to head straight for Li Xianming’s forearm like a venomous and scheming snake that was ready to swallow its victim whole.
“Humph! So, that’s all you’ve got!” The smile on Li Xianming’s face grew sinister as he suddenly thrust his hidden left hand out of its sleeve again and shouted, “Murderous Qi of Dark Yin! Diffuse!”
“What?! When did this fellow master the Dark Yin spells?” Tianyu and the other disciples watching the fight from outside Fortune Court were immediately in shock.
The Clacker’s ShadyShadyShady Izakaya
Today’s snack recommendation: Shiokara. Most people have alcoholic drinks or plain rice with this, but I like it straight. Umami: **********
“Pushovers?” Gu Suihan scoffed. The contempt in his eyes was unmistakable. “All of you think you’re somebody really important, huh? The three major factions of power? Haha!” He wasn’t laughing very loudly, but everyone could hear the disdain in his laughter very clearly.
“You…”
“I’ve come here only because one of the new disciples that the Way Seekers Alliance has taken in this time has a feud with me.” His gaze moved past Miss Mo to land on Nan Xingyuan, who had just come outside with the other new disciples.
Everyone could see that Gu Suihan was looking at one particular person, so they all turned to look at the slightly confused Nan Xingyuan.
“Gu Suihan, it’s you!” Nan Xingyuan stared hatefully at the smiling Gu Suihan from a distance. She hissed through gritted teeth, “You can’t fight for no reason within the sect, so what are you trying to do?”
“I see, so you are Gu Suihan.” Miss Mo looked a little surprised and she asked, “And what feud do the two of you have that makes our junior brother here unable to let go of it?”
Nan Xingyuan noticed Han Qing groaning in pain on the ground and her heart sank. She didn’t expect Gu Suihan to actually launch an attack. She quickly explained what happened to Miss Mo via telepathy.
“So, that’s what happened,” thought Miss Mo, “But since that’s the case, his actions aren’t actually considered overboard, and it would be best to reach an agreement and settle this matter as soon as possible. But if he decides not to accept my offer while I’m being nice, then…I’ll have to get nasty”
After thinking it through, she looked up and smiled. “In that case, as a senior sister, let me apologize on her behalf and we’ll let this case rest. How about that?”
“If I incapacitate your dantian and just say ‘Sorry about that!’, would you accept it?” said Gu Suihan with a mirthless smile. He certainly didn’t care for her apology.
“What do you want then?” Miss Mo spoke with a sweet smile on her face, but her gaze was filled with hostility.
“If my guess is right, this girl has already been given a place within this residence, right? This block here can take five people, I hear.” Gu Suihan did not answer her question and turned to comment on the luxurious residential area behind her instead.
Based on the way Gu Suihan was behaving, it wasn’t hard for everyone to tell what he was up to. He was here to milk some benefits for himself.
Nan Xingyuan gave the pretentious looking Gu Suihan a dirty stare. “You can forget about it! This residence belongs to the Way Seekers Alliance! If you know what’s good for you, then leave as quickly as you can. Otherwise…”
She didn’t have to finish her sentence. The threat implied was clear.
Miss Mo shut her eyes and took a deep breath, then said calmly, “Name your price.”
“Miss, we can’t just let him have his way!” exclaimed Tianyu anxiously as his heart sank.
If they made an exception for Gu Suihan this time, what were they going to do if another person came forward to do the same thing? If this kept happening, the Way Seekers Alliance would lose all its prestige and would not be on par with the other two factions anymore.
“I know what I’m doing.” Miss Mo’s expression was very serious. “He’s just an exception. After all, he’s a new disciple who hasn’t even spent a day in the sect, yet he knows all the rules and even remembers the obscure ones. I’m very sure someone is giving him instructions. We have to give in this time. If we allow Gu Suihan to saunter into our territory as and when he likes, then that would truly be a loss in prestige and authority.”
“Indeed, indeed.” Gu Suihan was surprised at how accurately Miss Mo had analyzed the entire situation.
Threatening to take over the Way Seekers Alliance’s residence was just a red herring. So was the whole thing about settling his feud with Nan Xingyuan. Nan Yuntian, Nan Xingyuan and their entire family were doomed to die sooner or later. He didn’t have to spend so much effort and risk having to offend the Way Seekers Alliance to pick a fight with Nan Xingyuan.
He was here for a completely different reason. He was banking on the Way Seekers Alliance’s culture of protecting their members to get some resources for himself.
When he saw that Miss Mo was ready to give in to his demands, he decided to stop beating about the bush and said with a smile, “500 Spiritual Stones, ten bottles of high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and one magic weapon. How’s that?”
“No.” Miss Mo’s eyes bulged as she glared furiously at Gu Suihan. “You’re asking for way too much. 100 Spiritual Stones and three bottles of pills. No more than that.”
Gu Suihan smiled even more brightly to reveal his pearly whites. “300 Stones, five bottles of pills and one magic weapon. I’ll promise not to tell anyone about what happened today.”
“Swear by the Way that you will not tell anyone about what happened today,” said Miss Mo as she breathed heavily in anger. Her full bosom heaved and coupled with her angry, reddened cheeks, she looked even more alluring than usual.
“Tsk,” Gu Suihan stared blatantly at her chest, then swore by the Way solemnly when Miss Mo’s expression grew even more furious.
“Give the things to him and make sure he leaves.” Miss Mo was clenching her teeth so tightly that they chattered, as she glared fiercely at Gu Suihan’s annoying smiling face. A green beam of light appeared after she waved her fair wrist and she flew into the sky, disappearing out of sight almost instantly.
“Thanks for the generosity,” said Gu Suihan cheekily as he snatched the bag out of Tianyu’s clutches.
Meanwhile, Han Qing had already fainted from losing too much blood.
“Take him away, don’t let him die,” said Miss Mo’s maid emotionlessly with a frown. After that, she left as well.
“Oho, this was unexpected,” murmured Gu Suihan quietly on his way out. “And now, it’s time to actually find a place to stay.”
“You’re really shameless!” That complaint came from the broken knife inside Gu Suihan’s bag.
“You don’t know anything,” sneered Gu Suihan. “You’d better behave yourself. I’ve got a million and one ways to discipline you if you don’t.”
He randomly found a residence and settled in.
The East Compound covered a vast area, but few disciples lived in it. The total number of new disciples each time combined with any disciples who didn’t make it to the next stage was only one or two hundred.
Up to five people could live in one residence and each disciple was entitled to two servants. And even so, there was still a lot of space available.
The residence that Gu Suihan had chosen had nobody else but himself.
After he hung up the sign to indicate that someone was staying in this residence, he started walking towards Fortune Court.
Fortune Court was where the disciples came to collect their benefits. Each disciple’s monthly supply of Spiritual Stones, rewards from the sect for certain contributions and other items were all dispensed from here.
“What a coincidence,” said Gu Suihan after he walked in and noticed a few familiar faces.
“Humph!” The smile on Tianyu’s face instantly faded when he saw it was Gu Suihan. He scoffed and walked away in response.
Gu Suihan wasn’t bothered by Tianyu’s reaction at all. He turned to one of the staff at Fortune Court and said, “Give me everything I’m entitled to for the month and two maids.”
He then handed over his disciple token to the staff.
“Please wait here.” The staff’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the token and he had a much more polite expression on his face.
He behaved like this because the residents of the East Compound were held in much higher regard compared to those from other Compounds, especially new disciples who were allocated directly to the East Compound right from the start. Such disciples were geniuses with high levels of giftedness and the staff couldn’t afford to offend them.
Before long, the staff came back with two maids. “Will these two do? They were just sent here last month, and nobody has picked them yet.” He motioned to the two maids to quickly bow and greet Gu Suihan.
“Greetings, Young Master,” said the two maids in a demure and sweet voice as they bowed.
Just then, a nasty and demanding voice called out, “I’m taking these two.”
The entire place fell silent as everyone turned to see a heavyset man in an expensive brocade robe and a gold belt around his waist, who looked every bit like a stereotypical nouveau riche. Everyone in Fortune Court instantly had a look of disgust on their faces.
At the same time, some of the disciples who had been around longer exchanged anxious glances and secretly took several steps back.
“You over there, pick another two for him.” The nouveau riche had a snobbish look on his face as he peered down at Gu Suihan from the corner of his eye.
“Senior Brother Li, this gentleman here is a new East Compound disciple,” the staff whispered into the man’s ear. He was now in a very difficult position.
“Oh?” Li Xianming frowned upon hearing these words. He had noticed that one of the maids had a body of inner charm1 and that would be highly beneficial to his cultivation. He hadn’t considered Gu Suihan’s status at all. But the staff’s warning was not to be taken lightly. The fact that Gu Suihan was from the East Compound made this situation a little trickier.
“I’m sorry about this, junior brother, but I feel an affinity with these two maids, so could you let me have them?” Li Xianming quickly made a decision to smile and ask Gu Suihan nicely as he placed one palm against his other fist politely.
“How many Spiritual Stones are you willing to give me in exchange for them?” asked Gu Suihan flatly.
“I…” Li Xianming was fuming inside. They were both East Compound disciples and the fact that he had apologized was already a compromise on his part, but Gu Suihan obviously didn’t care for it at all. “Hoho…how about ten Spiritual Stones? You must understand that even East Compound disciples only get 30 Spiritual Stones a month after all.”
“Ten stones?” Gu Suihan raised an eyebrow and snorted. “A body with inner charm is only worth ten stones to you? Are you dumb?”
“Look, junior brother, I’d advise you to tone it down, otherwise disaster might befall you when you go out.” Li Xianming’s expression fell as he threatened Gu Suihan with a frosty smile. “I’m offering you ten only because you’re a fellow East Compound disciple. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t even get one.”
Gu Suihan suddenly marched towards the other man, his footsteps making a dull echo resound throughout Fortune Court. He observed the other man more closely and said, “You haven’t even reached the Perfect Physical Realm yet and your rank of aptitude2 barely made it to seven. Haven’t you spent many years cultivating? Where did all of that go?”
“You little bastard! How dare you insult me!” Li Xianming flew into a rage and his eyes gave off a sinister glint. “I’m going to teach you how to respect your seniors today!”
He suddenly closed the folding fan in his hand, then stabbed it in the direction of Gu Suihan’s chest at high speed. At the same time, he pulled his left hand back into his large sleeve and pinched his fingers together in a particular way.
Pak! Gu Suihan flicked his fingers, pushing the folding fan aside and allowing his fingers to head straight for Li Xianming’s forearm like a venomous and scheming snake that was ready to swallow its victim whole.
“Humph! So, that’s all you’ve got!” The smile on Li Xianming’s face grew sinister as he suddenly thrust his hidden left hand out of its sleeve again and shouted, “Murderous Qi of Dark Yin! Diffuse!”
“What?! When did this fellow master the Dark Yin spells?” Tianyu and the other disciples watching the fight from outside Fortune Court were immediately in shock.
The Clacker’s ShadyShadyShady Izakaya
Today’s snack recommendation: Shiokara. Most people have alcoholic drinks or plain rice with this, but I like it straight. Umami: **********
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