No Luck With Money

Li Fan chose the shop Liang Qian had taken him to and invited Yuan Xuanbao to have some skewers. Yuan Xuanbao accepted the invitation; more than three months had passed since he left Tiantai Mountain, and he still hadn't formed his Golden Core.

Of course, this isn't really surprising, since Yuan Xuanbao is a normal person. Moreover, he had previously lost his dual cultivation and had to start all over again, but after passing the tribulation, he no longer faced any bottlenecks, so his progress was rapid. He has now Foundation Establishment Perfection and will probably be able to form a Core in another two or three years.

With guidance from a highly skilled master like Real Person Liang, and having been punished by the sect and confined to Ink Bamboo Mountain for his mistake at Tiantai Mountain, preventing him from causing trouble in Li Country again, Yuan Xuanbao has nothing else to do but focus on cultivation. He should have no problem achieving his core this time.

Of course, Li Fan's invitation to Yuan Xuanbao wasn't to show off. He had already shown off his flying sword when Yuan Xuanbao delivered the <Huashu> last time. This time, Li Fan had finally managed to get out of the house, meet up with friends, and incidentally, inquire about the details of the conflict between Ink Bamboo Mountain and Li Country. Because Fuling was afraid that Li Fan wouldn't take good care of his injuries, she refused to tell him.

Yuan Xuanbao's temperament suited Li Fan's taste; he didn't hide anything or play coy, instead of interrupting with flashbacks and annoying commercial breaks, he went straight to the point and said the result.

"There's no need to worry. The abbot is the national teacher in charge of the immortal registers of Li Country. With him personally stationed in Changsi City, the people from the Immortal Palace have withdrawn, and those clowns from the Liqiu Palace dare not cause trouble. As for Wenjin, I heard that he is preparing to dissolve his body."

Reincarnation involves undergoing tribulations, which are extremely dangerous. Success is not guaranteed, and even if one succeeds, there's no guarantee of being able to cultivate again. I just wish Doctor Wen a speedy reincarnation. If, unfortunately, he is reborn, he can repent, accumulate merit, and do good deeds to atone for the sins he committed in the past."

"Oh, let's have a drink! But was it really Wen Jin who did this?" Li Fan curiously. "Someone of his status would actually scheme against Senior Brother Gongsun's family? That doesn't seem right."

Li Fan simply did not believe the claim that Gongsun's son had received news of his father's death and had taken the initiative to assassinate Wen Jin.

Are you kidding me? He's not even from the cultivation world. How could he know who the mastermind behind the sword duel at Tiantai Mountain was? How could he know it was Imperial Censor Wen Jin of the Li Country, who orchestrated it? How could he even recognize who Wen Jin was? How could he possibly charge at a large group of retainers and guards of a great scholar with a wood-chopping knife to assassinate him?

"It doesn't matter. Those in power will eventually have to pay a price for plotting against Ink Bamboo Mountain, or they'll never have peace." Taking Yuan Xuanbao as an example, the Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples naturally didn't believe it either. Everyone knew there was something fishy going on behind the scenes, and that someone else was probably up to something. But the enmity between the two sides remained unresolved, so a fight still broke out. There were quite a few casualties, after all, even the cultivators from the lineage of Abbot Lou Guan and the five Nascent Soul Stage from the Mountain Lord's lineage had to be dispatched to provide emergency support.

Of course, in terms of the outcome alone, the Li Country was defeated. After all, the Liqiu Palace had already taken the initiative to surrender. Without the assistance of the palace's eunuchs and soldiers, and the Armored Soldier troops of the Li Country's military families, how could those privately-owned disciples and outside 'righteous men' possibly be a match for a large sect like Ink Bamboo Mountain?

As a result, within three months, dozens or even hundreds of Wen Jin, Zhou Sheng, and their classmates, students, and officials in the imperial court, from prefects and governors to the Censorate and the Six Ministries, were implicated and died suddenly, from illness, or accidentally fell into the river. Their guards, retainers, and disciples were also lost in countless other ways.

However, it's unclear whether the assassination was carried out by disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain or by some other force. After all, at its most extreme, for an entire month, Changsi City was filled with lightning and thunder every night, and Sword Light fights soaring into the sky. The Censorate was frequently hit by fires, and the Imperial Guards had to pull piles of corpses from the inland river every day. Even the brothels suffered, and no one dared to go out drinking at night, fearing that they might accidentally fall into the river while drunk by an enemy they had offended...

Anyway, with all this fighting, open and covert, soldier against soldier, general against general, many people died. In the end, even the Imperial Liqiu Palace couldn't take it anymore. Almost all the people in the Censorate were dead. If the fighting continued like this, there wouldn't be any people left to serve the court. So the Grand Eunuch personally came out to negotiate peace and soften his stance, bringing Wen Jin a white silk ribbon, wine, and gold nuggets specially bestowed by the King in recognition of his hard work and merits.

So Doctor Wen also let out a long sigh and expressed his willingness to die by suicide.

He was, after all, a leader of the righteous school of thought in the Li Country, a great Confucian scholar in the south, and renowned throughout the Twelve Countries. Therefore, Ink Bamboo Mountain couldn't really take matters into his own hands and completely annihilate him, body and soul. It would have a bad influence if word got out.

So the abbot said, "You should resolve this first."

Of course, it's uncertain whether the abbot truly gave up, or whether it was because Li Fan and his group had retrieved many sword furnaces and it wouldn't be good to leave Ink Bamboo Mountain unprepared and vulnerable. In any case, the covert war in Changsi City has gradually subsided recently, and it seems that both sides have agreed to a ceasefire.

This battle of wits, which lasted for three months, has now basically subsided. Apart from the abbot who is still personally overseeing the battle in Changsi City, many other disciples have gradually returned to the mountain.

Of course, he couldn't go this time because Yuan Xuanbao was punished with confinement and reflection, and much of the news was relayed back by his fellow disciples. He was quite envious, and after a few rounds of drinks, slightly tipsy, he couldn't help but complain to Li Fan, "This time, my senior brothers and I confiscated the property of those corrupt officials, getting a fortune from the people's ill-gotten gains. It was really satisfying! And truly enviable! Qingyue, you also obtained a flying sword treasure during your trip to the South Sea. It seems I really have no luck with money!"

"Brother Xuanbao, you've had too much to drink, and actually, I don't have any luck with money either..."

The matter of retrieving the sword furnace for Ink Bamboo Mountain was, of course, a secret. Apart from the few people involved, only the sect leader knew about it. Therefore, Li Fan only said that he had obtained the two flying swords by chance.

As for his lack of fortune, that's true. He originally wanted to sell the flying sword he got from the Puxiang duel at Tiantai Mountain at the Immortal Market to make some money, but then there was another sword duel in the South China Sea, so he couldn't sell it. When Lou Guan Fairy Wangshu saw that Lou Guandao had given away two seventh-grade flying swords, and she had only made a magic treasure called the jellyfish head for Li Fan, she felt embarrassed.

So Fairy Wangshu told Qingyue that she would take the evil flying sword again to exchange for some materials with her fellow disciples to upgrade the Foundation Establishment jellyfish head into a magic weapon suitable for the Golden Core Stage, and then give it to Li Fan for self-defense.

Since the fairy was dressed rather lightly when she came to discuss things, and Li Fan had gained a lot of mood points, he didn't pay much attention to what she said and generously agreed.

So, in the end, after his trip to the South China Sea, Li Fan's net worth was only 32 strings of cash and 457 coins... Well, this skewers meal cost another 830 coins... Damn it, forget about it!

By the way, after achieving the Golden Core, my monthly salary at Ink Bamboo Mountain increased from two thousand coins to ten thousand coins, which is ten strings of cash a month. That's thirty strings of cash in three months, and I've only just started venturing out; I haven't even gone to Lou Guan Tower to collect it yet...

"Sigh, I was just complaining. Qingyue, do you want to make money too?"

"I dream about it!"

How can you cultivate without money? It's not like playing a game where you can just kill monsters and get equipment. If you want to cultivate diligently, what doesn't cost money? Don't even mention magical treasures; everyday items like talismans, cinnabar, and pills all cost money. It's not even enough to cover the food expenses for the Kun.

Of course, if you're powerful enough, you can indeed rob someone without spending any money. For example, that old demon who reached the Divine Transformation stage, I don't know if he hid his magical treasures and wealth elsewhere, or if he just relied on his power to rob someone without paying.

The result? He's constantly being hunted down, unable to conduct legitimate trades, has no magical treasures, and can only steal flying swords and opportunities. He even steals Five-Stone Powder. Now, when he's killed, he doesn't even get a storage ring as loot. He's practically living like a beggar...

Honestly, if it weren't for the sect's reward, Li Fan would have lost a fortune during that demon-slaying battle. His mood cap only increased by a hundred points, barely making a round number. When cleaning up the battlefield, all he found was the bowl that the Lü Family used to seal the sword pool, which the old men then took to study.

Hmm... Thinking about it this way, the four old men were so generous in giving him each a magical artifact; could it be compensation for the bowl, and they're not planning to return it...?

"The way to make money," Yuan Xuanbao pointed out, "Is indeed the underworld where money comes faster, but I won't say more. This time, you've been punished by being sent to Ink Bamboo Mountain to repent, missing out on many opportunities. It's clear that not following the right path will eventually bring retribution. I won't lead you astray anymore. Besides, the abbot has also said to stop, and the opportunity to rob those corrupt officials has passed."

As for the righteous path, trade between Ink Bamboo Mountain and Changsi City has been cut off for some time now. To avoid trouble, the senior cultivators of our sect and the merchant caravans of the Cultivation Family have not yet resumed trade.

If you have capital, you could resell a batch of special products from Ink Bamboo Mountain to Changsi City and bring back a batch of resources; you should be able to make a good profit. If you don't have money, now that you're Golden Core cultivator, you can escort caravans, which should earn you a few hundred guan in reward, right? You could check Lou Guan Tower to see if there are any commissions from merchant guilds.

However, the merchant guilds of Ink Bamboo Mountain usually have Nascent Soul cultivators behind them. Those Nascent Soul stage Nascent Soul Stage also have disciples who need money, so they are not short of Golden Core Stage cultivators for protection. Therefore, most of the money-making opportunities to trade with the Central Plains in the north have long been monopolized, and there is probably not much of a chance.

There are indeed sects that offer high prices for Heavenly Treasure, but these days Heavenly Treasure are easy to obtain. What you really need to buy are obscure items that are not produced locally and are not easy to find. You have to go out and search for them and try your luck.

My suggestion is that you temporarily stop thinking about making quick money in the Twelve Countries. Instead, go to Lou Guan Tower and see what missions your sect has in the Southern Ten-thousand-mountains. Only righteous cultivators who have accumulated a certain amount of sect contribution and have a good reputation will be trusted and befriended by major merchant guilds.

"After spending decades building up connections and credibility, and befriending powerful figures, you can easily earn thousands or even tens of thousands of coins in donations by doing a few small favors each year. Money won't be a problem then."

"Upholding the righteous path is truly difficult... Thank you for your guidance, Xuanbao."

After saying goodbye to Yuan Xuanbao, Li Fan prepared to follow his advice and first go and raise some funds.

She can't just stay at Wangshu Residence and live off a woman forever, even though it seems like Fairy Wangshu is also living off a woman, entirely supported by Fuling and Jiang's Firm...

However, Li Fan is now on the verge of bankruptcy and in deficit, so he really should consider doing some tasks to earn some money for food.

Forget about Jiang's place. We're so familiar with each other. I've eaten so much of Fuling's divine food. It would be shameful to ask them for money. Besides, Jiang's place was robbed last time. The loss of goods was a small matter, but we lost many trusted men.

This person can't recover in three months; it would take at least thirty years. You could say their vital energy has been severely damaged, and they won't recover anytime soon.

So Li Fan went to Lou Guan Tower to inquire, intending to collect his 30-guan monthly salary while he was there. However, they refused to acknowledge it, saying that Li Fan had only just registered, and achieving the Golden Core in three months was utterly absurd! They stubbornly refused to believe him and insisted that according to the rules, he would only receive a 10-guan monthly salary starting next month. Therefore, he only received 6 guan...

My leg is broken, how am I supposed to register?! Holy crap!

But the matter of the sword furnace was still a sect secret, and now that he had both flying swords in hand, Li Fan couldn't very well shout in public, "I have rendered meritorious service to Bamboo Mountain, I have shed blood for the sect, I want to see the Abbot, I want to see the Abbot!"

However, there are probably very few transmigrators who have reached the Golden Core realm and are still as poor as him...

Indeed, upholding the righteous path is harder than ascending to heaven. Doing things by the book makes it difficult to make quick money. If Li Fan didn't have a system to cheat him, how long would it take to accumulate two strings of cash at a time, ten strings at a time, through arduous cultivation?

On the other hand, you go to Lou Guan Tower to accept quests. The cultivation world is different from those fantasy adventurer guilds. There's no quest panel for you to choose from, and no cute girls with pointy ears, big chests, bikinis, or armor will come up to you asking if you want to team up. You have to go and ask yourself, and then those old Daoist priests with goatees in the sect will squint their eyes, check the Daoist register, pick and choose, and assign you whatever they want.

After all, the cultural circles in the Central Plains are different; it's all about networking and personal connections. If you have connections with those in charge, they'll give you easy, quick, and profitable jobs. If you don't know anyone, they won't bother with you at all.

So you need to do quests? Then go Thunder Monkeys, repair the magic array, patrol the mountains. Want to do escort missions? Sorry, there aren't any easy, quick-money quests like that. After all, these days, any bandits who dare to rob Bamboo Mountain's escort missions have already been reincarnated seven or eight times. The most recent example is Tiantai Mountain...

After asking around, Li Fan resigned himself to his fate. He really wasn't destined for the Divine Astral Coin. There were no projects for him that required little investment, yielded high returns, and allowed him to easily make a fortune in one trip.

Of course, the cultivation level of Golden Core cultivator is what it is. For a large sect like Ink Bamboo Mountain, there are indeed many things that need to be done by their disciples. Those with Foundation Establishment cultivation are too shallow to be of much use, and those with Nascent Soul cultivation are too high to be easily dispatched, as they are all powerful figures who can intimidate others.

Therefore, many dirty, tiring, and difficult jobs are done by Golden Core cultivators, euphemistically called sect training, accumulating contribution points, and repaying the sect...

So Li Fan and the manager argued and begged for a long time, but he only managed to get five tasks that were both unprofitable and quite arduous.

First, go to Lingqiu Mountain to confirm whether the seal on the nest of a certain spirit bird is intact and whether it has been destroyed by demons.

Secondly, go to Chicken Mountain to confirm whether the Chicken Mountain mine is safe and whether it has been attacked by demons.

Third, go to Guanxiang Mountain to confirm whether the medicinal plant garden in the forest is safe and whether it has been stolen by demons.

Fourth, go to Yangjia Mountain to confirm whether the Spiritual Spring's veins are normal and whether they have been occupied by demons.

Fifth, patrol the four mountains of the Ten-thousand-mountains, eliminate any demons that cross the border, and report any unusual activity to the sect.

Specifically, it involves patrolling and checking in. The first four tasks require you to go to designated locations in the Ten-thousand-mountains to investigate. If nothing happens, you leave a talisman to indicate that you were there. Cough cough, that is, write down the time of the patrol and the cultivator's Dharma name to indicate that everything is normal and nothing happened. Then you go to guard the temple of this mountain and report to the Nascent Soul Stage True Person guarding it.

If anything happens, the first thing to do is to report to the Guardian Immortal, follow his instructions to resolve the matter, and then receive the Immortal's token. That would complete a task.

Once you obtain the tokens of all four Guardian Immortals and bring them back to Lou Guandao Pagoda, your patrol is complete, and you will receive a basic reward of 500 strings of cash.

If you eliminate demons or make any additional contributions during the process, you can also receive extra rewards. It's a fairly simple and easy-to-understand daily quest.

Moreover, these four mountains are relatively safe places, most suitable for disciples in the early stages of the Golden Core to train, and there are no dangerous monsters. So if all goes well, it should only take two cycles on the sword to return. Of course, if something happens, it may be difficult to estimate the time.

These five tasks are basically routine for the month. Golden Core disciples are assigned to patrol them every month. Li Fan is even considered lucky, because many Golden Core disciples go to Li Country to make quick money.

Based on his extensive experience with missions, Li Fan knew that newcomers all needed to grind missions and reputation at the beginning.

So he made up his mind to first go through the normal process, practice his flying sword and skills, fight some monsters, and see if he could use the Si Nan given by the cheat to get some materials, and then go to Li Country to exchange them for some capital.

Alright, let's go, to the Ten-thousand-mountains!