The Room Dispute

Zhang Nian said nothing. But when he saw that Yun Yun's favorability hadn't increased after he bestowed a pill on her, he couldn't help wondering: Could a Seventh-Grade Pill not be powerful enough?

That couldn't be right. The Jia Ma Empire probably couldn't produce even a single Seventh-Grade Pill. If he gave this Soul Nourishing Pill to Zi Yan, she'd probably be so happy she'd cling to his neck. Oh well. A woman's heart was hard to understand. If all else failed, he could try giving Yun Yun some Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills. He couldn't use a single one of the Misty Cloud Sect's Dou Techniques. And they called themselves the greatest sect in the Jia Ma Empire! Bah!

"That's enough. Go up the mountain and pick a quiet room to make your own."

He waved Yun Yun off, settling her in. He'd taken her on as a disciple, after all. There'd be plenty of time to win her over later. Zhang Nian had figured things out by now: this system was nothing but trouble. Favorability had to reach one hundred before intimacy increased, but increased intimacy brought a certain amount of ambiguity. And raising intimacy increased the chance of getting a return, so if he wanted better rewards, he had to do everything he could to raise favorability.

"Yes..." Yun Yun bowed. Just as she was about to turn away, Zhang Nian called out behind her. "Wait. Ya Fei, pick two clever maids from your team to serve my third disciple. Understand?"

"Yes, Saint!" Ya Fei bowed gracefully, then stepped lightly over to Yun Yun and led her out of the room.

A notification suddenly rang in the room.

[ Ding! Disciple Zi Yan has consumed a Fourth-Grade medicinal ingredient. Her cultivation will increase by 100 every hour. Returning reward...]

Hmm?

That girl Zi Yan had finally gotten the hang of it. With that in mind, Zhang Nian glanced at Medusa behind him. Of his three disciples, Medusa had the best talent. Zi Yan was quite gifted too, but she was young, playful, and couldn't focus. At least now she was finally starting to reap the benefits.

"Medusa, since you've taken care of your clan's affairs, I have a Huangji Pill and a Dou Ling Pill for you. You're about to break through to Dou Wang, so taking the Dou Ling Pill will make the Dou Qi in your body more abundant. Perhaps you can break straight through to the Dou Huang Realm. As for the Huangji Pill, you can decide for yourself when to take it."

A faint glow flashed from his Storage Ring, and two pills in jade boxes silently appeared on the table. Medusa didn't refuse. She smiled slightly, bowed to Zhang Nian, and spoke in a melodious voice.

"Thank you, Master~"

Perhaps enough time had passed that she had learned to accept Zhang Nian's gifts without hesitation. She had also come to appreciate the benefits of having a master, and even felt a little pleased. After all, the gifts he'd just given Yun Yun were all rather impractical. Even a Seventh-Grade Pill couldn't compare with the two pills in her hands.

[ Ding! Detected that disciple Medusa received a Sixth-Grade Pill, Huangji Pill, and a Sixth-Grade Pill, Dou Ling Pill. Returning reward...]

[Return multiplier: 2000]

[ Ding! Returned a Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill, Yin Yang Sumeru Pill: The user can gain 200 years of life, while also having their constitution remade and their fate defied. (Ineffective on those with powerful bloodlines; only increases lifespan.)]

[ Ding! Returned a Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill, Fangzhang Butian Pill: The user can break through directly to the Dou Zong Realm and elevate their bloodline, making cultivation much faster. (Ineffective on those with powerful bloodlines; only breaks through the realm.)]

Emmm.

Staring at the two pills in his hand, Zhang Nian fell into deep thought. Ineffective on those with powerful bloodlines—that meant Medusa and Zi Yan couldn't use them. So Yun Yun would be the best choice, or perhaps he could give them to Ya Fei?

It didn't matter. He'd keep them for now.

By the time he came to his senses, the room was empty. Medusa had left too. With nothing else to do, Zhang Nian began examining the Tiangang Beidou Formation he'd just obtained. Carrying it around could be useful in all sorts of ways. For instance, he could set up the formation in a Secret Realm and claim all the treasures for himself. Or he could place it at the heart of the sect and wait until he broke through to Dou Sheng before leaving the mountain.

"Oh no, Saint! Something's wrong! Your two disciples are arguing up on the mountain!"

A maid in a pale pink dress rushed in, her panicked expression showing how serious the matter was. Zhang Nian stared at her in surprise and hurriedly asked:

"What happened up there?"

The maid pointed toward the mountain and quickly explained, "Saint, didn't you ask Manager Ya Fei to take Yun Yun up the mountain to pick a room? The room where Lady Medusa lives used to be Lady Yun Yun's. Now they're arguing over who gets to live there..."

Uh...

Well, this was a battle between the old and new owners.

He was speechless. Only he could resolve a matter like this. But when he thought it over, he couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. In every respect, the room should belong to Medusa. But Yun Yun had lived there before too. He couldn't show favoritism to one and slight the other. Even Judge Bao would have had to tear out a few hairs over this...

"Enough. Let's go." Zhang Nian walked out of the room. His body felt light as he shot into the sky, reaching the mountain in no time.

"I used to live in this room! Why should I give it to you? Even the bedding is mine!"

"Hmph! You need to learn to respect first come, first served. You're the new one here. Why are you acting so high and mighty?"

"You don't even live here anymore. What's the harm in giving it to me?"

Even from the sky, Zhang Nian could hear the argument raging below. Ya Fei stood rigidly beside them, not daring to make a sound. One was his new love, the other his old flame. How could a mere manager like her dare interfere?

"Ahem."

He covered his mouth and coughed softly, interrupting their quarrel.

Both beauties looked up at the sky. Zhang Nian slowly descended, and they bowed in unison. "Master~"

Ya Fei stared at them, dumbfounded. They'd just been acting so domineering, and now they were both obedient little disciples? Perhaps Zi Yan was the only truly unrestrained one in the whole courtyard...

"I know why you're arguing. Yun Yun, you can move into my room starting today. I'll pick another one for myself."

With no other choice, Zhang Nian offered up his own room. It was the best solution. Medusa wasn't just here first—she was his first disciple. Yun Yun had no grounds to argue, but he couldn't scold her over it either. So he'd settle things this way. They were both precious to him, after all, and he still had to raise their favorability.

"Master, how can you do that? This is your room..."

Medusa started to say more, but Zhang Nian gave her a stern look. There was no need to be so overbearing. Yun Yun was a newly arrived disciple, and though he didn't know why Medusa was so hostile toward her, discord within the sect was a grave taboo. As his senior disciple, Medusa should be more tolerant and magnanimous.

"That's enough. The matter is settled."

With that, he turned to Ya Fei and instructed her, "Manager Ya Fei, have my room cleared out in a moment."

"Yes..."

Ya Fei nodded, then left to make the arrangements. She couldn't help wondering, though: Did the Saint have some kind of plan? Was there a deeper meaning behind this?

He'd put Yun Yun in the room he'd once lived in. Could it be that, under the cover of night...