"How much are we supposed to contribute?"
The first Outer Disciple to complain asked reluctantly.
"This concerns all of us! Elegant Fragrance Garden has seven fellow disciples in total. We'll each contribute ten Spirit Stones, making seventy altogether!"
Yue Zhouwang gritted his teeth and named a figure.
"Gasp..."
The others were all taken aback. That was already a month's income for them.
"Don't begrudge it! If the Law Enforcement Hall's ruling comes down, we could face severe punishment, or even lose our current jobs! And if they assign us to a dangerous task, heh..."
Yue Zhouwang's voice trailed off into a cold laugh, and he said no more.
"Fine! I suppose we have no choice."
The Outer Disciples present reluctantly opened their Storage Bags and began taking out Spirit Stones.
As for the two who weren't there, Yue Zhouwang paid their shares for them.
A quarter of an hour later, the dishes from the kitchen were served.
Yue Zhouwang and the others returned to the private room.
After a few rounds of drinks and several courses, Yue Zhouwang looked at Ma Xingyuan and smiled. "Junior Brother Ma, could you go outside and bring us a pot of tea?"
Ma Xingyuan paused, realizing they had something to discuss with Li Yunjing.
They didn't want him to know the details.
He wasn't one to miss a hint. He immediately stood up, nodded, and turned to leave.
"Sit down!"
But Li Yunjing's voice stopped him in his tracks.
Li Yunjing looked at Yue Zhouwang and the others. "Ma Xingyuan is a brother I made in the sect. Whatever you have to say, you don't need to hide it from him."
"Brother Li, you're a real one!"
Hearing Li Yunjing's words warmed Ma Xingyuan's heart. He plopped back into his seat.
The others could only smile awkwardly.
"Heh, this is just a little token of our appreciation. Please have some tea, Young Master Li."
Yue Zhouwang had no choice. He took a Storage Bag from his sleeve and pushed it in front of Li Yunjing.
"Mm..."
Li Yunjing murmured softly. It was quite a while before he picked up the Storage Bag and opened it. He swept it with his spiritual sense, counted the contents, and nodded. Seventy Low-grade Spirit Stones!
Yue Zhouwang, Wang Yun, and the others stared fixedly at Li Yunjing, trying to read his expression.
"Heh..."
Li Yunjing chuckled, then tossed the Storage Bag back onto the table.
"Hm?"
Yue Zhouwang and the others were stunned, and their expressions darkened. He still wasn't satisfied?
He was only an Errand Disciple now. His contribution points and Spirit Stones together were enough to earn him a year's worth!
The Outer Disciples were deeply displeased with Li Yunjing's attitude.
But wary of his status, they dared not voice their anger.
"Fu Chao is my friend!"
"We're equals. Now you want me to lower myself and beg him to help over some trivial matter?"
"And all for a mere seventy Low-grade Spirit Stones?"
Li Yunjing looked down at everyone, his voice icy.
Faced with a group of Outer Disciples whose cultivation was far above his own, Li Yunjing refused to indulge their rotten habits in the slightest!
His rebuke made the atmosphere at the table shift abruptly.
The Outer Disciples fell silent, awkward expressions on their faces.
The room was quiet. After a long while, Li Yunjing finally spoke. "Two thousand Spirit Stones! That's my bottom line. Agree, and hand over the Spirit Stones. If you don't, then forget the whole thing!"
"Gasp..."
Yue Zhouwang and Wang Yun sucked in sharp breaths.
Young Master Li was ruthless!
Two thousand Spirit Stones—that was nearly three hundred per person!
If they didn't count their illicit income, that was three years' worth of wages!
Of course, the Divine Firmament Dao Sect didn't issue everything in Spirit Stones. It also issued contribution points.
And the number of contribution points issued was greater than the number of Spirit Stones.
The Spirit Stones they received were basically enough to cover the normal cultivation expenses of cultivators at their level.
They weren't meant to be used as currency.
That was because in the Divine Firmament Dao Sect, contribution points were everything. They could be used to redeem or trade for anything.
When trading outside the sect, they could exchange contribution points for Spirit Stones, so this did not interfere with sect cultivators conducting business outside.
Sect cultivators also preferred using contribution points. Inside the sect, they could buy all the items commonly used in the cultivation world, often at a considerable discount. It was excellent value for money.
Some people in the sect even bought contribution points in bulk, used them to purchase supplies from sect shops, then took the goods to the cultivation world to sell wholesale and pocket the difference.
So, although Yue Zhouwang and Wang Yun looked pitiful, they were simply hiding their true wealth!
These old hands had worked at Elegant Fragrance Garden for years and had long since made a fortune.
They were merely discreet and had never shown it.
Just think about it: Elegant Fragrance Garden served tens of thousands of meals every day.
If each person's meal lost just one bowl of Spirit Rice to their embezzlement, that would be tens of thousands of bowls a day.
That alone amounted to tens of thousands of bowls of Spirit Rice. If they took it to the cultivation world and sold it wholesale, it would bring in a fortune in Spirit Stones!
And Spirit Rice was far from the only thing they could manipulate at Elegant Fragrance Garden.
The reason they feared the people from the Law Enforcement Hall so much was precisely because they had been embezzling.
If it were just a brawl, it would not be a serious matter.
It wouldn't leave them seriously hurt.
But now that people from the Law Enforcement Hall were involved, if they kept digging, they would surely uncover these schemes. When that happened, they would be finished!
One reason they didn't dare ask their superiors for help was that they feared their superiors would learn how much wealth they had embezzled.
Then their superior, the steward, would surely deal with them!
They might not even be able to keep the wealth they had accumulated over the years!
That was why Yue Zhouwang and Wang Yun had thought of Li Yunjing and asked the young master for help.
They assumed Li Yunjing was young, had a low cultivation level, and probably didn't know much.
A few flattering words, a banquet, and some Spirit Stones would settle the matter.
But the situation now made it clear they had miscalculated.
As expected of a young master from a great cultivation family—he was no fool!
He wasn't so easily placated!
He'd opened his mouth and demanded two thousand Spirit Stones!
The men exchanged looks. Yue Zhouwang had no choice but to say, "Young Master Li, we don't have many Spirit Stones left. We barely have enough for ourselves. How about we transfer you two thousand contribution points instead?"
They were already at a disadvantage and needed his help, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree to this harsh condition.
"Mm. That works."
Li Yunjing remained calm, nodded lightly, and tossed his Identity Token onto the table with a clatter.
Beside him, Ma Xingyuan's mouth hung open. He looked utterly dumbfounded.
He just kept asking for two thousand Spirit Stones. Did he have to go that big?
He'd been getting by in the cultivation world for seven or eight years, and even now he didn't have a hundred Spirit Stones on him!
People really could make you feel poor by comparison!
Before you continue