The stewards of the Expenditure Hall are senior disciples from the outer sect, so it is reasonable for Sun Wubai to call Chen Shuangbai" junior brother".
Chen Shuangbai returned the greeting with a smile on her lips.
He knew.
This is because Senior Brother Yan Qi's flying letter had an effect.
After Sun Wubai took his seat, the two strong and sturdy servants standing behind him readily complied and silently placed the two wooden boxes they were carrying on the table between them.
The wooden box was quite exquisite in design, and even though it was placed on the table with great care, it still made a sound similar to the tinkling of jade pendants.
"This is?"
Even though they already knew, they still had to go through with the performance.
Chen Shuangbai deliberately feigned a slight look of confusion, waiting for Sun Wubai to explain.
Sun Wubai pushed the two wooden boxes towards Chen Shuangbai, making a clearer, more melodious sound, and laughed, "You really don't come here unless you have a reason."
"Did Junior Brother Chen go down the mountain with a senior brother from the Evil Hunting Hall some time ago to save the lives of innocent people in a village?"
"That's true."
Sun Wubai clasped his hands together and said, "That's right."
"The senior brother from the Evil Hunting Hall sent a letter back to the sect, which fell into the hands of our Expenditure Hall Master Wang. He clearly told Junior Brother Chen that he not only has a compassionate heart, but also possesses the methods of a Celestial Venerable. He did his utmost to treat the injured people and restore the reputation of our Jade Spring Sect. This is a meritorious deed."
"Our Hall Master Wang said that this matter should be publicized to address the growing bad habits within the Zhengyi sect. Therefore, he sent us here to personally deliver this reward for Junior Brother Chen's good intentions."
At first, Chen Shuangbai thought it all sounded normal, thinking it was just polite talk.
The more I listened, the more something seemed off.
The sect has nine halls, each with one head and two deputy heads. As far as Chen Shuangbai knows, the head of the Expenditure Hall should be surnamed Ruan, but one of the deputy heads is surnamed Wang.
Oh, I see. So, the "deputy" in "deputy hall master" is automatically ignored, right?
--And... this sounds more like I'm exercising some kind of special privilege!
After a moment's thought, Chen Shuangbai decided to continue "acting" along this line of conversation.
Since Yan Qi was the one who pushed this matter forward, the Expenditure Hall must have had its own plans as well. However, he still gave a slight reminder that this matter should not be flaunted. Chen Shuangbai currently only wants to cultivate peacefully, rather than putting himself under the scrutiny of countless eyes for the sake of that damn reputation.
Sun Wubai smiled and agreed, but he didn't actually listen to a word he said, because this matter was naturally decided by the higher-ups, and it was not something that a mere white-robed steward like himself could agree to.
He opened the two wooden boxes. On the left was a box of Spirit Stone, and on the right was a pile of shimmering jade-colored crystals, which Chen Shuangbai had never seen before.
The box on the left contains thirty Middle-Grade Spirit Stone.
One Middle-Grade Spirit Stone is roughly equivalent to one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stone, and so on. The higher the grade of the Spirit Stone, the higher the concentration of Spiritual Qi it contains.
With Chen Shuangbai's current cultivation level at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer Early Stage, his daily cultivation consumes the Spiritual Qi that escapes from the underground Spirit Vein within the sect's grand formation. Therefore, he basically saves the Spirit Stone in his monthly salary for the future.
However, most of these were Lower-Grade Spirit Stone; this was the first time I had ever seen Middle-Grade Spirit Stone.
What intrigued Chen Shuangbai even more was the pile of shimmering, jade-colored crystals in the box on the right, sparkling like a clear spring.
"This is?"
Chen Shuangbai timely expressed her doubts.
Upon hearing this, Sun Wubai Orthodox God, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.
He had seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, outer disciples with his eyes, so he could roughly tell that this outer disciple would definitely have a place in the inner sect in the future.
Therefore, he felt a little proud to be able to answer the questions of such a promising future inner disciple.
"This is Water Moon Jade Crystal."
He picked up a jade-colored crystal and displayed it in his palm. A servant behind him immediately took out a luminous pearl, which made the Water Moon Jade Crystal even more beautiful under the pearl's radiance.
Chen Shuangbai looked over.
The crystal was about the size of a thumb, an irregular polyhedron, and had a translucent, warm, jade-white color. Its interior was not solid, but rather resembled a small, constantly flowing spring, shimmering under the pearly light.
Chen Shuangbai subconsciously activated her Spirit-Appraising Pupil, and saw that within this pool of clear spring water, there seemed to be specks of light, like the moonlight of the world.
Moonlight?
Almost at the same moment Chen Shuangbai realized this, the rotating [ Dao Fruit ] in his sea of consciousness also trembled slightly, as if it too had developed feelings.
Could it be...?
Chen Shuangbai suppressed her excitement and listened attentively as Sun Wubai introduced the item.
"This item originates from the water-attribute jade ore within the twelve spiritual springs under the influence of my Jade Spring Sect. It is a special spiritual material that has been transformed over many years by the moonlight and the special Secret Method of my sect."
"If I'm not mistaken, Junior Brother Chen should possess the Spirit Root aptitude of both Water and Wood. The water elemental energy contained within him is pure and gentle, making it extremely easy for water-based cultivation Cultivation Method to absorb and refine. The moonlight power he contains is also an excellent choice for harmonizing Yin and Yang and calming the mind."
"In addition, this substance can subtly nourish the soul, purify magical Law Power, and is quite beneficial for stabilizing one's foundation."
"When you are cultivating, hold it in your palm and practice the Qi Ingestion Method; it will make your efforts twice as effective."
He paused, looked at Chen Shuangbai, and said meaningfully:
"Although this item is not classified as Spirit Stone, it is a specialty of our Jade Spring Sect."
"Their rarity and value to certain cultivators often exceed that of ordinary Middle-Grade Spirit Stone, and some high-quality ones even rival Upper-Grade Spirit Stone. Only a small portion circulates to us outer disciples each year; the majority is taken by inner disciple and the six inner peaks..."
"Junior brother, do you understand?"
Chen Shuangbai suddenly understood, and at the same time was secretly surprised.
This Water Moon Jade Crystal is even more valuable than that box of Middle-Grade Spirit Stone!
He was now certain.
Dao Fruit can absorb the power of the moon's essence from these Water Moon Jade Crystal, which is a far more effective way to recharge than basking in moonlight!
It's true what they say: when you get sleepy, the pillow just appears on its own.
Chen Shuangbai was secretly delighted: he had been worried that he had not found a way to recharge his Dao Fruit more effectively than basking in the moonlight before he went down the mountain, and now someone had delivered it to his door in just a few days, solving this problem for him.
Chen Shuangbai, with a solemn expression, bowed deeply to Sun Wubai, as if also to the unfamiliar Vice Hall Master Wang.
"Then I thank Senior Brother Sun, Hall Master Wang, and all the senior brothers of the Expenditure Hall for their hard work. It would be impolite of me to refuse such a generous offer."
"Junior brother, you flatter me. It's just my duty."
Sun Wubai quickly stepped aside to avoid it, his smile widening, knowing that the gift had truly touched the recipient's heart.