An appearance fee that is very expensive?
Fang Jueqian immediately and anxiously began counting his little treasury.
Although the number of spirit stones on hand was not small, including many top-grade spirit stones that could be considered a massive fortune, for someone like the Daoist Lord who would rent out an entire mountaintop just to have a disciple give someone a lesson, this small pile of spirit stones probably amounted to nothing.
Furthermore, Fang Jueqian had only been taking spirit stones out of the bags to use, and had never actually counted the total amount of spirit stones scattered across those miscellaneous storage bags.
Although on the surface one middle-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for one hundred low-grade spirit stones, and one high-grade spirit stone for one hundred middle-grade spirit stones, in market circulation, due to the scarcity of higher-quality spirit stones, actual transactions always required a bit extra to complete an equivalent exchange.
Currently, one middle-grade spirit stone seemed to require around one hundred and ten low-grade spirit stones to trade, and one high-grade spirit stone required roughly over one hundred and fifty middle-grade spirit stones. As for top-grade ones, needless to say, he had heard from classmates that they were basically only ever seen at auctions, with a market price roughly between five hundred and one thousand top-grade spirit stones.
Converted this way.
Fang Jueqian used all ten fingers, yet the more he calculated, the more silent he became, and the more distressed he felt.
Ah, people always only realize how trashy their math skills are after leaving school.
The most terrifying thing was that this level of trashiness seemed to increase day by day.
Fang Jueqian had no choice but to abandon this unrealistic idea.
【A Happy Rice Cake: Husband, how many spirit stones does it roughly cost to hire you for a lesson? If it is not enough, can we start a tab?】
【As Open-Minded as a Valley: You wish. You use the spirit stones I gave you to hire me for a lesson, and you still want to put it on a tab? Do you want me to help pay off the spirit stones you owe in the future as well?】
Fang Jueqian subconsciously nodded, feeling from the bottom of his heart that if something like that could actually happen, it would simply be for the best.
Unfortunately, a transaction filled with such unfairness was probably something the Daoist Lord would never be willing to agree to.
【As Open-Minded as a Valley: Keep dreaming.】
His pleasant dream shattered, leaving Fang Jueqian with no choice but to honestly ask:
【A Happy Rice Cake: Husband, then how do you think we should price it?】
【As Open-Minded as a Valley: I am not short on spirit stones. It depends on your performance.】
Performance?
Fang Jueqian’s face flushed slightly.
【A Happy Rice Cake: How does Husband want me to perform?】
The Daoist Lord on the other end did not reply immediately, leaving Fang Jueqian unable to resist daydreaming from afar during the pause.
Unfortunately, when the communication jade talisman lit up once more, the content sent by the Daoist Lord completely blew away all the chaotic thoughts in his head.
【As Open-Minded as a Valley: I want you to win first place in the academic exams.】
Fang Jueqian.
Fang Jueqian rubbed his eyes, took a look, let out a long sigh, pinched his arm, drew in a sharp breath of pain, and then took another look to find that it truly was not his imagination.
Fang Jueqian was helpless.
Fang Jueqian choked back a sob.
Yet as he choked back his sobs, Fang Jueqian unexpectedly produced a trace of strange, touching emotion.
In this entire world, aside from the Daoist Lord, who else would so naturally believe in him and place such high expectations on him?
Yet this matter was just like the Daoist Lord’s previous plan for him to reach the Golden Core stage in three years, the Nascent Soul stage in five years, and the Soul Formation stage in ten years.
He truly was incapable of doing it.
When Fang Jueqian conveyed his thoughts to the Daoist Lord as tactfully as possible, the Daoist Lord reacted with utter disdain.
【As Open-Minded as a Valley: Just because you cannot do it now does not mean you cannot do it after I tutor you. The condition is laid out right here. Will you take it or not?】
Fang Jueqian thought about it. Since the Daoist Lord was so confident, it probably was not entirely impossible. After all, he was Daoist Lord Lingxiao! How could a cultivator at the Mahayana stage fail to tutor a little disciple at the Qi Refining stage?
Thus, filled with trust in the Daoist Lord, he agreed.
【A Happy Rice Cake: Alright, Husband, but does it really have to be first place? Are the top three not okay? And what if I fail to get first place? Is there any punishment?】
This was not due to a lack of trust in the Daoist Lord, but rather because Fang Jueqian knew his own limited abilities and feared accidents happening when the time came.
【As Open-Minded as a Valley: It can only be first place. As for punishment, why are you already thinking about failure before even trying? If we were facing an army in battle, someone like you who disrupts military morale would be beheaded first. Do you know that?】
Fang Jueqian apologized with a red face:
【A Happy Rice Cake: I am sorry, Husband. I will work hard.】
After settling the conditions, Fang Jueqian put away the communication jade talisman and began waiting for the Daoist Lord to arrive.
However, this place was separated by a long distance from Qingjing Peak, so it would probably take the Daoist Lord a while to rush over.
Even so, for some reason, Fang Jueqian felt a flutter of excitement.
He looked up at the star-filled sky, thinking the stars were too gorgeous, and then looked down at the white marble-paved steps, thinking the floor tiles were too clean.
A gentle breeze blew, rustling the white pear blossom trees along the edges of the steps until petals drifted down like snowflakes under the moonlight.
In such a vast world, containing only the two of them, him and the Daoist Lord, wouldn’t it be a waste of resources?
Yet to be able to enjoy such beautiful scenery with just the two of them, him and the Daoist Lord, truly made him lucky.
Fang Jueqian inexplicably grew happy. He stepped onto the edge of a step and walked one step, two steps, three steps.
Just as he reached the other end of the steps and finished measuring their size with his feet, Fang Jueqian turned around with a bounce, only to suddenly catch sight of Daoist Lord Lingxiao standing quietly beneath the pear blossom tree and watching him.
A youth with white hair, bathed in moonlight and flowers as though wrapped in snow, looking every bit like an immortal being.
Fang Jueqian was startled:
“Husband! When did you arrive?”
“The moment someone started hopping around like a fool.” Su Nisheng’s expression was unreadable.
He walked toward Fang Jueqian from beneath the flowering tree, his sleeves catching the wind. Yet with every step he drew closer, Fang Jueqian felt his breath grow a little shorter. By the time the man walked right up to him, Fang Jueqian subconsciously lowered his hands and stood straight and obediently, like a hamster encountering a cat.
Su Nisheng looked displeased: “You are usually sharp-tongued and quick-witted. How come you cannot spit out a single word right now?”
Sharp-tongued and quick-witted, him?
Fang Jueqian felt a bit dazed.
Yet, remembering the Daoist Lord’s kindness in rushing over in the dead of night to help, he honestly accepted this false accusation and simply smiled ingratiatingly:
“Perhaps it is because I have not seen Husband in a long time and feel a bit shy.”
Su Nisheng let out a cold laugh.
Fang Jueqian felt things were turning bad; the Daoist Lord’s mood right now seemed less than pleasant. But did the man ever have a pleasant mood? Why had he himself never witnessed it?
Fang Jueqian silently muttered a small complaint to himself, then looked up at the Daoist Lord, discovering that viewing a handsome youth under the moonlight possessed an entirely unique charm. It was only when he was caught red-handed and the handsome youth raised an eyebrow with a cold, mocking smile that Fang Jueqian embarrassedly smiled and hurriedly changed the subject:
“Husband, let us begin now.”
Su Nisheng glanced around, raised a hand to summon a stone stool, and sat down:
“Let me see what you have learned first.”
Fang Jueqian’s face flushed, and he began as instructed.
Yet very quickly, Fang Jueqian recalled the fear of being dominated and the humiliation of having his intelligence looked down upon by the Daoist Lord.
“What kind of moves are you throwing, a drowning duck trying to paddle? From the top!”
“Where is the momentum? Where is the killing intent? Did you eat them? From the top!”
“Why do you keep making the exact same mistake over and over again? From the top!”
“That is already five times, and you stumble every single time. Have you actually been practicing properly? From the top!”
“What needs to be soft is not soft, what needs to be hard is not hard. Don’t go telling people in the future that I taught you. From the top!”
From the top, from the top, from the top, from the top.
Fang Jueqian was on the verge of a breakdown.
He never imagined that although the Daoist Lord’s strength and status were vastly higher than Qiu Haoqing’s, teaching ability did not actually scale with strength and status, and might even be inversely correlated.
Just like those famous mathematicians and physicists, how many of them could actually teach a first-grader that one plus one equals two and two plus two equals four? Instead, they would just despise the students for being fourteen years old and still too stupid to grasp calculus.
“Daydreaming? You don’t even know when your steps are wrong. From the top!”
Fang Jueqian let out a choked sob. As his feet began to shuffle through the motions, he couldn’t help yearning for Qiu Haoqing.
At least when Qiu Haoqing taught him, he never scolded or lectured him. Even if he temporarily fell behind or made a mistake, he would only comfort him not to rush and that he could take his time, occasionally even asking if he was tired or needed a rest.
And what about the Daoist Lord?
Distracted, Fang Jueqian made another misstep, but failed to hear the Daoist Lord’s voice right away. He couldn’t resist stealing a glance toward the Daoist Lord’s direction, only to find the Daoist Lord with his eyes closed and taking a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress the urge to curse someone out.
At some point, fallen blossoms had already carpeted the stone stool, and quite a few had scattered onto the Daoist Lord’s clothes and the ends of his hair.
A pang struck Fang Jueqian’s heart, turning his mood cold with despair.
He began to regret asking the Daoist Lord to help. Not only did it deeply cement the fact that he was an idiot, but it also wasted the Daoist Lord’s time.
He mustered his courage:
“Husband, I am sorry. I am too stupid. As for that punishment, you should still think of one, just as long as it is not too difficult to achieve.”
Once the words left his mouth, the Daoist Lord sitting on the stone stool twitched his brow, snapped his eyes open, and glared with a frost-like face:
“Are you questioning my ability?”
“No, it is just that I know myself too well. If things go on like this, even by dawn.”
“Shut up!”
Fine, he was indeed looked down upon.
Fang Jueqian closed his mouth. Just as he grew even more dejected, he heard footsteps.
He started, then immediately lifted his head to find that the Daoist Lord had walked right up in front of him, frowning with a face full of displeasure:
“Stupid to a fault.”
Fang Jueqian froze, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
Though he could vaguely understand the Daoist Lord’s annoyance at having an entire night wasted, there was no need to deliberately walk right up to him just to call him stupid, right?
“From the top.” An icy tone.
Fang Jueqian acknowledged the command. Seeing that the Daoist Lord hadn’t walked away, he didn’t dare ask any more questions and could only start practicing from the beginning again.
Who would have thought that just after executing a few moves.
“Stop, right here.”
A familiar yet unfamiliar aura washed over him. His arm was grasped by someone, who changed its direction and lifted it up by a few crucial inches.
“Thinking about cutting corners from the very start leaves you falling short by more than just a little bit in the end.”
The icy voice rang right beside his ear.
Fang Jueqian froze.
The next second, the fluids throughout his entire body seemed to rush to two locations: his face and his arms.
“Continue.” After helping him adjust his posture, Su Nisheng took two steps back and resumed watching from the side.
Fang Jueqian let out a dazed “Ah” and, following his body’s muscle memory, continued moving.
Yet unexpectedly, after executing just two moves, his legs turned weak, his left foot tripped over his right foot, and his right foot tripped over his left foot. With a rather bizarre angle and posture, he accidentally stumbled right into the Daoist Lord’s embrace behind him.
Su Nisheng.
Fang Jueqian.
I’m sorry, but he really wasn’t doing it on purpose!