Chà Chà Novel

Central Province, at the foot of Mount Zhaoyao.

Hundreds upon hundreds of unaffiliated cultivators and mortals crowded the foot of the mountain, shuffling forward in line. Beside the narrow path at the front sat a handsome youth in dark blue robes. Slouching behind a desk, he held a brush in one hand and propped his cheek on the other, repeating his announcement like a chant.

“Mortals enter free. Unaffiliated cultivators pay two superior spirit stones. Register and pay if you’re going in. If you’re not entering the city, next!”

An unaffiliated cultivator protested, “Why do mortals get in free while we have to pay?”

“Because most mortals haven’t started cultivating yet. Their potential is limitless. An unaffiliated cultivator who’s spent decades getting nowhere and can’t produce two spirit stones has wasted his time. The Yaoshang Sect doesn’t accept dead weight.”

“Who are you calling dead weight?!”

“You. Who else?” The youth lazily raised his eyes. “Certainly not me. I reached Foundation Establishment at thirteen.”

The cultivator flushed scarlet. He was well into his forties and had only just reached Foundation Establishment. This youth had done it at thirteen. By now, he had to be at least at the Golden Core stage.

“You think reaching Foundation Establishment at thirteen makes you so impressive?!”

“Compared to you? Yes.”

The youth continued, “Three superior spirit stones. Register and pay if you’re going in. Otherwise, next.”

The cultivator’s eyes widened. “It was two just now! Why is it three all of a sudden?”

“Because you talked back and wasted my precious cultivation time.”

“This is extortion!”

“Don’t like it?” The youth didn’t even look up. “Go file a complaint. My name is Bai Xiaohen of the Yaoshang Sect. But you’ll have to pay the entry fee before you can go in and complain.”

“What entry fee? Is this how the foremost immortal sect in the Nine Provinces treats its future disciples?”

“You’re over forty and have only just reached Foundation Establishment. What makes you so sure you’ll become a Yaoshang Sect disciple?” Bai Xiaohen looked genuinely baffled.

The cultivator choked on his reply. It was rare for the Yaoshang Sect to open its gates and recruit disciples on such a scale, much less welcome both unaffiliated cultivators and mortals. People across the Nine Provinces had rushed to answer the call, wishing they could get there overnight. Even becoming a nominal disciple here was better than joining some minor sect.

Gritting his teeth, he slapped three superior spirit stones onto the desk and muttered a curse. “Fees everywhere! A fee to enter a city, a fee to seek a master. What shameless bastard came up with this rotten idea? Absolutely heartless!”

No sooner had he finished than someone sneezed behind him.

He turned to find a youth in a fitted black outfit cinched at the waist. Tall and slender, with his long hair tied back, he had an ordinary face with a hint of delicate charm and looked no more than eighteen or nineteen.

Already irritated, the cultivator saw that the boy was young and had no discernible spiritual power. Probably a mortal. He promptly decided to take his temper out on him.

“Who said you could sneeze behind me? Can’t you see I’m standing right here? You’ve dirtied my clothes. What are you going to do about it?”

The youth in black tilted his head. “Serve them cold?”

Furious, the cultivator reached for his collar. The youth slipped lightly backward and asked at leisure, “Then what would you like me to do?”

“Pay up! Five spirit stones!”

“…”

The youth glanced at the man’s shabby clothes and raised an eyebrow. “You’re this poor and you’re still trying to cultivate?”

The cultivator’s face darkened. “What did you say?”

“I said, you’re this poor and you’re still trying to cultivate? You’ve barely paid three superior spirit stones and you’re already trying to scam me. Ever considered marrying into a rich family?”

“You little brat!”

The cultivator already had a fiery temper. Being mocked for his poverty in front of so many people only humiliated him further. He drew the long saber at his waist and thrust it straight at the youth.

Everyone’s vision blurred for an instant, and the youth in black vanished. A moment later, the unaffiliated cultivator went flying as though something had kicked him, crashing to the side of the road.

“Your temper is quick, my friend. Your saber, though? Far too slow.”

The youth in black reappeared before them with one foot planted on the long saber, looking down at the cultivator on the ground. A careless smile curved his lips, his bearing arrogant and utterly relaxed.

The onlookers were stunned. There wasn’t a trace of spiritual energy on him, and he hadn’t used any technique. Through sheer speed and strength, he had disappeared before their eyes and sent the cultivator flying. How powerful did his body have to be?

The cultivator on the ground had clearly realized it too. He pulled a bronze bell from inside his robe and shook it. Dizziness washed over the crowd, and the world seemed to tilt upside down. Before they could react, another figure appeared in front of him and stamped his face into the ground, sinking the earth an inch beneath it.

“Even Mahayana cultivators wouldn’t dare cause trouble at the gates of the Yaoshang Sect. You really are too ignorant to be afraid.”

As he spoke, Bai Xiaohen ground his foot down hard, then raised his eyes to the crowd. “If anyone else causes trouble, you won’t get off this lightly. Understood?”

Horror spread across their faces. The man might have reached Foundation Establishment late, but he was clearly a seasoned fighter. That bronze bell was especially sinister, capable of making so many of them dizzy at once. Yet Bai Xiaohen had been completely unaffected and had brought him underfoot in an instant. He was no ordinary disciple.

Satisfied with their reaction, Bai Xiaohen turned to the youth in black. “What about you? Do you understand?”

“Of course. But I wasn’t causing trouble. I simply couldn’t stand the man.” The youth sighed. “Poor aptitude and bad character are one thing, but he’s stupid too. He doesn’t understand your sect’s intentions at all.”

Bai Xiaohen blinked. “What intentions?”

“Your thoughtful intentions, naturally.” The youth spoke with feeling. “The Yaoshang Sect accepts disciples from all walks of life, regardless of status. But that also draws people with ulterior motives, or villains seeking refuge from enemies they’ve made elsewhere. That invites endless trouble and takes opportunities away from those with lower cultivation. Charging an entry fee weeds out some of those ill intentioned people without burdening ordinary mortals. Two benefits with one measure.”

“So that’s why! As expected of the foremost immortal sect in the Nine Provinces. Such careful planning, and always looking out for ordinary cultivators like us. A truly upright sect, a model of the righteous path.”

Understanding dawned across the crowd. Even the cultivators who had been reluctant to pay, along with some mortals from wealthy families, willingly took out their spirit stones and hurried forward to register.

Bai Xiaohen stared in amazement. If his senior sister hadn’t personally told him that a little cursing didn’t matter as long as he collected plenty of spirit stones, he might actually have believed the youth’s explanation.

Still, the youth had clearly solved a considerable problem for him. That kick earlier had been very much to his taste too. He promptly handed registration over to the other disciples and approached the youth in black.

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. In recognition of that, I’ll waive your entry fee.”

“Better to follow the rules. I wouldn’t want to put you in a difficult position, Senior Brother.”

The youth placed two superior spirit stones on the desk, then smiled at Bai Xiaohen. “Thank you for the kind offer.”

Bai Xiaohen liked him even more. He was decisive, efficient, and easygoing. His tone warmed. “I don’t sense any spiritual power on you. Are you here to seek a master too?”

“More or less.”

“Either you are or you aren’t. What do you mean, more or less?”

“Partly to seek a master, partly to find someone.”

“Find someone? Who?” Bai Xiaohen perked up at once. “Do you have relatives in the Yaoshang Sect? What’s their name? Tell me. I might know them.”

“My wife. Someone stole him away,” the youth said. “The man who took him is called Xu Moxing. Do you know him?”

The smile froze on Bai Xiaohen’s face. “…That’s my master.”