Chapter 43: Freeloading

"Fourth Senior Sister, I need to discuss something with you!" A rare smile appeared on Changsun Yuanbai's usually stern face.

"What is it?" Cui Yayun immediately became wary. This guy wouldn't even smile if he found a mountain of gold, so his sudden kindness must be up to no good.

"Fourth Senior Sister, can you hand him over to me!" Changsun Yuanbai pointed to Chu Jianqiu below.

"Don't even think about it!" Cui Yayun glanced at him. If it were yesterday, she might have been a bit worried about Chu Jianqiu being taken away, as her methods were somewhat unconventional for the Xuanjian Sect.

But today, Chu Jianqiu had already performed the formal ceremony of becoming a disciple, and his name was on the roster of the Fourth Peak. Unless she willingly gave him up, even Zuoqiu Wen wouldn't be able to take him away.

The Fourth Peak was already sparsely populated, and it was rare to find someone who met her standards. She couldn't let him go.

Seeing Cui Yayun reject him without hesitation, Changsun Yuanbai sighed in regret, lamenting that he wasn't present at this recruitment meeting.

If he had known about such a talented individual, he wouldn't have missed this recruitment meeting.

Changsun Yuanbai glanced at Chu Jianqiu a few more times, then shook his head and left.

Seeing that the matter was settled, the others also dispersed.

At the edge of the Xuanjian Sect's territory, several blood-colored figures appeared out of nowhere.

"Just now, there seemed to be some activity at the Xuanjian Sect. Why is it gone now? Did I see it wrong?" One of the blood-colored figures looked at the calm sky and asked in confusion.

"I also saw some anomalies in the sky just now, but they dissipated too quickly to see clearly."

"We need to investigate further. Unfortunately, our plan failed this time. Otherwise, planting a pawn in the Xuanjian Sect would have made it much easier to gather information."

...

The blood-colored figures observed the boundary of the Xuanjian Sect's territory but found nothing, so they left.

They didn't dare to venture further, as being discovered by the Xuanjian Sect would lead to another battle. The Xue Sha Sect had more important matters to attend to and didn't want to engage in a prolonged conflict with the Xuanjian Sect at this time.

Zuoqiu Wen adjusted the surrounding spiritual energy of the Fourth Peak and returned to the main peak.

He didn't specifically instruct the inner and outer disciples to keep today's events confidential, as doing so would only draw more attention.

After all, the other disciples, who were not at a high enough level, only saw the formation and dissipation of the mystical clouds over the Fourth Peak. Based on this, outsiders couldn't deduce much.

What the major peak masters did in the sky above the Fourth Peak was completely undetected.

At their level, and with the secret techniques they used to conceal themselves, the low-level disciples couldn't see them at all.

After unblocking all his meridians and cultivating the supreme martial body, Chu Jianqiu didn't rush to break through to the True Qi realm.

He felt that his physical body was still being subtly transformed by the True Qi, and its strength had not yet reached its peak.

Chu Jianqiu estimated that once his physical body stabilized, its strength would improve even further.

Since he could break through to the True Qi realm at any time, there was no need to rush.

The next day, Chu Jianqiu went to the outer sect.

After yesterday's tests, the results for the new disciples were out.

Out of nearly two hundred people, only five could directly enter the inner sect, including the arrogant disciple from Qing Shan County, Si Fengkai.

Zuoqiu Lianzhu didn't tell him where the Fourth Peak disciples ate, only showing him around the outer sect and telling him where the outer sect dining hall was.

When he went to find Zuoqiu Lianzhu early in the morning, she was nowhere to be found.

Chu Jianqiu had no choice but to go to the outer sect dining hall to freeload.

"You Fourth Peak doesn't seem to have a tab here." The disciple in charge of the dining hall looked at Chu Jianqiu's token, then sized him up, finding it hard to believe.

A prestigious Fourth Peak disciple actually had to come to the outer sect dining hall to freeload. How could this be so humiliating?

In the Xuanjian Sect, not to mention the prestigious disciples of each peak, even the inner sect disciples wouldn't come to the outer sect dining hall.

Could the food in the outer sect dining hall compare to that in the inner sect dining hall, let alone the dining halls of each peak?

The outer sect dining hall mostly served ordinary meals, with only a few days each month featuring food made from spirit medicines and demon beast meat.

Inner sect disciples ate nourishing spirit food for at least half the month.

Prestigious disciples ate even better, with each meal consisting of food made from second or third-grade spirit medicines or the meat of second or third-stage demon beasts. Their meals were always made from spirit grains of third grade or higher.

It was unheard of for a prestigious disciple to come to the outer sect dining hall to freeload.

Moreover, he had never seen this person before. Was he a new disciple?

For a new disciple to become a prestigious disciple of the Fourth Peak, this guy must have had a stroke of luck.

Chu Jianqiu was taken aback and asked, "Do we need to have a tab to eat?"

"Of course. Your Fourth Peak hasn't paid for meals in the outer sect. Do you think we'll feed you for free?" The disciple in charge of the dining hall said with a hint of disdain.

Chu Jianqiu was speechless. He had to pay for his meals.

"How much is the meal fee?"

The disciple's eyes darted around. These prestigious disciples were said to be rich. Not taking advantage of such an opportunity would be a waste.

"Fifty spirit stones per month!" The disciple held up both hands.

"Fifty spirit stones per month? Are you robbing me!" Chu Jianqiu jumped up. He had seen that the ingredients in the outer sect dining hall were mostly ordinary, with only a few low-grade spirit medicines, which weren't worth much.

Fifty spirit stones could buy a Qi Gathering Pill.

Back when he was a young master of the Chu family, at the first level of the True Qi realm, he could only get three Qi Gathering Pills a month.

Although a Qi Gathering Pill wasn't much to him now, this guy was clearly trying to rip him off.

"Do you want to pay or not? If not, that's fine. I'm not forcing you." The disciple put down his hands and said calmly. This guy must have nowhere else to go, so he would have to endure the high price. He had heard that the Fourth Peak only had three people and no dining hall.

Chu Jianqiu had no choice but to take out a Qi Gathering Pill and give it to the disciple.

He couldn't find anywhere else to eat except the outer sect dining hall.

At this time, on the Seventh Peak.

A girl in a pink dress stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the guy who was eating like a wolf, and shouted, "Zuoqiu Lianzhu, you keep coming here to freeload. Pay the meal fee now!"

Zuoqiu Lianzhu patted her belly, burped, and smiled, patting the head of the girl in red.

"Good girl, next time I'll buy you more candy!"

With that, she vanished in a flash.

As for Chu Jianqiu, he would have to solve his own problems. Otherwise, if he found out how poor the Fourth Peak was, he might run away.

Sigh, who would have thought that her master was always fasting, and her senior sister didn't eat human food.

To satisfy her hunger, she could only come to the Seventh Senior Uncle to freeload.