Once Scorned for My Mixed Spiritual Roots, Now They Weep at My Power! - Chapter 23 - You Think It's Expensive? So Do I!

“There’s no spirit stone up there, but isn’t there Green Rock Bamboo?”

“You’ve been cutting down so much Green Rock Bamboo from Xiaozhu Peak, severely damaging its ecological environment. From now on, anyone who comes to Xiaozhu Peak to cut Green Rock Bamboo must pay a fee!”

“A fee?” The servant disciple looked at Xiao Yun in disbelief.

They had been cutting Green Rock Bamboo from Xiaozhu Peak for seven or eight years and had never heard of any fee.

The servant disciple turned his gaze to Wen Qing. “Senior Sister, who is this Junior Brother?”

Wen Qing’s face flushed, feeling her cheeks burning. “He’s a new disciple of Xiaozhu Peak, named Xiao Yun.”

The servant disciple immediately put on a friendly smile. “So it’s Junior Brother Xiao. I’ve been cutting Green Rock Bamboo at Xiaozhu Peak for seven or eight years and have never been charged. Why suddenly now?”

You have the nerve to admit you’ve been freeloading for seven or eight years?

“In the past, we didn’t charge because Xiaozhu Peak valued the camaraderie within the Spirit Sword Sect. Why make distinctions among ourselves?”

“My Master is kind-hearted and hoped to inspire goodwill through this gesture.”

“But over the years, instead of gratitude, other peaks have only become more demanding.”

“Everything they do involves a fee, and the costs keep rising. Xiaozhu Peak has no choice but to charge, as we have no spirit stone income and can’t even afford a simple Foundation Establishment Pill.”

“That’s why it’s been decided that Green Rock Bamboo from Xiaozhu Peak will be charged from now on.”

The servant disciple looked at Wen Qing and asked, “Senior Sister Wen Qing, is what this Junior Brother says true?”

Wen Qing hesitated for a long time before finally nodding. “Yes.”

Her “yes” was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.

Luckily, everyone was a cultivator with sharp senses, or they might not have heard it.

“So that’s how it is. Senior Sister Wen Qing, may I ask, is this Aunt-Master Yan’s decision?”

Wen Qing flinched at the mention of her Master.

Yan Qinghui had gone down the mountain to find a weapon for Wen Qing and hadn’t returned yet, so this decision couldn’t possibly be hers.

“If Master finds out about this, will she scold me?” Wen Qing felt a wave of anxiety.

“For so many years, Master never said Green Rock Bamboo couldn’t be cut. Making this decision on my own might displease her.”

Realizing charging for Green Rock Bamboo wasn’t a trivial matter, Wen Qing felt uneasy about making such a decision without her Master’s consent.

She was about to awkwardly claim she was just joking and let it slide when Xiao Yun spoke up.

“What? Do you expect my Master to personally inform you of this?” Xiao Yun’s face turned stern, his voice cold.

The servant disciple quickly apologized. “Of course not, I was just asking. No need to get upset, Junior Brother. How much do you intend to charge us?”

This question stumped Xiao Yun.

He had no idea what the appropriate value for the Green Rock Bamboo should be.

He turned to Senior Sister Wen Qing, who was blushing and signaling him to drop the matter.

What’s going on? Has Senior Sister changed her mind?

This won’t do. The Green Rock Bamboo fee policy at Xiaozhu Peak must be enforced, or who knows when we’ll be able to visit the Scripture Pavilion again!

Since letting Senior Sister set the price is out of the question, Xiao Yun decided to take matters into his own hands.

“Charging per person, one hour for one hundred spirit stones!”

Xiao Yun referred to the pricing at Longshou Peak’s Scripture Pavilion.

“One hundred spirit stones? Why don’t you just rob us?” Immediately, a servant disciple stood up and shouted in dissatisfaction.

“You think it’s expensive? I think it’s expensive too! That’s the price. If you can’t accept it, don’t come to Xiaozhu Peak to chop Green Rock Bamboo.” Xiao Yun stood his ground.

The servant disciple wanted to say more, but the leading disciple stopped him with a gesture.

Seeing that Xiao Yun was not easy to deal with, he chose not to negotiate further with him.

Instead, he approached Wen Qing with a smile and said, “Senior Sister Wen Qing, we’re just some servant disciples. Coming to Xiaozhu Peak to chop Green Rock Bamboo is a task assigned by the Senior Brothers.”

“Don’t mention one hundred spirit stones; we can’t even afford a single spirit stone. We need to report back to the Senior Brothers about this fee for chopping Green Rock Bamboo.”

“Once the spirit stone fee for chopping Green Rock Bamboo is allocated from above, we’ll follow Xiaozhu Peak’s rules and pay one hundred spirit stones per hour. What do you think, Senior Sister?”

Wen Qing hesitated, unable to decide whether to agree or not.

She hadn’t thought it through, and in a moment of frustration, she decided to charge the servant disciples from Qingmu Peak for chopping bamboo.

Upon reflection, she realized they were just following orders.

How could they have spirit stones to give her?

Even if they did, it would be spirit stones allocated from Qingmu Peak, which they would then give to her.

If this matter reached Uncle-Master Yang at Qingmu Peak, it could become a big issue.

Just as she was about to say forget it, Xiao Yun had already agreed, “Alright, we’ll let you off today.”

“Go back and tell your Senior Brother Yang Xuhao that from now on, Qingmu Peak disciples must pay spirit stones to chop bamboo at Xiaozhu Peak! Otherwise, they won’t be allowed to chop!”

“Thank you, Junior Brother, for understanding.”

“Yes, take these bundles of Green Rock Bamboo to our Xiaozhu Peak’s wood shed. Starting tomorrow, if you want to chop Green Rock Bamboo, bring spirit stones.”

“Understood, we’ll deliver them to Xiaozhu Peak right away.”

The leading servant disciple gave the order, and the group began transporting Green Rock Bamboo to Xiaozhu Peak.

After everyone had left, Wen Qing sighed softly and said, “Junior Brother, why don’t we just let it go? In the future, let’s allow them to chop Green Rock Bamboo freely. They’re just following orders, and there’s no need to make things difficult for them.”

“We’ve already received an Enhancement Pill from Senior Brother Yang, which is quite a windfall. There’s no need to dwell on past grievances.”

“Senior Sister, that Enhancement Pill was compensation from Senior Brother Yang for ruining our Foundation Establishment Pill. These are two separate matters.”

“Have you forgotten how Senior Brother Yang bullied you when you were buying the Foundation Establishment Pill at Qingmu Peak?”

“Have you forgotten how they insisted you sign an IOU at the Scripture Pavilion when you couldn’t gather one hundred spirit stones?”

“Senior Sister, there may only be the two of us disciples at Xiaozhu Peak now, and we might not need spirit stones.”

“But what about the future? When Xiaozhu Peak flourishes, can you bear to see our disciples struggling for spirit stones and being looked down upon?”

“Don’t you want to see Xiaozhu Peak prosper?”

“Of course, I want Xiaozhu Peak to thrive.”

“Then there you have it. Sooner or later, we’ll have to charge for Green Rock Bamboo. If we don’t charge now, we’ll have to charge later. Isn’t it better to start building a foundation for our future Junior Brothers and Sisters?”

“But… won’t Master blame us for doing this?”

“Master will be delighted, not blame us. We’re contributing to Xiaozhu Peak’s development. She might have had this idea all along but was too shy to say it. As disciples, shouldn’t we help out?”

“But…”

“Alright, Senior Sister, no more buts. Let’s head back to Xiaozhu Peak. I’ll make braised pork knuckle for lunch!”