Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 28 Tea Money (Seeking further reading, monthly votes, and recommendations)
If it weren't for a stroke of luck, none of them would be worthy of talking to Young Master Li!
The more they thought about it, the more inferior they felt. The outer disciples exchanged glances and nodded discreetly.

"Young Master Li, you are a man of great experience and knowledge. You would not even notice 'Ten Mile Fragrance'. We also have two 'Hongze Fish' here."

The leading outer disciple gritted his teeth and continued, "This 'Hongze Fish' comes from 'Hongze' thousands of miles away. It is a demon beast comparable to the fourth level of Qi Refining. Its texture is tender and juicy, and its taste is extremely delicious. It is a rare delicacy."

"Since Young Master Li is here today, I will now have the best chef steam it for Young Master Li to try."

Although they all agreed, the outer disciples standing nearby still looked pained upon hearing this.

Another ten spirit stones are gone.

Such a fine fish was originally bought by the group of them together with enough spirit stones to enjoy as a treat.

Now, well, it's been given to that brat again!
"Hmm! Not bad! Then let's try it."

Li Yunjing was overjoyed. Although he didn't know what kind of spirit fish the "Hongze Fish" was, he could tell from the expressions of the outer disciples that it must be extremely precious.

He'd love to take it!

These outer disciples have come to me; they certainly aren't doing this for no reason!

Regardless, take the benefits first and agree to their demands. As for whether they actually do anything...
Li Yunjing didn't care anymore; even if he wanted to do it, he didn't have the ability!

If others don't know, how could he not know?
When others misunderstood his identity, he never explained; he simply went with the flow!

Anyway, it wasn't me who lied to them; they were the ones who eagerly offered me benefits!
He could only continue to act like a shameless young master, taking advantage of others and then turning his back on them in the end.

With this in mind, Li Yunjing felt even more confident.

Every move and word he made was extremely imposing, as if he really was a big shot on the same level as Fu Chao and Yu Yunyi!
This further convinced the group of outer disciples that it was true!
"Very well! We'll arrange it right away! Wang Yun, you go to the kitchen yourself and give the order to prepare another table of high-class banquet!"

The leading outer disciple continued to give instructions.

"Okay, Senior Brother Liu!"

Wang Yun responded and hurriedly left the private room to go to the kitchen.

At this moment, only Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan were sitting at the Eight Immortals Table, while four outer disciples stood beside them, looking cautious and apprehensive.

"Please have a seat! By the way, what's your name?"

Li Yunjing gave an order and pointed to the manager, asking him a question.

"Young Master Li! I am Yue Zhouwang, the manager of 'Yaxiangyuan'."

The head of the outer gatekeeper was overjoyed and quickly sat down to Li Yunjing's right, returning to Li Yunjing's question.

The position of steward is not part of the official establishment of the "Shenxiao Daozong"; it is merely a temporary post.

They have rights, but no benefits.

They acted arrogantly and domineeringly in "Yaxiang Garden," but their status and treatment remained that of outer disciples.

Above them are the Foundation Establishment Realm deacons.

However, important figures are focused on cultivation and have no energy to manage specific matters.

This is how the informal rank of "manager" came about.

Over time, this became the case in all the mountains and peaks of the Shenxiao Dao Sect: the higher one's cultivation level, the less willing one was to manage specific matters.

As a result, the number of stewards increased, and they existed in this special form, which was tacitly accepted by the entire sect.

As for Li Yunjing's left-hand position, it was naturally occupied by Ma Xingyuan.

The fat man reacted very quickly, following closely behind Li Yunjing, and sat down next to Li Yunjing as soon as they entered the private room.

"Hmm! You've brought out fine wine and food to entertain us two menial disciples, so you must have something to ask of us. Just say it! If it's possible, I'd be happy to lend you a hand."

Li Yunjing said with a smile.

"Hehe! Young Master Li, you noticed." Yue Zhouwang first flattered him, then said, "Young Master Li, you and Young Master Fu are good friends! We failed to keep an eye on Yang Chun, and they got into a fight at 'Yaxiang Garden.' Steward Zhong of the 'Enforcement Hall' will probably punish us. We would like to ask Young Master Li to help us make an exception."

"This matter?"

Before Li Yunjing even asked, he had already guessed this possibility.

At this point, he was no longer in a hurry and asked a question in return.

"That's exactly it!"

The other outer disciples nodded in agreement.

"Let's talk about it later!"

Li Yunjing waved his hand and calmly closed his eyes to ponder.

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts upon seeing this; it seemed that this young master Li was still not satisfied with the price they had paid!

"Young Master Li, please have a seat. We'll go urge the kitchen to serve the dishes! Excuse me! Excuse me!"

Helpless, Yue Zhouwang gave a wink to the people around him.

The group understood and spoke up. Only after seeing Li Yunjing nod did they file out one after another.

"Snapped!"

The door to the private room closed, leaving only Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan inside.

Just as Ma Xingyuan was about to speak, Li Yunjing gave him a look, signaling him to shut up.

This is someone else's territory; saying too much will only lead to mistakes.

Having just received a favor from Fu Chao, he didn't want to be exposed so soon.

As for how much profit they can extort, that depends on Yue Zhouwang and his team's performance later.

Yue Zhouwang and the others are all middle-aged men, and they have obviously been in the sect for a long time. These people should have some wealth. Why keep such people around if we don't extort them?
As for if things don't work out in the future, let them go to Fu Chao; I doubt they'd have the guts!
Outside the gate, in a secluded and deserted spot, several outer disciples huddled together, their brows furrowed.

"What should we do? This Li Yunjing is too greedy! We've already given him twenty spirit stones, and he's still not satisfied?"

One of the outer disciples complained.

"There's no way around it, these young masters from big families have seen the world! I reckon twenty spirit stones won't be enough to break him."

Yue Zhouwang sighed and said slowly.

"So we're just going to let him blackmail us like this?"

One of the outer disciples complained that their contribution points and spirit stones didn't come easily.

Besides their normal income, they could only skimp on the ingredients from "Ya Xiang Yuan" to get some benefits.

With this meager income, after bribing those above, not much actually reaches them!
"You guys do the math! If we ask someone higher up for help, and we have to bribe two Foundation Establishment Realm experts, do you think we'd have to pay less than what we give Li Yunjing?"

Yue Zhouwang shook his head slightly.

The room fell silent upon hearing this.

Those above them take advantage of every opportunity. This time, they've gotten themselves into big trouble, and their superiors will have to step in to smooth things over, so the expenses will definitely fall on them.

If this money is spent, these people will probably have worked for nothing for a year or two!

"No! Let's gather some spirit stones and have Li Yunjing talk to Fu Chao to settle this matter!"

One of the outer disciples, who had been silent all along, spoke in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)