In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 8 Two Orders
After nodding in acknowledgment, Zhou Zhiruo stepped forward and handed a sheathed wooden sword to Gu Shaoan.

“Junior brother, you are new to Emei and do not yet have a suitable weapon. Senior sister said that we are too young and the swords in Emei are not suitable for us to use, lest we hurt ourselves. Previously, third senior sister made two wooden swords for me by hand, and this wooden sword is for you.”

While speaking, Zhou Zhiruo kept her gaze fixed on her toes, rather than looking at Gu Shaoan.

Gu Shaoan was not surprised by this.

At this time, Zhou Zhiruo was just a boatman's daughter who had lost her family and was sent to Emei. Although she was not introverted, she was still somewhat insecure.

Looking at the wooden sword handed over by Zhou Zhiruo, Gu Shaoan took the wooden sword and smiled, "Thank you, Fourth Senior Sister."

Seeing that Gu Shaoan did not refuse, Zhou Zhiruo's brows furrowed with joy, and her expression relaxed considerably.

Taking in their reactions, Zhao Jingxuan smiled and led Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo toward the front of the mountain.

As they walked, Zhao Jingxuan continued to tell Gu Shaoan about the Emei Sect and the current state of the martial arts world.

Zhou Zhiruo, who was standing to the side, would occasionally speak up.

Emei Mountain has a total of 72 peaks, including Tianchi, Huayan, Yunu, and Shisun, and is divided into four mountains: Da'e, Er'e, San'e, and Si'e.

Thousands of Emei disciples and their servants usually reside on these four mountains.

The outer disciples are distributed in places such as Tianchi Peak and Huayan Peak.

Apart from Mount Da'e, the other three mountains each have elders from the sect responsible for instructing disciples in their daily cultivation.

"In addition, ordinary outer disciples do not receive a monthly allowance, while inner disciples receive a fixed five taels of silver and a Qi Gathering Pill made by their sect each month."

The amount of money offered by the sect is not much.

However, it should be noted that in the Great Wei Kingdom, one tael of silver is equivalent to the monthly expenses of an ordinary family of four.

When traveling, being able to earn between ten and fifty taels of silver is already considered quite a lot.

Not to mention that inner disciples can receive even more money.

Gu Shaoan asked, "What about us?"

Zhao Jingxuan replied, "We are the sect leader's personal disciples, and we receive a fixed monthly allowance of ten taels of silver, and the rest is the same as that of the inner disciples."

After a pause, Zhao Jingxuan continued, "If you want to earn money, you can go to the Mission Hall on Xuannv Peak to accept tasks assigned by the sect."

"Mission Hall?" Gu Shaoan glanced at Zhao Jingxuan.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Jingxuan sighed and explained, "Our Emei Sect is stationed in Jiading Prefecture, Yuzhou Prefecture, and Xuzhou Prefecture. We collect tribute from these three places and are also responsible for maintaining order in these areas, ensuring they are not disturbed by other martial arts practitioners."

Considering that Gu Shaoan had only recently joined the Emei Sect and was not very familiar with the situation in the martial arts world and the imperial court, Zhao Jingxuan explained it in more detail.

Every place often has two orders.

One type is the order that is overt.

One is the order behind the scenes.

The overt order is the imperial court.

Behind the scenes, of course, lies the underworld.

There are some things that are inconvenient to resolve even when the imperial court intervenes.

Therefore, over the centuries, the martial arts world and the imperial court have formed a unique system in this world.

Every city and even every village would divide its annual tax revenue into two portions, whether it was commercial tax or civilian tax.

Eight of them were sold to the imperial court.

The remaining 20% ​​was divided among various factions within the martial arts world.

Although it's only 20% tax, it's still a considerable sum. More than enough to support some martial arts sects.

At this point, Zhao Jingxuan sighed and said, "There are over a hundred other forces, large and small, within my Emei territory, and countless independent martial artists. These forces and martial artists clash almost every day."

"In addition, some shops, if they offend someone, will also come to Emei, wanting to exchange 'peace silver' for Emei to send disciples or assistants or mediate disputes. Even some of Emei's businesses are located outside."

"There are so many scattered and trivial matters. If all of them were handled by the elders or the sect leader, how could they possibly manage them all?"

"That's why our master set up this mission hall. Firstly, it can solve these problems, and secondly, it can allow disciples to gain experience so that they won't be unaware of the dangers of the world if they stay in the mountains for too long."

"After accepting the mission, you can directly receive the corresponding money from the sect. Depending on the mission, outer disciples can receive anywhere from ten to fifty taels of silver. In addition, you can also receive rewards from the sect, which may be money or contribution points."

Zhou Zhiruo suddenly spoke up: "Contribution points can be used to exchange for martial arts, weapons, and pills of my Emei Sect. However, the most advanced martial arts cannot be exchanged for contribution points."

Zhao Jingxuan nodded and said, "The martial arts of our Emei Sect are profound and extensive. Our grandmaster Guo Xiang was a genius of her generation, with a wide range of knowledge. In order to prevent the disciples from having a variety of martial arts skills but not being proficient, we have the contribution point system. Apart from us disciples who are personally taught by the sect leader or elders, other inner and outer disciples need to exchange contribution points if they want to practice other martial arts."

Gu Shaoan didn't show his reaction to what Zhao Jingxuan and Zhou Zhiruo said, but he sighed inwardly.

Gu Shaoan was unaware of what Zhao Jingxuan had said before.

But upon closer examination, it makes sense.

A chivalrous person uses martial arts to break the law; a martial artist's strength far surpasses that of ordinary people.

When one's cultivation reaches a high level, one can even take the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army.

If martial artists cause trouble all day long, the imperial court will be overwhelmed with dealing with them.

Nowadays, it seems like a very good deal to exchange just 20% of the tax revenue for allowing people in the martial arts world to play their own games without interfering in the affairs of the imperial court.

The three set off at dawn and did not return to Mount Da'e until dusk.

After the three of them had dinner on the front of Mount Da'e, they returned to the back of the mountain one after another.

Before parting, Zhao Jingxuan looked at Gu Shaoan and said, "After today's tour of Emei, Junior Brother, you must diligently cultivate. Once your Qi foundation is strong enough to condense your first trace of internal energy, you will be able to receive instruction from Master on more advanced Emei martial arts."

After a pause, Zhao Jingxuan patted Zhou Zhiruo's head and said to Gu Shaoan, "Fifth Junior Brother, you and Fourth Junior Sister are about the same age. You two can get closer in the future. Zhiruo joined Emei half a year before you, so she knows a lot about Emei. If you have any questions, she can answer them for you."

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "As long as Fourth Senior Sister doesn't mind, I will trouble you more often in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiruo quickly waved her hand to indicate that she did not mind.

Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi were all in their prime, much older than Zhou Zhiruo. All three were disciples of Miejue, and were usually serious and reserved, which made Zhou Zhiruo hesitant to get too close to them.

As for extinction, Zhou Zhiruo dared not say a word in front of him.

Now that Gu Shaoan has arrived, and is about the same age as Zhou Zhiruo, Zhou Zhiruo naturally wants to get closer to Gu Shaoan to avoid being too lonely in the Emei Sect.

After the two left, Gu Shaoan dragged his tired body back to the bamboo hut.

Lying in bed, Gu Shaoan recalled the stories about the martial arts world that Zhao Jingxuan and Zhou Zhiruo had told him today.

Gu Shaoan basically knew everything the two women were telling him.

At most, there are some minor changes, which are still within Gu Shaoan's acceptable range.

After thinking for a while, Gu Shaoan shook his head to suppress his thoughts.

Since the major directions haven't changed, the rest is not something Gu Shaoan needs to worry about right now.

The most important thing now is to accumulate our own strength.

With that thought, Gu Shaoan forced himself to sit up, despite the fatigue of a day's journey, and began practicing the Emei breathing technique once more.

(End of this chapter)