Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 129 A scholar can be killed but not humiliated

"Fellow Daoist He Xu is actually here! That's quite unexpected!"

Holding the golden rope, Baili Shuang smiled and walked past Lü Wenyuan, who was being pinched and supported by Chaoyan, towards a richly dressed cultivator behind the two.

The cultivator wore a precious and extraordinary dark blue brocade robe with gold thread, a high mountain crown adorned with jade and pearls, and even the gold-embroidered red shoes he wore were clearly rare magical artifacts. He was truly a man of great wealth and power.

"Fellow Daoist Baili is here too? And who are these gentlemen?"

Jiao Xueling, with her sharp eyes, noticed the distinctive golden coin-shaped magic weapon adorning the other party's waist. Recalling Baili Shuang's earlier address of "Fellow Daoist Hexu," she understood the situation and said, "I am Jiao Xueling from the Taiyi Ziwei Sect. These are my junior brother and sister. Are you the Longevity Immortal of the Fu Lu Shou Merchant Guild?"

"I dare not accept the title of immortal. My elder brother had other important matters to attend to and was unable to come. I am Hexu Wanning, and I am honored to have come here specifically to attend the ceremony on his behalf."

He Xuwanning shook his head modestly, then asked, "The invitation from the Taiyi Ziwei Sect was delivered by our Fu Lu Shou, and it should have reached Fellow Daoist Bai Zhongqi. Why haven't I seen Fellow Daoist Bai?"

Lu Wenyuan, who was standing behind Jiao Xueling, had just been woken up by Chaoyan when he heard Hexu Wanning's words. He was so frightened that he turned pale.

Then, his senior sister said without changing her expression, "My senior brother Bai seemed to have some urgent business this afternoon and has not returned yet. However, before he left, he told me that if he couldn't make it, I should attend the ceremony in his place. I feel a little sorry for Fellow Daoist Baili."

Fortunately, Huxmanin did not delve into the matter further, only exclaiming in realization, "I see!"

Baili Shuang, who was standing to the side, finally handed the golden rope that had made Lü Wenyuan and Chaoyan tremble with fear to Hexu Wanning, saying, "I haven't thanked Fellow Daoist Hexu for lending me the Ruyi Binding Soul Rope yet. It is indeed a high-grade earth-rank magic weapon with endless uses. Now that I have met you, it is only right that it be returned to its rightful owner."

He Xuwanning smiled and put away the Ruyi Binding Soul Rope, waving his hand and saying, "It's nothing, I'm glad it helped Fellow Daoist Baili!"

Lu Wenyuan stared wide-eyed and whispered in Chao Yan's ear, "So that thing wasn't hers after all..."

Although everyone present was a cultivator with extremely keen senses, how could they not hear Lü Wenyuan's mutterings? However, apart from Jiao Xueling turning her head to glare at him, He Xuwanning and Baili Shuang pretended not to hear, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then took their leave.

"Fellow Daoist Baili, what is that?"

As the group walked to a strange-looking building that resembled a giant cube, Jiao Xueling pointed to a wooden board with a huge calligraphy and painting pasted on it at the entrance and asked...

The wooden board was at least as tall as a person and about a meter wide, covered with various kinds of Xuan paper that looked like notices. The largest one had several seals printed on it, and the seals were not the usual square or irregular shapes, but extremely rare circles. The words were even stranger, such as "Chang'an Research Institute Recruitment Committee", "Chang'an City Lord's Mansion", and "Chang'an Community Management Committee".

Baili Shuang took a closer look before saying, "Oh, that's a job posting from the research institute."

"The Taiyin Sect has only been established for a short time and is in dire need of development. It is eager to find talented people, and its various research institutes have an urgent need for all kinds of cultivators. Moreover, the benefits and treatment are quite good. Just the old man from the Fu Lu Shou Merchant Guild that we just met has recently invested nearly a million spirit stones in several research institutes of the Taiyin Sect!"

"Nearly, nearly a million!?"

Asagao was so shocked she almost bit her tongue, and Jiao Xueling also looked incredulous.

Although spirit stones are widely used as a common currency in the cultivation world, their mining and secondary processing are quite labor-intensive. Even a large spirit stone vein can only produce a few hundred thousand spirit stones per year. Even the renowned Taiyi Ziwei Sect in Central Continent, with its dozen or so spirit stone veins of varying sizes, only has an average annual output of a million spirit stones, relying mostly on other industries for survival.

Although the Fu Lu Shou Chamber of Commerce is the number one chamber of commerce in the Ten Continents and Three Islands, it is not an exaggeration for them to take out a million spirit stones. However, it is extremely exaggerated for the Taiyin Sect, a small sect that has just been established, has few disciples, and whose strength is unknown, to easily take out a million spirit stones!

To put it bluntly, merchants are profit-driven. What makes you, a mere Taiyin Sect, think you can compete?

Even I, a Golden Core cultivator of the Taiyi Ziwei Sect, have never seen so much money! Jiao Xueling, feeling as sour as a lemon, hesitated for a long time before finally shamelessly asking, "My two junior brothers and sisters have decent aptitudes and abilities. I wonder if they might catch the eye of your Taiyin Sect's so-called 'research institute'?"

Asagao looked at Jiao Xueling in horror, her eyes full of accusation: "Senior sister!?"

Lu Wenyuan cried out in grief and indignation, his tone rising and falling dramatically, giving himself a very dramatic performance: "Senior Sister! I refuse to switch sects! I was born a member of the Taiyi Sect, and I will die a Taiyi Sect member! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! I will absolutely not betray my sect for the sake of mere cultivation!"

"You two are useless! Even if you want to change, they might not accept you! Can't you see that it says on the document that working at the research institute won't affect your sect or lineage?"

Jiao Xueling pointed speechlessly at the huge "advertisement," where, sure enough, there was a line of small print at the bottom: "[The research institute only signs labor contracts with its employees, subject to the legal regulations of the city where the institute is located. This does not involve any changes to the employee's sect, background, or lineage. This is to inform you.]"

"Oh……"

Asagao breathed a sigh of relief, but Lü Wenyuan still remained stubborn: "Then I don't want to go to this damn research institute either. Who knows what kind of den of dragons and tigers it might be, maybe even teeming with demons..."

Seeing that Lü Wenyuan's voice was getting softer and softer under her murderous gaze, Jiao Xueling threatened with a forced smile: "You want a beating, don't you?"

Lü Wenyuan: ……(*)
After suppressing her junior brother, Jiao Xueling said, "Not just the two of you, but I'll throw all those of you who can't condense a golden core over here. If you don't cultivate a golden core, don't come back to the Taiyi Ziwei Sect!"

"Sister!!!"

The unanimous lamentations from Chaoyan and Lü Wenyuan did not change Jiao Xueling's mind. Instead, she waved her hand impatiently and said, "Get lost, both of you. I have important matters to discuss with Fellow Daoist Baili. If you two dare to cause trouble for me, hmph!"

"Sister..."

The two instinctively shrank back. Lu Wenyuan was about to say something when Jiao Xueling's voice suddenly rose: "Get out of here!?"

The two of them immediately turned around in a panic and ran faster than rabbits.

Watching the two lively Taiyi Ziwei Sect disciples disappear into the distance, Baili Shuang sighed, "You really dote on them."

"If we didn't protect them, they would have died a hundred or two hundred times over!"

Jiao Xueling's expression was one of disdain, but her tone was full of pride: "Besides these two, the dozen or so junior brothers and sisters I've brought are the most promising in our sect's generation to cultivate immortality!"

No, actually there isn't.

Fang Xianyu, disguised as Baili Shuang, sighed silently in his heart.

In the first playthrough, Jiao Xueling's master died for some unknown reason, and her fellow disciples from the same lineage all scattered like monkeys after the tree fell. Even Jiao Xueling herself fled and disappeared, becoming a traitorous disciple of the Taiyi Ziwei Sect.

but……

"Then I wish Fellow Daoist Jiao all his wishes come true."

Baili Shuang said with a smile.

Now it's her second playthrough, a completely new one. Raising and protecting a bunch of little brats is a piece of cake for her.
(End of this chapter)