A miracle in a desperate situation — this was the first thought that came to the horse-faced servant's mind when he heard Bai Xiaochun's words. But the moment his eyes landed on the two grinning mountains of flesh behind Bai Xiaochun, he hesitated.
"You…"
Bai Xiaochun walked forward with a harmless smile, looking innocent and cute. He patted the horse-faced servant on the shoulder, beaming.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother! You're about to become an outer sect disciple. From now on, your future is boundless, rising like a dragon from the sea! But I, your junior, ran all the way here, so shouldn't I get some compensation?"
The horse-faced servant's expression darkened. If he still didn't understand the meaning behind Bai Xiaochun's words, he would've wasted all his years living. He glanced at Bai Xiaochun, then at Zhang Dapang and Hei Sanpang, his face flickering with hesitation as he quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Before long, he gritted his teeth. If he gave up this opportunity, he would be unwilling — waiting another month was minor, but who knew if he'd encounter even stronger competitors next month? Not to mention, these three might still be around.
Most importantly, his desire to become an outer sect disciple was already burning. Hope was right in front of him, so he stomped his foot.
"How much compensation do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"Not much, not much. I spent months preparing for this trial. How about this? Just give me twenty spirit stones," Bai Xiaochun said with excitement, boldly opening his lion's mouth. The horse-faced servant trembled inside and was about to refuse when Bai Xiaochun added,
"It's not that I want a lot, but we're three people. You can't just give it to me. My Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother starved themselves for this trial."
Bai Xiaochun wasn't lying — Zhang Dapang and Hei Sanpang had indeed slimmed down a bit from running all the way here at full speed.
The horse-faced servant glanced at the two and cursed endlessly in his heart. After some bargaining with Bai Xiaochun, they finally settled on sixteen spirit stones. Resisting the heartache, he threw a pouch to Bai Xiaochun.
"Is that enough?" His voice was hoarse.
"All good now. Senior Brother, wait over there. Once two more arrive, we'll open the gate together." Bai Xiaochun tossed the spirit stones to Zhang Dapang and said happily.
Hearing that two more were needed, the horse-faced servant unexpectedly felt a bit of anticipation — a feeling of "if I suffer, you shouldn't have it easy either."
Meanwhile, the two outer sect disciples standing at the exit had seen the entire transaction. Their eyes were wide in disbelief.
"You... What are you doing?! You dare to publicly sell outer sect disciple spots? You've got some nerve!" they shouted sternly.
"What are you yelling for? We're tired of climbing and gave up our spot to fellow disciples. Our Junior Brother saw our hardship and offered compensation. What's wrong with that?" Zhang Dapang, happily counting spirit stones, glared at the two outer sect disciples.
Surprisingly, they were speechless and didn't know how to argue.
Just then, seven or eight people appeared on the trial path, their faces flushed and breathing like thunder. The leader, a burly man in his thirties, shirtless and looking fierce, stepped onto the mountaintop. Bai Xiaochun's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward.
"Senior Brother, you're a bit late, but my Senior Brother just gave up his spot. Want to buy it?"
The big man paused, then glanced at the crowd atop the mountain and immediately understood. He snorted coldly.
"You little punk dare to extort me? Get lost!" he growled, raising his hand and unleashing a surge of third-layer Qi Condensation pressure.
Bai Xiaochun stepped back and shouted, "Senior Brother!"
Almost instantly, a mountain of flesh came crashing down from above.
The big man's expression changed drastically. Looking up in horror, he was met with a loud boom as the mountain — Zhang Dapang — landed solidly on him.
The big man screamed, pinned under Zhang Dapang and unable to get up no matter how he struggled. If not for his strong body, he might've passed out from the pressure.
The seven or eight servants behind him were stunned and terrified. Even the two outer sect disciples gasped at the sight, watching the big man nearly flattened beneath Zhang Dapang with sympathy in their eyes.
"Senior Brother, people are watching," Bai Xiaochun whispered beside Zhang Dapang.
Having spent over a year with Bai Xiaochun, Zhang Dapang understood immediately. His eyes bulged, and he swung his fist — as large as a hammer — down at the man below.
"How dare you try to freeload in front of Fat Grandpa! You've got guts!" Zhang Dapang roared as his fist struck.
"We climbed all the way up here for a chance to be outer sect disciples. Is it too much to ask for a little compensation after giving up our spot?"
"Damn it! You even refused?!" With that, Zhang Dapang not only used his fists but lifted his body and slammed down again, causing the man to scream in agony and nearly lose consciousness. Just as he was about to be sat on again, the big man raised a trembling hand, holding up a pouch.
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Zhang Dapang paused, quickly got up, and helped the big man to his feet, grinning as he snatched the pouch. After checking its contents, he gleefully patted the dust off the big man's clothes.
"Good brother! You should've said so earlier. Come on, get in line over there. One more and we'll open the gate!"
The big man, indignant but helpless, stood beside the horse-faced servant, depressed. But the horse-faced man felt relieved, thinking he had made a wise choice earlier.
"Senior Brother is mighty!" Bai Xiaochun beamed, especially seeing the people behind the big man now frozen in place with terrified expressions.
Zhang Dapang smugly walked to the gate and sat down, blocking it again.
The two outer sect disciples outside looked at each other in disbelief. They had already thought these three were outrageous for extorting others, but now\... this was outright robbery!
"They're robbing people!!"
"This is robbery!" Their anger flared, but underneath it was jealousy — why hadn't they thought of this idea back in the day?
The seven or eight servants who followed the big man were also stunned. Watching him get flattened had shocked them, but slowly, a glimmer of interest appeared in their eyes.
Originally, they had little hope of becoming outer sect disciples, but now\... there seemed to be a chance.
"Fellow Senior Brothers, only one spot left! How about this — let's sell it to the highest bidder!" Bai Xiaochun, ever shrewd, announced in a shrill voice, echoing all around and sparking fierce reactions from the crowd.
The eyes of the servants lit up, their hearts pounding with the possibility.
"I bid ten spirit stones!"
"Eleven!"
"Fifteen! That spot is mine!"
The scene turned into a chaotic auction, making Bai Xiaochun and the others even more excited.
To the two outer sect disciples at the gate, this was madness. Extortion was one thing, robbery was worse, but now\... an auction?!
They were stunned, feeling the most despicable one wasn't Zhang Dapang but the seemingly innocent Bai Xiaochun!
"Unbelievable! Shameless!" one of them growled, his eyes red. Fueled by either jealousy or rage, he turned to report this to the sect steward.
As the bidding escalated, Bai Xiaochun felt it still wasn't intense enough. His eyes rolled, and he added,
"Hurry, fellow Senior Brothers! If you delay, other servants might arrive. For them, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance — they'd sell themselves for it!"
Just then, a girl's excited voice echoed from the trial path behind.
"I, Hou Xiaomei, bid thirty spirit stones! My family is a cultivation clan — I'm not short on spirit stones! Who dares to compete with me?!"
The voice belonged to a petite, fair-skinned young girl with a sweet and innocent look. She was panting heavily as she reached the top.
Zhang Dapang's eyes widened the moment he saw her. He wanted to say something but held back, though he couldn't help glancing at Bai Xiaochun.
With Hou Xiaomei's bid, the bidding exploded. In the end, she offered a price that made even the horse-faced servant and the big man feel like they got a bargain.
Before long, Hou Xiaomei proudly stepped out from the crowd, her chest puffed out as she looked down on the others. She joined the horse-faced servant and the self-proclaimed "Wolf Lord," climbing the last step and leaving the trial ground.
Behind them, Bai Xiaochun and his two companions clasped their fists and bowed deeply.
"Congratulations to the three of you. May you soar like dragons and rise to great heights!"
Standing at the summit, the three new outer sect disciples felt dazed. Though they had achieved their goal, the expected joy was absent. Bai Xiaochun's words echoed in their minds as the horse-faced servant and the big man exchanged bitter smiles.
Only Hou Xiaomei remained overjoyed, her pretty face flushed with excitement.
"Who would've thought someone like me, Hou Xiaomei, would encounter such a stroke of luck?" she thought proudly.