The polished stone counter of the Hall of Allocutions felt unnervingly cold under Gu Qingxi's fingertips. Dust motes danced in the late afternoon light slanting through high windows, mingling with the scent of aged parchment, ozone from spent energy stones, and the faint metallic tang of bureaucracy. The duty steward, a man whose face seemed permanently etched with the lines of balancing too many ledgers against too few resources, met her steady gaze. He'd just requested the return of her Qi Refining stipend. The audacity still simmered beneath Gu Qingxi's calm exterior.
"The Azure Jade Edicts," she stated, her voice cool and clear, resonating slightly in the high-ceilinged room, "and the supplementary Regulations Governing Novice Support, offer no provision demanding the return of resources allocated during a lower stage upon a disciple's subsequent ascension. Is that correct?" She left no ambiguity. Lu Tianyu might have roared; she opted for surgical precision. She understood the steward's motive wasn't malice, but a desperate grasp at frugality, a symptom of the pervasive disease gripping the sect.
The steward shifted his weight, the worn fabric of his grey robe whispering. A flicker of discomfort, quickly masked by weary resignation, crossed his face. "No… no explicit statute codifies such a demand," he conceded, his voice gravelly. He gestured vaguely towards the heavy leather-bound ledger open before him, its dense columns of red and black ink screaming imbalance. "A matter… of prudent stewardship. Scarce resources necessitate… thrifty allocation. Consider it merely… a strongly worded suggestion for shared sacrifice." He forced a thin smile that didn't reach his eyes, waving a dismissive hand towards the exit. "But if the spirit of communal burden escapes you, Junior Sister Gu… proceed with your acquisition." His gaze lingered on the Foundation Stipend pouch she held, a tangible symbol of progression he couldn't claw back.
Gu Qingxi offered a shallow, perfectly polite bow, the gesture containing zero warmth. Of course, she thought, turning away, the weight of the new pouch at her hip a small comfort against the larger absurdity. The Azure Essence Sect cultivates soaring ambition amid clouds of grinding penury. Poverty here isn't an accident; it's a foundational principle, shaping every interaction, twisting every transaction. Sect Austerity was not just a concept; it was a relentless, tangible force.
The walk back towards Verdant Peak unfurled beneath a sky painted in deepening shades of lavender and bruised plum. Lu Tianyu matched her stride, his usual whirlwind energy slightly subdued by the steward's naked avarice. The silence stretched, comfortable, filled only by the distant sigh of the wind through the jade bamboo sea far below and the rhythmic crunch of gravel underfoot.
"Shixiong," Gu Qingxi finally broke the quiet, her gaze fixed on the winding path ahead. "This Foundation stipend… its nature… recurring?"
Lu Tianyu snorted, a sound rich with shared understanding and a peculiar, almost defiant pride in their mutual plight. He held up a single, emphatic index finger, its silhouette stark against the twilight. "Expect a monthly shower of spirit gems? Hah! We traverse skies paved with sweat and ingenuity, little sister, not gilded pathways!" He patted the bulging pouch at his own belt – proceeds from the Peach Blossom Talisman sale, no doubt. "Azure Essence treasures thrift like a Desert Sand-Hawk covets the shiniest copper penny! This," he tapped the outline of Gu Qingxi's stipend pouch, "is a singular victory pearl, bestowed only upon successfully navigating a major cultivation bottleneck! Mark its rarity!" His voice softened slightly, shifting from defiance to a strange pedagogical pride. "But! We are not the Pure Blade Ascetic Sects! Those dour souls huddled in their barren valleys? They grant initiates a pitiful hemp storage sack and a handful of dull pebbles at their oath-taking! Then? Sink or swim! Gnaw on cloud roots and hawk your sword skills for coppers!" He straightened, puffing his chest out slightly. "We Verdant novices? Ten low-grade spirit stones monthly! Reliability! Dependability! A pittance, perhaps, but a thread woven into the fabric of our security!"
Gu Qingxi studied him as they walked. This wasn't just optimism; it was a complex armor forged from necessity and a fierce love for their gritty little corner of the cultivation world. He truly finds twisted pride in this shared struggle, she realized, admiring his resilience even as she acknowledged the underlying bitterness in the steward's eyes. His comfort in hardship was a shield, strangely comforting in its familiarity.
"Contributions," Lu Tianyu continued, his earlier bravado fading into genuine frustration as he kicked a pebble off the path. It rattled into the darkening undergrowth. "Merits earned through approved quests… that's the true supplement. Trade for stones, obscure technique fragments, artifacts needing repair, pills that taste marginally less like ground mountain root…" He sighed heavily. "But the celestial bounty well seems parched! Tasks promising fistfuls of glittering merits? Vanish faster than dew under a noonday sun at the height of summer! Skies are clear, pickings lean." He scanned the horizon as if willing a lucrative quest banner to appear.
"Emergent Realms?" Gu Qingxi ventured, recalling fragmented lore of dimensional rifts bleeding unstable Qi and forgotten treasures. "Couldn't they…?"
"They yawn open, yes!" Lu Tianyu cut in, his frustration morphing into wistfulness. "Portals shimmering with promise! But scarce? Like true Phoenix feathers compared to the bounty Shifu spun tales of! From his roving youth, decades past!" His eyes grew distant, painting unseen pictures. "Great gales of opportunity! Fewer cultivators, knives sharper! Expeditions returning draped in shimmering stones, their packs bulging with uncut essence crystals! A single delve could dissolve a lifetime's worry!" He gestured broadly towards the unseen peaks. "Now? A frenzied flock of Spirit-Hawks, all diving for the same minnow! Covering the cost of sharpening your blade? Possible, if you find a dust-covered mote of Sky-Iron in a forgotten corner." His expression hardened. "Losing your life because Senior Disciple Wang covets the Sky-Shard you stumbled over? Infinitely more likely. The realms now demand fortune merely to break even, not thrive."
A comfortable silence returned, settling around them like a familiar cloak. "Shifu," Gu Qingxi eventually murmured, a practical question forming. "He shoulders Verdant Peak?"
Lu Tianyu's expression sobered. "The likely wealthiest individual? Certainly. His commissions flow from Skyclear's Guilds, his age venerable, his skills legendary. But..." he drew the word out, "...a wealthy man's purse leaks like a cracked ceramic jug under constant pressure! Our Peak's foundational arrays?" He gestured towards the towering silhouette of Verdant Peak ahead, bathed in the last fiery embers of sunset. "The Song of Silent Vigil? Guardian Arrays beneath Jade Spring Hollow? Ravenous! Consuming spirit stones faster than Mistress Fan inhales Steamed Crystal Pork Buns! The Sect's pitiful stipend per peak?" He snorted derisively. "Cover the cooking rice? Barely! Maintaining the wards protecting Verdant Peak's sacred groves and serene halls? That's Shifu's personal burden. A labor of love and stubborn mountain defiance paid for in his own stones." There was deep respect, tinged with worry, in his voice.
He stopped suddenly. "Eh?" His head cocked sharply, like a hunting falcon catching a distant scent. One hand instinctively went to the simple spatial pouch at his belt, its surface pulsing faintly with a pale green light. "A resonance… the jade token vibrates…" His eyes widened, reflecting the dying sunset like ignited coals. "BUYERS!" The word exploded from him. "Skyfire descends! The Peach Blossom Talismans! The Mind-Quieting Serenity scroll! They've ignited lustful interest at the Starlit Wanderer Exchange!" His fatigue vanished, replaced by blazing, entrepreneurial fire. He gripped her shoulder, eyes alight. "Shimei! Forge your own path home! Market currents churn, restless and rich! Lu Tianyu rides the wind!"
Windwhisper materialized beneath him in a shimmer of summoned spirit-steel. With a sound like a tearing sheet of celestial silk, the blade accelerated from zero to terrifying velocity, its master a dwindling silver dart aimed at the distant glow of the sect's marketplace district, vanishing into the twilight shadows pooling in the valley below. His final shout echoed back, faint but fierce: "Profit favors the swift!"
Gu Qingxi watched the last pinpoint of light vanish, shaking her head slowly. Profit, she agreed silently, indeed waits for no man, not even one with a perpetually rumbling stomach. She urged Da-Da into a gentle glide, the rhythmic pulse of its wingbeats a soothing counterpoint to Lu Tianyu's frenetic departure. Thrift, tempering, and the lingering phantom stench of that abominable pill await.
The ripples of Gu Qingxi's Foundation Establishment washed over the Azure Essence Sect like a cold tide, chilling casual optimism. By dusk, disbelief had curdled into harsh skepticism across kitchens, scriptoriums, and dusty practice yards. Qi Refining First Layer to Fortified Foundation in days? Sorcerer's boast! A fable concocted to stroke ego!
Then, whispers began to solidify: Confirmed by Master Mo himself, in the Jade Throne Hall… before the Sect Leader's own granite visage… The weight of that source crumbled resistance like rotten parchment. The impossible was undeniable fact. Then came the dissection.
"Water and Fire?" Disciples paused in their sword forms near Cliff Peak's sparring arenas, exchanging knowing looks. A Fifth Ring Senior Disciple spat derisively. "A brilliant spark? Undoubtedly. Destined to consume itself? Absolutely! Such conflicted roots hit their immutable zenith at Golden Core, perhaps mid-stage Foundation! That blinding speed?" He snorted, polishing his blade with unnecessary vigor. "A flare compared to the enduring furnace of a harmonious affinity! A candlewick wasting itself too fast!" Initial awe curdled into sour pity, settling over the peaks like drifting ash from an extinguished pyre. Such squandered early promise. Such a tragically brief candle.
(At the Cliff Peak Commissary)
Xu Baozhu descended upon the commissary like a jubilant monsoon, sweeping Gu Qingxi into a formidable embrace. "Qingxi! Sky above, it's true! Glory to Verdant Peak!" Xue Mingbai followed, a steadier current behind her storm, a warm smile lighting his usually serious face. Both bore gifts wrapped with genuine care.
Xu Baozhu presented an intricate carved Sandalwood box sealed with a sliver of jadeite. "Flourish, fortress, and finesse!" Inside, nestled on midnight velvet, rested a pair of earrings – delicate chains of Moon-Silver ending in shimmering droplets that seemed to hold captured twilight within their facets. "Earth Grade Defenders! Forged by Uncle Cai himself! Each holds a shield-rune capable of deflecting a life-seeking blow from a nascent Golden Core cultivator! Wield them well!"
Xue Mingbai's offering was humbler: a simple, round ceramic vessel, smooth-glazed celadon green. "This fledgling artificer's first creation beyond practice shards," he murmured, his fingers brushing the cool surface. A faint flush crept up his neck as Xu Baozhu's treasure gleamed beside his own work. "Channel a wisp of Qi… water chills. More Qi sustained… it forms river ice within." He hesitated, voice dropping. "Paltry beside true defensive wonders…"
"The most profound magic often lies in perfect utility, Xue-shixiong." Gu Qingxi's delight was immediate and deeply sincere. Her fingers closed around the cup, its solidity grounding. Portable refreshment! Summer nectar transformed in moments! Genius. She activated it subtly; condensation instantly beaded the smooth glaze. "This sparks tangible joy."
Seeing genuine appreciation, Xue Mingbai's blush faded into a relieved, quiet pride. Gu Qingxi turned, threading the fine chain of the first Defender through her earlobe without hesitation. The cool weight settled, its protective hum a subtle pulse against her skin.
Xu Baozhu beamed, radiating satisfaction. Knew it! Taste impeccable! Worth pawning Third Uncle's rusty spirit hoe!
(The Fasting Elixir Scene & Aftermath - Expanded for Comedic Beat)
Xu Baozhu leaned across the steaming bowl of Spirit-Pig belly stew between them. "How? Ascending past Qi Refining entirely? Spill your celestial secrets! Was it divine ambrosia? An Earth Grade pill hidden in your robes?"
Gu Qingxi shuddered, pushing her untouched side of pickled spirit-grass aside. "Try 'Ancient Bog Mire Compressed'. Soul rending."
Xu Baozhu's eyes narrowed, glittering with morbid fascination. "Soul-rending? Dramatize! Show me the vial!"
Xue Mingbai shook his head firmly. "Premature consumption destabilizes nascent meridians! Spirit-infused nourishment feeds Qi refinement and purifies nascent impurities—"
"—Pure Blade initiates start Day One on these!" Xu Baozhu countered, adopting the tone of a scholar citing obscure precedents. Her index finger tapped the polished wooden table for emphasis. "Surely one infinitesimal pellet wouldn't fracture our core pathways?" She blinked enormous, imploring eyes at Gu Qingxi, perfected innocent curiosity. "Please? Merely a scholarly assessment? Brother Xue yearns to record the educational experience!" Xue Mingbai, caught in the crossfire of her infectious, dangerous enthusiasm, hesitated, then nodded slowly, curiosity warring with caution.
Gu Qingxi: "..."
"Bahahahahaha! THE UNINITIATED DANCING TOWARDS THE DUNGEON DRIP! Cosmic jest! Oblige their pleas! They beg for enlightenment!" The Ancestor howled, demonic glee echoing in Gu Qingxi's skull.
A slow, viperine smile spread across Gu Qingxi's face. "Scholarly diligence is paramount," she declared, her voice smooth as polished jade. "After sustaining the body… enlightenment follows."
Xu Baozhu pumped her fist. "Qingxi embodies wisdom!"
Xue Mingbai mumbled, "...Appreciated."
"Wisdom? More like the Reaper guiding lambs to the grinder! Their faces! Priceless!!" The Ancestor's laughter threatened to fracture Gu Qingxi's newfound foundation.
Following this perilous promise, Xu Baozhu and Xue Mingbai exercised unprecedented restraint, leaving significant portions of their meal. Gu Qingxi, honoring the sacred principle of Maximizing Investment Return, consumed every savory morsel, savoring the char on the spirit-pork and the tang of the pickled vegetables.
Minutes later, on a secluded gravel path overlooking a ravine choked with spirit-sagebrush, profound bodily betrayal unfolded. Xu Baozhu and Xue Mingbai were reduced to trembling silhouettes on their knees, surrendering the entire contents of their Cliff Peak meal tribute into the fragrant foliage. Sounds of distress rent the quiet mountain air.
Gu Qingxi stood nearby, biting her lip ferociously to contain the torrential laughter threatening to erupt as an undignified celestial goose-honk. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Future leverage? Impeccably secured.
Had Fang Jingxue endured this crucible moments earlier," Xue Mingbai gasped between heaves, clutching his protesting stomach while eyeing the seemingly innocent brown pellet he'd hastily resealed and dropped into his storage pouch as if it were unstable skyfire jade, "she'd have offered Gu-shimei her finest silk handkerchief, potentially groveling for forgiveness, rather than spitting venom."
Xu Baozhu lifted a pallid, tear-streaked face, fixing Gu Qingxi with a gaze brimming with wounded betrayal. "Conspirator! Saboteur! Why conceal the... magnitude?"
"Suffering shared," Gu Qingxi declared loftily, adopting the tone of an enlightened sage dispensing universal truth, "is suffering lessened, dear companions! Was I not scourged by the same unholy draught mere hours ago? Witness my empathy! To cleanse your spirit-palate and soothe your traumatized cores..." She paused, letting the dramatic tension build. "...A feast! My treat. The Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion in Skyclear City." She paused again, wielding her next offer like a master diplomat: "And… serene passage there." Her gaze swept over them. "Personal aerial transport. Cloud-skimming, turbulence-minimized, nausea-proof flight guaranteed."
Xu Baozhu's scowl vanished instantly, replaced by wary interest. "Terms… acceptable."
"You mean… flight?" Xue Mingbai's eyes, previously glazed with misery, ignited with startling intensity. The idea of soaring above the world without relying solely on his own foundation had profound appeal. "For real?"
"Contract etched in spirit-silk," Gu Qingxi affirmed solemnly. Relief flooded Xue Mingbai's face, while Xu Baozhu managed a small, vengeful nod, already mentally perusing the Pavilion's legendary menu.
Just as the fragile peace solidified, Xu Baozhu's eyes widened. "WAIT!" She grabbed Gu Qingxi's sleeve, hauling her behind the thick trunk of a Thousand-Year Ironbark tree beside the path. Her voice dropped to a hissing stage whisper, saturated with drama. "Qingxi! Forgot!" She dug frantically into an inner pocket in her silken robes, fumbling with a hidden pouch fastened with complex spirit-knots. "This! Your true ascension prize!" Her eyes darted theatrically. "The coup de grâce secured at great personal cost!"
(Expanded Gift Reveal for Humor and Irony)
With the reverence reserved for handling a sliver of the Primordial Moon, Xu Baozhu extracted something wrapped in multiple layers of fine silver-silk. She peeled back the layers one by one, building the tension, until finally revealing its contents: a square of talisman paper. Not just any paper – the highest grade Azure Resonance Paper, smooth and shimmering slightly. And the inscription – vibrant vermillion ink traced with impeccable, flowing strokes: the entwined characters for Harmony (和), Peach Blossom (桃), surrounding the unmistakable pulsing form of the Heart's Desire Knot.
"This!" Xu Baozhu breathed, her voice thick with awe. "Behold the Peach Blossom Harmony Concord Talisman! Crown jewel of the Beast Taming Peak gossip circuit!" She held it aloft, catching a stray ray of sunset like a relic unveiled. "Impossible supply! Mythical potency! Senior Sister Han guarded hers like a Fire-Drake hoards gold! Three hundred flawless spirit stones! Days of incessant pleading! Threats involving Elder Brother Hu's embarrassing crush on Mistress Lu! Finally prevailed!" Her eyes gleamed with the thrill of her conquest. "Unmatched efficacy! Elder Disciple Lian met Disciple Feng of the Mystical Rhythm Sect beneath the Twin Moon Blossoms within seven dawns of activation! Junior Disciple Mei swears it softened Elder Keeper Zhou's granite heart sufficiently to earn grooming duties for the Spirit-Kitten Pearl-Glow!" She leaned in so close Gu Qingxi could smell the lingering tang of vomit on her breath. "Heard whispers Master Apprentice Li credits it for two betrothal offers arriving by celestial swan the same week!" She pressed the precious talisman into Gu Qingxi's unresisting hand, her expression conspiratorial and deeply pleased. "Someone lingering in your thoughts? That stoic swordsman practicing sunrise forms with spine-straightening dedication? The shy alchemist perpetually covered in herb-dust near the scriptorium? Activate this at dawn's first blush! Manifest Celestial Affection on Silk! Got one for Xue Mingbai too!" She winked again. "Preparation is key!"
Gu Qingxi stared down at the intricate design. The specific curvature of the Peach Blossom petal… the subtle pressure applied on the final stroke of the Knot… the faint, unique resonance of her own diluted Qi she'd intentionally imbued into the batch weeks ago as a signature. It was as familiar as the lines on her own palm. She unfolded it fully, her movements slow, deliberate. Every sigil, every pulse of subtly encoded Qi… screamed her handiwork. Time stopped. Her lungs refused to draw air. Her mind tumbled headlong into an abyss of cosmic absurdity, echoing with the now-undeniable sound of the Boundless Spirit Ancestor roaring with hysterical laughter deep within the chambers of her soul. He'd known.
In Xu Baozhu's outstretched hand, radiating triumphant satisfaction in exchange for a small fortune… lay one of Gu Qingxi's own, mass-produced-in-downtime Peach Blossom Harmony Talismans.