Chapter 28 Payment

No matter how he felt, Tao Zi kowtowed again for the copper coins for the ninety-nine peaches, and sincerely thanked his second junior brother Han Yueshan for his hard work.

Han Yueshan smiled gracefully and said, "Senior Sister, you are too polite. This is what we junior brothers should do."

In front of a beauty, you have to swallow any hardship you have to endure.

These junior brothers? Zhao Xue thought about the difficulty of this matter and immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes, this is what Second Senior Brother should do. Come on, Second Senior Brother."

Tao Zi watched their actions and suddenly felt a little confused. Was there something wrong with her previous understanding? Why did it feel like this sect was not as united and friendly as she had imagined?

The master above smiled very kindly and said, "Xi Jing, for the next few days, you will accompany your senior sister to look around. I need to look through some books and solve some problems. Tao Zi, if you have any questions, please ask your junior sister."

They both said in unison, "Yes, Master."

As the two of them stepped out of the hall, Xi Jing asked, "Senior Sister, do you want to rest or look around?"

She replied, "Let's take a look around first. I've been recovering from my injuries and haven't seen the surrounding scenery yet."

"OK!"

Xi Jing took her for a quick stroll, but there was actually nothing to see except peach trees.

Until they came to a small mountain village, she explained: "Here live ordinary people who rely on the Yisan Sect for their livelihood."

Tao Zi became interested and asked, "How much does it cost per person per year?"

Each sect has its own sphere of influence, and ordinary people within the sphere of influence are required to pay tribute every year to express their gratitude for the sect's protection.

Back then, when the Minglan Sect was just starting out, she often showed kindness to the people in order to win their hearts and attract more ordinary people to live there, thus increasing the sect's annual income.

According to the scale and strength of the Yisan Sect, the offering fee can be as high as a hundred copper coins per person per year and some miscellaneous offerings, or as low as dozens of copper coins. If the master is more kind-hearted, it is possible to deal with it with a dozen copper coins.

Unexpectedly, Xi Jing's answer was far beyond her imagination: "Normally there is no fee, unless there is a good harvest."

Tao Zi paused and looked over in surprise.

Xi Jing smiled sheepishly and said, "They are either widows, children, or elderly and disabled. Otherwise, they wouldn't come to live with us. How can we charge them too much? Isn't that just forcing them to die?"

She was speechless.

"Besides, our sect only has our master at the foundation-building stage. If anything were to happen, it would be difficult for him to protect himself. How could we have the nerve to accept their money?"

Tao Zi walked forward in silence for a while, and finally whispered, "The people in your sect are all very nice."

Xi Jing smiled and took her arm, saying, "Big Sister, you are also a member of our sect now, so it's good for you too!"

She walked for a while, then suddenly remembered something crucial and asked, "What should we do with the gift you gave to Asahi Kamon?"

According to the rules, all sects in the world of immortal cultivation were equal, and there was no question of whether or not to provide for one another. However, this was not the case with interpersonal relationships. For safety, small sects above the ninth level would choose to live within or near the sphere of influence of larger sects, handing over gold, silver, and treasures under the guise of gifts each year in exchange for protection and resources.

In this way, the fees paid by ordinary people will go to small sects. Therefore, the sphere of influence of large sects will be divided into inner and outer layers. The inner layer does not allow small sects to exist and charges higher fees, while the outer layer charges lower fees but may be divided into vassals of another small sect at any time.

Xi Jing shook her head and replied calmly, "Unless it's a major event, I usually don't give it to you. This time the peach business was taken away, this may also be the reason."

Tao Zi was even more shocked than before: "What? What if something goes wrong?"

"Escape." She led her into the village and waved to an old man in the distance. "Master said that the Xujia Sect has a huge appetite. If we give them money, they will inevitably exploit ordinary people. I'm afraid they will starve to death or die of exhaustion before danger even comes."

Tao Zi thought about what she had done in the past in order to attract more ordinary people, and suddenly felt that she was somewhat out of tune with this sect.

Just as she was lost in her memories, the old man came over with a cane and spoke: "Xi Jing, come here."

"Yes, I have time today. Grandma, how are you?" Xi Jing let go of her and went to help the old lady.

"Well, that's it. I can't die, and I can't live happily. I don't know when it will end."

The old man laughed at himself, then turned his gaze to Tao Zi and said, "Oh, whose little widow is this? She has eyes, nose, and lips. She is so pretty."

Young widow? Tao Zi was stunned for a moment after coming back to her senses from the past.

Xi Jing burst out laughing and introduced, "Grandma, you misunderstood. She's not a new widow living with us, but Master's new disciple, my senior sister—Tao Zi."

She smiled gently and sensibly, and greeted the old lady: "Hello, grandma, my name is Tao Zi."

The old man nodded repeatedly. "Okay, Tao Zi, right? What a good name, it complements the peaches all over the mountain. Oh, Xi Jing, Grandpa Chen is still harvesting peaches over there, go help him. Miss Tao Zi, since you're new here, come with me to have a look around."

"OK."

Xi Jing agreed, looked at the eldest sister, and asked, "Elder sister, is it okay for you to follow grandma alone?"

"No problem, of course, go ahead."

After she left, the old lady waved to Tao Zi, indicating that she should come and help her.

The two talked as they walked.

"Girl, how old are you this year?"

"eighteen."

The old lady nodded with a smile: "Eighteen is the best time. Do you plan to get married?"

Tao Zi helped her walk across a small bridge and said with a smile, "Grandma, immortal cultivators don't get married easily."

"You can't say that. Yueshan always says he doesn't plan to get married, but he has a lot of trouble with pretty girls."

She was embarrassed for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

The old lady seemed to see her embarrassment and smiled, changing the subject: "You are the eldest sister, right?"

"Yes."

She said with emotion: "This is also good."

Tao Zi looked over in confusion: "What does grandma mean?"

"I watched Yueshan and the other two grow up under my watch, and I know their personalities very well. Yueshan is a bit more clever, but the other two, especially Xijing, are too soft-hearted and prone to getting into trouble. And Old Man Wen doesn't seem to be around for long, so having you, the senior sister, to protect him is reassuring."

Tao Zi fell silent. She remembered what someone said a long time ago: You are the eldest sister, and you should protect the younger brothers and sisters below you.

It is natural for senior sisters to protect junior brothers and sisters, but no one has ever thought about who will protect the senior sisters.