Chapter 8: The Biography of a Beast of Burden Immortal Cultivator

“Fine, I’ll work then!”

Lu Yang quickly adjusted his emotions.

“Strictly speaking, I could just kill myself and restart right now… but the pages of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] are limited. Restarting directly like this would be too much of a loss.”

Although he had become a formal disciple, Lu Yang still knew very little about the Primordial Saint Sect. His knowledge of the entire cultivation world was limited to books. Even though he had thoughts of restarting, to accumulate advantages for his next life, he should try to live a little longer in this one.

There were countless Cave Abodes within [Heaven-Mending Peak], but only two places were the most prominent. One was naturally the Cave Abode of the Peak Master, and the other was a tall tower.

The tower had nine stories and was named “Benevolent Merit.”

Transactions between formal disciples, posting bounties, and even accepting sect missions were mostly conducted in the [Benevolent Merit Tower], where they could receive the protection of the Saint Sect.

Lu Yang walked into the [Benevolent Merit Tower] and arrived at a counter.

“Senior Brother, I wonder if sect missions are collected here?”

“Of course, you… Hmm?”

As his voice fell, the young Daoist behind the counter first glanced at Lu Yang casually. Upon seeing his handsome appearance, his eyes lit up.

In the next second, a friendly smile appeared on the young Daoist’s face.

“What ‘Senior Brother’? My name is Zhao Xuhe, a Deacon Disciple of the [Benevolent Merit Hall]. Junior Brother, you must be a new entrant, right? I haven’t seen you before.”

“I am Lu Yang. Greetings, Senior Brother.”

Lu Yang hurriedly bowed and simultaneously activated his disciple token to verify his identity.

Zhao Xuhe looked at the token, his expression becoming even softer and his smile even brighter. “Not bad, not bad. Junior Brother Lu is a man of striking appearance and talent. Very good indeed.”

Zhao Xuhe looked Lu Yang up and down with a gaze that made Lu Yang very uncomfortable, then suddenly said, “Junior Brother Lu, since you want a sect mission, I happen to have one here. Or rather, I can gift you a great fortune. If it succeeds, I guarantee your future path to immortality will be vast…”

“Really?”

Lu Yang feigned interest on the surface, but his heart went on alert.

“Guaranteed. Couldn’t be more real!”

Zhao Xuhe grinned, pointing towards the summit of [Heaven-Mending Peak]. “The current Peak Master intends to recruit a son-in-law for his daughter. I see you are dignified in appearance…”

Lu Yang: “???”

I came to find a sect mission to earn money with my own two hands through diligence and hard work, and now you want me to live off a woman?

“What, you’re not willing?”

Seeing Lu Yang’s stiff expression, Zhao Xuhe persuaded him even more actively, “This is a wealth as vast as the heavens! If you can enter the Peak Master’s Cave Abode, from then on, you’ll be a Foundation Establishment disciple. Contribution Points, techniques, resources—you’ll have everything. Taking this step correctly can save you sixty years of detours…”

Despite Zhao Xuhe’s eloquent speech, Lu Yang remained unmoved.

Actually, if it were really just living off a woman, Lu Yang wouldn’t mind.

But where was this? The Primordial Saint Sect! The orthodox lineage of the Demonic Path! With the precedent of Liu Xin, how could he believe Zhao Xuhe’s so-called “son-in-law recruitment”?

There was definitely a problem!

Thinking of this, Lu Yang simply sighed and said, “Senior Brother Zhao, actually, it’s not that I don’t want to be a live-in son-in-law, but I truly have an unspeakable difficulty.”

Zhao Xuhe paused. “Unspeakable difficulty?”

“To be honest,” Lu Yang said with a look of shame, “I am afflicted with a venereal disease…”

As soon as these words came out, the eagerness on Zhao Xuhe’s face instantly cooled.

A venereal disease wasn’t really a big deal— he even had ways to cure it. The problem was, why did he get a venereal disease? The reason behind it was the key.

“Ah, what a pity.”

Zhao Xuhe shook his head. No matter how correct Lu Yang’s features were, the Peak Master would never allow his daughter to become Dao Companions with a man who could get himself sick like that.

Lu Yang said respectfully, “I’ve caused Senior Brother to worry.”

One doesn’t hit a smiling face. Seeing Lu Yang so respectful, Zhao Xuhe’s expression improved slightly. “Since that’s the case, I’ll pick a good mission for you.”

“What kind of mission do you want?”

Lu Yang said, “High Contribution Points, and relatively safe.”

Zhao Xuhe’s smile remained unchanged, clearly having expected this. After all, every new disciple wanted this kind of mission. “I really do have one here.”

After speaking, he handed a jade slip to Lu Yang.

“Yin-Yang Immortal Flower. It requires a cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm to feed it with blood essence and True Qi to survive. [Heaven-Mending Peak] purchases them at the highest price: 150 Contribution Points per flower.”

Zhao Xuhe said kindly, “This is a mission issued by the Peak Master himself. Unlimited quantity— we’ll buy as many as you can grow. Moreover, Junior Brother, you don’t need corresponding spiritual planting skills. The Yin-Yang Immortal Flower is extremely adaptable. Just plant it in your Cave Abode, and it won’t wither easily.”

Hearing this, Lu Yang was initially tempted, but soon shook his head again.

Seeing this, Zhao Xuhe frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Many thanks for Senior Brother’s guidance, only…” Lu Yang looked bitter. “I still have to pay next month’s Cave Abode rent. I truly don’t have the power to purchase the Immortal Flower seeds.”

“So that’s it.”

Zhao Xuhe also sighed. “Senior Brother here also walked this path. I know it’s not easy for you… Fine, I’ll help you out.”

Then Zhao Xuhe extended his hand. “Give me your disciple token.”

Lu Yang obediently handed it over. A moment later, he was surprised to find that an extra 500 Contribution Points had appeared on the token out of thin air!

Zhao Xuhe smiled slightly. “This is your reserve Contribution Points in the [Three Rivers Society]. You can withdraw and use it whenever you need it in the future. Take it to buy Immortal Flower seeds.”

Lu Yang frowned tightly. “Senior Brother, isn’t this the same as the technique loan? I’m afraid…”

“The [Three Rivers Society] is a major power within the Saint Sect’s Inner Sect. New disciples borrowing money can enjoy a thirty-day interest-free period. It’s much cheaper than the Saint Sect’s technique loan.”

“Besides, didn’t you want to buy Immortal Flower seeds?” Zhao Xuhe’s tone was amiable and kind. “My [Three Rivers Society] has a Senior Brother who specializes in selling these. Since you took a loan from our [Three Rivers Society], I’ll put in a few good words for you so he can sell the Immortal Flower seeds to you at cost price…”

“There’s such a good thing?” Lu Yang looked pleasantly surprised.

“Isn’t that because I felt an affinity with you, Junior Brother?” Zhao Xuhe laughed loudly as well. “If not for that, I wouldn’t tell an average person about such an opportunity!”

After speaking, Zhao Xuhe took out another jade slip and handed it to Lu Yang, saying, “This is that Senior Brother’s communication jade slip. I wish Junior Brother an early fortune.”

“Many thanks, Senior Brother!”

Lu Yang left with a thousand thanks.

Watching his retreating figure, the corners of Zhao Xuhe’s mouth curled up into a cold sneer. Immediately after, he began searching for his next prey within the [Benevolent Merit Tower].

Lu Yang didn’t rush to find the “reliable Senior Brother” introduced by Zhao Xuhe to buy Yin-Yang Immortal Flowers. Instead, he returned to his Cave Abode first and calculated the accounts.

“Loan of 500 Contribution Points. I can buy ten Immortal Flower seeds. The annual interest rate is the same as the technique loan, 36%.”

“Waking up early and working till dark every day, watering them with blood essence and feeding them with spiritual energy… it’s estimated to take a year for all of them to mature, earning 1500 Contribution Points.”

“After paying the rent, only 1140 Contribution Points remain.”

“Technique loan principal plus interest requires another 460 payment, leaving 680 Contribution Points. Then the principal of 500 for purchasing the Immortal Flowers plus 180 in interest comes due…”

“Gone!?”

Where is my money?

With this doubt, Lu Yang calculated it again. Afterward, he looked at his hands blankly. Only after a long time did he snap back to reality, instantly laughing out of anger.

Good grief, they’ve calculated everything perfectly. They didn’t even leave me money for food!

Worthy of the Primordial Saint Sect!

As a Saint Sect disciple, you start the game with debt, and then you’re stretched to the limit by the Saint Sect on the capital chain. The Contribution Points earned from missions are only enough to cover expenses.

If you want to earn more and save money, you have to work overtime and take on more missions.

Otherwise, with the slightest carelessness, the capital chain will break, and the massive loans on your back will instantly become the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

As long as you are willing to endure hardship, you will have endless hardships to endure.

To put it bluntly, they use rigid demands to hang the lower-level disciples, forcing them to work their lives away to add bricks and tiles to the glory of the Primordial Saint Sect.

“Fuck!”

Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn’t help but curse loudly. Then he comforted himself:

“I work for the Saint Sect, the Saint Sect issues Contribution Points. The loans and Cave Abode collect Contribution Points back. It’s equivalent to the Saint Sect producing and consuming internally!”

Immediately after, Lu Yang thought of the kind and eager Zhao Xuhe, then looked at the 500 Contribution Points loan on the disciple token in his hand, sneezing coldly in his heart.

“Since you are unkind, don’t blame me for being unjust.”

“High-interest loan? I’m going to be a deadbeat!”

Despite saying this, the “beast of burden” situation of the Saint Sect disciples still made Lu Yang feel stifled. The more he thought about it, the worse it tasted, and a nameless fire rushed straight up.

“…Demon?”

Just then, the curtain was lifted. It turned out Yun Miaoqing had heard Lu Yang’s loud cursing, so she got out of bed to check the situation.

TN: “Beast of burden” symbolizes the humiliation of defeat, as it portrays the loser being treated like a work animal, emphasizing their subjugation and the emotional toll of losing the game.

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