LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 17: Poor As Fuck
Feng Fan returned to his quarters, collapsed onto his bed, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep. Exhausted from the day's events, it took less than a minute for him to succumb to exhaustion and fall into a peaceful slumber.
The next morning, Feng Fan was roused from his sleep by a knock on the door. A menial disciple had come to deliver his breakfast.
Still feeling drowsy, Feng Fan took the food, ate quickly, and then splashed himself with cold water in the shower to shake off the remaining sleepiness.
"Alright, I'm all set," he thought. "Time to head to the Beast-Taming Peak!"
Feng Fan followed the sect's stone road and arrived at the Beast-Taming Peak three hours later.
Unlike the main peak, which was lined with disciples and houses, this area was filled with various beasts and cages.
However, most of the beasts were not confined to their cages; they roamed freely along the streets, some with disciples either riding or walking beside them.
Feng Fan casually asked a passing disciple where he could find a beast to borrow for transportation. The disciple directed him to the market, explaining that many disciples skilled in beast taming offered their beasts for a small fee.
Following the directions, Feng Fan soon arrived at the bustling market.
The scene reminded him of Earth's vegetable markets, with vendors shouting to attract customers and plaques hanging above their stalls. But unlike Earth, the goods here were far more unusual—beast eggs, rental beasts, and manuals on beast taming filled the stalls, creating an air of vibrant commerce and exotic intrigue.
After scanning the prices, Feng Fan quickly came to a realization. 'I'm poor as fuck!'
The cheapest beast rental costs one low-level qi stone per day. He could, at most, afford just four days.
'Well, damn it. Four days will have to be enough.'
Feng Fan saw a stall renting a beast similar to an ostrich, but at least twice its size, for a low qi stone a day. He approached it before asking. "Hello, what's this beast speed? How much can it run a day?"
The stall owner offered a polite smile before responding, "Greetings, customer. This beast is ideal for both short and long journeys. It can reach speeds of up to two hundred kilometers per hour, but if you keep it to a steady pace of one hundred kilometers per hour, it can travel all day without needing food or water. What do you think?"
Feng Fan nodded in agreement. The beast's capabilities were more than enough for his needs; he could reach the Void Forest in about an hour.
"Yes, I'll rent it for four days," he said.
The stall owner nodded in return. "That'll be four low qi stones. If Black Chicken is injured or dies, compensation will be required. Please give me your sect token so I can engrave it into the beast-controlling array."
Feng Fan complied, handing over his token and the four qi stones. The stall owner then took a different token, one that lacked the White Crown's emblem and was entirely black, and placed it near Feng Fan's.
A few seconds passed before the stall owner handed back Feng Fan's token.
"You can now command the beast as long as you're holding your sect token. Safe travels, customer."
"Thanks," Feng Fan replied, taking the token and heading toward the beast.
Feng Fan felt a subtle connection with the beast, something he couldn't quite explain. It was as if a quiet bond had formed between them.
Without any clear command, he simply willed it, and the beast—Black Chicken, as it was called—responded instantly.
The creature took off, sprinting away from the Beast-Taming Peak and heading toward the Void Forest.
'Transportation issue solved. Time to move!' Feng Fan thought as he settled in, feeling a surge of anticipation for the journey ahead.
An hour later, he arrived at the edge of the sect's grounds. Instead of a gate or wall, he was greeted by a shimmering, translucent barrier that seemed to stretch endlessly. He couldn't help but stare, mesmerized by its beauty.
'A barrier large enough to cover the entire sect… Array masters truly are incredible,' Feng Fan marveled, impressed by its scale.
Feng Fan observed many disciples coming and going through the barrier. It seemed that as long as they held their sect token, they could pass through unimpeded.
"Hey, isn't that the guy from the other world who was tested with Trash talent? I wonder why the sect still allowed him to become an official disciple…"
"Huh, I heard one of those heaven-chosen geniuses spoke up for him. Thanks to that, he's allowed to stay in the sect and cultivate as an official disciple."
"Fuck! What a lucky bastard!"
"Hehe. I also heard the Genius talent who defended him is a peerless beauty!"
"Ugh, how can this guy eat soft rice with that kind of face?! He isn't even handsome!"
"Well, even if this trash made it through, we still got five Genius talents. That's not too bad, right?"
"Yeah, this outcome is much better than last time. Hopefully, we'll get a good position in the young generation competition between the Qian Empire's sects this time. Otherwise…"
Feng Fan overheard their murmurs with a wry smile. 'Seems like the sect lied about the top talents, but they didn't bother hiding mine…'
Feng Fan was actually impressed by how quickly the gossip spread. He had only been here for three days, yet it seemed that every menial disciple—and even some official disciples—already knew about him and could recognize his face!
No matter the world, gossip is always the fastest thing to travel, he thought with a resigned smile.
Feng Fan decided to no longer pay attention to the murmurs of the crowd and focused on the map hidden in his chest.
'The legacy should be near a high peak on the outskirts, shouldn't be too hard to find,' he thought.
He signaled Black Chicken, who obediently complied, guiding the beast toward the barrier. As they approached, Feng Fan felt a surge of energy enveloping him, probing briefly before allowing them to pass without resistance.
Once on the other side, he instructed Black Chicken to leap as high as possible. He quickly spotted the peak he had been searching for before descending to the ground.