Crazy-Gossiping-c19

Chapter 19

Just as Ning Xu was about to leave after taking her storage bag, the Melon-Eating System suddenly said, 【Pick him!】

Ning Xu: …

Head receptionist: …

Although Ning Xu understood that the Melon-Eating System meant for her to take the initiative, set up a meeting with the Head receptionist, and talk privately to see if she could recruit him as a subordinate, hearing the words “Pick Him” made it feel quite wrong somehow.

Melon-Eating System: 【The Head receptionist only appears at the Miscellaneous Hall twice a month. If you miss this opportunity, you’ll have to wait another half month.】

Ning Xu: “There are too many fellow disciples around, it’s not very convenient.”

Melon-Eating System: 【Think about your upcoming auction house, think about the endless spirit stones that will soon flow into your Spatial Ring, think about your rising career, Host, what are you waiting for?!】

Although the auction house and its competitors weren’t yet visible, the Melon-Eating System had a point. After all, she was cultivating in the world of immortality—why not aim higher and have a larger vision?

Since that was the case, why hesitate? Might as well act quickly! First, recruit a subordinate, then move on! Since the system had such high expectations for the Head receptionist, and since he indeed had unique abilities, it was definitely a chance not to be missed.

Ning Xu stopped her departure, turned around, and smiled at the Head receptionist, “Daoist, would you mind exchanging jade tokens? Next time I visit the Miscellaneous Hall, I’ll come find you.”

In the cultivation world, people communicated through jade tokens. A jade token was equivalent to the green bubble in her previous world.

The Head receptionist, clearly not new to having people ask for jade tokens, took one out of his storage bag and handed it to her with both hands, “Daoist, please.”

Ning Xu nodded inwardly, “Handing over the jade token with both hands, not bad.”

Melon-Eating System mumbled, 【Otherwise, how could he be the Head receptionist? His emotional intelligence is high.】

【If he’s willing, he would attract countless rich women and men competing to get him into bed.】

【Once that happens, won’t the bidding prices for auctioned items skyrocket?】

【After all, in front of the Head receptionist, no matter if it’s a rich woman or man, none would want to lose easily, right? Losing would be so embarrassing.】

Ning Xu: “…So this is what you have in mind.”

She had to admit, the Melon-Eating System was good at planning!

Melon-Eating System didn’t mind and said, 【Even if they don’t spend at our auction house, they’ll still spend somewhere else.】

【Since that’s the case, shouldn’t we make the spirit stones instead?】

Ning Xu thought for a moment and said, “You make a good point.”

After all, the spirit stones were in the pockets of the rich men and women, and who managed to get those spirit stones naturally depended on their own abilities.

The fellow disciples who had been listening: “So it can be like this!”

After exchanging jade tokens, Ning Xu left the Miscellaneous Hall, planning to find an appropriate time to chat privately with the Head receptionist.

Once she left, the gazes of the fellow disciples still inside the hall turned even more fiery as they looked at the Head receptionist.

It turned out that not only was he the Head receptionist of the Miscellaneous Hall, but he had also once been the Head receptionist of the Laurel Hall.

Laurel Hall was a well-known place in the cultivation world.

They, the lower-ranking disciples, had only heard of it by name but never set foot in it.

Rumor had it that several powerful figures had spent over a million high-grade spirit stones there in one night. It was said that the tiles on the floor of Laurel Hall were made of spirit stones and stones from Penglai. It was also said that if your wealth didn’t amount to a few million high-grade spirit stones, you weren’t even allowed through the doors of Laurel Hall. The current Head receptionist of Laurel Hall was also a genius with a heavenly spiritual root…

They had heard so many rumors, but unfortunately, the sources couldn’t be traced, and they couldn’t tell if they were true.

Now, suddenly learning that a fellow disciple had been in Laurel Hall, they had countless questions in their minds.

They wanted to ask if ordinary cultivators were really not allowed into Laurel Hall? Did you really need wealth to enter?

They also wanted to ask why, having become the Head receptionist there, he would come to the Miscellaneous Hall and become a disciple of the Questioning Heart Sect?

They had even more questions…

But these questions were too private to ask out loud.

So, they could only hope that the Melon-Eating System would reveal more gossip next time.

Seeing that the disciples hadn’t asked any overly private questions, the Head receptionist finally let out a long breath.

He had finally understood the Sect Leader and Peak Master Wu’s feelings.

Everyone had it tough.

After Ning Xu returned to her small grass hut, the first thing she did was take out the talisman paper, talisman pen, and cinnabar to start drawing Explosion Talismans.

She failed several times.

After four consecutive failures, Ning Xu stopped. She thought for a moment and said, “After listening to your explanation, I thought drawing talismans would be easy, but once I tried it, I realized it’s not as easy as I imagined.”

Melon-Eating System comforted her, 【The hardest part is the beginning. Once you get the hang of it, it won’t be difficult. Your recent failures are mostly because you haven’t yet mastered the flexible use of spiritual energy.】

【Imagine that the spiritual energy is sand in your hand.】

【This sand needs to be released evenly and at a constant speed.】

【Similarly, your spiritual energy needs to be released little by little, evenly, and steadily.】

【Once the spiritual energy is balanced when you apply it, the talisman will naturally be formed.】

Following the Melon-Eating System’s detailed explanation, Ning Xu drew another Explosion Talisman. This time, she succeeded.

The Melon-Eating System, lacking hands, could only express its congratulations through chatter.

【Boom! Crack! Crackle! Congratulations, Host, for successfully drawing an Explosion Talisman!】

Ning Xu exhaled a breath, a relieved smile on her face, “Thank you.”

Without the Melon-Eating System’s help, she wouldn’t have succeeded so quickly.

To draw this one Explosion Talisman, she had used up ten high-grade spirit stones.

Without these spirit stones, the Melon-Eating System would have been offline long ago due to insufficient spiritual energy.

Spirit stones were indeed great things.

No wonder the Melon-Eating System was so eager for her to open the auction house.

After resting for a while, Ning Xu drew ten more Explosion Talismans before stopping.

Out of those ten, seven succeeded and three failed. The success rate wasn’t bad. What’s more, three of the successful talismans were high-grade ones.

Melon-Eating System: 【Host, you’re quite talented at drawing talismans.】

Ning Xu: “Thank you for the compliment.” She put away the successful talismans. She wasn’t planning to exchange them for spirit stones but intended to keep them for self-defense.

Once the talismans were drawn, it was getting late. Ning Xu meditated for only a few hours before it was time for the morning class.

That day, as soon as Ning Xu arrived at the plaza, she noticed something was off.

The faces of her fellow disciples all had expressions of expectation and nervousness.

What’s going on?

Just as she was about to ask the Melon-Eating System what was happening, the Innocent Cultivator suddenly appeared behind her and said, “Today is the day when the Elders and Peak Masters recruit disciples.”

Once the Innocent Cultivator reminded her, Ning Xu remembered.

After all, she was different from the average disciple. They were hoping for a sudden stroke of luck, hoping that some Elder would notice them and take them in as inner sect disciples.

But right now, Ning Xu only wanted to be an ordinary outer sect disciple.

As for accepting a master, that could wait until later. So, she hadn’t paid much attention to the Elders’ upcoming recruitment.

Ning Xu said, “Oh, I remember now.”

The Innocent Cultivator didn’t bring up the topic of recruitment again. He first handed Ning Xu a few small steamed buns, then gave her a storage bag with a slight smile, “The cola and sunflower seeds you wanted are ready. I’m not sure if they taste like what you wanted, though.”

Ning Xu was surprised. Although she believed that the Innocent Cultivator could make cola and other snacks in time, she was still a bit surprised and pleased to learn that he had really made it.

She took out the cola from the storage bag and was about to taste it.

In the next instant, a long, fair hand stopped her.

The Innocent Cultivator reminded her, “Eat the buns first, fill your stomach.”

Ning Xu paused, “Alright.”

After she finished eating the steamed buns, she eagerly opened the cola and took a sip, her face lighting up with joy.

As soon as she took a drink, her eyes widened slightly.

The Innocent Cultivator looked at her with an eager expression, “How is it?”

Ning Xu gave him a thumbs up, “This is the taste!”

She didn’t expect that the Innocent Cultivator’s homemade cola could replicate 90% of the taste and flavor.

Now, her gossip buddy was ready. From now on, eating melon would be even more exciting!

Not long after Ning Xu finished her breakfast, the Sect Leader, various Peak Masters, and Elders all arrived one after another at the plaza.

The cultivators, each with their dignified appearances, floated with an immortal aura. Since today was a special day, the Elders had all dressed up for the occasion. As a result, the plaza was filled with a vibrant display of various styles and appearances.

The spirit treasures emitted dazzling light, enviously catching the attention of a group of disciples.

Ning Xu herself wasn’t interested in becoming a disciple, but she had a group of food cultivator companions who needed a master to take them in. Therefore, she still carefully observed the dozens of Peak Masters and Elders.

After sizing them up, she asked the Melon-Eating System, “Which Elders are food cultivators?”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【The three on the far left are all food cultivators.】

Ning Xu followed the direction the Melon-Eating System pointed out. Sure enough, on the far left, she saw three Elders in plain gray robes. Compared to the Elders standing in the center who looked well-dressed and resplendent, these three looked somewhat pitiful.

Not only were they positioned at the edge, but their robes were also the simplest and cheapest kind. From these small details, it was clear that food cultivators were not valued and were marginalized within the sect.

There were a total of sixty-six Elders intending to take in disciples, yet only three food cultivator Elders had come in person. It was unclear how their personalities and talents were.

Ning Xu pondered, “Which master do you think the Innocent Cultivator should choose?” After all, the Innocent Cultivator brought her breakfast every day, so Ning Xu felt it was only right to help him figure out which master would be best.

The Melon-Eating System hesitated before replying, 【Actually, none of these three are great.】

The three food cultivator Elders: …

Ning Xu already understood how high the Melon-Eating System’s standards were. In the entire cultivation world, there were probably no more than ten people who could catch its eye, and no more than three who could receive its praise.

She casually said, “Are you saying the Innocent Cultivator shouldn’t take a master?”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【It’s not that.】

【He’s not like you. He doesn’t have me, and still needs a master to guide him.】

Ning Xu nodded, “Then let’s pick the most suitable one from these three?”

The Melon-Eating System muttered, 【The one on the far left has average talent and cultivation, but he is diligent, loves to study, has a bit of a strange temper, but is open and loyal.】

【The one in the middle is much more talented and has a higher cultivation, in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul, but his temper is worse, and he has many schemes. He has already accepted many disciples, some of whom are quite deep-minded and enjoy forming cliques. If the Innocent Cultivator joins, he might be taken advantage of.】

Ning Xu immediately made up her mind, “Then the one in the middle is not an option.”

She continued, “That leaves the last one.”

【The last one… I can only say he’s mediocre. His character, temper, and talent are all very average, there’s nothing remarkable about him. His personality is so dull, I can’t even describe him.】

Ning Xu thought for a moment, “Based on what you said, if we have to pick one from these three, the one on the far left seems to be the best?”

At least the Melon-Eating System described him as open and loyal. With that, he already far outshone the other two Elders.

【Yes, the one on the far left is tolerable.】

Then the Melon-Eating System changed its tone, saying, 【Actually, for the Innocent Cultivator, any slightly decent master will do.】

【I have a book, Advanced Food Cultivator Theory, which can save him a lot of trouble. You can transcribe it later and give it to him.】

【He cooks breakfast for you every day, you can cook breakfast for him too.】

Ning Xu smiled, “Alright!”

After their conversation, countless fellow disciples immediately turned envious eyes toward the Innocent Cultivator.

The disciples: Brother, you didn’t do anything wrong. Your mistake is doing nothing but still making us jealous. Brother, we’re really so sour.

After thinking about her little companion, Ning Xu didn’t forget about the Green Hat Hero.

After all, the Melon-Eating System had said it would try to help him.

When the Green Hat Hero was mentioned, the Melon-Eating System’s tone turned somewhat gloating.

【Heh heh… him…】

Ning Xu asked with interest, “What happened to him?”

The Melon-Eating System didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, 【He went down the mountain for training a couple of days ago.】

Ning Xu asked, “And then?”

【Then, during his training, he happened to meet the young lady of the Yan Jin Sect.】

【This young lady was secretly poisoned by a rival and had been struck by love poison.】

【At that time, it was dark, and the only male cultivator nearby was the Green Hat Hero. The situation was very dangerous.】

Ning Xu’s eyes widened slightly, her excitement betraying her true emotions, “The Green Hat Hero actually… encountered something like that?”

She cleared her throat, “And then?”

The other disciples, in sync, perked up their ears.

Even the Elders who had come to take disciples became alert.

This kind of spicy gossip was a favorite of many people.

Who doesn’t like hearing such things?

More of this kind of gossip, please! They love it!

Seeing the gleam in Ning Xu’s eyes, the Melon-Eating System knew it had successfully piqued the host’s interest.

Ning Xu urged, “What happened next?”

According to the usual plot, the following events should unfold in a certain way.

But instead, the Melon-Eating System chuckled and said slowly, 【Then, he ran away.】

He ran away…

Ran away…

What?

All the exciting and alluring details were gone, and he just ran away?!

The disciples couldn’t help but think, Green Hat Hero, are you even capable?! Just running away like that?

The Green Hat Hero himself: … Dead social life

Note:
【點他！】 can mean “Pick him!” or “Choose him!” and, in this context, humorously references the character’s past in a pleasure house, urging Ning Xu to recruit him.