Chapter 37: Human Nature, Aid the World or Mind One's Own Business?
Chen Ming fell silent.
Zhang Peng's words reminded him of the plague in his former village, and of that indescribable discomfort of hovering on the brink of death while being bound by disease. He felt deeply stirred, yet did not know what to say.
In Chen Ming's eyes, that outcome should never have happened.
"When successful, aid the whole World; when in poverty, mind one's own business. Forget it... I'll wait until I'm stronger before saying anything," Chen Ming murmured softly as he put the jars, bottles, and various medicine refining tools into his spirit tool.
"'When successful, aid the whole World'? That sounds nice, but how many people in this World can actually do it?" Zhang Peng let out a cold sneer after hearing Chen Ming's words. "Forget us Evil Spirit Masters who were 'born evil.' Even those so-called righteous Spirit Masters, that so-called Shrek, what did they do after becoming powerful?"
"It's rare for you to still keep a kind heart. But don't be too naive. This World is ultimately one where the strong prey on the weak."
"The senior Blood Demon who left behind the Blood Medicine Art was a semi-Evil Spirit Master who cultivated using the blood of Spirit Beasts. His own strength was peerless, and he also practiced a unique set of medical skills, making him a top-tier expert even in the history of the continent."
"But in his later years, he saw plagues and disease spreading everywhere. In a moment of kindness, he stepped in to save people. In the end, he greatly depleted himself and left behind hidden weaknesses, only to be hunted down and killed by those so-called righteous Spirit Masters."
"In the final analysis, what those people truly coveted was Senior Blood Demon's method of using Spirit Beast essence blood as medicine. It was only because Senior Blood Demon hid his Legacy while fleeing, leaving it for future generations, that those hypocrites did not get what they wanted."
"You can have kind thoughts, but you must never be naive." Zhang Peng lectured Chen Ming coldly, his tone extremely serious.
"Forget it. I've protected you too much. Ever since you entered the Holy Spirit Cult, you have been under my wing, so you still don't understand many things... Around me, everyone smiles to your face. You truly haven't seen the full picture." Zhang Peng steeled his heart and decided to give Chen Ming a lesson from society. "Rather than letting you get cheated outside in the future, it's better for you to suffer a few small losses now and learn your lesson."
If something happened inside the Holy Spirit Cult, Zhang Peng could still handle it.
But could Chen Ming really remain in the Holy Spirit Cult forever, relying entirely on his protection to survive within it?
That was impossible.
Rather than letting him suffer a catastrophic loss in the future and lose his life, it was better to let him stumble now while the consequences were still manageable.
"For the next 3 months, I will rent a quiet room for you outside. You are not allowed to reveal that you are my Disciple. You will move through the cult as an ordinary Evil Spirit Master. That way, you should begin to understand reality."
"Thank you for your painstaking effort, Teacher." Chen Ming nodded, showing not the slightest rejection toward Zhang Peng's arrangement. Instead, his expression suggested that this was only natural.
With the experience of his previous life, Chen Ming understood very well that Zhang Peng was putting him through social training, forcing him to adapt to the outside environment in advance so he would avoid major problems later.
But in Zhang Peng's eyes, Chen Ming was simply too kind and too naive, to the point of seeming soft.
The more Zhang Peng favored Chen Ming and treated him as his Disciple, the more helpless he felt toward this personality.
It was not that there was anything wrong with Chen Ming. It was just that the state of the World...
Sigh...
"Sometimes, humans are much more terrifying than Spirit Beasts," Zhang Peng said after brooding for a long time.
Once Chen Ming had packed everything away, Zhang Peng gave him a map of the Holy Spirit Cult. He then led Chen Ming out of his residence, and after a long series of twists and turns, the two arrived in an empty stone cavern.
The lighting inside the cave was very bright, and the floor was paved with marble tiles. Various paintings hung on the cave walls, and several large bookshelves stood in the corners, filled with common Spirit Master storybooks and famous works from the Douluo world, clearly decorative objects meant to put on a show.
A mahogany counter stood in the center of the cave, with several mahogany tables and chairs placed on both sides. Strange stones lay on the tabletops, and a few carefully tended green plants sat on nearby shelves.
Overall, this place did not look like a cave for an Evil Spirit Master at all. Instead, it looked more like the office of a chamber of commerce manager.
A rat-faced Spirit Master sat behind the counter, clicking an abacus while muttering under his breath. His squinted eyes were full of shrewdness. Looking at the figures in the ledger, his rat-like face bloomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile, and he seemed completely intoxicated by it.
The moment Zhang Peng appeared with Chen Ming inside the stone cave, the rat-faced Spirit Master was startled and instinctively hugged the ledger on the counter.
"Who... who is it? I am the Market Manager! I am protected by the higher ups of the cult! If you want to fleece me, you'd better first weigh your own status!"
The rat-faced Spirit Master let out a shrill howl, but because Zhang Peng had already set up a Spirit Power barrier, not a trace of the sound leaked outside.
"Shut up."
Zhang Peng pressed a portion of his aura down on the Spirit Master. The rat-faced man immediately froze stiff like a wooden chicken. Then, after Zhang Peng withdrew the pressure, he hurriedly stood up and bowed with a respectful expression.
"My lord, which Elder or Consecrated Elder are you? What business does your humble servant have the honor of handling for you?" the rat-faced Spirit Master asked, his attitude incomparably deferential.
"I am the 6th Consecrated Elder, Zhang Peng." Zhang Peng tossed his Spirit Master waist token to the rat-faced Spirit Master. "I recently accepted a Disciple and want him to gain some experience. Open a cave for him for the next 3 months and let him stay in the market area for a while. Understood?"
"Should it be handled according to his status, or...?" The rat-faced Spirit Master checked the token's authenticity and immediately returned it to Zhang Peng with both hands, his words carrying a hint of careful probing.
"Just treat him as a newly joined Holy Spirit Disciple." Zhang Peng took back the token and tossed out 30 gold coins from his spirit tool. "10 gold per month for a standard cave. I'll pay for 3 months first."
"Reporting to the Consecrated Elder, with your status, you naturally do not need to pay. But if your Disciple is to be treated as an ordinary Holy Spirit Disciple, then the fee is not simply 10 gold coins per month."
"10 gold is only the base price. Every month there is also 1 gold for maintenance and 1 gold as the monthly service fee, making it 12 gold per month in total. In fact, of those 2 extra gold, 1 is my personal income, while the other is for greasing palms."
"When newcomers join the cult and want a good environment, they also have to secretly offer some 'tea moistening money' as a tribute. If they do not pay, or pay too little, they get assigned to remote and shabby places. If they pay more, they get better arrangements."
"Once they arrive at the cave area, the newcomer must also pay a 'tea fee' to the local bosses. The tea fee is 10 gold. It can be owed, but interest will be added. This is also a way for the veterans to squeeze the newcomers and show them who's in charge. If they do not pay, they will be beaten and ostracized in daily life."
Though his tone remained respectful, the rat-faced Spirit Master calculated every account with perfect clarity.
"Consecrated Elder, do you want to follow the rules, or follow status?"
Zhang Peng was almost amused by this rat-faced Spirit Master's boldness. Seeing that the man was clearly terrified and respectful, yet still obsessed with squeezing money, Zhang Peng finally understood why this Spirit Master, whose cultivation was only at the Spirit Elder level, had been assigned to manage the market.
"Follow the rules for an ordinary Disciple. These 30 gold coins count as 2 months' rent plus the 'tea moistening money.' My Disciple will handle the rest himself."
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