Above the Great Dao Chapter 409

As soon as she finished speaking, one of the women suddenly waved her hand, and a Nascent Soul spewed out a true flame that burnt the bamboo in the corner to nothing.

Chen Shi’s eyelid twitched again, normal people didn’t care about these bamboos. However, the prized bamboos had been destroyed, clearly also upon the young master’s orders.

The young master truly knew him well!

"I did it," admitted Chen Shi.

The elder woman said, "The young master sent people to investigate the scene, but they were all killed. After studying the matter, the young master concluded that the deed wasn’t your doing. The perpetrator is slightly more skilled than you, and their thoughts are even more meticulous. The young master will find out who he is."

Chen Shi gently nodded, understanding that Yu Tiancheng, being in the Divinity Transformation Realm, had indeed a higher level of cultivation and power than him.

The elder woman continued, "You sought people out to refine the Resurrection Lotus into the Resurrection Pill, and put it up for sale at Juxian Building. The young master sent people to investigate, and among the seven, only one returned alive. The deaths of these six..."

"I did it," Chen Shi quickly admitted.

The elder woman sighed, "You have truly committed a heinous crime. But the young master, considering your talent as a Scholar and your status as the top scorer from Gongzhou and Xinxiang, still wants to give you an opportunity."

"Top scorer?" Hu Feifei’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Chen Shi. No one had taken any exams; how did he become the top scorer?

Chen Shi asked, "What opportunity?"

"Rebuild the Taiping Sect, and you’ll be the Taiping Sect Master," she declared solemnly.

"The young master appreciates talent, and he always entrusts those with abilities with important tasks. If you make meritorious deeds, the young master has rewards for you. Cultivation techniques that outsiders can’t learn, the secret arts of the Great Families, the young master can teach you all. That woman you fancy but dare not court, the young master will personally propose marriage on your behalf. If you wish to become an official, the young master will use his connections to buy you a position. If you wish to become a wealthy merchant, the young master will supply you with wealth. Which Great Family could compare to the young master’s generosity?"

She paused, her expression softening, "Chen Shi, you’ve worked hard in your studies and cultivated diligently, finally passing the exams and becoming a Scholar, waiting for an official appointment. But how long will you wait? A year, two years, or even ten? Some Scholars wait a lifetime without getting even the smallest official position, so poor they can only resort to becoming a Talisman Master or a beggar! But all that you long for and cannot reach, the young master can arrange it all for you with all his might!"

Her words were indeed true.

Serving a Great Family, even if one risked his life, the family might not reward you with cultivation techniques, let alone an official position.

But the young master was clear about rewards and punishments, as long as you had merits, he would give you a reward commensurate with your achievements, and the greater your contributions, the richer the rewards.

Most crucially, the young master’s rewards were often what you desired most. If you wanted power, he gave you power; if you wanted wealth, he gave you wealth; if you wanted women, he gave you women.

In today’s world, a master was incredibly rare.

Chen Shi’s gaze landed on a piece of hanging rope and then quickly moved away.

Strangling was too slow and prone to counter attacks, unless one refined a Binding Immortal Rope.

His gaze then fell on Hu Feifei’s hat, where the sticks at the back, curling up at both ends, seemed quite effective.

Perhaps there was an iron bar inside, suitable for stabbing someone to death.

The elder woman lightly lifted a lock of hair by her temple, smiling, "You’re only in your teens, aren’t you? You wouldn’t want to wait another ten or twenty years to secure even the smallest official position, would you? With your exceptional talent, having passed the exam to become a Scholar in your teenage years, are you willing to wait until your hair and beard turn white before you can become a petty official?"

Chen Shi changed the subject, asking, "Why do you call her a ’little bastard’?"

The elder woman was slightly startled, petting the little girl’s head and laughing, "Do you know who her father is?"

Chen Shi shook his head, "I don’t know."

The elder woman smiled warmly as she caressed the little girl’s head, "Her mother entertained many clients every day; she normally wouldn’t know which man was responsible. But it happened that she fell for a Scholar. You know in our line of work, we see many men, and it isn’t easy to develop feelings. But she did. Once she had feelings, she wanted to remain chaste, offering herself only to that Scholar. What is a prostitute doing, trying to set up a monument to chastity? Isn’t that absurd? So she ended up carrying that Scholar’s child, and he didn’t even pay her after sleeping with her. Isn’t that what a stray man does?"

She pursed her lips smiling, "So a child born to a stray man, isn’t that a ’little bastard’?"

Chen Shi stared at the woman’s hands, which were never far from the little girl’s sides, and said, "Then what happened?" free𝑤ebnovel.com

The elder woman laughed, "You would like to listen to stories? Since ancient times, tales of gifted men and beautiful women were mostly concocted by destitute Scholars to deceive inexperienced girls. There were indeed gifted men and beautiful women, but their endings were never good. The beauty ages, while the gifted men often lose out due to their pride."

She pulled the little girl’s head close and walked towards the grand mansion opposite them.

The gates of the opposite mansion swung open. The courtyard Chen Shi was in seemed desolate, full of female ghosts, but the one opposite was verdant and overflowing with prosperity and grandeur.

Many young girls either leaned on balustrades playing the lute, softly reciting or singing, or laid on the grass, their feet poking out as they played chess with each other, or dressed in white skirts, sat under artificial mountains reading.

Others danced barefooted in shallow water, with graceful gestures; when their sleek feet lifted, they splashed up a shower of pure white droplets.

A girl was also tuning an ancient zither, adjusting the pitch, with her head tilted to the side and her long, black hair cascading down like a waterfall. She looked irresistibly enchanting in her dedication.

Beside each of the girls was a nanny with a bamboo whip, carefully correcting their postures. If their movements were not graceful enough, they would often receive a lash.

But even when lashed, they did not cry, maintaining a smile on their faces.