25. After Becoming a Permanent Employee, Buried in Debt

Venerable Wudao felt that not only had his record been broken, but a new one had been set! As the former record-holder from the lineage of the Sect Leader, this was truly an even more bitter pill to swallow.

"Old Bookworm, do you understand how Master feels now? I certainly do. Then again, why am I telling you this? You don't have a disciple anyway." Li Yun said the last sentence with immense pride. *I have a disciple; do you?*

Venerable Wudao looked at the destined disciple his junior uncle had brought back—a super adorable, chubby little thing. Should he start teaching her now?

"Junior Sister, these are your monthly rations. Keep them safe." Zhou Yan handed a storage bag to Lin Jiuge.

"Senior Brother, I have rations?" Was the sect really this generous?

"Naturally. Of course, you still have to perform tasks." Seeing his junior sister’s surprised expression finally made Zhou Yan feel like a proper elder brother.

"What kind of tasks are there?" Lin Jiuge asked, feeling curious.

"Given your cultivation level and the need to complete the Foundation-Building stage tasks, plus your current level at the second tier of Mortal Refinement, you just need to gather a few thousand first-tier spiritual plants."

"Heh." Lin Jiuge gave an awkward laugh. In the last half-year, the amount she had used for her medicinal baths alone was well over a few thousand!

"The fur, blood, and meat of demonic beasts can also serve as compensation," Zhou Yan added.

"If you manage to find rare treasures and turn them over to the sect, the sect might even pay you back in addition to the rations." Zhou Yan’s eyes sparkled at the thought.

Great. On her very first day as an official sect disciple, she had just hit the jackpot of massive debt.

"Senior Brother, that room full of first-tier spiritual plants Senior Uncle has—that wouldn't happen to be from the task board, would it?" Thinking of this, Lin Jiuge could no longer stay calm. She had been so extravagant with her medicinal baths; now that she calculated it, *hiss*, it was all debt! Why did her heart ache so much?

"Grandmaster has been posting those tasks for half a year. They have always been the most sought-after among the low-level tasks." Zhou Yan answered earnestly after a moment of thought, though he couldn't figure out why his junior sister’s face had twisted even further. Did he say something wrong?

Lin Jiuge did the math, and the more she calculated, the more horrified she became. She would need to dig up 17,458 spiritual plants to pay off her previous debts! And that was excluding the ones she had gathered herself later on! The debt successfully crushed Lin Jiuge’s once-straight posture. But her Senior Uncle had been truly kind to her, never restricting her usage.

Lin Jiuge began to calculate: from tomorrow on, she would use all her remaining time to dig for spiritual plants. Her fingers flew as she did the math. Great, it would take at least five years!

"Jiuge, aren't you happy to officially become my only personal disciple?" Li Yun walked out after arguing with his senior brother, only to see his disciple with a slumped face. Why didn't she look happy at all?

"I am happy." She was naturally happy to become a personal disciple, but she wasn't happy about the massive debt that came as a gift.

"Cough, cough. Senior Uncle, Junior Sister is probably worried about her sect debt." Zhou Yan understood why Lin Jiuge was dejected, though he didn't quite grasp why the amount was considered so large.

"Disciple, you are quite well-off. Do you really care about such a small debt?" Li Yun couldn't believe it. His astonishingly talented disciple was actually unhappy over such a trivial matter!

"Master, it’s a lot." Lin Jiuge replied listlessly, and that wasn't even counting what she would need in the future.

"Jiuge, surely it can't be more than what’s in your private treasury?" Li Yun couldn't help but suspect that everyone who had come to congratulate him on taking a disciple had sent useless, flashy gifts.

A group of big shots sneezed simultaneously. Who was talking about them?

"Master, everything in my private treasury was a gift from others." How could she use gifts from others to pay off her debts? That would be too disrespectful to the givers.

Hearing Lin Jiuge’s instinctive reply, Li Yun seemed to understand, and Zhou Yan finally caught on too. He began to wonder if he should reflect on how he had so readily used his family allowance to fulfill sect tasks. The family, after all, also required tasks to be completed. At this thought, Zhou Yan felt terrible. He was even worse off than his junior sister. In an instant, his face also turned gloomy.

"Cough, cough. Jiuge, since you feel this way, do you have a plan?" Li Yun decided not to dwell on how his disciple wanted to repay the debt.

"I do, but I need to take a closer look at what the sect tasks are. Master, Senior Brother, to be honest, knowing that I have sect tasks to fulfill makes me feel much more at ease." Lin Jiuge said this, dropping her usual serious demeanor.

"Ever since Master took me in and provided for my food, clothing, housing, and transportation—not just for me, but for Fu Zai as well—I have been uneasy. Master has been so good to Fu Zai, but I felt insecure." Lin Jiuge paused. Everything she had came from the outside. Even if she had used the spiritual plants without a second thought, she hadn't felt settled. She had been training desperately because she was afraid that one day, everything would be taken back and she would have nothing.

"Only when I heard today that I, too, am required to perform tasks did I finally feel a sense of belonging." It felt like being officially accepted, no longer having to worry every day that everything was just a mirage.

Clutching the identity medallion, Lin Jiuge felt her entire body relax. Perhaps due to her eased state of mind, her cultivation level directly jumped up one tier. She was now at the third tier of Mortal Refinement. Given such talent shown in just half a year, Li Yun felt relieved.

Staying true to oneself—his destined disciple had so much he could learn from. After hearing these words, his own state of mind became much more solid.

"As for the tasks, I’m not in a hurry. There is a saying in the mortal world: 'One does not feel the weight of debt when there is too much of it.' I will study them carefully and pay off the debt as soon as possible. Until then, I won't accept any sect rations." Lin Jiuge handed her rations back to Zhou Yan.

"It is excellent that you have this mindset." Li Yun used a special technique to broadcast Lin Jiuge’s words to every lineage and family within the Daiyue Sect. The heads of the families fell silent. After carefully reflecting on Lin Jiuge’s words, they realized that the disciples their families were nurturing seemed to only take, with very little contribution. Consequently, all family disciples, regardless of their talent, were required to contribute proportionally before they could receive clan resources. There was much complaining, but the clans held firm, and the results were significant. But that is a story for another time.

Lin Jiuge refined her sect medallion. It was said that this object could save one's life; this would be her means of protection.

"Junior Sister, do you want to do some sect tasks together?" Zhou Yan called out from outside.

"Senior Brother." She didn't know if it was her imagination, but why did her senior brother seem so unusually enthusiastic about sect tasks?

"Junior Sister, now I am just like you, burdened with debt." After listening to Lin Jiuge, Zhou Yan had resolutely returned to his clan and strongly requested to take on family tasks, which had terrified his father. After hearing Zhou Yan’s explanation and receiving a message from Li Yun, his father understood and agreed—though the tasks were quite trivial.

Lin Jiuge was puzzled. Was being in debt something worth being happy about? She didn't get it.

"Senior Brother, I haven't made a plan yet." Lin Jiuge refused. They were both in debt—was there enough in the back of the sect for them to harvest? Suddenly, Lin Jiuge thought of the cave behind the waterfall. Should she go and check it out?

"Senior Brother, do you know if there is a cave behind the waterfall?" Lin Jiuge asked.