Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

From then on, Tian Feirong and the chubby boy set a fixed time to set up their stall. Gradually, this inconspicuous little stall gained a reputation, especially among those who had bought and used the pills and talismans. They became regular customers, and others couldn’t help but follow suit. As a result, the business of the stall improved day by day.

Similarly, Bai Xiu’er’s flower cakes were quite popular among the female students who liked sweets. Some male cultivators came to buy them, though they were somewhat discreet, as it became known that they liked sweet food. Well, among their junior and senior sisters, it didn’t exactly contribute to their strong and heroic image.

Thus, among this batch of new students, aside from Pei Yuchun and Hou Qiang, who were the wealthiest and most influential, Tian Feirong and his group, along with Bai Xiu’er, were the most popular. Anyone with eyes could see that although these two stalls had relatively short hours, they were making a lot of money and were no longer worried about spirit stones. Compared to the other two, these two clearly had more staying power.

As a result, more people started to approach them, including Pei Yuchun and Hou Qiang. They even used a combination of temptation and threats to try to get Tian Feirong to reveal the source of the pills and talismans. As long as they controlled the supply chain, they could have a steady flow of spirit stones and subordinates. This left Tian Feirong and the chubby boy feeling both helpless and amused.

With the spirit stones, Gu Yao felt confident enough to visit the Classics Pavilion to browse various books, refine pills, and improve his cultivation. He also accompanied others to the Transmission Hall to listen to lectures. Life was particularly comfortable, and he felt that getting involved with the Tian family and investing spirit stones into Tianfu Academy was the best choice. The spirit stones he spent were well worth it.

One day, Gu Yao and Chi Changye were returning from the Classics Pavilion. Chi Changye had taken Gu Yao flying back on his sword, which was very convenient. However, when they entered the Pavilion, they encountered some other new students, and the way they looked at them was strange. There seemed to be a hint of disdain mixed in, which left Gu Yao puzzled.

“Brother Ye, what do you think they’re looking at? I don’t think I’m wearing anything wrong,” Gu Yao asked, confused.

Chi Changye chuckled lightly and said, “I think I can guess what they’re thinking. They probably think we’re just living off Tian Feirong.”

Over the past few days, he and Gu Yao had spent a fair amount of spirit stones outside, but they didn’t show any reluctance. They were very generous, which naturally led to some misunderstandings.

Gu Yao was stunned. How could they think that he and Chi Changye were living off Tian Feirong? Were they really relying on Tian Feirong and the chubby boy to support them? What were these people thinking? Couldn’t they just focus on their own cultivation instead of making these assumptions?

Before dinner, Tian Feirong and the chubby boy returned as well. They had packed takeaway meals from the cafeteria. The meals came in different tiers: the best ones cost dozens of spirit stones, while the cheaper ones were five or six spirit stones. But it had to be said, these packaged meals were not only tastier than the other dishes, but also contained particularly abundant spiritual energy. The chef making these meals was probably a spiritual chef. Not only did they use high-quality ingredients, but they were also skilled at extracting the spiritual energy from the ingredients, making it easier for the human body to absorb.

Since discovering these takeout meals, they had started ordering them. Given their current financial situation, they could only afford the cheapest option, but it was still better than most of the meals outside the packages. Once they earned more spirit stones in the future, they could gradually upgrade to higher-tier meals.

The more they integrated into Tianfu Academy, the more they realized how important it was to earn as many spirit stones as possible.

But as long as they had spirit stones, they could live the most enjoyable life.

Gu Yao didn’t know how things were in other sects, but he thought that as long as he and Chi Changye could survive here, they’d be fine.

Tian Feirong swallowed his food, took a sip of water, and said, “I’ve basically gathered all the information about that Wu Feng. Just from his nickname, you can tell what his reputation in the academy is like. However, birds of a feather flock together, so he has a lot of people who help him out.”

“Wu Feng is a member of the Mad Snake Gang, probably a mid-level member,” Tian Feirong frowned slightly. “The Mad Snake Gang is a small but middle-tier force. In the past couple of days, some people who bought pills have warned me and the chubby boy to be careful of the Mad Snake Gang. Wu Feng may not be very popular in that gang, but by stepping on him, we’re stepping on the Mad Snake Gang itself. We’ve hurt their reputation, and they’re probably looking for a chance to retaliate.”

Tian Feirong understood this kind of mentality. After all, he came from the Tian family. Although the town of Yuanyang was small compared to Tianfu Academy, it had its own intricacies. The competition and struggles between forces in the town were not necessarily easier than those within the academy. In the end, the Mad Snake Gang was just a group that picked on the weak and feared the strong. They bullied the soft ones and tried to build their reputation by oppressing others. Moreover, the pills and talismans they were selling might have made the Mad Snake Gang jealous, hoping to seize their so-called “channel” and turn it into a source of wealth.

“The Mad Snake Gang probably has about fifty or sixty members. The leader is called Wu Meng. He’s not young anymore, at the 8th level of Qi Refining, and is known as ‘Wu the Big Boss.’ Beneath him, there are two 7th-level Qi Refining members, Yang the Second and Xiong the Third. Quite a few new students from this batch have been forced to join the Mad Snake Gang. As soon as they join, they have to pay a joining fee of 100 spirit stones. It’s almost the same as directly robbing people of their spirit stones.”

Not paying? He had heard that people were dragged into corners and beaten up. Even after the beating, there were no marks left, and they couldn’t even scream for help. After being beaten a few times, they had no choice but to pay spirit stones for safety.

Looking at Chi Changye and remembering the journey from Yuanyang Town, where Chi Changye killed the corner-horned beast with one sword strike, Tian Feirong wasn’t too afraid of Wu the Big Boss. Facing Chi Changye, Wu Meng wouldn’t be able to gain much of an advantage. But with so many people in the Mad Snake Gang, even Chi Changye’s fists couldn’t match their number.

So, it was better not to confront them head-on for now.

The chubby boy continued, “Tian Feirong and I came up with a plan to use their power against them. Our pills and talismans are quite popular, and the Mad Snake Gang isn’t powerful enough to make everyone fear them. So even though everyone knows we have a conflict with the Mad Snake Gang, there are still some factions that want to ally with us. We can choose one of those factions to cooperate with, one that values integrity.”

Some people were trying to take advantage of the situation, hoping to have them four join their respective gangs. But Tian Feirong and the chubby boy weren’t fools. They knew what those people were after. Even if they had to join a faction, it had to be one they founded themselves, so they wouldn’t be controlled or restricted by others. It was much better to have the freedom to act as they wished.

“Which faction did you choose to cooperate with?” Chi Changye asked in a deep voice.

Tian Feirong took out a piece of paper and laid it on the table. “This is a list of various factions and their main details that we’ve gathered recently. It’s definitely not comprehensive, but it should be enough for now.” Tian Feirong gritted his teeth. “I didn’t expect the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce to be so powerful. It’s the top faction in both the inner and outer courts.”

No wonder they only offered a 98% discount; it turns out they were rich and powerful. Tian Feirong had to admit, he was jealous.

Gu Yao and Chi Changye leaned in to take a look. The name Xingyue Chamber of Commerce sounded relatively proper, while the other factions had strange names that made them hard to take seriously. The Xingyue Chamber of Commerce had several hundred members, including both inner and outer court members. Smaller factions with only a dozen or so people were basically insignificant. Just by looking at the factions listed on this paper, they could tell how complicated the environment in the academy was.

It really seemed like living a peaceful life here was impossible.

Aside from the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce and the Mad Snake Gang, which they had learned about because of Wu Feng, they knew almost nothing about the other factions. They had originally left things like this to Tian Feirong and the chubby boy, trusting them to handle it. So, Gu Yao directly asked, “Which faction did you decide to cooperate with?”

The chubby boy grinned. “Did you think it was the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce, Gu Yao? As far as we know, aside from Senior Brother Zhou Li, Senior Brother Jiang Yan has a very high status in the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce.”

Tian Feirong elbowed him. “Do you think Gu Yao is that stupid? Compared to the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce, we’re like small shrimp next to a sea beast. Do you think the sea beast would cooperate with small shrimp?” That wouldn’t be called cooperation; it would be more like swallowing them whole.

The chubby boy made a face at Tian Feirong. Well, it wasn’t his fault he hadn’t spent as much time with Gu Yao and Chi Changye as Tian Feirong had. So, there was always a need to adjust to each other. During the process of getting used to each other, there would inevitably be moments of testing each other’s boundaries.

Tian Feirong turned to them and said, “Gu Yao, Chi, do you two still remember that female cultivator from the first day?”

The two nodded together. How could they forget the situation from the first day when they set up their stall? They also had a deep impression of the female cultivator who appeared with Zhou Li.

Tian Feirong spoke proudly, “Her name is Tao Yue. Some people call her Moon Fairy, but others call her Moon Demoness. Anyway, she’s not someone you want to provoke. Many male students who tried to make advances toward her ended up suffering. Moon Fairy is from the Miaoyun Pavilion. Not many people belong to the Miaoyun Pavilion, and they specialize in business aimed at female cultivators—things like clothing, jewelry, and skincare products. Only female cultivators can join Miaoyun Pavilion, they never accept male cultivators. Their style might be a bit unusual, and not all female cultivators like it, so the size of the Miaoyun Pavilion is about the same as the Mad Snake Gang, but its power is actually a step above.”

The chubby boy nodded in agreement, “The Miaoyun Pavilion has many beautiful women. Maybe their first requirement for joining is looks. If you’re not good-looking, you can’t get in. Bai Xiu’er seems to fit their standards. I’ve seen people try to persuade her to join Miaoyun Pavilion, and she seemed quite tempted.”

Chi Changye raised an eyebrow, while Gu Yao blinked. He was starting to wonder if these two were interested in the Miaoyun Pavilion because of their strength or because they were charmed by their beauty. He asked, “So, do you think the Miaoyun Pavilion would be interested in us and protect us from trouble? Don’t get carried away with your own assumptions.”

Tian Feirong rubbed his chin and chuckled. Chi Changye shot him a cold glance, and Tian Feirong quickly straightened up, clearing his throat and saying, “Actually, the key factor is you, Gu Yao.”

Chi Changye glanced at him briefly and vaguely guessed what Tian Feirong and the chubby boy were planning.

Tian Feirong slammed the table and said, “Exactly! Whether we succeed or fail depends entirely on you, Gu Yao. You’re the backbone of our little group. As long as you can come up with some beauty or skincare pills that will attract those beauty-loving female cultivators, they’ll definitely be willing to cooperate with us.”

“Ha!” Gu Yao couldn’t help but laugh. So that’s what this was about. He scratched his head, realizing he hadn’t considered this angle, but he could see if he could manage it.

“Gu Yao, I believe in you. If you can’t do it, then no one else will be able to,” Tian Feirong said, giving the chubby boy a look.

“Yes, yes!” The chubby boy nodded repeatedly. Over the past period, he had become extremely impressed with Gu Yao’s alchemy skills, and Chi Changye’s talisman skills were equally remarkable. With such talents, which sect wouldn’t want them? How could they have thought of coming to Tianfu Academy?

Moreover, he had begun to suspect that the high-quality Bi Hua Pills that appeared in Shifang City might be related to Gu Yao. After all, Gu Yao always produced top-tier pills. Although he couldn’t make advanced pills yet, just because he hadn’t made them didn’t mean he couldn’t.

And since the other pills that appeared along with the high-quality Bi Hua Pills in Shifang City were also top-tier, and the pills Gu Yao had recently produced were the same, it was impossible for the chubby boy not to connect the two. The thought that he might be taking the blame for Gu Yao made his face turn dark.