Black Journey to the West: The Imposter Star Lord

Chapter 30: Cultivating Immortality? No Money, No Right to Cultivate Immortality

Thinking of this, Cao Xing nodded slightly to the old man: "Old man, you should go back now. Come back in seven days. If there is any news, I will come down the mountain to inform you."

"real!"

Seeing Cao Xing agree, the old man's cloudy eyes immediately brightened.

"real."

After Cao Xing finished speaking, without waiting for the old man to thank him, he leaped several meters away. By the time the old man came to his senses, he had already disappeared at the end of the steps.

"Oh, gods! Oh, gods!"

Watching Cao Xing's retreating figure, the old man prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed several times in the direction Cao Xing had left.

Upon returning to the mountain gate, Cao Xing handed over the gate number to the Taoist priest guarding the gate, and then went to the cave dwelling that Du You of Bairili Village had pointed out.

I thought that since I came back so late, there probably wouldn't be any good beds left.

But when Cao Xing entered the cave dwelling, he took a look.

"Huh?? Why are there only two? Where are the others?"

Inside, the kang (heated brick bed) was empty except for Wang Kaixuan and Wu Peng.

When the two saw Cao Xing, they both looked surprised, as if they hadn't expected him to come and live here.

However, both of them knew that Cao Xing was already at the sixth level of Qi Refining, so they were still quite polite to him.

In particular, when Wang Kaixuan saw Cao Xing, his face immediately showed a fawning expression, and he hurriedly explained, "Senior Brother Cao, they have all gone to the Class C cave, where the conditions are better."

Cao Xing walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and sat down, then asked, "Why didn't you go?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Peng sighed, "Because they're poor."

After saying that, he took out a booklet and handed it to Cao Xing, while complaining, "Damn it, in this godforsaken place, nothing is free."

Cao Xing opened the booklet and scanned it quickly, reading ten lines at a glance.

Except for the Class D cave, which is free, all other caves require payment.

Class C cave dwelling, monthly rent 30 taels, the cave dwelling is equipped with a heated kang bed, table, chairs and benches.

A Class B cave dwelling, with a monthly rent of 100 taels, in a separate small courtyard with a beautiful environment.

The first-class cave room costs 300 taels of silver per month. It not only has a separate courtyard but also a natural hot spring and four cave rooms.

"Senior Brother Cao, the Class C cave can accommodate three people, so it only costs ten taels of silver per person if we split the cost. So everyone has gone to the Class C cave in groups. Senior Brother Wu and I think this place is also good. I will repair the doors and windows tomorrow, so we didn't go."

Wang Kaixuan looked at Cao Xing. Although he knew it was somewhat impossible, he still hoped that Cao Xing could stay.

After all, having this Qi Refining Level 6 expert by my side not only gives me a great sense of security, but I can also ask him for advice on cultivation.

"Um!"

Cao Xing nodded slightly. He didn't have any requirements for where he stayed. In fact, to be honest, the accommodation here was many times better than in Boyue Cave.

Cao Xing was more interested in the other items on the list.

The Spirit Essence Pill costs fifty taels per pill.

High-grade Spirit Essence Pill, one hundred taels

A potent Spirit Elixir costs three hundred taels of silver.

Cao Xingguang's eyelids twitched uncontrollably when he saw the numbers on the screen, but he continued reading.

Foundation Establishment Stage Exercise "Chongyang Gong" (3,000 taels)

One inferior Foundation Building Pill costs eight hundred taels.

One mid-grade Foundation Building Pill, 1200 taels.

One top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill costs four thousand taels.

Besides these elixirs, cultivation techniques, talismans, and even lessons all cost money.

"Snapped!"

Cao Xing slammed the manual shut and cursed, "Damn it, this is a total rip-off! So, if you don't have money, you're not qualified to cultivate immortality?"

He thought that by infiltrating the Upper Temple, he could use its resources to improve himself and take advantage of the chaos. He thought that once the lion demon descended to earth, possessed the Upper Ancestor, and killed the king, he might have a chance to sneak into the palace, try his luck in the Crystal Palace under the well, and then make a quick escape.

But now it seems that I was being too naive.

Seeing Cao Xing's expression, Wu Peng and Wang Kaixuan exchanged glances. Clearly, this expert at the sixth level of Qi Refining was not a wealthy person.

The two of them felt much better after that.

Indeed, pain may not be transferable, but it can be shared.

"Senior Brother Cao, we have already inquired. Although the prices here are high, it's not like there's no place to stand inside the sect."

Wang Kaixuan said to Cao Xing with a smile.

"Oh!" Cao Xing raised his eyebrows and looked at him, his smile widening. "Could it be that Junior Brother has already found a way?"

"Hahaha."

Wang Kaixuan smiled and nodded, then turned and took out two packs of oil paper from his bag. Inside were a stack of braised meat and a serving of fried peanuts. Then Wang Kaixuan took out a naan from his pocket.

"Come, come, let's have a drink tonight, brothers. Let me tell you slowly."

Seeing this, Wu Peng and Cao Xing secretly found it amusing.

Wang Kaixuan even prepared food and drinks; it seems he was waiting for them.

Cao Xing and Wu Peng didn't say anything, and waited for Wang Kaixuan to pour the drinks before the three of them raised their glasses and drank together.

At this moment, Wang Kaixuan said, "Today, Senior Brother Zhuang assigned me to the Alchemy Pavilion. This Alchemy Pavilion is a good place. I do odd jobs and get five coins of silver every day. The more I do, the more I earn."

After Wang Kaixuan finished speaking, Wu Peng frowned and said, "You're not going to drag me and Senior Brother Cao to do odd jobs to earn money, are you?"

"No, no, no."

Wang Kaixuan quickly waved his hand: "How much can you earn doing such rough work?"

He lowered his voice: "I mean... drug testing."

Cao Xing and Wu Peng were taken aback by what they heard. Wu Peng didn't understand yet, but Cao Xing did. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it, what a jerk."

From the moment Wang Kaixuan uttered those words, Cao Xing had already made up his mind to stay far away from this guy.

I had heard the term "drug trial" before my rebirth.

Drugs tested on large companies are those that have not yet been approved for market release, have unclear efficacy, and have extremely serious side effects.

Cao Xing had no knowledge of this industry, but he knew how murky it was and how much money was offered for drug trials, which meant greater risks.

In the previous life, at least there were laws, so at least the act of disregarding human life wouldn't be so blatant on the surface.

But in this world, they'll eat even the bone scraps.

Wang Kaixuan didn't notice the change in Cao Xing's gaze towards him. Fearing that the two wouldn't believe him, he took out twenty taels of silver from his pocket.

"This is the silver I received for testing the medicine today. It was originally fifty taels, but thirty taels of debt were deducted. How about it, senior brothers, do you want to give it a try? There really is no harm in it. I heard from a senior brother that someone has successfully established their foundation by testing medicine on an elder."

Wang Kaixuan looked at Cao Xing and Wu Peng with hope. The reason he was so eager was that the elder of the Alchemy Pavilion said that as long as he recruited someone to test the medicine, he could get 30% of their commission.

Making money by testing drugs alone is too slow. Only by recruiting more fellow students to participate in drug testing can I earn more money.

However, Cao Xing did not speak, and Wu Peng also lowered his head.

Seeing that the two men didn't react, Wang Kaixuan's smile gradually turned cold. He picked up a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp, saying, "I know what you two senior brothers are worried about, but we mortals have neither background nor wealth. All we have is a worthless life. If we don't fight, what are we fighting for? Are you two senior brothers willing to live like this for the rest of your lives?"

"Oh dear, I'm sleepy."

Cao Xing didn't even bother to pay attention to Wang Kaixuan. He stretched, turned around, and prepared to go to sleep. Wu Peng hesitated for a moment and said, "Let me think about it." After saying that, he also turned around and prepared to rest.

Seeing that he had returned empty-handed, Wang Kaixuan cursed inwardly, "Ungrateful bastard!"

I offered you a ride out of kindness, but you are so ungrateful. You deserve to do odd jobs, preferably for the rest of your lives.

Looking at the wine and meat on the table, Wang Kaixuan grew angrier and angrier, so he simply lowered his head and started drinking by himself.

As the inferior liquor entered his stomach, the effects of the alcohol gradually intensified. In his hazy state, Wang Kaixuan felt as if there was a fire burning in his abdomen, growing stronger and stronger, causing a dull, stinging pain in his chest.

Hmph, you look down on me? Just wait, once I've mastered my cultivation, I'll kill you all...

The next morning, before dawn, Cao Xing sat up in bed, stretched, and realized he had slept soundly that night.

Turning around, I saw Wang Kaixuan still slumped over the table, looking like he'd had quite a bit to drink last night.

After changing into the Taoist robe, Cao Xing was about to leave when he glanced sideways at Wang Kaixuan and suddenly sensed something was wrong. He stepped forward for a closer look and saw that Wang Kaixuan's eyes were wide open and bloodshot. Cao Xing then pointed his finger forward...

died!