"Round one of the examination is over. Listening to your father's story made me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles, with thorns on my back and a bone stuck in my throat."
Zhuang Yun briefly summarized the first round of the examination.
"Round two begins. In this round, the eight of you will talk about Zhu Fulu's merits. If such a scoundrel can receive a Vein Opening Pill from the Immortal Sect after his death, I really feel like cursing. I need to hear something good to calm my nerves."
He paused for a moment:
"In this round, five of you will still die."
The brother on the far right looked as if he had swallowed a bitter melon:
"Immortal Master Zhuang, it's easy to call him shameless, no need to think about it. But finding his merits, you have to give us some time to prepare, right? We're not praising an ordinary person, we're praising a..."
At this point, the brothers on the far left stood up to oppose.
"We just forced ourselves to speak, why do you need time to prepare?"
"Nonsense, you praise him for me right now!"
At this moment, Wang Zhengwu's nephew, who was second in line, spoke up:
"Are you going to speak or not? If you don't, I will."
"See! If he can speak, it's your problem if you can't!"
The first brother lost his confidence but couldn't think of anything for the moment.
So he fell straight down, hitting the stone slab, and died.
"Next."
"Although he committed many evils in his life, when he realized his lifespan was short, he still chose to take on a mission that would surely lead to his death, leaving a Vein Opening Pill for his descendants. If we disregard his past deeds, the moment he decided to take on the mission, he was a qualified father."
Indeed.
One must admit that he found a very clever point.
Especially after these people condemned this irresponsible father, it struck a chord even more.
A prodigal son returning home!
Without Zhu Fulu's desperate gamble, how could these brothers gather here today?
Even so, none of the sons here forgave him.
How many people did he kill, how many evil deeds did he commit, before he thought of putting down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha?
Impossible.
He spent most of his life doing things worse than beasts, only to act human for a few days.
Rounding up, he's still worse than a beast.
Zhuang Yun remained noncommittal and said:
"Next."
Now the pressure was on Xiaosuo, who was third in line.
Xiaosuo said:
"I've never met Zhu Fulu, but I speculate he must have one merit. Handsome."
Zhuang Yun's brow furrowed, looking at Xiaosuo with displeasure.
Xiaosuo knew that saying one wrong word could cost him his life.
"You may think that being handsome is not a merit worth discussing. But have you ever thought about why Zhu Fulu could have so many concubines, even gaining the companionship and recognition of cultivators? Is it possible that his dignified appearance gave people a subconscious impression that he was trustworthy, thus winning their favor?"
Xiaosuo's point was indeed novel.
After all, at the level of a cultivator clan, where they can turn clouds with a flip of the hand, who cares about appearances?
But then again, if Zhu Fulu were as ugly as a dried tree bark, would he have been able to marry thousands of concubines so smoothly?
Zhuang Yun's brow relaxed, seemingly somewhat approving.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the other brothers realized that Xiaosuo gaining more approval brought them closer to death.
Faced with this flawed argument, someone immediately countered:
"The Zhu Clan's success today is ultimately because Zhu Fulu is a cultivator. Otherwise, no matter how handsome he was, he wouldn't have attracted so many women."
Xiaosuo responded:
"You're right. But have you thought about how this brother's mother and that brother's grandfather came to favor Zhu Fulu? Status? They're about the same. Treasures? They risked their lives and didn't seem to gain anything from Zhu Fulu. Being handsome is still useful. Judging by appearances is shallow, but when two people stand face to face, how many can remain unaffected?"
"Zhu Fulu's appearance is indeed outstanding."
Zhuang Yun sighed lightly.
It seemed to validate this point of view.
Seeing Zhuang Yun's approval, the other brothers dared not speak further.
The remaining five people instantly felt the tension rise.
The first two had passed Zhuang Yun's test.
Meaning, if nothing unexpected happened, only one of the five would survive.
"Next."
This person was at a loss, not knowing what else to say.
"I think... Zhu Fulu's merit is... is... poor cultivation aptitude! Yes! Poor cultivation aptitude! Otherwise, if he soared to the sky, who knows how many more people he would harm! This definitely..."
Before he could finish explaining, he fell straight down.
Gone as well.
"Next."
This brother gave a self-deprecating smile:
"Never thought I'd live thirty years hiding day and night, only to die so absurdly."
As soon as he finished speaking, he too fell straight down.
A self-mocking smile still on his face.
"Next."
This was the First Madam's son.
He thought for a moment and said:
"One of Zhu Fulu's great merits is caution. The entire Zhu Residence has thirty-six tunnels, each stocked with three years' worth of food and water for ten people, all arranged by him. He often told me to be prepared for danger in times of peace."
Zhuang Yun nodded after hearing this and looked at the last person.
That person, due to blood loss, was already pale.
With a grim smile, he said:
"I tried my best. It's fate!"
After speaking, he too fell straight back.
Beneath the grim expression, there was still some reluctance.
"The final round of the examination. Auction the Vein Opening Pill. You three bid, limited to spirit stones or spiritual material pills usable by cultivators, payable on the spot. Whoever offers the most gets the Vein Opening Pill."
Blatantly.
To the highest bidder.
The three brothers looked at each other.
The First Madam's son was the first to take out a wooden box from his pocket.
"A hundred and fifty-year-old Crimson Grass, my only spiritual material, worth ten spirit stones. I don't know if you two understand the value of spirit stones. Anyway, if your bids are higher than mine, I'll accept my loss."
To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].
He was quite confident.
This Crimson Grass was secretly purchased by his mother from the Niu Clan for ten spirit stones.
Ten spirit stones were enough to elevate him to the position of County Magistrate of Mountain Chicken County.
But his mother was determined to set her son on the path of cultivation.
The spirit stones were accumulated over the years by taking some worthless and inconspicuous spiritual materials from Zhu Fulu's Spiritual Material Chest and slowly exchanging them.
The First Madam thought hiding spirit stones was too easily discovered, so she exchanged them for a spiritual herb of equivalent value, as thin as a needle.
It was meant to bribe the Immortal who issued the Vein Opening Pill.
She thought Zhuang Yun's eccentric nature in the first two rounds meant he wouldn't accept gifts.
But he blatantly demanded it, proving her efforts were not in vain.
Parents love their children and plan for them deeply.
The First Madam's plan, worth ten spirit stones, who knows how many years she had been plotting, probably dating back to when she first married into the Zhu family.
Xiaosuo and Wang Zhengwu's nephew exchanged a glance and shook their heads with a bitter smile.
They both knew the value of spirit stones.
And neither could produce such a large sum.
Zhuang Yun picked up the Crimson Grass, examined it, and blew on it.
The red grass turned blue.
Zhuang Yun said:
"This is Blue Silver Grass, with a bit of trickery to make people think it's red. This Blue Silver Grass is everywhere in the cultivation world, fifty pounds for one spirit stone."
After speaking, he put the Blue Silver Grass back in the box and tossed it back to the First Madam's son's arms.
"Im... impossible! How could it be?!"
Wang Zhengwu's nephew said:
"The Niu Clan figured your mother wouldn't dare publicize this matter, nor did she know any cultivators to verify it, so they blatantly cheated her out of ten spirit stones."
The First Madam's son finally understood.
He just couldn't accept the reality.
Wang Zhengwu's nephew then took out a paper packet from his pocket.
"This was left to my grandmother by Zhu Fulu after he killed my grandfather, saying it could prolong life for mortals. My grandmother left it to my mother, and my mother left it to me. My mother asked Zhu Fulu about its value, and he said it wasn't worth much, about one spirit stone. But it should be more valuable than Blue Silver Grass."
The First Madam's son quickly said:
"We still have gold and silver! Although they're mundane, they can be exchanged for spirit stones! In the backyard, I still..."
He too fell straight down.
His face still held a trace of excitement.
Zhuang Yun took the pill, glanced at it, and said:
"A Reflection Pill, worth three spirit stones."
Wang Zhengwu's nephew was a bit puzzled:
"Wasn't it said to be around one spirit stone?"
Zhuang Yun said:
"A Reflection Pill, when consumed, can evoke a person's past emotions. It used to sell for thirty spirit stones until four years ago when a genius alchemist replaced the precious main ingredient with Blue Silver Grass, achieving the same effect, and the price plummeted."
"Thirty..."
Xiaosuo was also stunned upon hearing this.
Why Zhu Fulu gave such a precious pill to his grandmother, Xiaosuo didn't know.
Nor did he want to guess.
Who among the brothers who died in this room didn't have a story?
Wang Zhengwu's nephew cupped his hands towards Xiaosuo.
"Sorry, Boss Xiao, it seems I've won. My uncle and I will burn paper for you every year. If you have any last words, you can tell me now, and I'll do my best to fulfill them."