Chapter 204: My Senior Sister is Actually a Little Girl
Shen Mo strode forward and saw a figure by a stone table.
This person appeared to be middle-aged, dressed in the robes of a first-tier elder of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
"Huh? Weren't there two voices talking just now? Why is it only him?"
Shen Mo was puzzled and approached the table.
The elder wore a sorrowful expression. "Can you let me borrow a bottle of Infant Transformation Pill?"
A voice, old and grumpy, came from under the table. "Get lost! You've lost all your spirit stones, pills, and contributions. I'm not wasting my time gambling with you."
"When you've earned enough contributions, go to the Treasure Pavilion and exchange for an Infant Transformation Pill, then come back to gamble."
The elder sighed deeply and turned to leave.
He glanced at Shen Mo, likely assuming he was there to gamble as well, and gave him a sympathetic look.
"Fellow Daoist, be careful with that one—she's too strong…"
With that, he covered his face and left, unable to hold back his tears.
Shen Mo's mouth twitched.
"Hey? You here to gamble with me, too?"
The voice sounded again.
Shen Mo looked down under the table and finally saw a petite figure.
This girl… if she weren't so short, she might actually be quite tall.
No wonder he hadn't seen anyone there earlier.
She wasn't even as tall as the stone table!
Shen Mo carefully observed the girl.
She was dressed in a bright green outfit, revealing her fair arms and legs, with jade bangles and silver bells on her wrists and ankles.
Her steps were light and jingled as she moved.
If she didn't speak, anyone would think she was an eight- or nine-year-old girl.
But the moment she opened her mouth, that illusion shattered.
"Hey, hey, hey! Did you hear me? Are you going to gamble or not?"
"I'm a busy woman; I don't have time to waste on you!"
The little girl crossed her arms, looking impatient.
Shen Mo cupped his hands politely. "I'm not here to gamble."
"Then scram!" The girl returned to the stone table, plopping herself on top, focused on arranging her three dice.
Shen Mo smiled. "I'm Shen Mo. I was recruited by Lü Dongxuan and have joined the Jade Cauldron Sect as part of the Tenth Peak."
"Lü… cough, cough!"
The girl nearly choked on her own breath.
She shot forward, now standing directly in front of Shen Mo.
Her big, bright eyes examined him from head to toe.
"So, you're the talent that Little Donkey recruited. He mentioned it to me through a sound-transmission jade."
"Little Donkey—uh, I mean, Little Lü!"
"Cough, cough… I'm your Senior Sister, Zhao Yaolu! I'm also the highest-ranking member of the Tenth Peak!"
The girl put her hands on her hips, assuming the demeanor of a senior.
Shen Mo blinked. "Isn't the highest-ranking member supposed to be the Tenth Elder?"
Each of the ten peaks was headed by an elder, from the First Elder down to the Tenth Elder.
All ten elders were cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, deeply respected—even the sect master had to heed their influence.
"Hah! That old man is nothing. He spends all his time hanging out in red-light districts. I'm the one earning all the resources for the Tenth Peak!"
The little girl was visibly upset.
Shen Mo glanced at the three dice.
"That's right, it's all earned with these!" Zhao Yaolu said proudly.
Shen Mo coughed. What was there to be proud of?
"Senior Sister, perhaps you could give me an introduction to the Tenth Peak?"
Zhao Yaolu looked puzzled. "What's there to introduce? It's a barren mountain, with six small huts, one Tenth Elder, and two Nascent Soul elders. Oh, and now with you, we have three Nascent Soul elders."
"As for disciples, there aren't any."
Shen Mo: "…"
It really was a case of "the few, the proud."
"What kind of business will you be managing?" Zhao Yaolu asked casually.
"Beast control, in the Dragon Serpent Mountains."
Zhao Yaolu immediately frowned. "What? Who'd assign you to that place?"
"Who was in charge of Elder's Court today?"
Shen Mo replied, "The Second Elder."
Zhao Yaolu's brows shot up. "Damn that old miser, deliberately giving our Tenth Peak trouble!"
"Is the Dragon Serpent Mountains that bad?" Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.
Zhao Yaolu clicked her tongue. "The Dragon Serpent Mountains is a disaster. The spirit beast bloodlines there are too diluted."
"If you go there, you won't just struggle to earn contributions; you might even end up losing a ton."
"At this rate, you'll never advance in elder ranks without a good thirty years of effort. You won't even gain access to the better forbidden areas where contributions are actually worth earning."
"Ugh, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!"
"When I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I'll storm the Second Peak and twist his head off!"
Zhao Yaolu put her hands on her hips, her face full of anger.
Shen Mo felt a bit warmed by her words.
It seemed the Tenth Peak was fiercely protective of its own.
"…Honestly, if you remain a first-tier elder, your yearly salary will be pathetically low. How am I supposed to gamble with you and take your spirit stones and pills…"
Zhao Yaolu muttered.
Shen Mo: "…"
"Anyway, where's your Jade Cauldron Pearl?" Zhao Yaolu asked.
Shen Mo took out a Jade Cauldron Pearl.
This was the identification token that could only be obtained after officially becoming an elder of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
On the back of the pearl was a "ten," and the front was carved with a small cauldron, indicating Shen Mo's status as a first-tier elder.
"You've just become a first-tier elder and have no contributions yet, so I've transferred two ding-level contributions to you."
"Go to the Treasure Pavilion first and exchange for some items needed for beast control before heading to the Dragon Serpent Mountains. Otherwise, you'll be at a complete loss when you get there."
Zhao Yaolu tapped her own Jade Cauldron Pearl against Shen Mo's to transfer the contributions, then patted him on the shoulder earnestly.
"Junior Brother, if you can't make it work in the Dragon Serpent Mountains, come find me. After all, that place isn't exactly fit for anyone to survive."
Shen Mo nodded. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"
With that, he prepared to take off toward the Treasure Pavilion.
Suddenly, a tremendous dragon's roar echoed from afar.
However, this roar carried an intense sense of agitation.
If one listened closely, there was also a faint trace of sorrow within it.
Shen Mo was slightly surprised. "Senior Sister, what's that sound?"
Zhao Yaolu replied casually, "That's the Jade Cauldron Sect's guardian spirit beast, the Flame Dragon. It can already speak in human language. Since the passing of the sect's founding ancestor, the Flame Dragon has been guarding the sect."
Shen Mo looked puzzled. "Then why does it sound so agitated and sorrowful?"
Zhao Yaolu shrugged. "It can't find a mate to take care of certain needs, so it's agitated."
Shen Mo: "…"
"As for the sorrow…" Zhao Yaolu lowered her voice. "The sect previously tried pairing it with large pythons, but those pythons couldn't handle the old dragon's strength due to their low level…"
"It's sorrowful because it can't reproduce."
Shen Mo nodded in understanding.
The more powerful a species, the harder it was for them to reproduce.
Reproduction is a creature's basic instinct. Now, this old dragon, with no mate and no offspring, was restless and sorrowful—understandable.
Zhao Yaolu seemed to remember something and added, "It's said that back in the day, when the founding ancestor was around, the old dragon actually had a mate. That female python even laid an egg, but during a fierce battle, the female python was killed, and the egg floated down the Cangjiang River."
"Since then, the egg has never been found."
"Oh, by the way, Little Donkey is out searching for a dragon egg under the sect master's orders."
Shen Mo nodded, finally understanding the situation.
The agitated and sorrowful dragon roar continued for a while before quieting down.
The disciples of the Jade Cauldron Sect seemed accustomed to it and paid it no mind.
"Senior Sister, I'll take my leave then." Shen Mo cupped his hands and flew off toward the Treasure Pavilion.
Zhao Yaolu watched his departing figure, blinking.
"This guy's bone age is only twenty-two, even younger than Ye Yan, who reached the Nascent Soul stage at twenty-nine."
"That Little Donkey actually managed to recruit such a talent. Heh, heh, heh, now I have another person to win spirit stones and pills from!"
Meanwhile…
Shen Mo flew toward the Treasure Pavilion.
As he flew, Zhao Yaolu's life panel appeared in his mind.
He realized that this Senior Sister was quite extraordinary.
[Name: Zhao Yaolu]
[Realm: Fifth Tier Perfected]
[Life Fate: Daughter of the Ghost King, Afflicted with Bad Luck, Surviving Death, Innate Vein Blockage, Five Ghost Soul Devouring Body]
Shen Mo immediately examined these life fates in detail.
[Daughter of the Ghost King: Orange Fate. You are the offspring of a sixth-tier Heavenly Ghost King. After the Ghost Clan was exterminated by the Ten Thousand Demon Nation, you escaped to the borders of Jing Country and were adopted by the Tenth Elder of the Jade Cauldron Sect.]
[Afflicted with Bad Luck: White Fate. As a member of the Ghost Clan, you are born with bad luck. Getting hit on the head by a flowerpot, encountering a downpour just as you step out, finding half a worm in an apple—these are daily occurrences for you.]
[Surviving Death: Purple Fate. You are destined to have three life-saving opportunities. After these three, you will inevitably meet your end.]
[Innate Vein Blockage: White Fate. You are unable to cultivate the Ghost Clan's bloodline arts and can only take an alternative path, cultivating human techniques.]
[Five Ghost Soul Devouring Body: Red Fate. The souls of your five younger brothers reside within you. They are both your powerful allies and the reason you cannot sleep, constantly haunted by the past. Cultivating Yin-based techniques will double your efficiency.]
Due to her "Afflicted with Bad Luck" fate, Zhao Yaolu had no upcoming fortunes, only numerous unlucky incidents.
Shen Mo exhaled softly.
Daughter of the Ghost King? Raised by humans?
The Ghost Clan? The Ten Thousand Demon Nation?
Shen Mo hadn't expected Zhao Yaolu to have such a backstory.
As for the Ghost Clan, Shen Mo had seen brief mentions of them while skimming ancient texts at the Divine Sword Sect after he defeated Yao Yunluo and took over Divine Sword City.
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