Note: Everything above this is an announcement by Creative Novels. It’s not written by me (Reika). So if you read something like “I’ve been sick” that isn’t me. That’s the owner of Creative Novels.
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Chapter 33 – Never Marry A Man With Two Tintins
The welcome banquet was actually just a regular dinner at Bai Cao Yuan but with two dishes and some wine added. The newcomers, including Cheng Nuo, tried to decline the alcohol but had to drink two toasts.
Bai Cao Yuan has more than one hundred disciples. The long, low table that could seat twenty ordinary disciples was full.
While they were eating, Cheng Nuo was wondering how Liu Guang’s entrance trial was going when he noticed that there were around twelve females seated at the table. The youngest looked like he was around sixteen years old while the oldest one was around thirty. He thought that these were Bai Cao Yuan disciples so he didn’t pay any attention to them. He just lowered his head and absentmindedly passed the dishes around.
The wine that had been served was quite strong. Since Cheng Nuo hadn’t slept much the night before, he fell asleep very quickly since he was a little tipsy. He dreamt that Liu Guang was chased by beasts then later dreamed that he was being chased by someone.
As he was a dreamy haze, he felt the bed sink slightly. Someone touched his chest. Cheng Nuo thought that it was Liu Guang. He mumbled: “You brat, it’s late. It’s time to sleep…”
But he quickly realized that something was wrong – that person’s shape was different from Liu Guang’s and a hand was sliding under Cheng Nuo’s clothes!
Cheng Nuo immediately woke up. Fast as lightning, he grabbed the hand that was traveling downwards. He was extremely frightened. Cheng Nuo kicked the person off his bed and jumped up, saying, “Who are you?!”
The person who had climbed into bed with Cheng Nuo rose from the ground and coughed twice then said, “My name is Ningzi. I’m one of the females who serve the Bai Cao Yuan disciples…”
This Ningzi sounded very young.
Cheng Nuo was dumbfounded. He lit an oil lamp on his bedside and saw that Ningzi was only around twenty years old or so. His face quite pretty and he was wearing tight-fitting bedclothes.
Ningzi explained that since it’s hard for single men in the sect to marry one female or for many males to marry one female, these big sects have females who serve everyone! In short, they were like military prostitutes. The steward Li knew that Cheng Nuo was had just recently become an adult so he sent Ningzi to Cheng Nuo as a prank.
Ningzi was obviously already used to doing this kind of thing. After he finished his explanation, he casually undid his belt. His white sleeping robe fell open, revealing the firm muscles inside. It turned out that he wasn’t wearing anything under his robe.
Cheng Nuo quickly looked away and waved his hand awkwardly: “No, you don’t have to do this… There’s no need… you can leave now…”
It was just a man’s body so there wasn’t really anything Cheng Nuo should be embarrassed about but he still felt uncomfortable. ****! This ****ing world was the type of place where a man will climb another man’s bed!
Ningzi listened to what Cheng Nup said but he didn’t leave. Instead, he took off his robe and lay down on the bed. He spread his slender legs open, revealing his body’s secret parts. He used his hands to pull his legs to his chest and said: “You haven’t done that yet, have you? It’s all right. Come here and I’ll teach you. It’ll be very good…”
The expression on his face was very natural and he showed no embarrassment. It seemed that what he was going to do was something as routine as eating or putting his clothes on in the morning.
Cheng Nuo was so scared that he fell directly to the ground. His face turned red. Even though he was a man, the effect this pose had on him wasn’t insignificant. Although he knew this world was ****ing perverse, he was still shocked when he saw something like this with his own eyes.
He retreated until he hit the wall and repeated, hastily and clumsily, “You should leave, I really don’t want to…”
Ningzi saw that his face was bright red and couldn’t help but laugh, “Aren’t you fifteen yet? When it’s their turn, everyone normally acts like a madman, vigorously tossing me around until I faint! Then when I wake up they’re still doing it!”
Cheng Nuo really didn’t want to hear a man complaining about this sort of thing. Those words seemed to ring in his ears. He explained awkwardly: “I am fifteen. You should put your clothes back on and leave…”
What are you waiting for? There’s no way he would ever be interested in a man’s chrysanthemum!
Ningzi put his legs down then sat up and sighed: “You really don’t want to do it?”
Cheng Nuo quickly nodded and said firmly: “Yeah.”
Ningzi didn’t ask him again. Picking up his robe, he put it back on but made no move to leave. He lay down on the bed and curled up in one corner, saying “If you don’t want to do it then you can lie down here. I’ll make the best of it by sleeping here tonight.”
Cheng Nuo was speechless. The bed was a single bed. How could he possibly sleep with a man who wanted to climb into bed with him? He said angrily: “If you don’t leave, I’ll scream for someone to come.”
Right after he finished saying that, Cheng Nuo scowled. He felt extremely frustrated that he was frightened by a man.
Ningzi quickly explained: “I can tell from just one glance that you’re a good person. You can relax. I won’t do anything. It’s just that if I can’t stay here then I’ve nowhere else to go. I’ll have to go to someone else’s bed and be played with until I’m half dead…”
He said it with a smile but his seemingly casual tone of voice had an undertone of indescribable sadness. Cheng Nuo was stunned. It must be terrible to have one’s chrysanthemum burst by many different people one after the other.
Anyway, Cheng Nuo was now too frightened to sleep, so he said to Ningzi, “Then don’t touch me.”
After all, they both men so he lay down on the bed on his side with his back to Ningzi.
Cheng Nuo couldn’t help but think of the dozen or so females he saw at dinner. “How many are there like you?”
Ningzi said indifferently: “Bai Cao Yuan’s females all serve. We are slaves, born to this fate.”
Cheng Nuo was shocked. Although he often heard Liu Guang rant about hateful nobles, this was the first time that Cheng Nuo truly felt that this world’s hierarchy was really unfair.
Although the number of females in the world was far lower than that of males, the nobility raises many females. Some of them serve ordinary disciples, while others are privately owned by higher disciples, which is similar to slavery. However, there were those like Zi Qing who must have a noble family background to have so many suitors.
After listening to Ningzi’s words, Cheng Nuo didn’t want to be a female even more than he usually did. The way this gender was treated was truly cr**! Fortunately, he transmigrated in the slums. If he had become a slave, he would have killed himself!
When Ningzi left early in the morning, he whispered to Cheng Nuo, “If they ask, you better say we did it. I’ll come to you later. Otherwise, someone else will come to you later…”
Cheng Nuo’s hair stood up in horror. More men might climb into his bed? No way! He nodded quickly and asked in confusion: “I can choose who I want?”
Cheng Nuo’s face turned red when he imagined a row of men lining up for him to take his pick of the lot. Simply horrifying!
Ningzi smiled and nodded. “I’m very popular. Eleven people chose me this month. I serve one person a day. When it’s your turn I’ll come to you. You can tell the steward which person you choose. Those who are chosen by many people will get less sleep. Those who weren’t chosen by a lot of people can sleep more. It’s all about one’s luck. The schedule is changed every three months. If someone doesn’t choose, it’s arranged according to seniority. Anyway, no matter what, we aren’t allowed to be idle.”
Cheng Nuo was stunned. This kind of thing only depends on luck?
Ningzi smiled at him again then pushed the door open and left. Cheng Nuo was relieved and quickly cleaned his hands and face. Cheng Nuo and the other new disciples’ faces were filled with embarrassment, except for Nai Jiu and Wang Hui who weren’t fifteen years old yet,
While they were eating, Li Qing and some of the older disciples came over. Smiling, they jokingly asked: “Did you all have a good time last night?”
A group of young males who had just lost their virginity blushed. Cheng Nuo’s mouth twitched. He wished he could just smash his head on a block of tofu and die; perhaps that would allow him to transmigrate back into his original world.
Apparently, all of the disciples of Bai Cao Yuan were familiar with this type of thing. Everyone around the new disciples was laughing loudly and making noise by beating the side of their bowls. They were also heckling and making fun of the blushing females who were also seated at the table. Cheng Nuo was stunned by the rowdy behavior. The sight of all these big men being excited over this matter made him break out in goosebumps.
After they finished eating, they were asked to pick which female they wanted. Cheng Nuo’s scalp tingled as he said: “Ningzi.”
Li Qing chuckled and said: “Haha, Ningzi is good at servicing people. You’re still young though. Don’t get addicted to it.”
Cheng Nuo simply lowered his head in embarrassment but in his heart, he was freaking out. What the ****! Who would become addicted to that?!
A high salary means more work.
Cheng Nuo quickly realized this because Bai Cao Yuan worked their new disciples’ fingers to the bone! The most tiring and tedious tasks were assigned to them such as sowing, hoeing, watering, picking spirit grass, and so forth. Cheng Nuo hoed the ground for one whole day. Even though he had been training to become stronger, this type of work still tired him out. At the end of the day, he was exhausted and could barely straighten his back from his hunched over posture. His hands were also full of painful blisters.
That night Cheng Nuo borrowed a needle. As he burst the blisters with the needle under the light of a lamp, he felt dejected and suspicious. How could this type of work be regarded as cultivation? Their monthly salary was only 300 primary energy coins which was a lot less than what the higher level disciples get.
Cheng Nuo sighed. Liu Guang’s second trial should be over but he still didn’t know what the outcome had been.
While Cheng Nuo worked as hard as a beast of burden, the time of the third entrance trial was coming soon. The total number of people who passed the second trial was 113. The third trial was a one-on-one fight with real weapons. If a person falls out of the arena platform, he is eliminated and will be ranked as a third or fourth level disciple. The winners will draw lots and fight again.
The adepts and elders of Qinghua Sect will be watching these final fights to select direct disciples among those with talent. If one of them were to take a fancy to an applicant, then he would become a second or first level disciple. Of course, the benefits of being a top-ranked disciple need not be said.
The seven female applicants who passed the second trial did not need to compete again. They were distributed among the sect’s various departments as second or third level disciples.
***
Liu Guang was very excited to wear the new clothes that Cheng Nuo had bought for him. Cheng Nuo had chosen them very well. The size was right and Liu Guang liked the colors and styles. He hadn’t seen Cheng Nuo for three days and he really misses him. When Liu Guang entered the sect’s entrance trial area, he looked around eagerly but not even Cheng Nuo’s shadow could be seen so he felt somewhat disappointed.
He looked around him at his opponents and secretly clenched his fists, vowing to himself that he was surely going to pass this test!
His first fight was with a tall, burly man wielding twin swords. Liu Guang quickly found an opening and kicked him off the platform, easily winning the fight. He won quickly and beautifully even though he had no cultivation which attracted the attention of the sect’s elders.
In the eyes of those high-level practitioners, Liu Guang was like a fine piece of jade that will become bright and dazzling after a little polishing
Liu Guang, unscathed, sat in the resting area to wait for his next match. He carefully watched the other applicants’ fights but although there were indeed many who had already cultivated, none of them attracted his attention.
He was still carefully watching the fights when a tray loaded with tea and refreshments suddenly blocked his view. He looked up impatiently and his eyes lit up when he saw that it was Cheng Nuo who stood there smiling at him.
“You… Why are you here?” Suddenly seeing Cheng Nuo, Liu Guang’s face turned red.
Cheng Nuo smiled and said, “There was a shortage of people here. I signed up to help.”
The high-level disciples were responsible for the competition but the organization of the more common tasks was handed over to the level four disciples. The various departments assigned people to help out. Cheng Nuo asked Ningzi to put in a word for him with Li Qing. After all, this type of work was much easier than hoeing the fields all day long.
Liu Guang was at a loss for words for a moment. Cheng Nuo examined his face carefully and said, “Did the second trial go well? Did you get hurt?”
“Ha! No,” said Liu Guang scornfully. “It was easy!”
Looking at the arrogant expression on his little face, Cheng Nuo couldn’t help but smile and admonish him: “Be careful!”
***
Reika’s Notes:
- 块豆腐撞死 kuài dòu fǔ zhuàng sǐ – “smash his head on a block of tofu and die.” This a joke. Normally people say they want to smash their head against a wall/pillar to commit suicide but, of course, people are too scared to actually do that. Thus, people jokingly say they want to smash their head on a block of soft tofu.
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