He Bingkun reached into his robe and pulled out a shiny silver object, tossing it over.
Yun Qi caught it with ease, feeling the coolness in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, it was a perfectly round silver coin.
The coin was adorned with intricate snowflake patterns, each one a perfect hexagonal crystal.
Yun Qi strained his eyes but couldn't find any trace of carving.
"What is this?"
"Snowflake money, the currency of the mountain. I've been too busy these days and forgot to look after you. If Xu Huai finds out, he'll surely blame me. You can't just live on plain buns every day. Go and settle your debts with this."
Yun Qi smiled, "Life on the mountain isn't like the mortal world. The plain buns are sweet and not dry, quite delicious actually."
He Bingkun shook his head repeatedly, "Don't say more. Take the money and buy some good food. You haven't started cultivating your Qi yet, so you can't neglect your nutrition. This money isn't a gift; you'll have to pay me back later."
Yun Qi had no choice but to agree, knowing they would be spending a lot of time together and he could repay the favor eventually.
"You've been too engrossed in your reading these days, and I didn't want to disturb you. Tonight, let's have a good chat."
The two sat down on bamboo chairs in the courtyard.
The moonlight bathed the yard, creating a serene atmosphere.
The shadows of the pine and bamboo trees swayed like aquatic plants in water.
Yun Qi placed his feet on the ground, watching as they seemed to float in the water, disrupting the shadows, which was quite amusing.
"Don't think that just because you're on an immortal mountain, you can ignore worldly matters. As the saying goes, without money, you can't move an inch. It's even more so here than in the mortal world. So, listen carefully."
Like us, registered disciples mostly earn money through the Affairs Hall.
First, the hall regularly posts various tasks, and upon completion, you receive payment.
Second, if you have any precious stones, spiritual herbs, magical tools, or techniques, you can exchange them at the hall.
But since you've just arrived and have nothing, you'll have to look for simple tasks to do.
""I see.
"Yun Qi understood that He Bingkun was teaching him, saving him the time of reading and asking around."
But there's another type of money, unrelated to the Affairs Hall, which comes from the Teaching Hall.
This money isn't easy to get, but for those with real talent, it's something they can earn while cultivating.
In our Little Myriad Mountain, whether it's Qi cultivation, Zhou Tian, opening the residence, establishing the mansion, Five Qi converging to the origin, or even higher realms, as long as you break through a realm quickly, there's a reward.
If you can make it onto the rankings, the reward is even more substantial, real gold.
Additionally, if you come up with new ideas or solve ancient problems during your cultivation, there are also rewards.
"Yun Qi nodded, thinking he should put more effort into this direction."
Among the essentials of cultivation—methods, wealth, companions, and location—wealth comes second.
Let me tell you about the money on the mountain.
"The cheapest and most commonly used currency on the mountain is copper. This copper is called Shou Mountain copper, also known as red copper, Yuzhang copper, Celestial Master copper, Thunder Essence copper, Cauldron copper, and Furnace copper. They're all the same thing.
Just by hearing these names, you can get an idea of what this copper looks like. This copper is red and was first discovered by the Yellow Emperor when he mined copper on Shouyang Mountain to cast a cauldron. Hence, it was initially called Shou Mountain copper, a name that has persisted to this day.
However, the largest deposits of red copper are now found in Yuzhang, so it's also called Yuzhang copper. This copper is resistant to high temperatures and is favored by alchemists and thunder cultivators, hence the names Thunder Essence, Cauldron copper, and Furnace copper.
Our neighboring Dragon Tiger Mountain is famous for its alchemy and thunder techniques, so they particularly favor this copper. The Celestial Master's residence alone controls six red copper mines. Besides using copper for crafting, they also have nine inherited coin-casting furnaces.
A single copper coin produced by the Celestial Master's residence weighs only seven zhu but is worth one tael, which is twenty-four zhu of copper. Dragon Tiger Mountain also crafts a type of copper coin sword, said to be modeled after the Celestial Master's sword, capable of summoning thunder and fire. But I suspect it's just a name.
One such sword can be exchanged for ten taels of copper, and it's highly sought after, with people scrambling to get one every year."
"The silver used on the mountain is called Snowflake silver, like the one you're holding. This silver naturally has snowflake patterns, making it easy to distinguish. It's also known as Moon Soul.
Snowflake silver mines are mostly found in the northern mountains and southern waters of the Heluo region. One zhu of Snowflake silver is worth one and a half taels of Shou Mountain copper. The silver coins from Laojun Mountain in Heluo are the most widely circulated, also known as Evil-Repelling coins.
It's said they have a money tree on their mountain that naturally produces silver coins, each weighing seven zhu and worth one tael. But the idea of a naturally occurring money tree is mostly a myth, just like how the Celestial Master's residence claims their coin-casting furnaces were gifts from the Eastern Han emperor.
Take it with a grain of salt."
"Laojun Mountain also crafts a bracelet from Snowflake silver, modeled after their mountain-protecting treasure, the Three Talents Serenity Circle, said to have calming and evil-repelling effects. A bracelet weighing one tael is worth five taels of Snowflake silver and is a highly circulated treasure on the mountain."
"Finally, there's gold, known as Fangzhu gold on the mountain and Buddha Head gold in the northwest. One tael of gold is worth one hundred taels of silver. The most circulated gold coins on the mountain are from Emei Mountain's Qionglai coins and Wutai Mountain's Five Directions coins, both weighing seven zhu and worth one tael."
Yun Qi nodded, realizing that the mountain and the mortal world weren't so different after all.
He Bingkun glanced at Yun Qi, "You've been on the mountain for a few days now. Haven't you asked about the affairs of Mingzhi Mountain?"
Yun Qi felt a bit wronged.
He had planned to first read through the general history, then the Yuzhang Immortal Records and the Three Pure Mountains Sect History, before delving into the specifics of Mingzhi Mountain.
But He Bingkun seemed eager to share, so Yun Qi said, "Please enlighten me, senior brother."
He Bingkun smiled, "Since you joined the sect, you must have heard a lot, right?"
Yun Qi nodded with a wry smile.
"Our Three Pure Mountains recruit disciples roughly every two generations, and only second-realm cultivators are qualified to take disciples. However, second-realm cultivators are usually busy preparing to break through to the third realm, so it's mostly those about to reach the third realm who take disciples to pass on their legacy.
But Mingzhi Mountain has an ancestral rule: each generation only takes two disciples. Only when both reach the fourth realm or one dies can the next generation of disciples be taken. Mingzhi Mountain has produced many talents, and their cultivation techniques are very health-preserving and non-confrontational.
Most can reach the third realm but struggle to reach the fourth. Therefore, disciples are often taken only after one of the previous generation's lifespan is exhausted. Hence, Mingzhi Mountain takes disciples roughly every three hundred years, making their generations higher than other sects."
"What about Su Kong, the teacher?"
Yun Qi noticed that Su Kong didn't seem old enough to be nearing the end of his lifespan.
He Bingkun lowered his voice, "Teacher Su Kong has been cultivating for less than two generations. It's likely that something happened to the senior uncle who was traveling outside."
Yun Qi was slightly taken aback, "Hasn't there been any news back to the sect?"
He Bingkun shook his head, "Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. I don't know."
He continued, "You are the first disciple of this generation, so you will have a junior brother or sister. Either Teacher Su Kong will take a disciple after breaking through to the fourth realm, or you will take a disciple on his behalf."
Additionally, according to Mingzhi Mountain's tradition, if you can't open your heart mansion within ten years, you will remain a registered disciple for life.
Teacher Su Kong will take another disciple after ten years.
"So you see, you're not like others. You need to work harder."
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(End of Chapter)