Originally, Liu Chun thought that he would cover the additional costs required for the monthly disciple slot through the teleportation array himself.
Now that the Lingxian Sect's trade routes are smooth and his share of the profits is substantial, Liu Chun is still quite well-off.
He doesn't mind spending on his disciples; in his view, it is perfectly normal for a master to incur expenses while teaching.
However, Lin Xiao clearly had a different opinion.
Although he understood that the relationship between a master and disciple in this world is unique, he insisted that the sect should cover half of the expenses.
After all, disciples are not only Liu Chun's but also the sect's. Cultivating talent is a shared goal.
The financial hall had no objections to this.
Thus, this arrangement was temporarily settled, and unless something unexpected happened, it would likely continue until Liu Chun returned to the sect and stabilized his position.
After the disciple-acceptance ceremony, the disciples of Qingyun Peak could finally begin their cultivation life in the sect properly.
The next morning.
At the mountain path entrance, the Law Enforcement Hall disciple on duty reported that someone from the Qinghe Sect had come with a gift.
With the sect now having enough staff, the Law Enforcement Hall could rotate personnel for the duty.
According to the stationed disciple, the visitor claimed to be the eldest disciple of the Qinghe Sect's Sect Master, so they needed to be properly received and could not be dismissed casually.
Since everyone else was quite busy, the one responsible for receiving the visitor was Yang Jinshu, the head of the Law Enforcement Hall.
Due to the well-known reason of the Wenxin Path, Yang Jinshu received the guest at the Lingxian Academy at the foot of the mountain.
"I am Yu Jie, the disciple of the Sect Master of Qinghe Sect. I have come to meet Elder Yang of the Lingxian Sect," Yu Jie stood up from his seat and greeted Yang Jinshu in the reception room.
Evidently, the Lingxian Sect disciple who had previously guided him had informed him of Yang Jinshu's identity.
"Friend Yu, you are too kind. May I ask what brings you to visit the Lingxian Sect?" Yang Jinshu inquired.
Yu Jie then took out two boxes, one large and one small, from his storage bag. He pointed to the smaller, exquisite box and said:
"To be honest, Han Weishu, who recently joined your sect last month, is my master's only cherished pupil. Since she left in a hurry and forgot many things, my master asked me to bring them here."
He then pointed to the larger box and continued:
"To express our gratitude for the Lingxian Sect's tolerance and careful cultivation of Sister Han, my master has specially prepared some gifts as a token of appreciation."
Hearing this, Yang Jinshu understood that this was actually the Qinghe Sect Master's way of asking them to treat Han Weishu well and to be patient and diligent in her cultivation.
She used her spiritual sense to scan the contents of the large box, which included some spirit stones—about five hundred pieces—several stacks of common talismans, and a few herbs.
Since the gifts were from the sect master's private collection, it was clear that the Qinghe Sect Master must be quite fond of his daughter.
Even though the Lingxian Sect had a trading channel with the Qinghe Sect in recent years, the prices were low, and there were limits on the various basic talismans and items, so the additional income for the three major sects was quite limited.
Moreover, most of the revenue went into the sect's treasury.
Thus, even the Qinghe Sect Master's finances were likely not too loose.
But just to prepare a welcoming gift, so much was given, showing the sect master's affection for his daughter.
Yang Jinshu naturally knew that the Lingxian Sect treated new disciples very well. The Qinghe Sect Master's gift, while not light, was not overly heavy either. Therefore, she decided to accept it after some consideration.
Since the gift had been sent with such effort, it was clear that they would not wish for it to be returned.
Furthermore, the Lingxian Sect and Qinghe Sect had occasional interactions, so this small gift was reasonable. They could return the favor next time with a suitable occasion.
Just as Yang Jinshu thought the matter was settled, Yu Jie took out a letter from his bosom and handed it over.
"This is a letter personally written by my master. I hope Elder Yang can help deliver it to Sect Master Lin of your sect."
Yang Jinshu took the letter and found that, although the envelope was an ordinary item, it was covered with a layer of sealed magical power.
"I will pass it on."
Handing over the letter, Yu Jie added:
"The seal on this letter is set by my master, so please inform Sect Master Lin that it can be broken with a light infusion of spiritual energy."
What Yu Jie did not mention was that this seal required at least Golden Core stage cultivation to open.
After all, a sect master would at least possess Golden Core level strength, so stating it plainly might seem a bit dismissive.
Once the transfer was complete, Yu Jie bid farewell and returned to his sect.
Yang Jinshu did not insist on keeping him.
After all, the Lingxian Sect had a policy of no uninvited guests.
She courteously saw him to the gate of the academy and then stored the large and small boxes along with the letter into her storage bag and returned to the sect.
Through the Wenxin Path, Yang Jinshu returned to the sect.
Beside her, the ten-mile peach blossom tree was in full bloom. Yang Jinshu noticed a few fallen petals and leaves on the ground and was about to pick them up.
Suddenly, she felt she might have missed something and looked up at a spot on the tree.
Amidst the densely blooming peach blossoms, there was a patch that was densely green.
It was the middle part of a branch.
There were no pink flowers there, only green leaves and... three round little fruits?!
"Actually... bearing fruit," Yang Jinshu murmured.
For the past three years, so many people had passed by this seemingly healthy and robust ten-mile peach blossom tree, which had been blooming every day, yet no fruit had ever appeared!
Seeing this, she barely had time to consider the gifts from the Qinghe Sect. She waved to a disciple on duty to deliver the small box to Han Weishu on Qingyun Peak. Then, she immediately raised her hand and clumsily used the lock ring to call someone.
The first person she notified was Lin Xiao.
After all, the ten-mile peach blossom tree had been planted by him personally, and no one knew it better than he did.
Moments later, Lin Xiao appeared beneath the ten-mile peach blossom tree at the mountain path entrance.
"Where is it, Aunt Yang? Where are the fruits?"
Lin Xiao asked while scanning around.
Before Yang Jinshu could point him in the direction, he had already spotted the three small, green fruits huddled together.
The fruits were covered in fine white fuzz.
They were indeed very small.
Looking at them, Lin Xiao sighed, "It really bore fruit…"
He said, reaching out to gently touch them.
They were tightly attached and seemed unlikely to fall off, so they should continue to grow.
But he wondered how long it would take for them to mature enough to be eaten.