[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-the-jade-palace":3,"chapter-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ascending to the Jade Palace",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320472,4538,"Chapter 10","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>A spring rain fell all night, fine as hair; when Yulou stepped out of his room, fresh air struck his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must be Young Master Yulou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female clerk from yesterday was drawing water from the spiritual well in the back courtyard of Fuyuanju; seeing Yulou emerge, she timidly greeted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my brother Yuan and I will be troubling you further—what is your name, fellow cultivator?” Yulou asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bai Lu. You are noble sons of the Wang clan; you’re no trouble. I’ll bring water to the front first, then washwater for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female cultivator named Bai Lu lifted her bucket and replied, head bowed, nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need—this small task won’t trouble you. But... are you employed by Fuyuanju, or are you an outside clansman of the Wang clan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou knew the Wang clan often assigned lower-talent clan members to external enterprises, but he wasn’t sure if this Bai Lu was truly of the Wang clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lu froze, as if Yulou’s question was hard to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Is there something you can’t say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Yulou’s brow furrow slightly, Bai Lu flinched like a startled beast and hurried to reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was picked up by Uncle Tang, took him as my adoptive father; since I was found during the White Dew season, I was named Bai Lu—I’m not an outside clansman of the Wang clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just do what I can to repay Uncle Tang’s kindness, and I’m not even a clerk of Fuyuanju.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well now, Yulou hadn’t expected his casual question to uncover such a big secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Nianqiu had taken in an adopted daughter, who repaid her foster father by working free at Fuyuanju—this sounded harmless enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the plots of folk tales, this Bai Lu might yet become entangled in some romantic affair with a Wang clan scion like Yulou or Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference between four taels and a thousand jin sometimes lies only in whether it’s weighed on the scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Bai Lu were Tang Nianqiu’s adopted daughter, she should have first returned to the Wang clan to receive Qi Refining training under their system, then been assigned to her post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Bai Lu were a freelance cultivator hired by Fuyuanju, she should be paid spirit stones through Fuyuanju’s payroll—and Tang Nianqiu’s ledgers were subject to Wang clan audit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lu clearly didn’t understand the rules, and accidentally exposed Tang Nianqiu’s scheme of ghost payroll under the guise of adoption!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do what you can... So, how many spirit stones do you receive annually as payment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou suppressed his inner turmoil and asked gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a nominal adopted daughter and actual unpaid laborer, Tang Nianqiu had never explained to her the Wang clan’s external enterprise management system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, this foolish girl answered directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Payment? I’m only at Qi Refining fourth layer; us freelancers are lucky just to have a place to cultivate in peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helping at Fuyuanju is purely to repay my foster father’s kindness, Young Master Yulou—I must hurry and deliver the spiritual water to the front.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou watched Bai Lu’s retreating back, his mind churning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Tang, old Tang—Rong Yuan just said yesterday you were reliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, here I am, catching your foot in the trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exploiting the Wang clan’s trust and favor to pull shady tricks in their enterprises—this isn’t a small matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason the Wang clan is called the Anbei Wang clan is because their immortal lineage has endured a thousand years and even ruled a secular dynasty—Anbei Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Wang clan is seen as a cultivator kingdom, Tang Nianqiu’s behavior is like a Provincial Inspector turning into a Military Governor—someone secretly raising private troops, siphoning Wang clan spirit stones to fund his own soldiers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re just an outsider—how dare you secretly run ghost payroll?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, maybe it’s not ghost payroll at all—what if Tang Nianqiu never listed Bai Lu on his ledger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only if he recorded her as a hired freelancer and paid her spirit stones from the ledger would it count as ghost payroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing at the door, Yulou fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he investigate? If so, where should he start?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it—keep a low profile, focus on cultivation first; talk about this after reaching Qi Refining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The covert struggles between the main lineage and outsiders are for the Clan Chief to handle; Yulou didn’t believe his combined lifespan of under fifty years could match the wisdom of the clan’s hundred-year-old Elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, above the Wang clan stood a Foundation Establishment Clan Chief—when the sky falls, the Foundation Establishment Ancestors will hold it up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of which, the Clan Chief and Yuan’s father, Rong Wenjia, were about to arrive in Qingxi Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, some people are so favored—even at Qi Refining, they get spiritual rice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, poor me, Wang Yuan—I’ve got the same dual elemental roots, even better talent than some, yet I don’t even get spiritual rice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While eating ordinary breakfast, Yuan grumbled, utterly lacking the easygoingness of last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou was speechless; he looked at his bowl of spiritual rice, then at Yuan, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s split it, half each.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou: “Who exactly are these ‘some people’ you mentioned? Why not say it plainly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Yuan want spiritual rice?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—he just wanted to jab at Yulou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, this is Elder Rong Yuan’s earnest hope for you—I wouldn’t dare eat it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou, you must cultivate hard, reach Foundation Establishment soon, and hold up a new sky for the Wang clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t waste this half-jin of spiritual rice, and don’t betray Elder Rong Yuan’s expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You understand, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan shook his head and swayed, playing the elder, making Yulou furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Say he’s evil—he’s just trying to get a verbal edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Say he’s not evil—his smug, opportunistic face is still truly obnoxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have spirit stones—why can’t I stay here? Is this how Fuyuanju does business?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A noisy voice drew Yulou’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the front desk of Fuyuanju’s main hall, Bai Lu was urgently explaining to several freelancers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fellow cultivators, Fuyuanju has operated for decades with three spirit stones per month—fair to all. But circumstances have changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Red Lantern’s Merit Hall branch is arriving in Qingxi Fang soon; the Garrison Cultivator just collected a Unity Fee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re raising prices out of necessity—if we don’t, we’ll shut down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lu had grown up in Fuyuanju; years of dealing with people had taught her how to shift blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fellow cultivators, we don’t want to raise prices—it’s all because the Garrison Cultivator is so greedy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’re upset, take it up with him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, people like Gao Jian and Jiang Bao would never come after Fuyuanju over this—they definitely collected the Unity Fee, and plenty of it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I understand the price hike, but I’ve already stayed half a month—can’t I just renew at the old rate for another half month?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The troublemaking freelancer knew shop owners in Qingxi Fang weren’t ordinary folk, so he dared not escalate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His only demand: to renew his room at the pre-hike price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t decide that... why not come back after the Red Lantern’s Merit Hall leaves?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then our prices will return to normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No money but still want to stay? How convenient you think you are!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lu was courteous to Yulou and nervous speaking with him because he was the Wang clan’s prodigy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just tested for elemental roots, directly escorted to Qingxi Fang by Elder Rong Yuan, and lavishly sponsored into the sect of Red Eyebrow Recluse—who even calls Jiang Bao brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’s not a prodigy, who is?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lowly cultivator toiling for a sect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ridiculous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang clan's direct descendants receive far better resources before Foundation Establishment than the Red Lantern Sect's disciples!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For freelancers trying to take advantage, Bai Lu gave no quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the clerk sent to notify Tang Nianqiu returned, lifting the curtain at the back of the hall; Tang Nianqiu, clad in a purple robe, strode out with commanding presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All Qi Refining cultivators possess spiritual sense; Old Tang immediately nodded toward Yulou’s direction as a greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to the freelancers at the counter and spoke in a deep voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the ones causing trouble?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1363,"2026-06-20T15:48:26.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a8a68f1e47968a94c1b95276426bf63d46440ed936d9ccf37577523d52268b3b","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-11","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-9",243,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-the-jade-palace-cover.jpg"]