Chapter 130: Master and Disciple

"Zheng Shidi, Senior Sister Zhang, go check the market square quickly!"

At Senior Sister Zhang's home, Zheng Fa was talking with Senior Sister Zhang when Senior Sister Yuan rushed in like the wind, speaking anxiously to the two of them.

"What's wrong?"

"Our small building's entrance is blocked. I went over this morning and couldn't even get through the door!"

Senior Sister Yuan's words left both Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang somewhat stunned.

Since when have the disciples of Jiushan Sect become so bold?

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged a glance and flew toward the direction of the market square.

Before they even approached the market square, the two of them saw a dark mass of people surrounding the small building where Senior Sister Yuan used to work.

Among this crowd were not a few familiar faces.

There were vendors who used to set up stalls in the market.

There were disciples who frequently shopped in the market square.

Their gathering here not only left the market square with few customers, but even the number of people setting up stalls in the market had dropped by more than half.

It was almost as if the entire town had emptied out.

Seeing Senior Sister Zhang's figure, the originally noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

Clearly, this group of disciples still held extreme awe for Senior Sister Zhang.

But Zheng Fa could still hear someone inside excitedly whispering: "Zheng Shidi is here!"

"We're about to see a play!"

"Let's ask Zheng Shidi to put on another show."

... Hearing these words, Zheng Fa roughly understood how this rare mass event of Jiushan Sect had come about.

He glanced around the crowd and spotted three even more familiar figures within it.

"Han Qi, what are you doing?"

Han Qi and the other two dawdled, embarrassedly emerging from the crowd and standing before Zheng Fa with their heads bowed.

"Haven't the three of you already seen it?"

Zheng Fa had spotted the figures of these three yesterday.

"Yes..." Han Qi kept his head down, replying in a small voice: "It's precisely because we've seen it that we want to see it again."

"..."

"Don't those Senior Brothers all have seen it too?"

Han Qi pointed toward the crowd. Zheng Fa followed his finger's direction and saw indeed—a group of Senior Brothers mixed within the crowd, smiling sheepishly at Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang.

These people were all die-hard fans of Senior Sister Zhang; several of them were even enforcement disciples of the market square. Of course, they supported the preview of "Saving the Saving Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" immediately.

Last night at the theater, Zheng Fa had also seen these Senior Brothers.

Senior Sister Zhang looked at this group, her eyes somewhat cold.

"We... we are here to maintain order," said a Senior Brother named Yang from Zheng Fa's memory. "With so many people in such a mess, if something were to happen, we must protect Senior Sister Zhang..."

Senior Sister Zhang stared at this group of Foundation Establishment disciples, narrowed her eyes, and softly emitted a questioning sound: "Hmm?"

"No, protect Senior Sister Yuan..."

"Hmm?" Senior Sister Yuan pointed at herself.

"No, protect Zheng Shidi..."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Fa also followed with an "Hmm."

"You agree, don't you, Zheng Shidi?" Senior Brother Yang smiled kindly at Zheng Fa.

"..."

"Too many people want us to show it again."

Watching the Senior Brothers being persuaded away by these Senior Brothers, Senior Sister Yuan was somewhat speechless.

"Those who saw it yesterday still want to see it, and those who didn't see it want to see it after hearing the bragging of those disciples who did yesterday." Zheng Fa shook his head and said, "Jiushan Sect indeed doesn't have many places for entertainment."

Having been here for so long, the only entertainment venue Zheng Fa knew of was—Xunfang Pavilion.

The one opened by Sunu Sect.

Although that place is quite fun too.

But it drains both wealth and health.

And it's not as fresh as a play.

"What do you think, Junior Brother?"

"This is a good thing," Zheng Fa said first. "If we can attract the disciples of Jiushan Sect, we can attract cultivators from outside."

"Then shall we put on another free show?"

"Show it, but not for free... the cost of a play isn't low either." Zheng Fa pondered for a while before saying, "In the future, we might as well divide tickets into internal and external ones. Internal tickets for Jiushan Sect disciples; as long as we recover the costs, that's fine. External tickets will be used to make a profit."

The cost of a single play was indeed not low.

Not to mention the salary of the Sect Master, a True Person of the Nascent Soul realm.

Just those ten Spirit Talismans alone had a high price—to create an environment capable of accommodating ten thousand people, these ten Spirit Talismans all had to be Earth-Grade Talismans.

In Zheng Fa's view, the cost of a play was divided into two parts:

One part was the Spirit Talisman cost, which in modern times would be equivalent to production costs.

Currently, the only mature producer in Jiushan Sect was the Sect Master himself.

Even if this technology were spread in the future, at the very least, a cultivator of the Jin Dan realm would be needed to produce a play—generally speaking, only those at the Jin Dan level could draw Earth-Grade Talismans.

The other part is the projector operator's wages.

He had figured out the Sect Master's personality; he was a lazy one.

This time the Sect Master was willing to be in charge of the projection because it was the play's first screening; in the future, he would probably not want to do this work.

The projector operator job didn't even require the Golden Core Stage; the Foundation Establishment Stage was enough to do it.

But to maintain order in the theater, using a Golden Core cultivator like Zhang Shijie in the early days was better.

Adding the two costs together, according to Zheng Fa's estimate, at least a hundred spirit stones were needed for one screening.

Zhang Shijie nodded and spoke: "In that case, the initial price for internal tickets is set at one spirit stone for ten tickets."

Zheng Fa calculated; this price wasn't cheap. One play ticket was roughly equivalent to the price of three Yellow-grade talismans.

This might be a Qi Refining Stage disciple's total income for a day.

But for most disciples, watching one play a month wasn't a heavy burden.

"Also, how will this income be split in the future?" Zhang Shijie suddenly brought up another topic.

She looked at Zheng Fa, her expression seeming somewhat difficult to bring up: "The Administrative Hall wants thirty percent."

Zheng Fa knew why Zhang Shijie was so hesitant.

With a play, the most important thing was actually the Sect Master's Art of the World Within the Hut.

The venue provided by the Administrative Hall wasn't actually worth much.

"I will be in charge of the projection in the future," Zhang Shijie continued speaking. "But the Administrative Hall must take thirty percent."

This distribution was much more reasonable.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and spoke: "Alright, in the future the Administrative Hall gets thirty percent, the producer, which is the Sect Master, takes sixty percent, and the screenwriter, which is me, takes ten percent."

Zhang Shijie's gaze toward Zheng Fa softened a bit: "That is somewhat unfair to you."

Unfair?

Senior Sister, you don't know how miserable modern screenwriters are!

"The World Within the Hut is the most important thing," Zheng Fa said quite honestly. "As for the script matter, other disciples can try it in the future."

"No, what is he being unfair about?" Yuan Shijie, standing nearby, said somewhat puzzled. "If the Administrative Hall makes money, isn't that Jiushan Sect making money? In the future, isn't this Jiushan Sect—Senior Brother's?"

"..."

"And the Sect Master's money, in the future..."

"Wuwu..." Yuan Shijie, whose beak had been covered by a talisman from Zhang Shijie, couldn't say a single word.

Senior Sister Yuan, coveting the inheritance of a lonely old man... you can think it, but you cannot say it!

Although the Jiushan Sect disciples' desire to watch the play was very urgent.

But considering the costs, Zhang Shijie and Zheng Fa still decided to wait half a month before screening "Saving Saving Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" again.

In the future, the screening frequency of plays would probably be about this.

Screening once every half month was partly because the Jiushan Sect disciples' income was limited; watching a play twice a month counted as high consumption.

Any more would not avoid the suspicion of encouraging Jiushan Sect disciples to indulge in trifles and lose their ambition.

On the other hand, it was also to correspond with the reception boat that came once every half month.

After all, those external cultivators were the main target customers for the play.

Half a month later, "Saving Saving Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" was screened again.

This time, there were many more people coming to watch.

Of the several thousand Jiushan Sect disciples, about two-thirds came to the theater, plus some curious external cultivators.

At first glance, the theater, which could accommodate ten thousand people, looked completely full.

Zhou Qianyuan mixed into the crowd sneakily.

He wore the face of Sun Zi Daoyu—before coming, he slapped a Transformation Talisman on himself.

In this half month, the popularity of "Saving Saving Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" in Jiushan Sect had grown more and more intense.

Especially those disciples who had seen the preview screening; these past few days they were always bragging about how good the play was.

It made people's hearts itch just hearing it.

Alas, his own Master, True Person Pang, had never allowed his own sect disciples to watch; this time "Saving Saving Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" was screened again, and he still strictly ordered his disciples not to watch.

Zhou Qianyuan was curious in his heart; after thinking it over and over, he could only come wearing Sun Zi Daoyu's face.

As for why not transform into a stranger, that was because he bought an internal ticket; a non-Jiushan Sect person holding an internal ticket could not enter the theater.

As for why he had to transform into Sun Zi—

That was naturally because if he transformed into someone else, he might meet the original owner in the theater.

Wouldn't that be very awkward?

He could only transform into someone from his own True Person Pang's lineage; since this group of senior brothers couldn't come, he probably wouldn't meet the original owner.

Sun Zi was just right!

He had spent a long time with him; playing the role of Sun Zi could be said to be second nature.

Sure enough, he walked through the ticket check smoothly and entered the theater; no one at all discovered his abnormality.

The play had not yet started; Zhou Qianyuan looked around a bit boredly, and then he saw an acquaintance.

Well, not exactly an acquaintance—he saw himself.

Zhou Qianyuan stared fixedly at that person; that person also seemed to feel his gaze and turned his head to look at him.

Between the two staring at each other, both recognized the other's identity.

"Sun Zi?"

Zhou Qianyuan asked softly with his mouth shape.

The person opposite nodded, both looking at each other with some confusion—wasn't this a pointless transformation?

On the second day, Zhou Qianyuan had just arrived atop the Eighth Peak.

He heard his own master ask him coldly, "Did you go see that play yesterday?"

Zhou Qianyuan hurriedly said, "It wasn't me; that was Sun Zi!"

As he spoke these words, he couldn't help but apologize to Sun Zi in his heart.

But to speak truthfully—that "Zhou Qianyuan" from yesterday really was Sun Zi!

"... What a coincidence, your Sun Zi said the same," True Person Pang snorted. "You two changed your appearance and entered the theater; I saw it all clearly from here! Disobeying the master's orders is bad enough, but hiding your head and tail, you've utterly shamed my old face!"

Zhou Qianyuan looked at his master, who was sneering coldly, and couldn't help but lower his head in shame.

Indeed, his own behavior had been too furtive; it was truly somewhat unscrupulous.

Wait!

"Master, you watched it too?"

The smile on True Person Pang's face slowly vanished, revealing a trace of embarrassment.

"Skipping the ticket... seems even worse, doesn't it?"

Zhou Qianyuan asked earnestly.

"..."

In the thatched hut of the Sect Master, Zheng Fa was discussing with the Sect Master what the next play should be about when

he heard Shijie Zhang suddenly say to him, "Zheng Shidi, I intend to have you serve as a lecturer at the Talisman and Dharma Pavilion; are you willing?"

"Ah?"

Shijie Zhang's words caught Zheng Fa somewhat off guard; he raised his eyes to look at Shijie Zhang.

Shijie Zhang nodded gently to him, her expression serious, as if she had been thinking about this matter for a long time.

Even Zhou Qianyuan, standing nearby, now furrowed his brows, appearing deep in thought.

He had obviously begun to understand Shijie Zhang's intention.