92: Why is the gap so big?
One minute later:
Lan Yichen, quite handsome and dashing, clasped his fists in greeting.
“Master Qing…”
Chu Qing wondered, “Is something wrong?”
“Master Qing, my younger sister, Lan Lan, is an Outer Courtyard student.”
“She wants to be your attendant!”
Chu Qing was silent.
Pfft!
Ximen and the others nearby laughed.
Goodness, they had just been talking about attendants, and now someone was offering themselves up.
These Wubao Disciples were truly anxious.
Chu Qing pondered for a moment and said,
“Will there be more people later?”
Lan Yichen said awkwardly, “Yes.”
“People from all thirty-three Fortified Manors want to be your attendants.”
Chu Qing… Ximen and the others… At this moment, Chu Qing truly realized that the attendant slots for their Inner Courtyard class were truly precious.
Otherwise:
Even if the Wubao Disciples had been subdued by them, they wouldn't have been so quick to curry favor.
After a long while, Chu Qing said, “Alright, I’ll give you one slot!”
“I still have a use for the remaining slots.”
Lan Yichen thanked him, “Master Qing, rest assured, tonight, I will have my younger sister come and serve you!”
Chu Qing always felt there was something off about that statement, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
He was too lazy to think about it and instead said to Cui Moyang and the others, “You all go first!”
“I’ll rest for a bit.”
The Crowd left one after another.
Chu Qing closed the door.
Then he discovered that outside the door, a group of Wubao Disciples had gathered.
Their expressions were fawning, and they all clasped their fists.
Chu Qing nodded, closed the door, and pulled the rope.
Not long after, two maidservants entered, looking very happy.
As soon as the door closed, the two maidservants eagerly said, “Young Master, we will serve you in bathing and changing!”
“Young Master, I will help you subdue the Dragon!”
“Young Master…”
The two maidservants chirped like little sparrows.
Chu Qing patted their heads and said, “Quiet down!”
“Why are you so excited?”
The round-faced maidservant smiled and said, “Young Master, after you successfully ascended the Stone Tower, our status has also risen dramatically!”
“Our treatment has doubled now!”
“One month's wages are enough for us to save up a dowry!”
“If we stay with Young Master for three years, the dowry we save will be no worse than that of a Young Miss from a wealthy family.”
“When we go to our husband's family in the future and tell them about this experience, they will also look upon us favorably!”
Chu Qing was speechless.
Being his maidservant gave them such Face?
What kind of logic was this?
“Young Master, you have another maidservant slot.”
“There are still many maidservants without masters; I’ll call them over, and you can choose one!”
Chu Qing wasn't particularly concerned about maidservants.
He casually said, “You can just choose one!”
The maidservants exchanged glances, secretly delighted, and said,
“Young Master, what type do you want?”
Chu Qing thought for a moment and said, “Ascetic!”
The maidservant… Huh?
“Oh, right, go find someone named Zhao Hongxiu.”
“Ask her if she’s willing to be an attendant!”
“Yes!”
...Outer Courtyard:
Sister Lan and Zhao Hongxiu and the others were practicing.
Suddenly, an old student from the previous class ran over, excitedly saying, “Good news, earth-shattering good news!”
Sister Lan and the others curiously asked, “What good news?”
The old student said enviously, “This time, the new Inner Courtyard students all successfully ascended to the second floor of the Stone Tower.”
Hearing this news, Sister Lan felt stifled and heartbroken.
The other new Outer Courtyard students felt the same way.
Originally, they had a share in the Inner Courtyard slots.
But… they were taken over.
The most detestable thing was that a Mud Leg in coarse cloth and barefoot entered the Inner Courtyard, which only had ten slots.
And none of these Wubao Disciples got in.
It was truly… a great humiliation.
Sister Lan said faintly, “It’s just ascending the Stone Tower; what does that have to do with us?”
The old student said enviously, “After ascending the Stone Tower, they have attendant slots.”
“As long as you become their attendant, you can receive a basic resource every day.”
What?
Sister Lan and the others' eyes widened.
Basic resources?
They only received one every ten days.
But as an attendant, one every day?
“According to the rules, they can only choose Outer Courtyard students from their own class to be attendants.”
“So, you are blessed.”
“If you become attendants to those nine people, your future treatment will be even better than the previous Inner Courtyard students.”
The Crowd was in an uproar.
Almost everyone lost the mood to practice.
At this moment, Lan Yichen ran over.
From a distance, he shouted,
“Lan Lan, good news!”
What?
Everyone looked at Lan Yichen.
Lan Yichen said excitedly and proudly, “Lan Lan, I sought an audience with Master Qing, and Master Qing allowed you to be his attendant!”
Boom!
The Crowd was in an uproar.
All the Wubao Disciples looked at Sister Lan with envy.
Goodness.
You truly have a good older brother!
He quietly, at the first opportunity, snatched an attendant slot for you.
And it was for the most powerful one—Chu Qing’s attendant slot.
Envy, jealousy… At this moment, they couldn't hold back and bid farewell to their teachers, rushing to find their older brothers to see if they could make connections with Chu Qing and the others to become attendants.
The teacher smiled and said, “Go quickly!”
“The slots are limited; as long as you get an attendant slot, you can soar to great heights.”
Watching The Crowd disperse, Sister Lan was dumbfounded.
She still remembered:
Back then, Chu Qing, in coarse cloth and barefoot, was from a Mud Leg background.
Many Wubao Disciples surrounded her, calling her Sister Lan.
She directed the scene, full of youthful spirit, thinking she was about to soar to great heights.
As for Chu Qing?
Who was that?
She had never known him!
Now… “Nineteenth Brother… I, a Young Miss, have to be an attendant to a Mud Leg?”
Slap!
Lan Yichen’s expression changed slightly, and he slapped her across the Face: “Shut up!”
“Lan Lan, are you crazy?”
“What Mud Leg? That is Master Qing!”
“You must call him Master Qing from now on, understand?”
Lan Lan covered her Face, looking utterly bewildered.
“Do you know how many people want to be Master Qing’s attendant?”
“For your slot, the Family Head spent over thirty thousand taels of silver.”
“Zhao Hongxiu, quickly take Lan Lan to wash and dress, then send her to Master Qing’s room.”
Lan Lan… Zhao Hongxiu… And just at this moment, a round-faced maidservant ran over, looking confusedly at the few remaining people, and finally, her gaze fell on Lan Yichen.
Lan Yichen’s eyes lit up, and he quickly clasped his fists and said,
“Young Miss, is something wrong?”
The round-faced girl said quite proudly, “I am Young Master Chu Qing’s maidservant.”
“I want to ask, where is Zhao Hongxiu?”
“My Young Master asked her if she wants to be an attendant!”
Zhao Hongxiu’s head was buzzing nearby.
Chu Qing wanted her to be an attendant?
Shi Tiezhu was dumbfounded.
“Hehe, this is Young Miss Hongxiu!”
Lan Yichen pointed to Zhao Hongxiu.
The round-faced girl stared at Zhao Hongxiu and said, “You are Zhao Hongxiu?”
“Mm!”
“Young Master wants to see you, are you going?”
Zhao Hongxiu’s mind replayed the scene of Chu Qing practicing in the martial arts hall, thinking about the difference in their statuses now.
Thinking of how those Wubao Disciples were scrambling to pull strings to become his attendants, she smiled brightly and said, “Go!”
“Mm… Then come with me!”
“Okay!”
Lan Yichen, anxious, quickly pushed Lan Lan and said,
“Let Lan Lan go together too!”
“She is also Master Qing’s attendant.”
The round-faced maidservant thought for a moment and nodded.
Then: the three women, each with their own thoughts, went to the Stone Tower to see Chu Qing.
In the vast training ground, only Lan Yichen and Shi Tiezhu remained.
Lan Yichen was happy.
And Shi Tiezhu looked bewildered.
He muttered to himself, “The Chu Qing who couldn’t even afford meat before… has become Master Qing?”
“Senior Sister and Sister Lan, both have to be his attendants?”
“What… should I do?”
“Why… is the gap so big?”