Chapter 2725: Chapter 2725: A Strange Test

When he heard the sound of the bell echo across his ears, Zen felt excited.

Finally...

If it continued like this, he might give up and head back to Dragon City.

“Did the bell ring to assemble the disciples?” Zen asked with curious eyes.

Seeing his hopeful expression, Trish pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, Mr. Luo, it rings at the beginning of each month, by customary rule.”

“What does it mean?” Zen asked listening intently.

“Nothing. It's just a friendly reminder that a new month has begun,” Trish replied.

“…”

Disappointed by her words, Zen sighed and closed the door without uttering a word.

Observing Zen's profile, Trish bit her tongue and turned to Carrie while giving her shoulders a shrug.

Carrie raised her eyebrows slightly and said, “It seems Mr. Luo is very impatient.”

“According to them, I'm afraid that it's difficult for Mr. Luo to achieve anything in the Flow Sword Sect,” Trish said while shaking her head.

“Forget about that. I think he is a good man. He is polite and gentle,” said Carrie.

Even after listening to Carrie speak highly of Zen, Trish still had a grim look on her face.

The reason why she became a servant girl of the Flow Sword Sect was that she had missions to fulfill. What she loathed was being outshone by other maids. If Zen didn't perform well, she would be disappointed.

But, she did not have the privilege of choosing her master, so she could only suppress her disappointment in her heart.

As the darkness of the night cloaked the sky, the stars that were shy to shine in the day flaunted their light.

As if that was their cue, the doors to the courtyards opened, one by one.

Servant girls in white appeared to step out of each gate before they walked along the alleys.

Zen quickly spotted Trish stepping out of the door.

Suddenly he was alerted, and he released a wisp of spiritual sense to follow after her.

Like all the other girls, Trish walked in a single direction without uttering a word to anyone. As soon as they crossed the alleys, Zen felt a powerful force shatter his spiritual sense, breaking his connection with her. ℝАꞐỗ₿Ɛ𝐒

The girls in white quickly flocked into a palace and waited for someone to arrive.

There were five golden pots scattered across the room. The girls stood in a row in front of them.

After a short while, several women entered the palace one after the other.

The head of the group was a fancy-looking woman. She gave a tantalizing smile to the girls and said, “A month has passed. Did you do everything your masters asked you to do?”

Her words were filled with mockery to the girls. But that was how things were at the Flow Sword Sect, blunt and free.

Hearing what she said, the girls in white burst into laughter.

“My master is really great. He always...” a girl in white said as she fumbled with her hand and seemed flustered.

“He always what?” the glamorous woman asked as she leaned forward, urging the girl to give more details.

“You know, he...” The girl looked down, feeling shy.

The group began to giggle among themselves.

Then the woman continued to ask the other girls about what their masters had done, such as the number of baths and sex they had.

But, she didn't inquire about cultivation even once.

While listening to the stories of their masters from the girls, the woman took out bamboo slips with their masters' names engraved on them. Carefully, she rated the narratives and slid the slips into different pots placed in front of the girls.

Each pot was graded, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.

The answers she got from the girls were all rated by the pots she placed the slips in.

This went on for about six hours. She listened keenly and then slid the bamboo slips into the pots she saw fit.

Only a handful of bamboo slips made it into the 'Excellent' pot, a few of them in the 'Very Good' pot, and most of them in the 'Good' pot.

The girls would celebrate if their masters were rated excellent, but they wouldn't be so happy if they fell into the 'Very Good' or 'Good' division.

How their masters performed was how their wages were determined every month.

The payment for 'Fair' and 'Poor' would prove insufficient as they would bring almost nothing to the girls. Fortunately, none of the masters fell in those two rates.

“Your master is a new comer. Is he doing well?” the woman asked a girl standing beside Trish.

The girl answered honestly, “During his stay in the mountain, for over twenty days, he played the zither, painted pictures, and had fun with us. He's talented and has a good heart...”

Hearing the girl's answer, the woman gave a satisfied look and placed her bamboo slip into the 'Very Good' pot.

Then, she switched her gaze towards Trish and asked, “Trish, how did you serve your master?”

Suddenly, all eyes were now on Trish, waiting in anticipation for her answer. Naturally, she felt embarrassed. She began to speak while stumbling for the right words, “My master... He set up an enchanted barrier on the seventh day and cultivated inside, so I don't know what he has done since then.”

As she finished speaking, the other girls broke out in explosive laughter.

“Trish, has he chosen the wrong path?”

“It's not a good idea for him to cultivate in the Flow Sword Sect.”

“He will be driven out, won't he?”

Trish clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. With a frown she continued reporting. But, the more she spoke, the louder the laughter of the girls would get.

With Trish's story, the other girls felt proud of their masters. It was not considered a shameful act if their masters were engaged in sexual intercourse with them. Rather, they felt honored.

After listening to everything Trish had to say, a bamboo slip with Zen's name engraved on it appeared in the woman's hand. Without hesitation, she slipped it into the 'Poor' pot. That was the first slip of the night that was rated so low.

At the same time, a look of grimace was smeared across the face of the woman. Her smile disappeared as she scowled at Trish, “In the Flow Sword Sect, only the masters are allowed to do whatever they want. If your master can't get rid of his obsession with cultivation, then you will be punished. I don't want to see your master be rated as 'Poor' again next time! Do you hear me?”

Trish felt her soul leave her body when she saw the bamboo slip getting placed in the 'Poor' pot.

Mocking gazes from the other girls felt like swords stabbing her from all directions. Subconsciously she covered her face in shame and felt her cheeks burn.

“You can leave now.” The woman ordered someone to put away the pots, and gestured the girls to leave.

After the woman went with her group, the girls followed and left the palace too.

They quickly formed groups and began whispering and gossiping amongst each other.

Trish walked like an outsider among the crowd with heavy steps and felt lightheaded.

One girl came up to her and said, “Fortunately, we don't need to take an examination this month. There's something wrong with the Flow Tower. After it is repaired, you have to be careful. If your master is expelled from the Flow Sword Sect, you will also be expelled as his maid.”

The girl's words seemed to be caring, but actually, she was ridiculing Trish.

“I know that,”

Trish said with low spirits as she kept her head hung loose.

She returned to Zen's courtyard and met with Carrie. Standing there, Carrie read her expressions and guessed the result.

"Good?

Fair?

Poor?! Oh my goodness!"

After a long period of silence, Carrie asked in a concerned tone, “What should we do now?”

“We have to figure out a way,” said Trish sternly.

“What way? Tell me, I'm all ears,” Carrie asked.

“A way to make Mr. Luo give up cultivation,” said Trish.