Ye Guan's expression darkened at the manager's words.

He realized that there were problems not only within the Guanxuan Academy but also within the Immortal Treasures Pavilion.

The manager then said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "There's nothing else to discuss. I know that you definitely have no money to your name, right?"

"Aren't you afraid of receiving a complaint?" Ye Guan replied coldly.

"

Pfft.

" The manager chuckled. "A complaint? I'm just asking you to line up. That's within the rules. What can you complain about? That's funny."

He sized up Ye Guan and said, "You don't need to line up anymore."

"Why not?" Ye Guan frowned.

"Because I don't think you are qualified."

Ye Guan's expression darkened.

"If you're not happy, then feel free to file a complaint anytime," the manager said with a smile.

With that, two guards approached Ye Guan and stared at him with unfriendly faces.

Ye Guan declared, "I want to file a complaint."

The manager turned back and smiled at him. "Go out and turn right."

Ye Guan took a final glance at the manager and then turned to leave. After exiting the Immortal Treasures Pavilion, he turned right and soon found a small hall where a long line had formed.

Ye Guan quietly joined the back of the line.

An hour later, it was finally his turn. Just as he was about to enter the hall, an old man blocked his way and said, "Three spiritual crystals."

Ye Guan frowned. "Three spiritual crystals?"

"Yes."

"I'm here to file a complaint. Why do I need to pay?" Ye Guan was puzzled.

The old man frowned slightly, clearly displeased. "Filing a complaint requires various materials and labor costs. These costs naturally fall on you."

Ye Guan's expression froze.

The old man then said impatiently, "Hurry up; others are waiting in line. Don't hold everyone up."

With a grim look on his face, Ye Guan had no other choice but to step aside, as he had no money at all.

Just then, an old man dressed in black approached Ye Guan and smiled. "Young man, is this your first time filing a complaint?"

"Yes."

The old man shook his head. "You're still too young!"

Ye Guan looked at him and said, "What do you mean by that?"

With a soft sigh, the old man replied, "You don't know it, but most cultivators are afraid to lodge complaints."

"Why is that?"

"Most cultivators are afraid of being wronged and the hassle that comes with it. You have no idea how troublesome it can be. It takes time, effort, and money. And in the end, your complaint might not even go through," the old man said, sighing deeply.

Ye Guan fell silent. He was not ignorant of the ways of the world. The reason he came to complain was just to see whether it was feasible. However, it seemed that this route had become a mere formality.

He felt helpless!

A complex light flashed in his eyes. He did not push it anymore, as he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Doing so would only lead to a dead-end, and this was the harsh reality.

As Ye Guan walked down the street, he realized that what he had just seen and experienced was only the tip of the iceberg.

Order!

If the order was bad, then it would be bad for the ordinary cultivators.

Rumble…

Ye Guan's stomach growled, and his face darkened. He needed to fill his stomach first and think about the order later. He looked around and saw vendors on the street. However, he was penniless and could only look around.

Ye Guan called out,

"Master Pagoda, what would my father do in this situation?"

"Your father has never been poor,"

Little Pagoda replied.

Ye Guan was speechless.

"But I think your father might try to sweet-talk them!" Little Pagoda added.

Sweet-talk?

Ye Guan thought for a moment and then walked over to a bun shop. Looking at the steaming, mouth-watering buns, Ye Guan hesitated before turning to the shopkeeper.

She was a robust woman in a coarse dress. With arms as thick as pillars, she looked quite intimidating. She glanced at Ye Guan. "Three silver coins for one."

Commoners were still using regular currency, while cultivators used spiritual crystals to trade.

Ye Guan hesitated before asking, "Miss, can I buy them on credit?"

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Although he had thick skin, his cheeks heated up.

The shopkeeper looked at Ye Guan without saying a word.

He felt an overwhelming aura from her, more overwhelming than the Multiverse Emperor's aura.

Finally, the shopkeeper laughed and said, "I've been selling buns for eighteen years, and you're the first person who wants to buy buns on credit!"

Her voice was loud, making sure that everyone would hear her. A myriad of eyes landed on Ye Guan. He suddenly felt like he was standing on pins and needles.

Even with his thick skin, he struggled to hold up under the scrutiny.

Just then, a boy with a tattered hat appeared in front of Ye Guan. He looked about thirteen or fourteen years old. He was dressed in rags, and his face was covered with dirt.

Ye Guan was puzzled, but before he could say anything, the boy suddenly grabbed several buns and stuffed them into Ye Guan's arms. Then, he snatched up a few more and turned to run away.

Ye Guan was shocked.

"

Ah!

" the shopkeeper roared, "Thief!"

She was so loud that her voice echoed like thunder, making Ye Guan's eardrums hurt.

After coming back to his senses, Ye Guan saw the shopkeeper charging at him with the momentum of a mountain. Without thinking, he turned around and ran.

The shopkeeper chased after him and shouted, "You can't even afford buns! What have you been doing with your life?!"

Ye Guan had nothing to say.

Thankfully, the shopkeeper ran out of breath after a short chase and squatted on the ground, gasping for air.

Just then, a butcher suddenly came rushing over with a cleaver in hand. He looked at Ye Guan and the boy at the end of the street, shouting, "Why are you guys stealing even buns?! Where have your morals gone?!"

Then, he turned to the shopkeeper beside him, and his fury turned into concern for her. "Aunt Jiao, let's go report this to the authorities and have them deal with those two."

However, the shopkeeper shook her head and waved her hand. "Forget it; it's just a few buns. If they weren't desperate, they wouldn't do something like that. Just consider it a charitable act for my family's good fortune."

With that, she stood up, brushed off her bottom, and turned around to leave.

The butcher hurriedly followed behind her.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan chased after the boy into a dilapidated, secluded temple.

When Ye Guan entered the temple, the boy became alert and stared at him intently. Ye Guan was taken aback. The boy wasn't a boy at all. She was a girl disguised as a boy. The girl looked at Ye Guan without saying a word.

Ye Guan walked up to her.

The girl stared deeply at him before pulling out a bun and taking a big bite.

Then, Ye Guan remembered that he had some buns as well. He glanced at the ones in his arms, and his stomach grumbled. He was really hungry. Back in the Ye Clan, Ye Guan had been living a comfortable life and had never gone hungry.

The girl stared wordlessly at Ye Guan while taking large bites of her buns.

After a moment, Ye Guan said, "This isn't right."

The girl remained quiet as she finished one bun and moved on to the next.

"Robbery is wrong…" Ye Guan remarked.

"Are you going to eat or not?" asked the girl.

"What we did was

very

wrong," Ye Guan said sternly.

"Then return those buns."

"I mean…" Ye Guan was dumbfounded. "It's not wrong right now."

With that, he picked up a bun and started eating. He was just too hungry.

Ye Guan's eyes lit up as he took his first bite. "This is really delicious!"

Little Pagoda was speechless.

Ye Guan ate heartily. He was genuinely hungry, and it was the first time he had ever felt this hungry. The feeling of hunger was extremely uncomfortable.

The girl glanced at him but didn't say anything and simply ate her buns.

Soon, they had annihilated every single bun.

Ye Guan sat on the ground and leaned against the stone wall before staring at the girl opposite him. "What's your name?"

The girl glanced at him but remained silent.

Ye Guan smiled and introduced himself, "I'm called… Ye Yang."

Still, the girl did not respond.

Just as Ye Guan was about to speak again, the girl suddenly looked up at him and asked, "Did your family fall on hard times?"

Ye Guan's curiosity was piqued. "How… how did you know?"

The girl calmly replied, "Looking at your clothes and how you speak, you don't seem like an ordinary person."

Just as Ye Guan was about to say something, the girl added, "You are stupid. If you don't change your ways, you will soon starve to death."

Ye Guan's face darkened.

The girl went silent, but she took out a book from her side. She flipped it and began reading.

Ye Guan glanced at the ancient-looking book titled "Ancient Studies." He recognized it as a work authored by many scholars from the Guanxuan Academy and was the most-read book in the Guanxuan Academy.

Surprised, Ye Guan asked, "Do you like reading this book?"

The girl looked at him and replied, "Yes."

"As far as I know, this book mentions that you should not steal or rob—"

"Reading is for my future, while I stole only for my survival. Is there a problem with that?"

Ye Guan replied, "Yes, there is a problem."

The girl stared straight at him. "Then give me back my buns."

Ye Guan fell silent for a moment before explaining, "What is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. Of course, we need to be flexible at times…"

The girl then interrupted him, "If you'd rather starve than eat those buns, I'd say you're right. But you ate them. Since you ate them, what's there to argue about what is right or wrong?"

Ye Guan was momentarily taken aback. Then, he chuckled. "I see your point."

The girl turned her gaze back to the book and continued reading.

Leaning against the stone wall, he looked out at the blue sky and white clouds before speaking to the sealed pagoda within him.

"Master Pagoda… I need to figure out a way to make some money.

"Otherwise, forget about going to the Sword Sect. I might just starve to death before anything else. Do you have any simple, direct, and hassle-free ways to earn some cash?"

Little Pagoda replied, "Sell yourself!"

Ye Guan was speechless.

"Your father has done it before," Little Pagoda added.

Just then, a shiver went down Little Pagoda's spine upon sensing something. "Ah!"

Little Pagoda suddenly found himself in a vast starry sky.

A man in a white robe and a lady in a plain skirt were staring at him in the distance.