Chapter 111: Where is Xiao Cui?
Too many people had come; Yuzhou City was almost bursting at the seams.
Many people without money began to form teams, building simple, dilapidated wooden shacks outside the city, quietly waiting for the Grand Ceremony to officially begin.
Given the special circumstances, many Demon Suppression Bureaus from other cities also sent people to lend a hand.
A large crowd might be a good thing for Chu Xingchen, but it was not for those participating in the Disciple Acceptance Grand Ceremony. As the number of people increased, food prices began to rise.
Even though grain merchants later entered the market thinking it was profitable, grain prices never dropped again.
It was as if they had all agreed upon it.
At this moment, Lin Luoyu was drinking a bowl of plain porridge with a slightly pained expression, not even daring to order pickles.
Her travel funds were already low, and she could hardly afford the increased price of meals. Fortunately, she and Cui Hao had gone to collect their number plates, and their time slot was considered early.
Lin Luoyu had calculated carefully. If she saved a bit in the coming days, she should be able to last perfectly until the end of her participation in the Grand Ceremony.
Speaking of which, based on this alone, that Cui Hao could be considered to have done a good deed.
After drinking and talking that day, Lin Luoyu's impression of Cui Hao had improved from "looking like a good person" to "probably a good person."
"Miss Lin, are you practicing health preservation recently?"
Hearing this, Lin Luoyu looked up. It was the "probably a good person" Cui Hao. Faced with this very presumptuous question, she chose to take another sip of porridge.
"Boss, serve the dishes to this table." Cui Hao waved his robe and sat down opposite Lin Luoyu. "I enjoyed drinking with Miss Lin last time. Let me treat Miss Lin to a meal today."
Lin Luoyu asked, "Are you very rich?"
"Not rich. I have enough to spend for about two or three days, just enough to last through the Grand Ceremony."
Hearing this, Lin Luoyu could not help but look up again at the calm and composed Cui Hao.
After drinking that day, she had not seen him for a few days. She did not expect to run into him while eating today.
Yuzhou City could be considered big, but also quite small.
Lin Luoyu gently stirred the white porridge. "In that case, do you not plan to save a little?"
Cui Hao answered very crisply.
"If it is enough, why save?"
Looking at Cui Hao, Lin Luoyu could only feel that he seemed a bit too confident.
He did not care about the future at all, or perhaps he had no fear of the future whatsoever.
Faced with the unknown future, most people would hold a bewildered fear. Because of this, they would be willing to make preparations for the future right now.
The feeling Cui Hao gave her was as if the future would only be better for him, and there was no need to do anything for it at this moment.
This person was a bit too unique. Getting along with him compared to others around was too unique and too conspicuous.
It made him somewhat memorable.
Lin Luoyu finished the porridge in a few mouthfuls. "Many thanks for the kind intentions, but let us forget it for today."
The desire for food and drink was not important to Lin Luoyu; plain porridge was enough.
Cui Hao did not mind hearing the refusal.
In this world, the act of refusing was never a mistake.
It was just that some people did not know how to refuse, and some people bore malice after being refused.
"I was being abrupt." Cui Hao smiled apologetically, then asked, "What time is the number plate Miss Lin collected for?"
"Two days from now."
"Oh..." Cui Hao nodded gently upon hearing this.
Lin Luoyu did not say more. After a light smile, she got up to say goodbye and left.
Cui Hao took out the number plate he had collected from his robes; it was also for two days later.
Indeed, the meeting of fate in this world is the most interesting, and encountering friends by chance is also a romance of the human world.
...
Today was the day for Cui Hao's number plate.
The Grand Ceremony had already begun. It was said that the three thousand people from yesterday had all been wiped out.
Some failed people sold the content of the trials as exam questions, conducting a business without capital.
It was said to be selling like hotcakes. If one was willing to add a little more silver, they could even get some advice.
Cui Hao just found this a bit laughable.
Listening to the advice of losers, eighty percent of what one received would also be failure.
Moreover, since they were willing to do it in batches, they naturally did not fear the exam questions leaking.
However, for a whole three thousand people to result in not a single one entering the re-examination, this elimination rate was truly too terrifying.
Even Cui Hao roused his spirits to the fullest.
At the sect entrance.
Cui Hao respectfully handed the number plate to a girl with a slightly slender figure, speaking at the same time.
"Number three hundred seventy-four, Cui Hao."
He saw the girl find his name according to the number plate and make a small tick.
"Go in."
Cui Hao nodded slightly, then stepped forward to walk inside.
However, just as he stepped inside, the scene before him changed instantly.
The towering main hall and the still, ripple-free pool water he had originally seen at the entrance transformed in an instant.
Cui Hao looked around and found himself standing beneath a towering tree. There was a village not far away. By his side were about fifty people; Cui Hao had seen a few of them, having lined up together earlier.
Presumably, they were also examinees this time.
Just as everyone looked confused, a voice came from the direction of the village.
"The world says cultivating immortality is hard, but they do not know that being a human is harder."
Cui Hao looked over and saw flowing light slowly condense into a young girl wearing a pink flowing immortal skirt. Her long pitch-black hair was tied with a red string, and her facial features were beautiful, possessing quite an immortal bearing.
Only these words... why did Cui Hao feel they were a bit familiar?
"To become an immortal, one must first understand how to be a human." Li Yingling pointed calmly at the village to the side. "Once you step into the village, you will all understand."
After Li Yingling finished speaking, her figure turned into flowing light and dissipated.
She still had the next illusion to go to; there were too many people, and she was running a bit late.
Blame Master, with his overwhelming publicity, while still looking worried every day that no one would come.
Making her think that not many people would come to this Grand Ceremony!
Now look at it; she did not even have time to say all the lines she had prepared.
Cui Hao swept his gaze around and realized he did not see Miss Lin, who had a somewhat unique personality, among the crowd.
However, he did not mind and took the lead to walk toward the village.
Just as Cui Hao stepped into the village, two men were angrily cursing and arguing.
"You have no wife, so you seduce my wife?!"
"What do you mean your wife?! Clearly, Xiao Cui and I are childhood sweethearts and privately pledged our lives to each other long ago! It was clearly you! Taking advantage of a crisis, forcing Xiao Cui to marry you!"
"Forcing?! Xiao Cui personally nodded and agreed to marry me! She was willing, so she is my wife! You come to my house in the dead of night to find my wife! Where in the world is there such logic?! I must beat you to death, you shameless thing!"
"Clearly you relied on the fact that Xiao Cui's father owed you tenant rent and could not repay it, forcing them to marry Xiao Cui to you!"
"Then if you and Xiao Cui are childhood sweethearts, why didn't you spend the money?! In the end, isn't it just that you are useless yourself? And now you are still thick-skinned!"
As the two argued, the man who had married Xiao Cui saw Cui Hao.
He hurriedly kneeled before Cui Hao with a thump, his tone grief-stricken and indignant.
"Commoner Wang Dagou kneels to beg the Great Lord of the Blue Sky. This person seduced a married woman in the dead of night, destroying my happy family. I hope the Great Lord will uphold justice for me!"
Upon seeing this, the other man also performed a smooth sliding kneel.
His tone was equally grief-stricken and indignant: "Great Lord of the Blue Sky, make a decision! Commoner Wang Ergou and Xiao Cui are childhood sweethearts and pledged our lives long ago. But this Wang Dagou used the life and death of Xiao Cui's family to coerce her! He forced Xiao Cui to marry Wang Dagou, causing Xiao Cui to wash her face with tears all day long."
Cui Hao looked at the two kneeling on the ground. He did not rush to answer, but instead looked toward the village entrance.
There were quite a few people right behind him just now, but after stepping into the village and listening to the two finish their quarrel, why had no one else entered yet?
One village per person?
As expected of immortal methods, a dream within a dream.
Then, was this the test?
Cui Hao looked at Wang Dagou, who looked resentful, and Wang Ergou, who showed sorrow.
He did not answer the two men's questions, but instead asked:
"Where is Xiao Cui?"
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