Due to the incident with Rihai, who had an orgasm in front of Aotian, he was only able to talk to her three days later—and that was after a lot of insistence, knocking continuously on her door.

He figured that if he waited for her to overcome her embarrassment on her own, he didn’t know when he would see her again.

So, he decided to be annoying and shameless.

And it worked.

Three days later, he finally managed to calm her down, and the two were once again sitting at the dinner table.

Rihai and Aotian ate side by side.

And it was Aotian who was speaking at that moment.

“Rihai, I have some questions. Do you know anything about cultivation sects?”

Rihai, still slightly blushing and occasionally stealing glances at Aotian, was confused by the sudden question.

Even so, she nodded slightly.

Seeing that she knew, he got excited and went straight to the point.

“What is the relationship between disciples and the sect?”

He asked, curious and attentive.

Rihai played with her spiritual rice using her chopsticks for a moment, then answered in a low voice, trying to use the topic to ease her embarrassment.

“Well… I think the standard is that disciple servants act as low-level attendants for disciples and elders. In extremely rare cases, if they’re lucky, they can become outer disciples.”

She summarized and continued, lowering her head when she realized Aotian was staring at her directly.

“As for outer disciples, despite having low status, they are one of the pillars of the sect. They serve as cheap labor, gathering information, collecting resources, and exploring territories. Although they are treated moderately or even poorly compared to inner disciples, the sect still cares about their numbers because they are extremely useful for its purposes.”

She explained clearly, as if she were just talking about common sense.

But Aotian was surprised by the answer, not expecting that outer disciples were seen more as cheap labor than as future talents to strengthen the sect.

“So… the sect doesn’t recruit outer disciples to increase its strength? Not even to find outstanding talents?”

He asked, puzzled by that.

“Pfff!”

Rihai, who had just put some rice in her mouth, spat it out all at once, choking.

“Cough! Cough!”

She pounded her fist against her chest to recover, then looked at Aotian, shocked.

“Where did you hear that nonsense?!”

Aotian felt slightly embarrassed by her reaction and asked, still confused:

“Isn’t that how it works?”

“Of course not!”

Rihai rolled her eyes, as if he had said something absurd, but still explained.

“I’ll help you understand the logic. Take a Golden Core sect, for example. In a sect of that level, outer disciples are usually in the Qi Refining realm. Now tell me, what’s the difference in strength between a Golden Core sect having no outer disciples versus having ten thousand?”

She stared at him seriously, like a teacher challenging a student.

“Uh… no difference?”

He answered, realizing that a single Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily deal with that number of Qi Refiners, so having them or not didn’t change the strength of a Golden Core sect.

And then, he started to understand.

Rihai nodded, satisfied with his quick thinking.

“Exactly. The strength of outer disciples doesn’t affect the overall strength of the sect at all. But if their presence doesn’t change the sect’s strength, along with what I said before, you should already understand what they’re for, right?”

“Well… they’re just a way to increase the sect’s influence and bring benefits to it?”

He asked but already knew the answer.

Rihai rolled her eyes, amused.

“Pretty obvious, isn’t it? Sects don’t accept disciples out of charity. With many outer disciples spread out, they can explore, bring in resources, and expand their influence. Even though they’re weak, they make up for it with numbers.”

She concluded, but Aotian still had doubts.

“What about talents? If they treat outer disciples this way, when a truly talented one appears, they won’t feel any attachment to the sect.”

Rihai shrugged, looking at the rice that was cooling during the conversation.

“That’s not how it works. Talented disciples are accepted directly as inner or core disciples to be nurtured by the sect. What remains are those with average qualifications, who become outer disciples. But even these need to have decent qualifications, depending on the sect. Sects don’t invest in low-return people. Even outer disciples need to have a minimum level of quality.”

She paused as she looked at the messy table with the rice she had spat out earlier, scattering grains over the table and into her bowl. Embarrassed, she quickly waved her hand and used her spiritual energy to collect everything, storing it in her bag for disposal later, returning the table to its clean state.

She then grabbed a new bowl of rice and focused on finishing her meal, with Aotian doing the same.

After they quickly finished their meal, they continued the conversation.

Aotian pulled his chair closer to hers, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her in as they relaxed after lunch.

Rihai nestled into his embrace, and much of the embarrassment she felt earlier dissipated, allowing her to relax.

Then, he asked again, looking directly into her blue eyes.

“So, without exceptional talent and without direct investment from the sect, these cultivators will probably never stop being outer disciples?”

Rihai raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

“No. There are some lucky ones who manage to stand out. These become inner disciples or even outer elders of the sect. But they are few. Most die first—either from old age or in some accident outside the sect.”

‘Eh?! Wrong again…’

Aotian couldn’t help but notice that he was making a lot of wrong assumptions today.

But, not giving up, he kept asking.

“Then what’s the benefit of becoming an outer disciple if the paths to progress are almost nonexistent?”

Rihai smiled, finding his lack of common sense cute.

“There are many. Sects establish contribution point systems. With them, disciples can obtain cultivation techniques, spells, pills, weapons, and many other resources at a cheaper, more accessible, and higher quality rate. Even though the sect usually takes 70% of the disciples’ earnings as operational costs, it’s still advantageous for them.”

She snuggled into him more and continued.

“A sect represents the elite of a region. Its resources are far superior to those of a simple market in a city full of rogue cultivators. Of course, disciples have to fight for every scrap, but life is still easier and full of possibilities compared to that of a rogue cultivator.”

“Oh! Now everything makes more sense.”

Aotian nodded, feeling enlightened.

“So, in the end, it’s just a relationship of interests. Everyone benefits, and everyone is happy.”

He concluded, amused but satisfied with the answers.

“Well, something like that…” she murmured with her eyes closed, lying on his chest while Aotian gently stroked her blonde hair.

He was deep in thought as he ran his fingers through the golden strands.

‘Now I understand the disciples’ reactions. They were prepared to be treated as outer disciples, but then, when they saw that I had invested in them with high-quality techniques and weapons, offered a generous allowance in spirit stones, and charged only a 30% contribution until repayment… they were nearly brought to tears. It seems I gave them high expectations even before seriously trying.’

Aotian smiled, amused by his own miscalculation.

Then, he lowered his gaze to Rihai, who remained lying against his chest, relaxing. His smile softened, and he couldn’t help but think about the future.

“Hai’er… when are we going to get married?”

He asked gently, kissing the top of her head.

The question made her open her eyes and stare at the floor, thoughtful.

A short moment later, she raised her face and looked at him seriously.

“I’ve been thinking about this too, Tian’er. When we reach one year since we met, I want to marry you on that day.”

Her voice was firm, filled with determination.

Aotian widened his eyes in surprise. He hadn’t expected such a concrete answer. He knew Rihai had ghosts from her past and assumed she might hesitate to commit to the relationship.

But now… she was resolute.

“Of course, that’s fine with me! I love you, Hai’er, and I truly want to build a future and a family with you.”

He smiled gently at her as he spoke.

Rihai watched him closely, and when she realized that he genuinely accepted it without hesitation, her anxiety vanished. In its place, a beautiful smile emerged.

Especially upon hearing his words, she hugged him even tighter, her eyes moistening at the mention of the word “family.”

Aotian leaned forward, slowly closing the distance.

Their lips met.

The kiss deepened gradually, lasting a long time, and when air became scarce, they pulled apart, locking eyes up close.

“May I ask if there’s a specific reason for waiting a year?”

Aotian asked, his voice low and curious.

She kept her gaze steady on his and nodded slightly.

“I believe that by the time we approach a year since we met, I will have reached the perfection of Qi Refinement. With my strength at that level, we will be able to move to the city’s core, and no one will dare to disturb our wedding.”

She explained, her expression serious.

Aotian looked up, pondering for a moment, then shrugged.

It made sense.

Then, he looked back at her and smirked mischievously.

“I can’t wait! I’m dying to finally have se—Humph! Humph!”

Before he could finish, a hand suddenly covered his mouth, muffling his words.

Rihai, red with embarrassment and anger, clenched her teeth at him.

“Aotian, you bastard! Stop saying vulgar things!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep