Diana snorted when she heard the elder's words. She didn't like to be used by stronger people, and one of her favorite things about her status as a core disciple was that the elite disciples couldn't bully her anymore.
Now, her whole sect was the weak party, and all of them are the ones being treated unfairly by the top 5 sects. Her only solace was that the elite disciples will suffer with her.
"Do you know where she is taking us?"
Ken asked the two girls who were jogging by his side. Although the Elder was walking, somehow all the disciples had to jog to catch up with her. Her every step carried her a few meters away as if she took many.
"She is taking us to the sect's stables. Don't you know where it's located?"
Jane asked him curiously. Elite families always kept mounts in the stables, so it seemed weird that a child from an elite family wouldn't know its location.
'Maybe his relationship with his family really is as bad as the elders described.'
Jane thought to herself.
"I've never been there before."
Ken recalled the map of the sect in his head and positioned himself on a mental image of it. He then found the stables and saw Jane was right, it was the direction they were heading in.
"There are many mounts there. Mainly cranes for flying, and horses for riding. The horses aren't normal ones, they are all at least third-rank beasts. Normally it costs 500 CP per day to rent a horse, and ten times that for a crane."
Jane explained to him while they were running toward the stables.
"Are those the prices for the third-rank beasts?"
"Yes. Just triple it for every other rank. 1500 for a fourth-rank horse, 4500 for a fifth-rank horse, and 13500 for a sixth-rank horse. The cranes of the same rank cost 5 times the horse."
"That's a lot. What if someone needs them to complete a mission?"
"That varies according to the situation. Generally, if the mission calls for it, the sect will give you a mount of the necessary rank and you will pay for it only if you go beyond the deadline of returning."
Although Ken liked the idea of flying, the elder already mentioned they will travel on land, so it meant they were using horses.
"That makes sense. What if I have my own mount, can it reside in the sect's stables?"
"Yes, renting a room for your mount would cost you 200-1600 CP per day as well, depending on the rank of the beast. You will also have to hire someone to take care of it and pay for its food, which would cost you a few hundred CP as well. Overall, nurturing a horse would cost you around a third of the price of renting a horse of the same rank every day."
Since cultivators often spent time cultivating, almost nobody used a horse 10 days a month. Only elite families could afford such luxury, and they did.
"You know the prices well."
"I found a cub of a dead tiger not long ago, and my master has been paying for its stay in the stables ever since. It still hasn't matured, but it's already at the fourth rank. I believe it will break through to the fifth rank as part of its growing process."
"I see. Your master is generous."
"He is a seventh-rank cultivator, he can pay those fees easily."
Their conversation soon ended as they arrived at the stables and the elder spoke to one of the stable boys.
The sect had already prepared 501 horses for them. 2 for every pair of disciples and one for the elder.
He looked at the 2 girls and walked away with a sigh. He finally got to know 2 people, but he'd have to find another partner.
To his distress, he suddenly felt the gazes of dozens of pairs of eyes falling on him, and with a quick glance around him, he saw the thirsty eyes of many female disciples locking on him at once. He even noticed a few boys revealing a hint of interest.
"Ken, I will ride with you. Wouldn't it be safer riding with this gentle big sister?"
To Ken's surprise, Diana stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. He shook her hand off as he didn't like strangers' touch, but he still nodded.
"Sure, but what about Jane?"
"Don't worry about me, I will find another partner for the ride. Although Diana is my best friend, I know a few other disciples as well."
Jane smiled to illustrate she was fine with it.
"Fine then, thank you. I will sit in the back."
He appreciated the gesture of goodwill, but it wasn't enough to make him trust them. He preferred sitting in the back to avoid having his back exposed. Ken knew that nobody would dare attack someone else in those settings, but he couldn't shake off the uneasiness of having his back turned to someone so close.
Diana thought it was better to let him sit in the front so he can enjoy the ride; she was taller than him and would hide the view if he sat behind her. However, she kept her mouth closed since he took the initiative to sit in the back.
She flashed a smile to Jane who kept a straight face. The two knew in advance how things were going to work since Elder Fang made sure to give them instructions. He wanted them to prepare for the opportunities of showing Ken goodwill and getting closer to him.
When they agreed to offer him to ride with one of them, the two were excited about riding with the boy called Forbidden Fruit. Although they weren't perverted, he was still the most charming little brother a girl could find in the sect. They threw a coin, and Diana won.
Diana jumped on the horse's back first and Ken followed. It was much bigger than he expected and could easily accommodate three riders at once. He figured the elders didn't want to look shabby in front of a top sect. When cultivators did something wasteful, it usually had to do with trying to get face.
"You can hold to my waist, Little Brother."
"It's fine, I can keep my balance just fine."
"You shouldn't take any risks at such a young age. Sit nearer to me."
"I will ask to switch horses."
"Uh! I was just joking, Little Brother, no need to be so serious. You can sit anywhere you want."
The two had a short banter and Diana kicked the horse's side to make it start running. The horses were all fifth-rank beasts, showcasing the sect's wealth. Ken didn't know if they didn't use the sixth-rank horses because it was too much for fourth-stage disciples to handle or because of other reasons.
The horses galloped at a speed way beyond Ken's current abilities, and they stormed through the wide road leading to the neutral zone north of the sect. On their way, they forced some pedestrians to step out of the road until they passed.
They rode the whole day aside for a lunch break for the horses and another break at night to get some sleep.
"Do you know Elder Rita's cultivation base?"
Ken asked the curly girl sitting in front of him. The saddle on the horse was inscribed with a few simple runes that worked as a windshield, allowing the riders to talk comfortably.
"I don't know her, but she should be at the seventh stage. It would be shameful to send a representative of a lower status to meet with the Divine Sword Sect. As for her exact sub-stage, I have no idea."
"I see."
The ride continued for four days, and they covered more distance than Ken ever did in his past missions. The sect was positioned relatively close to the northern border, so they reached it rather quickly.
"We will meet with the representatives of the Divine Sword Sect soon. Be respectful, but don't be submissive. Remember you all can bring us respect or make us lose face."
Elder Rita spoke with a stern tone as the group got close to the meeting point with the other sect. Nobody had trouble hearing her despite the distance between them.
"Understood."
Everyone said to reassure her they knew how to behave.
"They will give you robes of normal inner disciples of their sect to help you blend in and appear as true disciples. You will have to leave everything that associates you with our sect behind, as we don't want the Four Seasons Sect to find trouble with our sect if you die and your corpse will be looted."
It was quite a cold thing to say, but they still had to take the sect's safety into account. All the disciples there were going voluntarily and knew what to expect, so it didn't count as the sect turning its back on them.
"When you return to the sect, just ask to call an elder or a family member that knows you well to come and testify for your identity if the guards don't recognize you."
One hour later, the group of cultivators stopped a kilometer away from the border. They could make a few vague shapes in the distance, but they didn't see well enough to judge what those objects were.
"You should be able to see the airships of the Divine Sword Sect. Let's get off the horses and walk there. Our sect's horses would be too conspicuous if we take them to the border."
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