Of the entire Lingxiao Pavilion, the only person Yang Kai was acquainted with was the man standing before him — Manager Meng. After all, he had to come here once every month without fail.
Manager Meng went by a nickname: Manager Skim. Though he was merely the humble manager of the Contribution Hall within Lingxiao Pavilion, his favorite pastime in life was squeezing contribution points out of the disciples.
A bottle of Blood-Stasis Removing Ointment that should sell for ten contribution points — he could sell two bottles' worth for the price of three. The trick was simple enough: he'd just split the contents of two bottles into three, then mark it up. Buy it or get out, he couldn't care less!
Of course, Manager Meng didn't pull this kind of underhanded stunt all the time — only occasionally. And his targets were the well-to-do disciples. A broke fool like Yang Kai wasn't even worth his attention.
Every disciple's contribution points in Lingxiao Pavilion were hard-earned. Who could tolerate being fleeced like this? So nearly every disciple who'd been swindled by him would report him to the Elder Council. Manager Meng had received warnings from the Council time and again, but he carried on as he pleased, utterly unmoved. Yet somehow his position as manager remained rock-solid, impossible for anyone to replace.
It was precisely for this reason that Manager Meng was the object of teeth-grinding hatred from countless Lingxiao Pavilion disciples.
The old man never gave anyone a civil word — but with Yang Kai, he was at a loss, because one time he'd been leering enthusiastically at a certain female disciple's backside and got caught red-handed by Yang Kai.
How disgraceful! An elder behaving so improperly! Having his dirty little secret seized, Manager Meng always felt a step below Yang Kai whenever they met.
It was precisely because of this little leverage that Yang Kai knew the old man at all.
The old man was a lecher, but he had a thick skin. In a flash he'd smoothed his expression, glancing sidelong at Yang Kai. "Same arrangement?"
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded obediently.
Without another word, Manager Meng fished ten taels of silver from behind the counter, tossed them in front of Yang Kai, and noted the transaction in his ledger.
Yang Kai pocketed the silver and asked, "How many contribution points do I have now?"
Manager Meng rolled his eyes. "You end up with four surplus points each month, spend one to exchange for ten taels of silver, and are left with three. After all this time you've scraped together a grand total of twelve contribution points. What, looking to buy a bottle of Blood-Stasis Removing Ointment?"
"No, just asking." Yang Kai waved a hand, muttering, "Only twelve..."
That amount wasn't even enough to exchange for a single worthwhile herb.
Manager Meng's expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice. "Little Yang Kai, I know you want that Marrow Cleansing Pill to improve your aptitude, but at this rate of saving, how long is it going to take you?"
"Sooner or later I'll have enough, won't I?" Yang Kai said with a light laugh.
Manager Meng was left speechless, thinking to himself that at this pace, by the time the kid saved up enough, the old man would have been dead for a hundred years.
"Though there is one thing I don't understand, Manager Meng." Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly.
"Out with it!" The old man struck a magnanimous pose, as if to say *Consider yourself lucky — I'm in a good mood today.*
"Such a valuable pill as the Marrow Cleansing Pill — how did it end up in the Contribution Hall? And why hasn't anyone else exchanged for it yet?"
"Heh heh…" Manager Meng smiled smugly. "Because that pill is my own private treasure. The others don't know about it."
"It's yours?" Yang Kai stared in surprise. He'd always assumed the Marrow Cleansing Pill was Lingxiao Pavilion's property. Turned out it was this old codger's own — no wonder he'd slapped an astronomical price on it.
"Don't be angry about it." Manager Meng helped himself to a sip of tea from the pot on the counter, looking perfectly content. "It may be mine, but I won't go easy on you. Want it? Bring enough contribution points, and it's yours. The name 'Manager Skim' isn't just for show."