Chapter 2 Senior Brother... I have no spiritual root
The Marriage Office was set up in a dilapidated hall on the western side of the Sect. Dozens of wooden plaques stood crookedly within the hall, with a woman standing with her head bowed beneath each one. Their Spiritual Root grades and birth dates were written in charcoal on the plaques — these were the "alternative Dao Companions" prepared by the Qingyun Sect for its "Trash" Disciples.
Upon entering the hall, Lin Yue was practically pushed forward by the crowd. People bumped his shoulders and stepped on his feet from time to time, but he had no intention of competing for anything.
Those Disciples who usually looked like immortal sages were now fighting like rabid dogs and haggling like merchants for a few women with slightly better Spiritual Roots...
"I saw this woman first, you dare try to snatch her from me?" Zhang Ba, a burly Outer Sect Disciple, blocked a wooden plaque that read "Lower-Medium Grade Wood Spiritual Root," shouting at a tall, thin man beside him.
The tall, thin man didn't back down, clutching a bulging Storage Pouch in his hand: "Cut that crap with me! The Sect only said first come, first served, it didn't say she's yours just because you saw her first!"
Lin Yue looked up and saw that the woman was as bloated as a round vat, her face piled with fat and her eyes squeezed into two thin slits. Yet, because she was the only one present with a Medium Grade Spiritual Root, she had become a prize everyone was fighting over.
Lin Yue's brow twitched slightly as his gaze swept over the woman. Instantly, a string of semi-transparent light blue characters popped up in his mind, the handwriting glowing with a faint gray light—
[Name: Zhao Cui]
[Age: 17]
[Spiritual Root: Medium Grade Wood Spiritual Root. This woman has a lewd Heart-Nature and has had relations with many Cultivators. She was used as a cultivation vessel by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, her Dao foundation is destroyed, and she has no possibility of further advancement in her cultivation]
[System Judgment: Target has no hidden talent, no room for growth, and does not meet the "Companion" binding standard.]
The characters remained for only a breath before completely dissipating, as if they had never appeared. The last trace of curiosity in the depths of Lin Yue's eyes faded away, leaving only indifference.
He then scanned several other women who looked decent along the way, but as it turned out, not a single one met the "Companion" binding standard.
In particular, there was one who looked exceptionally pure and had a Lower-Medium Grade Spiritual Root, but she turned out to be a "hundred-man slayer"! According to the System prompt, there were over 100 men who had relations with her, and beyond that, there were even non-human creatures...
Yet, it was such a woman who attracted a crowd of Disciples to fight over her frantically!
Lin Yue had limited Spirit Stones. Compared to those Disciples who could pull out hundreds of Spirit Stones at any moment, he simply didn't stand a chance.
Even if he had enough Spirit Stones, he didn't want to compete — the System rules stated clearly that the lower the initial Spiritual Root quality of a Companion, the harder they were to conquer, the higher the danger coefficient, and the higher the Reward Abundance.
Those Lower-Medium Grade Spiritual Root women being fought over were "prizes" in the eyes of others, but in his eyes, they were just women who couldn't even trigger the basic rewards.
Lin Yue simply stopped squeezing into the crowd and turned to walk towards the furthest corner of the dilapidated hall.
Only three women stood there lonely, completely ignored by everyone.
Suddenly, Lin Yue's gaze fell upon a thin and frail young girl wearing a coarse cloth dress that had been washed until it was white.
The wooden plaque behind her had a line of small characters — A He, descendant of the Guo Family, a cultivation Family subordinate to the School. Both parents are deceased. No Spiritual Root. Slightly skilled in the Dao of Spiritual Plant Cooking.
Just a distant glimpse of that figure made Lin Yue's heart leap.
That figure, though not yet fully developed, already showed the budding shape of a graceful silhouette; that youthful appearance was exactly the kind of innocent, ready-to-be-plucked little lolita from his fantasies!
Who says cuteness is worthless in front of sexiness!
In his view, whatever Fairies or enchantresses were truly worthless compared to this pure-as-paper lolita!
"The worse the initial Spiritual Root, the higher the reward..." Lin Yue muttered the System rules, a hint of urgency rising in his heart — did this woman meet the System's reward criteria?
Just then, the System interface in his mind flickered slightly, and lines of small characters quietly appeared beneath the description of A He:
[Bindable Companion detected: A He]
[Initial Spiritual Root: None]
[Core Data: Potential Value 85, Growth Value 90, Reward Abundance SSS]
[Affinity Coefficient: ★★★★★ (Pure Heart-Nature, easy to get close to, strong dependency)]
[Note: This woman possesses a hidden Spiritual Root (Wood-Attribute Variant: Life Affinity, grade unknown), which has not appeared due to an Innate Seal. After completing Dual Cultivation with the host, the Seal can gradually loosen as favorability increases and spiritual power mingles, and this woman's cultivation talent will gradually awaken. Binding rewards will be issued according to the stages of talent unlocking. The sense of achievement and profit from conquering and nurturing such an "unpolished jade" far exceeds that of ordinary female Cultivators.]
A hidden Spiritual Root?!
Lin Yue's heart shook violently; he felt his aged body trembling with excitement!
A hidden Spiritual Root! It was one in ten thousand in the cultivation world, which also meant infinite potential and possibilities! And a Wood-Attribute variant with "Life Affinity" was even rarer among the rare!
How was this some no-Spiritual Root Trash? This was clearly a grand gift prepared for him by the heavens, an ultimate "nurturing" target that combined top-tier potential and excellent appearance (in his eyes)!
"No Spiritual Root... slightly skilled in Spiritual Plant cooking..." The words on the wooden plaque now seemed full of irony in Lin Yue's eyes.
The Guo Family, this small cultivation Family dependent on the Qingyun Sect, had actually let such a piece of peerless unpolished jade be covered in dust like this, even sending her to the Marriage Office as a useless Trash just to exchange for a dozen or so Low-Grade Spirit Stones?
Was it that no one in the Guo Family could see through this Seal, or... was there another hidden reason? Whatever! Now, she was his!
At the thought of being able to nurture such a treasure-bearing yet ignorant little lolita step by step, watching her bloom with radiance because of him, and finally completely possessing everything of hers (including those SSS-rank rewards), Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
He no longer hesitated and stepped towards A He in the corner.
His steps even became a bit lighter due to the burning heat in his heart.
His approach caught A He's attention. She looked up timidly, a faint trace of hope in her eyes, but after seeing Lin Yue's face, which was as old as tree bark, she quickly lowered her head again as if startled, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her faded coarse cloth skirt, her knuckles turning white.
This timid, young rabbit-like appearance further aroused the deep-seated possessiveness in Lin Yue's heart.
"Is your name A He?" Lin Yue tried to make his voice sound calm, but his gaze was like a hook, wandering over her slender neck, thin shoulders, and budding chest.
"Yes..." The girl's voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, carrying obvious fear as her body shrank back slightly.
"Did the Guo Family send you here?"
A He nodded gently, still not daring to look up at Lin Yue.
"Look up." Lin Yue said, his tone carrying a sense of command that brooked no refusal.
A He's body stiffened for a moment, and as if using immense courage, she slowly raised her head.
A delicate little face entered Lin Yue's vision. She was indeed very young, about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her skin was somewhat pale, but her features were excellent: her eyes were clear, her nose was dainty, and her lips were a faint pink, slightly pursed due to nervousness.
The best part was those eyes—they were large, with clear amber pupils, currently filled with dread and unease, like a little deer that had accidentally wandered into a trap and didn't know what to do, so pure it made one's heart itch.
This was exactly the kind Lin Yue had been dreaming of.
Most importantly, being close, Lin Yue could faintly feel an extremely thin but exceptionally pure and warm aura of vitality coming from the girl, like a new sprout in early spring.
Perhaps this was the unconscious manifestation of the "Life Affinity" talent mentioned by the System?
This aura made his dying body feel a hint of craving — a craving for life force, and a craving for this young body.
"I'll take you." Lin Yue didn't hesitate anymore and spoke directly, his tone as certain as if he were announcing the ownership of an object. "Come with me to register."
A He was stunned, her large amber eyes full of disbelief and even a hint of bewilderment.
She had been abandoned by her Family and sent here, thinking she would be discarded like cargo, fought over, or simply ignored by everyone, her fate uncertain.
She didn't expect that this Senior Brother, who looked quite old and had a weathered face, would actually choose her, a "no-Spiritual Root" Trash?
"Sen... Senior Brother..." A He gathered her courage and reminded him in a small voice, her voice filled with innocent kindness and deep self-deprecation, "I... I don't have a Spiritual Root..."
This innocent and kind girl was actually afraid that the other party had misread the wooden plaque and chosen the wrong person.
This purity made the fire in Lin Yue's heart burn even brighter.
Good, it has to be like this. Only a blank sheet of paper has infinite possibilities for drawing.
He seemed to already see the generous rewards after nurturing her into a talent, and... that wonderful Dual Cultivation feedback.