Chapter 54 - Coming Up Roses
Benton and the twins were just finishing dessert in the restaurant when Kang Ya-Ting met them.
He immediately cupped his hands before giving each of the three a decorative metal pin. The piece of jewelry was the shape of a green snake and had a clasp on the back. “The Poison Claw Sect thanks the Esteemed Master Cultivator for his most gracious and prized gift. Though these tokens do not intrinsically represent an iota of the value of the gift given, this one hopes the Esteemed Master Cultivator will treasure the friendship represented by the tokens just as much as the sect treasures his technique.”
Well, in pure monetary terms, treasuring the pins just as much as the technique might be stretching it a bit if Benton had been a normal cultivator. Since he could whip up as many as he had points for, though, the calculation was a little more complicated. He wouldn’t trade a Sect Point right now for just about any amount of silver taels.
On the other hand, a pin that signified the Poison Claw Sect’s friendship might one day prevent a conflict that would otherwise cost lives. The small piece of jewelry represented that the wearer was valued by the sect and should be treated as a member by the public and other sects. For the members of the Poison Claw Sect, it meant the bearer had the favor of the sect’s elders, signifying that messing with them was a huge risk.
Friendship with the sect was only a step below being an ally, a position that took years of fruitful exchanges to receive. It was everything he had hoped for and more.
Benton immediately clipped the pin to the left breast of his robe and bade the twins to do the same. He cupped his hands to Kang Ya-Ting. “This one understands the honor inherent in the presentation of the token and accepts that its value far exceeds the humble gift offered by this one.”
“Nonsense. This one’s gift was clearly the inferior. Esteemed Master Cultivator’s technique is unique under the heavens.”
“This one’s technique was but a trifle, nothing in comparison to the friendship of the mighty Poison Claw Sect.”
“This one appreciates the Esteemed Cultivator’s high esteem for his sect, but that technique is a treasure to ignite the avarice of a monk.”
What followed was a long conversation in which each of the two participants praised the others’ gift to the high heavens while denigrating their own. As Benton got into the spirit of the contest, making wilder and wilder claims, the twins looked on in bemusement.