Taking a Junior Brother

The next day, Yue Qianchou, with a bountiful harvest, found Shi Xiaotian while carrying two roasted wild rabbits. He saw Shi Xiaotian grinning from ear to ear, happily digging away. Both baskets were full, and a large pile had accumulated on the ground. Yue Qianchou was surprised and asked, looking at the spot where Shi Xiaotian was digging, "You've only dug about a third of the area? And there's already this much?"

Shi Xiaotian chuckled, "Martial Uncle, the spot you found is amazing. What we've dug so far is enough for us to turn in seven or eight times. It's just that it's a bit difficult to transport so many Spirit Stones."

Yue Qianchou hadn't expected to miss so many Spirit Stones. He said gravely, "We can't turn them all in at once. We have to hide the rest for future needs. I've already found another good ore vein."

"Ah! Martial Uncle, you really found another good ore vein? That means we'll have plenty to dig for a long time!" Shi Xiaotian jumped up excitedly.

"Eat first," Yue Qianchou handed him a roasted rabbit and said while eating, "I'll find a place to hide all these Spirit Stones later." He then watched Shi Xiaotian's reaction. If he saw even a hint of hesitation, he would seriously reconsider their future cooperation.

To his satisfaction, Shi Xiaotian, while biting into the rabbit meat, said without hesitation, "Everything is up to Martial Uncle." In reality, Shi Xiaotian's thoughts were simple: digging for Spirit Stones here was effortless and time-saving. Since Martial Uncle could even bring him to such a good spot, what was there not to trust? Moreover, they could always bring food in. Here, they were truly omnipotent.

"Good!" Yue Qianchou praised and added, "Don't call me Martial Uncle anymore. You're making me sound old."

"Isn't that okay?" Shi Xiaotian loosened his grip on the rabbit meat. In this era of strict hierarchy, how could one not be clear about seniority?

Yue Qianchou waved his hand, "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Alright, then what should I call you?"

"Heh heh!" Yue Qianchou's lips curved slightly, a smile stiffening on his face. Then, with a lost look in his eyes, he sighed lightly, "Call me Boss!"

"Boss..." Shi Xiaotian murmured a few times, "It sounds like a term used in secular gangs."

"Yes, just call me Boss." Yue Qianchou's eyes lit up as he stared at Shi Xiaotian. "Xiaotian, as long as you follow me wholeheartedly, I guarantee you'll have good food and drink, and I'll even take you home."

Shi Xiaotian, feeling his future was bleak, seemed to have no other choice. He nodded, "I'll follow you, Boss!"

"Gaga! The Cultivation World, here I come! Hu Hansan is back!" Yue Qianchou roared with laughter. Being called "Boss" made him feel incredibly comfortable.

Shi Xiaotian was startled, "Boss, who is Hu Hansan?"

"Uh..." Yue Qianchou chuckled awkwardly, "He's also a Boss. You finish eating and keep digging. I'll go find a place to hide the Spirit Stones first." The place he intended to hide the Spirit Stones was naturally within the golden bead.

Three days later, Gao Shiping, waiting at the cave entrance, greeted them with a smile. Yue Qianchou, without anyone noticing, slipped him another high-grade Spirit Stone. Gao Shiping was overjoyed. The Sect Master of Qingguang Sect only received one high-grade Spirit Stone per month, but Gao Shiping was getting one every four days. If this continued, who knew what would happen.

"Hmm! That's strange," the foreman who was distributing Spirit Stones to Yue Qianchou and Shi Xiaotian muttered.

Gao Shiping, who was chatting and laughing with Yue Qianchou, stiffened and turned to ask, "What's wrong?" The foreman replied, "They collected so many mid-grade and low-grade Spirit Stones, how come they didn't get a single high-grade one? It shouldn't be like this! It's really a bit strange."

Yue Qianchou, with a guilty conscience, was also slightly startled. When he heard it was about that issue, he breathed a sigh of relief and gave Gao Shiping a meaningful glance.

Gao Shiping almost fainted. He thought to himself, I thought it was something serious. They gave me the high-grade Spirit Stones, how could you possibly see them? This fellow is too meddlesome. It seems I need to make some adjustments. He then shouted, "What grade of Spirit Stones they collect is a matter of luck. If you have any objections, I can let you experience the taste of mining. I only want to ask you now, have their tasks been completed?"

The foreman, upon hearing that he might have to go mining, shivered and quickly replied, "Completed, completed! Both of them have over-fulfilled their tasks."

Gao Shiping let out a cold snort. After Yue Qianchou and Shi Xiaotian's inspection showed no issues, he immediately pulled them aside to go drinking. The foreman, on the other hand, was so frightened that he was disoriented for a long time.

In a wooden house, food and drinks were already laid out. Gao Shiping said with a smile, "Your living quarters are too dark and damp, Martial Brother. You can stay here temporarily. Come, let's drink!"

Yue Qianchou didn't stand on ceremony. After a brief thank you, he raised his glass with Gao Shiping. Shi Xiaotian, eating and drinking on the side, thought to himself that he had indeed followed the right person. He had never even dared to dream of such delicious food and drinks before. He continuously refilled their cups.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gao Shiping left. Yue Qianchou also had Shi Xiaotian stay with him, not letting him return to that dilapidated cave dwelling. Shi Xiaotian was so touched that tears welled up in his eyes. Yue Qianchou's only words were, "Follow me and work hard, and a better life awaits." After that, he changed into a clean set of clothes left by Gao Shiping, moved a reclining chair, picked some wildflowers, and lay outside basking in the sun. Smelling the fragrance of the flowers, he soon fell asleep with a mouth full of wine.

Wu Baoru had woken up, but he had developed a chronic illness. It was known that cultivators rarely fell ill, and those with higher cultivation were even less likely to do so. Yet, he had been angered into illness. His fellow disciples all understood the ins and outs of what happened that day and cursed Yue Qianchou as a scoundrel, leaving them speechless with amusement. Just then, another accident occurred.

Wu Baoru, still suffering from his lingering illness, could not afford to get angry. As soon as he got out of bed, he heard many disciples discussing his despicable and shameless behavior, all talking about how he had bullied Yue Qianchou. The rumors spread like wildfire. Wu Baoru was so enraged that he vomited blood on the spot and fainted again. Upon waking, he shouted that he would kill Yue Qianchou. However, no one would allow him to do so, because Liu Changqing had already made arrangements.

What kind of place was the Spirit Stone mine? As the Sect Master of Qingguang Sect, how could Liu Changqing not know? His intention in sending Yue Qianchou there was nothing more than to make him suffer a little. When he couldn't take it anymore, the secret could easily be obtained.

Lu Wanqian, one of the Elders of Qingguang Sect, was entrusted by the Sect Master to go to the Spirit Stone mine to find Yue Qianchou today. Before leaving, he brought along several outstanding disciples and grandchildren from his lineage, intending for them to broaden their horizons. Among them was Yue Qianchou's "Immortal sister," Qu Ping'er.

Gao Shiping, having heard the news, quickly circulated his internal energy to dispel the wine fumes and rushed to greet them. Lu Wanqian did not reveal the main purpose of his visit, merely stating that he had brought disciples to see the sights. Gao Shiping, who had thought the Elder was coming to inspect their work, breathed a sigh of relief and personally led the group, bowing and explaining everything.

When they saw the various torture instruments at the mine, everyone gasped. Especially when they saw the legendary 'Wolf Fang Whip' of the Spirit Stone mine, its ferocious barbs were terrifying to behold. It was obvious to everyone that the dark red on the whip was stained by blood.

Qu Ping'er, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Martial Uncle Gao, will newcomers also be subjected to this whip punishment?"

Gao Shiping, unsure why she asked, laughed and said, "Very few newcomers can complete their tasks, so most of them cannot escape this fate." After that, he led the group to the miners' living quarters.

In the dark and damp cave dwellings, several miners were lying on the ground, fast asleep, huddled together. As Gao Shiping walked past almost every cave, he would shout, "Get up!"

The sleeping miners immediately jumped up reflexively, standing together fearfully without daring to make a sound. Seeing these emaciated, raggedly dressed, and dirty miners, everyone sighed. Compared to Qingguang Mountain, this place was simply hell on earth. To think that they were all disciples of Qingguang Sect, yet the disparity was so great. Everyone secretly thought, I must never end up like this in the future.

Lu Wanqian's purpose here was to find Yue Qianchou, so he patiently followed the group, inspecting each cave one by one. As a result, after looking through all the caves, he didn't see Yue Qianchou, but he did see many familiar faces. Although they were all junior disciples, they had all shown him respect in the past. Seeing them in this state made him feel a sense of melancholy.

Qu Ping'er also had the same purpose. She wanted to see how the talented young man was doing, but she was also afraid of seeing something unbearable and tragic. Her emotions were complex. Not seeing him, she became even more worried. She thought to herself, They say that deaths are common in the Spirit Stone mine. Could it be that he too...

"Martial Nephew Gao, are all the miners here?" Lu Wanqian asked with a frown, his mind filled with questions.

Gao Shiping respectfully replied, "Martial Uncle, as you know, some disciples are favored by certain Elders of the Sect, so it's not convenient to keep them here. If Martial Uncle wishes to see them, please follow me." Seeing Lu Wanqian nod in agreement, Gao Shiping led everyone towards a row of wooden houses on the opposite slope.

As soon as they reached the slope, everyone smelled a strong scent of alcohol. Lu Wanqian followed the smell and turned his head, spotting a young disciple lying on a recliner, basking in the sun and fast asleep. He couldn't help but frown and ask, "What is going on?"

In fact, as soon as Gao Shiping reached the slope, he discovered Yue Qianchou sunbathing. He immediately broke out in a cold sweat and thought to himself, My ancestor, I gave you a nice place to live so you could sleep, didn't I? Where else would you sleep but here? You're going to get me killed.

Hearing Lu Wanqian's question, he hurriedly ran over and called out, "Martial Brother Yue, Martial Brother Yue, wake up quickly! An Elder from the Sect is here."

Yue Qianchou was sleeping soundly and turned over, unwilling to get up. Suddenly, he heard someone say an Elder from the Sect had arrived. His mind instantly flashed to Wu Baoru, and he had the urge to grab a brick. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything. He immediately jumped up and, with sleepy eyes, roared, "Damn it! They're like ghosts, haunting me! Where is he? Where is he?"

My ancestor, please be merciful with your words! Gao Shiping almost shouted. He quickly pulled Yue Qianchou and said, "Martial Brother, stop shouting. He's right here."