Take On a Lackey

The next day, when Yue Qianchou, laden with a bountiful harvest, found Shi Xiaotian with two roasted wild rabbits, he saw the latter grinning so wide his mouth would not close, digging away with tireless delight. Two baskets were filled to the brim, and a huge pile lay on the ground as well. Yue Qianchou was startled. Looking at how far Shi Xiaotian had dug, he asked, "It looks like you've only dug through a third of the area? And there are already this many?"

Shi Xiaotian laughed. "The spot you found is incredible, Martial Uncle. What we've dug so far is enough to hand in seven or eight times over. It's just that so many Spirit Stones will be hard to transport out."

Yue Qianchou had not expected there to be so many Spirit Stones he had missed. He said gravely, "We can't hand them all over at once. We need to hide the extra ones in case of unforeseen need. I've found another good vein already."

"Ah! You really found another good vein, Martial Uncle? Then we'll have enough to dig for a long time!" Shi Xiaotian jumped up in delight.

"Eat first." Yue Qianchou handed him a roasted rabbit. As they ate, he said, "In a while, I'll find a place to hide all these Spirit Stones." After speaking, he watched Shi Xiaotian's reaction. If the latter showed even the slightest hesitation, he would have to seriously reconsider their future partnership.

To his satisfaction, Shi Xiaotian bit into the rabbit meat and said without hesitation, "Everything will be as Martial Uncle decides." His thoughts were simple. The Spirit Stones here could be dug up easily and quickly. Since Martial Uncle could bring him to such a wonderful place, what was there not to trust? Besides, he could even bring food in whenever he wanted. Here, Martial Uncle truly had hands that reached the sky and eyes that saw through the earth.

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

"That wouldn't be proper, would it?" Shi Xiaotian loosened his bite on the rabbit meat. In an era with strict hierarchies, how could one muddle up seniority?

Yue Qianchou waved a hand. "There's nothing improper about it."

"Fine, then what should I call Martial Uncle?"

"Heh heh!" The corners of Yue Qianchou's mouth curled up, but the hint of a smile froze stiffly on his face. Then his eyes grew distant as he sighed softly. "Call me Boss!"

"Boss..." Shi Xiaotian mulled it over several times and murmured, "Why does it sound like something a worldly gang would call someone?"

"That's right, call me Boss." Yue Qianchou's eyes shone as he stared at him. "Xiaotian, as long as you follow me wholeheartedly, I guarantee you'll be eating the finest food and drinking the strongest liquor in the future. I can even take you home."

With his future seeming utterly bleak, Shi Xiaotian appeared to have no other choice. He nodded. "I'll follow you, Boss!"

"Caw caw! Cultivation World, wait for me! Hu Hansan has returned!" Yue Qianchou roared with laughter. That cry of "Boss" had made every inch of him feel wonderfully satisfied.

Shi Xiaotian froze. "Boss, who is Hu Hansan?"

"Er..." Yue Qianchou gave an embarrassed laugh. "He's another boss. Once you're done eating, keep digging. I'll find a place to hide the Spirit Stones first." The place where he intended to hide them was naturally inside the golden pearl.

Three days later, Gao Shiping was already waiting at the cave entrance with a smile to greet them. Yue Qianchou quietly slipped him another high-grade Spirit Stone. Qingguang Sect Master only received one high-grade Spirit Stone a month, yet Gao Shiping received one every four days. At this rate, what heights would that reach?

"Huh! That's strange." The overseer tallying Yue Qianchou and Shi Xiaotian's Spirit Stones muttered.

Gao Shiping, who had been chatting and laughing with Yue Qianchou, shuddered and turned around. "What is it?" The overseer replied, "They mined so many mid-grade and low-grade Spirit Stones, so how could they not have even one high-grade Spirit Stone? By all reason, that shouldn't be possible. It really is strange."

Yue Qianchou, with a guilty conscience, was slightly startled as well. When he heard that this was the issue, he let out a breath of relief and cast Gao Shiping a meaningful glance.

Gao Shiping nearly fainted. I thought it was something serious. He gave me the high-grade Spirit Stones, so how could you possibly see any? This fellow is far too nosy. Looks like he needs some adjusting. He immediately barked, "What kind of Spirit Stones they mine is a matter of luck. If you have any objections, I can let you have a taste of mining yourself. Now tell me, have the two of them completed their tasks?"

Hearing that he might be sent to mine, the overseer immediately shivered and hurriedly replied, "They have, they have! Both of them exceeded their quotas."

Gao Shiping gave a cold snort. Once Yue Qianchou and Shi Xiaotian had checked that there were no problems, he dragged them off for drinks on the spot. The overseer was left frightened out of his wits for quite some time.

In a wooden house, wine and dishes had long been laid out. Gao Shiping said with a smile, "Junior Brother, where you were staying was far too dark and damp. You can stay here for now. Come, drink!"

Yue Qianchou did not stand on ceremony. After offering a brief word of thanks, he raised cups with Gao Shiping and drank heartily. At the side, Shi Xiaotian ate and drank, thinking that he had truly followed the right person. So much delicious food and wine were things he had not even dared dream of before. Throughout the meal, he kept pouring wine for the two of them.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gao Shiping left. Yue Qianchou kept Shi Xiaotian there to live with him and would not let him return to that ruined cave. Shi Xiaotian was so moved that his eyes brimmed with tears. Yue Qianchou gave him only one sentence: follow me and work hard, and the good days are still ahead. Afterward, he changed into a clean set of clothes left behind by Gao Shiping, moved out a reclining chair, picked a handful of wildflowers, and lay outside basking in the sun. Breathing in the floral fragrance, he soon drifted into sleep with the scent of wine on his breath.

Wu Baoru woke up, but the illness had left its roots behind. Cultivators did not fall ill easily; the higher one's cultivation, the less likely one was to become sick. Yet he had been angered into illness while still alive. His fellow disciples naturally learned the full sequence of events from that day, and they could only laugh and curse Yue Qianchou for being nothing but a rogue. Just then, another unexpected incident occurred.

Wu Baoru, still carrying the roots of his illness, could not afford to get angry. Yet the moment he got out of bed, he heard many disciples discussing his despicable and shameless conduct, saying how he had bullied and oppressed Yue Qianchou. The stories grew ever more fantastical as they spread. Wu Baoru was so enraged that he vomited blood on the spot and fainted again. When he woke up, he shouted that he wanted to kill Yue Qianchou. But no one would let him do so, because Liu Changqing had long made arrangements.

What kind of place was the Spirit Stone mine? How could Liu Changqing, as Qingguang Sect Master, not know? His purpose in driving Yue Qianchou there had been nothing more than to make him suffer a little. Once he could no longer endure it, obtaining that secret would naturally be easy.

Lu Wanqian, one of Qingguang Sect's elders, had come to the Spirit Stone mine today on the Sect Master's orders to find Yue Qianchou. Before setting out, he had brought along several outstanding disciples and granddisciples from his lineage, intending to let them broaden their horizons as well. Among them was Yue Qianchou's immortal sister, Qu Ping'er.

Upon receiving word, Gao Shiping hurriedly circulated his cultivation to disperse the smell of wine and rushed out to greet them. Lu Wanqian did not reveal the main purpose of his visit, merely telling him that he had brought his disciples to look around. Gao Shiping, who had thought the elder was here to inspect his work, breathed a sigh of relief and immediately bent and scraped as he personally led everyone around as their guide.

When they saw the several sets of torture instruments at the mine, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. Especially when they saw the legendary Wolf Fang Whip of the Spirit Stone mine, the savage barbs on it made their hearts tremble. Anyone could tell that the dark red stains upon it had been soaked in blood.

Qu Ping'er could not help asking, "Martial Uncle Gao, do newcomers suffer this whipping too?"

Not knowing why she asked, Gao Shiping laughed loudly. "Very few newcomers can complete their tasks. Most of them cannot escape this trial." Then he led everyone to where the miners lived.

Inside the dark, damp caves, miners crammed together in groups lay sleeping on the ground. Nearly every time Gao Shiping reached a cave, he would roar, "Get up!"

The sleeping miners immediately sprang up as though by reflex, gathering together trembling and not daring to make a sound. Seeing these skeletal miners, dressed in tattered, filthy clothes, everyone sighed with emotion. Compared to Qingguang Mountain, this place was simply hell on earth. They were all Qingguang Sect disciples, yet the difference was unexpectedly so vast. They all thought, I must never end up like this.

Lu Wanqian had come to find Yue Qianchou, so he patiently followed the group as they inspected each cave one by one. In the end, they looked through every cave without seeing Yue Qianchou, though he did see many familiar-looking faces. Though they were all junior disciples, they had once treated him with great respect. Seeing what they had become now, he could not help feeling emotional.

Qu Ping'er had come with the same purpose. She wanted to see how that talented man was doing, yet she also feared seeing something too miserable to bear. Even she could not explain what state of mind she was in. When she did not see him, she could not help worrying even more. They say it is perfectly normal for people to die 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, doubts rising in his heart.

Gao Shiping replied respectfully, "Martial Uncle, as you know, some disciples have been looked after by certain sect elders, so naturally it would not be suitable to house them here. If Martial Uncle wishes to see them, please follow me." Seeing Lu Wanqian nod in agreement, Gao Shiping led everyone toward a row of wooden houses on the opposite slope.

The moment they reached the slope, everyone smelled a rich scent of wine. Following the smell, Lu Wanqian turned his head and saw a young disciple on a reclining chair, basking in the sun and snoring soundly. He could not help frowning. "What is going on?"

The moment Gao Shiping stepped onto the slope, he too saw Yue Qianchou sunning himself. He instantly broke out in a cold sweat. My ancestor, didn't I give you a better place so you could sleep? Wherever else you sleep is fine, but you had to sleep here. You're going to get me killed.

Hearing Lu Wanqian's question, he hurried over and called, "Junior Brother Yue, Junior Brother Yue, wake up! A sect elder has arrived."

Yue Qianchou was sleeping soundly. He rolled over, unwilling to get up, but then he suddenly heard someone say that a sect elder had arrived. Wu Baoru immediately came to mind, and he felt an urge to grab a brick. Unfortunately, he could not find anything. He instantly sprang up and roared blearily, "Damn it! You're a lingering ghost that won't scatter! Where are you? Where?"

My ancestor, watch your mouth! Gao Shiping nearly shouted it aloud. He quickly pulled him over and said, "Junior Brother, stop shouting. He's right here."