Li Wei poured out his thoughts in a torrent.
"Overseer Zhao, the Waste Elixir Chamber lies at the foot of Elixir Forging Peak. That place is a filthy land no one ever visits.
Beneath Elixir Forging Peak burns earth fire that never goes out, used for refining elixirs. But all discarded elixirs are dumped down from the back mountain.
At the foot of the mountain stands a Waste Elixir Chamber, where discarded elixirs are processed and all of them are thrown into the Earth-Core Furnace to be incinerated.
The Core Earth Fire contains fire poison, and the Waste Elixir Chamber is the closest place to it. Miscellaneous Disciples are not permitted to stay there for more than half a year before being rotated out.
Send that fellow there, and within a year, fire poison will attack his heart. He will die without treatment. Why should we go to so much trouble?
Perhaps he will not even live to see next year's Outer Sect assessment, dying in the Waste Elixir Chamber instead.
If someone dies in the Waste Elixir Chamber, that is perfectly normal. Who would hold us accountable?"
The more Zhao Erhu listened, the brighter the light in his eyes became.
He rose to his feet and clapped repeatedly. "Brilliant! Brilliant! Kid, how did you come up with such a method?"
"Hehe!" Li Wei scratched the back of his head. "When it comes to killing people, there are plenty of methods!"
Zhao Erhu's heart gave an involuntary jolt.
This kid!
Why did those words sound so chilling?
After pondering for an entire day, Shen Fan finally came up with a solution.
He would use his Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice to make a deal with Zhao Erhu.
But Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice was far too astounding. If he took out too much, it would certainly attract attention.
So Shen Fan planned to use one or two grains of Spirit Rice to strike a deal with him.
Unfortunately, the handful of Spirit Rice Old Man Duan had given him had all been placed in the Treasure Gathering Universe Bowl and transformed into Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice.
Thus, he no longer had even a single grain of ordinary White Jade Spirit Rice.
Otherwise, trading the handful of White Jade Spirit Rice Old Man Duan had given him to Zhao Erhu would definitely not have been a problem.
And even if Zhao Erhu asked, he could explain where that Spirit Rice had come from.
After all, its origin was perfectly aboveboard. No one could pursue the matter.
But although the Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice was precious, if anyone investigated it, he would have no way to explain its source.
After turning it over in his mind, Shen Fan finally came up with an idea in his soul:
He would say the Spirit Rice in his possession had been dug up from his own Spirit Field.
After all, this was a place where Spirit Rice was grown. Whether Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice had once been planted here, even Zhao Erhu would not know.
He would say that he had dug up merely three to five grains here and would now give all of them to Zhao Erhu. Zhao Erhu would certainly agree without the slightest hesitation.
With that thought, Shen Fan immediately put down his hoe and prepared to return to his room to get some Spirit Rice for a deal with Zhao Erhu.
But just as he stepped out of his Spirit Field, Li Wei approached him.
"Shen Fan, Overseer Zhao wants you to go see him!"
Li Wei said this with a smug expression.
Ever since handing the five Spirit Fields under his care over to Shen Fan, he had gained much more time to cultivate and took great pride in his little cleverness.
So what if he was a Miscellaneous Disciple? Was he not still living like a fish in water?
Shen Fan frowned, somewhat puzzled.
He did not know why Zhao Erhu had summoned him. Nothing seemed to have happened.
Could that fellow be trying to stir up trouble for him again?
But he already had fifteen Spirit Fields to cultivate. If Zhao Erhu gave him even more work, he truly would not be able to finish it.
Even so, Shen Fan was not afraid.
If he could not complete it, then he would simply let every Spirit Field in his hands go barren.
With such a grievous cost, Zhao Erhu would certainly be punished as well.
Thus, Shen Fan could not bear those consequences, and neither could Zhao Erhu.
With a mind full of doubts, Shen Fan arrived at Zhao Erhu's room.
Compared to Zhao Erhu's quarters, where Shen Fan and the others lived was far more shabby.
Zhao Erhu was the overseer of the Spirit Field. His residence had three courtyards in front and three behind, along with its own private yard.
At that moment, Zhao Erhu sat beneath a pavilion in the courtyard, reclining in a cool chair and fanning himself.
Hearing footsteps approach, he narrowed his eyes slightly and sized up the newcomers.
When he saw Shen Fan and Li Wei, he did not hurry to open his eyes.
After they drew near, Li Wei spoke. "Overseer Zhao, I have brought Shen Fan."
After Li Wei finished speaking, Overseer Zhao still kept his eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
After a brief quiet, Zhao Erhu finally opened his eyes and said lazily:
"Shen Fan, you are currently planting and managing fifteen Spirit Fields in our Spirit Field. Your workload is rather heavy. You do not even have time to cultivate each day.
So I gave it some thought and decided to transfer you out of the Spirit Field. That way, you will have more time to cultivate and strive to enter the Outer Sect next year.
You have been here for several years. I heard that next year will be your final chance to enter the Outer Sect.
If you fail, will you be driven out of our Heavenly Xuan Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Fan's eyes widened at once.
What was wrong with Zhao Erhu?
When a weasel paid New Year's respects to a chicken, it harbored no good intentions. How could he possibly be this kind-hearted?
Could this be another trap Li Qingshan had set for him?
Did he want to lure him elsewhere, then strike from the shadows and kill him?
Thinking of this, Shen Fan immediately grew tense.
If that was truly the case, then he would not leave the Spirit Field even if beaten to death.
Shen Fan asked uneasily, "But... I am only a Miscellaneous Disciple. If I do not farm at the Spirit Field, where could I go? If Overseer Zhao wishes to drive me out of Heavenly Xuan Sect, I am afraid that would violate the rules!"
"Ah!"
Wearing a "kindly" expression, Zhao Erhu said, "You have been in Heavenly Xuan Sect for several years. Even if you have no merit, you have worked hard. You have grown over a thousand jin of Spirit Rice for the sect here in the Spirit Fields. How could the sect drive you away?"
"Then what is it..." Shen Fan asked, still vigilant.
"You are certainly a capable farmer, but you only have one final year left to make a push for the Outer Sect. So I thought I would transfer you to an easier Miscellaneous Disciple post. What do you think?"
Shen Fan gave a soft laugh. "Where does Li Qingshan wish to transfer me?"
Zhao Erhu's expression darkened. "How could you think that of me? Am I that kind of person? Li Qingshan is an Outer Sect Disciple; there is nothing I can do about that. Actually, sending you away is also a form of protection for you, understand? Once you leave, it will no longer have anything to do with me. It will not be so easy for Li Qingshan to deal with you either!"
Looking at Zhao Erhu's manner, Shen Fan grew even more curious.
He did not believe Zhao Erhu could be so kind-hearted.
"Then where do you intend to transfer me?"
Shen Fan asked curiously.
He had to know Zhao Erhu's target so that he could learn their plan!
But Zhao Erhu's next words left Shen Fan utterly dumbfounded.
Before you continue