The laborers from Thousand Bamboo Ridge led Fang Chen to a gentler stretch of ground.
A dozen or so stalks of Exquisite Bamboo grew there.
Old Deng said to Fang Chen, "You stay here and chop with the others. We'll head farther up!"
"Thanks!"
Fang Chen nodded. He knew the Thousand Bamboo Ridge laborers were looking out for him, so he picked up his chopping knife and began cutting bamboo.
He found the Cleaver was no match for his Floating Immortal Sword, but with people watching nearby, he couldn't summon it.
Over the past month, his abilities had improved enormously. His sight, hearing, smell, speed, reflexes, and strength were all worlds apart from what they had been.
He could now lift a thousand-jin Giant Stone with ease. Even without the Floating Immortal Sword, cutting through a stalk of Exquisite Bamboo took him less than One Incense Stick.
One Hour later, the others finished cutting their bamboo one after another and moved on.
By the time the last laborer had cut through his stalk, Fang Chen had only made it a third of the way through his.
The laborer was over fifty. Smiling, he said to Fang Chen, "Take your time. No need to rush!"
With that, he sat on a large Stone to rest, rubbing his Identity Token.
A little while later, Wu Qingfeng arrived.
"Greetings, Steward Wu!"
Fang Chen and the laborer both bowed slightly to Wu Qingfeng at once.
Wu Qingfeng nodded, took out his Spirit Pen, and marked a line for the laborer.
Once the line was marked, the laborer left at once. After all, each stalk of Exquisite Bamboo they cut now earned them one tael of silver. An opportunity like this was far too rare for them.
Wu Qingfeng came up to Fang Chen and looked at the stalk of Exquisite Bamboo he had cut a third of the way through. Smiling, he said, "Not bad progress today. At this rate, you'll cut at least four stalks by tonight!"
"I have the knife you gave me to thank for that, Steward Wu!"
Fang Chen spoke with a modest expression.
"Take your time. No need to rush. I have work to do!"
With that, Wu Qingfeng turned and left.
Only after watching Wu Qingfeng go did Fang Chen take out the Floating Immortal Sword and resume cutting.
One Hour later, he "finally" cut through the Exquisite Bamboo.
After he activated his Identity Token, Wu Qingfeng appeared before long.
Looking at the fallen stalk of Exquisite Bamboo, Wu Qingfeng smiled and said to Fang Chen, "Not bad. You were even faster than I expected!"
He then took out his Spirit Pen and marked a line for Fang Chen.
"Thank you, Steward Wu!"
Fang Chen bowed slightly to Wu Qingfeng.
"No need to thank me!"
Wu Qingfeng waved a hand at Fang Chen and left.
Fang Chen was in good spirits, too. He had worried Wu Qingfeng might exploit him the way Cao Bin had, but it seemed he had worried for nothing.
It felt good not to be exploited or bullied.
On another fairly level patch of ground, Fang Chen found a mature stalk of Exquisite Bamboo.
All the other suitable stalks around it had already been cut. This one stood right beside a large Stone, making it slow and difficult to chop, so it had been left behind.
The other laborers avoided it, but Fang Chen liked it. He could chop bamboo and Stone at the same time.
He summoned the Floating Immortal Sword and began cutting.
One Hour later.
Fang Chen, who had been cutting bamboo with the Floating Immortal Sword, suddenly stopped.
He spun around. Two Silhouettes stood behind him, arms folded, staring straight at him.
"Zhang Tieniu? Tian Hu?"
Fang Chen froze. He hadn't expected Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu to show up here.
He had been so absorbed in cutting bamboo that he hadn't noticed them. Besides, he had assumed all the mature bamboo nearby had already been cut and no one would come this way, so he had let down his guard.
He wanted to put the Floating Immortal Sword away, but held back. He knew Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu would notice if he did it now.
They walked toward Fang Chen, step by step.
Tian Hu looked at the stalk of Exquisite Bamboo Fang Chen had cut two-thirds of the way through and said coldly, "Get lost. Now."
Fang Chen knew Tian Hu meant to steal his bamboo.
He hadn't expected Tian Hu to be this brazen when he was no longer a laborer at Dragon Tiger Mountain.
He glared at Tian Hu and said through gritted teeth, "Tian Hu, I'm with Thousand Bamboo Ridge now. If you dare steal my bamboo, I'll tell Steward Wu!"
"Wu Qingfeng? That useless old wreck?"
Contempt flashed across Tian Hu's face. He said coldly, "I'll count to three. If you don't want to die, get lost before I'm done!"
Fang Chen gritted his teeth. Take a step back, and the sea and sky will open wide. With that in mind, he stepped aside, picked up the two Cleavers, and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
Tian Hu called out to Fang Chen again.
Fang Chen turned to look at Tian Hu, unsure why he had stopped him.
Tian Hu stared at the Cleaver in Fang Chen's hands. "Leave the knife."
Fang Chen's eyes narrowed. He stared at Tian Hu and said, "Don't push it. Stealing my bamboo wasn't enough? Now you want my knives too?"
"That's right, I'm stealing them. What are you going to do about it?"
Tian Hu gave Fang Chen a provocative look.
Fang Chen gritted his teeth, threw the knives to the ground, and turned to leave.
"Stop!"
Zhang Tieniu called out, stopping Fang Chen.
Fang Chen turned to Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu. Holding back his anger, he asked, "What more do you want?"
Zhang Tieniu stared at the Floating Immortal Sword in Fang Chen's hand and said coldly, "Leave that sword too!"
Fang Chen's face darkened at once. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Don't push me too far. I put up with you stealing my bamboo. Hell, I even put up with you stealing my knives. Now you want my sword too? Do you have to drive me into a corner with nowhere left to go?"
Tian Hu's gaze fell on the sword in Fang Chen's hand. He frowned slightly and said to Zhang Tieniu, "A Niu, that sword's covered in rust. One look tells you it's worthless. The kid probably dug it out of a trash heap in the tool shed. Why not let it go?"
Zhang Tieniu shook his head. "That sword isn't as worthless as you think. When the kid used it to chop bamboo just now, it cut through it like iron through mud. It's definitely no ordinary sword. Otherwise, why would he use it to chop bamboo when he has Cleavers? Is he stupid?"
Tian Hu paused. Recalling the sight of Fang Chen cutting bamboo with the sword, his face darkened at once. He shouted at Fang Chen, "Kid, if you don't want to die, throw that sword over here!"
Zhang Tieniu's Three-Attribute Mixed Spiritual Root had three attributes. Its quality was far above Tian Hu's, and he cultivated much faster as a result.
Although Zhang Tieniu had only just arrived at Dragon Tiger Mountain, his strength already far surpassed Tian Hu's.
While they were cutting Exquisite Bamboo together earlier, Tian Hu had deliberately challenged Zhang Tieniu to a contest. Zhang Tieniu had cut through a stalk in less than One Incense Stick, more than twice as fast as Tian Hu.
That was why Tian Hu now wanted to ingratiate himself with Zhang Tieniu.
Zhang Tieniu wanted Fang Chen's sword, and Tian Hu wanted to make a good impression by getting it for him.
Fang Chen glared at Tian Hu. Clenching his teeth, he said coldly, "What if I refuse?"
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