"What? You've already mastered it?" Yin Tieyan, with his thick eyebrows, looked just as incredulous when he heard Shi Feizhe had succeeded.
"That's right!" Shi Feizhe said confidently. "The Sun Moon United Heart Art strengthens the spirit and splits it in two. It's truly profound!"
Yin Tieyan couldn't make heads or tails of the situation either. He was the sect leader's direct disciple, ranked third. Years ago, his master had arranged for him to work on this matter in secret with Elder Hua.
Over the years, he had seen people practice until they went mad, practice until they went stupid, and practice until they were half-mad and half-stupid. But he had never once seen anyone succeed!
"If that's really the case, then congratulations, Junior Brother!" Yin Tieyan tucked away his doubts and surprise, then smiled. "It's late today. How about I go with you to Elder Hua's tomorrow and have him verify it?"
"Sounds good!" Shi Feizhe glanced at the darkening sky and nodded.
"Since you've already succeeded in your cultivation, I'll arrange a room just for you, so you can have some peace and quiet," Yin Tieyan added.
"Then I really appreciate it!" Shi Feizhe cupped his hands.
"You've already begun cultivating. From now on, we're family! You should say, 'Thank you, Senior Brother Yin!'" Yin Tieyan pretended to be rather displeased and joked.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Yin!"
"You're welcome! Your senior brother's been around the block, so let me teach you a trick: in our sect, you need to pay attention to the hierarchy!" Yin Tieyan said. "Our sect may be small, but you still need to watch what you say and how you act."
He had no idea whether Shi Feizhe had really mastered the art or was pretending. He also didn't know whether Shi Feizhe would become a trusted confidant of the sect leader or Elder Hua after joining the sect, so he was currying favor with him.
It wasn't as if it cost him anything.
Hearing all this about "paying attention to the hierarchy" and "watching what you say and how you act," Shi Feizhe's expression darkened. The memories of his past life as a wage slave had come back to haunt him!
Damn it, before transmigrating, he'd had to watch what he said and did at work, keep an eye on the boss's preferences, and mind the relationships between superiors and subordinates. After transmigrating, he joined a sect and still had to respect the hierarchy and watch what he said and did!
What was the point of transmigrating, then?
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Yin!" Shi Feizhe suppressed his irritation and replied.
"Come on. Your senior brother will help you pick out a quiet room!"
So Shi Feizhe returned to his little room, collected his luggage and long saber, and moved into a room near Yin Tieyan's. Even after changing rooms, he was still in the same courtyard!
"Brother Fan, I'll treat you to a drink in a couple of days!" Shi Feizhe said to Fan Jianqiang after packing his things.
"No big deal, no big deal!" Fan Jianqiang lay on his bed and waved casually. "Now that you're moving out, I'll be living alone too! Nice and peaceful~"
"We're still in the same courtyard. Let's visit each other often!"
"Sure, sure!" Fan Jianqiang replied.
I still want to see how you're going to play your part as a plant!
After assigning Shi Feizhe a room, Yin Tieyan hurried straight to the Skill Transmission Hall. A candle burned inside, and Hua Wushuang was reading a book.
"What? He mastered it?" Hua Wushuang was shocked as well.
The sect leader had asked him to keep a close eye on things during the day, and by nightfall, there was already a result.
Wasn't it all too convenient?
After working through it bit by bit and conducting experiments, they had arrived at what might be the final version. Yet no one had mastered it in months. He had even begun to wonder if something was wrong.
Then a newcomer showed up today and mastered it after half a day of practice.
Could this fellow be up to something? Hua Wushuang wondered.
It was no wonder he was suspicious. Dozens of people had failed over several months. Now someone had suddenly mastered it in half a day?
That was way too fishy. Could this person have some ulterior motive?
"Martial Uncle Hua, even if he were up to something, he wouldn't be stupid enough to do it like this, would he?" Yin Tieyan said after thinking it over on the way there.
Hearing Yin Tieyan's words, Hua Wushuang thought it through. True enough. Who would master it in half a day if they were up to something? Wouldn't that just invite suspicion?
"Could he really be a genius?" Hua Wushuang murmured.
"This disciple wouldn't dare to judge," Yin Tieyan replied.
"Hmm..." Hua Wushuang pondered for a while before saying, "Let's not tell your master about this just yet. We don't know where this person came from, and he's cultivating the art far too quickly. It could be a trick. We should observe him for a few days first. Once we're sure, we can report to the sect leader, so he doesn't get his hopes up only to blame us."
"Then what should I tell him?"
"Tell him the sect leader and I have business out of town for the next few days. Once we return, I'll personally test him and take him into the sect," Hua Wushuang said, casually coming up with an excuse.
"Yes! I'll tell him that and put him off for a few days."
"Mm. Keep a close eye on him during those days and see if anything seems off. If he wants to go out for a walk, let him. Don't restrict him. Just watch him from the shadows," Hua Wushuang instructed carefully.
"Yes!" Yin Tieyan understood. They would lower their guard on the surface while tightening it in secret, drawing the snake out of its hole.
"Go on," Hua Wushuang said to Yin Tieyan.
The next day, when Shi Feizhe heard from Yin Tieyan that the sect leader and Elder Hua, whom he'd met the day before at the Skill Transmission Hall, had both gone "out of town on business," he felt rather disappointed.
"Then... what about the ten taels of gold?" Shi Feizhe asked.
Ten taels of gold was no small sum! That knife-wielding punk from before had only had a little over twenty taels in gold and silver combined, and most of it had been silver.
Yin Tieyan smiled broadly. "Naturally, you'll have to wait until my master and Elder Hua return and test you. But if you're short on cash, Junior Brother Shi, I can advance you some."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Even ten taels of gold?"
"Even ten taels of gold!" Yin Tieyan said with a smile. "As long as you're loyal to the sect, the Sun Moon Radiance Sect has plenty of money!"
Although their sect had money to spare, they wouldn't just hand it out recklessly.
Ten taels of gold was no small sum.
In this era, the exchange rate between gold and silver ranged from 1:12 to 1:14, depending on the region. Ten taels of gold amounted to a hundred and twenty taels of silver, or more than a hundred strings of copper coins.
Don't underestimate the purchasing power of copper coins. When Shi Feizhe first worked at the clinic, he earned only twenty coins a month. In Qiu Yang City, ten taels of gold could buy a large courtyard with three rows of houses!
So the money was mainly for Shi Feizhe to spend as he pleased, while Yin Tieyan watched to see if he could uncover any tells.
If Shi Feizhe was innocent, the sect would reward him with ten taels of gold in due course. If he was up to something, then they'd discovered the problem for the price of ten taels of gold. The sect would surely praise Yin Tieyan for getting things done efficiently!
"I wonder how Junior Brother Shi plans to spend the money?" Yin Tieyan handed Shi Feizhe the ten taels of gold and asked with a smile.
Looking at the gold, Shi Feizhe felt a rush of emotion.
In this world, he had worked at a clinic for over a month and earned twenty coins. He had worked at Three Talents Manor for seven or eight days without getting a single cent, and had nearly lost his life! He had paid for his journey by killing people and searching their corpses.
Now, at last, he had earned money through legitimate means, thanks to his own hard work and talent. The feelings in his heart were hard for anyone else to understand.
"Why don't I treat the brothers in the courtyard to a good meal?"
Good heavens! The corpse-looting Shi Feizhe could finally get his hands on some money without looting a corpse!
Before you continue