Wang Senior Brother

Golden-Faced Gentleman's cave abode.

In the Spirit Field.

Two young men dressed in Wide Black Robes carefully watered the Spirit Field. These were all highly poisonous Spirit Grass; the slightest mistake could be fatal.

"Little brother, how do you know so much?" Li Shuilang asked in a hushed voice.

"You only regret not studying enough when you need what you've learned. Who told you not to read?" Li Shuidao replied just as quietly.

"You're always playing with us. When have you ever had time to read?" Li Shuilang asked, eyes wide.

"Well..." Li Shuidao had done most of his reading between the ages of two and twelve. He had spent ten years poring over books in the Library Pavilion, reading every miscellaneous book on the first floor of the Li Family's collection.

As for the cultivation techniques of the Azure Sea Sect and the Five Poisons Sect, there was no way for him to read those. The cultivation manuals were kept on the second floor of the Library Pavilion, guarded by the family elders. As an elementary-school-aged child, he naturally wasn't qualified to go up there.

During his two years in the Cultivation Hall, Li Shuidao had mainly focused on reflection. He had written a hundred thousand characters in Chinese, then spent two years digesting and integrating everything he had studied over the previous ten years, striving to unite knowledge and action.

As a result, Li Shuilang, who had been his classmate for two years, had never seen through him. He had simply taken Li Shuidao for a playmate—a quiet, taciturn little bookworm.

As the two young men worked in the Spirit Field, Qin Yue'e sat meditating in the courtyard nearby. Two seventeen- or eighteen-year-old maids stood on either side of her, attending to her.

A pale green energy coiled around Qin Yue'e, enveloping her entire body.

The energy was surging out from within her.

This was Mana!

Something only cultivators in the middle stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm possessed.

Once an ordinary person obtained a Spirit Companion, they became an early-stage Spirit Channeling Realm cultivator. As time passed, cultivators could sense the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth and form Mana within their bodies. That marked the middle stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm. After mastering Mana, they could cultivate a wealth of first-tier Daoist techniques; when their aura grew stronger still, they reached the late stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm.

When a cultivator broke through the bottleneck and reached the Spirit Refining Realm, their Daoist techniques could merge with their Spirit Companion's Divine Ability. The power of both the cultivator's techniques and the Spirit Companion's Divine Ability would multiply.

Early-stage Spirit Channeling Realm cultivation was all about nurturing one's Spirit Companion. That had been the focus of their two years of study in the Cultivation Hall. Cultivation after obtaining Mana had only been touched on briefly; without Mana, there was little point in explaining it in detail.

The two young men came to Qin Yue'e's side, bowed respectfully, and said, "Mistress, we've finished watering the Spirit Field."

Qin Yue'e opened her eyes and looked at them. "You've done well. Lu Qi'er, take the two of them and show them around their quarters."

"Yes, Madam," said the maid named Lu Qi'er.

"Thank you, Mistress. Thank you, Senior Sister Lu." The two young men were perfectly courteous, missing no part of the proper etiquette.

Lu Qi'er led the way. She was also dressed in loose robes, but hers weren't black. Green was the dominant color, and her wide skirt was bright, patterned with intricate designs and made from fine material.

Lu Qi'er led Li Shuidao and Li Shuilang to the woodshed, where a gray-clad man was chopping firewood with all his might.

"This is the woodshed. His name is Wang Tianjiao, and he arrived two years before you. He and Wang Tiankun, who works in the kitchen, take care of the cave abode's odd jobs. They chop wood, clean, do laundry, and cook. If you need anything, just tell the two of them to do it," Lu Qi'er said casually.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Wang," Li Shuidao and Li Shuilang said together, bowing.

"Hmph!" Wang Tianjiao snorted and continued chopping, as though everyone owed him Spirit Coins.

"Hey, Wang! The new junior brothers greeted you. Don't be so rude," Lu Qi'er scolded him fiercely.

At Lu Qi'er's words, Wang Tianjiao finally stopped. He raised his head and stared at her, anger, pain, and inner turmoil in his eyes—along with utter despair.

"If either of you needs any odd jobs done from now on, just tell me," Wang Tianjiao said, backing down.

"Go fetch her chamber pot later and scrub it clean," Lu Qi'er ordered again.

"Understood," Wang Tianjiao replied respectfully.

"And the big pot we use to boil water in the morning needs to be washed again," Lu Qi'er added.

"Understood," Wang Tianjiao answered, still deferential.

"Good. That's more like it." Lu Qi'er nodded with satisfaction, then led Li Shuidao and Li Shuilang away from the woodshed and over to the dining hall.

The man in charge of cooking and odd jobs in the dining hall was Wang Tiankun. Although he worked in the kitchen, tending the fire and cooking, he wore a Wide Black Robe.

From this, Li Shuidao judged that Wang Tiankun probably still had his Spirit Companion, while Wang Tianjiao had most likely lost his.

Lu Qi'er was clearly more polite to Wang Tiankun. Still, from the way she spoke, even Li Shuilang could tell that their own status was much higher than Wang Tiankun's.

After that, Lu Qi'er took the two of them to their quarters.

It was a small, single-story house of about twenty square meters, quiet and relatively private.

"Let's tidy up." Li Shuidao began cleaning the room and laying out the bedding.

"Um..." Li Shuilang hesitated.

"What do you want to ask?"

Li Shuilang leaned close to Li Shuidao's ear and whispered, "We're in charge of such a huge Spirit Grass garden. If a leaf went missing, no one would know, right?"

At that, Li Shuidao furrowed his brow slightly, then said with a serious expression, "Brother Shuilang! We were raised to know propriety, honor, and shame. How could we steal? We're members of the Li Family. We must never do anything that brings shame upon our family. I know you want to feed your Spirit Companion as soon as possible, improve its cultivation, and reach the middle stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm quickly, but we have to stay on the righteous path. If we do our work well, I'm sure Master will reward us. Those Spirit Medicines belong to Master. We absolutely mustn't touch them!"

Li Shuilang: "..."

"I would never betray Master. Don't bring this up again. I advise you not to do such a thing either. Better yet, don't even think about it!" Li Shuidao warned him again, his expression solemn.

Li Shuidao wasn't putting on an act for anyone. He was genuinely warning Li Shuilang, because if the man acted rashly, trouble was bound to follow.

If a leaf were plucked from the Spirit Grass, even if it were removed discreetly, there might still be signs.

Wouldn't tearing off a leaf leave a mark?

Look closely, and the evidence would be there.

That woman Qin Yue'e was supervising them. They absolutely couldn't act rashly right now. They must never underestimate the methods of cultivators.

"I... I understand," Li Shuilang said, nodding.

"Brother Shuilang, we have to put the family's honor first. We must never do anything wrong," Li Shuidao continued, patiently urging him.

"Mm..." Li Shuilang nodded, though it was hard to tell whether he had really taken the words to heart.

Cultivators had to reach the second tier, the Spirit Refining Realm, before they could abstain from food. First-tier cultivators ate three meals a day, and since they ate grains, they naturally had to relieve themselves.

The two maids carried the chamber pot used by Mistress Qin Yue'e into the latrine.

Before Qin Yue'e used it again, the pot had to be scrubbed clean and left smelling fresh.

A high standard of living required people to do the work.

Wang Tianjiao, looking as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, carried the chamber pot out of the latrine and ran into Li Shuidao.

Li Shuidao smiled and said, "Senior Brother, thanks for the hard work. Let me do that."

Wang Tianjiao frowned. "Miss Lu told me to do it. It wouldn't be right for you to."

"I'm your junior brother. There's no need to be so polite. Besides, I'm responsible for fertilizing the Spirit Field. This Golden Water will come in handy."

"All right, then. Thanks." Wang Tianjiao had no desire to scrub chamber pots. If someone else was willing to do it for him, he was more than happy to let them.