Senior Brother Wang

Golden-Faced Gentleman's cave dwelling.

Within the spirit field.

Two youths in wide-sleeved black robes carefully watered the spirit field, all of which were highly toxic spirit grasses—a single misstep could bring death.

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

"Only when you need books do you regret not reading them. Who told you to never crack one open?" Li Shuidao replied just as quietly.

"Aren't you always playing with us? When did I ever see you reading?" Li Shuilang's eyes went wide as he questioned.

"Well..." Li Shuidao's reading had mainly taken place during the ten years from age two to twelve, when he'd buried himself in the Library Pavilion, devouring every miscellaneous book on the Li Family's first floor.

As for the cultivation techniques of the Azure Sea Sect and the Five Poisons Sect, those were out of reach—the secret manuals were kept on the second floor of the Library Pavilion, guarded by family elders. A primary-school-aged child like him naturally had no right to go up there.

As for the two years in the Cultivation Hall, Li Shuidao had spent them mostly thinking, writing a hundred thousand characters in Chinese script, fusing his ten years of hard reading with two years of practice to achieve unity of knowledge and action.

Thus, his classmate of two years, Li Shuilang, had never seen through Li Shuidao's depths, only treating him as a playmate and a taciturn, tight-lipped gourd at that.

The two youths busied themselves in the spirit field, while Qin Yue'e sat meditating in the courtyard nearby. On her left and right stood two maidservants of seventeen or eighteen, attending to her.

A faint green energy coiled around Qin Yue'e, enveloping her entirely.

This energy surged from within her body.

This was Mana!

Something only possessed at Spirit Awakening Mid-stage.

After mortals obtained a Spirit Companion, they became Spirit Awakening Early-stage cultivators. Over time, cultivators could sense the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth and form Mana within their bodies—this was Spirit Awakening Mid-stage. Once they mastered Mana and cultivated a large number of first-tier Dao Arts, their aura would further strengthen, marking Spirit Awakening Late-stage.

When a cultivator broke through the shackles and reached the Spirit Refining Realm, the Dao Arts they cultivated could merge with their Spirit Companion's Divine Abilities, doubling the power of both the cultivator's Dao Arts and the Spirit Companion's Divine Abilities.

Spirit Awakening Early-stage cultivation was about feeding the Spirit Companion, and that was the focus of their two years in the Cultivation Hall. As for possessing Mana, it was only briefly touched upon—after all, without Mana, explaining it in detail was useless.

The two youths approached Qin Yue'e, bowed respectfully, and said, "Master's Wife, the spirit field has been watered."

Qin Yue'e opened her eyes, looked at the two youths, and said, "You've done well. Lu Qi'er, take them to familiarize themselves with the residence."

"As you command, Madam," said the maidservant named Lu Qi'er.

"Thank you, Master's Wife. Thank you, Senior Sister Lu." The two youths observed full courtesy, not missing a beat.

Lu Qi'er walked ahead. She too wore wide robes, but not black—hers were predominantly green, with a broad hem, bright colors, varied patterns, and fine material.

Lu Qi'er led Li Shuidao and the others to the woodshed, where a gray-clad man was vigorously chopping wood.

"This is the woodshed. His name is Wang Tianjiao—he came two years before you. He and Wang Tiankun from the kitchen handle the miscellaneous chores of the cave dwelling: splitting wood, cleaning, washing, cooking. If there's anything you need, just tell the two of them to do it," Lu Qi'er said casually.

"Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare..."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Wang." Li Shuidao and Li Shuilang bowed simultaneously.

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

"Hey, Wang, the new junior brothers are greeting you. Don't be ungrateful," Lu Qi'er scolded with a sharp tongue.

Hearing Lu Qi'er's words, Wang Tianjiao finally stopped his movements. He raised his head, staring at Lu Qi'er with eyes full of anger, pain, struggle, and even despair.

"Junior brothers, if there's any odd job in the future, just tell this Wang," Wang Tianjiao relented.

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

"This lowly one understands," Wang Tianjiao replied respectfully.

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

"Understood," Wang Tianjiao still answered with deference.

"Mm, that's more like it." Lu Qi'er nodded in satisfaction, then led Li Shuidao and the others out of the woodshed, heading to the dining hall.

The man in charge of cooking and odd jobs in the dining hall was called Wang Tiankun. Though he worked in the kitchen stoking fires and preparing meals, he wore wide-sleeved black robes.

From this, Li Shuidao deduced that Wang Tiankun's Spirit Companion was likely still intact, while Wang Tianjiao had probably already lost his.

Lu Qi'er was noticeably more polite in front of Wang Tiankun, but even Li Shuilang could tell from her tone that their own status was considerably higher than Wang Tiankun's.

Then Lu Qi'er led the two to their residence.

A small single-story house, about twenty square meters, quiet and relatively private.

"Let's clean up," Li Shuidao said, starting to sweep the room and lay out the bedding.

"Um..." Li Shuilang hesitated.

"What do you want to ask?"

Li Shuilang leaned in close to Li Shuidao's ear and whispered, "That big spirit herb garden—it's all under our care. If a leaf goes missing, no one would know, right?"

Hearing this, Li Shuidao frowned slightly, then said with a serious expression, "Brother Shuilang! We were taught propriety, righteousness, and shame since childhood. How could we stoop to theft? We are members of the Li Family—we must never do anything to disgrace our clan. I know you want to feed your Spirit Companion quickly, raise its cultivation, and reach Spirit Awakening Mid-stage as soon as possible, but you must take the right path. If we do well, I believe Master will reward us. Those spirit medicines are Master's property—we absolutely cannot touch them!"

Li Shuilang: "..."

"I will never betray Master. Say no more on this matter. I advise you not to do it either, and even if you think of it, don't!" Li Shuidao warned again, his face stern.

Li Shuidao wasn't putting on a show for anyone—he was genuinely warning Li Shuilang, because if that guy acted rashly, it would inevitably cause trouble.

If a spirit herb was picked, even if just a single leaf was quietly plucked, the signs might still be noticed.

A spirit grass missing a leaf—wouldn't that leave traces of damage?

As long as one looked carefully, they would surely find the clues.

That woman Qin Yue'e was overseeing them right now; they absolutely could not act rashly. They must never underestimate the methods of cultivators.

"I... I understand." Li Shuilang nodded.

"Brother Shuilang, we must put the family's honor first. We absolutely cannot make a mistake." Li Shuidao continued earnestly.

"Mm..." Li Shuilang nodded again, though it was unclear whether he truly took it to heart.

Only when a cultivator reached the second-tier Spirit Refining Realm could they achieve inedia. First-tier cultivators ate three meals a day of grains and cereals, so naturally, they had to relieve themselves.

The chamber pot used by Senior Sister Qin Yue'e was carried into the outhouse by two maidservants.

By the time Qin Yue'e needed it again, the pot had to be scrubbed clean and left with a lingering fragrance.

If one wanted a high quality of life, someone had to do the labor.

Wang Tianjiao, his face etched with bitterness, carried the chamber pot out of the latrine and ran straight into Li Shuidao.

Li Shuidao smiled and said, "Senior Brother, you've worked hard. Let me handle this task."

Wang Tianjiao frowned. "Miss Lu instructed me to do it. It's not appropriate for you to take over."

"I am your junior brother, why be so polite? Besides, I'm in charge of fertilizing the Spirit Fields, and this Golden Water is just right for the job."

"Fine, then many thanks." Wang Tianjiao had no desire to scrub chamber pots; having someone else do it was a welcome relief.