Jing Pu was at a loss for words. If Lie Chun were taken to the hospital, Jing Pu figured the two doctors would start fighting before they could do anything else.
One doctor would insist on examining Lie Chun's brain first.
The other would insist on examining Lie Chun's kidneys first.
What kind of joke was this?!
It had been five minutes, and Jing Pu had nearly finished digging more than twenty meters of ground. And this guy had managed only two holes?!
Jing Pu couldn't help wondering whether Di Chen had sent Lie Chun to help him, and Lie Chun, unhappy about it, was deliberately slacking off.
But after thinking it over, Jing Pu realized that didn't make sense...
Hadn't Lie Chun been the one who insisted on helping him?
After pondering it for a while, Jing Pu gave up trying to figure it out. He was going to get a drink of water and get back to his own work.
But as soon as he headed toward the pavilion, Jing Pu frowned.
Huh??
Where was the teapot?
The table was completely bare except for three cups. The pot of tea, however, had vanished.
Jing Pu immediately turned to look at Lie Chun and Ling Jing.
"Have either of you seen the teapot?"
Lie Chun turned around, utterly exhausted, and shook his head blankly.
"I don't know..."
Jing Pu then looked at Ling Jing. Ling Jing's body shuddered, but then he shook his head repeatedly, acting as if nothing were wrong.
"I don't know either..."
Jing Pu: "..."
Forget it. Maybe someone had used it and forgotten where they'd put it. Jing Pu said no more. He brewed another pot of tea for himself, drank it, then went back to his work.
Meanwhile.
Outside the sect hall, the highest building in the Divine Sword Sect, Di Chen and Ling Tiannan walked side by side.
Ling Tiannan frowned slightly. "That Holy Maiden of the Jade Pond... We've already told her that the Lord of Ten Thousand Armies really was once a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, but he stayed for only a little over ten years before going off to cultivate on his own. His cultivation has nothing to do with the Divine Sword Sect, yet she keeps asking..."
Di Chen had no interest in listening to Ling Tiannan. He only gave a soft snort, looking completely at ease.
Seeing Di Chen like that, Ling Tiannan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? From the look of you, did Senior forgive you?"
Di Chen grinned. "Of course! Not only did Senior forgive me, he also agreed to give me a painting. He even said I could choose whichever painting I wanted."
Seeing how pleased Di Chen looked, and that he didn't seem to be making it up, Ling Tiannan nodded in astonishment. "Senior really is generous... Speaking of which, I still haven't gone to thank him. I was going to this morning, but I ran into the Holy Maiden of the Jade Pond as soon as I stepped outside. It's not too late now, though."
With that, Ling Tiannan was about to head off, but Di Chen quickly stopped him.
"Hold on. Don't go now. Senior said last night that he'd be busy for the next few days. Wait until a few days from now."
Ling Tiannan blinked curiously. "Busy with what?"
Di Chen glared at him. "How would I know what Senior's doing?"
Ling Tiannan curled his lip and said, "Perfect timing, then. I'm going back to study Senior's painting, Longevity. I only grasped a little of it yesterday, but now I can feel that I'm on the verge of a breakthrough."
Hearing Ling Tiannan, Di Chen blinked in astonishment. "That fast?! You're already on the verge of a breakthrough after just one night?!"
Ling Tiannan curled his lip. "Senior's paintings are profound and unfathomable. You saw it yesterday, didn't you? Don't act so surprised!"
Di Chen immediately looked at Ling Tiannan, excitement in his eyes. "Let's study it together! I haven't got much to do lately."
But at that, Ling Tiannan raised an eyebrow. "No way!! Senior gave that painting to me. How could I let you see it?!"
Looking at Ling Tiannan, Di Chen curled his lip. "Look at you, being so stingy. Once Senior gives me my painting, I'll let you see it too."
Ling Tiannan paused, then grew excited. "You mean it?!"
After that, the two walked off with their arms around each other's shoulders.
As for Jing Pu, when he saw that the pavilion table was once again completely bare, his face darkened.
Had... had he gotten robbed?!
This was the third time!
The first two times, Jing Pu had brewed a pot of tea, drunk a cup, then gone back to hoeing. When he returned a while later, the teapot was gone.
And when he asked Ling Jing and Lie Chun, both of them said they had no idea.
Damn it, what was wrong with them? If they wanted tea, couldn't they brew their own?
After brewing another pot, Jing Pu looked at Ling Jing and Lie Chun, who were bent over, butts in the air, hard at work, and said irritably, "When you finish your tea, leave the teapot here. Don't take it away. If you finish the tea and leave the pot somewhere, it'll go missing."
Hearing Jing Pu, Lie Chun and Ling Jing both nodded repeatedly. Ling Jing, in particular, nodded like a bobblehead.
After saying that, Jing Pu went back to hoeing.
By noon, Jing Pu was sweating from head to toe. When he returned to the pavilion and went to inspect Lie Chun and Ling Jing's work, he nearly died of anger.
What... what had these two been doing all morning?!
Lie Chun had dug seven holes all morning, and now he was so exhausted he could barely go on. His legs were trembling.
Ling Jing was a little better, but he'd only dug ten holes!
What on earth had these two come here to do?!
If they'd come to slack off, that would at least make sense—but they'd volunteered to do this, and Jing Pu had told them they could rest if they didn't want to work.
Yet the two of them had stubbornly refused.
But if they really wanted to work, what had they been doing all morning??
Thankfully, cultivators didn't need to eat. Otherwise, Jing Pu would have had to make these two lunch as well.
Looking at Ling Jing and Lie Chun, who were so tired they were nearly sprawled on the ground, Jing Pu curled his lip. "All right, come have some tea. Then go back and get some rest."
At the mention of tea, the two hurried over. After each downing three large cups, they were looking much better.
But just as they were about to go back to hoeing, Jing Pu hurriedly stopped them, looking utterly exasperated. "That's enough, that's enough. You don't need to go back. You need to balance work and rest. Hurry up and go get some rest."
Though both of them looked exhausted, they still shook their heads repeatedly, preparing to go back to hoeing.
Jing Pu was about to cry. I'm begging you two—just go! Please, leave!!!
There was nothing wrong with hoeing. Even if they only dug one hole all morning, they'd still be helping Jing Pu, and he'd thank them for it.
But the problem was, what kind of holes had they dug?!
Those seven or eight crooked, lopsided holes—how was he supposed to plant anything in them?
Jing Pu had figured it out. These two weren't here to help him; they were here to make a mess!!
Jing Pu hurriedly said, "Really, you don't need to. That's it for today. We're stopping here!"
Stopping here?
Ling Jing and Lie Chun were stunned for a moment. The next second, they understood. They really had been exhausted today and couldn't hold on any longer. Given how resolute Senior sounded, they must have reached their cultivation goal for the day.
The two immediately looked at Jing Pu with respectful expressions.
"Then, Senior, we'll be off. Thank you, Senior. We'll come again tomorrow."
Come again tomorrow??
Jing Pu froze, completely dumbfounded. Don't come tomorrow either! Never come back!!
But before Jing Pu could say anything, the two bowed and then helped each other away.
In the end, Jing Pu could only curl his lip and resign himself to tidying up the courtyard they'd left in utter disarray.
After he'd almost finished cleaning, Jing Pu suddenly paused. Hm??
Was he missing a hoe?
Forget it. He couldn't be bothered to worry about it. Those two had probably tossed it somewhere. Jing Pu washed his hands and went to eat.
Meanwhile, on a small path in the Divine Sword Sect, Ling Jing was laughing wildly despite his exhaustion.
Ling Jing had one arm wrapped around the hoe and held the teapot in his other hand. He didn't care that the hoe was still caked with dirt; he pressed his face right against it, as if he were embracing his wife.
"A divine artifact!! This is a true divine artifact!! Senior's divine artifact!! From now on, I'll use this hoe. Who needs a damn saber?!"
"Wait a minute... If I stole something from Senior, I'll get caught eventually. I have to send something back so Senior won't get angry..."
"Right... I'll steal my big sister's Inner Armor and give it to Senior. It's a real treasure. Senior will definitely like it!!"
After saying that, Ling Jing took a swig of tea, hefted the hoe, and sprinted toward the mountaintop of the Divine Sword Sect!
Before you continue