Chopping Wood

Lin Chen looked down at his clothes. They really were exactly the same as those worn by the servant disciples working nearby.

No wonder they'd mistaken him for one.

But before he could explain, the manager had already walked over.

"Where did you come from? I've never seen you before."

"Manager, I know," said the sharp-faced servant, coming over. He looked Lin Chen up and down before continuing.

"This time, Green Mountain Sect only took in two servant disciples. One was me, and the other was called Lin Chen. That must be him."

Lin Chen looked at the sharp-faced fellow too.

At a glance, the kid looked like nothing but trouble.

"Since you're a servant, you dare show up late? I'm adding ten logs to your punishment. You're not allowed to eat or sleep until you've chopped them all." The Servant Manager snapped his whip and issued the order.

Lin Chen took out his Token, but before he could say a word, the sharp-faced servant sprang forward and slapped it out of his hand.

"Are you deaf? You dare disobey the manager's orders?"

Seeing the fellow's expression, Lin Chen understood at once.

The kid was trying to climb over him to get ahead.

Kissing up and currying favor.

Too bad he'd picked the wrong target.

Facing their threats and intimidation, Lin Chen wasn't the least bit afraid. "I'm a servant, but you two don't have authority over me."

"Hahaha..."

The sharp-faced fellow planted a foot on the Token and ground it hard into the dirt.

"You're a servant, and the man standing in front of you is the Servant Manager. If he doesn't have authority over you, then who does?"

Lin Chen's expression darkened. He looked down at the Token trampled into the dirt and took a deep breath.

"You're playing with fire!"

"Me, playing with fire?" The sharp-faced servant's face turned fierce.

Whether he could get ahead all came down to this moment.

They were both new arrivals. If he established his authority now, no one would dare bully him. The manager might even look on him favorably—and it would be even better if he made him a minor supervisor.

Thinking this, he narrowed his eyes. "Today, I'll teach you a lesson on the manager's behalf, you arrogant little fool who doesn't know how high the sky is!"

As he spoke, he shoved both hands toward Lin Chen's chest.

His intentions were obvious: knock Lin Chen down, then climb on top of him and beat him.

A classic street-fighting move.

It would've worked against an ordinary person, but Lin Chen was no ordinary person.

He shoved Lin Chen in the chest, but Lin Chen didn't budge.

It felt like he wasn't pushing a person at all, but a boulder.

The sharp-faced fellow put every ounce of strength he had into it, his face turning red.

Lin Chen remained rooted to the spot.

He looked coldly at the other man. "You want to climb over me to get ahead? Did you even ask yourself if you're worthy?"

As he spoke, he casually waved a hand, and the sharp-faced fellow went flying.

Lin Chen reached out, and the Token flew from the ground back into his hand.

With a smack, he flung it into the manager's face. "You look down on people with those dog eyes of yours. Now wipe it clean for me, and I might let this go."

"You bastard..." The Servant Manager had never suffered such humiliation. He snatched up the Token, ready to throw it back.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the tiny words "Sect Leader Peak" on it. His whole body jolted as if struck by lightning, and he froze on the spot.

"S-Sect Leader... Peak!"

Lin Chen hadn't lied to him. He really was from Sect Leader Peak.

At that moment, yesterday's news flashed through the manager's mind.

A new disciple named Lin Chen had been chosen by the Sect Leader and made a servant at Sect Leader Peak.

Lin Chen, new disciple, servant...

There was no doubt about it. The man before him was the one.

The Servant Manager's face turned green, then white. He glared back at the sharp-faced servant, only to find that the fellow had already passed out.

Then he turned back, wiping the Token as he put on a fawning smile.

"Junior Brother Lin, that was all a misunderstanding. I failed to keep my subordinate in line, and you were made to suffer. I deserve to die!"

The manager slapped himself across the face, then ordered the men with a smile uglier than tears. "Bring that beast over here."

Some servants immediately dragged the sharp-faced fellow over.

The Servant Manager kicked him.

The sharp-faced fellow woke at once, howling in pain. "Ah—stop hitting me! I won't do it again! I swear!"

The fellow was quick-witted. He dropped to his knees before Lin Chen and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Senior Brother Lin, please be the bigger man and forgive a nobody like me!"

Lin Chen didn't want to cause trouble, but he didn't want to be bullied either, much less swallow his anger in silence.

He'd already been keeping a low profile. This fellow had gone out of his way to provoke him—there'd been no avoiding it.

He kicked the sharp-faced fellow aside and snatched back the Token.

Holding the Token in his palm, he ignited a burst of Crimson Flame.

The hair over the Servant Manager's forehead was singed.

He stumbled backward in terror.

Unexpectedly, Lin Chen put out the flames and patted the Token. "Just disinfecting it. The ground's filthy."

That casual display of skill scared the sharp-faced fellow so badly that he wet himself on the spot.

It was the fear that came after the fact.

If Lin Chen had used those flames on him just now, he'd be nothing but a pile of ashes by now.

How stupid could he be, provoking someone like that and thinking he could step on him to get ahead?

He was done for.

Even if Lin Chen let him off, the manager wouldn't just let the matter rest.

It was over!

He instantly felt as if his whole life had turned bleak.

"Where can I find hardwood for making charcoal?" Lin Chen put away the Token and asked the manager beside him.

The Servant Manager immediately smiled obsequiously and pointed. "Junior Brother Lin, you can use any of the trees over there. How much do you need? I'll have someone chop them for you."

"No need!"

Lin Chen refused on the spot and strode over.

He formed a sword incantation with his fingers, and the Flying Sword turned into a streak of light and slashed forward.

Crack!

Rumble!

In an instant, a huge tree as thick as a man's waist snapped in two.

The Flying Sword flashed back and forth, striking again and again.

In just a few breaths, the fine timber had been cut into sections.

Lin Chen recalled his sword and took out his Storage Pouch, putting the wood he wanted inside.

Then he stepped down, and the Flying Sword shot into the air, carrying him swiftly away.

Every servant present was dumbstruck.

All the contempt vanished from the Servant Manager's eyes, leaving nothing but terror.

"That Flying Sword is a Top-grade Magic Tool. Lin Chen controls it as skillfully as a Condensing Qi cultivator who's trained for over a decade. This..."

As he muttered to himself, he looked at the sharp-faced fellow. "What the hell kind of person did you offend?"

"Ah—"

Lin Chen had flown a long way, yet he could still hear the screams behind him.

The little incident hadn't affected his mood.

On the contrary, he'd seen the hardships the servants endured, and the ugly scheming they resorted to just to get ahead.

It all showed how difficult life was for those at the bottom.

By comparison, he really was living in heaven.

Thinking of this only made him want to do his own work well.

He flew all the way to a marketplace built by Green Mountain Sect.

There were mortals and cultivators here.

It was a place where the two sides traded supplies.

He'd known about it even before coming up the mountain.

He went straight to an herb shop and bought more than a dozen large bundles of medicinal herbs, including star anise and cassia bark.

He nearly cleared out the shop's entire stock.

After leaving the herb shop, he bought peanuts, sesame seeds, chilies...

He bought every seasoning he could think of needing.

Finally, he bought a live goat.

He kept shopping until dusk, then returned to Sect Leader Peak.

Third Senior Brother had already finished forging everything he'd asked for and delivered it to the mountaintop.

Lin Chen inspected each item. They were even better than he'd imagined.

After a quick meal, he got busy slaughtering the goat, preparing seasonings, and marinating the chicken, geese, and lamb he'd be cooking the next day.

He didn't finish until late, then went to bed.

As for cultivation?

He didn't need it.

For some reason, he slept restlessly that night.

In his dreams, he saw those purple eyes again.

Purple flames shot from them and engulfed his whole body.

The scorching pain burned his soul. Lin Chen cried out and woke with a start.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he'd somehow left his quarters and arrived in front of the tower in the back courtyard.

This was where the Sect Leader secluded himself to cultivate. What was he doing here?

Sleepwalking?