Maxed-Out Comprehension, Vermilion Bird Tower Waiter

Blue cloth shoes.

A short robe with narrow sleeves.

A coarse gray-white cloth towel was slung diagonally over his right shoulder.

Yang Xiao stayed silent for a long time, still unable to accept the cruel reality that after waking from a sleep, he had become an ordinary waiter in Vermilion Bird Tower.

The resplendent corridor, the rich fragrance of ambergris, the beautiful dancing girls brushing past him...

Every last bit of it reminded Yang Xiao that he was not dreaming.

"Before I transmigrated, I carried plates in a modern grand hotel. After transmigrating, I'm still carrying plates in an ancient grand hotel. My working hours went from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon to nine in the morning to six at night?"

A moment later, Yang Xiao had roughly merged with the memories of this body, and at once felt his life go dark.

The original owner had been a hereditary household slave of the Sixth Princess of the Great Yan Dynasty. His mother had died young.

His father, who had worked as a waiter, had died of illness a few days ago. Yang Xiao had inherited his father's trade, and today was his first day reporting for work at Vermilion Bird Tower.

Considering that Yang Xiao had been sickly since childhood and had no aptitude for martial training, he had been assigned to serve as the doorman for Private Room Ding-527, responsible for welcoming and seeing off honored guests.

Vermilion Bird Tower had been opened by the elder sister of the Great Yan Emperor, "Emperor Ming"—the Sixth Princess. It was located in the most prosperous district of the capital's inner city, and the guests who could afford a private room were either rich or noble. Most of them had decent manners, so this job was naturally easy.

Since it was still early and there was no one around, Yang Xiao tried to simply loosen his muscles and bones. Immediately, he felt dizzy and his vision swam. He could not help coughing violently, and there were actually traces of blood mixed into his phlegm.

"The original owner was a sickly weakling, and because my aptitude is poor, I can't practice martial arts. I don't even have a chance to turn things around?"

The cruel reality poured down over his head like a basin of cold water, instantly soaking Yang Xiao to the bone with a chill.

Fortunately, Vermilion Bird Tower's monthly wages were fairly generous, and honored guests would occasionally give tips.

On top of that, as a hereditary household slave of the Sixth Princess, Yang Xiao could also receive extra living necessities from the princess's estate every month—enough firewood, rice, oil, salt, and the like to support a family of three.

Compared to many ordinary people in the outer city, Yang Xiao was actually living quite well. Even in the inner city, he could be considered from a modestly well-off household.

"Too bad my family used up everything treating my illness. Now I'm penniless, and I still have to drink expensive medicinal decoctions every day. The medicinal herbs left at home can only last three days. If I don't have money to buy herbs after three days, with this body of mine, I'll probably be dead as a doornail..."

Just as Yang Xiao was thinking gloomily, his gaze inadvertently turned toward the distant corridor. His pupils instantly shrank, and his eyes filled with disbelief.

In the distance, an old man in a navy-blue long robe, embroidered with exquisite iron threads, was walking slowly this way with an extremely extraordinary bearing.

Above the old man's head, a wisp of hazy gray mist had actually appeared, and within that mist, all sorts of images faintly flickered.

Yang Xiao rubbed his eyes and carefully observed the gray mist. At once, his vision blurred, and countless fragments of memory appeared in his mind.

It was a youth whose appearance resembled the old man's. Together with many other youths, he stood in a bamboo forest, observing the vibrations of cicada wings.

The scene shifted. The youths had their eyes bound, their ears twitching slightly. They were actually using their ears to imitate the vibration of cicada wings, cultivating a special martial skill called the Nine Cicada Hearing Technique.

That youth who resembled the old man had mediocre aptitude and average roots and bones. He had trained bitterly for many years without success, but he did not grow discouraged. He persisted in painstaking practice every day, fearless of cold and heat.

After thirty years of persistence, relying on willpower and diligence, the youth became a late-blooming great talent and successfully stood out, cultivating the Nine Cicada Hearing Technique to the realm of the "First Hearing."

Then all the images vanished, and Yang Xiao returned to reality once more.

And at that moment, in the real world, only a few breaths had passed.

Yet Yang Xiao was shocked to feel that his understanding of the Nine Cicada Hearing Technique was actually as thorough as the old man's.

It was as if the youth who had painstakingly practiced the Nine Cicada Hearing Technique for thirty years in that dream had been Yang Xiao's own personal experience.

"So my comprehension is maxed out. By observing the qi dynamic above a martial practitioner's head, I can obtain their martial training experience?"

Outwardly, Yang Xiao remained calm and collected, but inwardly, he was wild with joy.

Although Yang Xiao still had mediocre aptitude, a frail body, and was a sickly weakling, at this moment, he tried making his ears twitch slightly. They actually moved like a cold cicada beating its wings, and sure enough, he could clearly hear minute sounds from a hundred zhang away.

"I only looked once, and the Nine Cicada Hearing Technique has already reached the realm of the First Hearing, comparable to Uncle Liu's thirty years of bitter training. I'm only lacking a little seasoning."

"Vermilion Bird Tower has experts as thick as clouds. Among the honored guests coming and going from the private rooms, there's no shortage of renowned martial seniors, reclusive masters, underworld big shots, Imperial Guard commanders... As long as I obtain their martial experience one by one, with my max-level comprehension, given enough time, who could match my martial achievements?"

The more Yang Xiao thought about it, the more excited he became.

Other waiters still had to serve honored guests, bowing and scraping, and might be slapped by some drunk, vicious customer.

But Yang Xiao was merely the doorman of a private room and had practically zero contact with honored guests, so he did not have to worry about safety at all.

Moreover, Vermilion Bird Tower was very close to the imperial palace. Not only did the Sixth Princess hold the fort behind the scenes, but the inner city was also garrisoned by the Great Yan Dynasty's most elite one hundred thousand "Crimson Blood Guard."

Even though these were chaotic times, with uprisings breaking out everywhere and rebel armies ravaging the commanderies, as long as the Great Yan Dynasty did not fall, Vermilion Bird Tower would not have any problems.

Even if the dynasty changed in the future, kingship shifted hands, and Vermilion Bird Tower even changed owners, who would vent their anger on a mere ordinary waiter serving as a doorman?

"I'll set a small goal first: lie low in Vermilion Bird Tower and quietly practice martial arts for sixty years. The minimum goal is to become a martial arts grandmaster. The big goal—invincible under heaven!"

Yang Xiao clenched his fists, his eyes filled with determination.

It was said that there seemed to be an "immortal master" presiding within the imperial palace, and "immortal experts" also faintly appeared and vanished inside the princess's estate.

If there truly are immortals and Buddhas in this world, as long as I observe their qi dynamic, wouldn't I also be able to learn immortal arts and enjoy long life, looking upon the world for ages?

Just as Yang Xiao's heart burned hot with these thoughts, he suddenly felt an icy gaze falling upon him.

Yang Xiao abruptly snapped awake. Only then did he discover that at some point, the old man had already walked up in front of him.

"Uncle Liu."

Yang Xiao hurriedly saluted.

Uncle Liu was a higher-ranked "iron-token" waiter, in charge of the fifth floor of the D-wing tower, managing over a hundred private rooms. To ordinary waiters like Yang Xiao, he was a "big shot."

The old man's temper was extremely strange; at the drop of a hat, he would beat, curse, and berate the waiters under him. Naturally, Yang Xiao had to be utterly respectful, lest he run headlong into bad luck.

"Mm?"

Uncle Liu nodded slightly, unable to help feeling a little surprised.

As a martial expert who had already undergone one blood exchange and broken through to the "First Blood" realm, Uncle Liu's vital blood was extremely powerful, allowing him to roughly sense what weaker people were thinking.

Uncle Liu keenly perceived that the thin, frail youth before him actually respected him from the bottom of his heart.

Though he did not understand why that was, Yang Xiao's "pure sincerity" still pleased Uncle Liu, and the coldness in his eyes eased slightly. Some words of reprimand were swallowed back alive into his belly.

Uncle Liu naturally would not know that the reason Yang Xiao respected him was because he had freeloaded Uncle Liu's lifetime of martial experience. This was the grace of guiding the way, transmitting the Dao, and teaching the craft—how could Yang Xiao not respect him?

Because he was in a decent mood, Uncle Liu casually offered a few pointers.

"Brother Xiao, the distinguished guest who is about to arrive at D-527 today is none other than the renowned Fairy Bai of the jianghu."

"Fairy Bai is an exalted martial powerhouse of the 'Second Blood' realm, having undergone two blood exchanges. Her vital blood is vigorous throughout her body; even from a hundred paces away, she can easily hear the sound of mosquitoes and flies beating their wings. Even through this bronze door, she can still faintly hear movement outside while inside the room."

"When Fairy Bai comes out later, you must be utterly respectful. Do not speak nonsense, and do not look around as you please, lest you make the fairy unhappy."

"Do not think that just because you are a hereditary slave of the princess's estate, you can do whatever you want in Vermilion Bird Tower and no one will dare provoke you."

"My Vermilion Bird Tower is renowned for its strict rules, with clear rewards and punishments. If you break the rules and are beaten or cursed by a guest because of it, even losing an arm or breaking a leg, then you will have brought the humiliation on yourself. Do you understand?"

Understood, understood.

There was not the slightest dissatisfaction or fear on Yang Xiao's face. Instead, he nodded respectfully, gratitude in his eyes.

Yang Xiao truly was grateful.

If no one pointed out these unspoken rules to him, then by the time Yang Xiao figured them out on his own, he would probably have suffered an extremely painful lesson and paid a terrible price.

"This kid is rather quick-witted. Unfortunately, his aptitude is too poor for martial training, and he's a sickly wretch who won't live long. His only living father is dead as well, leading to..."

Uncle Liu swept a meaningful glance over Yang Xiao. The pity in his eyes flashed and vanished, and he turned to leave with a cold face.

With a tragic start like mine, could it be that my father still had enemies while he was alive?

Uncle Liu naturally did not know that Yang Xiao had keenly caught the pity and complexity in his eyes. Yang Xiao's expression instantly turned bitter, and he felt more and more the malice of this cruel society.

But before Yang Xiao could think much further, a graceful, charming beautiful woman in a white dress emerged from the distance, walking over with an elegant, swaying gait.

Above the beautiful woman in the white dress's head, a layer of dazzling white light shot into the sky. Its brilliance was actually ten times greater than Uncle Liu's!