Resistance! Conflict Erupts Again!

"Fine, let's train. Did you think I was afraid of you? I've had enough of you already. We're all menial disciples, so why should we carry your share of the water? You need to cultivate—don't we need to cultivate too?" Seeing several menial disciples gathered in the courtyard, Chen Huai'an suddenly raised his voice.

Chen Huai'an had not acted on a whim. He had thought this through carefully before making his move.

Old Li was strong, but he had been a menial disciple for nearly sixty years and had no room left to advance. Yet he still oppressed these menial disciples. It was not just Chen Huai'an who had grown dissatisfied; the other water-carrying menial disciples in the courtyard were dissatisfied as well. They simply dared not speak out because Old Li was too strong.

Now that Chen Huai'an had suddenly stepped forward to vent his resentment, it immediately struck a chord with them.

"Brother Chen, we support you! Take down this old bastard! Half his body is already in the grave, yet he still dreams of pursuing the path to immortality while squeezing us dry. He might as well drop dead!" an older menial disciple shouted from the crowd.

Old Li shot that menial disciple a vicious glare, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"Old Li, when we usually call you Uncle Li, it's out of respect. We're all menial disciples, yet all you do is bully us. If you've got the guts, go bully those tyrants instead! You only know how to exploit us. Don't we need to cultivate too? To carry your share of the water, we've been working late every day these past few days, exhausted like dead dogs. How are we supposed to have any spare time to cultivate?" Seeing someone echo him, Chen Huai'an knew his move had already succeeded halfway. What he wanted was his companions' support. That way, having more time to cultivate and grow stronger would be perfectly justified.

Chen Huai'an's words immediately resonated with everyone.

"Exactly! From now on, everyone carries their own water. As long as we fill our own water vats, we'll have extra time to cultivate. Why should we help you? Just because you entered the sect before us and are stronger than us? If one day we surpass you, won't you be afraid of our revenge?" someone else chimed in. By the end, his tone carried a chilling threat.

Especially the older menial disciples. They were all at the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm. Though they were no match for Old Li individually, if they all joined forces, Old Li would not get off unscathed.

As for the disciples who had entered the sect alongside Chen Huai'an, they were still half-grown boys, and this kind of physical labor was extremely taxing for them. Now that someone had stepped up to speak, each of them flushed red with excitement, their fists clenched tightly as though they would launch into a brawl at the slightest disagreement.

"Chen Huai'an, this is all because of you! How dare you stir up trouble!" Cold light flashed in Old Li's eyes as he glared fiercely at Chen Huai'an.

Chen Huai'an was not afraid of him. He met Old Li's gaze without the slightest fear.

"Old Li, if you dare lay a hand on us today, don't blame us for getting nasty. At worst, none of us will carry water tomorrow. Let's see how you explain that to Steward Wu!" one menial disciple suddenly shouted.

Right now, they needed unity. Only by standing together could they carry less water and have more time to cultivate.

They could finish their daily water-carrying work very quickly. If they hurried, they could finish in half a day and rest for the other half. Yet now, they had to work until late every day.

This was especially true for the newcomers. Even if they did not want to help, they had no choice. Otherwise, if Steward Wu blamed them, they would suffer along with everyone else.

The menial disciples carrying water for the dining hall were simply too honest and too accustomed to swallowing their grievances. Otherwise, they would not still be stuck doing this miserable water-carrying job.

But if they kept doing this miserable work, when would it ever end?

In an instant, the dining hall's rear courtyard became tense, like swords drawn and bows bent.

Old Li had suddenly found himself standing against everyone.

Old Li clenched his fists tightly and stared at Chen Huai'an. This brat was the one stirring everything up.

With so many people protecting Chen Huai'an today, he could neither make a move nor dare to make one.

But if he did not act, he would not be able to suppress these ants. Then tomorrow, he would have to spend time carrying water himself, losing more than half a day of cultivation time.

"What are you doing? What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?" Just as everyone was about to start fighting, Steward Wu emerged from the room. A powerful aura burst forth from him as he fixed a hard stare on the people in the courtyard.

In an instant, everyone in the courtyard became like defeated roosters.

"Enough. Starting tomorrow, each of you will carry your own water. If you want to squeeze out time to cultivate, then put some effort into carrying water faster," Steward Wu said coldly when he saw that no one had anything to say.

As long as the water-carrying group did not descend into chaos, he could turn a blind eye. But if it did, it would mean he had failed in his duties as steward, and he would have to step in.

Once Steward Wu spoke, Old Li could only nod in agreement. Starting tomorrow, he too would have to join the water-carrying work.

"Chen Huai'an, whether or not you started this matter, you did not complete your water-carrying task today. You will fill the water vats," Steward Wu said after reprimanding Old Li, immediately turning his gaze to Chen Huai'an.

He had thought this fellow was merely some country boy from a small place. He had not expected him to have such a trick up his sleeve. No wonder he was a scholar—his mind was sharp.

"Brother Chen, you're amazing! If you can't finish carrying the water today, I'll help you," Liu Qiaogui said, looking at Chen Huai'an with admiration.

They had long been fed up with Old Li. Now, someone had finally stepped forward to address it. This was a good thing. Chen Huai'an had secured cultivation time for them; they did not want to carry water forever.

"No need. I can carry the rest myself. What you need to do is make good use of your time to rest. That way, you'll have the strength to work tomorrow. If you finish resting earlier, you'll have plenty of time to cultivate and grow stronger," Chen Huai'an said with a smile, refusing the offer. He did not want to owe them a favor.

If they helped him carry water tonight, then when he completed his task early tomorrow, would he have to help them carry water as well? He did not want to owe that kind of debt.

"Alright, then we'll see you tomorrow. We're going to rest," Liu Qiaogui said with a nod. He knew Chen Huai'an did not want to owe them favors.

Starting tomorrow, they would no longer be exploited, and they would have plenty of time to cultivate and grow stronger.

"Brat, enjoy your smugness while you can. We'll see how I deal with you tomorrow," Old Li snarled viciously as he watched Chen Huai'an leave to carry water.

As long as Chen Huai'an wanted to, he could pour the Spirit Spring Water from the Gourd Space into the water vats and complete his task. But he did not do so. In short, it was not worth it.

The Spirit Spring Water in the Gourd Space was precious. He could not bear to waste it.

Besides, carrying water was also a form of cultivation. It depended on what kind of mindset one had.

And Chen Huai'an needed a great deal of time to cultivate and grow stronger.

While the conflict broke out in the dining hall's rear courtyard, the Zhang Family, a cultivation family at the foot of Qingyun Sect's mountain, was in an uproar over Zhang Mu's death.

Zhang Mu was at the late stage of the Body Tempering Realm and could have broken through to the Qi Refining Realm in another year or two, allowing him to enter Qingyun Sect's outer sect. Yet now, such a promising disciple had died. The Zhang Family could not possibly remain still.

More importantly, Zhang Mu had an older brother, Zhang Tao, an outer sect disciple of Qingyun Sect with strength at the third level of the early Qi Refining Realm.

Zhang Mu was dead. His eldest brother, Zhang Tao, would absolutely not let this go.