Idle Talk on the Peak

Of everything in the room, Jiang Yang took only the rush cushion he normally used for meditation and cultivation. He called it moving, but there was little worth taking. Life in the other Courtyard was austere, lest the disciples grow fond of comfort and neglect their cultivation, so everything around them was exceedingly plain.

After putting his bedding and cushion into his storage pouch, Jiang Yang pushed open the door and walked out. It was noon, time for the meal that nourished their bodies, and the other Courtyard had grown lively.

Boys and girls of varying heights walked together in twos and threes. Some hurried along, while others laughed and played. They were still at an innocent age, in the full bloom of youth.

Jiang Yang took it all in. Once, he too had been among those hurrying figures. Every day, he did little besides attend lessons and cultivate, rarely chatting or playing with others. The other Courtyard provided few resources, and his talent was far from outstanding. Only diligence could make up for his shortcomings, so he dared not slack off.

Whether practicing hundred-vein embryonic breathing or already at the Qi Refining Stage, cultivators at this level could not yet dispense with food. They still needed meals, and even ate more than before, with greater demands for quality.

Grain-Repelling Pills were good, but too costly for the other Courtyard to provide. Food, however, was available in ample quantities for Jiang Yang and the others. Every ten days or fortnight, they occasionally enjoyed a meal of spirit rice, which not only improved their cultivation but was also a rare delicacy.

Now that Jiang Yang had advanced to Qi Refining, he no longer needed three meals a day. Spiritual energy could supply more of his needs, and once he reached late Qi Refining, a meal every three days would suffice.

"Brother... Brother Jiang?" A hesitant voice came from behind him, as though its owner hardly dared recognize him.

Jiang Yang turned at the sound. It was two disciples from his intake, both fifteen or sixteen, named Liang Jing and Jin Shiqu.

"Ah, Brother Jin, Brother Liang. Have you both been well lately?" Pleased to see familiar faces, Jiang Yang smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Though diligent in his daily cultivation, Jiang Yang did not entirely avoid others. When he first joined the sect, he had felt insecure and sought companions to huddle together for warmth. These two were friends he had made back then.

Jin Shiqu stared blankly at Jiang Yang, swallowing every greeting he had prepared. That deep blue-green robe was something he dreamed of day and night, yet here it was on someone he knew.

Of course. He always worked the hardest of us all. But who would have thought he would make it so soon?

Still possessed of a boy's temperament, Jin Shiqu prided himself on having talent that ranked among the other Courtyard's best. Now that Jiang Yang had overtaken him, shock, frustration, and disbelief all crowded onto his face.

Liang Jing had poor aptitude, but he was quick-witted and knew how to handle people. He had recognized Jiang Yang's back just now and thought to greet him. At this moment, he discreetly tugged Jin Shiqu's sleeve, then broke the awkward silence with a warm smile.

"It really is you, Brother Jiang. To think you've already entered the inner sect! Congratulations indeed. All is well with me; there's no need for you to worry."

Liang Jing's words were composed and fitting, showing a practiced manner. Yet his beaming smile seemed sincere enough that he did not come across as calculating.

Jin Shiqu also came to his senses. He hastily cupped his hands in return and forced a smile. "Congratulations, Brother Jiang. I hope you'll look out for us in the future."

Seeing that the two had different thoughts on their minds, Jiang Yang waved a hand and exchanged polite pleasantries. He was merely an ordinary disciple, barely able to fend for himself, much less look out for anyone else.

Neither of them was bad at heart—otherwise, Jiang Yang would never have approached them in the first place—so he did not mind chatting with them a little longer.

Seeing that Jiang Yang had not put on airs after becoming a full disciple, the two also grew somewhat more enthusiastic in their conversation.

Their chat actually yielded a useful piece of information. Liang Jing's aptitude was poor, and he had been stuck in the Embryonic Breathing Realm for a long time. With his hundred veins still unopened, his desire to cultivate had faded, and he had instead devoted himself wholeheartedly to working the angles.

"According to Martial Uncle Xu at the General Affairs Office, Dawn Rain Peak recently posted some duties, including a job planting spirit bamboo." Propping up his chin, Liang Jing slowly shared a piece of news he had recently picked up.

Jiang Yang listened without committing himself. He knew nothing about these duties and had no idea what subtleties were involved. Still, he did not put on airs and promptly encouraged Liang Jing to continue. "May I ask what's special about planting spirit bamboo?"

Liang Jing had been eagerly waiting for Jiang Yang to take the bait. The moment he heard the question, he poured everything out like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"Ah... Brother Jiang, now that you've entered the inner sect, you'll naturally have to take on duties. Planting spirit bamboo takes little time, involves few odds and ends, and is easy work. It really is an excellent choice."

"If you're assigned to clear fields and dig irrigation channels, bring rain to Spirit Field, or tend furnaces and fan their fires, you'll have to watch over them day and night. It wears you down and drains your spirit. And if the Steward is strict when inspecting your work, who knows how many more troubles await?"

His observations cut straight to the heart of the matter, and Jiang Yang nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Liang Jing seldom had a chance to show off, and now he held nothing back. Waggling his brows, he continued flaunting his knowledge. "That's not all. I hear the duties on Dawn Rain Peak aren't just easy—if you do well, there are extra rewards too. They're generous there."

"I can see that you have an air beyond the ordinary, Brother Jiang. If one of the peak's patriarchs happens to take a fancy to you, don't forget your little brother here."

Jiang Yang shook his head with a chuckle and cupped his hands. "So that's how it is. There are quite a few tricks to this. Thank you for the pointers, Brother Liang."

Seeing that Liang Jing was getting carried away and beginning to let his tongue run wild, Jiang Yang quickly stopped him before his words brought disaster upon him.

He had never heard of anyone doing such a fine job as a gardener that they became the master's young heir and inherited the estate. Still, jokes aside, Jiang Yang kept the differences between these duties firmly in mind.

An ordinary disciple's time was precious. Duties taxed both mind and body, and a poor choice would eat into cultivation time. Fall behind one step, and every step thereafter would lag behind. Today's advice would at least spare Jiang Yang a stretch of winding road.

With that in mind, Jiang Yang wanted to repay them, so he explained some of his experiences and insights from cultivation. They were hardly priceless, but they were still the firsthand lessons of someone who had walked the path.

Jiang Yang had been a good student in his previous life and was especially skilled at organizing and summarizing information. He held nothing back, describing exactly what he had experienced at the time. He used no vague allusions or cryptic terms, putting every sentence into language the two could understand.

"This... thank you, Brother Jiang." Jin Shiqu stood to one side, at a loss for what to do. He wanted to leave, yet could not move his feet. He had already opened all hundred veins and needed to break through his bottleneck, so this discussion helped him even more. Besides, Jiang Yang explained profound ideas in simple terms; to Jin Shiqu, his explanations seemed clearer than even the instructors'.

Yet Liang Jing had gathered all the information. Jin Shiqu was merely sitting back and enjoying the fruits of another's labor.

Liang Jing grinned, unconcerned. They had known each other long enough that there was no need to quibble over such things. What mattered now was building a friendship with Jiang Yang.

Seeing his embarrassment, Jiang Yang waved it away lightly. They chatted about this and that for roughly another quarter of an hour before he said goodbye to them.

Watching Jiang Yang form a seal for the Lightness Technique and drift away with effortless grace, Liang Jing clicked his tongue twice in envy. "Advancing really does make a difference. He looks like a completely different person."

Beside him, Jin Shiqu nodded repeatedly, wishing he could return immediately and enter seclusion to break through. His birthday was drawing near, and he had no desire to spend sixty years toiling away in mediocrity.

Liang Jing had no idea that Jiang Yang had received the enhancement of a talent. He merely thought that a joyous occasion had lifted Jiang Yang's spirits and transformed his bearing at once.

Halfway up the mountain, laborers continually carried ingredients back and forth, menial workers waved their ladles, and Stewards shouted reprimands to maintain order.

Jiang Yang bounded swiftly along the mountain path. The scenery rushed backward around him, and the clamor grew ever more distant.

Had he failed to become a full disciple, the seeds they sowed today would have been the fruit Jiang Yang reaped tomorrow. Almost all these laborers, menial workers, and Stewards had been disciples in the various peaks' other Courtyards decades ago. They were simply those who had failed, yet could not bear to give up, leaving them to struggle on amid these mountains.

Unless some heaven-defying individual could break through to Foundation Establishment on his own, they could only wait until their term ended, descend the mountain, and become wealthy men in the mortal world.

The bustling crowd mingled with the drifting aroma of food, while Jiang Yang felt light and unburdened. Though he had merely leaped from a pond into a small stream, and this fish had hardly vaulted the Dragon Gate, at least his path of cultivation began today.

Jiang Yang came to a stop at the foot of the mountain and looked back. Now, with a Dao Fruit empowering him, he could see the dawn of his future.