Moving Mountains (please recommend and bookmark)

The Punishment Hall stood in the eastern part of Slaughter Heaven City. Built from obsidian, the hall was pitch-black throughout. Standing before it felt like facing a ferocious beast crouched upon the earth.

As soon as Yang Xiao reached the Punishment Hall, a fierce, baleful aura struck him in the face. The temperature inside was rather low; he could feel the chill even through the doors.

Two Pig-Slaughter Guards stood at the entrance, their bodies burly and their eyes fierce enough to stop a child from crying.

Anyone fainthearted who saw this scene would most likely drop straight to their knees.

Yang Xiao stepped forward and said, "Brothers, I'm a new recruit. Lord Pinghui told me to report here today."

The two burly men looked at him. The slightly brawnier one on the left said, "So you're Yang Xiao. Lord Pinghui has already told us about you. Go inside and head straight ahead."

Yang Xiao thanked them and walked into the hall.

Beyond the doors lay a plaza. Over a hundred Pig-Slaughter Guards crowded around its center, their heated discussions carrying through the air.

"This task to help Auntie Li buy groceries looks good. I'll take it."

"Damn, there's actually a thief! Haven't seen one in eight hundred years. This task is mine."

Yang Xiao stepped into the air and glanced over from a distance. A wooden board stood at the center of the crowd, covered with all sorts of tasks.

The tasks on it were rather bizarre, though. The most serious was catching a thief, and that one even seemed to have something to do with him.

He had noticed something odd yesterday. Slaughter Heaven City was far too orderly. Aside from the earthshaking deed he had committed, practically no one dared violate Great Zhou's laws.

Helping elderly people cross the street or helping old men sell vegetables were everyday occurrences.

"Brother, I'm a new recruit reporting for duty today. Could you tell me why the crime rate in Slaughter Heaven City is so low?" Yang Xiao stopped a Pig-Slaughter Guard who had accepted a task.

"You've asked the right man, little brother." The man was immensely strong. His slap on Yang Xiao's shoulder felt like being rammed by a wild beast. "Our Sky Marquis of Slaughter Heaven City was born extraordinary. He has a pair of eyes that can see through good and evil, so very few people dare commit crimes here.

"Especially the longtime residents of Slaughter Heaven City. Every last one of them behaves and keeps to the rules."

"Even if they want to do something bad, they have to get farther away from Slaughter Heaven City first."

"The only people who dare come here to break the law nowadays are idiots from out of town."

Yang Xiao lowered his head in thought, recalling how Butcher had declared him a good person back in the desert. At the time, he had thought his personal charm had won Butcher over. He had never imagined the man had seen it through an innate gift.

He thanked the guard and continued onward. Beyond the plaza stood one great hall after another, each containing twenty or thirty Pig-Slaughter Guards dressed in black robes and armor.

Unlike the guards outside, these men had little to do. Some lifted rocks to exercise, while others sat in their seats drinking tea.

Yang Xiao went up and asked. It turned out these men handled major cases, but Slaughter Heaven City had not seen a major case in ages, so they could only sit here living out an early retirement.

After passing through three great halls, he finally saw Lord Pinghui, seated in the middle of the hall, head lowered in thought over a document. Two imposing Pig-Slaughter Guards in black clothing and armor stood below.

"Lord Pinghui." Yang Xiao stepped forward and bowed. Along the way, he had begun to feel he had come to the wrong place. Apart from trivial odds and ends, the Punishment Hall had no serious work that could help him hone his abilities.

"Perfect timing." Lord Pinghui set down the document. "There's a task here that suits you perfectly."

Yang Xiao eyed Lord Pinghui skeptically. Surely he would not be sent to help an old lady cross the street the moment he arrived.

Lord Pinghui ignored his gaze and tapped the desk. The document on it flew toward Yang Xiao. "There's a mountain beside Creek Mountain Village, a hundred li away. Demonic beasts from that mountain frequently raid the village, so I've decided to send you to move the mountain away."

Yang Xiao retreated three steps. Had I heard that right? Shouldn't someone be sent to wipe out the demonic beasts instead? Besides, shouldn't this sort of thing be handled by the Earth Master Hall? What does it have to do with the Punishment Hall?

But refusing a task as soon as he joined the Punishment Hall would not bode well for his future. He steadied himself, stepped forward, and bowed. "Your subordinate accepts the order."

At the East City Gate, Yang Xiao glanced to his side. Since he was unfamiliar with the surrounding area, Lord Pinghui had assigned him a guide.

The man was a local Pig-Slaughter Guard in his early twenties. He had inherited the Pig-Slaughter Guards' fine stock and grown into an exceptionally burly fellow, twice as broad as Yang Xiao, though he was a little simple.

"Wei Qingshi, why didn't Lord Pinghui have someone from the Earth Master Hall handle this task?" Yang Xiao turned his head and asked. He was genuinely curious about that.

Wei Qingshi had only recently embarked on the path of cultivation and was still in the Qi Gathering Realm. He flew as slowly as an ant crawled. Half a quarter-hour had passed, yet the two had covered only fifty li.

At the mention of the Earth Master Hall, Wei Qingshi's face filled with fury. His right hand settled on his pig-slaughtering saber as he snapped, "Not one of those bastards is any good. With the Imperial Capital Earth Master Main Hall backing them, they swagger around like they own everything.

"Every time the Punishment Hall asks them to do something, they demand a hefty payment.

"But things are better now. With you joining the Punishment Hall, Lord Yang, we'll never need to ask them again."

Yang Xiao swayed and nearly fell out of the sky. If he remembered correctly, the entire Punishment Hall had only one Earth Master and one Heavenly Master—and both were him, with his dual talents.

Going by Wei Qingshi's words, would he have to take on all the Heavenly Master Palace's and Earth Master Hall's tasks from now on, without even getting paid?

Still, Wei Qingshi's words helped him understand why Lord Pinghui had helped him at the restaurant that day. Apparently, the two sides were on bad terms.

Gradually, a large mountain came into view. A village nestled at its foot, home to seventy or eighty households.

This was hardly a village. It was almost the size of a small town.

The two descended. A crowd had gathered at the village entrance, led by an old man leaning on a wooden stick.

Seeing them approach, the old man led a large group forward and asked respectfully, "Might you be officials from the Punishment Hall?"

Yang Xiao stepped forward. "Lord Pinghui sent us here to... move the mountain."

He gazed at the mountain beside Creek Mountain Village. This was a massive undertaking. Had he broken through to the Soul Seed Realm, it would not have been much trouble. The problem was that he was still a rookie who had only recently reached the Sea Condensation Realm.

A smile appeared on the old man's face. "A fine-looking young man like you must be an Earth Master from the Earth Master Hall. This old man understands the rules. Here are a hundred low-grade earth vein crystals."

The old man pushed a worn sack into Yang Xiao's hands. Seeing the Earth Vein Crystals inside, Yang Xiao felt his heart grow heavy. He could more or less guess what those rules were. He had never imagined that Earth Masters would even fleece these simple villagers.

Judging by their appearance, a hundred Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals had probably bled half the village dry.

Yang Xiao pushed it back. "I'm not from the Earth Master Hall, so those rules don't apply.

"You might have needed them before, but now that I'm here, you don't."

There was absolutely no way he could accept these Earth Vein Crystals.

The old man grew anxious and knelt. "Lord Earth Master, this is everything Creek Mountain Village has. Please, for the sake of the children in our village, save us."

Yang Xiao froze. When did I say I wouldn't do it? A moment later, he realized the old man had misunderstood.

He said, "Village chief, I never said I wouldn't do Mountain Moving."

The old man froze in turn. "You'll move it without taking any money?"

Yang Xiao nodded, already cursing the people of the Earth Master Hall until not a scrap of dignity remained. They had completely ruined the reputation of Earth Masters. They were the very image of the old skinflint landlord Zhou.

The village chief still wanted to invite him into the village for a meal, but he politely declined.

Yang Xiao took Wei Qingshi into the mountain. It was quite large, and moving it would require the Mountain Moving Array.

Setting up the array would take roughly three days. He also had to survey the terrain and locate the veins running through the earth.

There were indeed many demonic beasts on the mountain, but most were in the Qi Gathering Realm. Very few had reached the Sea Condensation Realm.

Now he finally understood why Lord Pinghui insisted on Mountain Moving. The mountain contained spiritual energy, and wild beasts that stayed there long enough would naturally become demonic beasts. Even an ordinary Earth Master could not change that. Moving it away outright was a good solution.

Taking Wei Qingshi with him, he hunted down the mountain's Sea Condensation Realm demonic beasts so they would not endanger another area later.

Then the two surveyed the surrounding mountain country and eventually found a suitable spot. The area was sparsely populated, so moving the mountain there would leave no future trouble.

After finding a location, Yang Xiao returned and began setting up the array. Mountain Moving was a massive undertaking for him at his current level. A small hill would not take long, but this mountain was too large. He could only move it in three stages.

A day later, Yang Xiao finished setting up the Mountain Moving Array. He poured his magical power into it in a frenzy, and streams of Earth Vein Qi erupted from underground, lifting the mountain.

Suddenly, propelled by the Earth Vein Qi, the mountain moved in the planned direction.

With a thunderous crash, the mountain slammed into the ground. Terrified by the earthshaking commotion, the demonic beasts on it fled one after another.

Wei Qingshi stood guard nearby while Yang Xiao took out a pile of Earth Vein Crystals to restore his magical power.

After recovering his magical power, Yang Xiao moved the mountain twice more before finally bringing it to the intended location.

By then, Yang Xiao felt tired. It was not exhaustion from depleted magical power, but mental fatigue. Mountain Moving consumed not only magical power, but mental strength as well, which this world also called soul power.

That night, Yang Xiao raised a Blue Stone House and enjoyed a good night's sleep to replenish his mental strength.

The next day, Yang Xiao took Wei Qingshi back to Creek Mountain Village. Yesterday, he had noticed that the land around the village was unsuitable for growing crops. Forcing crops to grow there would only yield half the results for twice the effort.

Since he was already doing one good turn, he might as well do another.

Yang Xiao borrowed the power of the Earth Vein to alter the soil, then summoned a light rain that fell for half a day before leaving with Wei Qingshi.

"Lord Yang, you really are a good person," Wei Qingshi said, rubbing his head.

Using Void Stroll, Yang Xiao followed behind Wei Qingshi and rolled his eyes. He had actually been handed the "nice guy" card by a man. A chill of revulsion shot straight into his heart.

He said irritably, "I'm no good person. Good people have too hard a time surviving in this world, so my ambition is to be a bad person."