Ants and Worthless Weeds

"Senior Brother Hao!"

"Senior Brother Hao!"

He Pingsheng called out several more times, then returned to his room, his face full of unease.

What should I do?

His gaze swept across the room, taking in everything inside!

One earthenware basin!

Two jade bottles!

Two books!

The two jade bottles and two books, in particular, stood out like sore thumbs.

He Pingsheng was beginning to panic.

Why?

Because Senior Brother Hao had not returned. Most likely, something had happened to him.

Given the sort of man Uncle-Master Jade Virtue was, surely he would not be sharing wine and laughter with Senior Brother Hao?

Because of Senior Brother Hao, that woman named Linglong had been punished with three days of reflection at the Teleportation Plaza. Why had Uncle-Master Jade Virtue's disciples invited Senior Brother Hao over so conveniently, just as those three days ended?

Something must have happened!

He Pingsheng drew a deep breath. He could feel his hands shaking.

No...

I can't lose my head.

Something has happened to Senior Brother Hao. I mustn't let anything happen to me too.

He Pingsheng forced himself to calm down, then quickly dug up the floor, retrieved all twenty-four pills from the soil, and placed them into the jade bottles one by one!

He put twelve pills into each bottle.

Then he closed the lids.

Sure enough!

The next moment, the fragrance vanished.

The jade bottles... could perfectly conceal the medicinal fragrance emitted by supreme-grade pills.

But he certainly could not keep the pills on him. He Pingsheng buried the two jade bottles, together with the two books, beneath his bed!

He spread a layer of soil over them and covered it with a stone slab.

Then he swept away the excess dirt!

Not a trace remained!

As for the earthenware basin, He Pingsheng was not worried at all. No matter how one looked at it, it was just an ordinary old basin.

Once everything was done, he took two iron bowls and ran to the Servant Class to get food.

Even after he finished eating and the morning sun began to rise, He Pingsheng still had not caught sight of Senior Brother Hao Yun.

However, another Daoist, seemingly possessed of an immortal's bearing and a sage's mien, arrived in the Alchemy Hall's small courtyard.

He was tall, dressed in blue-green Daoist robes, with graying hair but a jet-black beard.

His expression did not look particularly pleasant.

"Greetings, master!" He Pingsheng respectfully cupped his hands and bowed.

Calling an unfamiliar immortal "master" could never go wrong.

The middle-aged cultivator raised his right hand and stroked the three strands of dark beard hanging over his chest. "I am Jade Virtue," he said indifferently.

"Jade..." He Pingsheng's voice trembled. "Uncle-Master Jade Virtue?"

"That's right!" Jade Virtue nodded. "You're that servant from the Servant Class, aren't you?"

He Pingsheng nodded. "Yes... this humble one's name is He Pingsheng!"

"Mm!" Jade Virtue asked with seeming nonchalance, "Hao Yun said his injuries healed so quickly because you gave him a Supreme Golden Bone Pill. Is that true?"

He Pingsheng's heart gave a violent thump, as though it were about to stop.

Senior Brother Hao... actually sold me out?

This is bad, this is bad...

I'm done for!

Now my secret will be discovered.

Losing the Treasure-Gathering Basin would be a small matter. Losing my life would be a much bigger one.

"Speak!" Jade Virtue suddenly roared.

His shout exploded beside He Pingsheng's ears like thunder.

He Pingsheng knew that his momentary hesitation had already half betrayed him.

Still, after practicing the [Basic Breathing and Qi-Guiding Method] these past few days, although he had not truly achieved qi drawing into the body, he could sense the fluctuations of spiritual qi around him. His mind had opened a little, and his reactions had become somewhat quicker.

At Jade Virtue's roar, he stammered, "M-Martial Senior Master... I know what a Golden Bone Pill is... but what is this Supreme Golden Bone Pill you mentioned?"

The question actually made Jade Virtue pause.

That's right...

How could a Servant Disciple possibly know what supreme grade meant?

"I heard that your Senior Sister Luo Yu gave you two Golden Bone Pills some time ago?" Jade Virtue stared at He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng said, "Yes... I don't know that fairy's name, but a fairy did give me a porcelain bottle with two pills inside!"

Jade Virtue asked, "Where are the pills?"

He Pingsheng said, "I ate one... the other was taken away, along with the porcelain bottle, by Boss Zhang, the head of the Servant Class..."

As he reached the end, He Pingsheng's voice grew quieter and quieter.

Jade Virtue watched him for more than a dozen breaths, then stepped forward and walked straight into He Pingsheng's room.

His gaze swept around the room, and he rummaged through its contents. Only after finding nothing suspicious did he come back out.

"He Pingsheng!" Jade Virtue looked up at the sky. "There's something I need you to do!"

"Yes!" He Pingsheng followed close behind Jade Virtue, his expression respectful.

Jade Virtue said, "Hao Yun was an alchemy attendant at the Alchemy Hall. Yesterday, I invited him over out of kindness, intending to treat his injuries. Unfortunately, a disagreement led to an argument with my disciple Linglong. In the end, they came to blows, and Linglong accidentally..."

"Accidentally..."

"Accidentally killed Hao Yun!"

Boom...

He Pingsheng's heart shook violently.

His entire body trembled.

Senior Brother Hao...

Was dead?

Just gone, like that?

"Don't grieve!" Jade Virtue said. "Every mortal has a fate ordained by heaven. This was a calamity he was destined to face."

"This was his fate... do you understand?"

By now, He Pingsheng had collapsed to the ground, his face filled with fear and bewilderment.

A thread of sorrow rose in his heart as well.

Senior Brother Hao was such a good man. How could he simply be gone?

Fate?

You kill someone, then say he had a bad fate?

What kind of bullshit reasoning is that?

Furious, He Pingsheng wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but at the crucial moment, he held himself back.

"Why?" He Pingsheng raised his head and looked at Jade Virtue. "Couldn't you have talked things through? Why did she have to kill him?"

"He was a good person!"

"Alas..." Jade Virtue sighed. "I am saddened as well. Linglong committed such a grave mistake that the Grand Ancestor already passed judgment on her last night!"

"This matter has been settled. You needn't ask any more questions!"

"In the eyes of immortals, what are ants and worthless weeds worth mentioning?"

"What is there to pity?"

Thud...

As he spoke, Jade Virtue took a clothed figure out of his Storage Bag and casually tossed it onto the ground.

It was a corpse.

Hao Yun!

There were seven sword wounds in Hao Yun's chest!

Every thrust had pierced straight through his body.

He Pingsheng trembled as he stared at Hao Yun before him. This was an accident?

"I've asked around. Hao Yun had no relatives or friends, and we have no idea where his family lives!"

"But he was your superior, after all. I'll leave his remains to you!"

"Find him a burial site with good feng shui and bury him!"

"Oh, right!" Jade Virtue paused, then added, "Bamboo Peak is a sacred haven for immortals. It mustn't be defiled... find somewhere in the outer sect!"

With that, Jade Virtue drifted away.

He Pingsheng sat on the ground, utterly lost for a time, as motionless as a wooden carving or a clay statue.

After a long while, He Pingsheng suddenly moved again.

He stood up from the ground and first closed the gates to the Alchemy Hall courtyard.

Then he closed the door to Hao Yun's room.

Finally, he walked into his own bedroom.

It was time to let something go.