Clang, clang... clang, clang...
Dawn had barely broken when a rapid metallic clanging rang out.
He Pingsheng rubbed his eyes hard, forcing them open despite his drowsiness.
A new day had come.
Time to work again.
?
Something smelled wonderful!
The scene before He Pingsheng gradually came into focus. "Where's that smell coming from?"
He sprang upright in bed and swept his gaze around.
Suddenly... his pupils narrowed slightly. "This is..."
The entire room was dark, with only a sliver of dawn light shining through the window. Yet not far from the windowsill, a dark earthenware basin was filled with gleaming golden rice.
He Pingsheng rubbed his eyes hard again.
He had thought his eyes were playing tricks on him!
He gave his thigh a vicious pinch. Hiss... that hurt.
He wasn't dreaming!
His eyes weren't deceiving him!
This... is this really supreme-grade Spirit Rice?
At that moment, He Pingsheng's heart began pounding uncontrollably. He climbed out of bed and tiptoed over to the earthenware basin.
He plunged a hand into the golden rice, then gently turned it over.
It was golden rice all the way through.
Though this was his first time seeing it, He Pingsheng possessed that much basic knowledge. He knew that what lay before him was supreme-grade Spirit Rice.
But why had this happened?
Wasn't what that bastard Boss Zhang gave me yesterday half a basin of ordinary Spirit Rice, white with a faint green sheen?
When had it turned golden?
"Something's wrong..." He Pingsheng keenly noticed that not only had its quality changed, but its quantity seemed to have changed too.
Yesterday, there had been only half a basin of ordinary Spirit Rice. Today, there was an entire basin filled to the brim with golden, supreme-grade Spirit Rice.
What was going on?
Could someone have slipped into my room and left it here in secret?
He Pingsheng looked toward the door.
No!
The bolt was firmly in place, and the iron lock was securely locked from the inside.
No one could have come in.
Then what on earth had happened?
He Pingsheng puzzled over it endlessly, but could find no answer.
Bang, bang, bang... Just then, a thunderous pounding came from the door. "He Pingsheng... you still haven't fucking gotten up? Get your ass out of bed, eat, and get to work!"
Boss Zhang's vicious voice rang out from outside.
"I'm up, Boss Zhang! Coming right away!" He Pingsheng hurriedly shoved the basin of golden rice under his bed, haphazardly covered it with his clothes, then opened the door and headed to the dining hall with his large iron bowl.
His thoughts, however, were still on the golden Spirit Rice.
"Little He... eat some more meat so you'll have strength to work!" Old Bao at the dining hall dug out a generous ladleful of meat and dumped it into He Pingsheng's bowl. "Eat up!"
"Yes, yes... thank you, Uncle Bao!" Gratitude filled He Pingsheng's face. After getting his rice, he squatted beneath the eaves outside the dining hall and began wolfing down his food.
"Boy!" Boss Zhang walked up beside him and looked down at him. "I know you're tired, but that's no excuse to slack off!"
"Remember what I told you. Eat some Spirit Rice later. You must finish today's quota, or you can forget about sleeping tonight!"
"Yes, yes, yes..." He Pingsheng nodded as he wolfed down his food.
By the time Boss Zhang left, He Pingsheng had nearly finished his bowl.
"Uncle Bao!" He held out his empty bowl. "Give me another bowl!"
"Sure..." Old Bao wasn't stingy. He served He Pingsheng another large bowl of meat.
There was no shortage of meat in the Immortal Sect. It wasn't worth much.
After eating, He Pingsheng returned to his room, locked the door from the inside, and hauled the Spirit Rice out from beneath his bed.
Should I cook some Spirit Rice to eat?
"No... no..." The moment the idea occurred to him, He Pingsheng rejected it outright.
Why?
Because it smelled too good.
He had once helped Jiang Jian cook Spirit Rice, and he remembered that fragrance to this day. The rich aroma of rice could travel dozens of yards.
That had only been green, high-grade Spirit Rice, while mine is golden and supreme-grade.
If the fragrance is too strong and someone notices, won't they accuse me of stealing rice?
No. I absolutely can't cook it!
He Pingsheng grabbed a handful of golden Spirit Rice and swallowed it straight down.
If I can't cook it, I'll eat it raw!
After a few mouthfuls of Spirit Rice, He Pingsheng felt as though a ball of fire were burning in his belly.
No... more precisely, it was a comfortably warm fire burning slowly. That warmth surged from his belly into every limb and bone, instantly filling his whole body with seemingly inexhaustible strength.
Even the exhaustion from the previous day seemed to be swept away without a trace in that instant.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Incredible!
Golden rice really is something else.
Setting aside the question of where the golden rice had come from, He Pingsheng poured it out of the basin and into the leg of an unused pair of trousers. He tied both ends tightly and laid it on the bed, making a simple, ugly pillow.
Now, even if someone barged into his room, he wouldn't have to worry about them spotting anything suspicious!
Only after covering the pillow with some worn-out clothes did He Pingsheng cautiously leave the room.
He shouldered two enormous water buckets and ran toward Mountain Spring, his steps swift as flight.
The summer heat blazed down. By the time He Pingsheng reached the waterfall, he was already sweating heavily. He set down the buckets, went to the edge of the pool, and bent over to drink a couple of mouthfuls of cool water.
Refreshing!
But the spring water seemed to taste a little different.
He Pingsheng couldn't quite say how it had changed. It just seemed not to taste as good as before.
After drinking, he began working!
With two enormous wooden buckets full of spring water hanging from the pole on his shoulder, he actually felt that his load was much lighter today.
As He Pingsheng carried the water, he marveled at how amazing the Spirit Rice was. Just one handful gave me this much strength.
Trip after trip!
Before the morning was even over, He Pingsheng had filled the huge vat outside the Servant Disciples' dining hall.
He counted and found that he had already made ten trips.
Wasn't that far too fast?
Back at Mountain Spring, He Pingsheng did not hurry to carry more water. Instead, he rested.
Though he was only fourteen and still had a hazy understanding of certain things, he possessed a basic sense of danger.
He Pingsheng knew that finishing his quota this quickly would surely arouse Boss Zhang's suspicions. If Boss Zhang investigated, the golden rice might well be exposed.
At that point, death really wouldn't be far away.
So!
Better to be cautious and not move so fast.
Thus, for the rest of the midday and afternoon, He Pingsheng deliberately dawdled as he worked. Though the task was easy for him, he made it look extremely difficult.
It was not until long after nightfall that He Pingsheng finished his twenty trips carrying water.
Though he had made five more trips than yesterday, thanks to the Spirit Rice, the work had actually been considerably easier.
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