Map

Evening, South Lake Market.

The stall area.

The stooped Gou Mu deftly gathered the miscellaneous books from his stall into his book chest, one by one.

These books filled the chest to the brim, with just enough room for all of them.

Already in his fifties, he came to the market every day with a chest of books on his back to sell.

Few people were willing to buy his books, though.

Yet he seemed to find sweetness even in that hardship.

Just as Gou Mu struggled to hoist the book chest onto his back and prepared to leave South Lake Market as usual, a burly figure blocked his way.

"Sorry, customer, I've already closed up. If you'd like to buy books, please come earlier tomorrow."

Gou Mu bowed, offering a humble, ingratiating smile. Paired with his mung-bean-sized eyes and stooped body, however, it always made people mistake him for a rat that had gained sentience.

Unexpectedly, the figure lowered his voice and asked, "Do you have... that sort of book here?"

A trace of wariness immediately flashed through Gou Mu's eyes, but he chuckled. "What sort of book do you mean, customer?"

"The kind with pictures..."

The burly figure brought his thumbs together and tapped them against each other.

An ambiguous smile that any man would understand appeared on his face.

Gou Mu immediately caught his meaning and nodded and bowed. "Of course I do. What price range are you looking for, customer?"

At the same time, he quickly looked the man over again.

The man was powerfully built, with a full beard, and wore a servant disciple's clothes. His face was entirely unfamiliar.

But the answer quickly dispelled Gou Mu's wariness.

"I want the book worth one hundred and seventy-two taels and three wen."

Gou Mu relaxed and hurriedly gave the prescribed response. "I don't have anything that expensive. Mine are only ten taels a copy. Would you like one?"

"Make it cheaper! How about five taels?" the burly man asked.

Gou Mu could not help frowning slightly. "These are all freshly gathered scenes, with beauties like jade and exquisite artwork. Nine taels and five wen at the very least!"

"Six taels!"

"Nine taels and two wen!"

"Seven taels!"

"Nine taels and one wen! If you don't want to buy, customer, please leave."

A trace of impatience appeared on Gou Mu's face.

The burly man hesitated before asking sheepishly, "Then how about nine taels?"

"Deal!"

The bargain was struck.

The burly man took out a black leather pouch, clutched it reluctantly, then pressed it into Gou Mu's hand.

Gou Mu reached inside and felt around, and soon smiled.

He then set down the book chest, took the books out one by one, found one to hand to the burly man, and afterward put the books back in order, one by one.

Strangely, despite being one book short, the chest was still filled to the brim, without the slightest gap!

The burly man looked astonished at the sight.

But Gou Mu promptly shouldered his book chest and hurried away.

The burly man also tucked the book into his robes and hurried out of the market.

There was no one around.

With no need for concealment, the burly man naturally revealed his true appearance.

It was Wang Ba!

At that moment, however, his face was full of pain at the expense.

"This lousy map actually cost nine Spirit Stones!"

"If it can't get me out of the sect, I'll have taken a terrible loss!"

Wang Ba had always understood himself very clearly.

He was merely an ordinary servant disciple with no ability to protect himself.

Even though he could transfer lifespan and possessed boundless potential, potential could not immediately become the strength he needed to gain a foothold in this world.

He needed time to turn that potential into reality.

And that came with a prerequisite: he had to stay alive first.

Yet the Eastern Saint Sect now gave him the feeling of treacherous waves and shifting clouds.

Even a core member like the Outer Sect's senior disciple, who served as a public figurehead, could suddenly drop dead, let alone an insignificant servant disciple like him.

Besides, both Shopkeeper Lu and the Outer Sect disciple named Zhao Feng had warned him.

Heed others' advice, and you would eat your fill.

Although leaving the sect meant giving up the vast supply of Precious Chickens and ample chicken feed he never needed to worry about, Wang Ba still decided to leave!

But if entering the sect was difficult, leaving was harder still.

Over the past few days, Wang Ba had made discreet inquiries around the market and gained some understanding of how difficult leaving the sect would be.

Normally, without sufficient reason, servant disciples within the sect had to pass through layers of review by the External Affairs Office even if they only wanted to leave on business.

And servant disciples like Wang Ba, who belonged to the Ten Thousand Beasts Office, also needed that office to release them.

But that alone was hardly realistic.

Wang Ba raised chickens at Dingzi Manor, where every radish had its own hole.

What was more, Wang Ba was the only person at Dingbaqi Manor.

That meant someone would have to take his place if he left the sect.

But that was clearly unlikely.

Under ordinary circumstances, exceptions were only made for people like Old Sun, who left the mountain in old age, or those required to leave the sect to purchase supplies.

Furthermore, before they left, the sect would make certain arrangements on their bodies.

According to an unnamed blabbermouth, this was to prevent servant disciples from spreading the sect's secrets or texts outside.

Wang Ba found that explanation quite convincing.

Otherwise, the Body-Strengthening Scripture would not have enjoyed such great renown outside while no authentic copy ever circulated there.

Of course, looking at it now, it seemed more like bait.

It lured people like them, who dreamed of seeking immortality and the Dao, into toiling like oxen and horses for cultivators without complaint or regret.

In short, leaving the sect through normal channels was difficult beyond measure.

And leaving through irregular channels was even more impossible.

How heaven-defying would a mortal's luck have to be to evade all the cultivators' layers of eyes and ears without a hitch?

Of course, nothing in this world was absolute.

After racking his brains these past few days, Wang Ba had actually found a way.

That way was "Rat-Head Gou Mu."

He was a descendant of a sect disciple. Though not a cultivator himself, he was rumored to possess a knack for burrowing underground, digging passages a hundred feet below the surface that connected the inside and outside of the sect, allowing servant disciples and stewards to come and go.

But he had an exceedingly peculiar rule.

Each underground passage could only be used once.

If someone left the sect and wanted to return, they had to buy another map from him.

The reverse was also true.

And to ensure buyers kept purchasing, any passage that had been used would immediately be destroyed.

Although the price was staggering, there were still quite a few servant disciples with substantial wealth.

Thus, his reputation gradually spread among the servant disciples.

Of course, that reputation extended only to those who could afford his services.

"I hope you won't disappoint me."

Wang Ba carefully opened the book.

To his surprise, he discovered that its pages really were filled with delightful pictures of beauties.

Both the fine details and the boldly innovative proportions were eye-opening.

Unfortunately, in his efforts to ensure that the roosters and hens mated successfully, Wang Ba had seen far too much stimulating material. These pictures could no longer move him in the slightest.

He leafed through the entire book without a ripple in his heart and finally found the proper way to unlock it.

The map was hidden on the red-painted toenail of a beauty in one of the pictures...