The act

"That chicken-raising servant disciple... is rather cautious."

Perhaps because of Liu Changfeng's death, Yu Changchun was noticeably more serious. He thought for a moment, then said:

"But yesterday, the moment we left, he couldn't wait to read the secret technique. And I watched him for most of the day. Apart from feeding the chickens, he spent almost all his time hiding in his room reading it. Presumably, he still hasn't let go of his obsession with having a Spiritual Root. People like that are the easiest to deal with. I reckon that once the Human Puppet visits today, he'll certainly start fishing for information."

"And unless I'm mistaken, he'll also be interested in where the Human Puppet had his bone replaced... as long as he's interested, he'll naturally want to try it. Once he starts attempting the bone-replacement method from the second volume that the Human Puppet deliberately lets slip to him, what happens afterward will no longer be up to him."

As for whether he joined the Immortal Ascension Society, did it matter?

"Three days. In three days at most, he'll definitely be one of us!"

Yu Changchun gave a measured, confident estimate.

Li Zhi's smile remained, but his attitude was somewhat more reserved:

"My thinking differs from yours. This fellow is very cautious. I tried several times before to shake his defenses with the secret of the Body-Strengthening Scripture, but he barely reacted. Either he keeps his cards close to his chest, or he doesn't care at all. In my view, the former is more likely."

"Three days might not be enough. We still need to be careful, in case he has other plans."

Though Yu Changchun disagreed, he couldn't help recalling Liu Changfeng, who had been slain because of an oversight. He nodded nonetheless:

"There are too many restrictions here. We can't act freely, so we really mustn't underestimate these mortals... oh, the Human Puppet is here!"

Both immediately looked toward the Water Mirror.

In the Water Mirror, a servant disciple driving a donkey cart entered the area under surveillance, humming a tune.

The servant disciple looked to be in his forties or fifties. His blue robe had gone unwashed for a long time and was covered in grime. Even the hair on his head had become a fluffy, tangled mess from lack of care. It was Old Hou.

Perhaps because he had joined the Immortal Ascension Society, his physical condition was steadily improving, and he now had hope of forming a Spiritual Root, Old Hou seemed to be in an excellent mood.

He knew that at his age, even if he formed a Spiritual Root, he might not accomplish much. But weren't people just like that? Always blindly confident in themselves.

Perhaps before long, he would stumble upon some cave abode left behind by an immortal and soar into the heavens in a single leap?

Cultivating in his old age-hah, that had quite a thrill to it too!

Given the chance, he also wanted to shout a certain line at those who usually looked down on him:

"Don't scorn an old man for being poor!"

Then, one day, he would return in glory to the hometown he had left thirty years ago and never dared return to, holding his head high and basking in the admiring gazes of his peers who had stayed home and long since made names for themselves.

That's right!

The reason I, Old Hou, never went home wasn't that I'd done so badly I didn't dare return. It was because I was riding the winds and commanding the clouds among immortals, with no time for mortal ants like you!

"Unfortunately, the Immortal Ascension Society sticks its nose into far too much. Without permission, they won't let us tell outsiders anything."

At the thought of the horrifying scene he had witnessed when the Immortal Ascension Society punished members who broke the rules, Old Hou swallowed hard in fright.

Still, that didn't stop him from repeatedly savoring the immensely satisfying story of how thirty years could turn the river's east bank into its west.

The donkey cart soon reached the foot of Dingbaqi Manor.

"The steward seems to think quite highly of Brother Wang. If Brother Wang joins the society, I'll earn another merit and be able to exchange another bone. That might just be enough to form my Spiritual Root!"

"I wonder how Brother Wang's been getting on with his decision."

Old Hou muttered to himself.

Then he shouted toward the Mountain Manor, "Brother Wang, come down and get the chicken feed!"

Soon, a familiar figure walked down from the Mountain Manor.

"Old Hou, you're finally here! I've been waiting quite a while for you!"

Old Hou replied with a laugh, "What are you waiting for me for? I'm no beautiful immortal maiden..."

Despite his words, he still helped Brother Wang carry two buckets up.

They chatted for a while. Seeing Wang Ba look as though he wanted to speak but kept holding back, Old Hou was inwardly amused. He recalled acting much the same way when he had first learned of the Immortal Ascension Society, and said with a smile, "If you've got something to say, Brother Wang, just say it. Why are you being so coy?"

At that, the other man gritted his teeth and said, "Old Hou, tell me honestly. What exactly does this Immortal Ascension Society do? I've been in the Sect for almost a year, yet I've never heard the slightest thing about it. It's hidden so deep that I can't help feeling something's wrong!"

"If you feel something's wrong, then you've got it right!"

Old Hou had honed his patter through repeated practice until it was thoroughly polished. He could toss out such deliberately startling remarks with ease. He glanced around before lowering his voice mysteriously. "The head of this Immortal Ascension Society rose from the ranks of servant disciples too. That's why he looks after us servant disciples so well. Of course, there's a price. Once you join the society, replace your bones, and gain a Spiritual Root, you have to stand with our society head, heart and soul!"

"To put it bluntly, we're the diehard loyalists the society head is raising. How could he dare let anyone else know?"

"But although we'll have to obey the society head from now on, it's still an opportunity for us. What else can we rely on-the Body-Strengthening Scripture?"

Old Hou's words seemed to have struck Brother Wang deeply. He stood stunned for a good while before asking, "Then... could this society head be Meng Randao?"

Meng Randao was the only one among the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples who had risen from the ranks of servant disciples.

"No, although Meng Randao holds a fairly high position in the Sect, I've heard he's being sidelined. He doesn't have that much influence. Could it be... Elder He, the head of the Mountain-Cleansing Office?"

Brother Wang couldn't help offering another guess.

Old Hou deliberately smiled without answering, though inwardly he was somewhat surprised that Brother Wang had actually guessed correctly.

Still, there weren't many who had risen from servant disciple status, so it wasn't difficult to guess.

Brother Wang was clever too. Seeming to grasp something from Old Hou's attitude at once, he hurriedly slipped him several Spirit Chicken eggs, then asked about his bone replacement.

Old Hou carefully lifted his blue robe, exposing a long, narrow scar at his waist.

"The pelvis?!"

Surprise showed in Brother Wang's eyes.

"That's right! I had to earn plenty of merit to get this pelvis replaced. This is the pelvis of a Qi Refining cultivator! According to the steward, if a Spiritual Root forms, there's an eighty percent chance it'll be Metal-Fire-Earth Three Spiritual Roots. Though that's middling to low grade, it's still better than five Spiritual Roots."

Old Hou spoke smugly.

Envy immediately appeared in Brother Wang's eyes.

But Old Hou knew well that haste made waste. Rather than pressing his advantage, he quit while he was ahead. "All right, I've still got chicken feed to deliver. Damn it, I was late yesterday, and that son of a bitch at Ninety-Two Manor cursed me out again. Hah, once I become an immortal, I'll give him a few good slaps across the face!"

With that, he left, still swearing.

Only Brother Wang remained standing there, his eyes seemingly filled with longing.

And this scene was also reflected in the Water Mirror before Yu Changchun and Li Zhi, in a distant mountain hollow.

"Well?"

Yu Changchun looked smugly at Li Zhi. "With that story I instructed the Human Puppet to tell, we can win him over within three days, can't we?"

Yet there wasn't a trace of expression on Li Zhi's blurred face. "You had the Human Puppet tell him that He Lin, the head of the Mountain-Cleansing Office, is one of us?"

Yu Changchun asked in puzzlement, "What of it? It's not as though this servant disciple could go to He Lin and confront him. Even if we lied to him, what would it matter?"

"That's not it."

Li Zhi stared at him and, expressionlessly, said something that instantly left Yu Changchun dumbstruck:

"He Lin really is one of us."