“He, he first pushed Meng He Ze down, but for some reason, he jumped down too. This subordinate then returned to report.”

Zhao Yu Ping’s face darkened, squeezing two words through his teeth: “Useless fool.”

The young steward dared not argue.

The night wind blew rain, and chilliness permeated the entire room.

Zhao Yu Ping turned his head, looking down from the window, his gaze falling on those shabby dormitories.

Every year, countless youths from the mortal world, with average spiritual roots and aptitude, having nothing, yet harboring dreams of instant ascension to immortality, crowded into the Hua Wei Sect as outer disciples.

They were clever, hardworking, did more, received less, strived to curry favor with the inner sect, and desperately fought against each other.

Among them, those who truly leaped like fish becoming dragons, and defying fate, were one in a thousand.

The others, after many years, recognizing reality, would go manage the sect’s properties down the mountain, living diligently and ordinarily like mortals. Their only wish was to extend their lifespans, living much longer than ordinary people.

These successive waves of flesh and blood fertilizer nourished great sects like the Hua Wei Sect in the cultivation world, keeping them thriving and prosperous forever.

Outer disciples were like adorable autumn grasshoppers; occasionally, some self-important or truly extraordinary ones appeared, but they couldn’t jump out of his palm.

But why did Song Qian Ji go crazy? Why did he jump down too?

Did he not want to live anymore? Did he not want to cultivate immortality anymore?

Don’t be ridiculous.

“Who promised him benefits, making him dare to ruin my plans!”

Zhao Yu Ping narrowed his eyes, recalling every detail of his interactions with Song Qian Ji.

That youth with his thoughts written all over his face absolutely didn’t have the ability to change his mind on the spot.

Who else had bribed him, instigated him?

Was it the Discipline Hall or the Law Enforcement Hall?

Managing the outer sect was most profitable, and those old immortals had long wanted a piece of the pie.

They were truly patient, waiting until the night before the entrance assessment, the final moment, to strike, hoping to catch him off guard.

Dream on.

A mere outer disciple, less valuable than a chess piece.

Zhao Yu Ping: “Go, send people to search the bottom of the cliff. Search every inch of the ground thoroughly. Even if they’ve been smashed to meat paste, piece together their forms for me!”

The young steward tentatively asked: “And if they’re truly still alive…”

Zhao Yu Ping smiled: “Broken Mountain Cliff blocks spiritual energy; two early Qi Condensation stage cultivators couldn’t possibly survive falling from a cliff. Understand?”

Lightning tore through the rainy night, illuminating his strange smile.

The young steward nodded repeatedly: “Understood, understood!”

“Take reliable people, and keep it clean.”

Zhao Yu Ping took out another tea set, lightly dusted his robes, and sat down again.

Since tonight was destined for sleeplessness, he might as well brew a pot of strong tea and wait for the rain to stop.

***

By the bonfire, Song Qian Ji stuffed the red spirit jade prayer beads back to Meng He Ze, as if returning a hot potato: “Don’t casually show them to others in the future!”

Meng He Ze: “Senior Brother Song, this is a small token of my sincerity. Please accept it.”

“It’s not just a spiritual item but also a high-grade magical artifact. However, it requires specific cultivation techniques to fully demonstrate its superior combat power.”

“What?” Meng He Ze jumped up. “A high-grade magical artifact? Really?”

Song Qian Ji nodded.

Meng He Ze, still in shock, murmured: “Doesn’t that mean… it’s more powerful than Steward Zhao’s mid-grade artifact, the ‘Yin-Yang Jade Ruler’?”

He didn’t doubt Song Qian Ji’s words at all, holding the spirit bead bracelet with both hands, trembling slightly.

High-grade magical artifacts were only possible for inner disciples to possess, and that was in the wealthy and powerful Hua Wei Sect.

Song Qian Ji: “Don’t be too happy yet. Its aura isn’t orthodox. According to my experience studying ancient artifact appraisal texts, it seems to be an item of the evil path. The Buddhist cultivator who gave you this artifact probably didn’t have good intentions.”

The so-called study of ancient texts was naturally nonsense, fortunately, the current Meng Zheng Xian was inexperienced, lacking cultivation knowledge, and very gullible.

Song Qian Ji continued:

“Even if you have the opportunity to obtain the matching cultivation technique in the future, you must be cautious. You should first drop blood to establish ownership. When your cultivation breaks through the Lesser Vehicle stage, and your spirit becomes stronger, your mind more resolute, then completely refine it and store it in your cinnabar field…”

“Thank you, Senior Brother!” Meng He Ze’s emotions surged. He immediately channeled spiritual power to pierce his fingertip, forcing out a drop of blood from his heart.

The blood droplet fell and disappeared in a flash. The red jade prayer beads turned a deep blood-red color, with the character “Zheng Xian” emitting a faint glow.

Meng He Ze’s young face was illuminated by the red light, and he instinctively held his breath.

Before tonight, if someone had told him he would possess a high-grade magical artifact, he would have asked why they were teasing him.

So this was the feeling of having one’s magical artifact.

All those uncertainties, anxieties, and confusions were swept away, and he had unlimited expectations for the future.

Meng He Ze came back to his senses and re-examined Song Qian Ji.

He saw that the other’s expression was normal, with even a trace of approval in his eyes.

Throughout the entire “treasure appraisal” process, Song Qian Ji didn’t show a hint of greed, every word considering only his interests, which even blood brothers would find difficult to do.

He asked himself, if he were in Song Qian Ji’s position, with the opportunity to take a high-grade magical artifact for himself, he would likely hesitate, waver, and struggle before returning it to its owner.

But Song Qian Ji, as the most hardworking, most eager outer disciple to climb the immortal path, with strong abilities and broad knowledge, still maintained an upright heart and adhered to his principles.

Meng He Ze’s eyes reddened again: “I once thought that among the outer disciples, I was an outstanding gentleman, but compared to Senior Brother, I’m truly ashamed. I’ve misunderstood Senior Brother too much in the past. Senior Brother is truly…”

Song Qian Ji hurriedly denied: “I’m not! Don’t talk nonsense.”

He thought, as someone planning to go farming, what use would I have for your Buddhist prayer beads?

To give last rites to earthworms?

Meng He Ze just thought he was being modest: “Senior Brother Song, what do we do after we go back? Will Steward Zhao let us go as long as Zhao Ji Heng gets the inner sect position? I don’t think it’s that simple.”

Song Qian Ji thought, not bad, he knows to be practical, focusing on solving the immediate problem first, not getting carried away by a high-grade magical artifact.

Having been a rogue cultivator, coming and going alone, stubbornly going his own way, he rarely sought others’ opinions. But since his current teammate had been an evil path overlord and chaos-causing devil, he was willing to treat him as a person:

“What do you think? Tell me.”

Meng He Ze: “I just want to hear Senior Brother Song’s thoughts!”

Song Qian Ji was momentarily speechless.

Forget it. The fourteen-year-old Meng He Ze, who just had tears and snot all over his face while hanging on the cliff, shouldn’t be treated seriously yet.

Song Qian Ji: “Then let’s pretend.”

Meng He Ze got up nimbly, scanning the cave once:

“Pretend what? How much? You rest, I’ll do the pretending!”

Song Qian Ji: “…”

Pretend to be impressive, brother!

Do I need to teach you this skill?

Song Qian Ji coughed lightly twice: “Pretend you have someone backing you.”

“Don’t scare me; this cave is creepy.”

Meng He Ze instinctively looked behind him, patting his chest, “Do you want to use a tiger’s skin as a flag, to pit tiger against wolf? But Steward Zhao wields absolute power in the Steward’s Hall. Who would he fear?”

“The Steward’s Hall is like an iron bucket, but what about outside the Steward’s Hall?” Song Qian Ji picked up a twig and drew three overlapping circles on the ground, one above and two below:

“This is the Steward’s Hall, which issues sect missions and manages personnel.”

“This is the Discipline Hall, which sets rules, issues decrees, and holds hearings.”

“This is the Law Enforcement Hall, which carries out rewards and punishments, and also manages sect security.”

“The three halls jointly manage all matters of the Hua Wei Sect, and any issues can be reported directly to the Sect Leader. They stand like a tripod, checking and balancing each other. Everyone wants to grab the good things, and no one wants to take the blame. On the surface, they’re harmonious, but in reality, no one submits to anyone else.”

Song Qian Ji recalled his situation as a youth and said calmly:

“Zhao Yu Ping is suspicious by nature. This time, with his plot failing, he certainly won’t be content, and must find out where the problem is, clarify why I went back on my word, escaping his control.”

Meng He Ze listened, wanting to applaud: “Makes sense!”

Song Qian Ji tossed away the twig: “So you might as well turn the tables, pretend you have evidence of his ‘abuse of power and harm to outer disciples,’ and that you have supporters behind you, making him afraid to act rashly. You just need to practice the technique I taught you, hold out until the Ascending Fame Gathering, and you can leave the outer sect, no longer under his control.”

This method was cowardly and timid, but it was easy and reliable. Song Qian Ji thought Meng He Ze could handle it himself.

However, Meng He Ze didn’t notice that he said ‘you,’ not ‘we,’ thinking Song Qian Ji was praising and trusting him. He slapped Song Qian Ji’s right shoulder:

“Let’s do as Senior Brother says. I definitely won’t disappoint Senior Brother’s expectations.”

“Sss—” Song Qian Ji drew in a sharp breath.

Calm down, I have no expectations of you!

Song Qian Ji pressed his palm, “Give me a hand; let me set this arm first. Support it here, hold it steady.”

Meng He Ze was filled with guilt: “I was too busy talking with you, forgetting you’re still injured. Do you want to set the bone yourself? Can you do it? Let’s go to the outer sect’s medical pavilion. The medical cultivator there knows me well. I may not have other abilities, but I have upright character and good relationships…”

Song Qian Ji thought to himself, who praises themselves like this?

He applied force, and the bone made a crisp cracking sound.

“Help me find some branches to make a frame to stabilize it.”

Meng He Ze was stunned by his skilled technique: “You…”

“Shh.” Song Qian Ji’s expression changed slightly, and he said softly: “Someone’s coming to search the mountain.”

Meng He Ze focused on his hearing. Beyond natural sounds, he caught very faint footsteps, breathing, and falling stones.

Zhao Yu Ping’s lackeys!

A flash of anger and fierceness passed through the youth’s eyes, and then he looked at Song Qian Ji trustingly, trying to mouth:

“What do we do?”

“Don’t be afraid.” Song Qian Ji hadn’t noticed his change in expression and comforted the youth, “I’ll teach you another technique to conceal your aura, hiding your presence, merging with heaven and earth, blending with the dust. Once mastered, you can also use it in battle.”

Meng He Ze thought, Senior Brother Song knows everything. He’s truly a divine person.

With so many skills, if he truly intended to harm me, dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough. Tonight he faced danger with me, all because he wanted to save me.

What virtue do I have, and how can I repay him?

Spring was chilly, and a curtain of rain trickled at the cave entrance. As time passed, the water droplets became intermittent.

Before dawn, the searchers, having found nothing, gradually moved away.

The smell of earth mixed with bonfire smoke floated in the cave. Both wore tattered outer robes, faces covered in dirt, quite fitting the image of “brothers in adversity.”

Song Qian Ji closed his eyes to rest, observing the Purification Bottle and Immortal Spring in his cinnabar field.

Meng He Ze alternated between examining the prayer beads and examining Song Qian Ji, not feeling “sharing in hardship” but rather “there must be future blessings.”

Even on the cold rainy night, disheveled all over, the young man could still daydream:

“This cliff fall has turned misfortune into a blessing. I must stand out at the Ascending Fame Gathering and enter the inner sect. Once I’ve succeeded in cultivation, gathering the three flowers, the continent’s four main regions, and thirty-six counties, the seven seas’ seventy-two islands, will be for us brothers to travel freely. What’s the Hua Wei Sect? What’s Steward Zhao? Make him, no, make him shine your shoes and wash your feet, twenty times a day…”

Hehe, such brotherly behavior. Song Qian Ji didn’t respond.

Meng He Ze rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the rain: “When all the major sects and powerful clans gather at the Ascending Fame Gathering, I wonder what a grand scene it will be. I’ve only heard that the four regions are vast and rich and that great figures are peerlessly elegant, but every day we either dig for spirit stones, shovel spirit beast dung, or plant seedlings in spirit fields.

“The exciting cultivation world outside, spoken of so grandly, we haven’t seen a damn thing.”

At this point, his eyes revealed undisguised yearning:

“Senior Brother, do you think Immortal Maiden Miao Yan will come? I want to see the number one beauty of the cultivation world with my own eyes. But even if she comes, outer disciples like us probably won’t see her, right?”

Immortal Maiden Miao Yan. The number one beauty.

Song Qian Ji’s expression instantly froze.