"I should finish my task before I leave for the mysterious realm", he thought as he left his room, quietly heading back to the Forest of Remorse.
Arriving back to the Forest of Remorse, there were about 500 spirit trees left as he could see that Chu Yang hadn't put much effort in helping him with his task.
"Let's see if I can finish cutting all of the spirit trees before we leave for the expedition", Tang Lin muttered competitively.
As he picked up the axe, it was as light as a feather as he chopped all of the spirit logs with ease as if they were butter.
In three hours, he had already managed to cut 250 spirit logs using purely his physical strength.
"I wonder how fast I can cut them now using qi", he thought.
Crimson light shined brighter as he gradually released his qi, covering the blade of the axe. The light cleaved the rest of the spirit wood in a clean manner within half the time it took him using just brute force.
It was starting to get late in the afternoon when he returned to the courtyard of the Servant District as he grouped up with the other servants who were preparing to depart for the expedition.
An incense stick of time passed by the time Old Gu and the Xu patriarch arrived. Following behind them were the two young masters of the Xu family, Xu Yang and Xu Ming along with some elders.
Now able to control his emotions better, Tang Lin remained calm in their presence as he listened to Xu Lin give out a small speech to the servants.
"In this expedition, you guys will be going to a mysterious realm above the Tianshan mountains. This will be a dangerous journey, but it is also one filled with opportunities. Don't forget, all of you serve the Xu family and are all obligated to ensure the safety of the young masters," said Xu Lin shamelessly.
With a slight frown, Tang Lin continued to listen to all of the important details given by Xu Lin.
"Elder Xu Yi will be the leader of this expedition and will protect all of you until you reach the mysterious realm. Remember, there will be other family clans, sects and wandering cultivators participating, so don't make my family lose face out there", Xu Lin ordered.
"Now, depart!" he commanded, sweeping his hand horizontally before turning around.
Whilst watching them leave, Gu Dong felt indescribable emotions as all of the young boys and girls he had taken care of were about to be sent to their deaths.
"I wish you all luck and safety", muttered Gu Dong as he listened to the sound of footsteps and horses.
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Gu Dong left the courtyard as he headed to the back of the Xu family's estate.
"I guess it's time to finish the newcomer's task", he thought, turning around the corner of the building.
"Sigh, I don't know whether I should be happy or be crying about this now, what a waste of good talent", he exhaled softly as he looked at 1000 cut spirit wood lined up in a neat manner before looking up at the dawning sun.
***
*Sound of footsteps and trotting*
Tang Lin looked back into the distance behind him. The Xu family and their massive estate couldn't be seen anymore, but he didn't feel any sense of attachment to the place. His mother was killed by them and they were oppressing him. There were no fond memories and instead he felt a sense of liberation, a sense of a new beginning.
"We'll be arriving at the Tianshan mountains in two days, but along the way we will need to pass through the Forest of Remorse. So be careful and don't leave the group without my permission, because there are powerful beasts lurking around, especially at night", elder Xu Yi warned sternly.
According to what Tang Lin knew, they lived in the Youlan continent, which was split up into three territories with Dongshan Yu in the east, Nanshan empire in the south and Xishan Yu in the west. In the centre of the continent were the Tianshan mountains and in the north, no one controlled the Forest of Remorse that slightly protruded into the Dongshan Yu province.
Currently, they were in the Dongshan Yu province, which was controlled by the Xu, Fang, Yan and Ye clan. The Fang clan and Yan clan were at war, but the Fang clan's grand ancestor who protected them, passed away a year ago leading to their decay in power. So, the Yan clan started to act very aggressively, trying to oppress them as much as possible in order to force a marriage between their young master Yan and Miss Fang Yue. Luckily, the powerhouse of the Dongshan Yu province, the Ye clan, was a neutral faction who governed the largest city in their area, Ye city.
This was what had slowed down the Fang clan's ruin so far as the Yan clan didn't want to needlessly make enemies with the Ye clan. He and his mother had originally lived in Ye city, but they were near the outskirts where security was loose, which was why the Xu family was able to bully and kill his mother without much trouble. Besides that, Tang Lin didn't know too much about the situation inside the Nanshan empire and Xishan Yu district.
"Stop now. Everyone be on your guard and figure out the order of who swaps turns to keep watch throughout the night", ordered Elder Xu Yi, as he looked at the approaching darkness invading the sky.