"Nooo!!!" the kids desperately tried to resist, but Yang Wu easily dominated them and lead them into the punishment cave, it was the perfect place for troublemakers.
"A new bunch?" an old man greeted them after they entered, "Ah, that's right, I heard a bunch destroyed part of the main building."
"I'm Yang Wu, the one in charge of leading them here," Yang Wu smiled, "According to the rules, they should be imprisoned for a few days and teach a very good lesson."
"Kkekeke," the old man pointed to a door and said, "That's where they will be living, the executors inside will handle the rest."
"Nooo! I won't do it again, please pardon me!" the kids began to ask and beg for forgiveness.
Yang Wu smiled warmly, giving them hope, but then said, "Can you enter by yourselves or need my... help?"
The kids looked at his fists, as if reminded of something, and looked around as if seeking a way out.
"Hmph!" the old man simply waved his hand and a strong gale arrested the four to their demise.
"Noooooooooooo!" was the last thing Yang Wu heard them saying before they entered the dark door.
"I heard of you, the new caretaker, you seem to possess an unusual status, am I right?" the old man changed the topic.
"I'm just someone lucky," Yang Wu answered with modesty.
"Bah!" the old man sneered, "How can luck give you this job? I bet you are a disciple of someone great."
"About this, can I ask something?" Yang Wu seemed confused.
"Say it."
"Why do people seem to put this job in so high esteem, the pay is just regular and there weren't any apparent great benefits," Yang Wu asked.
"Everyone wants to try the secret recipe," the old man scoffed.
"Secret recipe?" an interrogation mark almost popped into existence above Yang Wu's head.
"Do you know how many kids live in this place?" the old man asked.
"Tens of thousands..."
"Yes, but a single person prepares their meals, only one person!" the old man explained with red eyes, "Granny Ye! The great mysterious divine cook of those lands!"
"It's the first time I'm hearing about this," Yang Wu raised his eyebrows.
"Granny Ye has only one hobby, and that's to cook for kids, that's why she lives here in her old age," the old man continued, "Each of her meals is counted, and she cooks nothing for anyone that isn't a kid from the orphanage. Even the Sect Master is no exception."
"Is the food she cooks of great benefit for us cultivators?" Yang Wu asked, "But why do most of those kids have no cultivation, then?"
"Because her secret recipe, which is poured into every meal, has no benefit in increasing the cultivation base," the old man's eyes began to get even redder, "Rather, the main benefit is increasing the cultivator's talent!"
"!!!" Yang Wu was shocked and quickly asked, "How much?"
"Although it's not to the extent of making a trash person turn into a genius, there are many cases of it increasing the cultivation speed up to 40%! Do you understand now!?"
Yang Wu took a deep breath and contained his shock, asking, "But it sure has limitations, how many meals one has to eat to get such great results?"
"This is the greatest mystery!" the old man's voice began to turn rough, "Although each meal carries the same secret recipe, not every time you eat the meal your talent will increase. You might eat those meals for years and still not get any benefit, but a single meal might give you tremendous benefits!"
"It's a lottery!?" Yang Wu exclaimed.
"Almost, and that's the reason everyone wants to work here because they can try and trade with the kids for their meals," the old man said in a deep tone, "But the kids are smart, and they wouldn't give you their meals without enough benefits, so prepare to bleed."
Yang Wu felt a bit overwhelmed by the turn of events, he never imagined things were so complicated.
"Is the secret recipe a kind of dip or something?" he asked for more details.
"Another mystery," the old man shook his head, "No one knows what it exactly is, and the meals aren't the same every time."
"How marvelous," Yang Wu sighed, "Thank you for teaching me those things."
"Just this?" the old man scoffed and made a signal with his hand.
Yang Wu twitched the corners of his mouth and silently gave him some Qi Stones.
During the rest of the day, Yang Wu took care of all things concerning the kids around him. If some kid was sick and no other caretaker was in charge, he would take care of the kid. If a kid did something wrong, he would impart the punishment. If other caretakers requested help, he would help. If someone of higher ranking gave him an order, he would carry it to the end.
When the day ended and the night was already deep, he returned to his master's cave. He was mentally tired, even though he wasn't an ordinary human being anymore.
"Taking care of so many kids is no joke..." Yang Wu sighed as he entered his room, he was tired but had no mood to sleep, "Disciple greets honorable master!"
"Sit down," his master smiled and ordered, "I have something important to discuss with you."
Yang Wu sat on his cushion and waited for his master to begin his speech.
"You made some waves in the arena, your fake identity is famous," Yu Jing laughed, "It's a bit rare for someone supposedly at the seventh layer to defeat someone at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment.
"But we know well that your true cultivation is still far from that, I can only say... as expected of me!" Yu Jing caressed his beard in satisfaction, "I sure have good eyes for people."
Yang Wu sighed and said nothing.
"Ahem, other than that," Yu Jing awkwardly changed the topic, "I received an order for above to make some things clear to you."
"Above?" Yang Wu raised his eyebrows.
"Not from this sect," Yu Jing said with narrowed eyes.
"Are you sure no one can spy on us right now?" Yang Wu asked with a deep voice.
"I'm using a special artifact to shield our conversation, not even someone at the level of the Sect Master can spy on us," Yu Jing clarified, "Don't worry about dying a worthless death... just now."
"Hehe," Yang Wu sneered.
"Anyway, it wasn't part of my plan to say those things to you so quickly, but my superior ordered, so I have no choice," Yu Jing said with a sigh, "As you already noticed, I have some ill intentions towards this Sect. More specifically, some people of high status.
"But I'm not alone in this, I'm part of an organization called 'Time Flies.' Since my birth, I was already someone from that organization, so don't think of me as a cheap traitor anymore, okay? I have never been loyal to this sect after all."
Yang Wu nodded and said nothing, suggesting with his eyes for Yu Jing to continue.
"I was ordered to infiltrate this sect, get a high status, and discover some secrets... I not only managed to escape lots of dangers but also completed my task. But now the organization wants me to kill and rob, it's honestly tiring...
"I had to pay a huge price to make a divination and only then found a way out for me."
"And it involves me," Yang Wu said with understanding eyes.
"Yes, you are my way out, although I don't fully understand how," Yu Jing nodded, "I... accidentally reported to my superior you knew of my intentions, so she gave me the order to recruit you into our ranks without delay.
"I originally planned to say those things later, when you cultivated to higher heights, but I have no choice but obey her..."
"So? What do I do?" Yang Wu asked.
Yu Jing took a small red pill and showed it to him.
After a short silence, Yang Wu muttered, "Poison."
"No," Yu Jing shook his head, "It's a Fate Pill."
"Never heard about it," Yang Wu showed confusion.
"If you make an oath after taking it, this oath will penetrate the depths of your soul... if you ever break your oath, your soul will dissipate, or you will at least lose all your memories and become an incurable idiot, no one can avoid this. It's a very expensive thing."
"Fair enough," Yang Wu took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation, "What oath do you need me to make?"
"Swear you will never betray the organization, and will always be obedient to its orders."
"I can only swear I will never betray it," Yang Wu said with a smile, "Just so you know, I chewed and digested that pill, so even if you kill me, it's useless.
"If you want to kill me, just do it, it's not a new thing to me."
Yu Jing laughed and said, "You sure are courageous, but do you know? It makes no difference, just do it."
"I swear I will never betray the organization 'Time Flies in my life," Yang Wu didn't hesitate, "Is that enough?"
"You know what boy?" Yu Jing sighed and patted his shoulder, "You are lucky!"
Yang Wu looked at him and smiled, not showing resentment.
"Your calmness makes me wonder, but I'm sure no one can undo the effect of this pill," Yu Jing shook his head and gave him a jade bottle, "It's a gift, welcome to this crazy ship, disciple."
Yang Wu opened the bottle and saw a green liquid in it.
"It's good for the soul, I hope you recover your memories quickly, so you can be more useful," Yu Jing smiled and left the room without any trace.
Yang Wu could sense his soul being attracted to the liquid as if it was the most delicious thing in the world.
"Just hold on a little, it will be useful later," he muttered and stored it in his storage ring.
He thought about what just happened and didn't feel many waves, he already experienced too many shocking things that it was just a breeze for him.
As for the Fate Pill, he did swear that and was completely unaware of any way to dissolve its effects. But in any case, it's not like he had a choice, he could feel his master's killing intent despite his smiley face. And he felt he will probably be reborn again if he dies without doing what he had to do, be it whatever it might be.
'Cheap master,' he cursed in his heart.
At that moment, he also felt an urge to reflect.
What was he doing, exactly?
He lived and died, lived and died, and now lived... For what? He knew something or someone was behind this, but he was too weak to discover the mystery.
He was once a mighty hero and died as a disappointed old man, then lived a whole life as a mortal and died satisfied with that, and now... after many changes in his heart, he was after power again.
Power to discover, power to fight, power...
"What a shitty state of being," he muttered with tired eyes, "Even thought I knew its all vanity..."
He focused on his martial practice, which was advancing quickly thanks to the rich Yuan Qi and his increasing cultivation base, he felt it won't take more than a few years before he recovers his peak strength.
'Although I did swear I would never betray this nonsensical organization, I never agreed to be a zealous follower... I have to prepare and do my best.
'And if in the end I am ordered to do something outrageous... I will just die.'
"My superior wants to meet you, prepare your state of mind and go to the Yuan Cave Heaven, pay for a short stay there and she will find you."
"So soon?" Yang Wu thought to himself and didn't delay his steps, he wanted to know more about the organization he just joined and it's goals.