"Tell me your name." The one-eyed steward fixed a sharp gaze on Chen An, his eyes as keen as blades.
"I am Chen An, responding to the immortal." Chen An was intimidated by the one-eyed steward. He decisively lowered his head, looking as if he were surprised.
"Chen An?" "I'll remember that." Steward Wei Ming smiled faintly. "My name is Wei Ming, and I am an outer sect steward. "We will interact frequently in the future."
Wei Ming gave a sinister smile and waved his sleeve. The blood-leech root in Chen An's hand vanished, and he ordered everyone to leave and head to the servant quarters.
Before leaving, Wei Ming spoke in a voice only audible to him and Chen An. "I know you're different from others, but if you fall into my hands, there will be no way out."
Wei Ming's words seemed to not affect Chen An, who maintained his pace, as though he hadn't heard them at all.
However, in reality, Chen An's brows furrowed deeply, and a glimmer of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
They arrived at the servant quarters, which were simply a collection of thatched huts with expansive communal sleeping areas. Aside from Chen An, there were many others in the quarters, most of whom had just returned from a day's hard labor.
"Rest well." "Tomorrow, someone will come to assign you your tasks." Wei Ming gave a brief order and turned to leave. Chen An, standing in the corner, gazed at his departing figure with a thoughtful expression.
He had striven mightily to reach the Lingfu Sect, only to end up as a servant. To make matters worse, Wei Ming had already taken notice of him. He knew that if he stayed any longer, his life would be in danger.
But if he fled, there was nowhere in the world he could hide.
He decided to bide his time and deal with the trouble later.
"Brother, what are you thinking about?" "You need to rest. You'll be too exhausted for tomorrow's work otherwise," the chubby boy, sleeping beside Chen An, firmly advised.
Chen An glanced at him and asked, "When can we officially start cultivating?"
"Cultivate?" The chubby boy grinned, as if hearing something amusing. "Everyone here has inferior spiritual roots. Cultivating is just a waste of resources. The sect only provides us with food, so we can live out the rest of our miserable lives here."
Upon hearing this, Chen An's brow furrowed even deeper. He had assumed that even as a servant in the Lingfu Sect, he would still have the opportunity to cultivate, but this was not the case.
He refused to accept this!
He looked down at the old gourd hanging from his waist. He took it down, shook it, and heard a faint sound of water inside.
He looked around, taking in his surroundings. Chen An pulled the wooden stopper from the gourd and drank the liquid inside, confident that no one was paying attention to him.
The liquid was cool and sweet, and it spread through his body like a wave of pleasure. Chen An felt a tingling sensation in his injured arm. The large chunk of flesh that had been gouged out earlier was already growing back!
Chen An found this old gourd when he was a child while climbing the mountain with the old man. He initially treated it as a toy, but he quickly recognized its unique qualities.
When someone around him died, a wisp of blue smoke would rise from their body and automatically enter the gourd. Then, the seemingly empty gourd would generate a magical healing liquid.
Drinking the liquid instantly heals any injury. Chen An was chased by a fierce beast and barely escaped with his life. The liquid in the gourd saved him.
He made it to the Lingfu Sect thanks to the gourd's liquid, which saved his life by allowing him to survive the deadly toxic miasma.
Chen An tore his shirt into strips and re-bandaged his arm, which was now fully healed. He was certain that no one else would ever discover the secret of the gourd. If someone found out, they would certainly kill him. He had to continue pretending to have an injury.
After finishing this, a loud noise suddenly broke the silence. Chen An saw that some red-robed stewards had come to select a few servants, and the chubby boy was one of them.
Once they left, the quarters fell silent once more. Half an hour later, the air was filled with the sounds of deep breathing and snoring.
Chen An did not rest. Instead, as night fell, he quietly slipped out of the quarters and retraced his steps to the medicinal fields.
Wei Ming had already shown his murderous intent today. Chen An knew he had to strike first, and he did. But as an ordinary person, he knew he stood no chance against a cultivator like Wei Ming. His solution was simple: poison.
Having learned from the old man since childhood, Chen An could recognize most spiritual herbs and understand their interactions—whether they supported or negated one another.
Earlier that day, he had noticed the Xianchi grass and Resurrection flower in the medicinal fields. Individually, both were normal medicinal materials for refining, but combined, they formed a deadly poison. Chen An had once used this poison to kill a fierce beast. He was certain it would be just as effective against a cultivator like Wei Ming.
As long as Wei Ming was alive, Chen An would never escape the shadow of death. He had to prepare in advance.
Upon returning to the medicinal fields, Chen An discovered that at night, spiritual hounds were patrolling the area.
Fortunately, the hounds were harmless and asleep, so Chen An saw no reason to kill them. Instead, he stealthily circled and entered the medicinal field from another direction.
He soon found the Xianchi grass and Resurrection flower once more and harvested them both with care, hiding them in his robes. As he was about to leave, he stepped on a dry twig.
The crisp sound startled the spiritual hound, which barked loudly.
"This is not good!"
Hearing the hound's barking, Chen An knew he was in trouble. He was certain that killing it earlier would have been the best course of action and vowed that if he ever had the chance again, he would kill the spiritual hound to rid himself of this hidden threat!
At that moment, Chen An saw a figure racing towards him from a distance. He knew he couldn't escape, so he stopped, feigning terror.
"Who dares to steal medicinal herbs from the fields?"
Hearing the voice, Chen An cursed his bad luck. He was not going to be caught. He had not only triggered the hound but also encountered Wei Ming. This time, it seemed even more impossible to escape.
"Senior, I demand that you stop attacking." "It's me." Facing the approaching Wei Ming, Chen An stood his ground, eyes locked on the enemy, and kneeled on the ground, ready for battle.
Wei Ming was perplexed when he saw Chen An. He hadn't expected this newly inducted servant to have the audacity to steal medicinal herbs. "I warned you, and now you're in my hands." "Speak. I want to know how you want to die."