“So this is what it feels like not to report for work… How damn refreshing!”
Early the next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
The moment Jiang Yi opened his eyes, he instinctively rolled out of bed, got dressed, and headed for the door.
Only after he had slipped on his thick-soled cloth shoes did he suddenly come to his senses.
This young master was already an inspector of the Quenching Room!
He only had to answer roll once every seven days. There was no need to take a work tally and report on time at all!
At once,
Jiang Yi chuckled and lay back down again.
After finally escaping that bitter ox-and-horse fate, he absolutely had to enjoy this leisure properly.
But not even half an hour later,
Jiang Yi sighed helplessly, then silently got up, dressed, and left the room.
“I’m still far from the fifth level of Qi Refining, let alone catching up to those noble scions of extraordinary birth.
Compared to me, they’re practically figures standing up in the clouds.
The moment I think of that, I can’t lie still anymore.
Who said cultivation was carefree? From where I’m standing, it’s all anxiety!”
After hearing Yang Xun’s words last night, Jiang Yi had secretly set himself a short-term goal: break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining before spring began next year, then enter the Inner Peak.
Advance step by step, climb with all his might, and ideally make his way out of the Qianji Sect.
He wanted to see for himself just what sort of quality the disciples of the Fu and Kang clans, who dominated Beimang, possessed.
The world was vast. How could he remain trapped on Red Flame Peak…
“Ugh! This lousy habit of aiming too high… I really need to change it!”
With a splash, Jiang Yi plunged his face into the bone-chilling cold water.
A sudden shiver ran through him, and he instantly felt much more awake.
His steady, down-to-earth mindset returned!
“The urgent task is to cross the threshold into the third level of Qi Refining, so I can better grasp the Lesser Origin-Tempering Fire Control Art.
This ninth-grade cultivation method can’t be sustained by second-level true qi alone.”
Jiang Yi strolled leisurely to Icefire Cave. He had never appeared anywhere outside the workshop at this hour before, much less wandered around idly.
The shop waiter was startled to see him and hurried forward with a smiling face.
“Brother Yi, what would you like to try?”
Jiang Yi said,
“Bring me a few beef buns, the kind with thin skin and plenty of filling, and a bowl of spirit-rice porridge.”
After days of eating and drinking freely, the twenty-four thousand talisman coins “voluntarily gifted” by his fellow workers of the Qianji Sect had not left him with much.
Especially last night, when he had laid out a table and invited everyone in the mixed courtyard to eat their fill, then prepared mountain delicacies and wild game to show filial respect to Yang Xun.
All told, he had spent a full three thousand talisman coins!
It truly made his heart ache!
After carefully counting, Jiang Yi discovered his purse had shrunk by more than half, leaving him with less than five thousand.
“Duty Overseer Yang said that if I offer up the secret formula, the Inner Peak can reward anywhere from twenty thousand to fifty thousand talisman coins. That’s a huge sum.
Add to that the fact that even if an inspector doesn’t work, he can still receive four or five thousand talisman coins a month.
I probably won’t end up short on money.”
Jiang Yi bit into a large beef bun dripping with oil and drank his steaming spirit-rice porridge, feeling rather satisfied.
For Inspector Jiang of Red Flame Peak, tens of thousands of talisman coins were naturally enough to spend.
But if it were Jiang the aspiring talent, determined to cultivate and charge toward the fifth level of Qi Refining, then it was somewhat lacking.
After all, renting a cave residence or quiet chamber, attending lectures by inner sect elders, nourishing oneself with spiritual items, and maintaining a supply of spiritual food were all money-burning pits.
Jiang Yi’s few tens of thousands in savings would barely be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
“No wonder among the menial workers of Red Flame Peak, hardly any think about cultivation. A whole year of hard-earned wages from labor isn’t even enough to eat spirit rice.”
Jiang Yi slurped away, wiping clean a full bowl of spirit-rice porridge.
He wiped his mouth, lightly lifted his eyelids, and a golden light shone within his eyes.
The question he had posed before going to sleep last night had already received an answer.
【I humbly petition the Heavenly Book to show me the method, at my current realm, to break through to the third level of Qi Refining with the smallest cost and greatest speed.】
【Matter investigated: Breaking through】
【Deduction time: Three hours】
【Deduction result: Use fierce tiger-wolf medicine to stimulate qi and blood. The prescription is as follows: three qian of blood-veined grass, two qian of bone-strengthening flower, one jar of strong liquor…】
“Mm. Taking tiger-wolf medicine to make the qi and blood surge, then using that to break through, is indeed feasible.
Blood-veined grass and bone-strengthening flower aren’t rare medicinal herbs either. Herb-Gathering Peak has them.”
Jiang Yi frowned slightly, somewhat hesitant.
Recklessly taking tiger-wolf medicine would, at best, damage the body and deplete vital energy; at worst, it would affect one’s cultivation foundation.
In the long run, the loss outweighed the gain!
“But if I don’t use tiger-wolf medicine and just break through to the third level of Qi Refining step by step, I’ll have to wait at least another month…”
After pondering briefly, Jiang Yi asked the Heavenly Book another question.
【I humbly petition the Heavenly Book to show me how to make up for the depletion after taking tiger-wolf medicine.】
【Additional conditions: It must not leave behind any hidden dangers, internal injuries, or lingering illness. Perfectly repair the fleshly body damaged by the tiger-wolf medicine.】
Radiance appeared on the surface of the golden paper. A moment later, tiny tadpole-like characters flashed one after another.
【Matter investigated: Health preservation】
【Deduction time: Three hours】
“Looks like there’s hope. Deplete first, then replenish heavily afterward. The best of both worlds!”
Having made up his mind, Jiang Yi swiftly paid the bill and hurried off to purchase ingredients.
He was now an inspector of the Quenching Room. With his waist token, he could freely enter and leave the other peaks.
If this were before, he would have had to humble himself and ask the duty officer for leave, then get a written slip.
By the time the sun sank westward, Jiang Yi had finally gathered everything for the tiger-wolf prescription. Dozens of packets of medicinal ingredients were strung together in a stack, enough for seven days of use.
“Ho! Brother Yi, what are you doing? Brewing medicine?”
Widow Qin had gotten off work early. The moment she entered the courtyard gate, she smelled a pungent odor.
Jiang Yi had been busy all afternoon before finally gathering all the herbs. He raised his head and smiled.
“Big Sister Qin is back. My family ran an apothecary for generations. Going further back, you could say we had sacred hands in the apricot grove.
I’m just prescribing myself a formula to nourish my body.”
Widow Qin said with concern,
“You can’t eat medicine carelessly. From what I see, quite a few of these have very fierce medicinal properties…”
Jiang Yi said confidently,
“Don’t worry, Big Sister Qin. I’m already at the second level of Qi Refining. My tendons and bones have been transformed. I can withstand it.”
Widow Qin knew that Brother Yi was steady in his conduct and rarely fooled around, so she said,
“Brewing medicine takes time. I’ll lend a hand.”
Jiang Yi did not refuse and explained in detail,
“The blood-veined grass and bone-strengthening flower need to be ground into powder first, then soaked in strong liquor to draw out their medicinal properties…”
Widow Qin had always been meticulous in her work, and she quickly sorted the dozens of packets of herbs clearly.
Then she borrowed a medicinal grinder and a clay pot from Old Li’s family.
“Leave the decocting to me, Brother Yi.”
Widow Qin took the initiative to handle it.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Big Sister Qin.”
Jiang Yi had wanted to settle the talisman coins for her “help,” but the moment the words left his mouth, Widow Qin rolled her eyes at him.
“You already call me ‘Big Sister.’ Why are you still treating me like an outsider?”
Jiang Yi thanked her again. He did not stay idle either, and had He Laohun borrow a copper pot from the workers’ dormitory next door.
The latter watched from the side, curious, and asked,
“Brother Yi, what are you preparing to fry? Oil cakes?”
Jiang Yi continued maintaining his persona as someone from a family of physicians, speaking methodically,
“Tiger-wolf medicine isn’t for internal consumption, but external application. It’s best made into a medicinal paste.
The first step is ‘soaking the medicine.’ Put pseudo-ginseng, dragon’s blood resin, and other herbs into heated sesame oil, then simmer them slowly over a gentle flame to force out their essence.
After that, use a strong flame to fry them and release the medicinal fragrance. Once the dregs are filtered out, the medicinal oil and powdered herbs can be blended and stirred together into a paste.”
He Laohun clicked his tongue in admiration.
“With this skill of yours, Brother Yi, even if you hadn’t entered the Qianji Sect, you’d still be able to find work in the market.”
In Nanzhan Continent, under the rule of the demonic path, most menial ox-and-horse workers relied on craftsmanship to make a living.
If one had a useful trade, people would want them wherever they went.
As Jiang Yi worked, he said,
“Brother He, from now on, I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on matters in the Quenching Room.”
He Laohun thumped his chest hard.
“Brother Yi, you can set your heart at ease. Don’t look at how careless Old He usually is. Since you’ve entrusted the job to me, I’ll do it well even if I have to risk my life!”
Widow Qin could not help but jab at him,
“He’s asking you to work properly, not go exterminate rogue cultivators. How did you drag risking your life into this?”
He Laohun chuckled. From now on, he would inspect bone materials in Brother Yi’s place. Although he would not earn many more talisman coins, the work was easy, and he could slack off openly and just muddle through until his twelve-year term was complete.
The sun sank behind the clustered peaks. Wind and snow howled, blowing in a night as dark as thick ink.
Everyone in the mixed courtyard contributed labor in their own way, helping Jiang Yi quickly finish making the tiger-wolf medicinal paste.
Widow Qin still was not quite at ease and repeatedly reminded him,
“There are fourteen portions of medicinal paste in total. Brother Yi, you must use them carefully. Don’t hurt your body.”
Jiang Yi agreed with a smile.
“Big Sister Qin, no need to worry. I know what I’m doing.”
After putting away the fourteen portions of tiger-wolf medicinal paste, he found several clay jars and sealed the paste properly inside them.
They had to be left to sit for a full day and night. Only after the toxicity dissipated and the paste solidified would the task be considered complete.
“Brother Yi.”
Taking advantage of the others dispersing, He Laohun pulled Jiang Yi aside and said in a low voice,
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Is someone in the Quenching Room making trouble for you?”
Hearing Jiang Yi ask this, He Laohun waved his hands repeatedly.
“No, no, no! It’s Zhang San from the Grinding and Engraving Room and Dong Si from the Forge. They want to talk to you and asked me to pass on the message.”
Jiang Yi frowned slightly. He had heard a little of the notorious reputation of those two improper fellows.
To be honest, he had no interest in dealing with them.
“Brother He, what do you think they want to talk to me about?”
He Laohun hesitated and said,
“Probably… to discuss splitting the filial money.”
What filial money?
Jiang Yi thought carefully. Only after a long while did he remember.
It seemed there really was such a “protection fee”!
Menial workers were paid by the piece.
Only if the product was up to standard and the working hours met the mark could they receive money.
This gave inspectors the conditions to manipulate others.
Thus, the many menial workers in the various workshops mostly had to pay money to the inspectors to avoid fault-finding and deliberate difficulty.
This was called “filial money.”
“In the past, although the position of inspector in the Quenching Room was vacant, the menial workers of Red Flame Peak rotated by drawing lots, so that sum of money was collected on their behalf by Zhang San and Dong Si.”
He Laohun spoke quietly.
“Now that you’ve taken office, Brother Yi, they naturally have to split off a portion for you.”
Jiang Yi pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
“Brother He, those two are used to knocking bones and sucking marrow. We can’t control that.
But think about it. Every single coin earned by the menial workers of Red Flame Peak is blood-and-sweat money.
In the past, when someone met with difficulty, if others had spare money, everyone was willing to help where they could.
Now that I’ve luckily become an inspector, am I supposed to turn around and eat their flesh, drink their blood? Is that proper?”
He Laohun lowered his head as if ashamed and said repeatedly,
“Brother Yi is right. You’re right.”
Jiang Yi pressed a hand on He Laohun’s shoulder and brought his face closer. His eyes were bright and clear.
“If Brother He is short on talisman coins, you may as well tell me. But don’t do filthy things that make people curse you behind your back!”
He Laohun panicked. For some unknown reason, Brother Yi at this moment made chills rise from the bottom of his heart.
“I understand! I understand! Whatever you say, Brother Yi, that’s what I’ll do!”
Jiang Yi suddenly broke into a smile, once again becoming that bashful and pure-hearted youth.
“Brother He, after the end of the month, when the talisman coins are issued, I’ll treat you to a meal at a restaurant.”
He Laohun gave a dry laugh.
“Brother Yi, you’re too polite! I should be the one treating you!”
P.S. Thank you to 【Zhuxin Xiaren】 for the 10,010-point reward, 【Maomaotou Shashou】 and 【Baoxing】 for the 10,000-point rewards, and 【Lezi Pofang Lou】 for the 5,000-point reward. Much love~