Whoosh, whoosh!
Jiang Yi lay prone on the crane’s back, feeling the wild wind pour into both ears until he could hear nothing clearly.
His Daoist robe snapped and cracked in the gale. Strands of rushing air sliced at his face like knives; he had to circulate his true qi to withstand them.
Holding his breath, he mustered his courage and bent down to look below. He saw the four outer peaks rising in layer upon layer, the houses arranged in orderly rows. Vaguely, he could make out ant-like menial workers hurrying between the various workshops.
“So this is what the scenery looks like from the sky.”
Being high above the ground filled Jiang Yi’s chest with an exhilarating sense of release.
It was as if he had broken free of all restraints and was looking down upon the mortal world, naturally giving rise to a bold, unrestrained delight.
“So this is ‘riding the wind and soaring through the air’! No wonder those cultivation seeds born into superior Dharma lineages see menial workers as ants, as dust… Who can blame them, when they truly do stand high enough?”
Jiang Yi’s emotions surged. His hands clung tightly to the flying crane, afraid that he might fall and be smashed to pieces.
He had heard that once one cultivated to the tenth level of Qi Refining, one could ride clouds and command mist, flying away from the ground.
But figures of such prowess were likely few and far between even in the Qianji Sect.
Jiang Yi thought to himself:
“One day, without relying on any external force, I will cross the void in midair… and become a true cultivator above the clouds.”
The flying crane let out a clear cry. Its wings stirred up even fiercer winds, and with a sudden surge, it climbed higher, leaving the outer peaks behind.
A moment later, a refreshing thin mist suddenly rushed against his face. The pores all over Jiang Yi’s body quietly relaxed, and the true qi within him became a few degrees more lively.
He sensed a fresh, pure flavor of nature, similar to the comfort he felt when drinking the flowing moonlight nectar.
“This is probably why it’s easier to cultivate on the inner peaks.
Clearly, the outer sect is like a barren field, lacking the nourishment of spiritual vitality. How could it grow good roots and sprouts, let alone produce material fit for the Dao?”
As Jiang Yi rode the crane onward and pierced through the dense clouds, the scenery before his eyes abruptly changed.
The mist was knocked open like a screen. Several peaks rose straight from the earth, their mountains rugged and towering, distant, steep, and lofty.
Though it was not the immortal atmosphere of clouds and rosy vapors with myriad auspicious lights described in storybooks, it still revealed a trace of the extraordinary.
The flying crane carrying Jiang Yi circled several times, then descended toward a bluestone square below.
“At last, I’ve stepped onto the inner peaks.”
His heart was full of anticipation. He did not know whether this talisman coin would be money well spent.
……
……
“Yesterday, the Steward said he was going to give that Jiang brat a show of authority. Why is he showing such special grace today?”
Inside the forging room, a horse-faced man bent at the waist and knelt on the ground, carefully wiping Zhou Guang’s boots for him.
This Steward Zhou loved cleanliness above all else and could not bear the slightest stain or speck of mud on his body. Thus, he always had people cleaning him.
“That brat killed Dong Ba, costing me a useful talent, and it did leave me rather displeased…”
Zhou Guang raised one leg and pressed it onto the back of a menial worker, making it easier for the horse-faced man to wipe his boot, while his body leaned backward.
Two more people attended him on either side: one responsible for washing his face and shaving his beard, the other holding a basin and fetching water.
If Jiang Yi saw this, he would have had to sigh with emotion that his cheap god-grandfather truly did not know how to enjoy life.
Zhou Guang continued with a chuckle:
“But who would go against money? Dong Ba, all told, was worth only seventeen or eighteen thousand talisman coins. The fellow paid twenty thousand—that’s enough to cover his life.”
Among the menial workers serving him, the horse-faced man was likely one of the more outstanding ones. He was the only one who dared speak.
“Steward Yang hasn’t promoted anyone for so many years. Who would have thought that, in the end, he would put so much effort into cultivating a young lad?”
Zhou Guang let out a comfortable hum and sneered:
“What do you know! The closer one is to stepping down, the more one has to plan an escape route.
Otherwise, once the steward position is gone and people become cold after the tea cools, how good can life be afterward?
In my view, Old Yang has decent luck. He really did manage to pick up a talent!”
Zhou Guang had a sharp eye and had seen that Jiang Yi was already at the third level of Qi Refining, and that he had cultivated the Minor Tempered Origin Fire-Controlling Art.
Otherwise, given Dong Ba’s martial skill, there was no reason for him to have died without a sound.
“Tsk. At his age, his cultivation hasn’t fallen behind, and he’s even mastered a Dao art. It seems he’s aiming for a seat on the inner peaks.”
It was precisely because Zhou Guang had figured this out that he gave up the idea of making things difficult for Jiang Yi. Why make an enemy of a seed with potential for no reason?
The horse-faced man showed surprise.
“A seat on the inner peaks… Didn’t the Steward accept Luo Tong’s talisman coins and plan to recommend him? Now that Jiang Yi has ridden a crane to the inner peaks, could he end up outshining Luo Tong?”
A trace of displeasure flashed through Zhou Guang’s eyes. He said flatly:
“I took Luo Tong’s benefits and only agreed to give him a recommendation slot. I never guaranteed he would definitely get in!
If Luo Tong himself can’t contend with Jiang Yi, then let his sister Luo Qian’er blow more pillow talk and have Zhou Can of Sewing Peak put in some effort!”
The horse-faced man sensed Zhou Guang’s displeasure and hurriedly lowered his head, speeding up the movements of his hands.
Before long, the pair of auspicious cloud-patterned boots, wound with gold-thread cords and edged with blue satin, had been wiped spotlessly clean.
“In the forging room, you’re the one whose work pleases me the most.”
Zhou Guang was perfectly satisfied. He looked at the dustless surface of his boots, then touched his smooth, round cheeks after their trimming.
“Dong Ba is dead, leaving the inspector position vacant. Tell me, who should be chosen to fill it?”
The horse-faced man’s lowered body trembled. He forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart.
“The Steward observes the smallest details and knows how to make good use of men. This lowly one trusts that you already have your own decision!”
Zhou Guang smiled.
“Raise your head.”
The horse-faced man’s face flushed red. After enduring for so long, he was finally going to receive the Steward’s appreciation!
When he looked up at Zhou Guang with eyes full of expectation, what greeted him was only a boot sole rapidly enlarging before him!
Bang!
Blood burst from the horse-faced man’s mouth and nose, gushing out like a torrent. His entire body flew like a kite with a severed string, crashing several zhang away!
“Steward, please calm your anger…”
Stars flashed before the horse-faced man’s eyes. Like a dead dog, he rolled outside the room. Though he did not know where he had gone wrong, if he had provoked Zhou Guang into using his foot, then he must have committed some fault.
When Zhou Guang stepped out of the forging room, those clean boots trod onto the muddy ground and came before the horse-faced man.
The latter swayed as he struggled to crawl up, then knocked his forehead against the ground again and again. In moments, it was a bloody mess.
Zhou Guang asked coldly:
“How many talisman coins did you take from Luo Tong?”
The horse-faced man replied in a trembling voice:
“This lowly one truly never took even half a talisman coin from him. I merely drank with Luo Tong a few times!”
Zhou Guang lifted his boot and stepped on the horse-faced man’s head, pressing that face into the mud.
“Then you’re an utter fool! You didn’t take his benefits, yet you still spoke on his behalf!
Do I need you to teach me how to do things? Hm?”
After stomping down hard a few times to teach the horse-faced man a lesson, Zhou Guang turned and returned to the forging room.
He had not dealt a killing blow. Was such a wretched life worth spending ten thousand talisman coins of his own? Not worth it!
Before he could even call out, one of the menial workers who had originally been working diligently came rolling and crawling over, like a wild dog snatching food, swiftly pouncing before Zhou Guang.
Deftly, he took off his cotton Daoist robe and carefully wiped clean the auspicious cloud-patterned boots that had once again become covered in filth.
He had wanted to do this job for a long time!
Previously, it had been “monopolized” by the horse-faced man. Now that the other party had offended the Steward, it was his turn!
Zhou Guang narrowed his eyes and asked:
“What’s your name?”
That menial worker smiled obsequiously.
“This lowly one is Qi Wei, an old menial worker of ten years.”
Zhou Guang nodded.
“From now on, you’ll handle the boot-wiping.”
The menial worker named Qi Wei was overjoyed and wiped the boots with even greater vigor.
“Luo Tong is here. He says he wants to borrow the flying crane to go to the inner gate and attend a lecture.”
Once those boots looked brand new, a menial worker attending at the side drew close and said.
Zhou Guang lifted his eyelids, his tone indifferent:
“There’s only that one flying crane, and Jiang Yi of the Quenching Room borrowed it. How could there be another left?
Tell Luo Tong to wait until next time. In any case, the lectures given by the elders of the inner peaks don’t have much substance.”
The menial worker nodded and went to pass on the message.
Outside the forging room, a heroic young man in his early twenties stood there. He happened to see the horse-faced man lying on the ground, ignored by everyone. His long, narrow eyes flickered, but he did not move over.
Compared to the many menial workers of Scarlet Flame Peak dressed in dull gray Daoist robes, this person wore a sky-blue patterned robe. Like a crane among chickens, he was especially eye-catching.
“The flying crane was borrowed by the Quenching Room… Jiang Yi? That name sounds rather familiar.”
Hearing the reply, the heroic young man frowned deeply. The transmission elder of the inner peaks opened the altar to lecture once every ten days.
If he missed today, he would have to wait bitterly again!
The heroic young man glanced at the horse-faced man with whom he had once drunk, knowing in his heart that Steward Zhou might be somewhat displeased, so he did not persist and disturb him.
He merely asked casually:
“This senior brother, may I ask how he offended the Steward?”
The messenger said:
“The Steward thought he was too meddlesome and talked too much. Since Young Master Luo may not be aware, the Steward Zhou of our room dislikes troublemakers who create problems for him most of all!”
Luo Tong’s face twitched, then immediately returned to normal.
“Then he truly brought it upon himself. He deserved it!”
Luo Tong cupped his hands toward the forging room, then strode away.
He did not even look at the horse-faced man lying on the ground.
“Jiang Yi? I seem to have heard my sister mention him. Isn’t this fellow just some useless, weed-like menial worker?”
Luo Tong was puzzled. After thinking for a while, he headed straight toward Sewing Peak.
P.S. As before, two chapters are being released together. Sincerity overflowing. I humbly ask all esteemed readers to vote more, comment more, and support more. Sending hearts~