Chapter 21

Ding Qi was quite puzzled about what matters Mr. Zhao, the steward, wanted to discuss with him. Mr. Zhao's personality was rather cold and distant. If it were just a trivial matter, he would have simply spoken a few words to Ding Qi in person, explained the matter, and then left, without specifically asking Ding Qi to come to his room later. Matters like the rescheduling of the seedling transplanting last time were handled this way.

Ding Qi had just seen Mr. Zhao return to his room and then come out again, heading towards Qixia Town. He guessed that Mr. Zhao must have gone to the tavern for dinner. He knew that Mr. Zhao usually ate dinner much earlier than himself. The "later" Mr. Zhao mentioned probably meant after he had finished his dinner, and then he would ask Ding Qi to come to his place. Ding Qi usually ate dinner after evening. It was only afternoon now, and he wasn't very hungry. Since Mr. Zhao had something to discuss with him, he just needed to wait a bit longer.

After the discussion, it would be about time for his usual dinner.

"Hopefully, Mr. Zhao won't get drunk this time," Ding Qi muttered to himself with a bitter smile, as if he had thought of something.

Ding Qi had been working in the medicinal garden for quite some time. Over these few months, since Mr. Zhao spent most of his time in the tavern in Qixia Town, there were several times when he got so drunk that he was unconscious. Ding Qi had to drag him out of the tavern with great difficulty.

Ding Qi only hoped that this time, Mr. Zhao wouldn't get so drunk in the tavern that he forgot about the matters he wanted to discuss, leading to a wasted wait.

However, to his relief, Mr. Zhao didn't stay in the tavern for too long this time, perhaps remembering the words he had spoken to Ding Qi earlier, and soon returned.

Once Mr. Zhao returned, Ding Qi, fearing that he would keep Mr. Zhao waiting, went to his place shortly after. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ding Qi returned from Mr. Zhao's room and headed towards Qixia Town to have dinner. On the way, he recalled what Mr. Zhao had said, frowning deeply, with a heavy heart.

"Mr. Zhao is actually leaving," Ding Qi murmured.

Due to Mr. Zhao's serious attitude in specifically asking him to come to his room for the discussion, Ding Qi had already guessed that the matter Mr. Zhao wanted to discuss with him was quite important. However, even with this preparation, the importance of what Mr. Zhao told him still completely exceeded his expectations.

Mr. Zhao informed him that the external steward of this medicinal garden was going to be replaced. In other words, Mr. Zhao would be leaving this medicinal garden to take up a position elsewhere. After he left, the Qingyun Sect would send someone else to take care of the garden. Of course, only Mr. Zhao was leaving. Ding Qi would remain as the deputy to the new external steward, continuing to take care of the garden.

When the Qingyun Sect members came to receive the seedlings today, Ding Qi had seen a few of them discussing something with Mr. Zhao. Now, recalling this, it was likely that they were discussing this matter.

Ding Qi was initially quite taken aback by the news of Mr. Zhao's departure. Mr. Zhao's personality was cold and distant, and Ding Qi had been busy with his cultivation, so they hadn't had much interaction beyond necessary matters during the few months they had been together.

Although they didn't have deep interactions, their relationship was quite harmonious. Since Mr. Zhao didn't interfere much, Ding Qi could freely arrange his time for cultivation and other activities. Mr. Zhao, on the other hand, enjoyed drinking and listening to music in the town every day.

Moreover, the work in the medicinal garden was very light, and both of them were quite content with their respective lives.

Because of this, Ding Qi felt quite regretful about Mr. Zhao's departure.

Mr. Zhao had only been in charge of the medicinal garden in Qixia Town for half a year. Ding Qi knew very well that the Qingyun Sect usually rotated the positions of external stewards every two to three years, and sometimes even longer, up to four or five years.

The fact that Mr. Zhao was being reassigned after just half a year was quite strange. Ding Qi had asked Mr. Zhao about this, and he did get an answer.

It turned out that everything was related to the struggle for the position of the sect leader within the Qingyun Sect.

A few months ago, the old sect leader of the Qingyun Sect, who had been injured by the Heart-Crushing Palm, could no longer suppress his injuries and died. Ding Qi had already known from Old Bai that the two deputy sect leaders were vying for the position of the sect leader.

However, Ding Qi had not expected that the struggle for the sect leader position would affect even this small medicinal garden.

Recalling what his uncle had told him before he became the deputy, the external stewards responsible for the Qingyun Sect's various properties were often frequently reassigned. Mr. Zhao's predecessor was also reassigned for this reason.

It seemed that the struggle between the two deputy sect leaders had already affected this place from the beginning.

This time, it was just a repeat of that situation.

Mr. Zhao's words indirectly confirmed Ding Qi's suspicions.

Mr. Zhao said that the reason for his quick reassignment was probably because the two deputy sect leaders were afraid that the external stewards, who were responsible for the sect's properties, would be swayed to their side, which could be detrimental to their struggle for the sect leader position.

Although the external stewards were not officially part of the Qingyun Sect and were merely hired to manage the properties, they had developed some influence in their respective areas over time.

Even though the influence of each individual external steward was limited, if they were to unite and support one side, it could have a significant impact on the struggle for the sect leader position.

Neither of the deputy sect leaders had the confidence to sway most of the external stewards to their side, so they decided to reassign them to unfamiliar places where they could not form any influence. This way, even if the external stewards couldn't be used for their benefit, at least they wouldn't be a hindrance.

Even Mr. Zhao, who had only been in Qixia Town for half a year and had not yet established any local connections, was reassigned as a precaution.

Ding Qi couldn't help but marvel at the lengths to which the two deputy sect leaders would go in their struggle for the sect leader position, considering such far-reaching issues.

"I hope Uncle doesn't get involved in the struggle for the sect leader position," Ding Qi thought, feeling a bit worried as he reflected on Mr. Zhao's departure and the intensity of the struggle for the sect leader position.

From Old Bai, Ding Qi had already known that one of the candidates for the sect leader position was someone he had met before, the Sect Leader Sha, whom he had encountered during his inner disciple examination.

Sect Leader Sha, in his bid for the sect leader position, would inevitably form alliances within the sect. Although Ding Qi had heard from his uncle that his promotion was related to Sect Leader Sha, he did not want his uncle to be drawn into such matters and take sides.

If the side his uncle supported eventually became the sect leader, there might be many benefits. However, if the opposite happened, there would be no shortage of trouble.

In his view, the best way to handle such matters was to try every possible means to stay out of it.

As he practiced the innate cultivation technique for longer periods, Ding Qi clearly felt that his mind became increasingly clear when thinking about problems.

He didn't know if this was a special effect of the advanced cultivation technique.

Moreover, since he had come out of the mountains and interacted with more people and situations, his thinking had become more mature, and he considered many things he had never thought of before.

If it were in the past, even though he was more mature than his peers, he could not have seen through issues as clearly and thoroughly as he did now.

Thinking about the Qingyun Sect and his uncle, Ding Qi soon arrived at the Tongfu Inn. However, he understood that as a deputy in charge of the medicinal garden, the struggle for the sect leader position was not something he could worry about. Instead of concerning himself with such matters, it was better to think about his plan to sell the phoenix-tail grass in Liangcheng.

Having come to this realization, Ding Qi slowly chewed on a steamed bun in the inn's back hall, pondering his upcoming trip to Liangcheng.