Chapter 20

That evening, Manager Qin came to offer his congratulations. Upon learning that Tang Jie had been selected, the two elders were so delighted they couldn’t sleep well all night.

The next morning, someone from the Wei family came to take Tang Jie away.

Tang Jie didn’t see the lady of the house again. Instead, an old man surnamed Niu arrived, leading Tang Jie into the mansion.

They passed through a serene waterside pavilion, walked along a shaded path, circled around a majestic artificial hill, and stepped over a bridge made of rosewood. The two arrived at the Tranquil Heart Garden, where they saw a vibrant flowerbed. Tang Jie knew this was where he would be working from now on.

Old Man Niu instructed Tang Jie on how to care for and prune the flowers. Tang Jie brought a small notebook, listening attentively and jotting down the instructions. Seeing this, the old man was quite pleased.

Most of the young servants who came to work for the Wei family were aiming to become apprentice servants, so they often lacked focus and didn’t put their hearts into their assigned tasks.

Seeing Tang Jie’s dedication, the old man felt that at least he could distinguish between his primary duties and additional pursuits, which greatly increased his good impression of him.

After explaining the basic principles of plant care, Old Man Niu said, “Taking care of flowers isn’t difficult; just follow the rules. The key is to put your heart into it. Since you’re new, feel free to ask me any questions. I live in that small house over there. But if you’re still bothering me every day after a month, I won’t help you anymore.”

“Yes, I understand,” Tang Jie replied respectfully.

The old man nodded in satisfaction and then began to explain the situation in the Tranquil Heart Garden.

Since he would be working here, he needed to know who was around.

There weren’t many people in the Tranquil Heart Garden. Besides the young master, Wei Tianchong, there were six servants, two guards, and an old maid. The guards were adult martial artists who rarely appeared in the Tranquil Heart Garden, so they could be ignored. The old maid was even less of a concern.

Among the six servants, the highest-ranking was Wenqing. He was the head servant of the Tranquil Heart Garden, mainly responsible for arranging the young master’s daily activities and managing personnel and finances. He was the oldest, already sixteen, and had no hope of becoming an apprentice servant, so he was the least threatening.

Next were Shimu and Shimeng, whose names were personally given by the lady of the house. Those who were given names were usually indentured servants, while Tang Jie was a helper and not an indentured servant, so he didn’t need a name.

The biggest advantage of being an indentured servant was that they could directly become personal attendants, like Shimu and Shimeng.

Shimu was the study companion, responsible for accompanying the young master in his studies and serving him with writing materials. Shimeng mainly took care of the young master’s room, tidying the bed, and serving tea and water.

They were the closest to the young master and were the strongest contenders for the position of apprentice servant.

In fact, in any large family, most apprentice servants came from these two positions. Wu Xing, for example, was once Wei Tianzhi’s study companion, though he had replaced the original one, so he didn’t need a name.

Besides these two, there were three other servants responsible for outdoor chores, running errands, and being on call. Adding Tang Jie, who was in charge of the flowerbed, there were seven in total.

As for meals and clothing, they were handled by the servants from the main house, so the young servants didn’t need to worry about them. Their work was actually quite easy, mainly revolving around the young master, doing whatever he said.

However, apart from Shimu and Shimeng, the other servants found it difficult to get close to the young master.

With the young master about to start his studies, his preferences would determine who might become the future apprentice servant. Therefore, Shimu and Shimeng were always very cautious, rarely giving other servants a chance to show themselves. Even when they had to interact, these two never left the young master’s side.

While other children at twelve or thirteen might still be mischievous and naive, the young servants in large families were already fiercely competing for their futures.

Just as they were talking, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the opposite direction. Leading them was a slightly chubby young boy, wearing a flame general’s armor, holding a bamboo whip, and riding on the back of another servant. Behind him were four other servants, all dressed in military uniforms, holding wooden spears with the tips removed, shouting as they charged over.

Tang Jie was startled by their appearance, and Old Man Niu bowed and said, “Young Master!”

Tang Jie realized this was the main person and hurriedly bowed, glancing at the young master’s flame general’s armor, wondering how he could wear such heavy armor.

Just then, a breeze blew, and the armor fluttered, revealing it to be made of paper. Tang Jie couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

The chubby boy had already reached them, pulling on the neck of the servant he was riding and calling out, “Old Niu, why are you here?”

The old man smiled and replied, “A new gardener has arrived, and the lady asked me to bring him here to familiarize himself with the place.”

A servant with narrow eyes immediately leaned in and whispered something to the chubby boy, who then glanced at Tang Jie, “You’re the gardener who received three guan from our family?”

Tang Jie bowed and answered, “Yes, Young Master. Tang Jie greets Young Master.”

The chubby boy snorted, “You don’t look like much.”

The other servants laughed, their youthful lack of restraint making their schadenfreude obvious.

These servants, competing for the position of apprentice servant, were already on bad terms. The arrival of a new servant who received three guan per month from the Wei family, more than any of them, only made them more resentful, so they seized the opportunity to mock him.

Tang Jie wasn’t intimidated and replied calmly, “I am indeed not much. But with the lady’s favor, I will do my best to fulfill my duties.”

His words immediately silenced their laughter.

The lady had chosen him; laughing at him would be laughing at the lady’s poor judgment.

The servants might be naive in some ways, but not in this.

Even the young master wouldn’t dare to say his mother was wrong. He looked at Tang Jie and snorted, “Let’s go!”

He remounted his “warhorse” and left.

Seeing the group depart, Tang Jie was a bit surprised and asked Old Man Niu, “Why is the young master dressed like that?”

Old Man Niu sighed, “The young master isn’t very interested in cultivation. He dreams of becoming a general and says he doesn’t want to cultivate. Every day, he plays war games at home, which worries his parents a lot…”

Tang Jie smiled, “I see. But it’s not surprising. Cultivation is about pursuing the Dao and transcending the mundane, which can’t compare to the splendor of the mortal world.”

“But life is short, and a hundred years pass quickly.”

“If eternal life means living a life of asceticism, what’s the difference from being a plant or a stone? It’s better to live a colorful life.”

Old Man Niu looked at Tang Jie in surprise, not expecting him to say such things.

Tang Jie smiled, “I’m just thinking from his perspective. For a child, aging and death are distant concepts. A rich and colorful life is what they pursue. His desire to be a general might not be about the position itself, but the prestige. The cultivation world has many wonders, but he’s probably been scared by the daily hard work of the spirit masters at home, so he’s developed a dislike for it. The pressure at home has only made it worse. But once he truly understands the benefits of cultivation, he will change his mind…”

Old Man Niu had never heard such words and was greatly shocked, “But you’re just a child.”

“A child who has experienced death,” Tang Jie replied calmly. “Maturity is related to age, but more so to experience.”

He was referring to the events in Xiaohexi Village and the death of Xumu Yang, but the old man interpreted it as the dangers he had faced and the near-fatal incident at the Wu family’s gate. He sighed and said nothing more.

From that day on, Tang Jie officially started working for the Wei family.

The work of a gardener at the Wei family was quite easy. He just had to water the plants, remove pests, and prune the branches. The young master, being a boy, had no interest in flowers and rarely paid attention to them. Tang Jie’s performance went unnoticed. With Shimu and Shimeng always by the young master’s side, he didn’t call out to Tang Jie again after the first day.

Tang Jie was content with this. He did his job and spent his free time studying the array path techniques left by Xumu Yang, which he focused on the most during this period.

It wasn’t that he had changed his mind to follow Xumu Yang, but without a formal cultivation method, he couldn’t practice the Zangxiang Jing excessively. With extra time, he had to do something. Considering he would need to open the Nine Absolute Immortal Slaying Array in the future, he had to learn, even if he wasn’t interested. Once he entered the academy, he might not have time to study the array path, so he had to make the most of the present.

As for the young master, he wasn’t in a hurry.

There were still three years before entering the academy, plenty of time.

Moreover, approaching the young master without understanding him might not be a good idea. It was better to observe from the sidelines and learn about his preferences, such as what he liked to eat, wear, and his personality. Once he understood the young master thoroughly, he could approach him with fewer mistakes.

A successful action was always more effective than ten unsuccessful ones.

From what he had seen, the young master’s nature wasn’t bad. The lady was strict with him, but being surrounded by sycophantic servants made him somewhat spoiled. However, his nature was still good. Otherwise, on the first day, a temperamental young master might have lashed out at Tang Jie with a whip.

Perhaps because Tang Jie seemed “clever,” the other servants saw him as “well-behaved” and didn’t cause him any trouble.

However, Tang Jie’s words reached the lady of the Wei family through Old Man Niu.

The lady was a shrewd person. After hearing this, she had an epiphany. A few days later, she invited a peak spirit master with extensive experience and a general from the Canglong Mansion to visit. During the banquet, the general showed great respect to the spirit master, calling him “Immortal,” while the spirit master, having received benefits from the Wei family, recounted his many experiences, captivating the young master. The general, at the lady’s request, complained about the hardships of military life and envied the freedom of cultivators.

Most of the spirit masters in the Wei family were those who had achieved little after entering the Transcendent Realm, considered the least promising in the cultivation world. Those with real potential wouldn’t accept employment from a “small family” like the Wei family.

This time, the Wei family had invited a genuine cultivator, which left a different impression on the young master. Seeing the general’s lowly status, he gradually lost interest in becoming a general. Although he still played every day, he no longer played war games. Occasionally, he would wear a Daoist robe and cast spells.

Pointing a wooden sword, he would shout, “See my supreme immortal technique, fall!” A servant would pretend to spit blood and fall to the ground, and the young master would laugh, imagining himself as an immortal.

This incident made the lady of the Wei family more favorable towards Tang Jie, finding him mature and sensible. She considered moving him closer to the young master to encourage his studies, but decided to wait and see since he had only been there for a short time.

However, her casual words were overheard by the servant named Yan Zhi, who passed them to Shimu, the narrow-eyed servant.

One day, while Tang Jie was diligently pruning in the garden, he finished his work, and the flowerbed looked well-maintained. His skills had improved, and he felt quite satisfied. But thinking that the young master couldn’t appreciate it, he felt a bit disappointed.

Suddenly, the young master rushed over, wearing a Daoist robe and holding a ritual sword. He pointed at Tang Jie and shouted, “See my supreme immortal technique, fall!”

Tang Jie was taken aback, not knowing what to do, when he heard a loud shout, “Fall now!”

Shimu had already leaped forward, pouncing on Tang Jie in the flowerbed, rolling and crushing many plants, causing petals to scatter everywhere...