Chapter 2

Qingyun Mountain, a well-known Daoist sect in the Chu region, has a three-thousand-year-old heritage, rich and profound.

In the Chu region, or the Southern Continent, every disciple of the Qingyun Immortal Dao Sect stands at the pinnacle of the mortal world like a deity. The various sects and forces of the world, be they from the three teachings or the nine streams, are like mere clay chickens and dogs before the disciples of the Dao Sect, easily defeated. Just three months ago, Xiao Jianming, a true disciple of the Qingyun Mountain Dao Sect, had single-handedly exterminated the nine bandits of the Ghostly Mist Valley, leaving only one to flee.

The heads of the nine bandits were already hung at the entrance of the Ghostly Mist Valley as a warning, while Xiao Jianming, determined to eliminate evil thoroughly, was now hunting down the last bandit in the Yandang Mountains. It was said that this was the most mysterious of the bandits, known only by name, with no one having ever seen his face...

Xiao Jianming was confident he would find him and vowed to do so. However, no one knew that this tenth bandit had, three months later, joined the Qingyun Dao Sect and become his junior disciple... if a Dao child could be considered a junior disciple.

The Qingyun Dao Sect took in new disciples every ten years, selecting a thousand each time, while Dao children were recruited continuously, with their total number exceeding ten thousand. In name, Dao children were also considered disciples of Qingyun Mountain, but they were different from ordinary disciples. Dao children did not receive monthly distributions of spiritual medicines, nor did any elder specifically teach them. They had to work hard every day, with only one day off per month.

In exchange, they received a thin booklet called the Qingyun Forging Qi Manual.

When Fang Xing was led by the fat Daoist to a row of small wooden houses and handed over to a young man in his late teens with a large black mole on his face, the fat Daoist sneered and handed him a set of blue clothes, a small booklet, and a wooden plaque with his name engraved on it.

"Practice. You got lucky, Senior Sister Lingyun specially ordered your admission to the sect. However, you have no recommendation letter, no money, and no talent, so you can only start from the bottom. This Qingyun Forging Qi Manual is a closely guarded secret of our Qingyun Dao Sect, rarely seen by outsiders. Practice well, and once you reach the first level of the Forging Qi stage, you can become an outer sect disciple..."

The fat Daoist left, and Fang Xing looked at the young man with the black mole who was glaring at him with his arms crossed, as well as the young Dao children who, despite their age, had an air of maturity. He asked, "How many levels have you reached?"

The young man with the black mole pointed at himself and said fiercely, "I already have a sense of qi, the others have nothing!"

Fang Xing nodded thoughtfully and asked, "How many years have you been here?"

The young man with the black mole sneered, "I've been here for six years, and they've been here for three years!"

Fang Xing sighed, threw the booklet aside, and said, "It looks like I've been tricked by that woman!"

The young man with the black mole was taken aback and asked, "Which woman are you talking about?"

Fang Xing replied, "Lingyun. That woman said she would take me into the sect, but it turns out I'm just here to work, and all I got was this lousy booklet. You've been here for seven years or three years, and none of you have achieved anything. Isn't that a trick?"

"Lingyun Senior Sister?"

The young man with the black mole was shocked, rushed forward, and grabbed Fang Xing's collar, saying fiercely, "Shut up, don't bring disaster upon us. If others hear you cursing Senior Sister Lingyun, not only will you suffer, but we will too! Remember, once you enter this medicinal field, you must listen to me. If I tell you to go east, you can't go west. If I tell you to catch bugs, you can't chase chickens..."

"Right, right, from now on, you'll be the one to empty the chamber pots and fetch water to fill the water jars every day..."

A young Dao child with freckles chimed in, looking like he used to do these tasks.

"Hmph, and from now on, you'll be the one to wash the clothes until a new person comes in!"

Another young Dao child with a fair complexion added, clearly the one who used to wash clothes.

Fang Xing looked at each of them and nodded thoughtfully, saying, "So you're bullying me..."

The young man with the black mole sneered, "So what if we are?"

As he spoke, he slammed his fist on the table, his arm veins bulging, looking ferocious.

"Do you want to hit me? I'll scream..."

Fang Xing pretended to be terrified, as if he would scream if anyone touched him.

The young man with the black mole chuckled, "Don't worry, we won't touch you now. But once the door is closed at night, within ten miles, there are only a few of us. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will hear you..."

"Right, right, the medicine supervisor only comes to inspect every three months. The rest of the time, this place is our domain. Even if you report us, the supervisors won't care. They have no time for such things, and you will suffer. The days ahead are long, and as a Dao child, you must stay at least ten years before you can leave the mountain..."

The young Dao child with freckles excitedly threatened Fang Xing, as if it was his first time threatening someone, and he was a bit nervous.

"Ah, big brothers, I'm a good person. I'll do whatever you say..."

Fang Xing suddenly became submissive, pitifully begging for mercy from these leaders.

"Ha, a wimp..."

The young man with the black mole and the others laughed, clearly having seen many like him.

The medicinal field was large and unique. Even in the deep autumn, it was lush and green, showing the power of the Dao Sect.

On his first day, Fang Xing took on the heaviest work in the medicinal field. Including the young man with the black mole, there were six people responsible for taking care of the medicinal field within a ten-mile radius. The young Dao child with freckles diligently taught Fang Xing how to water, weed, catch bugs, and loosen the soil. The medicinal field was called Qingrui Flower, which needed to be watered at the hour of Mao (3-5 AM). Another type called Moling Grass needed to be watered when the morning dew appeared...

Fang Xing learned quickly and had a good attitude. After dinner, he brought a full bucket of water and soaked the dirty clothes of the others, saying he would wash them all and hang them out to dry overnight so they could be worn the next day...

The young Dao children were very satisfied with Fang Xing's performance and promised to guide his cultivation.

Fang Xing smiled and said, "Thank you, big brothers!"

At night, the young Dao children all fell asleep, and the entire Qingyun Mountain fell into a deep silence.

Fang Xing took out a sharp dagger from his bag. It looked very sharp, with a brass inlay and a blade that had never tasted blood.

This was a gift from his third uncle, who also taught him a set of knife techniques for close combat, which were devious and cunning.

His bag contained many good things: a cloth tiger from his uncle, medicine from his second uncle, a smoke pot that could release a smokescreen from his fourth uncle, an iron tube that could release iron needles from his fifth uncle, a book from his sixth uncle, a wild ginseng root from his seventh uncle, a wine gourd from his eighth uncle... most importantly, a book from his ninth uncle...

As for the gold leaves from his third uncle, they had already been spent on buying a maid on the way.

These things were originally carried by Xiaoman, who had fainted, and the bag was left unattended. Fang Xing picked it up again.

Looking at the items in the bag, Fang Xing paused, then tied the bag up again.

He quietly approached the bed of the young man with the black mole and whispered, "Big Brother Wangzhi, Big Brother Wangzhi..."

The young man with the black mole was lightly snoring, and it took three shakes to wake him up. Angered by the disturbance, he shouted, "What do you want in the middle of the night? Do you want to die?"

Fang Xing chuckled, "You want to die!"

With that, he stabbed the knife down, burying it to the hilt.

"Ah..."

The young man with the black mole screamed like a pig being slaughtered, but his cry was quickly muffled by Fang Xing's hand.

Listening carefully, it was quiet, as expected, with no one within ten miles.

Wangzhi tried to struggle, but the knife was stuck in his stomach and seemed to be pinned to the bed. He didn't dare move, as any movement caused pain.

The others in the room were startled awake and hurriedly lit the oil lamp. They immediately saw Fang Xing standing by Wangzhi's bed, holding a knife that had been stabbed into Wangzhi's stomach, with a fierce expression. The timid young Dao child with freckles immediately screamed in terror.

"If you don't want to die, shut up!"

Fang Xing growled, his young voice sounding sinister.

The young Dao child with freckles stopped screaming, but his pants began to wet.

Fang Xing slowly pulled the knife out of Wangzhi's stomach, letting Wangzhi curl up in pain on the bed. He held the knife and slowly walked past the other young Dao children. Whenever he looked at someone, that person trembled in fear. The timid young Dao child with freckles had already covered his head with a blanket, making muffled cries, but they were very low, like a ghost.

"Only I bully others; no one dares to bully me. You guys have some nerve..."

Fang Xing waved the knife in front of each young Dao child. "I have one thing to say: from today on, I'm the boss here. If I tell you to go east, you can't go west. If I tell you to catch bugs, you can't chase chickens. Otherwise, heh, this knife doesn't recognize anyone. Your lives are cheap, and I won't hesitate to kill you. Do you know who my sister is?"

"A favorite of Senior Sister Lingyun! Go ask around, you blind fools!"

Fang Xing's voice echoed in the wooden house, and no one dared to contradict him, with the knife in front of them.

"Fang Xing..."

"What do you call me..."

"Ah... Big Brother Fang, please bandage Senior Brother Wangzhi. He... he's dying..."

Fang Xing glanced at Wangzhi, who was lying motionless on the bed, and chuckled. He twirled the knife, sheathed it, and said disdainfully, "He won't die. My third uncle taught me that if you stab from the Geshu point to the Bulang point, you won't damage the internal organs. So he won't die, but if I slip and stab inaccurately, it's a different story. Someone, go bandage him!"