...
The repeated humiliations burned painfully into Chen San’s memory.
Yet no matter how intense the pain, it couldn’t overshadow his desire to cling on.
"Relying solely on myself, spending a lifetime would only see me twisting and struggling in the filthy, muddy cracks of the lower echelons, growing just a few insignificant leaves."
"At any time, a larger stone might crush me entirely, or an unwitting footstep might grind me to dust."
"Relying on myself alone is definitely not viable, but it’s not without hope!"
"I am originally just a weed. Only by climbing high mountains can a humble vine stretch to some height, touch more sunlight, and see more scenery."
"They look down on me merely because I hold little value. Who would recruit a worthless weed vine with a low-grade spirit root as a subordinate?"
"How can I make myself more valuable?"
"Perhaps rooting in the lower realm is both my weakness and my strength..."
The vine named Chen San grew here from the childhood mines, under the sunshine, in the cracks beside the gigantic rock near the Bluestone Cave Mansion, trembling under the moonlight and cool breeze at night.
What will be the outcome of this climb?
Will the person behind this door be the next Manager Zhao or the next Captain Wang? Will the Young Master’s folding fan at the auction once again brush me aside?
Meanwhile, the hope flickers like a firefly in the dark, weak yet stubbornly leaping.
What if? What if this time it’s different?
What if the owner of this Stone-Rinsing Immortal Grotto truly needs a sharp ear and eye, a helper moving within the shadows?
Worry, anticipation, tension, and a slight pang of panic wrap around Chen San’s heart like invisible vines, growing tighter and tighter.
With the whimper of the night wind, his body and mind remain tense, accumulating a coolness.
Silence, an endless silence remains.
The Green Jade Gate stands unmoved, like millennia-old profound ice.
Instinctively, Chen San glances again at the mundane vine in the rock crevice; he seems to foresee his destined outcome, shattered in the wind.
And just then, from inside the great door of the cave mansion, there seems to be an extremely faint "click" of jade stone rubbing against each other.
Chen San’s pupils suddenly contract, and all of his muscles tense up as he instinctively holds his breath.
The door gradually opens a small crack.
Then, under Chen San’s watchful eye, the crack widens, revealing the silhouette of a cultivation elder.
"Chen San pays respect to the senior." Chen San immediately salutes.
The Chef gives him a once-over and nods slightly, "The Young Master has summoned you, follow me."
Delight instantly surges in Chen San’s heart. In the past, he was always dismissed by the subordinates of powerful figures, but this time, he received a personal summoning by Ning Zhuo.
Even though he had just attended Ning Zhuo’s banquet at the restaurant, publicly and privately... Chen San, who has been struggling at the bottom, knows all too well the significant difference!
Bang bang bang...
As his anticipation intensifies, Chen San’s anxiety also increases, and his heart starts racing.
The Martial Arts Array opens a passageway, and Chen San steps through, catching sight from afar of Ning Zhuo sitting in meditation. He immediately bows with respect.
Ning Zhuo: "Chen San, how’s the thing I told you to do?"
Ning Zhuo’s tone is not polite, but Chen San is rather pleased. This is because the treatment towards fellow Daoists and subordinates is quite different.
Chen San concisely reports Ahuo’s behavior and such to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo does not answer but falls into a short silence.
Chen San gazes at the floor tile beneath his feet, his heartbeat intensifying, his mouth dry as if every day drags on endlessly.
Ning Zhuo takes out a bag of spirit stones and tosses it at Chen San’s feet: "I have seen your intelligence, and you are also someone participating in the Feiyun Conference, which is why the Myriad Images Sect has investigated your situation more thoroughly. Thus, I am aware of quite a bit."
"Since you are adept at gathering intelligence, then use this money to do something for me first."
Chen San is overjoyed, hastily kneeling down: "Please, Master, give your orders, this subordinate will exert all efforts."
Ning Zhuo responds, "I want you to spread some rumor..."
Chen San listens carefully, remembering every detail, then repeats it to Ning Zhuo almost word for word.
His memory is exceptional; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to work in intelligence. In fact, having grown up in the mines, without an outstanding memory, how could he navigate the complicated, similar underground mines and tunnels effectively?
Ning Zhuo nods slightly: "Go."
Chen San: "This subordinate takes leave."
Behind him, the array opens a passage-sized path, and he bows respectfully, retreating several steps before turning to leave.
The Chef stands outside the array and gestures with an outstretched arm: "This way."
The two walk out of the cave mansion one after the other.
Chen San bows once more to bid farewell to the Chef: "Thank you, senior."
Chef replied emotionlessly: "Since the young master values you, do your job well."
"I will certainly give it my all!" Only then did Chen San dare to raise his voice slightly, making a promise.
Chef closed the door of the cave mansion.
Chen San turned around to leave, walked to the edge of the stone platform, and then stopped, turned around, and bowed towards the cave mansion.
He rode the cloud to leave, and halfway through, the night wind blew ceaselessly, calming him slightly.
He shook his head slightly, still feeling somewhat bewildered.
Recalling the encounter just now, it was simply dreamlike.
He did not expect Ning Zhuo to give a lengthy speech to him, but instead, directly assigned him a new task.
"Could this be another test from Young Master Ning Zhuo?"
Thinking of this, Chen San finally used his divine sense to probe into the storage bag.
"There are so many spirit stones?" The amount of spirit stones in the storage bag was beyond his expectation.
He had already planned to fund it out of his own pocket, but Ning Zhuo provided funds far exceeding the activity itself, which was an unprecedented experience for Chen San!
"Isn’t he afraid that I’ll just take the money and run away?" Doubts arose in Chen San’s heart.
"Or is it that his noble birth makes him unaware of the cost of spreading rumors?"
Chen San shook his head again, his gaze becoming firm: "No matter what, I must seize this opportunity firmly!"
Ban Family Ancestral Hall.
Creak, creak...
A group of Supreme Family Elders surrounded the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain, their faces all ashen.
The Clan Fate Mechanism Chain once again distorted, revealing some secrets about Ning Zhuo’s qi fortune.
"This guy still got this human fortune!"
"Even before he obtained it, he had already suppressed Ban Ji. Now his qi fortune is even more prosperous; what can be done?"
"Ban Ji’s King’s Order needs to be activated step by step, but Ning Zhuo has now blocked Ban Ji, equivalent to blocking the entire Ban Family’s advancement path."
"We must resolve this human tribulation for Ban Ji!"
"But the Myriad Images Sect cannot be provoked..."
"We need to consider this in the long term!"
"First, let’s use the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain to create some trouble for his qi fortune. Even if only half of it has been revealed, it already strikes me alarmingly, and it must be restrained in this regard!"
"I second that."
"I second that."
"I second that!"
One day later.
Ban Ji was in the cave mansion, meeting Monk of False Words, Rust Disaster Craftsman, and Liu Qingyan.
His face turned ashen as well.
"What are you doing? Scared silly by Ning Zhuo?!" Ban Ji mocked as he stared at the three Demon Cultivators in front of him.
Monk of False Words clasped his hands together in front of his chest: "This Ning Zhuo got the Stone Token, and is a genius stronger than you, Ban Ji, with a mysterious and powerful backing. The reward you’re offering is absolutely not enough to make me oppose such a prodigy."
Ban Ji’s expression softened slightly: "Indeed, Ning Zhuo’s strength is beyond what was initially expected. If it’s about not having enough money, that’s easy! I can increase the payment."
But the response he received was the three shaking their heads.
Rust Disaster Craftsman said: "I’m afraid of earning a living but not being alive to spend it. Silk Lady has been missing for a long time; she once tried to use Che Zhuzi to deal with Ning Zhuo, and now there’s no news of her, which surely means she’s in dire straits."
Liu Qingyan: "Even if we now manage to deal with Ning Zhuo, how would we later face the retaliation from the forces behind him?"
"The scarier thing is that he has already claimed the first place from Qinghuangzi, and now he holds four first places."
"What about you, Ban Ji?"
Ban Ji’s face flushed with anger.
He growled: "I just had my rhythm disrupted! If I could really perform, without Ning Zhuo messing things up, I would certainly have gotten the Stone Token by now."
"Don’t you know my strength?"
The three fell silent, looking at each other.
Rust Disaster Craftsman: "It was precisely because we knew your strength and potential that we agreed to tackle Ning Zhuo with you."
"However, the rivalry between you and Ning Zhuo is not something we can intervene in."
Monk of False Words: "There are already big rumors circulating, saying that the three of us were appointed by you to hinder Ning Zhuo."
"If we continue to trouble Ning Zhuo, it would be too dangerous. In the worst-case scenario, the Myriad Images Sect might act against us!"
Ban Ji fell silent.