The three were having a private chat in the back, while Li Yangtian walked in front with his head held high, pointing at the sky as he talked loudly.
“I, Li Yangtian, have been in the Zhaixing Sect for eleven years. Although I don't hold any important position, given my years of contributions and silent dedication to the sect, rest assured—even if Elder Qingyuan, who oversees personnel transfers, doesn't give me face, he'll give face to my past efforts.
“Besides, I noticed quite a few new faces coming and going lately. The sect seems to be planning another round of recruitment.”
He turned around, patted his chest, and loudly guaranteed,
“With just a flick of my finger and a flap of my gums, I guarantee all three of you can get in.”
“Mm!”
Wen Li, Yao Dai, and Xie Tinglan all nodded seriously in unison.
The next second—
Thud!
“Elder Qingyuan! I'm begging you on my knees! Please, just give them a chance! They're my saviors! Without them, you wouldn't be seeing Little Yang today! I beg you, they're already Dao-seeking cultivators, just rogue cultivators without any sect alignment!
“Waaah! Could you really bear to watch me break my word and lose all credibility? No, if you just let the three of them join the sect, I'll haul manure for your herb garden for a whole month for free! I'll even produce it myself, I guarantee your herb garden will be as fertile as can be!”
“Get lost, get lost, get lost! You think your waste is some rare treasure?! As if I need you to produce it! Get far away from me! Keep clutching my leg, and see if I don't whip you!”
“Waaah, go ahead and hit me! Beat me to death! If you don't agree today, I won't let go!”
“...” So this was what he meant by flicking a finger and flapping his gums.
“...” And “giving face” turned out to be throwing his own face into the mud.
“...” So “silent dedication” meant hauling manure for a month—plus producing it himself.
Standing outside a fence on the grassland, the three folded their arms and looked at each other.
Li Yangtian assumed their low cultivation prevented them from hearing what went on inside the barrier, but in truth...
Wen Li and Xie Tinglan heard everything crystal clear, as if he were putting on a full dramatic show right next to their ears. Xie Tinglan had even mischievously opened up a sound connection for Yao Dai beforehand, but none of them expected it to be like this.
Yao Dai pursed her lips, feeling a bit guilty. “Master, I suddenly feel like we hit him too hard yesterday. I feel bad for him.”
“Ahem...”
Xie Tinglan coughed softly and looked up at the sky. He hadn't expected Li Yangtian to be such an honorable and loyal guy. If he had been a villain, it would have been fine, but a guy like this made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
Wen Li—who had claimed she was too embarrassed to beat him up, yet ended up slapping him unconscious anyway—also looked up at the sky as fluttering snowflakes began to fall.
“This sky sure looks like a sky. And this snow is so white.”
Though she was a villain, she was a villain with charismatic charm and loyalty. Looking at it like this, she really felt a bit like a monster.
Forget it, she'd make it up to Li Yangtian later. After all, amusing cultivators like him were rare, just like her—truly a treasure to be cherished.
Before long, the commotion inside finally died down.
Creak.
The wooden door of the thatched hut opened, and the barrier vanished.
A figure with a straight posture and his chin held high strolled out proudly. Li Yangtian chuckled with utter composure.
“All set. Elder Qingyuan wants to see you. If all goes well, you can join the sect today.”
Yao Dai opened her mouth. “You...”
“Ah, no need to be polite! It was just a matter of a few words.”
Before she could finish, Li Yangtian waved his hand nonchalantly with grand flair. “Go on in.”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and stepped aside to make way, standing tall with a rock-solid spine.
Yao Dai pursed her lips, walked up silently, stopped behind him, reached out, and spoke rapidly.
“I'm sorry, but I actually wanted to say there was a piece of chicken droppings on your clothes. Don't worry, though, I already picked it off for you.”
“...”
Li Yangtian, facing away, turned pale. Dammit! What a heroic moment, ruined by a piece of chicken droppings!
“Ahem... It's fine. Hurry on inside.”
Yao Dai walked past, and Wen Li stepped up, silently picking off a piece of weed stuck in his hair from rolling on the ground. Without a word, she walked inside.
As for Xie Tinglan, he had wanted to pat him on the shoulder like one man to another to express his thanks. Unfortunately, appearing as a four-year-old child, he could only reach up and pat his knee.
“It's fine, just a bit of packed snow.”
With that, he walked inside as well.
Once the three went inside, Li Yangtian, who had been standing sideways the whole time, finally relaxed. He hurriedly checked himself all over for any other flaws. It shouldn't be! He had checked himself thoroughly before opening the door!
How could there still be blind spots?! Ahhh, surely they didn't notice, right?!
Inside the herb garden.
A white-bearded old man in simple coarse clothes looked at the three of them, his gaze sweeping down from tall to short. There was actually a four-year-old child.
Li Yangtian was truly acting recklessly, making promises to just anyone.
However, having promised Li Yangtian he would give them a chance, Elder Qingyuan had no choice but to ask as a matter of routine.
“What are your current cultivation realms?”
The three released their spiritual energy fluctuations.
Wen Li: “Early-Stage Foundation Establishment.”
Yao Dai: “Sixth Level of Qi Refinement.”
Xie Tinglan: “Seventh Level of Qi Refinement.”
“Mm, mm... Hm?”
Qingyuan listened to each of them until Xie Tinglan spoke. “How old are you?”
Xie Tinglan gritted his teeth and followed Wen Li's instruction. “Twenty. But I have congenital dwarfism, so I can't grow taller.”
Yao Dai pressed her lips tightly together, desperately holding back her laughter.
Getting Xie Tinglan—who was always so arrogant and obsessed with his height—to say such a thing was no small feat. Wen Li had bribed him with a room full of food.
“Ah.”
Elder Qingyuan gave him a sympathetic look, deciding not to poke at his sensitive spot. After all, it wasn't as if a four-year-old toddler could actually reach the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement right after birth.
“Your cultivation levels are quite good. Since you saved Yangtian, and he gave you his word, you may stay as outer disciples. If your cultivation advances in the future, you will have a chance to become inner disciples.
“Alright, I will add you to the Zhaixing Sect's disciple roster. Have Li Yangtian take you to collect your introductory items. Ask him if you have any questions.”
“Thank you, Elder Qingyuan.”
Qingyuan waved his hand, turning back to tend to his herb garden.
Wen Li and the other two walked out of the garden.
Arranged from tallest to shortest, they cupped their hands toward Li Yangtian in neat unison.
“Thank you, Brother Li.”
Seeing this, Li Yangtian knew it was a success and instantly beamed. “See? Didn't I tell you? Just a flick of my finger and a flap of my gums, and it was done. Elder Qingyuan is very easy to talk to!”
The three nodded awkwardly.
“Mm.”
Li Yangtian waved his hand grandly. “Let's go. I'll take you to collect your disciple robes, arrange your lodging, and fill you in on the rules of the Zhaixing Sect.”
“Mm.”
The three followed quietly behind him without a single word, being neatly behaved for the very first time.
Don't ask. If you must ask, it was out of guilt.
“There, that's the Zhaixing Sect's main peak—it's where the Sect Master's cave abode, the Treasure Pavilion, and the Cultivation Tower are located. The Square Plaza below is used for grand assemblies. The shorter ones are the six secondary peaks, where the six elders have their cave abodes and where their disciples reside. Everything we're seeing right now is for the inner disciples. Come, look over here—that area is for the outer disciples.”
The four rode a skyship, looking down at the terrain below from high in the air. Although Cangling Kingdom was also blanketed in snow and ice all year round, one could still catch sight of the beautiful scenery beneath the drifting snow.
Li Yangtian pointed at the outer ring of mountain peaks. “These are for the outer disciples. They're mainly responsible for managing the Zhaixing Sect's supplies, personnel logistics, and recruiting down the mountain.”
Wen Li understood—in layman's terms, odd-job workers who moved wherever work was needed and had to recruit new members on top of that. In short, cultivation was not their main priority.
However, this was normal. Most sects were divided like this. After all, gifted disciples capable of progress focused on cultivation, so everyday resources, food, clothing, housing, and essentials needed ordinary disciples with lower talent to handle the workload in exchange for the sect's protection.
It was simply a matter of everyone getting what they needed.
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