Chapter 256

From then on, Yan Buji began to sweep and clean at the foot of the mountain every day with peace of mind, and his days passed relatively peacefully.

However, during this period, Liu Jun seemed to have gained the approval of an elder from the Transmitting Skills Hall, hearing him say he would soon be transferred.

That evening, Liu Jun happily returned to his quarters, saw Yan Buji meditating, and said, "Senior Brother Huang! I'm about to become an official disciple!"

"That fast?" Yan Buji opened his eyes, looking at him in surprise.

"Brother Liu, you really have good fortune," another cultivator in the same room said enviously.

Yan Buji smiled: "Then it seems I'll have to call you senior brother from now on."

Liu Jun laughed, waving his hand: "Not at all, not at all. Senior Brother Huang knows a lot; becoming an official disciple is just a matter of time. I'm just lucky; I happened to be summoned by an elder these days to help out."

"Is that so? Then luck has indeed come your way." Yan Buji laughed.

Liu Jun looked at Yan Buji, hesitated a moment, and said, "Senior Brother Huang, let's go out for a walk."

"Sure."

Liu Jun obviously had something he couldn't say to outsiders, but Yan Buji thought he hadn't helped him at all—could this kid really think he's some kind of nice older brother?

After stepping out the door, Liu Jun and Yan Buji went to an empty courtyard and sat down. He said, "Senior Brother Huang, although I've been valued by the elder, I always feel... that elder's gaze at me is off."

"Huh?" Yan Buji looked at him with a strange expression.

Truth be told, Liu Jun is in his forties or fifties, yet he looks like a young man in his early twenties, and his bearing is dignified—he could be considered a handsome guy.

Thinking about it, could it be that the elder has taken a liking to his appearance?

Yan Buji comforted him: "No matter what, cultivation is for oneself. Grab opportunities and push upward; when you reach my age, you won't be able to rely on looks."

"But... he's a man..."

Yan Buji: "...... A man... well, good luck, I can't help you with this. All I can say is, since you have this fortune, think it over yourself."

Liu Jun fell silent, nodded, and said, "Thanks, elder brother."

"Haha, go rest."

Yan Buji didn't care about Liu Jun's fortune; for him, serving a man wouldn't be impossible, but with his old bones, no one would likely want him even if he begged.

But all this is based on interest; if you gain nothing and still go, it's pure self-abuse—or you really have such a fetish.

After a few days, Liu Jun indeed moved out of the thatched hut; no one knows what his future life will be like.

But Yan Buji still had his own affairs to attend to; after inquiring around these days, he found that the conditions for entering the sect were far more difficult than he had originally thought.

Disciples of the Miscellaneous Labor Hall who wish to become official must complete tasks.

However, there aren't any major disasters inside or outside the sect; it's just that some elders have matters they don't want to handle themselves, so they assign them to the Mission Hall to distribute to disciples.

But such tasks cannot be taken by miscellaneous labor disciples unless you have connections.

Moreover, the tasks the Mission Hall allocates to the Miscellaneous Labor Hall are few, with over forty laborers vying for them, so Yan Buji never gets a turn.

This is also because Yan Buji didn't give Niu Long a gift on the first day, which brought about later trouble; nevertheless, Yan Buji is still waiting, waiting for news that suits his move, then he'll take a chance.

"Junior Brother Huang, you're still sweeping here? Why not take a mission?" Niu Long walked down the mountain, looked at Yan Buji sweeping, and said with a smile.

Yan Buji wore a bitter smile, helplessly saying: "The sect's tasks are snatched up by others too fast; I really can't get a turn."

"Alas, after all, they're just easy chores; surely someone will grab them. If you don't take one, once these three months pass you could be expelled from the mountain gate." Niu Long said this affectingly, then went up the mountain with his hands behind his back.

Yan Buji gave a slight smile: "They openly and secretly demand gifts from me; the atmosphere of Qing Shan Sect really delights me."

But giving gifts isn't done that way; Yan Buji's preparations are already in place—it's just that the timing hasn't arrived yet.

The next day.

Yan Buji inquired about the tasks assigned by the Mission Hall, and his eyes lit up.

"I got it! Going to help move sand and stone at the earth veins!"

"Huh? What kind of good task is that?"

"Of course! Qing Shan Sect's earth veins have a fire vein; the Alchemy Hall and the sect disciples and elders who usually craft accumulation devices are all there—just think how wide and broad their connections are!"

"Don't boast; helping move sand and stone you can only work outside the earth veins, with no chance to go in—hauling stones day after day will wear you out! Do you really think that's a good place?"

"Huh? Really?!"

"How could I not know after having been there? Otherwise you'd think I'd let you have this place."

Yan Buji nodded in satisfaction; hearing this, many cultivators around who knew the situation of Qing Shan Sect's earth veins also nodded.

Because Qing Shan Sect is focusing on developing the earth veins and repairing cave abodes, it needs many disciples to open up cave dwellings.

But Foundation Establishment cultivators don't have the time for this; instead, they rely on Lianqi phase disciples to dig by hand, forbidding the use of spiritual power lest it disturb the earth veins' stability.

Yan Buji has been at Qing Shan Sect for a long time; he early on sensed where the sect's earth veins lie, but he never had a chance—today, however, the opportunity seems about right.

He walked over, holding his broom and about to sweep the ground, when suddenly he "accidentally" bumped into that cultivator.

"Ow, what are you doing?!"

"Sorry, fellow sect member, I didn't notice you were there. Sorry, sorry..." Yan Buji hurriedly apologized, bowing his head and bending his waist.

Seeing Yan Buji's sincere attitude, the other party couldn't say much more: "Be careful, don't walk without looking where you're going."

"Yes, yes, sorry, sorry."

Yan Buji hurriedly took his broom and left; the surrounding cultivators chuckled: "After all, that guy is a late Lianqi cultivator—you dare talk to him like that?"

"What's there to fear? I remember that old man was assigned to the foot of the mountain by Senior Brother Niu; tsk, he'll probably be gone in a couple months—what does it matter." The cultivator pursed his lips, yet, being rather skeptical, hurried off to the earth veins.

Qing Shan Sect's earth veins lie on the other side of the mountain, not on the mountain itself, but beneath a large river on the shady side.

He arrived nearby and saw the surrounding disciples and elders entering the earth veins, feeling very envious.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and dig for me!" the Mission Hall disciple glared at him; that cultivator lowered his head, grabbed a shovel, and went straight into the pit, giving the feeling of digging black ore.

But after digging a while, that cultivator felt the air inside the cavity draining extremely fast, making it hard to breathe.

"I can't, I can't—without being allowed to use spiritual power, I still have to haul dirt and stone out by hand; it's exhausting!"

The cultivator hurriedly rushed out of the cavity and took a breath of fresh air.

"What are you doing? It's not break time yet! You want to slack off, you stupid donkey!" the Mission Hall disciple walked over, pointed at his nose, and cursed.

That cultivator couldn't help himself, quickly saying: "Senior Brother, I can't do it! Breathing in here is difficult, I can't go on.... Can we switch someone?"

"Do you think this is your place? If you can't do it, scram! Next time, don't let me see you here!"

That cultivator was resentful, but didn't dare say more, so he could only leave.

The Mission Hall disciple's face darkened: "Damn, these laborers really are giving them face! Notify Niu Long, quickly get me a replacement—delaying the cave dwelling opening matter, I want to see what Morning Sun Elder has to say!"