Chapter 4: Goddess

Days passed one by one.

Before he knew it, He Pingsheng had been at Xiuzhu Peak for over half a month.

During this half-month, nothing special happened, but He Pingsheng himself had grown stronger from the sustained intake of meat and spiritual rice, coupled with daily water-carrying hikes.

He had become much sturdier.

Carrying water was no longer so taxing.

In fact, he now carried water twenty times a day with ease.

Yet to conceal the effect of the golden rice, He Pingsheng still had to put on an expression of utter exhaustion every day.

Today, the weather was clear, the sky bright and pure.

As usual, He Pingsheng carried his water to the canteen entrance; before he reached the great vat, he saw a crowd gathered far ahead.

Colorful and eye-catching.

He Pingsheng glanced and noticed many strangers had suddenly appeared.

Some wore the distinctive robes of Grand Void Gate’s direct disciples; others were laborer disciples like himself.

They clustered together, pointing and whispering.

Occasional sharp female voices cut through the murmurs.

He Pingsheng had no intention of approaching, but before he could pour his bucket into the vat, a woman called out: “You—the water carrier—come here!”

He Pingsheng turned to look. The dense crowd parted, revealing a woman in a pink robe, eyes blazing with fury, glaring at him.

Before her, Zhang Da lay on the ground like a dog, blood trickling from his lips.

This…

What happened?

Had Zhang Da been beaten?

“G…Goddess, greetings…” He Pingsheng set down his carrying pole and bowed respectfully before the woman.

Grand Void Gate’s rules were strict: laborer disciples must bow deeply to inner disciples, even kneel and kowtow.

To male disciples, regardless of familiarity, one must respectfully address them as “Great Lord”; to female disciples, one must call them “Goddess.”

The woman in the pink robe stared at He Pingsheng with icy disdain.

He Pingsheng took a deep breath and replied cautiously: “Yes, I am solely responsible for carrying water.”

“Zheng…” Without another word, the woman drew her sword with a flick of her wrist and pointed the blade at He Pingsheng.

Before the blade reached him, a sharp gust of wind struck his face.

He Pingsheng stumbled backward three or four steps in terror.

The woman said: “Goddess has a question for you. If you dare lie, I will not spare you today!”

“Y-yes, yes, yes…” He Pingsheng bowed his head again.

The woman said: “The spring water of Xiuzhu Peak has always been crisp and sweet—the finest of the Nine Peaks, even surpassing Tianyi Peak. I ask you: why has this water grown increasingly foul these past days?”

“Plain and disgusting to drink!”

He Pingsheng’s face twisted in distress: That’s right!

When he first arrived, he thought the water tasted excellent, but lately it had become utterly ordinary.

He himself wanted to know the answer!

“I… I don’t know,” He Pingsheng admitted, since he truly didn’t.

“Hmph!” The woman sneered, her eyes flashing with sharp light: “You filthy wretch—did you bathe in the spring while carrying water? Did you pollute our sacred spring? If so, I’ll kill you!”

He Pingsheng panicked: “I have never done such a thing! Please, Goddess, investigate thoroughly!”

Before the woman could respond, Zhang Da leapt to his feet and rushed at He Pingsheng, kicking out.

With a thud, he sent He Pingsheng sprawling to the ground.

Zhang Da swung his fists, hammering He Pingsheng’s head repeatedly: “You damned bastard! I told you to carry water, yet you resented it and dared to poison the spring! I’ll beat you to death, you fool!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Zhang Da struck a few more times.

Seeing He Pingsheng bleeding from nose and mouth, he finally stopped, growling: “Goddess, rest assured—I’ll chop this dog to pieces and feed him to the dogs!”

Then he kicked He Pingsheng several more times.

Though He Pingsheng had grown stronger recently, he was still only a fourteen-year-old boy—how could he match Zhang Da, a thirty-something brute with hardened muscle?

He had no chance. He could only curl up and take it.

The woman’s expression softened slightly: “Killing this dog is fine—replace him with someone more sensible. But this is your laborer squad’s affair.”

Hearing they were truly deciding his fate, He Pingsheng panicked. He scrambled up and cried: “Goddess, please see clearly! I carry water every day—I have no time to bathe there! Please investigate thoroughly! This has nothing to do with me!”

At that moment, another woman in a green robe hurried over from afar.

“Little sister, what are you doing?” the green-robed woman asked. “Are you causing more trouble again?”

The pink-robed woman replied: “Second sister, you’re here…”

“Nothing major—these filthy, disgusting laborer disciples dared bathe in the spring behind the mountain and polluted the sacred water. That’s why the taste has changed these past days. I came to uphold justice and kill this filth!”

“No!” The green-robed woman’s expression turned alarmed: “Absolutely not!”

Seeing a chance for salvation, He Pingsheng stepped forward two paces: “Goddess, please see clearly! I have never bathed in that pool!”

“I drink this water every day too—why would I poison my own drink?”

The green-robed woman nodded, then turned her gaze from He Pingsheng to the pink-robed woman: “Little sister, if someone bathed in the pool, the water’s taste likely wouldn’t change. To find the truth, we must go to the spring ourselves.”

“We must not wrongfully accuse them. Though they are lowly laborer disciples, they all struggle hard.”

“Hmph…” The pink-robed woman sneered, feeling humiliated.

The green-robed woman said: “Very well—I’ll accompany you to the spring. You others come too—see what strange thing has happened to this water.”

He Pingsheng didn’t know how to address these two women, but clearly, the green-robed one held more authority.

Everyone followed the two women toward the back mountain.

As they walked, He Pingsheng limped, his whole body aching.

His face was bruised purple and blue.

Yet even so, he still carried his two empty buckets.

After all—he still had work to do!

Otherwise, the consequences would be even worse.