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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
The slightly plump yet handsome young man was named Jiang Yang. After exchanging names and getting to know each other, I changed into my Daoist Robe and went out to work.
After fetching water from the Water Storage Room at the foot of the mountain and returning to the Azure Brick Tile House, it was already eight in the morning. As a newcomer, I had only completed half of my first task, trying to adapt. From now on, the night shift would start at six in the evening.
The night shift lasted from six in the evening until eight the next morning, with a half-hour meal break around midnight. The cafeteria was located next to the water tower.
While carrying water, I noticed that these disciples seemed to lack strength compared to me. Despite sweating profusely throughout the night, I wasn't exhausted to the point of collapse.
The journey from the reservoir at the foot of the mountain to the top took about five or six minutes; those without strength often took ten to twenty minutes. Along the way, I found an opportunity to ask a young man, "Brother, I'm a newcomer here. May I ask how long we, as disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, need to work in the Water Storage Room for training? It seems like everyone hasn't cultivated Dao Qi."
The young man glanced at me, hesitated for a moment, then continued carrying water up the mountain. Just then, he slipped and fell backward. I instinctively reached out to support him and made it up the mountain first, pouring the water from the wooden bucket into the water tank.
On my way down, this young man deliberately slowed his pace to wait for me. He didn't look at me but said, "Don't look around; just walk normally."
I replied with an "mm" and walked alongside him down the mountain. The young man asked, "Did no one tell you anything when you arrived here?"
I said, "I came here on my own from the secular world. Having passed the normal age for selection as an Outer Sect Disciple, I was assigned to work here without anyone explaining anything about the Water Storage Room."
He replied, "No wonder. You must have offended someone when you arrived."
I admitted, "Yes, there was some friction with people from the Water Supply Room."
The young man frowned upon hearing this and asked, "How did you manage to provoke them?"
I inquired, "Are they influential or capable within the sect?"
He answered, "At least in the Water Storage Room, Huang Laohu is like an emperor; those two are like his prime ministers."
"So I've offended a big shot," I chuckled.
The young man continued, "Those assigned here are either people with poor aptitude who have no hope of cultivation or Outer Sect disciples who have committed offenses or have had their cultivation abilities disabled. You asked me how long we need to train in the Water Storage Room since it seems like no one has cultivated Dao Qi. Let me tell you this: once you're assigned to the Water Storage Room, you basically won't get out. As for Dao Qi, let me put it this way: I came in at sixteen and worked for four years; now I'm twenty."
I was taken aback by his words—four years in such a large sect without cultivating Dao Qi?
I asked, "So, entering here is equivalent to going into the Black Coal Mine?"
"What is the Black Coal Mine?" the young man inquired.
"It's a place where you work without getting paid," I replied.
He said, "Well, they do give out some Silver Coins every month, along with two Qi Gathering Pills. You can use the Silver Coins to buy daily necessities in the Water Supply Room. I suggest you buy through someone else or let me help you; otherwise, you'll be in for a rough time. And just a heads-up, since you're new here, don't work too fast."
After finishing his words, the young man quickly walked down the steps. At the bottom of the hill, he filled two wooden buckets at an exposed well. Balancing the yoke on his shoulders, he turned back as he passed me on his way up and added, "Make sure Huang Laohu doesn't see you talking; he doesn't like people whispering under his nose. It's best if no one else hears either. In the Water Storage Room, no one is trustworthy, not even me."
Without looking back, he ascended the hill. I pondered for a moment, watching the busy figures around me before returning to my work.
Most people in the Water Storage Room had not cultivated Dao Qi; even those who had were merely novices in the Daoist Sect. I had no idea what kind of strength Huang Laohu possessed that made everyone fear him like a tiger.
Although Mr. Chang was not a match for Elder Si Tu Nan of the Divine Serpent Sect, he was quite famous in the Daoist World. My father, Yang Sanqian, whom I had never met, was referred to as the Divine Hero. They were certainly stronger than Huang Laohu. However, just like in the secular world, rank has its privileges; Huang Laohu was strong and robust enough to instill a sense of helplessness in everyone around him. He was undoubtedly the top expert in the Water Storage Room; I just didn't know what realm he was at.
As of now, I only knew that the entry-level realm for Daoist Sects was called Entry-Level Realm. Back at Qingliang Mountain, Mr. Chang and Wu were worried that discussing cultivation would distract me from my physical training and didn't go into detail about how many realms there were or how they differed from one another.
Later on, I found an opportunity to ask that young man about Huang Laohu's strength. He glanced around cautiously and pretended not to hear when someone passed by. After a long while without anyone around, he finally said, "If you want to stay alive, never ask about Huang Laohu again. Also, I think you're not very trustworthy; it's best if you just focus on your work and don't think about escaping. Those who try to escape from here all end up with one fate: death."
Watching him hurriedly leave, I couldn't help but sigh; oppression exists everywhere. In places with many people, strict hierarchies are inevitable.
After such prolonged high-intensity physical labor, it was impossible to calm my mind and cultivate Qi; no wonder these people remained ordinary despite years of cultivation.
Once back in my room, I took off my damp Daoist robe to dry off before going to bed. My roommate, Chubby Boy Jiang Yang, was already up and working. After a while, he suddenly returned to our dormitory and said, "Yang Hao, someone from the adjacent dormitory is calling for you."
"Huang Laohu?" I asked.
"No, it's not Brother Huzi; he's in a different place than us. It's the Room Manager calling for you," Jiang Yang replied. "Brother Huzi sometimes oversees day shifts and sometimes night shifts; when he's not around, it's the Room Manager's turn to keep watch. You'd better listen to him and avoid causing trouble."
I sensed something hidden in Jiang Yang's words and realized there was more to it than met the eye. I had often heard that when new recruits joined the army, they had to serve veterans by washing their feet, making their beds, and washing their socks and underwear for a month—this was called being able to endure hardship as a man. Those who refused would face severe beatings from veterans; only those who were savvy enough to find a protector quickly could establish themselves in camp.
I got up and picked up a chopstick from the table, running my fingers over it before putting it back down.
Upon arriving at the large dormitory next door, I found a group of people sitting on their beds watching me with provocative smiles on their faces.
"Are you new here?" asked the middle-aged man sitting on the large bed at the back of the dormitory. He looked to be about the same age as Huang Laohu, though slightly thinner. At that moment, he was sitting on the bed, engrossed in a book, not bothering to look up.
Last night, when Huang Laohu showed me around the big dormitory, I noticed that this bed was different from the others. The other beds were all bunk beds and quite narrow, while this one was spacious and only had a single layer. I had thought it belonged to Huang Laohu.
"I'm Yang Hao. Are you the Room Manager?" I asked.
The Room Manager glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the book in his hands. "That's right. You can just call me Room Manager like the other brothers do."
Before I could respond, a burly young man next to the Room Manager pointed at me and shouted, "Are you blind? The boss has been waiting for so long, and you still haven't come over to wash his feet!"
"Washing feet?" I chuckled lightly, surprised that such things happened even in the Daoist Sect.
"You think you're something, huh? You dare to laugh?" The muscular young man started walking toward me.
"Three Sons, he's just a newcomer. Don't be so aggressive," the Room Manager said calmly while flipping through his book, looking like a cultured gangster.
The burly young man stood in front of me and swung a fist toward my head. I ducked just in time to avoid it, but his fist struck the edge of the metal bed with a loud clang, causing him to curse in pain.
"You dare dodge when I'm hitting you!" he yelled as he threw another punch. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard, forcing him to turn away in pain. Then, with my other hand, I slammed down on the back of his head, pressing his forehead against the edge of the bed. With another loud clang, the bed bent under the force, and he passed out.
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