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Human Sacrifice
I casually said, "In the past, he was my neighbor from the village. He joined the Azure Cloud Sect a few years before me, but after that, we lost contact. His mother asked me to find out if he was dead or alive, so she could stop worrying about it."
The Room Manager looked at me with a serious expression and said, "He’s dead."
"Dead?" Although I had anticipated Wang Hai's death, I still felt a pang of discomfort and asked, "How did he die?"
The Room Manager replied, "Back then, Huang Laohu was already the leader of this mountain. Wang Hai was punished and sent to the Water Storage Room. He clashed with Huang Laohu right away, and not long after that, he drowned in the reservoir. I’m not entirely clear on the specifics, but I remember that Wang Hai was an Outer Sect Disciple who had only been in the Outer Sect for a year and was already making remarkable progress, about to break through to the Entry-Level Realm. However, because he was arrogant and looked down on others, even after entering the Water Storage Room, he remained quite arrogant."
Hearing this from the Room Manager made me lose interest in asking further questions. From Grandma Wu's account, I already knew that her son had a difficult personality. Such individuals often struggle to navigate social situations within a large group, which likely led to his confrontation with Huang Laohu and ultimately his demise.
The Room Manager glanced at Jiang Yang, who was sound asleep, hesitating to speak. I said, "Room Manager, if you have something to say, just say it."
The Room Manager replied, "It's nothing. It's getting late. I came over while Brother Huzi is out; it wouldn’t be good if he found out we were so close. You should get some rest."
After seeing off the Room Manager, I took a cold shower and lay down to sleep. The next morning, I woke up and patted Jiang Yang's blanket. "Jiang Yang, wake up; I've switched to the day shift today."
Jiang Yang climbed out of bed as I returned from washing up outside. I inadvertently noticed bloodstains on his clothes and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Jiang Yang stammered, "Just a scratch."
Seeing the blood marks all over his exposed arms made it clear that there wasn’t a single uninjured spot on his body. I asked, "Who bullied you? Tell me."
"No one bullied me; just go do your work," Jiang Yang said evasively.
"Come on, you have to tell me who it was." As I dried my hair and headed outside, I suddenly realized something was off and turned back to ask, "Aren't you also on day shift?"
Jiang Yang replied, "I don’t have to work today; I'm off for two days."
"Why?" I blurted out.
It wasn't that I disagreed with the injured party; rather, I knew what the Water Storage Room was like. How could someone like Jiang Yang, who looked so meek, possibly escape work just because he had a minor injury?
Jiang Yang said nothing more. After getting dressed, he took a basin and went out to wash up. He walked with some difficulty, his face showing signs of discomfort.
My leg had mostly healed by now, and I was gradually walking normally again. I hadn't expected someone to beat Jiang Yang so badly. I said, "Since I'll be on the day shift from now on, we can have meals together. If you find out who hit you, just let me know. I'll make sure they regret it."
"No need," Jiang Yang replied curtly without looking at me, his expression somewhat angry.
I didn't mind; I headed to the cafeteria to eat and prepare for work. Just then, I noticed the Room Manager and his subordinates sitting at a table. I walked over with my tray and told everyone at their table to clear out.
A few of them smiled awkwardly before leaving with their trays in a hurry. I bumped my leg against the table and asked, "Room Manager, did you cultivate a bit of Dao Qi yesterday? Do you have the Entry-Level Realm Cultivation Method from the Azure Cloud Sect?"
The Room Manager replied, "Yes, I have all the Entry-Level Realm Cultivation Methods from the Azure Cloud Sect. They're under my bed. Doesn't Brother Yang have some too?"
I said, "To be honest, even though I'm following Elder Hong, I'm not learning the Azure Cloud Sect's Cultivation Method."
The Room Manager nodded and said, "I see. If Brother Yang wants it, I'll get it for you after we finish eating."
"Alright, thank you." As I ate my steamed bun, I recalled what had happened with Jiang Yang and asked, "Room Manager, do you know who beat up that guy named Jiang Yang in my dorm? It looked pretty serious; I'd like to confront them."
"Let's just drop this matter for now; you'll find out eventually," the Room Manager said with a strange expression.
"Is it not someone from the Water Storage Room?" I tried asking. If it was an Outer Sect Disciple who had attacked Jiang Yang, there wasn't much I could do to help him for now.
"Just don't ask anymore; you'll know in due time," the Room Manager said with a hint of caution in his eyes, as if worried someone might overhear.
I found it odd but decided not to press further. After finishing my meal, the Room Manager went to his room and brought me the long-unseen Entry-Level Realm Cultivation Method from the Azure Cloud Sect.
All sects' Cultivation Method manuals were open to disciples within their ranks. However, since those in the Water Storage Room weren't considered disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect at all, they had no access to any Cultivation Methods or guidance from skilled sect members. Even the Room Manager's Entry-Level Realm Cultivation Method was given to him by Huang Laohu.
As I carried water, I studied the Entry-Level Realm's Cultivation Method. The content was much simpler than what was in the Martial Dao Classic, and I discovered a problem: the Entry-Level Realm in the Martial Dao Classic seemed to have nothing to do with cultivating Dao Qi. No wonder I had been unable to sense even a trace of Dao Qi despite my efforts over the past few months.
After a morning of fetching water, during lunch break, the Room Manager approached me and invited me to the cafeteria. He asked, "Brother Yang, what do you think of this Cultivation Method?"
I replied, "It's easier to learn than my previous Cultivation Method, but I haven't figured out the specifics yet. If I make any progress, I'll teach you."
The Room Manager was delighted to hear this. He said, "Brother Yang, you're so young and have already reached the Purple Qi Eastward Boundary. It won't be long before you return to your peak. At that time, you'll have a chance to rejoin the Outer Sect or even the Inner Sect."
I asked, "Do I need to reach the Purple Qi Coming from the East Realm to leave the Water Storage Room?"
The Room Manager responded, "Of course not! If that were the case, we would never be able to leave. The Entry-Level Realm is divided into early, mid, and late stages. As long as you reach the mid-stage, you can apply to go out. However, it seems you need to draw lots to challenge an Outer Sect Disciple. If you're lucky, you could get out in your first year."
"What does 'luck' mean?" I inquired.
The Room Manager explained, "It means drawing a New Disciple; otherwise, any other disciple will be stronger than us. Although we have Dao Qi, our actual combat ability is not strong. The competition among those Outer Sect Disciples is fierce; they fight much more fiercely than we do at the same level."
"I see," I nodded.
The Room Manager continued, "Since Brother Yang is keen on practicing Dao, why not just do half the work from now on? After all, you're naturally faster than others; half of what many people do is still more than enough."
"That would put you in a difficult position," I said.
"It's no trouble at all; I'll help my brother whenever I can," he replied.
For the next half month, I carried water alone. However, everyone in the Water Storage Room knew I was tough, so there were no complaints.
During this time, I focused on studying the Azure Cloud Sect's Entry-Level Realm Cultivation Method. Reflecting on Mr. Chang's Dao Qi flowing within me back at Qingliang Temple and carefully experiencing it, one deep night, I finally sensed a cool energy.
This energy first appeared at my Dantian. Mr. Chang had reminded me when he used Silver Needles on me that my first trace of Dao Qi would emerge from my Dantian because it is where one's Yang Qi must pass through and where one would later open their Qi Sea.
I followed the Azure Cloud Sect's Entry-Level Realm Cultivation Method and guided a thread of Dao Qi through several designated Meridians. Although it felt as light as a wisp, I could clearly sense its movement. This energy was different from blood; it resembled a transparent dragon swimming through a sea of crimson.
After cultivating Dao Qi, I noticed that my vision and hearing had become significantly clearer, and I felt as if I had boundless strength.
However, I had no intention of telling anyone about my success in cultivating Dao Qi.
As the end of the month approached, I had been in the Water Storage Room for over twenty days. I heard that at the end of each month, everyone in the Water Storage Room would receive two Qi Gathering Pills. These pills were only available to disciples from major sects and were extremely beneficial for those in the Entry-Level Realm. Even Mr. Chang and Wu had not received a single one.
When the time came, I planned to use the Qi Gathering Pills to solidify my achievements. It had only been a few months since I started from body refinement to cultivating Dao Qi. While it was indeed remarkable to cultivate Dao Qi so quickly, most people took three to five years, including Wu. Therefore, I was quite satisfied with my progress.
During this past half month, I noticed something strange about my roommate, Jiang Yang—he hardly ever went to work. More importantly, his actions increasingly aroused my suspicion. I often caught a faint whiff of perfume on him, and despite his old injuries not healing, he seemed to acquire new ones. From below the water tower, one could see the entrance to our dormitory. Occasionally, I saw him struggling to carry a basin of water outside, only to later splash it back out from inside the room; it looked like there was blood in the basin.
The Room Manager had warned me not to get involved and that I would understand in due time, but this time I couldn't hold back. I saw a young boy knocking on our dormitory door; he seemed to say something to Jiang Yang inside.
After a while, Jiang Yang stepped out with his head down and followed the boy toward the forest several hundred meters south of the water tower.
At that moment, the Room Manager was dozing off on an open patch of ground. I set down my bucket and followed Jiang Yang.
Once we reached the forest, I hid behind a tree and watched as Jiang Yang entered an ancient-looking house that was larger than our dormitory beneath the water tower. I had heard that Huang Laohu lived here and that it was different from where we stayed; I had never come to see it before, so curiosity got the better of me.
I moved closer to the window and peered inside. Just then, I saw Jiang Yang with tear-streaked cheeks pleading, "Brother Huzi, we just played yesterday! My injuries haven't healed yet; please find someone else! I really don't want to go through this again. You promised you would let me go home last time."
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