The short break ended, and Elder Su returned after leaving briefly with a few apprentice servants. Two of the apprentices carried a large wooden bucket filled with wooden tablets.
Elder Su announced loudly, “The task cycle lasts half a month, so every half month, we will redraw lots to replace the assigned tasks. Alright, put down the items and line up to draw your tablets.”
The newly admitted apprentice servants quickly formed a line. It took about a quarter of an hour for all the wooden tablets to be distributed. Notably, Li Tan did not draw his tablet himself; instead, Elder Su quietly handed it to him.
Li Tan flipped the tablet over. On this side were clearly carved the words “Clean the mountain path in the apprentice servant area.” The task was evidently very easy—just cleaning the mountain path from the fork halfway up the hill to this area, which took about a quarter of a day to complete, and could be finished in one or two hours.
Such good luck?
Li Tan was somewhat surprised. He raised his head to look at Elder Su and coincidentally met his gaze.
Elder Su smiled and nodded at him.
Li Tan immediately understood the situation. It must have been Zhang Chenghuan who had specifically instructed Elder Su to take care of him.
“Ahh!”
Suddenly, Qiu Jue let out a startled cry.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Tan asked.
Qiu Jue showed the wooden tablet to Li Tan, looking somewhat at a loss.
The tablet bore only two words: “Assist in the kitchen.”
This was precisely the punitive task Li Tan had previously arranged for Zhou Zhi to torment him.
Qiu Jue frowned, “Brother Li, if I don’t survive these next half a month, please deliver my last letter to my parents.”
“Nonsense,” Li Tan immediately gave him a flick on the forehead.
Rubbing his head, Qiu Jue looked wronged as he said, “Xue Ying was just a little late, and that old witch Zhou Zhi wanted to expel her from the mountain. Brother Li, you directly confronted Zhou Zhi. Isn’t this kitchen assistant task even more severe than expulsion?” This argument actually made sense, and Li Tan found himself momentarily speechless.
At this moment, Elder Su shouted, “Tomorrow, bring your wooden tablet and go to Room 4 to collect the necessary items.”
The wooden tablets were merely proof for obtaining task-related items and for registration. Immediately, the groans and cheers that had filled the plaza after the distribution of the tablets disappeared. This regulation was quite ambiguous—for instance, if I stole your assigned tablet, who would know it was taken from you after it was registered the next day?
Li Tan couldn’t help but silently marvel at how Tianlang Sect had taken the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—to an extreme. These rules seemed fair on the surface, but in reality, the weak would always be oppressed by the strong. Without any change, the gap between the two would only widen.
In fact, many sects had similar situations, but Li Tan’s view on this was absolutely negative.
Because in his view, a sect should always remain a sect, not a ruthless underworld, and even the law of the jungle should have its boundaries.
In his own circle of influence, he had always avoided such situations. However, Li Tan had no intention of resisting this now because he had neither the obligation nor the time to change Tianlang Sect.
After Elder Su finished giving instructions, the newly admitted apprentice servants carefully concealed their assigned wooden tablets and left individually.
After Qiu Jue finished complaining, Xue Ying also showed her tablet. Her face was pale with fear as she said, “I still have to fetch water.” This draw was indeed quite strange.
Xue Ying’s task was still fetching water. Li Tan glanced at the tablet and comforted her, saying, “Zhou Zhi made you fill all the water tanks—it was deliberate. Unsurprisingly, many people will probably be assigned the water-fetching task this time.”
Xue Ying was momentarily stunned, then her expression improved, and she happily said, “Is that so? Thank you, Brother Li!”
However, while Xue Ying was happy, Qiu Jue still had a face full of “doom.” Li Tan couldn’t stand to see it anymore, so he simply snatched Qiu Jue’s tablet, exchanged it with his own, and preemptively said, “No need to say anything extra. I have my own reasons for going to the kitchen.”
Qiu Jue felt very awkward but, after a long internal struggle, eventually agreed due to concerns for his life.
“Then see you tomorrow, Brother Li. I’m leaving first.”
Xue Ying greeted him and excitedly ran off.
She was definitely eager to return and study the cultivation manual.
“Brother Li, your great kindness is hard to repay. From now on, I’m your man!”
Qiu Jue earnestly declared, pounding his chest.
Li Tan was speechless, thinking to himself how capable this guy was of flattering him.
After all, across the entire Jiuzhou, the line of people wanting to become Li Tan’s follower could stretch all the way to the doorstep of the Demon Emperor’s palace.
After a few more words, Qiu Jue left too. Li Tan was practically the last one to leave the plaza.
Returning to his quarters, he sat down on the simple bed. The cool evening breeze pushed open the wooden window, gently brushing against him. The roof tiles made a loose sound and suddenly fell down with a bang.
Li Tan grumbled, “If I had been hit during cultivation, I’d tear down the entire Tianlang Sect.” Fortunately, Zhang Chenghuan had promised to help repair it, so it should be better tomorrow. He could manage for one night.
Li Tan sat cross-legged on the shaky wooden bed, intending to begin cultivation.
However, suddenly there was a loud bang. The already dilapidated door exploded open, and a shadow swiftly darted inside.
“Who is it?”
Startled, Li Tan quickly rolled off the bed to avoid the attack, then leaped up—and froze.
The attacker was actually the old man from next door, known for his strange temper.
“Old man, what are you doing?” Li Tan asked angrily, but the old man remained expressionless, showing no intention of explaining. Instead, he struck again with a swift punch.
Li Tan jumped to the left to dodge. The punch hit the wall, splintering the wood as easily as if it were tofu.
The old man kept attacking relentlessly. Li Tan kept evading, quickly understanding the old man’s intention. He deliberately refrained from counterattacking, kept dodging, and did not use the Moye Steps.
However, the old man’s strength was beyond Li Tan’s expectations—his speed and power were terrifying.
Could he be at the Master level?
Li Tan sensed danger and found it increasingly difficult to dodge. Finally, he reluctantly used the Moye Steps to circle behind the old man, placing his hand on the old man’s neck.
What just happened? That footwork?
Yes, definitely footwork—and extremely remarkable footwork.
The old man stopped, shocked. If Li Tan had intended to kill him, he would probably already be a corpse by now.
A cold sweat slid from his forehead. This was the consequence of underestimating his opponent. If they fought again, the old man would definitely not hold back.
Without turning around, the old man chuckled, “Impressive footwork! I lose.”
You’re too kind.
Li Tan smirked, helplessly lowering his hand. He wasn’t angry at all because he understood the old man’s intention. Putting himself in the old man’s position, he would probably have made a similar decision too.
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