3

"Heh....." The man in blue stood there, a knowing smile curling his lips as if silently mocking Lin Kai's struggle. He made no move to help, simply watching as Lin Kai wrestled with the heavy axe. After a few failed attempts, the man let out a laugh, shaking his head with an air of amusement.

"Forget it." With a single step forward, he snatched the axe from Lin Kai's hands effortlessly and tossed it in the air a few times like it weighed nothing more than a ball of wool.

"....." Lin Kai stood frozen in silence, utterly speechless. His eyes darted between the man and the axe, now a mere plaything in the other's grip. He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his inferiority press down on him.

"Gulp." Forcing down his pride and frustration, Lin Kai remained quiet. It was painfully clear that the man before him was no ordinary servant. To handle such a heavy weapon so easily, he had to be a warrior—someone far beyond Lin Kai's current strength.

"Here, take this one instead." Before Lin Kai could gather his thoughts, the man tossed him a different axe, the movement casual, almost careless.

"FUCK!" Lin Kai's instinct kicked in before reason could take hold. He cursed out loud, jumping to the side just in time to avoid being crushed by the axe. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the ground where the weapon had landed with a deafening thud.

The man blinked in surprise before bursting into raucous laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His voice echoed through the bamboo forest, carrying a mocking edge.

Lin Kai, still sprawled on the dirt, clenched his fists in rage. The urge to punch this man—this smug bastard—boiled inside him. If only he had the strength, he would have done it without hesitation. But the reality of his situation held him back. He gritted his teeth, swallowing his anger once more.

'Just you wait, you little shit.' Lin Kai vowed silently, his eyes narrowing. With his cheat ability, it was only a matter of time before the tables turned.

"Hahahahaha..." The man's laughter finally subsided, his gaze settling on Lin Kai.

"Phew..." He exhaled heavily, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye before stepping closer and resting a hand on Lin Kai's shoulder.

"Why did you dodge?" His question seemed almost genuine, but the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth betrayed him.

Lin Kai's face turned a deep shade of purple. His fists tightened at his sides as he fought the urge to lash out. For a fleeting moment, he considered punching the man square in the face, consequences be damned. But he knew better.

"Why don't you pick up the axe?" the man continued, completely ignoring Lin Kai's simmering rage. He pointed at the fallen axe with a gesture that seemed almost casual as if nothing had happened.

Lin Kai didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to the axe, his eyes never leaving the man. Bending down, he grabbed the handle, bracing himself for the same crushing weight as before. But to his shock, this time, the axe was... light. Far lighter than the one he'd struggled with earlier. It was just a normal axe.

"Shit..." The realization came too late. He had already pulled with all his strength, and now, the sudden lack of resistance sent him stumbling backward. He landed hard on the ground, his head knocking against the dirt road.

"HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHA." The man's laughter once again echoed throughout the forest.

"FUCK." Lin Kai cursed again, his patience at its limit. Rage flared inside him as he shot to his feet, gripping the axe tightly. His eyes, now red with anger, bore into the man in blue as he prepared to strike.

"OoooOOOOHHHHHH..." The man took a step back, his mouth forming an exaggerated 'O' as he raised his hands in mock surrender. If Lin Kai didn't know better, he might have thought the man was actually afraid.

The man's action broke through Lin Kai's fury, snapping him back to reality. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down. No matter how badly he wanted to bury the axe in this guy's smug face, he knew it was pointless. There was nothing he could do. Not yet, at least.

"The tree... Where is it?" Gritting his teeth, Lin Kai asked.

"Hehe..." The man chuckled, shaking his head as if Lin Kai's outburst had been nothing more than an amusing sideshow. With a wave of his hand, he signaled for Lin Kai to follow.

After winding through several narrow paths in the bamboo forest, they finally reached a clearing. Lin Kai was surprised to see that several other servants were already there, each one hacking away at the bamboo with determined effort.

"Consider this your trial period." The man's voice broke Lin Kai's train of thought. "Every day, you need to bring back three fully grown bamboo trees. They're easy to spot—the ones with the metallic hue. You have one month to prove yourself. If you don't meet the quota, you're out of the Ji family."

His words were blunt, but they struck Lin Kai as unexpectedly fair. For a moment, Lin Kai's anger eased, replaced by a quiet sense of relief. The Ji family wasn't as ruthless as he'd feared. They didn't work their servants to death or trap them in an inescapable cycle. At least, that's what it seemed like.

Nodding silently, Lin Kai picked up his axe and moved toward the nearest bamboo tree. He still harbored some frustration, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. His eyes scanned the metallic sheen of the trees, searching for the best target.

He reached out to touch the axe, half-hoping the familiar pop-up would appear. But no such luck. No matter how tightly he gripped the axe, the window didn't pop up.

With a sigh, Lin Kai resigned himself to the task ahead. He wandered around the clearing, trying to pick out the easiest bamboo to fell.

The man in blue watched him from a distance, a faint smile playing on his lips. He seemed entertained by Lin Kai's cautious approach. But just as he was about to settle in to enjoy the show, the jade token at his waist began to vibrate.

"Tch..." The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, pulling out the token and glancing at it. The vibration meant someone important wanted to see him. With a reluctant sigh, he cast one last look at Lin Kai, who had disappeared into the bamboo grove, before turning on his heel and heading back toward the family manor.

-----------------

"Is he gone?" Lin Kai muttered to himself, glancing around cautiously. After making a few twists and turns through the bamboo forest, he finally arrived at a dense patch of trees, letting out a sigh of relief. The more he thought about that man in blue, the more his blood boiled. If he had to deal with that smug face for another minute, he might lose control. It was better for both of them if they didn't interact anymore.

Shaking his head, Lin Kai tried to rid himself of these distracting thoughts. He reached out to touch one of the bamboo trees, his fingers brushing its surface as if testing it. The bark felt cold and unyielding, like a metal rod. He wondered if there was a chance he could absorb it.

But no matter how hard he concentrated, the familiar prompt to absorb never appeared.

"Just what can I absorb?" Lin Kai groaned in frustration. So far, out of everything he'd tried, only two items had triggered the ability. And even with those two, he hadn't dared to absorb them. Helpless, he sighed and focused on the task at hand. It wasn't like he had a choice right now.

-------------

Meanwhile, across the Ji family's manor, the man in blue rushed toward his destination at breakneck speed. Within moments, he arrived at the entrance of a room, where a young woman stood waiting for him, visibly anxious.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with fair skin, large doe-like eyes, and cherry-red lips. Her black hair cascaded down to her waist, and she wore a white dress with an exquisite jade token hanging from her waist—displaying her identity as a maid.

"You're late," she scolded as soon as he arrived, her voice like the soft chirping of birds, but there was a hint of tension. Without waiting for his response, she hurried over to him, wiping his face with the corner of her sleeve. She glanced nervously around before lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Master's really angry today. If he finds out about the trouble you've been causing, he'll lock you up for a year." Her voice trembled, and she clutched his hand tightly as if afraid that he'd slip away and make more trouble.

"Relax..." The man in blue chuckled dismissively, the arrogance in his voice unmistakable. "Nothing's going to happen to me." He puffed out his chest, his expression full of pride as if the world itself couldn't touch him. "Besides, who would dare tell my father?" His voice rang out loud and clear, echoing through the corridor.

The maid's face drained of color. "Please keep your voice down..." she begged, her heart pounding in her chest.

But it was too late.

"Tell me what?" A grim voice sliced through the air, sending a chill down their spines.

The man in blue stiffened, his face paling as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. He swallowed hard, forcing a smile onto his lips, though at the moment, his smile looked uglier than his crying.

As for the maid... The moment she saw the middle-aged man, she almost fainted on the spot.

"Dead... This time, we are really dead." She could only close her eyes in despair as she thought of the pitiful fate that awaited both of them.

----------

"Damn it! Just how tough is this thing?" Back at the bamboo grove, Lin Kai was drenched in sweat. He had been hacking away at the same tree for over an hour, yet he had only managed to cut through about a third of the trunk. Every swing of the axe made his arms ache, and the more he struggled, the more he understood why the task was set at only three bamboo trees per day.

"No wonder they only make us chop three..." Lin Kai muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. He had thought the quota was low at first, but now he knew better. Each tree felt like an insurmountable challenge.

"Forget it." Gritting his teeth, Lin Kai forced himself to his feet. He couldn't give up now. Raising the axe, he took another swing at the stubborn bamboo tree, determined to bring it down. Whether he could actually chop down three trees today, though—that was an entirely different question.

Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours. It took him three hours, but Lin Kai had finally felled his first bamboo tree.

*Bang!

With a loud crash, the tree hit the ground, sending dust flying into the air. Lin Kai collapsed to his knees, utterly spent. He could feel every muscle in his body throbbing with exhaustion. He wanted to cry. This wasn't work—it was torture. Even in hell, he doubted they would subject anyone to this kind of punishment.

"Fuck this place," he muttered, glaring at the fallen tree. His patience had worn thin. Maybe failing the trial period wasn't such a bad idea after all. If this was what life in the Ji family entailed, he didn't want any part of it.

But just as Lin Kai began to solidify his plan to quit, he reached down to grab the bamboo tree. Even if he was going to quit, he still had to transport it back, right?

That's when it happened.

The moment his fingers touched the tree, Lin Kai's eyes widened in shock. A familiar window popped up in front of him, the glowing text almost blinding him with excitement.

[Absorb Iron Bamboo?]

[Yes/No]

Lin Kai's heart raced, and a laugh escaped his lips before he could stop himself. "Finally..... OH MY GOD."