Chapter 17: Sect Disciple Visits! - 1

His eyelids felt as if they were weighed down by a thousand pounds.

But upon hearing the sounds that were fading in and out, he strained to open his eyes, only seeing vague silhouettes before him...

He then felt someone lifting him up, his vision gradually clearing.

"Deacon Li... cough, cough... Deacon?"

Wang Ba was surprised to see Deacon Li standing by his bedside, effortlessly holding him up.

What was even more surprising was that Deacon Li, who was always looking high and mighty, seemed rather humble and obsequious now.

He stood in the narrow space between the bed and the table, bending his robust waist with utmost respect and tugging at Wang Ba's arm:

"Quick! Pay respects to the Immortal!"

Immortal?!

Sect Disciple?!

They came to visit?!

Wang Ba was taken aback!

The sluggish sensation from his severe illness disappeared in an instant!

Without time or the courage to look in the direction of Deacon Li's bow,

he hurriedly tried to get off the bed and kneel down.

Then he heard a somewhat familiar voice full of disappointment:

"It's alright, considering his sickly state, he couldn't possibly be it."

"The bastard from that night was much taller than him, had a good appearance, and was wearing a purple robe. I mistook him for a Sect Brother, thus I let him..."

Another respectful voice intervened: "...Indeed, should we try somewhere else..."

"Alright, Deacon Mei..."

The voices gradually faded until Wang Ba could no longer hear them.

Only then did he feel Deacon Li's tight grip on his hand loosen.

"Phew--"

Deacon Li plopped down on the filthy and odorous bed.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Casually, he pulled Wang Ba who was about to fall.

Wang Ba sat on the edge of the bed, and through the window, he saw two figures, one green and the other white, disappearing at the entrance of the villa.

The green one, predictably, was Deacon Mei who was in charge of manual labor.

And the white one was naturally that outer-sect disciple who took a wrong turn because of Wang Ba's casual directions.

What a petty heart...!

Could such a person cultivate to become immortal?

Wang Ba was at a loss for words.

Was it necessary to hold a grudge till now over a misdirected route?

Even wasted invaluable cultivation time by visiting in person.

Was it worth it?

Perhaps sensing Wang Ba's thoughts, Deacon Li lowered his voice and said solemnly:

"This guy, despite being in the outer sect, is also a Direct Disciple of an Inner Sect Elder."

"I heard he had never suffered any setbacks since childhood, and two nights ago, he was supposedly on his way to the Merit Room for a rewarding task. However, he was tricked by a manual laborer, took the wrong path and missed the task."

"He was so flustered that he went to the servants' quarters, beat up Mei Feng who manages tens of thousands of laborers, and laughed it off even after being humiliated in public..."

"Hmph! Without Spiritual Root, they're merely ants!"

"That laborer, oh, quite impressive."

Deacon Li shrugged, his face a mix of complex emotions - resentment and admiration.

A side of him that Wang Ba had never seen in his habitual slyness.

Or perhaps, his slyness was just a disguise, and this was his true nature.

Wang Ba wanted to say something but ended up keeping it to himself.

He worried that the Sect Disciple might not have left yet.

As if discerning his inner thoughts, Deacon Li suddenly chuckled:

"You're quite careful, but I assume you're not content just being a chicken keeper, are you?"

"Cough cough...Deacon Li...cough, I just want a place where I can settle down..."

Wang Ba rashly replied while coughing.

"Aah, if you're just thinking about settling down, then why bother coming here for the deceptive Body Strengthening Scripture."

Deacon Li ruthlessly revealed, his narrow eyes seemed to have the power to see through one's heart.

"Deceptive...Body Strengthening Scripture?"

Wang Ba couldn't help but question.

"Isn't a cultivation method that takes thousands of years for mortals to master deceptive?"

Deacon Li retorted.

This immediately rendered Wang Ba speechless.

Because what Deacon Li said was absolutely true. Unless one had prodigious talent, the vast majority would need to reincarnate hundreds of times before they could cultivate Spiritual Roots through Body Strengthening Scripture and become a Sect Disciple.

Naturally, this included Wang Ba before he had his panel.

Deacon Li stood up and walked to the door, his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountains and sighing:

"All of us, haven't we ever wished to eat the wind and drink the dew, to spend our mornings at North Sea and our evenings at Cangwu..."

"Regrettably, how many menial workers have stayed in the Sect because of this vain hope, working like a horse or ox, only to become a mound of yellow earth in the end!"

"I joined the Sect at the age of eighteen, and now my ambitions are unfulfilled, but I have grown fatter..."

"Body Strengthening Scripture, how it has misled me!"

Wang Ba was slightly shocked.

Putting on weight was nothing dramatic, especially for a man of Deacon Li's robust and chubby figure, a few more pounds on his thighs would surely go unnoticed.

Crucially, Deacon Li was always slick and changeable - why was he suddenly confiding in him?

Did he truly consider him one of his own, or... was he trying to trick him?

After all, as soon as the Sect Disciple had left, this grand play unfolded - it was not strange for Wang Ba to overthink it.

Consequently, he just awkwardly followed behind, putting on a foolish grin that said 'I don't quite get it, but it sounds great.'

Seeing Wang Ba still looking weak and pitiful, hunched and dim-witted, Deacon Li showed a sliver of disappointment on his face and shook his head, saying:

"Nevermind, just get some good rest!"

As he was about to leave, Deacon Li paused and muttered to himself:

"Perhaps, if you manage to reach the ninth stage, you'll understand..."

Then he shook his head, swayed his sleeves, and left.

"What does that mean? The ninth stage? Is he talking about the ninth stage of Body Strengthening Scripture?"

Wang Ba watched Deacon Li depart, his expression shifting uncertainly.

He had some doubts about Deacon Li's last sentence before leaving.

Could it be that when Body Strengthening Scripture reaches the ninth stage, something unusual happens?

Naturally, this reminded him of Old Sun who seemed to have reached the ninth stage earlier.

"Is it a coincidence, or..."

After much thought and with little information, all he could do was firmly keep this piece of information in mind.

He was keen to see the four Spirit Chickens hidden in Old Sun's house.

But he did not dare to, afraid that Deacon Li might make a surprise revisit.

He dragged his sick body and forced himself to eat some leftovers.

Old Hou, the man who feeds the chickens, kindly delivered the chicken feed.

The manure tycoon Niu Yong, who disliked coming to the mountain village to collect chicken manure, quietly called out a few times at the foot of the mountain. Seeing no response, he climbed up the mountain and seeing Wang Ba's weakened state, he cleaned up the chicken manure himself and even gave Wang Ba twenty taels of silver.

As he watched the 'kind-hearted' Niu Yong drive away, Wang Ba's expression was filled with complex emotions, gaining a deeper understanding of the realities of life in the Sect.

If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the 'yellow-faced Taoist' the other day, would there be Niu Yong showing such kind gestures today?

People's attitudes change only in the presence of benefits.

Three days later.

Having somewhat recovered, he squatted in front of the chicken nest, beaming with joy.

The egg, laid by the Precious Chicken that was fancied by the male Spirit Chicken, had finally hatched!