Chapter 9 – Childish

“Ohhhh~”

A high-pitched cry reached his ears, and even though it was so far away, it was so shrill that it nearly pierced his eardrums.

Feng Ye couldn’t help but stop what he was doing and look toward the chicken coops in the back mountain.

The idea of killing the rooster because he didn’t want to get up was undoubtedly a stupid way to deceive himself while burying his head in the sand.

When one rooster fell, a thousand more stood up.

And even if they didn’t stand up, the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon wouldn’t come to a standstill because of their extinction.

Feng Ye was certainly not that naive. His words that morning were just half-conscious dream talk. After all, he knew the rooster was innocent.

However, Feng Ye thought while leaning on his broom, it’s fine for the rooster to crow in the morning, but now it’s crowing almost at noon. It’s just as annoying as Hao Chen, so I’ll make soup out of it.

Speaking of Hao Chen, Feng Ye couldn’t help but look around, but there was no sign of him.

Had this sticky fellow actually discovered a conscience and left?

Of course not! Feng Ye rejected this idea the moment it occurred to him. Hao Chen had come all the way here and hadn’t done anything yet. How could he leave empty-handed? 

That fellow must have gone to seek out Fang Yang. Feng Ye easily predicted Hao Chen’s movements. It seemed that Hao Chen also knew how to change his strategy and advance from another angle.

Compared to himself, Fang Yang’s mouth was like a city with its gates wide open, lacking any defensive capability at all. Given Hao Chen’s cunningness, that fool would probably tell him how many piglets his aunt and uncle’s pigs gave birth to last year.

But there’s no point. My disguise is flawless. It’s impossible for Hao Chen to discover anything about me from others, Feng Ye thought somewhat pridefully.

He looked at the leaves piled up by his feet. The floor was nearly swept. It was a good time to go find Fang Yang, and Hao Chen beside him.

Feng Ye was almost a little eager. It wasn’t that he had any feelings toward Hao Chen, the fake friend he’d only known for a day. He just couldn’t wait to see Hao Chen’s frustrated expression after asking a bunch of trivial questions for a long time.

Just the thought cheered him up, and Feng Ye couldn’t help humming a song.

However, just as Feng Ye was about to stow away his broom and depart, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew over his head.

Feng Ye subconsciously looked up at the sky and saw someone flying overhead on a sword, exactly the same as yesterday.

Yesterday, it was Cao Zirui, the second personal disciple of the sect leader. Today, it was the head disciple, who was also the default successor to the sect leader – Xue Ren.

Unlike Cao Zirui, who had just entered the sect a year prior, Xue Ren had been a disciple for more than twenty years. By virtue of his natural gift of gold and wood spiritual roots, he had reached Golden Core stage and was considered preeminent among his peers.

The speed of cultivation slowed down the more one progressed. It took about two to three years for a person to go from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, and the time from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was extended tenfold, twenty to thirty years.

This was only the case for those who were able to cultivate to Golden Core stage. Most people would be stuck at Foundation Establishment for a lifetime. For example, the administrator who managed the junior disciples was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

After cultivating for most of his life, he was still unable to break through to Golden Core stage. Knowing that his talent was limited, he no longer went out to fight for opportunities, and just quietly served as the sect’s gossip-monger.

Xue Ren, who had cultivated to Golden Core stage in twenty years, could be considered a genius. It was just that there existed geniuses among geniuses, and compared to his genius shidi, who had reached Foundation Establishment in just one year, Xue Ren’s achievements weren’t quite as impressive.

If nothing unexpected happened, it would definitely take Cao Zirui fewer than twenty years to cultivate to Golden Core stage.

It was said that comparing oneself to others led to despair.

But all of this had nothing to do with Feng Ye, who was gifted with five spiritual roots and had spent three years cultivating to the third level of Qi Refining.

Not to mention Golden Core, with his qualifications and his habit of doing things in fits and starts, the fact that he was able to achieve a foundation was considered a miracle in the world of immortal cultivation.

But Feng Ye wasn’t concerned with this. He looked away from Xue Ren flying above him after recalling his identity.

Cao Zirui had returned from outside yesterday, and now Xue Ren had returned today. Did something happen in the sect recently?

Although the inner sect examination would be held in three days, there was no need to call back the sect leader’s personal disciples for such a matter.

Feng Ye leaned on the broom as he pondered.

After some time, he belatedly registered the tragic sight of messy leaves all over the ground in front of him.

Feng Ye, who had worked all morning in vain: “……”

Damn it! A vein bulged on Feng Ye’s forehead, and he squeezed the broom handle tightly. He yearned to grab both of those Cao Zirui and Xue Ren brothers who had flown over yesterday and today, point at their noses, and teach them that civilized sword-flying didn’t include flying at low altitudes.

But he was just an outer sect junior disciple. Generally speaking, he couldn’t even meet these two personal disciples of the sect leader, let alone teach them a lesson.

Today, Feng Ye finally understood what it meant to fall into one’s own trap.

In short, he had wrapped this cocoon around his own body, and until he achieved his goal, Feng Ye was not going to remove it. Thus, his only choice was to endure.

Endure! Feng Ye thought bitterly. Resigned to his fate, he resumed swinging the broom.

Not far away, Hao Chen and Fang Yang were slowly walking over from the meditation hall.

As soon as they approached, Fang Yang said in bewilderment: “Shixiong, why aren’t you done yet? The administrator will be here soon!”

Feng Ye glanced at him with a sullen expression, saying sluggishly: “There was a small accident.”

His line of sight moved a little to the left of Fang Yang, to Hao Chen. Hao Chen said nothing. This fellow was still waving his fan in a showy manner, with a playful expression on his face as if he was watching a performance.

Feng Ye had originally planned to go and see Hao Chen looking like a fool, but who could have known that the tables would turn so fast? The situation turned out the complete opposite, and he had become the one being laughed at.

This wouldn’t work. Feng Ye couldn’t stomach defeat, so when Fang Yang rolled up his sleeves in preparation to help, Feng Ye refused: “Shidi, you go eat first.”

Fang Yang asked in surprise: “But you’ll soon be too late to finish, ah…..”

Feng Ye cut in: “Not a problem. Shixiong has someone to help.”

Hao Chen stopped fanning himself. He suddenly had a bad premonition.

Feng Ye looked toward him with a smile: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen and I have a bond more solid than gold. He certainly won’t sit by and do nothing.”

Fang Yang nodded in sudden realization. He very considerately took a broom and entrusted it to Hao Chen: “Hao-dage, you can do it!”

Hao Chen: “…….”

Fang Yang retired after accomplishing his mission, leaving just the two people standing in the martial arts training square.

Hao Chen looked at the broom in his hand, then at Feng Ye, who had dug this hole for him. He tried to put up a struggle: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, it is said that visitors from afar are guests…..” Wasn’t it inappropriate to ask a guest to sweep the floor?

Before he could finish, Feng Ye interrupted him: “My friendship with Fellow Daoist Hao Chen is such that heaven and earth bear witness to it. Others who come may be guests, but when Fellow Daoist Hao Chen comes, isn’t he just like a brother?”

Hao Chen: “……”

Feng Ye built upon his good work, wanting to completely block Hao Chen’s escape route. He raised his eyebrows at him and said: “What, could it be that what Fellow Daoist Hao Chen said yesterday about missing me so much that he couldn’t sleep was a lie?”

Now that things had come to this, what else could Hao Chen do? He could only smile back: “Of course not. Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, rest assured, my friendship with you is as staunch and pure as a drink with no water added.”

Of course, there’s no need to add water to something that doesn’t exist in the first place, Feng Ye added to himself. But on the surface, he looked very moved: “Then I’ll rely on you, Fellow Daoist Hao Chen. I’ll take this half…..”

Feng Ye used his broom to sketch a line on the ground, starting from one third of the way across the martial arts square. He pointed to the other two-thirds and said: “The other half is yours.”

Hao Chen: “……Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s half is truly symmetrical.”

Feng Ye smiled shyly: “Not so, not so.”

Having successfully pulled Hao Chen into the water with him, Feng Ye’s bad mood had mostly dissipated. He stopped talking and turned around to get to work.

Hao Chen held the broom unskillfully, waving it the same way Feng Ye was doing. He felt a little strange at the thought that he was actually doing such a thing. The sight would likely shock his subordinates.

He looked at the piece Feng Ye had allocated to him, nominally half, which took up two-thirds of the square. Then he glanced at Feng Ye on the other side, who appeared delighted at his success in obtaining the upper hand.

Childish, Hao Chen appraised inwardly.

In addition to this appraisal, he couldn’t help but to resort to a few tricks to regain some ground.

He was completely unaware that his behavior was extremely childish.

With the broom in one hand and his fan in the other, he silently put the fan behind his back and waved it gently where Feng Ye couldn’t see. 

As he was sweeping, Feng Ye found that the fallen leaves in front of him were no longer gathered together, but were flying around randomly.

He took a subconscious step forward, intending to sweep back the leaves that had flown away.

But for each step he took forward, the leaves took a step back.

After three steps, Feng Ye realized something wasn’t right and turned to look in Hao Chen’s direction.

Hao Chen smiled and blinked at him innocently.

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes, then suddenly smiled and followed Hao Chen’s example, putting a hand behind his back. Where Hao Chen couldn’t see, his five fingers became claw-like and made a grasping motion.

Hao Chen’s immediately became focused. He felt a strong gust of wind heading toward him. Just when Hao Chen couldn’t stop himself from striking back, the wind changed direction and passed by him. Only…..

Hao Chen picked the fallen leaves off his head, looking at Feng Ye.

Feng Ye also blinked innocently.

This aroused Hao Chen’s competitive spirit. Wanting to teach Feng Ye a lesson, he also waved his fan vigorously behind his back.

The wind was so strong this time that it was almost impossible to keep one’s footing. Feng Ye took a step outward with his right foot to stabilize himself, looking against the strong wind at Hao Chen.

Unlike the hurricane on his side, only a gentle breeze blew Hao Chen’s sleeves, making it clear that he was the one responsible.

Behind his back, Feng Ye’s hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and several sharp bursts of wind blew in the opposite direction. This wind was so strong and sharp that it was like an invisible blade, instantly cutting off the wind storm’s path.

The hurricane scattered in the air.

This fellow had some tricks up his sleeve. Hao Chen was intrigued, and wanted to test Feng Ye’s abilities.

Just when Hao Chen was about to try again, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar. 

Someone was coming.

Feng Ye realized this at the same time. The hand behind his back immediately loosened, and Hao Chen also put away his fan.

The two of them tacitly stopped quarreling, picked up their brooms again, and pretended to sweep the floor. But they were also unwilling to sweep it properly. Feng Ye walked to the dividing line he had just drawn and unobtrusively swept all of the fallen leaves from his side to the other.

Hao Chen soon discovered the reason for the increasing number of leaves on his side. He followed suit and silently swept the fallen leaves over.

The two of them kept their movements small at first, knowing to be a little discreet. But later, when they realized they were exposed, they became increasingly blatant, waving their brooms vigorously as if in competition.

This was the scene Fang Yang saw when he arrived.

He saw leaves falling all over the sky, with the ground increasingly messy.

Fang Yang: “……”

Fang Yang looked at the two people – both a head taller than him – and thought expressionlessly: Two childish brats.

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Chapter 8 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 10