by Tao Wong
When the attendant said the last, he gestured to the pile of wooden sticks he had laid out before him. On each stick was the written details of a job that was waiting to be filled. As few inner sect members changed jobs that often, this method allowed the serving attendant the ability to review all the job openings as well as the applicant’s file.
For a time, the attendant read through Wu Ying’s sect scroll before he set it aside and sorted the sticks. Many of those he put away immediately, muttering so low that even Wu Ying’s enhanced senses found the conversation garbled.
“All right.” The attendant looked up after ten minutes and faced Wu Ying. “I’m done with the sorting. Is there anything you’d like to do?”
Wu Ying’s gaze darted to the pile of discarded slips, a question in his eyes.
When the attendant saw that, he sighed. “You really are a troublemaker, aren’t you?”
“I do not mean to be, Senior.”
“I set aside all requests that are meant for those in the Energy Storage stage of their cultivation. Then I set aside those requests that you have shown no aptitude for. That includes entertainment requests, high scholarship requests, and others requiring high artistic value or connections,” the attendant said. “Is my work satisfactory?”
“More than satisfactory. I’m sorry, Senior.” Wu Ying bowed in apology and winced internally. Being too paranoid was as likely to get him into trouble as not being concerned enough. “I am not sure how this is meant to go. Do I get to choose which task I am assigned to?”
“As an inner sect member, yes, to some extent. You inform me of your interests and your criteria; I see if there is anything that would work. I warn you, there are no more spaces in the pharmacy or herb garden, so you can forget about those.”
“Herb garden?” Wu Ying said, curious.
“Yes, the herb garden. The building connected to the main pharmacy? Where we tend and grow those herbs that we require regularly?” the attendant said with a roll of his eyes.
Wu Ying flushed, recalling the building and its mention by Liu Tsong during her lecture. Of course, the number of people who could work in the garden was low. Furthermore, Liu Tsong had discouraged his application to it since the herb garden—at least for those at his stage—consisted of the same few products produced indoors. It would be many, many years before he would be allowed to tend the more important and precious herbs if he joined the main herb garden.
“If I’m looking for contribution points more than anything else?” Wu Ying asked.
The attendant perked up. “Ah! I have a few outstanding jobs that would fit that perfectly. They have both a hiring reward and a long-term employment reward.” He quickly fished through the pile and set three slips on the counter. After a slight hesitation, the attendant pulled a fourth slip and added it. “These are the ones. Read it and I can go into details.”
“Refuse disposal.” Wu Ying shook his head. Somehow, he knew that it was more complex than a simple refuse disposal task—the outer sect members dealt with the everyday refuse.
“Ever since the Beast Tamer passed away, the refuse from the tamed beasts has grown. We are desperate to find someone who knows how to handle their refuse properly,” the attendant said and leaned closer. “But since you said no, I can tell you it was a good choice. Their waste is toxic without proper care and handling.”
“Sparring partner with Elder Hsu,” Wu Ying said as he shifted to the next slip. His eyes drifted down and saw the contribution points marked. “This has a low recruitment bonus but a high on-going payment amount.”
“Yes.” The attendant kept his face entirely neutral until Wu Ying made him detail the task. “Elder Hsu is a bare-handed practitioner. He studies the Sucking Snail style of combat. As a high-level Body Cleanser, you should be able to practice with him once a week.”
“And?”
The attendant continued to be entirely neutral, raising Wu Ying’s suspicion further. He pushed the slip aside into its own corner. He could always come back to it later, but being someone’s punching bag was less than ideal. After all, he had fought a Core Cultivator once and nearly died. And while it was unlikely this practice was as dangerous, there must be another reason for the lack of applicants.
“Medicine tester for Elder Qi. No,” Wu Ying said immediately, pushing the slip away. No hesitation. Which kind of fool would put untested, untried medicine into their body? Perhaps if Wu Ying was truly out of all options, but he was not that desperate.
“Are you sure? Even a single test will give you as much as three month’s work anywhere else,” the attendant said.
“Definitely.” Wu Ying ignored the attendant as he turned to the last slip, the one the attendant had hesitated at offering. “Herb gathering. This one has no contribution points marked.”
“I know,” the attendant said. “How much you earn is entirely up to you. You can earn significant amounts of contribution points, but it is also dangerous, looking for those herbs.”
“Oh…” Wu Ying looked at the slips. “But it could be safe too?”
“Yes. But remember, you have a certain number of points you must contribute each month back to the sect for your expenditure. If you are too safe, you will not be able to pay your upkeep fee,” the attendant warned, tapping the slip. “I added it because you can earn a lot and because you have shown interest in pill refining. Still, this is not a popular task. It requires you to traverse the land behind the mountain.”
Wu Ying winced. While the sect itself was built on the mountain and was, in effect, made up of multiple peaks, much of the land between the peaks was not patrolled or otherwise cared for. After all, the vast majority of the sect worked and lived on the main peak. Only the Sect Protectors, Hall Masters, and other important personages had residences on the other peaks. Their residences in their isolated locations allowed them to converge the chi of the surrounding environment into their homes, speeding up their cultivation—something they could not do in the main sect. And no beast was foolish enough to attack these Elders when they traveled back to the main peak.
As such, significant amounts of land “in the back” of the sect were untouched. On top of that, there was the wild land that bordered the sect holdings. The sect’s very presence were a help the kingdom, since they kept the demon and spirit beasts from attacking other civilized lands.
Wu Ying understood the implications of herb gathering in such places. At least when he had traveled in the backcountry before, it was between waypoints of civilization, leaving the number and quantity of spirit and demonic beasts lower. But in the backcountry of the sect, there were no such waypoints, no civilizing influence.
Wu Ying tapped on the last stick before discarding it. As curious as he was to take the work, he saw two major problems. To start, he had just begun learning about the plants that were of use to alchemists. Even if he did have some advantages from his background, it did not mean he was confident he would find anything good. And furthermore, the task sounded as though it required Wu Ying to be out of the sect for long periods at a time. That made no sense for Wu Ying, who was just getting settled into the sect.
“Are you taking the sparring matches with Elder Hsu?” the attendant asked, still entirely too neutral.
Wu Ying narrowed his eyes, knowing there was something wrong. A trap in the assignment. On the other hand, Wu Ying had to admit that even the small bonus it offered was enough to allow him to trade for some much-needed cultivation resources. Perhaps some Meridian Cleansing Pills or equipment. While the swords he had were decent for mortal equipment, those would not last long.
“The sparring rules are not to death, correct? And there won’t be any permanent injuries?” Wu Ying said, voicing his major concerns.
“Not at all. Elder Hsu will not kill you. None of the injuries suffered have been outside of the scope of the healer’s ability,” the attendant replied. “In fact, Elder Hsu has indicated he will cover all healing for his partners, ensuring they are in top condition
for each session.”
Wu Ying blinked, tilting his head. This was… well, this was strange. But better than nothing. Resolutely, Wu Ying pushed the strip forward. If this was dangerous and painful, well, he had dealt with both. A cultivator could not grow in a greenhouse. He must explore the wide world and experience everything under heaven. Only then could he hope to face his final dao.
***
Days later, Wu Ying stood outside the Elder’s house. It was one of the larger buildings in this part of the mountain, set among the residences for the Elders and much higher than the areas that Wu Ying traversed. It was still a distance from Elder Cheng’s mansion, but since his sponsor had left, Wu Ying had not visited that building. Elder Hsu’s residence was a decent distance up the mountain and had a large expanse of land around it. After Wu Ying had made his decision, the remainder of the paperwork was completed without fanfare. Just last night, Wu Ying had received the letter from Ah Yee indicating he was to turn up today for his first match.
In short order, Wu Ying found himself guided by the Elder’s own servant to the back of the building. That the Elder’s servant was both an inner sect member and a disciple was, on reflection, perfectly reasonable to Wu Ying. What was not reasonable was the way the short, stocky, broad disciple was looking at Wu Ying. The sheer amount of pity mixed with glee in that look was off-putting. Tragically, it was too late to back out.
Instead, Wu Ying found himself standing across from Elder Hsu, trying to contain his surprise at his first glimpse of the Elder. Only because he had seen another individual from the far north could Wu Ying contextualize the difference in the way the Elder looked. Elder Hsu was at least from the kingdom of Yan, perhaps even farther north than that remote state. He had the stocky build, tanned skin, long goatee, and braided beard and hair that was common to those from the far north. In addition, and what was even more surprising, was the fact that Elder Hsu was shirtless. His semi-dressed state showed off the bulging, rippling, oiled muscles he sported.
“Junior Wu Ying greets Elder Hsu,” Wu Ying said, bowing low.
“You are the new sparring partner?” Elder Hsu said, his eyes raking over Wu Ying’s form in a way that made the cultivator shiver. “Very low cultivation.” Wu Ying kept his head bent low, which was why when Elder Hsu raised his voice and barked, he jumped. “Well, hurry up then. Take your shirt off and get ready!”
“My shirt?”
“How else are we to spar? Quickly now. I do not like waiting.”
Wu Ying winced then pushed aside his confusion. He was here to spar, and if it was shirtless and bare knuckles, then so be it. It was strange, but the children in the village had occasionally done it to ensure they didn’t dirty or tear precious clothing. The oil was new though.
When Wu Ying shed his robes and walked in shirtless and weaponless, he was directed to a nearby pail. The cultivator grimaced but reached within, touching the sponge. He rubbed his hands on it before he began to liberally apply the oil to his body.
“Not so much. You’re not cooking yourself,” Elder Hsu rebuked Wu Ying.
“Sorry,” Wu Ying said, grabbing the nearby cloth and wiping off the excess.
In a few seconds, Wu Ying stood before Elder Hsu once more. A part of him found the entire situation amusing, since looked at in a certain way, the pair were of the same kind. Muscles built from physical labor undertaken during the Body Cleansing stage, both of them with tanned skin. Except Elder Hsu looked to be in his late thirties and could easily be double that as a Core Cultivator, and Wu Ying was but a beardless teenager. Also, he was less tanned and about three quarters the size of the Elder.
“Ready?” Elder Hsu said.
“Yes.”
“When you are ready, touch the ground with your hands,” Elder Hsu said, dropping low and putting both his hands on the ground.
Wu Ying hesitated and did the same. What happened next would take Wu Ying long hours of puzzling over to clarify, much like the remainder of the afternoon.
Crouched forward, Elder Hsu dropped even farther as he lowered his right knee toward the ground and dug into the earth the moment Wu Ying’s hands touched the ground. He then exploded forward with his arms outstretched, shoulder connecting with Wu Ying’s shins. Rather than hitting Wu Ying at or above his knee, which would have resulted in maximum impact, the Elder was kind enough to spare Wu Ying’s knees. But the sheer speed and momentum of the attack threw Wu Ying backward even as the outstretched arms closed and gripped his feet tightly, forcing Wu Ying’s body to pivot like a lever, bringing his head to the ground.
Only an instinctively arched back, tucked head, and a pair of hands slamming into the ground before he landed spared Wu Ying from a concussion. Before the cultivator could break away, he found that Elder Hsu was crawling up his body, his entire muscular and oiled form in close contact with Wu Ying’s. The Elder was so close and tight that Wu Ying’s abortive movements offered no escape. Each attempted move to free a hand or thrust a leg to throw Elder Hsu off was defeated by the gripping, squirming northerner.
Attached to Wu Ying, the Elder began the slow process of suffocating the ex-farmer. Even the experience of village wrestling competitions and scuffling with his friends was of little use to Wu Ying. Every single defense was thwarted, every option taken away as the Elder glommed himself to Wu Ying’s body. It was not even “proper” wrestling as the Elder forced a submission not due to a joint or neck lock but a slow, invasive crushing of the chest and body.
When Wu Ying was finally released, he lay on the ground, exhausted. When Elder Hsu walked away, Wu Ying flinched, his newfound claustrophobia acting up. The Sucking Snail indeed.
“Are you done then?” Elder Hsu said as he turned around on his side of the ring.
Wu Ying debated it internally. He had already gained the initial contribution points. He had experienced and learned what the others feared. Not just the loss to Elder Hsu—no inner sect member would expect to beat an Elder. Not without being a prodigy. No. It was the humiliating, half-naked, clingy loss, one bereft of any form of dignity. It was the slow suffocation of resolve, the trickling drain of energy, and the loss of all face. But…
Could you eat dignity?
“No, Elder.” Wu Ying rolled over and pushed himself to his feet as he took a deeper breath.
The bone-deep stubbornness of a farmer rose up, making Wu Ying turn to the Elder. If this was the Sucking Snail, then Wu Ying should see how the Northern Shen Kicking Style worked against it.
***
An hour later, Wu Ying clambered to his feet, wincing as tortured muscles and exhausted limbs trembled. The answer to the question of how well the Northern Shen worked was, not well. Wu Ying could almost swear that the Sucking Snail was built to fight the Northern Shen, the way it took away the vast majority of his options.
Elder Hsu’s approach was quick and explosive, almost always resulting in a single- or double-leg takedown. Since the Elder’s entire body shifted forward almost perpendicularly to the ground, there was no careless leading head to knee. Even when Wu Ying managed to land a kick to the incoming body, he then lost his balance from the rebounding force. In most such cases, by the time Wu Ying recovered his balance—or finished landing on the ground—Elder Hsu was too close for Wu Ying to dodge or attack again. And then he would find himself in the same position—being squeezed to death.
In the few instances where Wu Ying had managed to dodge Elder Hsu, the Northern Shen Kicking Style would allow him to upset Elder Hsu’s balance. Unfortunately, since the Elder kept his hands relatively close to his body, grabbing and locking his limbs was difficult. At times, the Elder even offered a limb, intent on establishing that initial contact so that he could squirm closer to Wu Ying.
Full body throws were even more dangerous because of the Elder’s ability to use the contact to stick himself to Wu Ying. Brief, momentary contact seemed to succeed, but of course, that made throws harder to pull off. Upsetting Elder Hsu’s balance and sense of timing was more effective
, but that tactic only bought more time. It did little to allow Wu Ying to win.
In the end, the only victory Wu Ying could claim through the entire sparring session was that he managed to extend the amount of time it took before Elder Hsu managed to suffocate him. It was a pitiful victory, but one that Wu Ying gripped as tightly as he could as a fig leaf for his dignity.
“That’s enough,” Elder Hsu said as he eyed the weaving Wu Ying.
“But the assignment was for two hours,” Wu Ying said stubbornly.
“You are barely able to stand. Your gains are over for today, and each fight from now on will be finished ever faster. I will learn nothing beating a tired opponent,” Elder Hsu said.
Wu Ying took himself over to the water barrel. He found himself finishing three cups before he slowed down to wipe off his oily and sandy body. Wu Ying grimaced as the towel left much of the oil and sand on his body, even after repeated wiping.
“Use the bath,” Elder Hsu instructed Wu Ying.
When the cultivator turned his head, he saw the Elder pointing toward a cordoned off area.
“Thank you, Elder,” Wu Ying said.
When Wu Ying finally made his way to the bath, he was surprised to find a wooden tub constructed such that it could fit at least four adults within. A short distance away was an outdoor shower, one that Wu Ying used to remove the sand and oil. A laid-out brush and soap helped greatly with that exercise, leaving Wu Ying clean and eyeing the steaming bath. He frowned, considering whether Elder Hsu meant for him to use the bath as well or was he restricted to the shower.
In the end, temptation won over caution. Wu Ying climbed into the tub, underpants growing wet as he slid in. The heat and mineral water leeched the painful soreness from his aching muscles, allowing Wu Ying to relax and close his eyes. Soon, his head rested on the edge of the tub, the sinful warmth making Wu Ying forget his location.
