Old Yellow Ox: You Want to Eat Me?

Jiang Man slipped back from his sweeping duty without a sound, and only a few people noticed, for the events of the past two days had made some of them pay attention to where he was. Some among them, determined not to be influenced, slipped out of the courtyard early the moment the lesson ended, to keep from being dragged into cultivating again later. But others were unwilling to take it lying down. The third-to-last, for one. Neither the last-place nor the second-to-last had left, after all. If those two worked hard this month and their rankings rose in the middle of next month, wouldn't he be the one who fell to last? And the last-place finisher had no qualification to compete for the spots at all. An exception had been made this time, but nothing said it wouldn't be revoked next month. So he could not let these two surpass him. They were all bottom-rankers to begin with; the gap in points between them should not be large. Still, he hoped today would be different from yesterday. Plenty of people put in three days of effort and then slacked off for two, after all. It would be perfectly reasonable for the last-place finisher to be lazy. And yet... After thirty full circuits, the young man who ranked third-to-last looked at Jiang Man and sighed inwardly. Another grueling day, then. The little fatty Gao Yao, gritting his teeth as well, spoke up. "Brother Jiang, may I ask you something?" Jiang Man drew a deep breath. "Ask." "How many times a day do you cultivate the Simplified Qi-Linking Method?" Jiang Man glanced at him. "Cultivating is like drinking water to me. About a hundred and fifty rounds." The little fatty was silent for a moment. "Don't you sleep?" A hundred and fifty rounds—even cultivating quickly, wouldn't that take until well past midnight? And it would drain his stamina. He'd need to eat to keep it up. Hearing this, Jiang Man replied as if it were obvious, "You're so young—how do you sleep at all without cultivating?" The little fatty: "..." Brother Jiang, you've changed. You never used to be like this. Back then you were still Little Jiang. Not far away, the third-to-last drew a sharp breath when he heard this. A hundred and fifty full circuits? Was the man trying to kill himself? It wasn't as if he could truly seize the qualification—why fight so desperately? Jiang Man paid no attention to anyone. He had gathered, roughly, that the great majority of the people in this small courtyard came from impoverished places. They had scraped their way into the Yunqian Division at last and won a chance to change their fates. And yet... How did they have the nerve to stop and rest? How did they sleep at night? With only two or three years in all, shouldn't they be fighting for every second? Jiang Man couldn't understand it. After forty full circuits, Jiang Man saw the little fatty sprawled on the ground and felt the weariness in his own body too. The strain on him was immense. But he still had to keep going—the time left to him was short. Catching his breath, though, was fine. Out of curiosity, he voiced the doubt in his mind. A chance to cultivate was so hard to come by—why waste it like this? The little fatty drew a deep breath and answered with feigned profundity, "It's not exactly wasting it. I suppose I've accepted my own mediocrity." Jiang Man blinked. The little fatty could say something like that? But then he understood. Fair enough. His own luck was good, and with talent like his, hard work was simply a must. Looking at the spiritual qi in the "gourd," nearly half full now, Jiang Man drew a deep breath. At this pace, it wouldn't be long before he could charge into the Qi-Linking second layer. Such a fine talent lay before him—he could not let it go to waste. Then he began cultivating again. Seeing this, the little fatty gritted his teeth and kept following along. He reckoned he wouldn't be caught up within a month—but watching the other advance like this, what if the gap began to close? Sooner or later he would be caught. He had to pull the distance open again now. The advantage was his. Not until night, when Luo Xuan led the way out, did the others finally leave as well. Many of them, heads bowed with exhaustion, trudged back. The little fatty ate his dry rations as he went, feeling that he had even lost a little weight. The moment Jiang Man got home, he cooked himself a meal and ate in great mouthfuls. "The rice has run out," the old yellow ox suddenly reminded him. Only then did Jiang Man realize he had eaten through half a month's rations in three to five days. Cultivation consumed enormous energy—without eating extra, ordinary coarse rice could never put an end to the hunger. But now it was all gone. "Now even eating is a problem," Jiang Man sighed between bites. Then he looked at the old yellow ox beside him. "Senior, hasn't the retaliation come yet?" Under his gaze, the old yellow ox narrowed its eyes. "You want to eat me?" "Couldn't do that—you're still alive, Senior." Jiang Man shook his head, then went on, "I wanted to ask whether you have the energy to teach me the way of making money." "You can't manage it yourself?" "I'm ashamed to say it, but my talents are all in cultivation." "..." The old yellow ox said calmly, "Under the Immortal Gate's rule, your cultivation is too weak. There is nothing I can do." Jiang Man was not really surprised. He could only try Teacher Zhao tomorrow and see. He wondered whether the man's research on the feeding method was finished. By rights, three to five days should have been enough. If it was done, adding some pay to the stable duty shouldn't be hard, and getting him to arrange a task that could keep a man fed should be possible too. Otherwise, what food remained would certainly not be enough. The cultivation to come would cost as well. The only reason he need not spend now was the Flawless Spirit Gathering Pill in his body. Once it ran out, keeping up this pace of advancement would take ample resources. After eating, Jiang Man saw to the stable chores, then began to cultivate. "Not sleeping tonight either?" the old yellow ox asked curiously. Jiang Man nodded. "This is the age for striving. I can't let my talent go to waste." After a pause, he asked, "If my talent is too high, will danger find me later? And if it does, Senior, could you help shield me from it?" This mattered greatly. He could not hide his talent. When the rankings were revised next month, he would have to show a part of his strength, and with it win more cultivation techniques so he could keep cultivating. Beyond that, the contest for the spots came in December—he absolutely could not stay hidden and wait for the sect's final selection. "What kind of genius can Qi-Linking even produce?" the old yellow ox said with disdain. "However fast your cultivation rises, it can be hammered out with resources. Just don't reveal what layer your Qi-Linking Method has reached, and there's little to worry about." "But I have no resources," Jiang Man replied. "Then just make one up." The old yellow ox weighed his words. "You're married, aren't you? Say your spouse is of extraordinary background—say it's their money funding you." Jiang Man: "..." But he didn't even know his wife's name. And it had only been the wedding ceremony... If the other party refused to acknowledge it, then... Suddenly Jiang Man remembered the peerless prodigy fate he carried. It seemed that wedding ceremony was a more serious matter than he had assumed. A glance at the hour, and he set such thoughts aside. Cultivation first. The water in the "gourd" was nearly full. It was time to enter the Qi-Linking second layer. The next day, in the teachers' rest quarters at Qingyun Pavilion, in a room bright with lamplight, Zhao Leming closed a book. A trace of delight crossed his face. "It's done—the translation is complete. It truly wasn't easy." Then he looked at the book on his desk. It was now worth a fortune, but it must not be used rashly. Besides... Jiang Man's side needed attention as well. Naturally, it would be best if he alone knew of this matter. Brow lowered, Zhao Leming sank into thought over how to arrange things for Jiang Man.