Torsten Hewson
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v4c 12.3: Induction part 3
🕑 Added 2023-05-25 01:08:06 +0000 UTC~Let the stars take their rest~
A voice flowed in through his open window and Zang Zhong, Young Master and head of the Inner Disciples of the Shrouded Mountain Sect, felt it penetrate his meditation. As a cultivator in the Spiritual Realm, he rarely slept days, spending the hours cultivating instead of wasting time with the unnecessary action.
The voice was powerful, yet soft. The notes were long and drawn out, echoing across the Shrouded Mountain. It was an exaltation of the morning that Zhong found quite beautiful, even as it disturbed his meditation. He could not be angry at the morning salutation though, for it was time to awake and begin his duties anyway—and then he felt the slight amount of Qi within.
His guard was instantly up as he examined what was happening… but rather than being an attack, the song’s only purpose was to awaken and invigorate.
~Let the stars take their rest.~
Hearing the voice call for all to wake once more, Zhong blinked as he felt his senses sharpen and a tiny bit of fog he didn’t even know existed within his mind lifted, leaving only crystal clarity.
It was refreshing. He felt… good.
Curious about the singer, he exited his mansion to find the one that was greeting the morning. What he found was the newest initiate to the Inner Sect standing on the roof of the smallest had that an Inner Disciple had within their compound. The housing district was full of them—but this particular place had only one old mortal servant, and compared to the grander palaces the house looked like a farmer’s hut.
Bi De’s eyes were closed and he was lacking a shirt. His hair seemed to sparkle in the sun as he lifted his face to its warmth, a small smile on his face.
~Let the light fill the sky; let the dawn crest—~
Zhong saw others who were coming out to watch. Their eyes, too, were bright and alert, ready to face the day. The man’s voice had a pleasing quality that urged all who heard it to arise.
~As the darkness fades.~
Despite himself, Zhong was impressed. After he suppressed Bi De,and made sure the man was no threat he decided would allow the man a spot in his retinue, if only to sing in the morning for him.
And then Zhong saw the looks the women—and some of the men—were giving the sparkling bastard, and any kind feelings left Zhong’s soul. For the ancestors’ sake, his cousin Huiying, looked like she was drooling.
The last notes echoed over the Shrouded Mountain, and the handsome bastard opened his eyes. He stepped off the roof of the house and alighted on the ground with grace. He turned his iridescent green eyes on Zhong—and then bowed.
“Bi De greets the Young Master, and hopes the morning finds him well.”
Zhong was torn. On one hand, the brat knew his place. His bow was perfect for his station and without arrogance. The morning song was something he had obviously done for years—he was too practised and uncaring about the effect he was having for there to be any other outcome, so it was not some plot—and sun worship was quite common amongst the peasants.
On the other hand, just by existing he was annoying him.
“If you have enough energy to sing, then you have enough energy to get started on your duties,” he replied. “I do believe the gardens require more manure.”
There was no reaction other than a nod as the man accepted his charge. “Of course, Young Master. This Bi De hears and obeys.”
The man turned, starting off towards the gardens as Zhong watched his back.
“Why do you all gawk like chickens?” he demanded as the rest of the Inner Disciples continued to watch the man go. “Be about your business.”
They all dispersed, save for his cousin, who approached.
“Really? Giving him garden duty? Quite spiteful of you, cousin.” Her voice was light as she played with her braid, her eyes on Bi De’s back.
“All must contribute to the Sect,” he said dismissively and turned to head back to his own home to complete his morning duties and cultivation.
“Oh, I know, but it’s a touch too far on such a new disciple. Give him to this pretty sister here, and she’ll polish that gem right up.”
“That will not be happening. I have been instructed to watch over him by Elder Chongyun.” He knew at once that was the wrong thing to say, as Huiying’s face turned sly.
“Oh, is that jealousy—”
“You are tolerated because you are blood.” His intent froze her in place. His weaker cousin swallowed. “Be about your business, or you may join him in the fields—planted head first.”
His cousin bowed and left, beating a hasty retreat. Really, how thick was her face, to act like that around him? Zhong snorted. People had been getting uppity since the rumours that little Zang Li had died. In the Azure Hills of all places. He would likely have to make an example out of someone soon.
He returned to his home, the servants having already arranged things for him, and started his morning duties, which went by remarkably quickly and remarkably smoothly. All the paperwork and management which took up his time was finished in record time. Even his brief session of morning cultivation was slightly more productive than normal.
His mood was good and he pondered on how to improve it further. He soon smirked as he wondered how frustrated the newest Inner Disciple was.
Thus, he left the house and headed to the gardens to check on Bi De’s work, debating whether or not to find some ‘mistakes’ the man would have to fix…
Only to stop dead as he witnessed Bi De’s work. The man moved like a master, his attention wholly consumed by his task. His skin glistened with a slight sheen of sweat as he tended to the Spiritual Herbs.
They, by necessity, only grew the most hardy of Spiritual Herbs in their gardens. The rare and valuable herbs could only grow wild. These were the work-horse herbs, the Flesh-Knit Roots, the Twelve Poison Resistance Spice, and the Hundred Year Ginseng experiments from before Zhong’s time. All of them were grown on the side of the Shrouded Mountain in a walled courtyard.
The Twelve Poison Resistance Spice Bi De was tending to had flushed a vibrant shade of green, looking more vital than Zhong had ever seen them. It stretched towards the sky, almost waving its fronds.
But the other thing that caught Zhong’s attention was what exactly Bi De was doing.
Because it utterly baffled Zhong.
The man was a fool. An idiot of the highest proportions who had obviously just gotten lucky as he poured his Qi into the ground like it was water. Was he planning on reaping the entire field at once through some technique? Zhong looked closely at the Qi saturating the ground and being taken up by the plants.
Throwing one’s Qi into the ground… Zhong did not even need to suppress him. He could just allow him to act and Bi De would suppress himself. In fact, he could even play the role of the kind Senior—thus, he descended upon Bi De.
“Fantastic work, disciple. You truly have a gift.” Zhong complimented the red-haired man.
“Bi De thanks the Young Master,” the man replied, radiating honesty. “Though things would be better if the wall could be removed—it interferes too much with the sun, I believe.”
Zhong filed that information away as he stared at the Spiritual Herbs. “I see. Well then, I have long been searching for a gardener to assist in growing my own Spiritual Herbs—you shall assist me in this endeavour.”
“As you will, Young Master,” the man said, once more looking unbothered. Bi De was cold as ice, compared to his fiery red hair. He was strange… very strange, but he could be used and that was enough.
Zhong Li clapped his hands, and at once his main servant appeared beside him. A cultivator in the Second Stage of the Initiate’s Realm, and who had been serving Zhong since Zhong’s birth..
“Get this junior here some water and food, so that he may continue his work.”
That, of all things, seemed to surprise Bi De. “Thank you, Young Master.”
“As you were.”
Zhong walked off with a smile on his face, the taste of victory on his lips. He looked back at Bi De, wishing to indulge in the sight of the bastard demeaning himself.
The smile fell slightly.
How the hells did one manage to look handsome shoveling shit?!
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Bi De glanced at where Zang Zhong had left. He was an odious sort. The naked greed in his eyes was distasteful, and Bi De quite frankly wanted nothing to do with him.
But he was kin to Zang Li—the man who turned out to be a demon. Thus, it was only prudent to observe him and his family.
Better yet, Bi De now had access to his household with his gardening duties.
He would have to be quiet when poking around, but this was certainly a fine boon.
Satisfied at how his morning was progressing, he turned his attention back to the land and the Spiritual Herbs.
The state of the herbs was, quite frankly, dreadful. They didn’t deserve to be treated like this. It was entirely the wrong place to be growing them. The walls needed to come down, at the very least, but Bi De could not just start tearing down structures without permission.
He shook his head as he fed more Qi to the land. It was much more taxing to do this here than back home in the Azure Hills. Though the Dragon Veins were fairly close to the surface on the Shrouded Mountain, the earth seemed to hardly notice his offering—and the Qi itself felt odd. Though it was thick in the air, it paradoxically felt less nourishing and less able to be used.
The second thing… was that he likely would not be getting his Qi back when he slept. The nourishing air of Fa Ram was warm and inviting. Those who slept in its embrace awoke full of vitality. Outside of it was a completely different story.
He knew now why most cultivators were shocked when they witnessed what his Great Master did; his Master had but to sleep and his Qi would recharge, cycling with the earth. Everything he offered would be returned to him.
Here? Here, the land was indifferent to him. He would have to meditate to regain his strength, as he’d done during his adventure to find the crystal—taking it back slowly and painstakingly from the air, or recharging his Qi through the fires of his Dantian.
Both methods would lead to a stagnation, if they did not outright halt his growth.
It would only be a detriment to himself to continue to offer his energy to the Spiritual Herbs. Others would consume these plants, reaping the rewards. He also wouldn’t be around long enough to continuously improve the soil with his Great Master’s teachings. Others would pick this place clean and ruin all of his hard work.
And yet… Bi De offered it anyway. He infused his Qi to the land. He did not do it to receive the power of an Earth Spirit, but because… he desired to do so.
He gave to the earth… and the earth would give back.
Even if he would not be the one to receive it, someone would.
And that was enough.
Painstakingly, Bi De completed the field. And then he went off to repair the treasure shed.
This task, too, was given his full attention. He felt eyes upon him as he repaired the place, being watched by others carefully to see if he stole anything—but Bi De had no time for these so-called ‘treasures’.
He had a mission to do.
Surely, his companions would have just as much, if not more, luck than him!
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“You fail.” Master Lishu of the Medical Pavillion told Ri Zu, his voice cold and detached.
Ri Zu sat before him, her back straight… and no matter how much it stung her pride... She couldn’t disagree with the man’s assessment.
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OUT OF THE LEFT FIELD! WHAT A TWEEST!
Also a bit on why giving to the land isn't really a thing.
On Friday—Friends in Failure!
Editors: Aaron “Pastafarian” Sofaer, Brandon “Philosophysics” Zhang-Leong, Massgamer, Ayje,
Comments
Samuel Wang
He who possesses inner manliness does not need to preen and posture, though cleanliness is godliness. He who possesses inner manliness need only act, and his actions are manly.
paul Emmer
If we stay on the farm the story is over but this way they are able to return there after growing some the best of both worlds
paul Emmer
I think casual farmer is still doing character building. If they were perfect at everything going in it's less believable. But when they fail and miraculously rise to the occasion it's just that much more endearing. I even believe that Bi De strength will increase somehow were reason would suggest it should not Great writing and we probably have 10 or 15 volumes to go LOL
N U
If they were horrid and without merit, she wouldn't be agreeing with him.
N U
Gee wheez, what gave it away? The fact that there's a demon infestation prowling around that Jin's been getting ready to deal with since what? The end of Volume 2 or whenever Dueling Peaks was? Wanting it to stay comfy farm times where Jin stays in his little corner has been a pipe dream since then. Not to mention how Bi De's interludes/parts of the story have always been the more traditional wuxia fare.
Alan McBrayer
Considering the location it could have been a test to detect “fox corruption” and Rizu didn’t think to look for it. Could also be a Kobayashi Maru situation designed to teach humility
WonderBread459
While I don’t personally believe this is the exact reason why Ri Zu failed, there’s something interesting I remembered from the dueling peaks aftermath. Xianghua noticed how Gou Ren and Yun Ren were trained differently, cataloguing “minor” injuries cultivators could usually ignore. I wonder if this focus on treating mortal ailments in lieu of the more cultivatory stuff may be the reason she failed.
Neil H
Maybe I've been reading too much Cinnamon Bun, but I'm kind of hoping that Bi De et al. end up befriending the Shrouded Mountain Sect and get them to unite with the Earth Spirit under the mountain.
D J Meigs
There’s two parts to that. One Jin gave to the land for a while before Tianlan initiated their contract. When he was in hermit mode after fleeing to the azure hills, I’m not sure we got a precise timeline but it could easily have been six months, it wasn’t until he started dating Mei Mei that he started noticing he might not be the same. Then there’s Tianlan herself. When we were learning about the past calamity and the azure emperor we got glimpses of her pov in dreams. If I remember right Tianlan was originally a part of a very large spirit like the one Bi De is feeling here. That spirit felt the azure emperor who fit the right criteria (to have turned his back on climbing the heavens) and to fulfil an ancient pact with the original spirit farmer sent a piece of its consciousness to make contract before going back to its own slow Earthy business. Except before it rejoined with the full consciousness it started getting glimpses of emotions and human excitements and got so curious that it turned itself human to appear in front of its contractor. Eventually even moving the dragon veins of the land closer to the surface to help them. The dragon veins being close made it easier and faster to get strength, and Tianlan’s active participation is what makes the exchange possible even for those who aren’t fully under contract like Jin. Giving qi overtime is probably going to help anywhere because we know the tribes did it even before Tianlan was around. But the potency BiDe is used to is only possible with an active spirit of the land and a spirit farmer working on things together.
D J Meigs
From the tone of the passage and how Casualfarmer usually uses it, this sounds like a time where without context we are meant to draw a conclusion that will be wrong or at least partially wrong. The fact that Rizu seems resolved about her failure makes me think she was asked to something she didn’t want to, or felt was wrong. Someone mentioned in a previous comment that to cultivators medicine usually means pills, and I think that’s probably on the mark. They wanted her to make pills and she won’t do it, because the way she knows is the one the other rat used to hurt BiDe.
Awesomepossum15
That's not the vibe I get from "she can't help but agree". My guess is there is a lot of cultivator specific knowledge that the Hongs just have no way or reason to know about because they've always been mortals. Qi related injuries and illnesses, medicinal plants that don't grow in the Azure Hills, etc. Probably the requirements to officially join the Medical Pavilion usually means decades of study for cultivators with the inclination to do so, and the difference between being a member and being a trainee is like the difference between Outer and Inner Disciples. So she failed her assessment test because she's never had the opportunity to study a lot of what was being assessed despite all of her other knowledge and talent.
Osamaru Ta
It could be the opposite too. The Medical Pavalon might actually be one of the good groups (somewhat supported by their stricted entry requirements) and her lack of experience hinders her.
John D Jones
I want the story to stay where the story is and right there just isn't all that much story at Fa Ram.
totalynotanonymous .
I wonder if she's too merciful, too rough with hypothetical vip shitheads, or if she just had a disagreement with best practices? I doubt she was so bad that they just didn't want her (unless this is some sort of negging bullshit).
SilasDrekken
Ri Zu is anti-pill and being a stereotypical sect their idea of medicine is probably just "EaT MoAr PiLLz!!1!11"
Carl Smith
I wonder if this will cause Big D to learn how to meditate in motion. So while he pushes Qi out into the garden he is taking it in from the air. Then he can work on literally walking and breathing at the same time.
JohnJohn2195
it might be because she came in with doctor perspective and their being much more differences in the kung fu magic version. like a doctor specialization in normal medicine for children vs a brain surgeon. all they have in the hills is weaker poison and stuff till they mix it themselves into something stronger vs the wide open world with say a super snake with necrosis venom and the normal medicine they use having no effect or changing to be more harmful because the qi inside it.
D J Meigs
For Rizu to fail this guys methods must be horrid.
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter. Did the demons respond to Bi De's singing the same way as the other cultivators?
Old Dog
You beat me to it.
John D Jones
It's probably pill-refining. I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody show with a snakebite and the Ri Zu shows her value by removing the poison.
carebear90
That'll probably be a problem relatively often in this volume since we have 3 main plots that don't intertwine with each other much. Then, of course, we have the perception issue since we only get a chapter (or parts of a chapter) at a time. But that's how it is with web novels. I don't think, this will be an issue once the book is complete.
Carl Mason
Why am I hearing "let the stars take their rest" to the beat of "let the bodies hit the floor"? And now I have a music video of a star singing "let the bodies hit the floor" amid a meteor shower running through my head...
taukid
I'm assuming the last bit will be expanded upon in the next chapter but it's pretty abrupt and comes outta nowhere. Reminds me of Inexorable Chaos, lol, where the author likes ending chapters like that so much that he changed his username to Cliff Hanger.
Stan Cornett
Love the story and the character's. First time commenter. Maybe the lands do not give is because the cultivators take not give like at Fa Ram. What if Bi De given peeks its interest and visits Bi De to question him on why. In the end starts to receive like at Fa Ram. Just a thought.
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapter.
CrazyExplorer
I was just pointing out that it seems clear to me that ‘ascending to the heavens cultivation nonsense’ will have 0 importance for this part of the story. It seems that this will be a funny a relaxing slice of life comedy about life inside a sect a la ‘The Office’. With fighting and cultivation being completely irrelevant at best and being made fun of at worst. The is why I was pointing out that Be di was not cultivating. He was gardening. There is nothing here to indicate that the story will turn into a typical cultivation. My apologies if it seemed that I was demeaning your opinion.
Joshua Glenn
So it's just a perception issue on my part. It feels like forever, but it's only been a bit. My mistake. Moar fa ram.
James C
Those would have been chapters 9 and 10, which were 17 and 9 days ago. Either 2 or 4 chapters ago, depending on how you count Chapter 12 (which has been split into 3 posts thus far)
James C
Possibly "showed compassion", when the correct answer to pass was "cut the dead weight loose"
Joshua Glenn
I wouldn't mind it as much if this wasn't shaping up to be more than a short interlude that was tacked on to another short interlude, I don't recall how many chapters it has been since we got a whole chapter dedicated to fa ram and the many struggles of wuxia farming. Let me have my opinion dang it, I'm a paying customer lol.
Nick DiRubio
It's a short interlude of a few chapters, I'm sure we'll be back to Jin and the farm soon. How anyone can find fault with a chapter from Bi De's perspective is baffling to me.
Joshua Glenn
I miss the farm and the slice of life adventures of a wuxia farmer. I care about as much as Jin does for this sect nonsense or ascending the heavens.
CrazyExplorer
Bi De is literally gardening and doing carpentry. What would you call this, if not slice of life?
Joshua Glenn
I miss the farm. This is starting to become just another cultivator novel at this point, and I truly miss the slice of life wuxia farmer vibe it had. How sad.
BlueJayCash
Thank You for the chapter! If the shrouded mountain's does have a conscience I hope we get to see it soon, if only for pictures.
Sean Ulrich
As they said. A bard.
rovingpen
And some of the men too!
Parker Groseclose
Shocking twist ending! Silver lining, now she'll have plenty of time to beat off groupies gathering around Bi De.
Nicholas Grey
Bi De successfully casts Bardic Inspiration on the entire sect. And, also accidentally casts Charm Person on all the female members. Clearly a bard.
Nicholas Grey
“How the hells did one manage to look handsome shoveling shit?!” Charisma and sheer f__king force of will!
Kensai
EDIT: “the Inner Sect standing on the roof of the smallest had that an Inner Disciple had within their compound”. I’m assuming the first “had” is “hut”
The GrandMage
Most likely? Pill refining. It would be why Ri Zu wouldn't argue with him. After all, she doesn't do pill refining, and likely doesn't want to. No one from Fa Ram wants anything to do with it.
Andrew Denton
Of course! I should have realized that Bi De would have taken this as an opportunity to practice his poetry.
Awesomepossum15
Good chapter, it's great to get a concrete answer for why other sects don't do what Jin does with plants since it seems to work so well for him. I'm also a little relieved to have it confirmed that Bi De is wise to Zang Zhong's shit, I figured he would be but was half worried that he wouldn't get it due to his social inexperience, just cus he's only like 3 years old in experience though not maturity.
Kasinki
Thank you for the chapter! Really curious whats next. Ri Zu failed, and it made sense that she doesnt know orthodox medicine/treatment considering Mei isnt a cultivator; but she'll probably be treated like a rough gem due to her unconventional/unique style and gain the most learning. How will Bi De's continued existence slap Zhang in the end, though? Can't wait!
ARSLOTHES
Damn Ri Zu, curious what she did
