Chapter 100
The young man with a yellow face looked at Xu Ziqing again: "This young master didn't speak just now, I think he has another choice."
Xu Ziqing lowered his head and said with a sincere and fearful tone: "Xu Ziqing is incompetent, willing to do some miscellaneous tasks to share the worries of the clan..."
Alas, this is even more lacking in initiative. The young man with a yellow face could only hand over a yellow leather book and said: "What's recorded inside is exactly where my family needs someone to do chores, you can choose one yourself."
Xu Ziqing thanked him and took it to carefully examine it.
Why is Huang Lian's young face so regretful? It's actually because the clan leader gave the three inferior sons of the direct descendants three choices, all of which are well-considered.
One aspect is that the inner courtyard needs to be managed by reliable family members, and on the other hand, it's also about whether these people with lower qualifications can make up for their deficiencies from other aspects.
The first option is the most challenging, where one takes on tasks independently. Although it seems difficult, each task actually polishes and refines a person from many aspects. Once they persevere through this period with their own efforts, even if their innate talent is lacking, many people can still break through to the third layer of Qi Refining before the age of 50 due to their unyielding determination. At that time, they will be directly sent to Fei Xue Mountain, where they will receive guidance from the elder and spiritual medicine to cleanse their body and mind. Afterwards, their path to immortality may become smoother.
The second is to serve people, but serving people's livelihoods is not easy. What if it falls into the hands of someone with a bad temper... The days will be even harder to pass. The children who choose this task are half ambitious and half greedy. If it's the former, they can endure humiliation and hardship until later, and those who can't bear it will be eliminated quickly. The patriarchal family will not seek justice for the sake of a small difference in talent. The latter mostly live well, but these people put their minds on how to please others, so how can they cultivate themselves seriously?
Moreover, those who have succeeded in enduring humiliation and hardship cannot help but harbor resentment when thinking of the past, and their loyalty to their clan is also low. Those who are greedy for profit are themselves wallheads, and will not be liked by others.
Those who made this second choice are actually the people most disliked by the sect leader.
The third type is the miscellaneous, those who choose it are mostly timid, content with their current situation and lack ambition. Although people of this kind have very limited achievements, they are often the most reliable ones in the clan because they dare not deviate from the status quo and are honest, able to make more contributions to the clan. Therefore, although the clan is sorry that they wasted the originally meager immortal fate, they cannot do without the existence of these people.
The young man with a yellow face didn't think for long, and the two people who were chosen first had already made their choice. The young man with a yellow face asked them about their choices and then told the two of them the route to the specific addresses where those sons lived. The two thanked him and quickly left the place.
On the other side, Xu Ziqing flipped through the yellow booklet, selecting with great caution.
Indeed, Xu Ziqing was a carefree person, but not a timid and weak one. He simply had no intention of getting involved in the affairs of the immortal realm from the start, and after arriving at the sect, he found it to be full of intrigue and complexity, so with his temperament, he naturally did not want to get entangled in this muddy water.
When Xu Ziqing entered the inner hall, he had already seen that there were good fields and gardens with fruit trees, flowers, and medicinal herbs, and the scenery was very beautiful. If he chose a miscellaneous task, he would probably have something related to it, so he chose one and went far away to spend his days, which should not be much different from when he was in Xujiacun.
Sure, here is the translation:
As expected, after flipping through the yellow booklet, Xu Ziqing found what he was thinking of. There were three things that were quite to his liking.
One of them is to take care of the fruit trees in the orchard, which requires watering and fertilizing every day, weeding and pest control, pruning and cutting branches... However, there are dozens of people doing the same thing, all managed by a single person named Hong.
Secondly, in the spiritual field, we need to plow the land, sow seeds, transplant seedlings, and manage them. It's not much different from what Xu Ziqing saw in the countryside when he was young. There are many people working together, all under the management of a person named Zhao.
The third is to work in the Hundred Grass Garden, where flowers and grass need to be tended with care, and everything needs to be taken care of. Moreover, there is only one person doing miscellaneous tasks, who reports to a single manager named He.
Xu Ziqing carefully compared the three miscellaneous tasks and finally chose the third one. In his previous life, he was confined to his house, except for relatives taking turns to accompany him, there were only some flowers and plants that he could take care of from time to time. Now thinking about it, it feels quite intimate, and the location of Bai Cao Garden is remote, which is really suitable.
He then turned the booklet to page eighty-seven and handed it to the yellow-faced young man, saying: "Xu Ziqing is willing to go to Bai Cao Garden to do miscellaneous tasks."
The young man with a yellow face also didn't say much, and directly told him the location of Bai Cao Garden. After Xu Zi Qing thanked him and left, his face finally showed some complex emotions.
This Hundred Herb Garden seems like a good place, but it's actually Old Man He's territory. That old man has an extremely eccentric personality, and previously many young men had chosen this seemingly decent job, only to be driven out by the old man one after another. Who knows how long this one will last?
The young man with a yellow face didn't seem to think much of it, and Xu Ziqing knew nothing about it. He simply followed the youth's directions and walked for nearly half an hour before finally arriving at the outside of a garden.
The door wasn't locked, but as Xu Ziqing walked forward, he was blocked by an invisible barrier outside. Then a person came out from inside, shouting and scolding: "Which idiot is moving my seal here? Can't you use a spirit tablet?"
Xu Ziqing was taken aback, realizing that he was the one who was wrong. He had grown accustomed to living in the mundane world and hadn't yet developed the self-awareness of being a cultivator, so he had forgotten that this seemingly unlocked gate was actually guarded with extreme vigilance.
He then took out the wooden sign that the yellow-faced youth had given him earlier and carefully sent it forward into the empty space in front of him. A white light flashed by, and he tried to walk forward again, without any obstruction.
He had only taken three or five steps when he saw an old man coming towards him. The old man was smoking a dry pipe, wearing grass shoes on his feet, and the clothes on his body were also very tattered. Since Xu Ziqing entered the Zong family, he had never seen such an untidy person. Was this He Guan Shi?
The old man saw Xu Ziqing, "puff puff" took a drag on his cigarette and spat it out: "Newly arrived odd jobber?"
He is a newcomer, and it's true that he does miscellaneous chores, so this title isn't wrong either. Xu Ziqing saw that He Lao was older, so he was even more respectful and courteous, slightly bowing his head to greet him, saying: "Xu Ziqing has seen the manager."
Old He's eyes flashed with a hint of unusual color, and he scanned Xu Ziqing from head to toe before saying: "It's not easy working for me, if you can't take the hardship, don't blame me for kicking you out."
He didn't deny the title, and it seemed that he was indeed the one in charge. Xu Ziqing followed closely behind him, and since he wanted to do things here, he should do his best. Moreover, if he could be with flowers and plants, even if it was hard work, it would still be a sweet experience.
The further he walked into the garden, the more he could feel the air becoming extremely clear. Xuzi Qing couldn't help but take a deep breath, and suddenly felt a fragrance filling his nostrils, making his entire chest feel comfortable.
He could not have known that in this world where he was reborn, the space between heaven and earth was filled with a thing called "spirit energy" which was even lighter than the oxygen he used to breathe, and could even cleanse his body and mind. The reason cultivators were able to cultivate was entirely because of it.
This Hundred Herb Garden is actually a medicine garden, specially for cultivating spiritual herbs for the Xu family. Therefore, the spiritual energy inside is exceptionally abundant. He suddenly came in from outside and was enjoying himself immensely.
The layout in the garden is not as grand and delicate as outside, but rather very natural. Every flower, every blade of grass, every clod of earth, and every stone all bear no trace of knife cuts or axe chops.
As I walked along the dirt road, I saw a clear stream flowing far into the distance. On both sides of the stream were low stone railings surrounding small plots of land that looked like flower beds, each with vague green shadows and lush grasses swaying in the breeze.
Walking along this road, you can see a row of thatched cottages. The front few rooms either hang with farm goods, or display tools, or have medicine racks with large bamboo sieves for drying medicines, all showing signs of being inhabited. Only one smaller room on the outermost side has nothing outside it.
As he walked up to the row of thatched cottages, Old He gestured with his pipe and pointed to the smallest one, saying: "You'll be staying in there; there's a bed and bedding."
Xu Ziqing nodded: "Yes."
Old He saw that he listened, turned around and said: "The spiritual grass grown here is not something that a kid like you can move at will." He said, swaying back to the house, and when he came out, his hands were already holding several thick books, which he threw at Xu Ziqing who was waiting honestly, "Take them down and memorize them first."
Xu Ziqing took it with some effort, his body was much better than in his previous life and he had a good amount of strength, but when he received these books, he found that they were unexpectedly heavy. He still nodded: "I know, Manager He."
He slightly lowered his head to take a look at the page, and saw that the one on top was "Spirit Grass Identification", it must be teaching him how to identify spirit grass. In this Hundred Herb Garden, he really couldn't do without it. Although Old Man He's demands were a bit strict, in the end, it was all for his own good, so Xu Ziqing naturally felt grateful.
Seeing him so obedient, Old He was more appreciative of Xu Ziqing. Although he is known for his eccentric personality, he is not an unreasonable person. The young masters who came before, in their respective branches, looked down on him with disdain, seeing that he wore tattered clothes and showed contempt towards him at first sight. This is already a sign of poor character. Later, when he ordered them to memorize the types of spiritual grass, they were all unwilling and only wanted him to teach them the secret techniques, such lazy and unprincipled people, how could he not be angry!
This new kid looks thin and weak, can't even hold a few medical books steadily, but he's not arrogant or impatient, and is willing to do things seriously. In Old He's eyes, that's basically qualified. If in the future he observes him doing everything with sincerity, he will naturally pass on his skills, at which time this new kid can truly become Baicao Garden's long-term "杂役".
As soon as he finished speaking, the other two young men of lower status immediately spoke up: "Xu Zile and Xu Zigui are willing to go serve the noble people in the eastern courtyard, please trouble the manager to arrange it."
The young man with a yellow face secretly sighed in his heart, but his mouth replied: "It doesn't matter, I have a slip of paper here with the names of all the sons who need servants. You can draw lots yourself."
Those two young men were overjoyed and hastily took a wooden tube handed to them by the yellow-faced youth, and went aside to carefully select their lots.
The young man with a yellow face looked at Xu Ziqing again: "This young man didn't speak just now, I think he has other choices."
Xu Ziqing lowered his head and said with a sincere and fearful tone: "Xu Ziqing is incompetent, willing to do some miscellaneous tasks to share the worries of the clan..."
Alas, this is even more lacking in initiative. The young man with a yellow face could only hand over a yellow leather book and said: "What's recorded here is where my family needs someone to do chores, you can choose one yourself."
Xu Ziqing thanked him and took it to carefully examine it.
Why is Huang Lian's young face so regretful? It's actually because the clan leader gave the three inferior sons of the direct descendants three choices, all of which are well-considered.
One aspect is that the inner courtyard needs to be managed by reliable family members, and on the other hand, it's also about whether these people with lower qualifications can make up for their deficiencies from other aspects.
The first option is the most challenging, where one takes on tasks independently. Although it seems difficult, each task actually polishes and refines a person from many aspects. If one perseveres through their own efforts during this period, even if they have average talent, there are still many who break through to the third layer of Qi Refining before the age of 50 due to their unyielding determination. At that time, they will be directly sent to Fei Xue Mountain, where they will receive guidance from the elder and spiritual cleansing with sacred medicine. Afterwards, their path to immortality will likely become smooth and unobstructed.
The second is to serve people, but serving people's livelihoods is not easy. What if it falls into the hands of someone with a bad temper... The days will be even harder to pass. The children who choose this task are half ambitious and half greedy. If it's the former, they can endure humiliation and hardship until later, and those who can't bear it will be eliminated quickly. The patriarchal family will not seek justice for the sake of a small difference in talent. The latter mostly live well, but these people put their minds on how to please others, so how can they cultivate themselves seriously?
Moreover, those who have succeeded in enduring humiliation and hardship cannot help but harbor resentment when thinking of the past, and their loyalty to the clan is also low. Those who are greedy for profit are themselves wallheads, and will not be liked by others.
Those who made this second choice are actually the people that the clan dislikes the most.
The third type is the miscellaneous, those who choose it are mostly timid, content with their current situation and lack ambition. Although people of this kind have very limited achievements, they are often the most reliable in their clan because they dare not deviate from the status quo and are honest, able to make more contributions to the clan. Therefore, although the head of the clan regrets that they wasted the already meager opportunity for immortality, he cannot do without the existence of these people.
The young man with a yellow face didn't think for long, and the two people who were chosen first had already made their choice. The young man with a yellow face asked them about their choices and then told them the route to the specific addresses of those sons. The two thanked him and quickly left the place.
On the other side, Xu Ziqing flipped through the yellow booklet, selecting very carefully.
Indeed, Xu Ziqing was a carefree person, but not a timid and weak one. He simply had no intention of getting involved in the affairs of the immortal realm from the start, and after arriving at the sect, he found it to be full of intrigue and complexity, so with his temperament, he naturally did not want to get entangled in this muddy water.
When Xu Ziqing entered the inner hall, he had already seen that there were good fields and gardens with fruit trees, flowers, and medicinal herbs, and the scenery was very beautiful. If he chose a miscellaneous task, he would probably have something related to it, so he chose one and went far away to spend his days, which should not be much different from when he was in Xujiacun.
Sure, here is the translation:
As expected, after flipping through the yellow booklet, Xu Ziqing found what he was thinking of. There were three things that were quite to his liking.
One of them is to take care of the fruit trees in the orchard, which requires watering and fertilizing every day, weeding and pest control, pruning and cutting branches... However, there are dozens of people doing the same thing, all managed by a single person named Hong.
Secondly, in the spiritual field, we need to plow the land, sow seeds, transplant seedlings, and manage them. It's not much different from what Xu Ziqing saw in the countryside when he was young. There are many people working together, all under the management of a person named Zhao.
The third is to work in the Hundred Grass Garden, where flowers and grass need to be tended with care, meticulously managed, and thoroughly taken care of. Moreover, there is only one person doing miscellaneous tasks, under the management of a single steward named He.
Xu Ziqing carefully compared the three miscellaneous tasks and finally chose the third one. In his previous life, he was confined to his house, except for relatives taking turns to accompany him, there were only some flowers and grasses that he could take care of from time to time. Now thinking about it, it feels quite intimate, and the location of Bai Cao Garden is remote, which is really suitable.
He then turned the booklet to page eighty-seven and handed it to the yellow-faced young man, saying: "Xu Ziqing is willing to go to Bai Cao Garden to do miscellaneous tasks."
The young man with a yellow face also didn't say much, and directly told him the location of Bai Cao Garden. After Xu Zi Qing thanked him and left, his face finally showed some complex emotions.
This Hundred Herb Garden seems like a good place, but it's actually Old Man He's territory. That old man has an extremely eccentric personality, and previously many young men had chosen this seemingly decent job, only to be driven out by the old man one after another. It's unknown how long this one will last either.
The young man with a yellow face didn't seem to think much of it, and Xu Ziqing knew nothing about it. He simply followed the youth's directions and walked for nearly half an hour before finally arriving at the entrance of a garden.
The door wasn't locked, but as Xu Ziqing walked forward, he was blocked by an invisible barrier outside. Then a person came out from inside, shouting and scolding: "Which idiot is moving my seal here? Can't you use a spirit tablet?"
Xu Ziqing was taken aback, realizing that he was the one who was wrong. He had grown accustomed to living in the mundane world and hadn't yet developed the self-awareness of being in a cultivator's world, so he had forgotten that this gate, which seemed unlocked, was actually guarded with extreme vigilance.
He then took out the wooden plaque that the yellow-faced youth had given him earlier and carefully sent it forward into the empty space in front of him. A white light flashed by, and he tried to walk forward again, without any obstruction.
He had only taken three or five steps when he saw an old man coming towards him. The old man was puffing on a dry tobacco pipe, wearing grass shoes on his feet, and the clothes on his body were also very tattered. Since Xu Ziqing entered the Zong family, he had never seen such an untidy person. Was this He Guan Shi?
The old man saw Xu Ziqing, puffed on his pipe and spat out: "Newly arrived odd jobber?"
He is a newcomer, doing miscellaneous chores, and this title is not wrong. Xu Ziqing saw that He Lao was older, so he was even more respectful and courteous, slightly bowing his head to greet him, saying: "Xu Ziqing has seen the manager."
Old He's eyes flashed with a hint of unusual color, and he scanned Xu Ziqing from head to toe before saying: "Working for me isn't easy, if you can't take the hardship, don't blame me for kicking you out."
He didn't deny the title, and it seemed that he was indeed the one in charge. Xu Ziqing followed closely behind him, and since he wanted to do things here, he should do his best. Moreover, if he could be with flowers and plants, even if it was hard work, it would still be a sweet experience.
The further he walked into the garden, the more he could feel the air becoming extremely clear. Xuzi Qing couldn't help but take a deep breath, and suddenly felt a fragrance hitting his nose, and his entire lungs became comfortable.
He could not have known that in this world where he was reborn, the space between heaven and earth was filled with a thing called "spirit energy" which was even lighter than the oxygen he used to breathe and could even cleanse his body and mind. The reason cultivators were able to cultivate was entirely because of it.
This Hundred Herb Garden is actually a medicine garden, specially for cultivating spiritual herbs for the Xu family. Therefore, the spiritual energy inside is exceptionally abundant. He suddenly came in from outside and was enjoying himself immensely.
The arrangement in the garden is not as grand and delicate as outside, but rather very natural. Every flower, every blade of grass, every clod of earth, and every stone all show no signs of having been carved or chiseled.
Only after walking through a patch of earthen road, I saw a clear stream leading to the distance. On both sides of the stream, there were low stone railings surrounding small blocks of spiritual fields, each with vague green shadows and lush grasses.
Walking along this road, you can see a row of thatched cottages. The front few rooms either hang with farm goods, or display tools, or have medicine racks with large bamboo sieves for drying medicines, all showing signs of habitation. Only one smaller room on the outermost side has nothing outside it.
As he walked up to the row of huts, Old He pointed with his pipe at the smallest one and said, "You'll be staying in there. There's a bed and bedding."
Xu Ziqing nodded: "Yes."
He Lao saw that he was obedient, turned around and said: "The spiritual grass grown here is not something that a kid like you can move at will." He said, swaying back to the house, and when he came out, his hands were already holding several thick books, which he threw at Xu Ziqing who was waiting honestly, "Take them down and memorize them first."
Xu Ziqing took it with some effort, his body was much better than in his previous life, and his strength wasn't bad either. But when he took over these books, he found that they were unexpectedly heavy. He still nodded: "I know, Manager He."
He slightly lowered his head to take a look at the page, and saw that the top one was "Spirit Grass Identification", presumably to teach him how to identify spirit grass. In this Hundred Herb Garden, it's really impossible to do without it. Although Old Man He's requirements were a bit strict, in the end he was still thinking of him, so Xu Ziqing naturally felt grateful.
Seeing him so obedient, Old He felt a few points higher towards Xu Ziqing. Although he is known to be an eccentric, he is not an unreasonable person. The young masters who came before, in their respective branches, were also arrogant and looked down on him as soon as they saw his shabby clothes. This was already a sign of poor character.
As he walked up to the row of huts, Old He raised his pipe and pointed to the smallest one, saying: "You'll be staying in there, bedding's all provided."
Xu Ziqing nodded: "Yes."
He Lao saw that he was obedient, turned around and said: "The spiritual grass grown here is not something that a kid like you can move at will." He said, swaying back to the house, and when he came out, his hands were already holding several thick books, which he threw at Xu Ziqing who was waiting honestly, "Take them down and memorize them first."
Xu Ziqing took it with some effort. His body was much better than in his previous life, and he had a good amount of strength, but when he took these books, he found that they were unexpectedly heavy. He still nodded: "I know, Manager He."
He slightly lowered his head to take a look at the page, and saw that the top one was "Spirit Grass Identification", it must be teaching him how to identify spirit grass. In this Hundred Herb Garden, he really couldn't do without it. Although Old Man He's requirements were strict, in the end, it was all for his own good, Xu Ziqing naturally felt grateful.
Seeing him so obedient, Old He felt a few points higher towards Xu Ziqing. Although he is known to be a strange character, he is not an unreasonable person. The young masters who came before, in their respective branches, were also arrogant and looked down on him when they saw his shabby clothes. This was already a sign of poor temperament.
As he walked up to that row of huts, Old He gestured with his pipe and pointed to the smallest one, saying: "You'll be staying in there; there's a bed and bedding."
Xu Ziqing nodded: "Yes."
Old He saw that he listened, turned around and said: "The spiritual grass grown here is not something that a kid like you can move at will." He said, swaying back to the house, and when he came out, his hands were already holding several thick books, which he threw at Xu Ziqing who was waiting honestly, "Take them down and memorize them first."
Xu Ziqing took it with some effort, his body was much better than in his previous life and he had a good amount of strength, but when he received these books, he found that they were unexpectedly heavy. He still nodded: "I know, Manager He."
He slightly lowered his head to take a look at the pages, and saw that the one on top was "Spirit Grass Identification", it must be for teaching him how to identify spirit grass. In this Hundred Herb Garden, he really couldn't do without it. Although Old Man He's demands were a bit strict, in the end it was all for his own good, Xu Ziqing naturally felt grateful.
Seeing him so obedient, Old He felt a few points higher towards Xu Ziqing. Although he is known to be a strange character, he is not an unreasonable person. The young masters who came before, in their respective branches, were also arrogant and looked down on him when they saw his shabby clothes. This was already a sign of a poor temperament.
As soon as he finished speaking, two other young men of lower status immediately spoke up: "Xu Zile and Xu Zigui are willing to go serve the noble people in the eastern courtyard, please trouble the manager to arrange it."
The young man with a yellow face secretly sighed in his heart, but his mouth replied: "It doesn't matter, I have a slip of paper here with the names of all the sons who need servants, you can draw it yourself."
Those two young men were overjoyed and hastily took a wooden tube handed to them by the yellow-faced youth, and went aside to carefully select their lots.
The young man with a yellow face looked at Xu Ziqing again: "This young man didn't speak just now, I think he has other choices."
Xu Ziqing lowered his head and said with a sincere and fearful tone: "Xu Ziqing is incompetent, willing to do some miscellaneous tasks to share the worries of the clan..."
Alas, this is even more lacking in initiative. The young man with a yellow face could only hand over a yellow leather book and said: "What's recorded inside is exactly where my family needs someone to do chores, you can choose one yourself."
Xu Ziqing thanked him and took it to carefully examine it.
Why is Huang Lian's young face so regretful? It's really because the clan leader gave the three inferior sons of the noble family three choices, all of which are thoughtful.
One aspect is that the inner courtyard needs to be managed by reliable family members, and on the other hand, it's also about whether these people with lower qualifications can make up for their deficiencies from other aspects.
The first option is the most challenging, where one takes on tasks independently. Although it seems difficult, each task actually polishes and refines a person from many aspects. Once they persevere through this period with their own efforts, even if their innate talent is lacking, many people can still break through to the third layer of Qi Refining before the age of 50 due to their unyielding determination. At that time, they will be directly sent to Fei Xue Mountain, where they will receive guidance from the elders and spiritual cleansing with sacred medicine. Afterwards, their path to immortality will likely become smooth and unobstructed.
The second is to serve people, but serving people's livelihoods is not easy. What if it falls into the hands of someone with a bad temper... The days will be even harder to pass. Those who choose this task are half ambitious and half greedy. If it's the former, they can endure humiliation and hardship until later, and those who can't tolerate it will be eliminated quickly.
