“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.