“Thump, thump thump...”
Songyun Mountains, Songyun Sect.
The cold wind howled, and frost and snow filled the sky.
A thin, weakly built young man, dressed in simple clothes, was diligently chopping firewood on an open slope.
The wood he was chopping was incredibly hard; the sharp axe could only make a shallow cut.
It often took dozens of forceful swings to break a single piece of wood.
Despite the extremely cold winter, the young man was sweating profusely from the effort.
After chopping a piece of firewood, the young man neatly stacked the pile of already chopped wood onto the woodpile.
He brought his frostbitten hands to his mouth, breathed a few warm breaths, and stomped his numb feet.
Just then, a shrill voice suddenly came from behind him:
“Gu Changqing, didn't I tell you to chop three hundred pieces of firewood today? Why have you only chopped so little?”
Upon hearing this voice, Gu Changqing's expression immediately changed slightly, and he quickly turned to look behind him.
He saw a middle-aged woman in luxurious clothing standing at the entrance of an Immortal Cave in the distance.
Her face was cold, and she looked at Gu Changqing with an accusatory expression.
Gu Changqing quickly explained, “Today is my father's death anniversary. I went to pay my respects to him, so I'm a bit behind schedule.”
“I know today is your father’s death anniversary, but just because you went to pay your respects to your father, you can put aside the work I assigned you?”
The middle-aged woman snorted coldly, saying sharply, “Don’t forget who feeds you and allows you to stay in the Songyun Sect!”
“If it weren’t for my husband and I, out of consideration for our past acquaintance with your father, taking you in as a Utility Disciple, you would have been expelled from the Songyun Sect long ago!”
“If you don’t finish chopping these three hundred pieces of firewood today, you’re not allowed to eat, do you hear me?!”
“I hear you!”
Gu Changqing quickly nodded and promised the middle-aged woman, “I will definitely finish chopping three hundred pieces of firewood today.”
After speaking, he immediately turned back, picked up another piece of wood, and began to chop diligently.
Watching the thinly clad Gu Changqing diligently chopping firewood in the wind and snow,
the middle-aged woman’s lips subtly curved upwards, revealing a sneer of contempt.
Just then, a rapid sound of hooves suddenly came from below the slope.
A young man in brocade clothes, riding a Spirit Horse, galloped up from the bottom of the slope.
Seeing the young man appear, the middle-aged woman's face immediately broke into a smile, and she eagerly went to greet him.
She brushed the snow from the young man's clothes and asked softly,
“How was it? What task did Baiye Hall assign you?”
“Guarding the Medicine Garden on Qingyun Slope, it’s boring,” the richly dressed young man said unhappily.
The middle-aged woman’s eyes, however, lit up, and she said with a smile, “You silly child, guarding the Medicine Garden is a rare and lucrative assignment! Many people beg for it and can’t get it.”
“Hmph, let whoever wants this lucrative assignment go. If I spend every day tending to those broken herbs, when will I have time to Cultivate?”
“Who said you had to go yourself?”
The middle-aged woman smiled, comforting her son, and then turned her gaze towards Gu Changqing in the distance.
She immediately resumed her harsh, critical expression, and her voice became cold as she commanded,
“Gu Changqing, that Medicine Garden on Qingyun Slope will be your responsibility from now on.”
“Understood.”
Gu Changqing immediately nodded in agreement, a surge of secret joy rising in his heart.
The middle-aged woman seemed to have seen through Gu Changqing’s thoughts, and immediately sneered, saying,
“Don’t think you can slack off just because you’re leaving the Immortal Cave. I’ll be checking periodically.”
“If even one Spirit Medicine dies on Qingyun Slope, I’ll hold you accountable!”
“I wouldn’t dare. I will do my utmost to take good care of the Spirit Medicine!” Gu Changqing quickly said.
The reluctant expression on the richly dressed young man’s face finally dissipated.
The middle-aged woman quickly said, “Alright, don’t stand outside anymore. Hurry and come into the Immortal Cave with your mother.”
“It’s too cold outside today. Look at you, your ears are almost frozen red.”
After speaking, she immediately pulled the richly dressed young man and walked towards the warm Immortal Cave.
Before leaving, the richly dressed young man called out to Gu Changqing from a distance:
“Hey! Lead my horse back and feed it well.”
Gu Changqing immediately agreed, leading the black Spirit Horse, whose coat shimmered like silk, to the stable carved out beside the Immortal Cave.
After tying it up, he filled the trough with fodder.
As the Spirit Horse began to eat grass, Gu Changqing’s gaze swept across, and he suddenly caught sight of a blurred carving on the wall deep inside the cave.
The lines of the carving were very simple, like a child’s scribble.
It depicted two adults, holding a child between them.
Gu Changqing stared at this carving, immediately lost in thought.
Deep in his mind, distant memories resurfaced.
“Little Changqing, from now on, this small Immortal Cave belongs to you.”
“Father and Mother will help you decorate it just the way you want, alright?”
Gu Changqing’s parents were both Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Songyun Sect.
It was they who had opened up this Immortal Cave on this slope.
However, ten years ago, both husband and wife perished.
This Immortal Cave was then reclaimed by the Sect and later occupied by Wang Xing and Sun Qian.
Gu Changqing was also taken in by them as a Utility Disciple.
Gu Changqing vaguely remembered that when his parents were alive, they seemed to have shown kindness to Wang Xing and his wife.
Every holiday, they would come to offer gifts and visit, their attitude extremely respectful.
However, ever since his parents passed away, the situation had completely changed.
After taking him in as a Named Disciple, the couple not only provided no care whatsoever.
Instead, it was as if they held a grudge, escalating their demands and scolding, becoming utterly harsh and critical.
Even the Immortal Cave where he originally lived was forcibly converted into a stable, and Gu Changqing was driven to live down the mountain.
“Father, Mother, you don’t have to worry about Changqing. I will definitely get better in the future!”
Gu Changqing’s frostbitten fingers gently traced the rough carving on the rock.
He softly comforted his parents and then turned to go back to chopping firewood.
Late at night, Gu Changqing finally finished chopping 300 pieces of firewood and returned to his dwelling.
From a distance, he saw light emanating from the window of his thatched hut, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
He saw a pretty and charming young girl, resting her chin on one hand, idly playing with her long hair.
Upon seeing Gu Changqing return, her delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed, and she complained,
“Why are you coming back so late again today?”
“Those two are going too far. Even Utility Disciples aren’t ordered around like this, are they?”
“Are they treating you as a Utility Disciple, or as livestock?”
“Shh, lower your voice, be careful someone hears.”
Gu Changqing gestured for the girl to be quiet, then smiled and said,
“But luckily, my hard times are almost over.”
“Wang Tengfei accepted the task of guarding the Medicine Garden on Qingyun Slope, but he doesn’t want to go himself, so he’s letting me go and guard it for him.”
“That’s wonderful! You’re finally getting out of this misery!”
The girl’s eyes immediately lit up, but then she quickly became worried:
“But Qingyun Slope is so far from here. I won’t be able to see you often anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Changqing also looked troubled, very reluctant to part with the girl.
“Sigh, if only we were Inner Sect Disciples, we wouldn’t have to worry about all these messy things every day.”
The girl sighed softly, a strange glint suddenly flashing in her eyes.
She leaned closer to Gu Changqing and asked, “Brother Changqing, your parents were Foundation Establishment Cultivators after all.”
“Did they not leave you any treasures before they passed away?”
“For example, Medicinal Pills or secret techniques that can quickly increase one’s Cultivation?”