Green mountains and clear waters, boundless scenery!
A young man, dressed in a coarse cloth robe with a heroic look on his face, lay under a tree in front of a thatched hut, watching the sunset.
An Elder in a green robe appeared and kicked the young man.
“What do you want? I've already done everything you asked, Elder. Our firewood is piled up like a mountain.” The young man pointed to the woodpile behind the thatched hut.
The Elder said nothing. He walked to the woodpile and, to the young man’s surprise, set it on fire.
“We are leaving today. Don't you want to learn swordsmanship? The opportunity has come, but first, we'll go somewhere.” After speaking, the Elder led the young man away from the thatched hut and into a canyon.
Within the canyon was a solitary grave, and in front of it, a tombstone with no inscription.
“Elder, whose tomb is this?” the young man asked, looking at the Elder.
The Elder turned to look at the young man. “Didn't you kick this tombstone a few times before? I'll tell you now, this is your own tomb!”
The young man's eyes were full of surprise. He pointed to the tomb, then to his own chest.
“That's right, it's your own tomb. Fourteen years ago, I passed by this place and found signs of life inside, so I dug you out and then raised you for fourteen years!” the Elder said, looking at the young man.
The young man's eyes were filled with shock. “Elder, are you saying that I, Qin Chu, wasn't picked up by you, but dug out from inside?”
“Yes, there's a character 'Qin' on the jade pendant around your neck. 'Chu' was given to you because the morning sun had just risen that day, so I named you Qin Chu. I still have things to do, and I've already been delayed for fourteen years, so I can't delay any longer. That's why I'm telling you everything today,” the Elder said.
After hearing the Elder's words, Qin Chu fell silent. Then he bowed to the Elder. “Qin Chu thanks you, Elder, for raising me for fourteen years!”
“You had a sword wound that pierced your chest back then. The reason you survived is because you have a drop of Saint Blood in your body. You must remember this and never mention it to anyone, or it will bring about a fatal disaster,” the Elder said, looking at Qin Chu.
The Elder then told Qin Chu that the stone coffin he was buried in was cut by swords, and the person who buried him at the time must have been in a great hurry, possibly being pursued. The wounds on his body were the result of the pursuers. As for finding his origins, the jade pendant was a clue, and another method was to go to Qingyun Sect. Elder Mo of Qingyun Sect was skilled in divination and might be able to deduce what happened fourteen years ago.
“For fourteen years, I made you take medicinal baths every day. The Saint Blood in your body has already grown. Furthermore, you must continue to Cultivate the Mind-Cultivation Technique I taught you. As for your constant pleas to go to Qingyun Sect to learn swordsmanship, then go! But you must understand one thing: it will be very difficult to meet Elder Mo; you need qualifications. Without qualifications that make people take you seriously, how could he possibly help you? Moreover, if you search for your origins like this now, you won't even know how you died. If you want to live, first make yourself strong. At the very least, you need to know where your next meal is coming from!” The Elder's body flickered and he vanished into the sky.
The Elder left, and Qin Chu stood before the tomb, reaching out to touch the stone tablet. “Whoever buried me, I have to say, you have a lot of nerve to bury someone alive!”
After muttering to himself, Qin Chu returned to the thatched hut to pack. He bundled a few clothes, tied them over his shoulder, and with a flash, left the hut. He was going to Qingyun Sect.
A figure ran through the mountains, moving like a leopard. It was Qin Chu, who had left the thatched hut.
When wild beasts blocked his path, Qin Chu killed them all with a single punch, even fierce tigers.
In Nanyan Province, Qingyun Sect was the only Sword Dao Sect in this region, a Holy Land for sword practitioners. Whenever Qingyun Sect recruited Disciples, tens of thousands of Disciples would come, wishing to join the Sect. However, Qingyun Sect's conditions for accepting Disciples were strict, and less than one in a hundred could enter.
Qingyun Sect's annual Disciple recruitment ceremony had ended. Some were happy, some were sad. Young people who had not joined Qingyun Sect left in disappointment.
A young man with a backpack appeared and arrived at Qingyun Sect's mountain gate. “Why are there so few people at the Disciple recruitment ceremony?”
The Disciple guarding Qingyun Sect's mountain gate looked at the young man as if he were an idiot. “The Disciple recruitment ceremony ended yesterday. Do you think there would still be people?”
Hearing the Qingyun Sect Disciple's words, the young man slapped his forehead. He had rushed as fast as he could but was still late. This young man was none other than Qin Chu.
“Big brother, please make an exception, can you?” Qin Chu said, rubbing his hands. He had no choice; if he couldn't join Qingyun Sect today, he wouldn't have dinner. He couldn't go hungry.
“What are you thinking? What qualifications do you have to make our Qingyun Sect make an exception? What are you?” The Qingyun Sect Disciple glared at Qin Chu.
Qin Chu ruffled his slightly messy hair, then his body flashed, and he punched the gate-guarding fellow, knocking him to the ground. If someone cursed him, he'd hit them first. Living in the mountains, he had seen many fierce beasts, and the only way to solve problems was with fists. If his fists were hard enough, the other party wouldn't roar and bare their fangs.
The Disciple guarding the mountain gate lay on the ground, clutching his stomach, his body bent like a shrimp.
Just as the Qingyun Sect Disciple guarding the mountain gate was about to speak again, two middle-aged men appeared inside the mountain gate.
“Brother Lu, I'll trouble you to look after my son.” One middle-aged man clasped his hands at the other, then left Qingyun Sect.
The remaining middle-aged man looked at Qin Chu. “You're fighting at Qingyun Sect's mountain gate?”
“He cursed me, so I hit him. Isn't that right?” Qin Chu took a step back, adjusting his posture. If this middle-aged man was going to make a move, he needed to be prepared.
“He cursed you, which was his fault, but fighting at Qingyun Sect's mountain gate is a major taboo! Seeing that you're just a child, I won't bother with you. What are you here for?” The middle-aged man sized up Qin Chu and asked. Seeing that the middle-aged man had no intention of fighting, Qin Chu breathed a sigh of relief. “I want to join Qingyun Sect. I wanted to ask him to make an exception, to see if it's possible.”
“Qingyun Sect's Disciple recruitment ceremony has already ended. Our Qingyun Sect has a Legacy of countless years, with tens of thousands of Disciples. We are not a small family. Do you think we can make an exception for just one person?” The middle-aged man smiled and said.
“You should make an exception, because in the future, Qingyun Sect will definitely be proud of me,” Qin Chu said, looking at the middle-aged man.
“You said Qingyun Sect will be proud of you?” The middle-aged man said after a moment of silence.
“That's right, I, Qin Chu, said it!” Qin Chu tapped his chest with his hand.
“Elder Lu, this guy is talking nonsense, don't take him seriously. This Disciple will chase him away immediately!” The gate-guarding Disciple, whom Qin Chu had knocked down, climbed up and said.
Elder Lu thought for a moment. “The Sect Disciple assessment period has passed, and even if it hadn't, whether you could pass or not is an unknown. However, because of what you just said, I'll give you a chance. Will you be a Utility Disciple?”
“Yes, why not!” Hearing that it was settled, Qin Chu was excited. What's wrong with being a Utility Disciple? He would have a place to eat tonight.
Elder Lu led Qin Chu into Qingyun Sect, took him to the Servant Hall, gave some instructions, and then left!
Qin Chu saw Elder Lu out of the Servant Hall. “Thank you, you won't regret your decision today.”
“Not bad, but your habit of resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement is very bad!” Elder Lu looked at Qin Chu and left. He had reminded Qin Chu, but deep down, he thought Qin Chu's youthful vigor was quite good, which was also why he kept Qin Chu.
Under the arrangement of the Servant Hall steward, Qin Chu was led by a Utility Disciple to the area where Utility Disciples lived on Qingyun Peak.
There were many Utility Disciples in the Utility Disciple living area, coming and going, and no one paid attention to Qin Chu.
Before long, a very obese Utility Disciple threw a broom at Qin Chu and told him to work.
After working for a while, Qin Chu was reprimanded several times by the fat Utility Disciple.
After dinner, when assigning living quarters, Qin Chu was puzzled. The fat Utility Disciple had a room to himself, while he and several others were squeezed into one room.
“How does the Sect manage us Utility Disciples? Is that fat guy arranged by the higher-ups?” Qin Chu asked, looking at a thin Utility Disciple lying next to him.
“No, he's good at fighting, and we can't beat him, so he's naturally the leader. Besides, he can manage things, and the Enforcement of the Servant Hall is naturally happy to see that,” the thin Utility Disciple said.
For the next two days, the fat Utility Disciple kept yelling at Qin Chu, which made Qin Chu very unhappy.
Just as Qin Chu sat down, the fat Utility Disciple came. “Qin Chu, go clean the Outer Sect Disciple's latrines.”
“I'm not going, you go if you want to!” Qin Chu refused. He wouldn't do the job of cleaning latrines.
“Are you looking for a beating?” The fat Utility Disciple swung his fist at Qin Chu.
Qin Chu took a step back, then charged forward, punching the fat Utility Disciple in the stomach, knocking him down. Then he straddled him and punched him in the eye. “There's nothing I can't do, starting from the Servant Hall!”