Three days passed in this manner.
Early on the fourth morning, He Xiaochuan—no, He Xiaoyao—woke up early. After finishing breakfast, he set out, strolling leisurely for about half an hour before reaching Mingyue Pavilion.
With his sharp eyes, Yu Dongxi spotted He Xiaoyao approaching from a distance and came forward with a smile. "Brother Xiaoyao, you're here! Come over and rest for a bit. Later, I'll take you around for a tour."
"Sounds good, sounds good," He Xiaoyao replied.
Looking him up and down, Yu Dongxi remarked, "You're in high spirits, Brother Xiaoyao. In the past, some newcomers couldn't even get out of bed on the fourth day, and others were so dizzy they could barely stumble in. How is it that you look completely fine?"
He Xiaoyao chuckled softly. "I was dizzy too. The morning after I arrived, my head felt like it was splitting open, but it's gotten a bit better over the last two days."
"Well, your constitution must be pretty good then," Yu Dongxi said. "That kid He Xiaochuan who came with you is still feeling quite dizzy today."
Worried, He Xiaoyao asked, "Is it anything serious? He's a little brother from our village. Can I go check on him?"
"He should be fine, don't worry," Yu Dongxi reassured him. "The people from the Immortal Medical Hall will look after him. It's normal for newcomers to be like this—we're quite used to it, and there's usually no danger."
"That's good, that's good," He Xiaoyao said.
Yu Dongxi smiled. "We didn't have time to talk properly the night you arrived. My name is Yu Dongxi, and I'm already a hundred years old. Everyone here calls me the Know-It-All. Since I'm rather gossipy, have a lot of information, and love to chat with people, I ended up with this nickname. You can just call me Old Man Yu, or Know-It-All, haha!"
He Xiaoyao chuckled along twice and said, "My name is He Xiaoyao, and I'm fifteen years old. I'll call you Uncle Yu."
Sighing, Yu Dongxi murmured, "Ah, it's great to be young."
Curious, He Xiaoyao said, "You're not old at all. You look like you're in your prime—at a hundred, you've only reached half of a normal lifespan."
"I'm considered old," Yu Dongxi replied. "There are plenty of people here who are several hundred years old. We Three-Peak handymen only live to about two hundred."
A cup of tea later, Yu Dongxi acted as a guide, walking He Xiaoyao around Juyuan Valley while introducing the sights.
Mingyue Pavilion was where the logistics handymen handled official business. Its director, Qin Yueling, was actually a cultivator rumored to have reached the six-star cultivation level. There was also a deputy director named Zhao Xianglin who had started out as a handyman, though he was on leave today and not present.
Yu Dongxi held no official title and was just an ordinary handyman, but because he was warm, talkative, and enjoyed helping others, Director Qin Yueling had asked him to show He Xiaoyao around.
Leaving Mingyue Pavilion, Yu Dongxi said, "There's a hot spring to the south, but we won't go there today. To the north is the dining hall, which I showed you before. Now let's head over to the market, which is right next to the dining hall."
The market wasn't very large, but the goods sold there were quite comprehensive: clothing, various snacks, daily necessities, kitchen staples like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, all sorts of accessories, as well as meat, vegetables, and grain. It wasn't much different from a mortal market. There were even some lower-tier immortal herbs and medicines for sale.
Some of the people running these small shops or stalls were handymen who came to sell their wares after finishing their chores, while others were cultivators who opened shops in their spare time after finishing their daily lessons and training.
Running a small business allowed them to earn some Immortal Coins.
Yu Dongxi explained, "Your monthly wage as a new handyman here is one hundred Immortal Coins, and you get four days off every month. I came here when I was twenty and have worked for eighty years. Care to guess what my monthly wage is?"
He Xiaoyao didn't know much about the sect's wage system, so he made a casual guess. "Five hundred coins?"
Yu Dongxi burst into hearty laughter. "That's a pretty standard guess; some people even guess a thousand. But I can tell you, my monthly wage is still one hundred!"
He Xiaoyao was taken aback, completely stunned into speechlessness.
North of the market lay a large lake. Its surface was veiled in mist and drifting immortal qi, presenting a picturesque scenery known as Tianxian Lake.
Yu Dongxi pointed out, "You'll be responsible for cleaning the west and north sides of the lake. Take that large phoenix tree and that parasol tree as your boundaries. Your main task is just to clear away fallen leaves and dead branches. It takes about two hours a day. In addition, you'll need to go to the vegetable garden to weed, catch insects, plant vegetables, fertilize, and water them. That's also about two hours of work daily."
Yu Dongxi continued, "To the northwest of Tianxian Lake is Wanxiu Peak, where quite a few wild beasts roam. Don't go near there unless necessary—it's extremely dangerous!"
He Xiaoyao acknowledged this with a nod. "Understood. Thank you for the warning, Uncle Yu."
Further north past Tianxian Lake stood the Scripture Pavilion. It was a seven-story pavilion that looked like a pagoda from a distance.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, many cultivators were browsing books.
The first floor held books on culture, history, and some rather crude, basic Cultivation Manuals.
Entering the Scripture Pavilion required paying Immortal Coins. The first floor cost two coins per visit, with a two-hour time limit.
The second floor housed some intermediate Cultivation Manuals. It cost five coins per visit, also with a two-hour limit.
There were no restrictions on the first and second floors; anyone could enter as long as they paid the Immortal Coins, whether they were cultivators or handymen.
The sect imposed very few restrictions on handymen, making things quite lenient and free. Handymen could even audit lectures at the Public Academy, which included instructions on Cultivation Manuals and cultural studies, and they were allowed to practice techniques.
However, handymen generally only opened three meridians, making cultivation quite difficult. Furthermore, handymen had to work four to five hours every day, leaving them with very little free time. By the time they finished their chores, they were thoroughly exhausted and had neither the time nor the energy to study Cultivation Manuals.
Yu Dongxi introduced, "Sometimes when we handymen are bored, we go practice a bit, but we aren't very enthusiastic about it. Take me, for example—I've been here for eighty years, and I've only practiced some basic manuals to strengthen my body and increase my physical strength. Learning them makes chores go a bit faster, too. Not to brag, but my cultivation level is currently two stars, haha!"
He Xiaoyao smiled and said, "With no desires, one is strong. Without forcing things, it's easier to be happy. What kind of level is two stars?"
Yu Dongxi explained, "Two stars means you've mastered the introductory cultivation methods and learned a primary offensive combat technique. It's equivalent to an advanced martial arts master in the mortal realm."
Pausing for a moment, Yu Dongxi added, "Regular immortal cultivators usually start practicing two-star techniques with five meridians open. They typically reach two stars in two years, whereas it took me a full eighty years because I only have three meridians open and I haven't cultivated diligently."
He Xiaoyao nodded to show he understood, then asked, "Does reaching two stars increase your lifespan?"
"Two stars doesn't increase your lifespan; it only strengthens your physique," Yu Dongxi replied. "Reaching three stars adds fifty years to your lifespan. My goal is three stars, and I still have a hundred years left to train for it. Haha, no rush, no rush."
He Xiaoyao genuinely admired Yu Dongxi's open-minded attitude. He figured this was probably the key to why Yu Dongxi was so well-liked—he was optimistic, enthusiastic, helpful, and possessed a broad mind. Such people were brimming with positive energy.
North of the Scripture Pavilion was a large, flat expanse of land: the vegetable garden and some adjacent fields mentioned earlier.
The vegetables grown in the garden only covered a portion of their needs and weren't enough for everyone. Because there wasn't much flat land in the valley, the cultivation of vegetables and grain was limited, requiring purchases to be made from the mortal towns down the mountain.
Additionally, a few immortal herbs and medicines were cultivated there, though not many. They were different from mortal medicinal herbs, and He Xiaoyao didn't recognize their species or names. He made a mental note to come back later to study them.
Next to the Scripture Pavilion was a guesthouse featuring a large, very spacious auditorium that could accommodate several hundred people. Large assemblies could be held there if needed.
Further along was the Immortal Medical Hall. It housed three great immortal physicians and two immortal medical attendants. He Xiaoyao found this place rather interesting, looking around at everything and occasionally asking Yu Dongxi questions while silently committing the details to memory.
Past the Immortal Medical Hall were Tian'an Hall and the Disciplinary Courtyard.
Tian'an Hall was responsible for guarding the sect. For instance, the Southern Heavenly Gate where He Xiaoyao and He Xiaochuan had entered was guarded by personnel from Tian'an Hall, and disciples patrolled the sect's mountain boundaries.
The Disciplinary Courtyard handled individuals who violated rules. However, it looked rather deserted, which indicated that the disciples generally followed the rules, and the Zhudi Mountain Sect's rules were relatively lenient without an excessive number of commandments.
Essentially, inside the Immortal Mountain, as long as one didn't steal or rob, disrupt unity, fight, kill the innocent indiscriminately, vandalize public property, or commit offenses against public morality, there were few other restrictions. It wasn't much different from the mortal world.
Walking further south brought them to Gathering Immortals Hall. This was where the mountain gate handled official business and where senior personnel held meetings. The sect master occasionally presided over matters here.
South of Gathering Immortals Hall was the Spirit Birds and Beasts Hall. Many spirit birds and beasts were raised and housed there, primarily responsible for transportation and delivering messages.
For example, traveling from here to the mountain gate cost twenty Immortal Coins. Going down the mountain to the mortal world cost one hundred Immortal Coins for a distance within five hundred miles. Going even further required anywhere from two to three hundred Immortal Coins.
This was only a one-way fare and quite expensive, making it generally unaffordable for handymen with low incomes.
Next to the Spirit Birds and Beasts Hall was the Blue Lamp Pavilion, which housed the sect's ancestral hall and dozens of hanging life-bluish lanterns.
A bright lamp meant a person was alive, while a dim lamp indicated that the person's vital energy was weak, perhaps due to illness or severe injury.
How did that principle work? He Xiaoyao was very curious and kept it in mind to study thoroughly in the future.
However, not every disciple had a life lamp; generally, only disciples of six stars and above possessed them. Whenever a disciple reached the six-star level, a lamp-lighting ceremony was held.
Walking further south from the Blue Lamp Pavilion led to the Bronze Man Pavilion, which contained the bronze man formation. Once the mechanisms were activated, the bronze figures would execute moves and attack anyone caught in the array.
Disciples who needed to go down the mountain under special circumstances had to pass through the Bronze Man Pavilion and successfully navigate it before they were allowed to leave.
However, not all disciples descending the mountain had to go through the Bronze Man Pavilion; disciples on assigned missions or trials didn't need to pass through it. Consequently, this place was also rather quiet and had been rarely used lately.
Yu Dongxi pointed to a distant spot and said, "That's the Southern Heavenly Gate—the place you entered when you came up the mountain. The fortress commander guarding it is surnamed Zhao; you probably saw him."
Yu Dongxi continued, "To the west of the Bronze Man Pavilion is the highest peak in the Zhudi Mountain Sect, called Ziyi Feiyun Peak. That's where our sect master lives."
He Xiaoyao looked up and saw that it was indeed shrouded in immortal mist, towering into the clouds. It was the place with the densest immortal qi in the entire sect, and he couldn't help feeling a sense of yearning.
This didn't mean He Xiaoyao had designs on the position of sect master; he simply yearned for the place itself.
He Xiaoyao wasn't a person with grand ambitions. He longed for high places, but he kept a low profile and thoroughly detested political maneuvering and infighting. Someone like him would find it extremely difficult to attain the position of sect master, nor would he want to.
In short, he had no ambition.
The two walked from the Bronze Man Pavilion northwest to a huge flat area—a training ground, also known as the Martial Arena. Many disciples trained here, and various matches and trials were also held here.
The north-facing wall was lined and hung with all sorts of weapons and arms.
Leaving the training ground, they entered the dining hall, as it was now mealtime. The dining hall was buzzing with people.
Yu Dongxi led He Xiaoyao to get their food.
Yu Dongxi got He Xiaoyao a chicken drumstick, which tasted quite fragrant. He Xiaoyao ate with gusto, smacking his lips audibly.
After devouring his meal, Yu Dongxi resumed his explanations. "Usually, we sit in this southeast corner. Although there are no explicit rules saying we can only sit here, we handymen have always sat in this area. The other places are where the disciples and cultivators sit."
He Xiaoyao found this a bit hard to believe, but he nodded to show he understood.
By the time they finished eating, it was already afternoon.
The two came to the very center of Juyuan Valley, a place called the Public Academy.
This was where disciples attended classes, equipped with hundreds of seats. A raised platform stood at the front and center.
At that moment, nearly a hundred disciples, all uniformly dressed in white robes, were seated inside and listening intently.
Yu Dongxi pulled He Xiaoyao closer and lowered his voice. "The person teaching right now is the master of Juyuan Valley—the very same Meng Daoran who brought you up."
Word had it that Meng Daoran had already entered the seven-star realm, possessing supreme cultivation techniques capable of leaping a hundred zhang in a single bound. His cultivation level was on par with the peak masters of the four directions—east, south, west, and north—as well as the head of the Disciplinary Courtyard. There were only six people at this level in the entire sect.
Meng Daoran was lecturing the disciples on the Five Mountains Great Technique, which was the most basic introductory cultivation method of the sect.
Newly inducted disciples, as well as those at the one-star and two-star levels, generally attended these lectures.
Yu Dongxi said, "Once you finish your chores every day, you can come here to listen to the lectures when you have time. It's always good to learn a little—your body will be stronger, and at the very least, your breathing will be much smoother and more comfortable."
"All right, all right, I'll definitely come," He Xiaoyao said.
The two left the Public Academy.
Yu Dongxi handed He Xiaoyao several items:
A tablet made of agarwood, with the three characters "Zhudi Mountain" carved in ancient script on the front, and "He Xiaoyao" carved on the back. This served as identification proving one's status as a member of the Immortal Mountain and sect.
A brown pouch tied securely at the opening with a cord, containing one hundred Immortal Coins. This was given by the sect to newly inducted handymen.
In addition, there was a small booklet containing some of the sect's rules and precepts.
Yu Dongxi said, "Well, go back and get a good rest. You'll start working tomorrow morning. Your tools are in the utility room next to your quarters. Tomorrow, you can go straight to the edge of Tianxian Lake and the vegetable garden by yourself. If you need anything, you can come find me, little brother."
He Xiaoyao cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Uncle Yu. You've worked hard all day."
Yu Dongxi grinned widely and said, "Think nothing of it, it's nothing at all."
On the way back, He Xiaoyao felt quite cheerful and joyous. He was full of curiosity about this new life, and even the air he breathed felt sweet.
When he went to sleep that night, He Xiaoyao gave himself a pep talk: He Xiaoyao, you must work hard!