A handyman.
For He Xiaoyao, this was a role he knew exceptionally well. Back in the mortal realm, when he worked at Ye Tangshi's clinic, he had essentially been a handyman. Now, he was merely doing the same job in a different place.
Vegetable farming was no difficult task either. Down at the foot of the mountain, He Xiaoyao had spent two or three years growing vegetables.
On his very first day of work, He Xiaoyao still woke up early. After practicing his cultivation for two hours, he went to the utility room, grabbed his cleaning tools, and set off for Tianxian Lake.
A quarter of an hour's walk brought him to Tianxian Lake.
Gazing at the vast expanse of the lake, He Xiaoyao could not help gaping in dismay. When on earth would he ever finish cleaning all of this?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. With no other choice, he obediently set to work with all his might.
After cleaning for two hours, He Xiaoyao's lower back was aching, his legs were weak, and he was drenched in sweat. He sat down and rested for a quarter of an hour.
Then he went right back to sweeping.
It took him nearly two and a half hours of hard work to finally clean the area assigned to him.
Dragging his exhausted body to the dining hall, he got a bowl of rice and spent an extra Immortal Coin to buy a portion of wild boar meat.
The food in the dining hall tasted quite good, and he loved it. On his first day of work, he shouldn't mistreat himself; spending a little money on meat was hardly unreasonable.
After finishing his meal, He Xiaoyao headed to the vegetable garden. Three other handymen were already working there.
The group was led by a woman surnamed Deng, who had a kind and gentle face and a welcoming smile. He Xiaoyao called her Aunt Deng. Lately, the rain had been plentiful, so there was no need for watering; the work in the garden was relatively light, and the vegetables were growing well.
He Xiaoyao helped weed and catch insects. Sometimes he also had to clear and level the land, sow vegetable seeds, or transplant small vegetable seedlings. In this way, he could finish his daily tasks in about an hour and a half.
By the time he finished work and returned home, the sun was setting in the west.
He Xiaoyao put his tools away in the utility room and glanced at the sunset on the horizon.
The setting sun is infinitely lovely, but it is already near dusk.
How exhausting. He was drenched from head to toe, soaked in sweat.
After taking a bath, He Xiaoyao hurriedly cooked dinner and ate his fill. Gazing at the star-filled sky, he practiced his cultivation for a little while before falling into a deep sleep.
Days passed by, one after another, in a plain and uneventful routine.
Every single day was a mechanical cycle.
Practice, sweep, eat, farm, bathe, cook, eat, practice, sleep.
The days were packed and exhausting, incredibly dull and tedious. Where would he find the time and energy to attend lectures and learn Cultivation Manuals?
Whenever he looked up at the starry night sky, He Xiaoyao could not help feeling a bit homesick.
He missed that medical clinic in the mortal realm, the clinic filled with laughter. Day after day, a few of them would laugh and jest as they saved lives and helped the world. That was a life both helpful to others and full of joy.
Who was it that said when a person starts reminiscing about the old days, it means their current situation is somewhat miserable?
His current situation wasn't exactly miserable, just a bit tedious.
There was a huge gap between this and the life he had imagined.
When would he ever get to live the dream life he longed for?
And his friends—where were his friends? He Xiaoyao found that he didn't have a single friend here, let alone any relatives.
Loneliness and solitude were like a poison, corroding He Xiaoyao's soul.
He could only tell himself over and over again that things would surely get better, and hope would eventually arrive.
As time went on, He Xiaoyao's body grew accustomed to the damp, thin-aired environment.
He rarely felt short of breath anymore, and his physical strength had returned to normal.
Consequently, his working speed increased.
Yet, no matter how rich and concentrated the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed, and even though the True Qi within his body grew fuller and fuller, no matter how he practiced or how hard he tried to force a breakthrough, his fourth meridian remained completely motionless, showing not the slightest sign of clearing.
In the end, he could only let it be.
When Zhang Bolun had gifted him the Cultivation Manual, he had explicitly stated that this manual usually only allowed one to clear a single meridian; opening any more was exceedingly difficult.
Miracles were simply not that easy to come by. Reality was always cruel, and there weren't that many whimsical miracles happening every single day.
Hard work did not necessarily guarantee a wonderful outcome.
Still, he had to grit his teeth every day, persevering with diligence without a shred of slackness.
Even if he couldn't open a new meridian, gradually increasing the intensity of his True Qi would undoubtedly help him when studying Cultivation Manuals in the future.
He didn't want to end up like Yu Dongxi, who had practiced cultivation for eighty years and only reached the Two-Star Stage. He lacked such a magnanimous mindset.
He was still young; he wanted to reach at least the Four-Star Stage, and perhaps he still had a chance.
After a bout of such wild and random thoughts, He Xiaoyao prepared to head out to work.
The weather looked somewhat overcast. He Xiaoyao brought along an umbrella.
Counting on his fingers, he realized he had been here for three months now. Since his working speed had increased, an hour and a half was plenty of time to sweep the lakeside.
To his surprise, someone was strolling by the lake. Few people wandered around in the morning; handymen were usually working, while cultivators attended classes.
And the person wandering by was actually a beauty—a breathtaking beauty capable of sinking fish and dropping geese, putting to shame the flowers and eclipsing the moon.
She kept her head down as if deep in thought, troubled by something on her mind.
He Xiaoyao did not step forward.
He wasn't good at striking up conversations, nor was he skilled at communicating with strangers. Although he could be quite talkative and humorous with people he knew well, he grew nervous and constrained in front of strangers.
Especially in front of beauties.
Blushing was a minor issue; even his ears would turn red, though he certainly wouldn't be scared enough to wet his pants.
He'd better just honestly sweep the floor.
Some fates simply weren't meant for him.
Suddenly, a heavy rain began to fall. The pattering raindrops were as large as beans.
There were no houses nearby to take shelter in. His clothes gradually grew damp.
He Xiaoyao hurriedly picked up the umbrella he had left nearby, rushed over, and said, "Fairy, please take this umbrella." He opened the umbrella and held it out.
The fairy looked at He Xiaoyao and said, "No need, you use it yourself. I can just run back."
He Xiaoyao said, "I'm not afraid of the rain. It's not good for a young lady to get soaked."
The fairy said, "Oh, I'm not afraid. I practice cultivation, so getting a little wet in the rain won't harm my body. Don't worry."
He held an umbrella in his hand yet let the young lady beside him get her clothes soaked—He Xiaoyao couldn't bring himself to do it! Even though cultivators weren't afraid of water, having one's clothes drenched would still look utterly disheveled.
Thus, He Xiaoyao grabbed the fairy's hand, shoved the umbrella into it, and said, "Take it." With that, he turned and ran hurriedly toward home.
By the time he got home, he was already soaked to the bone.
He dried his hair, changed his clothes, and boiled a bowl of ginger soup. Only after drinking it did his body begin to warm up.
As a former healer, he still paid quite a bit of attention to self-care.
Even though he had opened three meridians now, he had virtually no cultivation base and could easily catch a cold if he wasn't careful.
On rainy days, the lakeside didn't need to be swept. He didn't even have to go to the vegetable garden.
With nothing to do out of boredom, he read for a while—specifically *The Complete Book of Meridians* and *The Art of Zhuyou*.
When reading made him tired, his mind began to wander again.
Who was that fairy? In his hurry, he hadn't even asked her name, and he didn't know if he would ever run into her again.
She looked to be about two or three years older than him. He had promised to find a little fairy for Li Shi'an, and this age seemed about right.
Haha, he was overthinking things.
He hadn't even found a partner for himself yet, and here he was trying to set up Li Shi'an.
Li Shi'an, you'd better just honestly find a nearby girl in the mortal realm.
As for the little fairies here, they weren't very suitable for you.
The next day, the rain cleared and the weather turned fine.
The weather was rather hot, and dawn broke earlier now. He Xiaoyao went out half an hour earlier than usual to sweep the lakeside. Since he finished his work early, he decided to walk over to the Public Academy.
Meng Daoran was lecturing on the Five Mountains Great Technique again. Why was it him lecturing again? Weren't there any other teachers?
It seemed the contents of this Five Mountains Great Technique were quite extensive. Lecturing on it every day like this must be thoroughly tedious for him, and the disciples must be sick of hearing it too.
Yet even if they were sick of it, the lecture must go on, because he hadn't even started learning it yet!
He heard Meng Daoran saying, "The Five Mountains Great Technique is a basic introductory Cultivation Manual. Every disciple within our mountain gates has learned this technique. Although it is simple, easy to learn, and has a low threshold, its potential ceiling is actually very high, profound and vast. Cultivated to its depths, it can also produce unexpected effects. There was once a cultivator who practiced this very Five Mountains Great Technique, opened seven meridians, and reached the Seven-Star Stage."
"Therefore, do not underestimate this manual; you must study it earnestly, solidly, and thoroughly. Does anyone have any questions?"
At that moment, a disciple raised his hand to speak. "May I ask the Valley Master, you must be thoroughly proficient in this Five Mountains Great Technique. What level have you reached with it?"
Meng Daoran thought for a moment and said, "I did indeed spend a great deal of time and energy cultivating this basic technique. I practiced it and relied upon it to reach the Four-Star Stage, after which I studied other new techniques. I am currently at the Seven-Star Stage, but crossing the Five-Star and Six-Star stages relied on other manuals."
"Many of you here are currently at the One-Star, Two-Star, or Three-Star stage, so you must practice this manual earnestly. Do not be greedy for too much at first; master it and refine it thoroughly, and only then seek a breakthrough."
After the lecture, He Xiaoyao went to the dining hall for lunch.
He didn't order extra dishes today. Adding extra dishes every day was no solution; the crux of the matter was that he lacked the money.
In fact, the Immortal Sect only provided this single meal at noon every day for free, as long as one didn't order extra dishes.
Breakfast and dinner both had to be cooked by oneself. Buying grain, oil, rice, vegetables, and meat at the market to last ten days cost twenty Immortal Coins. Over the course of a month, that came to at least sixty Immortal Coins.
Add to that the extra dishes every three days—sometimes one coin, sometimes two—and that added another fifteen coins a month.
Just eating cost seventy-five Immortal Coins a month. With a monthly allowance of one hundred coins, he had very little left.
A few days ago, he had also spent twenty Immortal Coins to buy two sets of thin clothes. The weather was hot, and he sweated so easily that he needed clothes to change into.
One of the sets was white. Usually, people wore white when resting.
Seeing the disciples fluttering in white, looking so dashing and graceful, he had felt quite envious.
So he had bought a set for himself as well.
Just as He Xiaoyao was walking with his food toward the southeast seating area, a woman nearby called out to him, "Little brother! Little brother!"
He Xiaoyao looked back and saw that it was the beauty who had gotten drenched by the lake that day.
He Xiaoyao said somewhat nervously, "Oh, um, hello."
The beauty said, "Come over and sit with me over here."
He Xiaoyao glanced back, but still walked over and sat down opposite the beauty. Generally speaking, when He Xiaoyao was nervous, he was quite obedient, especially when called by a beauty.
However, he didn't speak, just quietly eating his meal while his heart went *thump, thump, thump*, leaping about like the little deer he had encountered that day.
At this moment, the beauty spoke. "You got soaked that day, didn't you?"
He Xiaoyao said, "Yes, the rain was rather heavy."
The beauty asked, "Did it harm your health? Did you catch a cold?"
He Xiaoyao replied, "Not at all, I boiled some ginger soup and drank it."
The beauty said, "You even know how to boil ginger soup? You're not stupid. I saw you were a newcomer, just arrived and lacking any cultivation base. I was quite worried you'd catch a cold from the rain."
He Xiaoyao waved his hand and said, "No, it's fine."
The beauty said, "My name is Zhang Susu, a disciple of East Peak."
He Xiaoyao let out an "oh" and asked, "An East Peak disciple coming over here?"
Zhang Susu said, "East Peak disciples are allowed to come over here too; we can come for business or to buy things. But today I came specifically to return your umbrella, so I deliberately sat over here near the southeast area where you guys usually sit."
At that point, He Xiaoyao looked around and saw everyone else uniformly dressed in white. He was the only one wearing the grey clothes of a handyman, while Zhang Susu wore cyan robes.
He Xiaoyao felt extremely unnatural and kept quiet.
Zhang Susu said, "It's fine, just sit here. There's no rule saying a handyman can't sit here."
He Xiaoyao gave an awkward smile.
Zhang Susu said, "When we finish eating later, I'll hand the umbrella back to you. Don't rush off; I left it over by the Public Academy, I'll get it for you in a moment."
He Xiaoyao acknowledged with an "Oh, alright."
The two of them silently ate a few more bites of rice. Many strange glances from the surrounding people were fixed upon them.
He Xiaoyao felt a chill running straight down his back. He was never coming to sit here again; eating a meal was sheer agony.
Why should he care about other people's gazes? Yet He Xiaoyao couldn't help caring. Didn't most people care? Who possessed such carefree detachment that they could just do whatever they pleased?
He Xiaoyao was not the type to do as he pleased. He was just an ordinary person, a commonplace person, an ordinary man, a mere handyman. Yet now he had become a handyman drawing everyone's attention.
Just as He Xiaoyao was lost in these wild thoughts, Zhang Susu spoke again. "Do you usually take charge of sweeping the lakeside?"
He Xiaoyao said, "Yes. I don't know how to do anything else, so I just sweep the floor."
Zhang Susu said, "It must be hard work. The weather is so hot, and that lake is quite large. Keeping it clean is no easy task."
He Xiaoyao said, "It's alright. At first, I found it exhausting, but I've gradually gotten used to it, and my sweeping speed has gotten a bit faster."
Zhang Susu asked, "How long do you have to work each day?"
He Xiaoyao replied, "At first it took four or five hours, but now it's faster. Three or four hours is enough."
Zhang Susu said, "Being a handyman is indeed quite tiring, and the monthly allowance is so little. I heard you only get a hundred coins—how is that possibly enough to spend?"
He Xiaoyao felt a bit embarrassed. Having a beauty point out that his income was low was certainly not a glorious thing.
After a moment, He Xiaoyao curiously asked, "What about you? Your monthly allowance must be quite a lot, right?"
Here, everyone's income was hardly a secret. After all, it was tied to one's rank.
Zhang Susu said, "Me? Five hundred. I've just entered the Four-Star cultivation level."
He Xiaoyao exclaimed in surprise, "You're so young and you're already at Four Stars."
Originally, he had wanted to say: *You're as bright as snow, pretty, and your martial arts are good.* He wanted to say a whole string of flattering words, but they didn't make it past his lips, swirling around only in his mind. He was still too nervous; he had never witnessed such a scene before.
Zhang Susu said, "It's alright. I entered the mountain gates very early—I came when I was twelve, and I've been practicing ever since. This year makes five years."
So she was two years older than him. Yet He Xiaoyao's cultivation level was zero stars.
Truly, people shared the same fate but different lives, just as umbrellas shared the same cloth but different handles! There was no comparison. And her monthly allowance was four times his... four times!
Zhang Susu asked, "Is it enough to spend? I noticed your food—you didn't order any extra dishes for yourself. If it's not enough, I can lend you some."
He Xiaoyao said, "No need, no need, it's enough for now."
Zhang Susu smiled cheerfully and said nothing more.
The scene of the two of them chatting and laughing was taken in by the surrounding cultivators.
At that moment, a tall figure abruptly stood up and strode toward He Xiaoyao.
He Xiaoyao sensed that something was about to happen...