After paying his respects, Lu Li kept his head down all the way back to his small courtyard.
Just as he reached the courtyard gate, he heard the sounds of sparring coming from inside. Lu Li quickly suppressed his gloom, straightened his clothes, lifted his head, and walked in. Looking at the busy figure, he shouted with a smile, "Fatty, did you miss me?"
"Boss?"
Chen Zhong was slightly stunned when he saw Lu Li enter, then he was overjoyed. He rushed over in two or three steps, "Boss, you finally came back! I heard that Great Elder has a very strange temper. Quick, let me see if you're missing any arms or legs!"
Lu Li's face twitched, and he laughed and scolded, "What missing arms or legs, can't you see I'm perfectly fine?"
"Uh, I said the wrong thing." Chen Zhong scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"Alright, I'm not blaming you." Lu Li patted Chen Zhong's shoulder, "How have you been? Has Wen Hong been making things difficult for you?"
"No, I haven't seen him since you left."
"That's good..."
As Lu Li expected, Chen Zhong completed this month's workload in just three days, then hid in the courtyard to cultivate. Except for eating, he almost never went out. His cultivation diligence was no less than Lu Li's.
Moreover, his Mountain Shaking Fist had reached minor success, achieving three times explosive power, which was quite terrifying.
Lu Li hadn't practiced his fist techniques for this entire month and was still at the minor success stage. However, the fireball technique had already been cultivated to Perfection. He could now cast fireball techniques at will, with the explosive power entirely dependent on the amount of True Qi in his body.
The two chatted for a long time before separating. Lu Li returned to his long-absent room and couldn't help but feel particularly affectionate toward it. The Spiritual Qi here was far inferior to Tianjue Peak. After a month, Lu Li was also somewhat tired and didn't plan to cultivate today.
Regardless of whether it was dark or not, Lu Li simply covered his head and fell asleep.
He didn't know how long he slept. In his daze, Lu Li suddenly heard knocking sounds from outside. He frowned, thinking he had given instructions not to disturb him.
Somewhat annoyed, he scratched his head, got up, and opened the door.
Upon opening it, he saw it wasn't Chen Zhong but a burly middle-aged man. Lu Li was stunned for a moment, "Steward, do you have business?"
The visitor was indeed Wen Hong.
Wen Hong smiled and looked inside, "Chat?"
Lu Li quickly stepped aside to make way. After Wen Hong entered, he followed and sat at the table. Because it was somewhat dark, Lu Li also lit the lamp.
"It seems you've had a good month on Tianjue Peak?" Wen Hong sized up Lu Li as he spoke.
"Not bad, Great Elder wasn't as difficult to serve as imagined."
"Great Elder?" Wen Hong was slightly stunned, "You didn't meet Deng Qingsheng?"
"I heard that Senior Brother Deng seemed to have upset Great Elder and was punished to reflect in the back mountains, so I didn't run into him." Lu Li casually said without mentioning why Deng Qingsheng was punished.
"Oh, then your luck is really quite good."
Wen Hong sighed with some emotion, "Many people in our Chore Hall have been tormented by him. Now when Tianjue Peak is mentioned, basically no one dares to go."
Hearing Wen Hong say this, Lu Li's expression immediately turned somewhat ugly. He thought to himself that Wen Hong truly wasn't a good person-he didn't explain the situation before sending him. Luckily, he had great fortune and good luck.
"Don't blame me either. I had no choice. Besides, aren't you perfectly fine?"
"This subordinate wouldn't dare."
"Hah." Wen Hong gave an embarrassed laugh and took out a purple card, "Take it. This is one thousand contribution points. I promised you three hundred contribution points before. Seeing your resentful look, consider the extra as compensation."
A flash of light appeared in Lu Li's eyes. He quickly took the contribution card and said with a smile, "Steward is indeed straightforward."
By his calculation, he now had a full seven thousand contribution points. He could exchange it for seventy Ningzhen Pills. However, this amount of contribution points was still far from enough for him.
Now he urgently needed more contribution points to exchange for Ningzhen Pills to quickly break through to the third level and become a formal disciple. Because only formal disciples could exchange for higher-level techniques. If you were just a chore disciple, even if you had contribution points, some techniques couldn't be exchanged.
"Good, I really like your greedy character."
Seeing Lu Li's expression, Wen Hong nodded with satisfaction, "Have you thought about what I mentioned to you last time?"
Last time's matter?
Lu Li frowned, then remembered that before he left, Wen Hong had said he wanted Lu Li to work for him. But this lackey reputation-wasn't it somewhat too unsavory?
Out of the sixty-six chore hall disciples, at least more than half intensely disliked those like Sun Zi'an.
"You should think it over carefully. You need to know that even if you don't do it, as long as I say a word, there will be plenty of people in this chore hall scrambling to do it." Seeing Lu Li frown, Wen Hong lightly reminded.
"Alright, I'll do it!"
Lu Li hesitated slightly before agreeing. If he remained an ordinary chore disciple, normal tasks would yield at most three hundred contribution points per month. That way, he didn't know how long it would take to break through to the Qi Refinement third level and become a formal disciple.
He couldn't wait to become a formal disciple already.
Then he asked, "Steward, I can do it, but I want to know-if this matter gets exposed, will there be trouble?"
"Trouble?" Wen Hong sneered, "Don't worry, this is the traditional custom of the Chore Hall. Those above know perfectly well. As long as you don't kill anyone, I can help you settle everything else."
"However, let me make this clear upfront-if you take a life and it gets exposed, don't blame me for cutting ties with you."
So that's how it was.
Lu Li finally understood why Sun Zi'an dared to act so recklessly before.
The two chatted for a while longer before Wen Hong left. Lu Li remained sitting at the table, lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingers, his gaze drifting, not knowing what he was thinking.
Dang dang dang dang...
Early morning the next day, the first day of the fifth month.
Early in the morning, familiar knocking sounds rang outside. Lu Li rarely got a good night's rest. After getting up, he went to the courtyard to wash up, then left the courtyard gate with Chen Zhong.
"Boss, I heard Wen Hong is selecting a new lackey. After he chooses one, how about we secretly kill him?" Chen Zhong said mysteriously as they walked.
"What!"
Lu Li's face twitched, and he glared fiercely at Chen Zhong, "What lackey, watch your words!"
"Did I say something wrong?" Chen Zhong scratched his head behind him, looking confused.
When the two arrived at the Chore Hall square, people had basically all gathered. They stood in twos and threes, discussing something in low voices. Lu Li listened to a few sentences-they were mostly discussing who would be Wen Hong's newly selected lackey.
There were still four people who had followed Sun Zi'an before. They were now in a state of extreme panic. In the past, relying on Sun Zi'an's backing, they had lorded it over others quite a bit.
Lu Li listened to everyone's discussions as he walked forward. At that moment, a tall, thin man in gray clothes suddenly stopped him and whispered a reminder:
"Junior Brother Lu, don't walk forward anymore. Today is different from usual days. If you rush forward and are seen by the lackey Wen Hong selected, he'll definitely think you're deliberately showing off. Then you'll inevitably be targeted again."
Lu Li recognized that person-his name was Chu Qingfeng. He had been doing chores for seven or eight years but was still at the Qi Refinement second level. However, it seemed he was about to break through to the Qi Refinement third level and become a formal disciple.
Chu Qingfeng was a good person. When they first arrived at the Chore Hall, Chu Qingfeng had kindly reminded them that following Sun Zi'an would only mean being a chore disciple for life.
As for later when Lu Li's group of three was targeted by Sun Zi'an, many people in the Chore Hall felt sympathy, but it was merely sympathy. Only this Chu Qingfeng went to Lu Li's courtyard to comfort them.
Lu Li had always remembered this in his heart. Seeing the other's reminder, Lu Li nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Chu." Then, under the other's astonished gaze, he directly walked up the stone steps.
And then...
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