Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 19: A New Task.

The Servant Hall Deacon, Sun-il, was deeply troubled.

It was because of an order from an elder of the Medicine Hall.

“Send one of the servant disciples. I’m so busy with the elixir I’m researching that I need someone to manage the herbs.”

Normally, he would have sent his most cherished servant disciple for such an order from an elder.

An elder-level order meant generous compensation and the opportunity to learn something, making it an excellent mission.

However, this mission was nothing but troublesome.

It was because the elder of this Medicine Hall was Bu Bi-woon, the Poison Master!

Daoist Bu had a quirky and explosive personality, having already replaced several medicine attendants. Those who were replaced never received Medicine Hall missions again. Some were even severely beaten and expelled, making this mission far from a good one.

It was a very dangerous and arduous mission.

From Sun-il’s perspective, this matter was extremely problematic.

As someone responsible for managing the servant disciples, if any issues arose with them, Sun-il, the deacon, would have to take responsibility.

So, he was troubled about which servant worker to send. It wouldn’t do for anyone to go and get into trouble.

If that happened, it would be a significant loss in performing his duties as a deacon.

Should he send a quick-witted one? Or a diligent one? Or perhaps a cunning one…

No, none of them. Daoist Bu was an utterly unpredictable person.

As Sun-il pondered over it.

A name flashed through his mind like a lightning bolt!

“Ah, I can send that one!”

The novice disciple who had incurred the wrath of the Jang family!

If it’s that guy, it wouldn’t matter what happens. No, the Jang family might actually like it!

Sun-il was very satisfied with the plan he had devised.

“Hey there. If anyone’s around, go and fetch the disciple Lee Yuk-gyeong here.”

The Heavenly Cliff Mountain, where the Dark Moon Sect is located, had five peaks.

Each peak had a name, and the peak where the Medicine Hall was located was Grass Dragon Peak. It had a wider base and was rich in Spiritual Qi, making it an ideal environment for Spiritual Herbs to grow.

Near the top of Grass Dragon Peak, at Elder Bu’s residence.

Elder Bu Bi-woon was a middle-aged man with an average build, sunken cheeks, and piercing eyes.

The middle-aged man glared sharply with his usual piercing eyes at the disciple Lee Yuk-gyeong standing before him. Actually, he wasn’t glaring, just looking, but his eyes were so piercing that Yuk-gyeong felt like he was being glared at.

“Are you the disciple from the Servant Hall? I’m Bu Bi-woon, the Poison Master. Your task from today onwards is to manage the herbs. These herbs grow by themselves as long as you water them three times a day and wipe the leaves, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Yes, Elder Bu.”

Yuk-gyeong replied politely.

But, I don’t actually have to do chores like this. I was told I could just focus on training.

What Yuk-gyeong didn’t know was that the arrangement for him to focus solely on training was a secret known to only a very few people.

And what Yuk-gyeong also didn’t know was that Elder Bu was…an elder arranged by the Elder Hall. To act as a visible backing for Yuk-gyeong.

With the Jang family’s pressure, the Deacon and the people of the Servant Hall all seemed to be trying to make Yuk-gyeong’s life difficult, so the Elder Hall prepared an elder shield, so to speak.

Anyway,

Elder Bu sternly gave a final warning to Yuk-gyeong.

“Take good care of the herbs. If there’s even a slight disorder, you’ll be in trouble!”

“I will keep that in mind, Elder Bu.”

“You may go.”

Yuk-gyeong bowed deeply and left Elder Bu’s room.

Upon exiting the Elder Hall, a young disciple was waiting to guide him.

The outer disciple, who still had a youthful air about him and seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen, had his hair neatly combed and wore an ironed blue robe.

“Come here, junior brother. I’ll show you the herb area you’re responsible for.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

Yuk-gyeong bowed politely once more.

He didn’t act arrogantly just because the other was a young boy. Having served in the military in South Korea, Yuk-gyeong was very familiar with ranks.

In the outer sect, Yuk-gyeong was the newest member. Everyone here was above him. If he met someone? Yuk-gyeong simply had to greet them politely. It didn’t matter who it was.

The outer disciple in the blue robe, Yuk-gyeong’s senior brother, smiled contentedly at Yuk-gyeong’s respectful attitude. It was clear he hadn’t had a junior for long. That’s why he was so pleased to see his junior showing respect.

Feeling good, the senior brother started to guide Yuk-gyeong and tell him various things.

“I’m called Cho Ryoo-ha. You can call me Senior Brother Cho. The area you’re responsible for isn’t difficult at all. The herbs there don’t need much water to thrive. So, unless you completely neglect them, they won’t die. You’ll have plenty of time to cultivate.”

Yuk-gyeong nodded, mixing in exclamations of admiration as if he were hearing precious advice.

His skills in flattery, honed through social experience, were more than enough to win over a mere boy.

As expected, the boy who wanted to be called Senior Brother Cho grinned widely and gave a final reminder before leaving.

“Oh, and be careful not to get caught sneaking herbs out. Well, the medicine attendants usually do it little by little when they’re short on merit points, but Elder Bu is really strict. Please be careful.”

Sneaking herbs out? Isn’t that outright embezzlement?

Yet, Senior Brother Cho didn’t seem to feel any pang of conscience while talking about such things. He spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

His words seemed to reveal just how filled with corruption and dishonesty the work of medicine attendants was.

But on the flip side, it probably meant that the work of medicine attendants was that arduous. It implied that without such embezzlement, they couldn’t make ends meet.

That doesn’t justify embezzlement, though.

Yuk-gyeong didn’t know how much he would suffer due to merit points, but he decided not to touch the herbs.

If it’s a dangerous act, it’s best not to do it at all.

After Senior Brother Cho left, Yuk-gyeong inspected the herb garden he was in charge of.

In the rather spacious herb garden, herbs were planted sparsely. They were spaced out so as not to compete for nutrients.

Since he was already there, Yuk-gyeong drew water from the nearby medicinal spring and watered the herb garden once.

So, they should grow well for the next three or four days without additional watering, right?

Thinking that, Yuk-gyeong did not leave his spot.

Herbs, being medicinal, were often targeted by wild animals and birds. One of the tasks of medicine attendants like Yuk-gyeong was to chase away animals that came after the herbs.

Since he couldn’t leave anyway, he might as well train.

Yuk-gyeong sat down and assumed a cross-legged position.

The place where the herbs grew was rich in Spiritual Qi, making it an excellent spot for cultivation. It was indeed a good place for training. Although the place I had prepared for training also provided a focused environment, it was somewhat enclosed. This location, being completely outdoors, offered a refreshing change of scenery, enhancing the atmosphere for cultivation.

Yuk-gyeong sat in a lotus position and immediately entered a meditative state. He regulated his breathing according to the prescribed procedure and observed his own body internally. By contemplating his bones, blood, muscles, and organs, he circulated the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Now, he had become quite accustomed to cultivation. He could enter a meditative state as soon as he closed his eyes, and circulating the Spiritual Qi had become very easy.

Yuk-gyeong had completed the Qi Condensation 1-Star stage and had moved on to 2-Star.

If someone claimed they could enter the Qi Condensation stage with basic skills and achieve the 1-Star and 2-Stars in just a few days, they would be considered insane.

Typically, starting cultivation with basic skills took several months, or even up to a year, just to enter the Qi Condensation stage.

Moreover, upon reaching the 1-Star, the real cultivation began, and reaching the consummation of 1-Star required years of training.

Yuk-gyeong possessed a Single Spiritual Root with great affinity for the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. On top of that, he had an outstanding level of comprehension and an exceptional master, our First Seat, the Taiyi Grandmaster. Thanks to this, he was able to raise his cultivation level in an instant.

Such achievements were only possible when several fortuitous events coincided.

Yuk-gyeong came to the herb area daily to cultivate.

He remained vigilant of his surroundings, opening his eyes to chase away animals when they approached and watering the plants once every three or four days.

Yuk-gyeong’s cultivation level was progressing rapidly.

A few days later, it was time to harvest and present the herbs.

The herb field that Yuk-gyeong was in charge of required him to harvest new sprouts every few days and submit them to the sect. Today was that day.

After submitting the new sprouts, Elder Bu called for Yuk-gyeong to head to the Elder Hall. Why am I being called when I should be training?

Upon arriving at the Elder Hall, Elder Bu praised Yuk-gyeong.

“You’ve done well managing the herbs. The quantities are always accurate. I am pleased.”

Indeed, Elder Bu was known for his meticulousness. He was so particular that he would count each herb and was genuinely dedicated to elixirs and Spiritual Herbs.

As expected, Yuk-gyeong’s predecessor was caught embezzling herbs, beaten severely, and expelled. He was never allowed to set foot in the Medicine Hall again.

Tampering with herbs was a common practice among the Medicine Hall attendants, so the predecessor, familiar with the work, must have done it without a second thought.

But Elder Bu was someone who couldn’t tolerate such behavior.

“I only did what was expected.”

At Yuk-gyeong’s humble words, Elder Bu’s smile deepened. With memories of his past life, Yuk-gyeong, who knew how to say things that pleased his superiors, found winning over his boss not too difficult.

“Not just anyone can do what you did. So, you deserve a reward. I know the attendants are short on merit points. Shall I give you some?”

The Elder Bu was more flexible than expected, considerate of the attendants’ circumstances.

However, Yuk-gyeong did not particularly need merit points. He didn’t require any new techniques or elixirs at the moment.

The steady income from the Medicine Hall that came in every month was piling up, so he wasn’t in need.

Yuk-gyeong simply bowed his head and replied.

“I don’t mind the merit points. However, I’m very interested in herbs, but I have no way to learn about them professionally. I don’t even know how to start learning.”

At Yuk-gyeong’s words, Elder Bu burst into laughter.

“Hohoho! We have a disciple eager to learn. Very well, you may come to me once a week to borrow books. However, you must take a test each time you borrow a book. If you fail, you will lose your role as a medicine attendant.”

The test was said to be a simple quiz.

And normally, borrowing books from an elder would have been unthinkable. It was only because Yuk-gyeong had diligently performed his duties, which appealed to the elder.

After expressing his gratitude, Yuk Gyeong bowed and left the Elder Hall.

Ugh, it’s tough to keep the old geezer pleased.

But what about the test now? Losing the medicine attendant role? Would I have to go back to nominally cleaning the toilets? The medicine attendant role is getting better. Training outdoors is quite nice.

Still, Yuk Gyeong thought that learning is always beneficial.

To continue as a medicine attendant, he needed to know about herbs, otherwise, he might face serious trouble if he kept doing things haphazardly.

It’s always good to learn whatever you can.