Ch6 Servant Life

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping, with a pounding headache and dried blood in streams that came out of my mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.

After a coughing fit, I finally stand up to my feet and walk out the front door.

I feel horrible, but truthfully, in my past life I’ve felt far worse waking up after a weekend bender, taking the subway to the office on Monday morning. Unfortunately, there is no plug in this world for a magic white powder that can help me stay focused throughout my day by any means necessary.

Though, I still have small amounts of residue from that healing elixir I took three days ago still flowing through my bloodstream.

It is how I was able to walk off that slap from a 2nd Level Qi Refiner with such ease last night, and probably the reason I didn’t straight up die from absorbing that strange technique…

All of the perfect connections of thought I felt are not as crisp in my head anymore, but the framework is still there.

I can feel and see the exact breathing techniques, poses, and energy flows I need to follow its guidance.

There is always an indescribable innate feeling I have, that the stronger I get, the more of the connections will come back. This technique was given directly from the system, and I can inherently believe it is far more profound than the template this sect gives out to all of its servant slaves.

While walking over to the axe leaning against the side of the metal bin behind my house, I vow to cultivate with the system, and find out this world’s secrets on my own terms. I can’t trust anyone but myself, and I cannot blame anyone for the current position I’m in.

This is just another hierarchy to work in, comprehend, and climb.

With a thin grin on my face and sharp focused eyes, I lug the heavy axe over my shoulder and walk toward the closest tree in this forest.

—

The sun slowly rises, and the methodical sound of a metal axe cutting through thick wood echoes throughout the trees.

I stop and catch my breath every hour or so, walking back into my hut to grab another piece of bread or jerky.

After my hands become covered in cuts from gripping the rough axe handle, and my mouth gets too parched to swing again, I make my way through the forest about a kilometer and a half to find the stream, to gulp down at least a liter of water in one go before walking back.

The second half of my workday flies by.

In 12 hours, I manage to cut down three large trees and chop two up entirely into firewood. The last, I can only manage to chop halfway before the sun begins to set.

Thankfully, it is just enough to fill the metal bin by the time the old Steward comes walking down the dirt path in my direction.

I stop chopping wood, hide my bloodied hands behind my back, and bow respectfully as he inspects the bin.

Zhou Kang taps a small brown pouch on his waist, then taps the metal bin.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

It disappears before my widened eyes, then reappears right back where it was, without any wood left in it.

“Good first day. You didn’t disappoint me,” he grunts out.

Then, throws a single spirit fragment my way.

I catch it and bow again, “Thank you, Senior Zhou.”

He smirks and turns without saying another word.

Once he’s almost out of sight, I finally breathe again and fall back to slouch against the side of my hut.

I hold up the tiny translucent warm gem, half the size of a penny, and hear screams and cries in the woods.

My eyes lose focus on the glowing stone, and look past it deep into the trees to see the fuzzy outline of my neighbor’s hut.

“You worthless child, Tang Min! I gave you a day and a half to do a task, and what do you give me? Hardly half this bin is filled up!”

Loud smacks echo through the forest, and the cries of this boy as he says he’s sorry over and over.

Almost fifteen whole minutes pass, and I hear the Steward’s enjoyment of this beating rise.

Finally, the boy doesn’t even respond, he’s been beaten unconscious, and Zhou Kang moves on.

I just let out a sigh and stare up at the sky as the night fully arrives.