Chapter 47: Bai Li

“Dong…”
As the deep toll of the bell rang out, all the servants stepped outside and began their busy tasks.
“Aren’t you going to work?” The woman who shared a room with Lin Hao noticed his indifference and looked at him in surprise, murmuring.
“Uh…” Lin Hao was a little bewildered, pondering, “Yesterday, Steward Zhang didn’t assign me any work…”
The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly at his words, remaining silent as if lost in thought.
“What are you dawdling for! Get over here and fetch water!” Suddenly, a rather sullen voice called out. The woman in Lin Hao’s room flashed a glimmer of coldness in her eyes, then quickly put on a timid, fearful expression and hurried over.
Although her coldness was fleeting, Lin Hao caught it clearly. His gaze darkened, and he mused silently, “This woman is not simple…”
“Bang!”
A muffled sound echoed outside, followed by a commotion. Lin Hao rushed out to see what was happening. Steward Zhang stood in the center with a gloomy face, not far ahead, the woman lay on the ground in pain, struggling to get up.
“What are you staring at? Do you all want to die?” At his rebuke, fear flashed in everyone’s eyes. They scrambled to their tasks, as if terrified to draw the steward’s attention.
“You wretch! Always acting as if on the brink of death—if you don’t fetch a hundred buckets today, you won’t eat!” Steward Zhang glared at the woman and was about to kick her. Lin Hao’s eyes flashed coldly, and he called out, “Senior Brother!”
“What is it, Junior Brother?” Steward Zhang raised an eyebrow, his expression calm as he looked at Lin Hao.
“Senior Brother…” Lin Hao’s heart fluttered with anxiety, but he tried to maintain composure and bowed lightly. “Senior Brother, about this woman…”
“What about her?” Steward Zhang looked at Lin Hao with a peculiar expression, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Lin Hao was startled, forced a couple of awkward laughs, and cupped his hands to the steward, his face bashful. “Senior Brother, last night we… I hope you will…”
“Oh?”
Steward Zhang understood, smiling as he patted Lin Hao’s shoulder and spoke kindly,
“Junior Brother, it seems I’ve been remiss in my duties. I’ll be more attentive in the future… Please don’t hold it against me; I’m simply following the rules…”
“Don’t worry, Senior Brother.”
After Lin Hao replied with a salute, Steward Zhang left with a smile. Lin Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the woman beside him, bowed slightly, and spoke sincerely,
“Miss, I am not a lewd man. I simply couldn’t bear what happened earlier, so I acted rashly. Please don’t blame me.”

“What is your name?”
The woman’s eyes glittered with contemplation as she looked at Lin Hao with deep meaning. Without hesitation, Lin Hao smiled, “I am Lin Hao.”
“I am Bai Li.”
She stood, brushed the dust from her clothes, and gazed calmly at Lin Hao, speaking slowly, “If you wish to cultivate, you must work harder to see results.”
With no further explanation, she walked away. Lin Hao frowned in confusion, and followed her.
This woman was far from ordinary! From the moment he met her, Lin Hao had sensed something unusual.
Her swift reaction when she first saw him yesterday was not something a common woman could achieve. As for why she hid herself, Lin Hao didn’t ask directly, but he couldn’t help but be curious…
…
“Can you manage?”
On the mountain path, Bai Li looked back at the panting Lin Hao, her eyes full of oddity.
Lin Hao was immediately displeased. A dignified man, and she questioned his capability?
He raised an eyebrow, determination written on his face, and looked into the distant sky, saying calmly, “Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
And so… Bai Li really did go on ahead…
…
Time passed swiftly, and night began to fall.
“This girl, so unceremonious…” Lin Hao, drenched in sweat, struggled up the mountain path, eyes fixed on the approaching destination. He finally relaxed a little.
He didn’t know that, not far away, hidden in an inconspicuous spot, a figure watched him—a figure he would recognize as Steward Zhang, who had previously called him brother.
Yet, in Steward Zhang’s gaze, a glimmer of calculation flickered…
“You’re back?”
Bai Li sat cross-legged on her bed, casting a calm glance at the exhausted Lin Hao, and spoke languidly.
Lin Hao said nothing, breathing heavily, and climbed onto his bed with great effort, moving no more. Clearly, for a scholar well-versed in the classics, today’s labor had been overwhelming.
And he had only fetched eight buckets…

“Here.”
Bai Li took a steamed bun from her cloth bundle and tossed it to Lin Hao, speaking coolly, “This is our meal for today.”
“Ours?”
Lin Hao stared at the lone bun, disbelief in his eyes. “A hundred buckets, one bun?”
“Two.”
Bai Li replied lightly, her eyes flashing imperceptibly as she asked, “What is your relationship with Steward Zhang?”
“No relationship.”
Lin Hao struggled to sit up, took a bite of the bun, and mumbled,
“I was brought to the mountain by Master Xuandaozi the day before yesterday. Steward Zhang probably thinks I’m connected to the master, which is why he treats me this way. If he learns the truth, I fear…”
Lin Hao shook his head bitterly. Steward Zhang was not someone to trifle with, certainly not someone a weak scholar like himself could handle.
His only hope was to reach the first stage of Qi Condensation and become an outer sect disciple before exposing himself.
“Oh?”
Bai Li’s expression turned strange as she heard Lin Hao’s words, her voice low, “If someone comes to you tomorrow, make sure to bring him to the river where you fetch water.”
“What do you mean?” Lin Hao asked in confusion, looking at Bai Li. She shook her head slightly without answering, and Lin Hao remained puzzled.
The two fell silent, each meditating and cultivating in peace.
What Lin Hao didn’t know was that the simple jade pendant in his bosom suddenly glowed faintly.
He felt a cool sensation sweep through his body, and amidst his fatigued flesh, a tiny warm current was born!
It was the spiritual energy described in the Qi Condensation Manual! If others were present, they would be astonished—for this spiritual energy usually took months to manifest, but Lin Hao had achieved it in a single day!
Unaware, Lin Hao was overjoyed, temporarily forgetting Bai Li’s earlier words. He carefully nurtured the warm current, letting it flow through his body as instructed in the manual…