The flying sword moved swiftly, reaching the sky above the seventh mountain peak in just a moment.
The mountain was dotted with houses, each an ancient and majestic structure. However, looking around, only a few scattered figures could be seen, giving the place a somewhat desolate feel.
The flying sword landed in a plaza. As soon as they touched down, Lu Mingshi turned to Han Yu and said, "Han Yu, follow me. From today on, you are my personal disciple! I will personally teach you the ways of cultivation."
Hearing this, even with his pride, Han Yu couldn't help but show a joyful expression and quickly said, "Thank you, Peak Lord!"
"Hmm? Peak Lord?" Lu Mingshi's eyebrows twitched.
Han Yu immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, hurriedly correcting himself, "Thank you, Master!"
"Good! Later, at the main hall, I will hold a formal ceremony for you to acknowledge me as your master."
Only then did Lu Mingshi nod in satisfaction and turn to look at the others.
At this moment, aside from Su Shi'er, the other three children all wore envious expressions.
Becoming the personal disciple of a Peak Lord was a tremendous honor! Unfortunately, they didn't have Han Yu's talent and could only look on with envy.
After arranging Han Yu, Lu Mingshi turned to Xiao Yue, "Yue'er, I'll leave the rest to you. Tomorrow, have them start learning literacy and sect rules from the instructors. In three months, arrange for them to learn cultivation methods from the teaching elders."
"Okay! I'll arrange their accommodations first!"
Xiao Yue nodded with a smile. Just as she was about to speak to Su Shi'er and the others, hurried footsteps approached.
"Peak Lord, something's wrong! Brother Chen Xi has been bitten by a demonic beast!"
Two disciples wearing Cloud Song Sect uniforms rushed over, carrying an injured disciple on a stretcher.
On the stretcher, the disciple appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, gravely injured and unconscious, covered in blood.
"Demonic beast? The sect is protected by formations everywhere; where did a demonic beast come from?" Lu Mingshi's gaze fell on the stretcher, his brow furrowing.
The leading disciple quickly replied, "Reporting to the Peak Lord, the Discarded Pill Room is in a remote location, and there are often wild beasts there, including some low-level demonic beasts."
"Hmph, and you call yourselves cultivators! You can't even handle a small beast. All these years of cultivation, wasted!" Lu Mingshi's face darkened, letting out a cold snort. He then focused on the injured disciple, pulling out a pale blue talisman.
With a surge of True Essence, the talisman transformed into a blue light, enveloping the boy on the stretcher.
Moments later, the blue light dissipated, and the boy's bleeding stopped. However, he was missing a hand and a foot, looking particularly pitiful.
"Alright, I've stabilized his injuries with a Blue Spirit Talisman. But with his limbs severed, he won't be able to cultivate anymore. Find a day to send him down the mountain."
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The two carrying the stretcher nodded hastily but didn't leave immediately. Instead, they cautiously asked, "Peak Lord, should we still assign someone to guard the Discarded Pill Room?"
"Hmph, even though the discarded pills are useless, their records are crucial for tracking the sect's medicinal consumption. Do you think it's necessary?" Lu Mingshi snorted in dissatisfaction.
In the Cloud Song Sect, all the pills consumed by disciples for cultivation were refined by the Peak Lords or specialized Pill Refiners. The required materials were provided by the sect, and the amount of pills produced and discarded helped track material usage, preventing embezzlement.
The Discarded Pill Room was in a remote location, almost at the sect's outskirts. Normally, managing such trivial matters had nothing to do with Luofu Peak.
But the problem was, among the seven peaks of the Cloud Song Sect, Luofu Peak was the weakest. Naturally, such tasks fell to Luofu Peak.
Hearing Lu Mingshi's words, the two disciples carrying the stretcher shivered and quickly said, "Peak Lord, who should we send? We're short on manpower in our peak right now!"
"Hmm? No one left? No problem, I brought back a few kids this time!" Lu Mingshi was taken aback, muttering softly as his gaze fell on Zhu Hanwei.
Feeling Lu Mingshi's gaze, Zhu Hanwei's legs almost gave out beneath him.
He had heard every word the two disciples said. The Discarded Pill Room didn't sound like a good place, and the person on the stretcher was a living example.
How could he be willing to go there?
Thinking about this, Zhu Hanwei's face turned pale. Before Lu Mingshi could speak, he hurriedly took out a palm-sized wooden box from his pocket.
"Peak Lord, my father has something he wants me to give you!"
"Hmm?" Lu Mingshi was momentarily stunned. Taking the wooden box, his eyes narrowed into slits.
Inside the box was another small piece of Hundred-Year Cold Jade. This piece was clearly part of the same whole as the one he had received in Dragon Return Town.
Without showing any emotion, Lu Mingshi put away the wooden box, looking Zhu Hanwei over. "Alright, why the long face at such a young age? You don't have a Spirit Root, so cultivating would be a waste. My pill room is short a pill boy; you can be my pill boy from now on!"
"Thank you, Peak Lord!" Hearing that he wouldn't have to go to the Discarded Pill Room and could instead be a pill boy for the Peak Lord, Zhu Hanwei nodded eagerly, his heart filled with joy.
Lu Mingshi paid him no more mind, his gaze continuing to sweep until it landed on Su Shi'er.
"Alright, it's you! From today, you'll be guarding the Discarded Pill Room!"
Su Shi'er's small frame trembled, his face turning as white as snow.
If Zhu Hanwei could sense the danger of the Discarded Pill Room, so could he.
But looking at Lu Mingshi, he didn't know how to refuse. Zhu Hanwei had money and could give gifts, but he had nothing to offer.
Beside him, Xiao Yue glanced at Su Shi'er and the others, then turned to Lu Mingshi, unable to hold back her words:
"Grandfather, they're still young and have just joined the sect. Sending any of them to the Discarded Pill Room, what if they encounter a wild beast or even a low-level demonic beast? Isn't that sending them to their deaths?"
Lu Mingshi kept a stern face, but this time he didn't relent. "Sending them to their deaths? Yue'er, let me tell you, cultivation isn't child's play."
"This boy's talent is already abysmal. If he can't overcome even this little danger, then what's the point of cultivating? He might as well be sent down the mountain."
Lu Mingshi had no expectations for Su Shi'er. With the worst Mixed Spirit Root, it seemed like a waste of resources to let him cultivate.
With no one else available in the peak, sending Su Shi'er to guard the Discarded Pill Room was undoubtedly the best decision.
As for the danger, he saw it as negligible. Encounters with wild beasts or demonic beasts were rare. Chen Xi, who also lacked talent, had stayed in the Discarded Pill Room for years before encountering danger.
Xiao Yue's face darkened, and she wanted to persuade him further.
Before she could speak, Su Shi'er suddenly said, "Senior Sister Xiao Yue, thank you! But the Peak Lord is right. My talent is lacking, and if I can't overcome this challenge, how can I hope to cultivate properly in the future?"
Su Shi'er could sense Lu Mingshi's determination. He knew he had no choice.
Staying meant at least having a chance to cultivate.
Leaving would make it nearly impossible to ever touch the world of cultivators again.
Xiao Yue felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to say more, "But..."
Lu Mingshi nodded and said, "Alright, it's commendable that you have this courage. You two, take him to guard the Discarded Pill Room."
With that, Lu Mingshi turned to the two disciples carrying the stretcher.
"Okay! Junior Brother, come with us!" The two nodded, looking at Su Shi'er with sympathy.
The Peak Lord was really sending this kid to his death!
Brother Chen Xi had at least cultivated for a few years, but this kid was only twelve!
Even if he went, he might be scared out of his wits in just a few days, if not dead.
Not only them, but Zhu Hanwei and the others also didn't have high hopes for Su Shi'er. To them, Su Shi'er was being foolish. Cultivation was one thing, but if you lost your life, what was the point?
Beside Lu Mingshi, Han Yu watched Su Shi'er's frail figure, wanting to say something but holding back. Well, with his talent, he'd naturally know to give up when faced with danger.
Su Shi'er followed the two disciples, one carrying the injured Chen Xi away, while the other led Su Shi'er to the Discarded Pill Room.
Perhaps thinking Su Shi'er wouldn't last long in the sect, the disciple leading the way remained silent throughout.
Su Shi'er, sensing the atmosphere, wisely kept quiet as well.
They descended Luofu Peak and walked for another two hours before reaching a small mountain at the sect's edge.
Before them stood a simple wooden and stone building. It was a standalone structure with its own courtyard, divided into several rooms, including a living area and a storeroom for discarded pills.
"This is the Discarded Pill Room. The storeroom is for storing discarded pills. At the end of each month, each peak will send their discarded pills here. Your job is to record the number of discarded pills from each peak and report it to the steward responsible for statistics at the beginning of the month.
This book teaches you how to identify different discarded pills. Can you read? If not, it's okay; there are pictures."
The disciple responsible for settling Su Shi'er led him around the various rooms of the Discarded Pill Room, handed him a guidebook on identifying discarded pills, and then hurriedly left.