Chapter 10 – Entering the Sect
The red-faced old man frowned in dissatisfaction and said, “Elder Li, is our Heng Yue Sect really going to stoop that low? Making an exception for the life and death of a mortal?”
Elder Li opened his eyes and said in a cold voice, “Elder Ma, the head of the family ordered me to handle this matter. If it’s not handled properly, and this trash attempts suicide a second time, and his parents spread the word that we forced their son to commit suicide, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing? If you’re willing to take responsibility for this matter, then I’ll let you handle it.”
The middle-aged man immediately tried to make peace and said, “There’s no need to argue. Why don’t we let him become a disciple first, then after 8 or 10 years, when he fails to continue cultivating, we can send him back and there won’t be any problems.”
The old man in the robe replied, “If other young men follow in his footsteps, what will we do?”
The middle-aged man chuckled and said, “This is an easy task. After this, we have learned from our mistakes. When we disappoint others in the future, we should instill the idea of not committing suicide, and that will resolve the matter. As for this Wang Lin, since the matter is already this big, let’s take him as a disciple. One more disciple is fine.”
Besides Elder Li, the other two elders stared seriously at the middle-aged man, without saying a word.
The middle-aged man smiled and thought, “Oh, Wang Lin, Wang Lin. I’ve helped as much as I could. I’ve already repaid you for the piece of metal your fourth uncle gave me. I’m truly curious as to how a mortal could obtain such a material.”
What the middle-aged man didn’t know was that Wang Lin’s fourth uncle had bought it from a blacksmith. He had seen many things, and as soon as he saw it, he knew it wasn’t ordinary. This time, in order to let Tie Zhu join the Heng Yue Sect, he had brought it out. As for what the metal was used for, he didn’t know.
A piece of metal changed Wang Lin’s fate. When the news reached Wang Lin’s ears, he couldn’t believe it. Somehow he was accepted as a disciple for no apparent reason.
Two days later, he accompanied his parents to leave the Heng Yue Sect. Seeing the joy on their faces, he decided to seriously cultivate here.
However, his thinking changed after his parents left. He was secretly summoned to the place where the disciples were assigned and saw a cunning-looking young man. The young man’s face was filled with disdain. He looked at him and laughed. “So you’re Wang Lin, the kid who became a disciple by committing suicide?”
Wang Lin silently stared at the young man who had challenged him. The young man sneered, “Boy, starting tomorrow morning, you will come to me to work. Your job is to fetch water, no less than ten barrels a day. If you can’t finish the job, then there will be no food for you, and if you continue to do so for seven days, then I will tell the elders to kick you out of the sect. These are your clothes. Remember, honorary disciples can only wear gray. Once you become a true disciple, you will be given another color.” After he finished speaking, he threw the clothes to Wang Lin and closed his eyes.
Wang Lin picked up his clothes and asked, “Where do I live?”
The young man didn’t even open his eyes and said casually, “Go north until you see a row of houses. Give your badge to the student there and they’ll give you a room.”
Wang Lin left and headed north toward the houses. The young man opened his eyes and said, disdainfully, “Relying on suicide to join, he really is a waste!”
While walking in the Heng Yue Sect, Wang Lin saw many disciples wearing gray uniforms with pale and cold faces. Some were holding equipment in their hands and they were all rushing about.
After walking straight for a while, he saw a row of houses. There were more followers dressed in gray here, but they barely spoke to each other.
After he gave his badge to the yellow-clad student in charge, the young man impatiently pointed to a room.
Wang Lin was used to everyone’s cold expressions. He entered his room and opened the door. The room was large, with two wooden beds, a table, and two chairs. Everything was spotlessly clean and brand new, just like the furniture in his house.
He chose a seemingly empty bed. He put down his belongings and lay down on the bed. Although he had entered the Heng Yue Sect, it wasn’t what he had expected. He thought he would learn immortal techniques, but it seemed his task was to fetch water.
Thinking of this, he sighed and touched the stone bead in front of his chest. This was a treasure he had obtained. Wang Lin had read many books and he knew the dangers of revealing it, as many people would be after this treasure.
A while later, night fell and a very tired young man in gray clothes opened the door and entered. He was stunned when he saw Wang Lin, then collapsed on his bed without saying a word.
Wang Lin didn’t care. He knew he had to get up early. He touched his stomach and pulled out a few sweet potatoes. His parents had brought them to him to eat when they went looking for him, and since he was accepted, his parents gave him all the remaining food.
The sweet potato was very sweet. While Wang Lin was eating, the young man woke up and stared at the sweet potato. With his mouth watering, he said in a low voice, “Can I have a piece?”
Wang Lin took out a few pieces and said, “I have plenty here. If you want some, feel free to take some more.”
The young man quickly grabbed the food and devoured it, then went to the table and poured himself a glass of water. He exclaimed, “Damn! I haven’t eaten anything in two days. So, what’s your name?”
Wang Lin stated his name. The young man suddenly laughed and said, “So you’re Wang Lin, the trash who entered the Heng Yue Sect by attempting suicide…” He suddenly realized what he had done and said, “Brother, my name is Zhang Hu. To be honest, there’s no one in this sect who doesn’t know you, so don’t blame me for what I said earlier. In fact, I admire you for being able to enter this sect this way.”
Wang Lin laughed bitterly. He didn’t bother to explain and handed her a few pieces of sweet potato.
Zhang Hu immediately accepted it and took a few bites, then said, “Wang Lin, you’d better keep some for yourself. You’re new here. Who knows what evil things that yellow weasel will do. Damn it, he doesn’t even treat us like human beings.”