He stared intently at Lou Yu.

My good mood index dropped to zero first thing in the morning.

The injury had almost healed by yesterday. Gritting his teeth, Dengxin snapped, "Get up! Go chop wood!"

[Damn it!]

[I actually lost weight!]

[The data they painstakingly raised, done against their conscience, it's infuriating!]

Although Lou Yu could hear Xiao Dengxin's thoughts, the terms he used, such as "reduced" and "data," which were unfamiliar to him, made it impossible for him to determine what his master meant.

He was stunned.

[Villain's corruption -5%, Total corruption value: 45%]

Nanyu is about to explode! What happened to all those gains from yesterday's hard work? They all went back down this morning!

[No, I'm going to be even more vicious today!]

[He can't be healed yet!]

Lou Yu could almost hear the sound of the lamp wick grinding its teeth.

Master is really unpredictable.

Lou Yu's mind works quickly.

He clearly remembered the injury on his palm before falling asleep yesterday, but it was completely healed when he woke up. His master must have helped him heal.

I was momentarily stunned when I woke up this morning.

Then I saw that Master was angry, and hearing those heartfelt words felt like being struck by lightning, even more vicious than yesterday...

Does that mean I have to be completely naked?

Lou Yu is still very sensitive about body shame.

"Still sitting on the couch? What, are you the Empress Dowager or is your butt stuck with superglue?!"

"After chopping the firewood, go downstream to fetch water from the stream, water the medicinal herbs in the back room, and that's all!"

Xiao Dengxin's lips trembled with anger. He couldn't bear the thought that his hard work would be in vain the next day.

In comparison, Lou Yu was very patient. Yesterday, when he tried to start a fire by rubbing sticks together, Nan Yu extinguished it at least eight times, if not ten.

If placed on the wick.

It's estimated to explode.

"Go and dig a piece of land for me!"

Lou Yu obeyed, first chopping firewood, then carrying water to water the medicinal herbs.

Today, perhaps Nan Yu was furious, because she didn't let him change into clothes made of a few more pieces of cloth. Lou Yu was worried that his master would remember, so he quickly slipped away to do his work.

The firewood is all chopped.

There was no movement.

Even with a 0.1% increase in the blackening value, it doesn't rise.

Nan Yu grew anxious and went over to tell him to chop it again, while she supervised from the side, watching closely and nitpicking at every detail: this piece was chopped too wide, that piece broke off, and another piece was chopped into an extra piece, etc.

He found fault with everything he could.

He even forced himself to wear things he wasn't allowed to choose from.

Lou Yu wiped his sweat, feeling exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. His master wouldn't tell him to stop, and kept making him chop wood. After a while, his emotions got the better of him, and the boy felt resentful again.

[Villain's corruption level: 5%, Total corruption value: 50%]

[Villain's corruption level drops by 1%, Total corruption value: 51%]

Upon hearing about the "darkening," Xiao Dengxin's eyes lit up like stars, and his temper immediately subsided by more than half. He was ready to stop Lou Yu from working, but he couldn't stop talking; Lou Yu was poisoned.

"Useless! You can't even chop a single piece of firewood properly! What else can you do? You haven't carried water, nor watered the land. Even your fellow apprentices who got in through connections are better than you!"

Little Lampwick almost scolded him for being short.

He swallowed back what was on the tip of his tongue. Internal energy and magic could be learned later, but his height was a major disadvantage. Deng Xin didn't want to criticize the other person's shortcomings, so he suddenly stopped, causing him to cough repeatedly.

[Villain's corruption level increased by 1%, total corruption value: 52%]

He patted his chest to stop coughing, then glared at the boy: "What are you standing there for? Do you think I have something written on my face?"

Lou Yu lowered her eyes, her hands clenching slightly at her sides.

He hoisted the wooden bucket onto his shoulder, ready to go downstream.

I hadn't eaten all morning, chopped firewood all morning, and was also verbally attacked by my master all morning. My stomach was empty, and after carrying water for only a few steps, my stomach started growling with hunger.

Nan Yu then realized that he hadn't been given any food.

Make a hand gesture, and disappear.

Lou Yu carried the shoulder pole down the steps on his own, completely unaware that his master had left.

Nan Yu went to the canteen, intending to get some food for Lou Yu.

When he saw the window display and the dishes, which were even more luxurious than those in a university cafeteria, his mouth watered. The aroma filled his nose, and he was already swallowing his saliva.

Immortal Jade Deity usually consumes immortal dew and absorbs spiritual energy.

I've basically never seen them in the cafeteria.

The once lively hall fell silent as the master suddenly arrived. Although the disciples were not particularly talented, they truly respected Shen Yuqing and all called out, "Master."

The disciple bows to the teacher.

She is exceptionally polite.

The benefits of being rich are unimaginable. In terms of martial arts, Hongmeng Mountain cannot compare with the other nine peaks, but when it comes to food, no one can compare to Bodhi Academy. The bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork have a richer spiritual energy than the medicinal herbs grown on Yaowang Peak. And then there's the pork.

Although they eat mountain grass, what kind of place is Hongmeng Mountain?

Of all the lands on Earth, this place has the richest spiritual energy. The grass that grows here might not be of much use in the cultivation world, but in the mortal realm, its medicinal effects are comparable to ginseng, not to mention the spiritual fruits.

Other peak disciples have to compete for rankings.

The teachers used spirit fruits as rewards.

Hongmeng Mountain directly feeds pigs. Of course, only their internal staff know this. If the other peaks found out, they would be furious and join forces to take a share.

However, this also proves something from another perspective.

Hongmeng Mountain did indeed recruit a bunch of rich but useless people.

How much food does a pig need to eat to grow up? If it were made into a dish, its value would be worth as much as gold. Even if they ate that every day, their strength would still be terrible, and they would always be at the bottom in competitions.

Nan Yu ordered a lot of dishes and a large bowl of rice.

They hurriedly carried it to the table.

Pick up your chopsticks and let's get started.

It's incredibly delicious, absolutely amazing!

After eating and drinking his fill, he ordered dozens more dishes, giving six to Lou Yu and keeping the rest for himself as a late-night snack.

Back at the mountainside, Lou Yu had just carried the buckets of water halfway up the mountain. The journey was too long, and he could probably only make two trips in an afternoon. He didn't dare to take the opportunity to cultivate, since meditating would take at least half an hour, and if he was delayed, it would be late at night.

I was so hungry while walking down the street.

There were no wild fruits along this road.

Upon seeing a patch of taro flowers, Lou Yu went over, put down his carrying pole, picked a few blossoms, and absorbed their nectar, thus imbuing himself with the spiritual energy of Hongmeng Mountain. Flowers are indeed spiritual beings.

Just like peach trees on earth, and the immortal peaches in heaven that can prolong life, they are both peaches in essence, but their effects are vastly different depending on where they are located.

There is only a little bit of nectar in a single flower.

Lou Yu plucked about ten flowers.

The rich spiritual energy flowing into his body made him restless and irritable. He touched his forehead; it was burning hot. He quickly shook his head; he still had work to finish.

He picked up the carrying pole again and went down the mountain to fetch water.

Ten flowers of nectar may not seem like much, but they are still considered a semi-divine item. Lou Yu's head was spinning, and his dantian felt like it was on fire, gradually spreading throughout his body, making every bone in his body ache.

Nan Yu could not find Lou Yu.

Calculate using your fingers.

When he arrived, Lou Yu had already collapsed unconscious on the rock, with a silver-ringed snake at his feet. Deng Xin was startled, but the snake suddenly began to speak in human language, calling out, "Greetings, Immortal Venerable."

Nan Yu: "..."

The silver-ringed snake hissed and flicked its tongue as it slithered over, asking, "Why has the Immortal Venerable come here today?"

I remember now, this is Shen Yuqing's free-range spirit pet, the silver-ringed snake, which also has another name, here it's called Golden Thread White Flower.

"Looking for an apprentice."