Chapter 2: No Patron

Jiang Min was merely a mortal, and the fall had been harsh—her whole body ached, pain flashing behind her eyes. Yet when she heard the chubby boy trying to accuse her and have her expelled, she forced herself up despite the agony, hurriedly defending herself to the steward:

“I’m just a village child; I can’t even read. Why would I steal your lot? I don’t even know what I drew myself!”

“When you pulled on my stick, the splinters went right into my hand. That’s proof!”

She raised her palm to the steward, her sallow and thin face brimming with stubbornness and indignation.

With their cultivation, the two stewards could easily see the splinters still embedded in her palm and the mottled traces of blood, as well as the fact that she was just a poor child from a small village.

The chubby boy, though he tried to cover it up and bluff his way through, was still too young to hide his panic. Jiang Min’s words unsettled him, and the subtle shift in his expression made the truth obvious to the stewards.

“Enough! I—” The middle-aged steward’s voice grew stern. He was about to order an inspection of both lots to see what was written on them.

But the chubby boy quickly cut in, bowing respectfully, “Sir Steward, my cousin’s husband is Zhang Xun, an inner-sect disciple under a Golden Core master. How could I possibly break sect rules by stealing someone else’s lot?”

“It’s this wretched girl who lies with every breath. If she stays in the sect, she’ll be a menace. She must be expelled!”

The words froze the steward’s response in his throat, his gaze lingering on the chubby boy. The situation had become clearly problematic—this boy was invoking his backing, and it was not insignificant.

A Golden Core cultivator!

He himself was only an outer-sect steward at the early Foundation Establishment stage; how could he risk offending an inner-sect disciple of such rank?

Jiang Min, hearing the boy’s background, was equally astonished. On the journey to the sect, she had learned of the cultivation realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, and Unity. Golden Core cultivators were already pillars of the sect, capable of great feats.

She never imagined that, though both assigned to menial labor, this chubby boy would have such formidable connections.

She began to suspect the steward would choose to smooth things over—just as she’d seen before, when the mayor’s nephew had beaten a beggar to death in the street and faced no consequences, continuing to swagger about the town.

So then—

Would she really be expelled?

Jiang Min clutched the little bundle in her arms, tightened her grip on the wooden lot, pressed her cracked lips together, and looked up at the middle-aged steward. Her large, bright black eyes seemed to speak, full of anxiety and defiance.

The steward couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. What a clever little girl—yet fate had not been kind to her.

He looked at the chubby boy and said in a grave voice, “Enough. This matter ends here. I now know you are innocent.”

At these words, Jiang Min was stunned. She stared at the steward in disbelief.

He continued, addressing the chubby boy, “However, this girl did not succeed in taking your lot, so she has not broken the rules. But as punishment for being the first to act, half her first year’s wages will be docked.”

The chubby boy looked dissatisfied; he wanted nothing more than to get rid of Jiang Min to eliminate future trouble. As he opened his mouth to protest, the steward sent him a message with spiritual power:

“The spirit stones she forfeits will be given to you as medical compensation. This matter is settled.”

The chubby boy was momentarily stunned.

Then joy swept away his anger. Half a year’s wages meant ten lower-grade spirit stones and a Nourishing Pill!

With a triumphant glance at the disheveled girl, his eyes glinted with malice. At first, he had planned to intimidate this unlucky wretch, then find an opportunity to quietly get rid of her, so no one would know he had swapped lots.

He hadn’t expected the stubborn girl to cause such a scene—and if he hadn’t invoked his powerful connection, he’d have been the one in trouble.

It seemed Jiang Min would not be driven out today.

But there would be plenty of chances to get rid of her later.

With that thought, his spirits lifted. Smiling, he presented his lot to the steward and bowed. “Sir Steward, my name is Li Mao. Here is my lot for registration.”

The middle-aged steward glanced at the lot and then turned to the younger steward. “Li Mao, assigned to the Alchemy Hall as a menial disciple.”

The young steward quickly recorded his name in the Alchemy Hall’s register.

A wave of excitement rippled through the children.

Many gasped in envy, casting admiring looks at Li Mao.

A posting in the Alchemy Hall was a lucrative assignment—Li Mao was truly lucky!

With Li Mao’s assignment recorded, the middle-aged steward looked at the assembled children. “All right, line up as before and continue drawing lots.”

He glanced at Jiang Min, who by now had returned to her spot, head bowed, clutching her patched bundle.

The steward could not see the expression on her face, but he imagined she must be very disappointed.

“I hope she’s smart enough to realize I’m protecting her.”

“But even if she blames me for it, she’s just a menial with five spiritual roots—her fate means little to me.”

He turned away and resumed the lottery.

And so, the farce came to an end.

Jiang Min stood some distance from Li Mao, her head lowered, tears welling in her eyes but not falling.

She had been unable to intervene in the conversation—her fate had been decided in a few words by others.

She had no say, no backing.

She had done nothing wrong, yet her rightful place had been stolen, and half a year’s pay docked as well.

No one believed her, even though every word she said was true, every argument sound.

Was having connections really all that mattered?

“Don’t cry, Yaya, don’t cry—if you cry, the bad guys win.”

“Smile! Mother always said, keep smiling and good luck will come.”

Jiang Min comforted herself silently, sniffed, wiped away her tears, and forced a smile.

But the moment she thought of the mortal enmity she’d gained with Li Mao, her smile quickly faded.

“Wretched fat brat! I know you already see me as a thorn in your side, desperate to be rid of me.”

“But if you can cultivate, so can I.”

“I, Jiang Min… without relying on anyone, will one day climb to those heights myself!”

She clenched her fists, the splinters in her palm stinging all the more, but she took the pain as a lesson in weakness.

She did not yet know that some things are determined by innate talent—like cultivation itself.

All she knew was that if she could become the best seamstress in town by her own effort, then here too, she could find a way to rise.

At that moment, the young steward finished registering the previous children and came before her, asking in an official tone, “Where is your lot?”

Jiang Min quickly composed herself, imitating the other children, and offered her lot with both hands. In a clear voice, she said, “Disciple Jiang Min, here is my lot for your inspection.”

The young steward found it remarkable that, after all she’d been through, she had recovered her composure so swiftly.

He took the lot and, glancing at it, immediately understood the cause of the earlier conflict.

“Jiang Min, assigned to the Library Pavilion as a menial disciple.”

Jiang Min realized at once—Li Mao had drawn the Library Pavilion lot. She’d overheard people saying that, despite the similar names, the Library and the Sutra Pavilion were worlds apart.

The Sutra Pavilion housed the sect’s most precious scriptures and cultivation techniques.

The Library Pavilion, on the other hand, contained a vast collection of books of every kind.

For cultivators, only the scriptures and techniques were relevant to their progress; everything else was just miscellaneous reading. The books in the Library might be rare treasures in the mortal world, but for cultivators, they were of little use.

Moreover, whether it was the Sutra Pavilion or the Library, menial workers were not allowed to read the books; their job was simply to clean and do chores, never to set foot inside.

A posting in the Alchemy Hall was worth far more than one in the Library Pavilion.

“I clearly covered the writing on my lot when I peeked; how did Li Mao know which one I drew?”

This was what puzzled Jiang Min the most.

She would later learn that, after cultivating, spiritual sense underwent a tremendous transformation. Li Mao, already at the Qi Refining stage, could easily probe her lot with his spiritual sense.

Now that things had come to this, Jiang Min felt no more regret and comforted herself, “It’s all right—the Library Pavilion is fine too.”

“I’ve heard it’s remote, heavily guarded, and high atop a mountain. Li Mao won’t be able to get at me there.”

A mountain breeze sprang up, and the girl’s hair danced across her forehead.

She looked up at the distant scene, where immortal palaces and towers floated amid clouds and sunlight.

Facing the morning light, she smiled with unwavering resolve, bright and fierce.

“I’m not afraid.”

“I’ll deal with all the bad people myself.”