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墨書 Inktalez
Old Man Xing is the manager of the janitorial staff at the academy, overseeing all the miscellaneous affairs of the school. All the janitors, including Lufan, must listen to him.
The academy is a place for students to study and cultivate their skills. The students devote all their energy to studying manuals and practicing martial arts, so various trivial matters in daily life naturally need someone to handle them, which is where janitors like Lufan come in.
As a result, Old Man Xing holds considerable power, and he has never been fond of Lufan. This little janitor is only good at cleaning; he cannot lift or carry heavy things and is quite delicate. Most importantly, he eats a lot!
Old Man Xing has been at the academy for decades, always serious about his work, somewhat stubborn, and likes to stick to rules. He personally supervises and inspects the janitors' work every day to prevent any mistakes. Today, he came in and found that Lufan was actually late, which made him very unhappy.
"Sickly Kid, why are you so late? Do you not want to work anymore?" Seeing that Lufan finally arrived, Old Man Xing scolded with a dark expression.
The other janitors stopped their tasks and looked over with an inexplicable expression.
Lufan is somewhat of a special case among the janitors; aside from Fatty, he rarely interacts with the others. Other than when working, it is uncommon for anyone to see him around.
Now that they saw Old Man Xing reprimanding him, everyone felt like they were watching a show.
"I'm sorry, Old Man Xing. I forgot the time this morning and accidentally overslept. Please forgive me; I'll start working right away!" Lufan quickly explained with a smile.
Seeing Lufan's somewhat ingratiating smile, Old Man Xing felt helpless. This Lufan was personally entrusted by the teacher to be taken care of, so although he didn't like him, he couldn't really do anything about it. He could only wave his hand and say, "Alright, hurry up and go clean the Dining Hall. If it's not clean before lunch for the students, I won't let you off!"
"Yes, I'll go right now!" Lufan breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his tools as he headed toward the Dining Hall.
The other janitors exchanged knowing glances; Old Man Xing never actually punished Lufan but always had to get angry first each time. They truly didn't understand why.
Carrying a broom, bucket, cloths, and other items, Lufan walked along the path to the Dining Hall. He was well aware that Old Man Xing disliked him and knew the reason why.
Over the years, aside from doing his own work every day, Lufan had been focused on solving his health issues and had hardly interacted with anyone else here. Naturally, this made his personality seem reclusive and peculiar, not endearing to others.
Especially since Lufan can only obtain energy from food, his appetite is astonishing; he can eat enough for ten people. However, due to his own circumstances, he can only do relatively easy tasks like wiping tables and sweeping floors. It can be said that anyone who employs him for such menial work is at a significant loss.
This is, of course, unacceptable to Old Man Xing, who is used to being frugal. In his eyes, Lufan is just a lazy glutton. He often says that if it weren't for the sake of his position as a teacher and knowing Lufan's weak constitution, he would have kicked him out long ago.
But Lufan knows that Old Man Xing is just talking; in reality, Old Man Xing is a tough exterior with a soft heart. Despite frequently picking on Lufan and threatening to kick him out, he has never actually done so. In fact, he secretly instructs the kitchen to prepare enough food for Lufan so that he won't go hungry.
These things were told to Lufan by Fatty, so Lufan feels very grateful to Old Man Xing, who is a somewhat stubborn but lovable old man.
Most of the servants in the academy are orphans, so Old Man Xing treats them almost like his own children. Although he is strict, he rarely punishes them.
On the contrary, if any servant makes a mistake and angers a teacher or student, it is always Old Man Xing who goes to apologize and take responsibility for the error to gain their forgiveness.
Otherwise, in this world where martial prowess is revered, although cultivators cannot casually harm ordinary people, if they become angry and decide to make trouble for a small servant, no one would take it seriously.
Thus, the servants all hold Old Man Xing in high regard and genuinely see him as a grandfather.
Lufan also feels grateful for the academy. Although it is small, it has a strong sense of community. Whether teachers or students, as cultivators, they do not act arrogantly but treat others with relative calmness.
This is rare; after reading a lot of materials, Lufan knows that in many countries, cultivators hold high status while ordinary people are looked down upon, leading to a more miserable life for them.
Soon Lufan arrived at the Dining Hall. This place is similar to cafeterias on Earth but has a much better environment. The tables and chairs are made of elegantly crafted wood and are arranged quite tastefully.
Lufan's task is to clean this area before the students come to eat, ensuring that it is spotless.
Lufan first sweeps the floor with a broom and then fetches water to wipe down the tables and chairs with a cloth.
When it comes to cleaning, Lufan excels; whether sweeping or wiping surfaces, he uses skillful techniques. His movements are fluid and graceful, stirring up not a speck of dust while achieving a thorough clean.
There was no choice; it was all due to the environment. When he first arrived here, he had to fight against the powerful gravity every day. To walk freely, he had to use all his strength to control his body. Over time, he developed strong control abilities, which made him exceptionally effective at cleaning.
Lufan had been doing these tasks for eight years, so familiar with them that he could do them even with his eyes closed. What occupied his mind now was how to cultivate the Iron Cloth Technique next.
Although he had figured out the cultivation method for the Iron Cloth Technique, there was still one obstacle: Lufan's internal energy was insufficient.
Since opening all his meridians, Lufan had thought he could directly absorb Heaven and Earth Vital Energy from the void. However, this world rejected him completely, preventing him from absorbing even a trace of Heaven and Earth Vital Energy.
He initially thought he had been reduced back to square one, but fortunately, the situation wasn't the worst. He discovered that he could obtain Heaven and Earth Vital Energy from food and medicinal herbs.
However, food and herbs containing Heaven and Earth Vital Energy were generally quite expensive. Qingyang Academy had very few of them, as they were primarily reserved for students and teachers, making them inaccessible to a small servant like Lufan. Therefore, over the past year, Lufan had been relying on ordinary food to absorb energy and refine it into internal power.
The energy contained in ordinary food was minimal. Over the past year, Lufan's accumulated internal energy was likely insufficient to even begin practicing the Iron Cloth Technique. He needed to come up with some ideas; ideally, he wanted to obtain a piece of Primordial Meat.
Primordial Meat contained vital energy and was typically found only in the flesh of wild beasts in the wilderness, which also made it quite valuable.
Although the servants at Qingyang Academy received wages, Lufan had spent almost all his money on food due to his cultivation needs over the years. He could be said to be broke now and unable to afford Primordial Meat.
While cleaning, Lufan pondered but couldn't think of any solutions. Feeling somewhat troubled, he ultimately decided to seek help from his teacher.
This was something he was reluctant to do; since arriving in this world, he had already received too much care from his teacher. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to trouble him.
Having made up his mind, after finishing cleaning the Dining Hall and seeing that the students were about to arrive, Lufan tidied up a bit and planned to put things back in the Servants' Quarters before going to find his teacher.
As he exited the Dining Hall, he saw a group of students chatting and laughing as they walked toward him. Lufan stepped aside to let them pass first.
This was a habit of his; when he first arrived in this world, he hardly interacted with anyone, especially these students who practiced martial arts.
There was no way around it; the martial artists were too powerful. Even a simple physical contact could leave Lufan seriously injured. To avoid such unfortunate incidents, Lufan always kept his distance from this group.
There were seven or eight students in this group, and at the front was a striking girl with a long ponytail. She was chatting with her companions, smiling, when she turned her head and spotted Lufan. Her eyes lit up, and after saying something to those around her, she made her way over.
"Lufan, what a coincidence to run into you!" The ponytail girl said with some surprise as she approached, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.
Lufan was startled and instinctively took a step back to avoid her hand.
The ponytail girl paused for a moment before recalling something and said apologetically, "Sorry, I forgot."
"I'm working," Lufan replied, raising the item in his hand as a gesture.
Seeing the tool in Lufan's hand, the ponytail girl understood; she knew he was responsible for cleaning the Dining Hall. However, she had never encountered him there before.
But she had come over for another reason: "How did you think about my suggestion from a few days ago?"
Lufan felt helpless. "Didn't I say I'm not going?"
"Come on," the ponytail girl insisted. "You don't need to worry about safety; my friends and I will protect you. You just need to focus on finding herbs. We'll handle the gathering! You won't have to lift a finger."
"Alright, I'll think about it," Lufan said, feeling a bit of a headache. He regretted being soft-hearted when he initially pointed things out to her; now he was in trouble. But he also knew how persistent this girl could be, so he could only temporarily appease her.
"Okay, think it over. I'll come find you at the Library in a couple of days!" Hearing Lufan's tone soften, the ponytail girl was delighted and quickly made plans before running off to inform her companions.
Once she joined them and started chattering excitedly, the other students looked over in surprise. Lufan shook his head and continued toward the Servants' Quarters.
The Servants' Quarters were empty; everyone was busy with their own tasks. After putting down his things, Lufan planned to go find his master.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Fatty ’s big face grinning mischievously at him, with both hands hidden behind his back.
“ Fatty, did you find a treasure? Why are you smiling like that?”
“Guess what I brought you?” Fatty continued to smirk.
“It’s not another pig’s trotter or something, is it? I told you, you don’t have to bring me something every time. Just take it back for Xiao Ling; she needs it more since her health isn’t great.”
Xiao Ling was Fatty ’s younger sister, who had always been in poor health and relied on Fatty.
“It’s not that; it’s Primordial Meat!” Fatty revealed what he had been hiding behind his back. It was a piece of bright red meat, about the size of a palm, translucent and clearly not ordinary meat.
Lufan stared blankly at the Primordial Meat, then looked at Fatty ’s smile and couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you get this Primordial Meat?”
“A while ago, didn’t you say you needed a piece of Primordial Meat to heal yourself? I bought this from the academy. Hurry up and use it; get better soon.”
Lufan felt a bit dazed. He had mentioned it to Fatty before but never expected him to remember it so well, let alone buy a piece.
Seeing Lufan in a daze, Fatty shoved the meat into his hand and turned to run away, saying, “You better eat it! I need to get back to the kitchen to help; otherwise, I’ll get scolded again. Let me know when you’re better.”
Watching Fatty ’s retreating figure, Lufan tightened his grip on the Primordial Meat. He knew that to buy this piece of Primordial Meat, Fatty must have spent all his savings over the years, and he still had a sister to take care of.
“I won’t let you down, Fatty.” Clenching the Primordial Meat tightly in his hand, Lufan said firmly before turning around and heading back to his place to prepare for training in the Iron Cloth Technique.
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