The Bitter Taste of Obedience

Chapter 150: Broken Promise

“Take over a hundred-medicine garden at Green Rock Ridge. Deliver a fixed quantity of rare herbs each year.”

The moment Han Li saw this line of gold lacquer script on the bamboo slip, elation surged within him. He pointed at the slip and raised his head to the steward Yu. “This task appeals to me. Brother Yu, could you tell me more about it?”

Hearing Han Li’s words, the steward smiled and stepped closer. But when he saw which task Han Li had chosen, the easy grin on his face instantly twisted into a wry grimace.

“Junior Brother, you’d better pick something else. This garden takeover mission is too troublesome—it’s not suitable for you,” the steward said with great sincerity. When he saw Han Li’s puzzled expression, he continued his explanation.

“This task has been posted here for several years now. Quite a few disciples have taken it on, but every single one botched it. Instead of earning the reward, they ended up being fined a considerable number of spirit stones—it’s one of the most difficult tasks on the board. And I’m not ashamed to admit it, Junior Brother Han: every year, I have to resort to drawing lots among the senior brothers just to assign this task out!”

Han Li found this somewhat amusing, but he also grew a bit wary. Still, he had no intention of giving up just yet, so he humbly asked for clarification.

“Brother, could you tell me exactly what makes this task so difficult? Why could none of those senior brothers complete it? Isn’t it just managing the herbs in the garden? How hard could that be?”

“Is your nephew selecting Elder Ma’s garden mission?” The old man surnamed Ye furrowed his brow and interjected before the middle-aged steward could answer, having overheard their conversation.

“Exactly! Junior Brother Han has set his sights on Uncle-Master Ma’s notoriously difficult task.” The middle-aged steward wore a look of utter helplessness.

Hearing this, the old man’s expression turned into one of bemused resignation.

“Haha! Nephew Han certainly knows how to pick! You’ve gone straight for the most troublesome task here. But let me tell you, this one is a real headache—several people who were forced to take it have come to me complaining. However, since Brother Ma refuses to easily adjust the reward and penalty conditions, there’s nothing I can do. If Nephew Han wishes to know the details, you may follow me to the inner hall and look through the relevant archives yourself—that would be far better than hearing a secondhand account.”

For some reason, this hall master Ye of the Hundred Mechanisms Hall was being exceptionally generous with Han Li, opening doors for him that he normally wouldn’t.

Han Li frowned inwardly. This Uncle-Master Ye is being far too enthusiastic. True, I gave up the Foundation Establishment Pill to him, but on the surface that was an equal exchange—it shouldn’t warrant such warmth from him...

Suppressing his doubts, Han Li put on an expression of flattered surprise, then followed the old man—who had picked up the bamboo slip—into a room at the back of the main hall. The room was piled high with all sorts of scrolls and dossiers.

The old man lightly waved the bamboo slip in the air. A green light flashed, and a scroll flew into his hand of its own accord. He then passed the scroll to Han Li.

Since things had already come this far, Han Li didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the scroll, unrolled it quickly, and read it carefully.

The scroll wasn’t long. It contained records of the experiences of the previous disciples who had taken over the garden, along with their explanations for their failures. Han Li read through it quickly and, within a short time, had gained a fairly thorough understanding of both the nature of the task and its difficulties.

“Well? How about picking another assignment instead? The reward for this task is generous, but it truly isn’t something an ordinary disciple can complete,” the Uncle-Master Ye said, with what seemed like genuine concern.

Han Li pondered for a moment, then shook his head decisively. “Thank you for your concern, Uncle-Master Ye, but this task suits me perfectly. There’s no need to look for another—I’ll take this one.”

The old man was somewhat taken aback by the resolve in Han Li’s voice, but he said no more and nodded in agreement. However, instead of immediately leading Han Li out of the room, he hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a slightly forced tone.

“Nephew Han, regarding our earlier transaction of the Foundation Establishment Pill… could we possibly defer delivery of some of the items? Your uncle has been refining a batch of Harmony Qi Pills recently, and my funds are rather tight—it wouldn’t be convenient otherwise. But rest assured, Nephew—after a year or so, I will repay everything I owe in full.”

Han Li was momentarily stunned by this statement, but he quickly broke into a smile.

“Uncle-Master Ye, what are you saying? If it’s inconvenient for you, just give me what you can. There’s no need to speak of repayment later—consider this junior’s small token of filial respect to you.”

As he said this, Han Li felt an overwhelming sense of hypocrisy. Here I am, stewing with resentment inside, utterly furious at this breach of promise, and yet I have to keep a smile on my face and say the very things he wants to hear. This must be the bitterness of being the weaker party. He laughed bitterly in his heart.

“What do you mean by that, Nephew? Do you take me for someone who breaks his word and goes back on his promises? I will not short you a single thing I’ve promised.” The old man surnamed Ye, far from looking pleased, put on a stern expression, projecting the image of an upright gentleman who would never stoop to such base conduct.

Han Li’s smile, which he had been maintaining with effort, nearly shattered from sheer frustration upon hearing this.

This elder’s skin is thicker than a city wall! His real intention is clearly to renege on most of the goods, yet he still insists on putting on this fake face of integrity and trustworthiness! What a textbook hypocrite!

Unable to contain himself, Han Li began cursing silently in his mind. But his smile barely flickered before he smoothly replaced it with a look of earnest sincerity and continued in a tone that even he found nauseating.

“Uncle-Master, you’ve misunderstood me! The truth is, I feel that these things are far too extravagant for a newly admitted disciple like myself. So it would be better to leave most of the items in your care for now—I have no immediate use for them anyway.”

Hearing these words of blatant insincerity, the old man’s expression softened, and he gave a slight nod. “What Nephew Han says does make some sense. New disciples who rely too heavily on external possessions will indeed find them a hindrance to their cultivation. Very well, we’ll do as you suggest. I’ll keep the items here for safekeeping. If you ever need them, don’t hesitate to come and collect them.”

“Then I’ll be in your care, Uncle-Master Ye.” Han Li forced a smile, repeatedly telling himself to calm down. These are merely external possessions. I can’t afford to offend this old man now. When the opportunity comes, I’ll take back everything, with interest.

“Haha! It’s nothing. Let’s go back outside.” The old man seemed to be in an even better mood.

What followed was much simpler. With the assistance of Uncle-Master Ye, Han Li completed all the formalities without a hitch and received the jade token confirming his acceptance of the task. Then, under the steward Yu’s enthusiastic guidance, he set off for the Hundred Medicines Garden at Golden Cicada Ridge.

The old man surnamed Ye stood at the entrance of the Hundred Mechanisms Hall, watching Han Li’s figure grow smaller as he flew into the distance. His face darkened, and he fell silent, as if lost in thought.

“Has Brother Ye’s heart grown soft?” A deep voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

“It’s not a matter of a soft heart. It’s just that using such means against a newly initiated disciple feels somewhat... improper. And what if this Nephew Han says one thing to our faces but does another behind our backs, and reports this matter to the sect leader?” The old man didn’t turn around, but his words carried a hint of unease.

“Heh, report?” The voice behind him let out a cold laugh.

“What? Brother Wu isn’t worried?” The old man surnamed Ye finally turned around to face the grim-faced man surnamed Wu behind him.

“What’s there to worry about? That boy very sensibly followed our pre-arranged script and volunteered to leave the items in your care. It’s not as if you said you wouldn’t return them—you’re just keeping them safe for now. What does he have to report?” Brother Wu said with evident confidence.

“Still, I do have a certain appreciation for that boy. To know when to advance and when to retreat at such a young age—that’s no small matter. If only his talent weren’t so poor, if he weren’t of False Spiritual Roots, I might actually consider taking him as a disciple.” Brother Wu followed up, a hint of regret flickering across his face.

“It’s fortunate he isn’t stubborn. Otherwise, we would have had to resort to other methods, and that would have been far more troublesome.” The old man surnamed Ye spoke slowly.

“Enough. There’s nothing to worry about with this boy. Squashing him would be like squashing an ant. But Brother Ye, since you’ve managed to avoid a major expense this time, don’t forget what we discussed earlier.” Brother Wu abruptly changed the subject, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

“I won’t forget. This batch of Harmony Qi Pills will be split with you—half is yours. To be honest, if my grand-nephew didn’t need such a large quantity of precious pills for his Foundation Establishment process, I wouldn’t have stooped to swindling a junior’s belongings.” The old man surnamed Ye shook his head lightly, projecting the image of a man of integrity whose principles had been compromised.

Upon hearing this, the man surnamed Wu said nothing, but smiled to himself, inwardly exultant.

Now that Brother Ye has gone and done something so underhanded, he’s left a handle in my hands. There’s no need to worry that he won’t favor my side in future deliberations.