Under the sun’s glorious warmth, a youngster and an old man passed pavilions and many crossings to arrive at an opulent grand hall.
Elder Yuan pointed at a magnificent roof and warned, “Zhuo Fan, here are Sect Leader’s chambers, a total of 273 rooms. You must be very thorough in cleaning each of them.”
“Blast it, two damn hundred? Did he ever use them all?” Zhuo Fan grumbled.
Elder Yuan waved his hands around and hushed him in panic, “This is the prestige of a Sect Leader. Us, laborers, cannot make light of this or else…”
Elder Yuan put on a heavy look.
Zhuo Fan got it. A demonic sect’s leader was no pushover nor a kind grandpa. [Anyone talking behind his back might soon find an untimely end.] But yours truly was the exception since Xie Wuyue had recruited him personally. Why go through all that trouble just to kill him out of pettiness?
[He’d fail as a Sect Leader.]
Zhuo Fan’s mind worked to wring out how far he could push it…
“Fine, I’m going to work.” Zhuo Fan walked to the hall with the broom.
Elder Yuan panicked, pulling him back, “Zhuo Fan, always remember, the Sect Leader is idiosyncratic and a clean freak. Sweep down to the last spec of dust. Getting Sect Leader unhappy would make our heads roll. ”
“Do you know why the others were so happy to go to the other elders’ houses? Because they didn’t want to clean Sect Leader’s house. Yue Ling gave it to you on purpose, to have Sect Leader remove you in her place. You must exercise caution at all times, your life depends on it.”
“Oh, thanks for the reminder Elder Yuan.” Zhuo Fan nodded and cupped his hands. But showed no change in character, hanging the broom on his shoulder like before, strutting into the hall.
As if he had come to rob the place, not clean it.
Elder Yuan’s face twitched.
[The kid’s too wild and fearless…]
In the building, gold and jade decorations welcomed him. At the far center was a jade long chair, very expensive.
There were wall chandeliers on each side, made with utmost attention to detail. The image was complete with stands holding exquisite vases, adding an air of elegance.
To some it up, it was quaint.
Magnificent but not excessive, glorious but not ostentatious.
It got Zhuo Fan’s stamp of approval. From the style alone, he guessed Xie Wuyue was a man of mystery, keeping everything to himself. A cultivator with a high mentality.
Cough…
Zhuo Fan jerked and noticed a youth in silk and having cruel eyes looking back at him from the entrance.
The youth was amazed the instant he saw his face, “Zhuo Fan?”
“Xie Wuyue?”
Eyebrow twitching, Zhuo Fan called back.
Grinning and nodding, Xie Wuyue passed him and sat on the jade chair, “Ha-ha-ha, that’s not quite right, but Zhuo Fan, since you’re now in my sect, the least you should do is call me Sect Leader. “
“Sect Leader!”
Grinning back, this was Zhuo Fan’s first time meeting Xie Wuyue in the flesh. Last time was just his soul but he saw no features, just a shadow, “May I ask, Sect Leader, after going through so much hard work, traveling thousands of miles to find me and paying a 9th grade pill to recruit me, was it all just to have me sweep floors?”
Looking him in the eye, he lifted the broom and held it like a club, ready to go at it. Xie Wuyue chuckled, “I would lose too much letting you just sweep for a 9th grade pill. Tell me, where exactly do you look like a hardworking and conscious sweeper?”
Zhuo Fan checked himself and shook his head. He could sweep enemies, but failed to sweep floors.
Laughing, Xie Wuyue turned serious, “Zhuo Fan, I have brought you here with the intention to have you become an elite by being Sect Leader’s disciple and represent the sect in the Double Dragon Gathering. But High Venerable questioned your ability and had you put in the Labor Office for trial.”
“I understand High Venerable’s worries, but out of the elites, inner disciples, outer disciples and Labor Office, did it have to be the worst one? I’m a 7th layer Profound Heaven cultivator for crying out loud, yet don’t even qualify as an outer disciple? And what’s that Double Dragon Gathering anyway?”
“It’s too soon for you to know. As for High Venerable’s decision, I am to blame. I’ve praised you so much that High Venerable grew skeptical and thus put you in the Labor Office. If you’re that great, then you should be able to stand out even there. I thought the same so I agreed. Since with your skills, getting great merit should be easy.” Xie Wuyue snickered.
Zhuo Fan’s face twitched all this while, flipping, “Shove it! At least give me something to work with. How am I supposed to get merit without some guidelines? With how detached Labor Office is from the rest, I won’t achieve anything. Besides, the merit of strengthening laborers falls on Yue Ling and Kui Lang. What am I supposed to do?”
“It’s all in your hands now to figure out, to prove to the whole sect what you can do. If you can’t surpass even those two, you’ll be stuck in the Labor Office for ever.” He brushed off his impeccable sleeves, “And stop spouting vulgarities in front of me. This will be your only warning. The next time you’ll be sorry. Got that?”
[Freakin’ show off!]
Scratching his nose, Zhuo Fan nodded, “Yeah.”
“Great, now start sweeping. I want to see for myself if you’re qualified for labor.” Xie Wuyue snickered.
This grand and mighty arriviste, the same one that cleaned up Tianyu of all factions and was hailed as best in the empire, was sweeping floors.
Xie Wuyue giggled inside.
Zhuo Fan rolled his eyes, grumbled inside and the broom flew from his shoulder, releasing a gale. A yellow wave spread from his foot along the floor with crazy speed.
In an instant, the dust picked up so much it was like a tornado got stuffed in the hall.
Cough…
Xie Wuyue covered his mouth and nose while shouting, “Enough, stop this instant, do you hear me!”
“What could possibly be wrong, Sect Leader?” Zhuo Fan halted and the tornado vanished.
Xie Wuyue glared, a vein popping on his forehead, “You did that on purpose! Is this how you sweep? You’re looking for a beating!”
“Is it not? But it’s clean.” Zhuo Fan pointed below him with a straight face.
It was damn spotless, without the slightest grain of dust on the paved floor. But the earlier blue stones had now turned white.
Eyebrow twitching, Xie Wuyue balled his fists, “You’re only alive because I have great plans for you. Fine, now stop sweeping and do something else.”
“En.”
Zhuo Fan was too obedient, spinning on his heel and leaving. Yet he only took a step and heard a crisp sound.
Holding the broom under his arm, it accidentally hit a vase, now turned to pieces.
Xie Wuyue held his head in annoyance.
Zhuo Fan waved his hands, “Sect Leader, I’ll fix it right up!”
He rushed to pick up the pieces, but the broom swung again under his arm and sent a jade carving flying, sending fragments all over the clean floor as it shattered.
Xie Wuyue’s eyebrow jumped, his eyes burning red hot, wishing nothing more than to tear Zhuo Fan into nothing.
“It’s all alright, Sect Leader, I’ll handle it!” Zhuo Fan manned up.
But Xie Wuyue had had enough, “Handle your dumb ass! You’re only making it worse. Now scram the hell out! You’re clearly here to pick a fight! Don’t ever sweep again and figure out a way to get out of the Labor Office!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!” Zhuo Fan snickered inside, skipping out of the hall.
Xie Wuyue was left alone in his jade throne watching him go filled with rage. Turning to the pristine floor, now filled with rubble, his wrath knew no bounds…
