Crow Immortal
Chapter 7: First Steps in Cultivation

After getting acquainted with Zhang Shan, Sun Kang, and Liu Lan, Old Taoist Li learned that private fights were forbidden and had to temporarily set aside his plans to discipline Han Yu. He then asked the trio about cultivating the spirit fields.

Noticing that Old Taoist Li and Han Yu were completely clueless, Zhang Shan and the others gave them a brief introduction. Both Old Taoist Li and Han Yu observed how the three would unconsciously glance toward Manager Wang's residence while speaking—clearly this manager treated servant disciples harshly, something the earlier arrivals understood all too well.

After this brief acquaintance, Zhang Shan, Sun Kang, and Liu Lan returned to their stone houses. Old Taoist Li shot Han Yu a cold glance and snorted, "Tomorrow you'll show me that jade slip Senior Brother Jin gave you!"

Han Yu nodded silently before asking, "Old Taoist, what about this raven..."

"Keep it if you want! I'm walking the proper immortal path now—no more blood refining!" With that, Old Taoist Li turned and left.

Han Yu watched the old man enter his stone house before gathering his clothes and the jade slip to enter his own dwelling, the large crow following him inside. The sparse interior held only a bed, table, and chair, with a small stove and water vat by the entrance—no bedding or utensils.

Removing his tattered clothes, Han Yu meticulously washed and groomed himself before peering into the water vat at his reflection—a pair of bright eyes stared back. Smiling at his reflection, he changed into the gray robes of a servant disciple. Finding no food in the room, he sat on the bed and pressed the jade slip to his forehead.

At first he only felt coldness, but as he concentrated, the jade slip's contents became clear: "Qi grows like green sprouts in fertile soil, deep roots yield lush leaves—this is Wangu Valley's foundational 'Qi Refining Method,' also called the 'Green Sprout Qi Cultivation Technique.'"

Han Yu focused intently, grasping the cultivation method before eagerly attempting it. Yet after half an hour with no results, he reluctantly gave up and turned to the daily life information Senior Brother Jin had provided.

After reading this and combining it with Zhang Shan's explanations, Han Yu better understood that Wangu Valley's immortal sect wasn't some carefree paradise. Strict rules governed everything—patrols, artifact forging, pill refining, talisman making, demon slaying missions, and disciple competitions—all with detailed regulations. Following rules earned "major merits" or "minor merits" exchangeable for techniques, artifacts, pills and more. Breaking rules meant punishment, with severe cases facing cultivation crippling or imprisonment.

Even managing medicine gardens and spirit fields had rules, as did managers and stewards. Han Yu skimmed other sections but carefully memorized the regulations for tending spirit fields.

As he finished, a "caw caw" interrupted him—the raven was hungry again. Han Yu opened the small jar containing horse blood essence, and the large crow happily approached to drink with its beak. Only after it finished did Han Yu reseal the jar and gesture for it to leave. The satisfied bird cawed its way to the doorway.

Closing the door, Han Yu condensed his essence blood, duplicated it, and began practicing the Blood Refining Method. Since he hadn't yet mastered Wangu Valley's basic Qi Refining Method, the Blood Refining Technique remained his only means of self-protection—especially since his blood duplication ability let him cultivate without needing external blood sources.

Another half hour passed before faint color flushed Han Yu's face as his blood energy grew denser—a twenty percent improvement.

Early next morning, Old Taoist Li arrived outside Han Yu's stone house looking grim. "Eaten yet, boy?"

Han Yu handed over Jin Qi's jade slip: "Not yet. This says new disciples can request managers for food and housing."

Old Taoist Li snorted, "That won't be easy!" Having witnessed Manager Wang's attitude and how Zhang Shan's group feared him, he anticipated difficulties obtaining supplies. Noticing the crow perched on Han Yu's roof ignoring him, he snorted again, "Feathery pest—think I want to keep you?" Without access to fresh blood sources in Wangu Valley and abandoning his fake cultivation methods, he couldn't sustain the crow anyway—better Han Yu took responsibility.

As they spoke, other servant disciples passed by on paths between spirit fields. Dressed in identical gray robes, they drew little attention until Zhang Shan, Sun Kang, and Liu Lan came to greet them.

Finding the trio approachable, Old Taoist Li inquired about bedding and food. Sun Kang said sympathetically, "If you're truly desperate, I can spare some mortal rice first. As for bedding...once you reach Qi Refinement's first layer, you won't need it much—our spirit fields never get too cold."

Just as Old Taoist Li and Han Yu began thanking him, Zhang Shan suddenly coughed sharply—"Ahem!" They turned to see Manager Wang already at Han Yu's field boundary, belly protruding and hands clasped behind his back, his expression thunderous.

"Gathering instead of tending fields first thing in the morning?" His scolding sent Zhang Shan's group scattering like frightened mice.

Manager Wang approached Han Yu and Old Taoist Li, scrutinizing them. "Good, you're both here. These are Green Sprout Rice seeds—specially treated spirit seeds, not for eating! The sect would know instantly if any went missing—plant every last one!"

"Tend your fields properly—harvest every six months with fifty jin per mu yield. Meet this, keep ten percent with one minor merit per mu. Thirty to fifty jin means no penalty but no kept rice or merits. Below thirty jin brings punishment!"

After tossing two seed bags, Manager Wang turned to leave when Old Taoist Li called, "Manager Wang, one question please!"

"Spit it out!" Wang stopped impatiently.

"Steward Fang said we could keep twenty percent of harvests..." Old Taoist Li murmured meekly, "Did I mishear?"

Wang exploded, "You do keep twenty! But your first year's yields won't cover your consumption—that ten percent covers your food! Think I enjoy babysitting you, old fool?"

"Then...could we handle our own provisions without troubling you?" Old Taoist Li ventured.

Before he finished, Manager Wang's fingers snapped together as he shouted "Go!" A white light flashed—the former martial arts master went flying as if hammer-struck, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.

"Old fool, think you can bargain with me?" Manager Wang sneered, "Next time won't be so light!" He stormed off, sleeves flaring.

Stunned, Han Yu—remembering how the village chief's family had seized his home—went to help Old Taoist Li up. "Old Taoist...are you alright?"