Yanli Mountain, Immortal Beast Garden
This particular garden was home to over 10 Immortal Cranes. These Immortal Cranes were extremely noble creatures. They refused to eat anything but delicacies, and could even eat the immortal treasures of the martial cultivators.
The Immortal Crane was a type of spiritual beast. It possessed the bloodline of a true immortal beast.
Legend had it that these immortal beasts were even more powerful than demons or devils. They could soar through the skies, unshackled to the earth, and were powerful enough to overturn seas. They were as mystically powerful as dragons, phoenixes, and qilins.
"Sun Wudao, who is this?" When Wu Yu arrived at the garden, a large group of tall and strong individuals immediately surrounded them. They did not seem to have pleasant looks on their faces. These individuals were young and strong. Furthermore, they had been tempered within the immortal sect for many years and had boundless vitality and energy.
"If these individuals were placed in the mortal world, all of them could become high-ranking generals!" thought Wu Yu in his heart.
"He is called Wu Yu. It is said that the Sect Leader brought him back from his travels." Sun Wudao was the most senior individual here, yet he was not respected at all.
"Sect Leader? Haha. Don't jest." The group of servants began to laugh. The one which seemed to be leading the group then stood up. "Since he was someone brought back by the Sect Leader, then he must definitely be an unparalleled genius. Why don't I test him out?"
His name was Zhao Chuan, and he was the head of the 100 odd servants on Yanli Mountain. He was 30 years old this year, in his prime. It was said that he was at the fourth tier of the Body Refining Realm, possessing the ability of one at the Strengthening Viscera tier.
"No!" Sun Wudao used his frail and skinny body to shelter Wu Yu before shouting, "He was poisoned in the mortal world and has been crippled. Please don't trouble him."
Wu Yu had never imagined that at a time like this, Sun Wudao would protect him, not even hesitating to go against this group of servants. Wu Yu silently took note of this kindness in his heart. If not for Sun Wudao, he would likely have received a beating, especially since he was new.
"Oh, turns out it’s a piece of trash. Let's get the unpleasant things out first. Regardless of whether you're trash or not, you will have to do your work. If you miss even one thing, you will pay with your life. I, Zhao Chuan, am not someone who will sympathize with trash. Furthermore, Immortal Su is the one who handed me the responsibility of caring for this garden. She trusts me," Zhao Chuan said without any restraint.
"Boss Zhao, please be at ease. If he does anything less, I will make up for it myself," Sun Wudao replied.
"You will, you old bag of bones? Are you even able to?" Zhao Chuan gave a cold smile before turning and shouting to the group, "Brothers, you have to do your jobs well today. There are a few immortals who will be paying a visit to Immortal Su. You need to take good care of their Immortal Cranes. If anything happens, you will have to pay with your mongrel lives!"
"Yes, Sir! As Boss Zhao commands!" everyone answered.
As there was something important that had to be done, Zhao Chuan could not be bothered to continue troubling that pair any longer.
Not long after Zhao Chuan's command, the sounds of Immortal Cranes could he heard amidst the mist in the skies. Several huge Immortal Cranes descended into the garden and then several youths unmounted them.
All of them were not very old and looked about Wu Yu's age. They all wore exquisite robes that looked even more elegant than those worn by even the Emperor! The males had an impressive air of nobility and boundless vitality. The females were extremely graceful and possessed flawless snow-white skin. They were cheerful and lightheartedly talking. They inspired envy.
"If I had not been afflicted with the Spirit Severing Powder, I might have been able to become one of them." Wu Yu stood by the side, respectfully lowering his head, not even daring to look at them directly. If he dared to do so, it was likely that this group of immortals would discipline him.
"Senior Apprentice Su, we are here to learn the Immortal Dao from you today." Several of the immortals were smilingly walking towards Yanli's palace. The surrounding rabble was not deserving of their attention.
After the immortals had left, Zhao Chuan started shouting his commands loudly. "Take care of the beasts properly!"
Sun Wudao did not speak much and directly showed Wu Yu how to feed and take care of the Immortal Cranes. Wu Yu had gotten a grasp of the rules around the place and hence began to diligently learn and execute his tasks, all to ensure that Sun Wudao would not get into any further trouble.
In the blink of an eye, it was evening. Su Yanli had given the word that the gathering was over, so all of those fellow immortals had to leave the mountain. Wu Yu and Sun Wudao were like father and son, lying on top of a large, azure rock to rest. Wu Yu then asked Wudao about the details of the immortal sect to get a better understanding of the numerous matters regarding the sect, cultivation, and Sun Wudao himself. All of a sudden, they heard someone shouting in panic. The two of them immediately rushed over. There was an Immortal Crane vomiting and defecating all over, looking extremely berserk.
"That is a crane of one of the visitors!"
Upon seeing this sight, everyone began to panic. Even Zhao Chuan was trembling with fear. It was right at this time that the immortals were leaving Yanli's palace. One glance told them everything.
"My Ling Er!" A handsome youth ran out from within the crowd. He was garbed in a black and white robe with a jade ornament clasped onto his waist. On his back rested a jeweled longsword.
"Who was the one who took care of my Immortal Crane?" That handsome youth bellowed out loud, looking furious. His voice reverberated through everyone's ears. Sun Wudao was almost frightened to the point that he fell off the rock.
Bluntly speaking, no one was assigned any Immortal Cranes in a specific fashion, and everyone fed whichever crane was available. Furthermore, all of them looked the same, so who would know who fed which one? Furthermore, this had nothing to do with the caretaker. Perhaps something had happened to the food that was fed to the cranes.
"Wu Yu! It was you!"
At this point in time, a pale-faced Zhao Chuan shouted out.
"Who is Wu Yu!?" The handsome youth's tone turned icy.
Everyone's gazes shifted and landed squarely on Wu Yu.
Wu Yu was also dumbfounded. This was the first time he had come here, he had no idea what had even happened.
"You deserve death!"
Situ Jin, the owner of the crane, immediately brandished a whip. Without a word, he rushed in front of Wu Yu. The whip was raised up and, like a bolt of lightning, was lashed downwards. The whip had struck before anyone could hear anything. Wu Yu himself had yet to see anything happen, but the clothes on his chest suddenly split apart. A fearful, bloody gash appeared on him. He was struck flying backwards by the enormous force of the strike and smashed against the azure stone, practically half-dead.
"I fed the Immortal Crane," Sun Wudao said as he stood up, his eyes trembling slightly.
Just as Wu Yu's willpower was about to fade away and he was about to faint, he heard those words spoken by Sun Wudao. He had never imagined that Sun Wudao would help him, even in such a moment of crisis. Today's kindness was deeply etched in his heart. Whenever something had to do with him, he would not implicate others for his own actions. This Zhao Chuan had seen him as trash and had wanted to use Wu Yu to solve his problems. However, this was Zhao Chuan and Situ's problem. This had nothing to do with Sun Wudao.
"It has nothing to do with him!" Wu Yu struggled to stand. He did not know where this strength came from, but he pushed Sun Wudao away. These were the principles he lived by. He could not let someone else suffer for him.
Although he had entered an immortal sect, he was unable to accomplish his dream of becoming an immortal. Even when he was about to die, he was doomed to forever be a mediocre individual, doomed to serve others and doomed to live as someone of the lowest rank. Hence, even though he had gotten a second chance, Wu Yu did not hold much hopes of overthrowing his destiny.
"How audacious! What I hate most is seeing someone who clearly cannot take another strike still act like a courageous fool," said Situ as he gave a cold laugh. The whip arched backwards and lashed down onto Wu Yu's body like a poisonous snake, lacerating his flesh and leaving it in a mess. Wu Yu smothered a scream as he was forced onto his knees. His chest felt as though it was on fire, a burning, lancing pain.
"Forget it. This Wu Yu is a cripple. Even if he dies, it won't change anything. We, on the other hand, cannot die, we are still in the prime of our lives and can still labor on behalf of Immortal Su." This was what most of the rabble were thinking to console themselves.
"This is truly scary. Good thing it wasn’t my Mei Er. Otherwise, I would die of sadness. It looks like Situ Jin's anger is warranted. These servants truly deserve to die. If we don't kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, they truly won't be obedient." A female immortal spoke out.
Kacha!
Situ Jin was out to kill someone. The whip then struck down right onto Wu Yu's head, cracking it apart. Right at this moment, Wu Yu lost all sense of consciousness.