Wu Huang stood up and opened the door, somewhat confused. The head of servants was there, standing with his hands behind his back, as if he had already been waiting for a few moments.
"Hello, Wu Huang," he greeted lightly.
"What is going on? I am not usually called until the afternoon," Wu Huang replied, maintaining a respectful posture, though a certain curiosity was reflected in his gaze.
The head of servants was not an ordinary person. Just like Wu Huang, he enjoyed a status above the average. Not only was he at the Foundation Establishment Stage—strong enough to control all the servants in case of trouble—but his actual position in the sect was practically on par with the respected inner disciples. The mere fact that he stood on that stepping stone was proof enough that he was neither an ordinary figure nor a simple errand boy within the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"You may not know this, but the disciple Zhang Qingchuan was promoted to an outer disciple this morning," he explained calmly.
Wu Huang slightly arched an eyebrow. They had been talking about him just a few hours ago. He was not surprised by the promotion itself, but rather by the speed at which it had occurred.
"I'm not surprised... though it is a relief that he's gone," he murmured in a low voice.
The head of servants frowned.
"Did you dislike him?" he asked with some curiosity.
"Not at all. I'm glad he was promoted. But... what does that have to do with me?" Wu Huang replied. His relationship with Zhang Qingchuan had been superficial; they barely exchanged a few words every now and then. There was no reason for him to be informed personally, let alone by the chief himself.
The head of servants did not answer immediately. Instead, he briefly observed the surroundings before speaking again.
"The number of servants who have been promoted to outer disciples has increased too rapidly, which has considerably reduced our numbers in a short time. Because of that, the sect has brought in a new group... and I want you to take charge of one of them."
Wu Huang frowned, this time making no effort to hide it.
"That is not within my duties. Besides, shouldn't you handle something like that yourself?"
The head of servants nodded without getting upset.
"Under normal circumstances, yes. But this case is different. It has been requested internally that this person have an exclusive instructor. And, as you can see, my responsibilities are already too many. There are not many people to whom I can entrust this task with the certainty that they will do a good job."
Wu Huang remained silent for a moment. He knew the man was not wrong. Most of the servant disciples were barely in the early stages of Qi Refining, and many lacked both talent and basic knowledge.
"So it all falls on the Heavenly Book..." he commented with a hint of irony.
The head of servants neither denied nor affirmed it, but his silence was answer enough.
"You possess the greatest knowledge of the Vault," he continued. "You are the most suitable person to instruct them. And, of course... this is not a request."
The slight pause before his last words made it clear that there was no room for refusal. Wu Huang sighed internally, but nodded without further argument.
"Fine. What is her name?"
The head of servants looked at him directly before answering:
"Hong Jiu'er."
"Hong Jiu'er?" Wu Huang frowned. "Does she have anything to do with Hong Mitian?"
"As perceptive as ever..." he replied with a sigh. "I cannot speak of those matters. So avoid those kinds of questions."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Prepare yourself. Tomorrow I will bring her along with the rest of the new servants. If you wish, you can take charge of more than one. Otherwise, simply take her with you and train her in what is necessary."
"I would rather not train anyone... but fine," Wu Huang finally replied.
The head of servants nodded, satisfied, and pulled out a small bag.
"Here is the reward for organizing the vault."
Without adding anything else, he turned around and left. Wu Huang slowly closed the door and set the bag aside, in no mood to organize it at all. Then he let out a long sigh, as if he had just accepted an unnecessary burden.
"Well... what are the odds that she's another one of those people?"
From deep within his Sea of Consciousness, his Martial Spirit, the Heavenly Book, vibrated slightly and projected an answer directly into his mind with a faint glow. Formless words began to draw themselves upon its spiritual pages. Wu Huang narrowed his eyes as he read them mentally.
"Seventy percent? ...Well, you're not entirely wrong," he murmured as he let himself fall onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before speaking again. "I had already gotten rid of Mu Qinlian and Zhang Qingchuan... and now they throw another one at me. Is this some kind of joke from the Heavenly Dao?"
The words in his spiritual book changed immediately.
"Do Sons of Destiny always end up bound by the ties of Karma? ...Yes, I know that better than anyone," he replied with a sigh, sinking further into the bed.
He tried to ignore his Martial Spirit, which shortly after withdrew its presence and fell into the silence of his mind.
"Stupid Martial Spirit..." he muttered. "If I had known you would be this annoying, I would never have named you 'Heavenly Book' from the day you awakened with me."
His voice sounded low, almost childish. Exhaustion was beginning to weigh on him. Not just physical, but mental as well.
"Anyway... she might just be a normal girl with some connection to a sect elder. That's not uncommon..."
He paused.
"And for her to appear right after those two left... it must be just a coincidence."
Repeating those ideas to himself, he quickly convinced himself. There was nothing strange. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was just exaggerating.
He closed his eyes, trying to put the matter aside. Of course... the next day, he wouldn't be able to help feeling disappointed.