The next day, the servants gathered in one place. The number of servants, which usually hovered around fifty, had been reduced to a small group of fewer than ten.
"I hadn't realized until now... when did our group shrink so much?" one asked, surprised.
"No idea," Wu Huang answered calmly. "Many servants were probably reassigned to other groups. Over time, our group was reduced to a small elite. Normally there wouldn't be a problem, but now the total number must have dropped enough that the sect had to bring in new servants directly, instead of waiting for the next disciple selection."
Wang Xiong, not fully understanding the situation, could only nod.
"It seems everyone is here," the head of servants announced as he arrived, nodding slightly to everyone. He did not come alone: behind him was a group of thirty people.
"These are the new servants who will serve the sect alongside you. For now, they will not work in complex areas; they will only provide support from the back. Basically, you can ignore them and let them do whatever they want," the head of servants briefly explained to the rest of the group.
"Now, here are your tasks," he said as he distributed everyone's labor.
"Today it's my turn in the spiritual plant garden," Wang Xiong said, frowning. Although it was not a job that required much physical effort, it was complex and demanded time and patience.
"And what did you get?" he asked.
Wu Huang shrugged.
"They haven't given me anything yet, so it will probably be the usual," he replied nonchalantly.
"That is all, you may leave," the chief said, dismissing everyone. "Wu Huang, stay," he added, pointing at him.
Wang Xiong frowned and whispered to Wu Huang:
"Did you do something for the chief to call you personally?"
Wu Huang shook his head calmly.
"It's just a minor matter. You can go," he said, bidding Wang Xiong goodbye. The other nodded, looking a bit worried, and left.
Little by little, all the new and old servants departed, leaving only the head of servants, a small female servant, and Wu Huang.
"I'm going to assume she is Hong Jiu'er," Wu Huang asked, observing the young girl.
The head of servants nodded.
"Yes, for now you will be in charge of her. You will receive the same spirit stones as always and you won't have to go to the Vault of Knowledge while you train her," he explained.
Wu Huang was surprised; he had expected to have to train her while simultaneously fulfilling his other duties.
"How much do I have to teach her?" he asked.
"As long as you bring her to the fifth level of Qi Refining, that will be enough. The exact amount of teaching is left to your discretion," the chief said, handing him a small ring.
"Is that all?" Wu Huang inquired.
"It is a storage ring. In there, you will find what you will need."
Wu Huang took the ring, slightly surprised, and inspected its interior. His spiritual consciousness shifted into the ring, and he could not help but be startled by the contents before he frowned.
"This won't work," he said immediately.
"Excuse me?" the chief asked, also frowning, confused.
"This won't work," Wu Huang repeated. "The spatial ring contains countless elixirs, stones, and treasures of the highest level, things that only someone in the Foundation Establishment stage could obtain. If I try to use these things on her, rather than helping her, I would only shatter her cultivation. It would be better to just finish her off directly than to give her this."
"Explain yourself," the head of servants said, his face darkening as if he had no choice but to demand clarity; his gaze seemed capable of tearing Wu Huang's face apart if he didn't.
Wu Huang sighed and leaned back slightly, crossing his arms.
"Look, Chief..." he remarked calmly. "If I use any of these elixirs or stones on her, instead of progressing, I will destroy her cultivation. It's not a matter of laziness, it's common sense. She is not ready for something so advanced. It would be like trying to fill a glass using a lake: it simply won't work and, instead, she might break from the inside."
The head of servants frowned.
"And how do you suppose you'll train her then?" he asked in a deep voice. "This is a special case, and the sect expects results."
Wu Huang tilted his head and smiled with an expression of absolute disdain.
"If it's to train her, it's enough to give her low-level spirit stones and efficient elixirs that will help her establish a solid foundation. With that, she will be able to advance without problems. It is not necessary to use these elixirs that are far too powerful for her."
The chief grit his teeth, clearly irritated, but he could not ignore the logic in Wu Huang's words.
"...Then, do you mean to say you will only guide her through the basics?" he finally asked, lowering his voice a bit.
"Exactly," Wu Huang said, with a carefree air.
The head of servants closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, clenching his jaw.
"Hmph... What do you think, Elder?" he asked.
"Quite a bit better than I expected," the small female servant replied.
Wu Huang narrowed his eyes, confused, as the small, golden-haired servant began to transform in front of him, growing in real-time until she became someone he knew very well.
"Y-You..." Wu Huang said, his face turning pale. "Lady Shen Tianzhu... this disciple is honored to meet you," he added, immediately dropping to his knees.
"There is no need for you to act like that. You have shown that you possess good knowledge," Shen Tianzhu replied calmly.
"This humble disciple is glad for your praise," Wu Huang replied at once, still kneeling.
Shen Tianzhu turned to the head of servants, who remained bowed in respect.
"It seems you really selected someone capable," she said. "Although his words are a bit blunt, I can leave little Hong Jiu'er with him."
"This... the ring," Wu Huang said immediately, holding out the spatial ring. The materials inside were far too valuable for someone like him to hold without supervision.
"Oh, that... keep them," Shen Tianzhu replied as she vanished.
Seeing her leave, the head of servants stood up and lightly tapped Wu Huang's shoulder.
"Good job. If you had disappointed her, both you and I would have disappeared from this world," he said as he walked away.
Wu Huang remained motionless, almost fainting in that moment, unable to believe what had just occurred.