A woman with a deathly pale face, her age indiscernible, stood there in a silver robe, gazing at Meng Hao with an unchanging expression. She was incredibly beautiful, but her pallid face and chilling aura made her seem as if she had just crawled out of a tomb.
"You possess some talent. To have found your way here on your own, it must be your destiny."
Her voice scraped against his ears like bones, and her gaze seemed to hold some strange power. A single glance from her sent a chill down Meng Hao's spine, as if in her presence, he held no secrets and was completely seen through.
As her words still echoed, the woman flicked her sleeve. Instantly, a verdant wind swept Meng Hao up, and amidst his startled cry, he was carried by the woman straight down the cliff face. The scene struck him like lightning, leaving his mind blank.
Upon reaching the crevice, the woman flung Meng Hao inside, then stepped in herself. The moment she entered, Wang Youcai and the other two were terrified, scrambling backward.
The woman stood there, silent, merely glancing at the rattan rope hanging down from above.
Meng Hao trembled all over, his heart pounding with extreme nervousness. He scrambled to his feet and quickly looked around. The crevice wasn't large; it was very cramped inside, with little room left for several people to stand.
When he turned to look at Wang Youcai, he saw two youths beside him: one was the sturdy, good-looking one, the other a pale, chubby boy. Both were now trembling, their faces etched with fear, as if on the verge of tears.
"We were originally short one person. You will go with them."
The woman with the deathly pale face seemed devoid of any emotion. She no longer looked at the rope, but turned her gaze to Meng Hao.
"You... who are you?"
Meng Hao suppressed the fear in his heart. After all, he had read many books, and his character was resilient. So, even though he was afraid, he knew he absolutely could not panic at this moment.
The woman said nothing, merely raising her right hand. The green wind reappeared, roaring as it swept up Meng Hao, Wang Youcai, and the others. Together with the woman, they shot out of the crevice and soared into the sky, disappearing from sight in mere moments. Only Mount Daqing remained standing firm as before, as twilight faded into the dark night.
Meng Hao's face turned ashen. He found himself within the green wind, shooting through the air like an arrow. Wind lashed into his mouth, making it hard to breathe, but one word surfaced in his mind.
"Immortal?"
He endured for a few dozen seconds before he couldn't hold on any longer. His vision went dark, and he fainted.
When he opened his eyes, he was on a large rock halfway up a mountain. All around were undulating mountain ranges, with swirling mists that were definitely not of the mortal realm. He could also see exquisite and beautiful pavilions nestled throughout the mountains, everything utterly unfamiliar.
Wang Youcai and the two other youths beside him were now awake, but all were trembling in fright, staring at the woman who had her back to them.
Before the woman stood two men in green robes. They appeared to be in their early twenties, but their sunken eyes and emerald pupils made them frightening to behold.
"Senior Sister Xu is truly skilled. To go out just once and bring back four talented youngsters."
One of the two men said, a hint of flattery in his voice.
"Take them to the menial labor area."
The woman's face remained cold. Without so much as a glance at Meng Hao and the other three, she took a step forward, transforming into a streak of rainbow light that shot into the mountains and vanished.
Meng Hao had now recovered his wits. He stared in astonishment at the spot where the girl had vanished, a look in his eyes that had never appeared before in his sixteen years of life—one that instantly set his heart racing with excitement.
"An odd-job disciple? This is working for Immortals. The pay must be excellent."
Meng Hao was filled with anticipation, for he could tell that the people here had no intention of taking his life.
"Senior Sister Xu has already reached the seventh level of Qi Condensation. She was even rewarded a Wind Banner by the Sect Leader. She hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment yet, but she can already fly. How enviable!"
Another green-robed cultivator sighed with emotion, then cast an arrogant glance at Meng Hao and the other three.
"You, and you too, follow me to the southern odd-job disciple area."
With that, he pointed at Wang Youcai and the sturdy youth.
"Wh-where is this place?" Wang Youcai asked, trembling.
"The Reliance Sect!"
The Reliance Sect was located in the State of Zhao, bordering the Southern Domain. It was once the leader of the four great sects of the State of Zhao, and was even quite renowned throughout the entire Southern Domain. However, it had now fallen into decline, its status incomparable to its former glory, and its past splendor was no more. In the current State of Zhao, the Reliance Sect could only be considered a minor, bottom-tier faction.
In truth, the Reliance Sect was not originally named as such. A thousand years ago, a cultivator appeared who shook the entire Southern Domain. This person called himself Patriarch Reliance, and even forcibly changed the sect's name to the Reliance Sect. He acted tyrannically, plundering almost all the treasures from every sect in the State of Zhao, enjoying immense prestige.
But a thousand years had passed, and though the scenery remained, the people had changed. Patriarch Reliance had been missing for over four hundred years. If not for his unknown fate, the sect would likely have been absorbed by other sects long ago. Currently, the Reliance Sect was like the setting sun in the west. Furthermore, with the State of Zhao's limited resources, and being ostracized by the other three sects, even when they wanted to recruit odd-job disciples, they had to send their own disciples out to kidnap people and bring them back—to say nothing of openly recruiting formal disciples.
Following behind the green-robed man, Meng Hao walked along a small path winding through the Reliance Sect's mountain range. The surrounding scenery was like a paradise, with strange rocks and exotic trees everywhere, green mountains and clear waters. The pavilions shrouded in mist seemed to be carved of jade, drawing repeated exclamations of admiration from Meng Hao. However, the constant sobbing of the fat youth beside him made Meng Hao feel as if the beautiful atmosphere of the place was being utterly ruined.
"It's over, it's all over. This time, it's really over..."
"I want to go home. At home, there are steamed buns. At home, there's beef..."
"Damn it, damn it! In the future, I was supposed to inherit my family's ancestral land, become a wealthy master, and take a few concubines, not be some odd-job disciple here..."
The fat man trembled and muttered with a mournful face, tears welling up in his eyes.
He continued to mutter like this until, after about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the green-robed man walking ahead said coldly.
"Say another word of nonsense, and I'll cut out your tongue."
The fat man shuddered, his eyes filled with extreme terror. He quickly covered his mouth, his body trembling even more.
This scene made Meng Hao realize that things might not be as good as he had imagined. But with his resilient personality, he took a deep breath and said nothing further.
Not long after, halfway up the mountain, Meng Hao saw several houses amidst the swirling mist. Seven or eight youths, all wearing identical coarse cloth robes, sat outside, looking exhausted. They saw Meng Hao and the others, but paid them no mind.
On a rocky peak not far away, a young man sat, clad in a light blue long robe. His face was somewhat long, like a horse's, and his attire was clearly more exquisite and valuable than that of the other youths. His expression was aloof, but when he saw the green-robed man leading Meng Hao, he quickly rose and respectfully cupped his fist towards the green-robed man.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
"These two are the new servants who just arrived on the mountain. Arrange their accommodation."
The green-robed man, impatient, didn't even spare Meng Hao and the other a glance after speaking, and walked away.