Seeing the servants start to busy themselves, Luo Fang chuckled softly and thought to himself, "Heavens are truly helping me. A bunch of lowly beasts, it's not that I, Luo Fang, am not giving you a chance to rise."
"It's just that you were born with lowly fates and don't have that blessing."
Luo Fang reclined on his chair, leisurely watching the busy crowd.
Sometimes, when he got tired of lying down, he would get up and stroll around. If anyone dared to slack off, he would lash them with a whip.
Of course, he controlled his strength well, only injuring the skin, not touching the bones. And he only whipped their backs, never their hands or feet.
"Faster, faster, everyone work harder. If you can't endure, just think about the reward money, think about the drumsticks."
"Heh, heh, after hardship comes happiness; perhaps even Madame might recognize you."
His sense of superiority was evident, he spoke without any pain in his back. Seeing the servants' envious and reverent eyes, he felt secretly pleased.
Passing by Li Xian, he noticed that although Li Xian's steps weren't fast, they were remarkably steady, and he exclaimed lightly, "You, kid, your legs are quite nimble."
"I always liked to run around." Li Xian wiped off his sweat, his back was soaked.
"Keep it up." Luo Fang didn't pay much attention, instructed him, and went elsewhere.
After walking away, Luo Fang spat lightly, cursing inwardly, "A lowly life, yet born with a good physique."
"Pity, of what use is it?"
...
Evening came, and they could finally rest for a moment. A cook from the dining room pushed fresh meals over.
Serving the hot meals to the hands of the servants one by one.
And even if the servants on the water-carrying line rested, they couldn't wander around.
"Here's yours."
The cook handed over a tray, and Li Xian, starving, said, "It's not enough, give me some more."
"Ordinarily, extra food costs you at least a wen coin. Fine, your lot has it rough too."
The cook scooped a large spoonful, seeing Li Xian so young and thin, he felt compassion and quietly added another spoon of vegetables.
He added a couple of pieces of meat, deliberately choosing a piece of fatty meat.
Li Xian paused, "Th-thank you." He wiped the sweat from his hands, grabbed the food, and put it in his mouth.
As the food entered his mouth, its taste was markedly different.
It was much saltier than usual, but this saltiness... was the elixir for survival, quickly restoring his energy.
Having finished the coarse rice and the vegetables, Li Xian picked up the last piece of fatty meat, simply looking at it made his mouth water.
"In my previous life, I wouldn't even look at this kind of fatty meat."
But now... he only regretted not having enough to eat. As the fatty meat entered his mouth, biting lightly, the grease filled his mouth. At this moment, the taste was indescribable.
[Skill: Water Carrying]
[Skill Level: 0/1000 Mastery]
[Description: Carry water a thousand times, walk quickly without spilling. Young man, do your waist, arms, and legs feel sore?]
Even a simple skill, when practiced to a certain extent, can bring extraordinary effects.
Weeding brought Li Xian extreme tenacity and endurance.
Water carrying trained his hand-foot coordination.
"There's no progress today in the Wild Bull Fist; since the current situation can't be changed, I'll just practice [Water Carrying] well!"
Determination flashed in Li Xian's eyes.
The path lies beneath his feet, the legs on his body; if he wants to move forward, nothing can stop him!
"Get to work, beasts."
Luo Fang swung the whip, cracking in the air.
By then, night had fallen; the water-carrying line was filled with torches, and Li Xian and the others were still carrying water.
And so, they endured through the night.
In extreme fatigue, the servants looked numb.
Suddenly, a "thud" was heard, and one servant plunged straight to the ground.
Luo Fang checked his breath; although he was still alive, there was clearly no saving him.
"Carry him away, carry him away, a useless waste of the estate's resources."
With one person less on the water-carrying line, naturally, the distance for each person increased. The burden was evenly distributed among each servant.
Thereafter, every half-hour, someone would collapse.
Some were fatigued to the point of heart rupture, others with broken hand and foot tendons... Li Xian feigned near collapse but just didn't die.
In silence and numbness...
Three days quickly passed.
In those three days, nearly a hundred servants died, the route needed reassigning.
"I see you have a strong body, able to bear hardship. From now on, you're responsible for this stretch."
Luo Fang had Li Xian take water from the estate entrance directly to the fiercely burning tripod.
This section had the most servant deaths!
With two buckets of spring water in hand,
Li Xian felt quite anxious, carrying the spring water into the estate, following directions, he reached the tripod.
Only at this point did he see the end of the water-carrying line.
In a spacious courtyard, there was a four-legged squared tripod taller than a person.
The flames burned fiercely; even at a distance of five or six yards, one felt the scorching heat, burning the skin painfully.
"No wonder... the outside climate is harshly cold, yet here the fire burns vigorously. The alternating cold and heat for these water-carrying servants naturally makes survival difficult."
Li Xian grasped this point, calculated the days, and realized there were less than four days left until the Nursing Home's competition!
He felt a bit anxious as the Wild Bull Fist's skill level still lingered at [712].
The more the servants died, the longer the routes they had to walk.
"Thinking too much won't change anything; it will only disturb my mind!"
Li Xian steadied his resolve and continued to carry water back and forth.
Finally, he endured to the fourth day and night.
"Swoosh..."
The last bucket of water was poured into the copper tripod, turning into bursts of steam. The flame extinguished; finally, it was done!
The servant Luo Fang, the Nursing Home Commander Pang Long, and others lowered their heads, going forward respectfully to welcome Madame of the estate.
Li Xian was also present, standing in a secluded corner, his head lowered, looking at the tip of his toes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Madame's dress hem and her white embroidered shoes.
Her face unseen, only her voice heard.
"This meat, I'll take for my consumption, the remaining soup will be divided into ten parts.
Pang Long, you take seven parts, allocate them as you see fit, but you mustn't partake in them alone. Luo Fang, you take three parts, mix them with the soup, and give it to the servants to drink."
"As you all worked for me, this will be your reward."
The voice was clear, carrying an inherent and irrefutable authority.
Before anyone could react, a gust of wind blew by, and Madame was already gone.
Luo Fang stepped forward obsequiously, saying:
"Commander Pang, we can't use all three parts of the soup; these two parts are our tribute to you."
Pang Long, tall and robust with rugged features, glanced lightly, responding coldly, "Madame's arrangements have been made; she said three parts, three parts it is. Do you dare defy?"
"I dare not, I dare not." Luo Fang smiled apologetically, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, his legs trembling under his robe.
"Hmph." Pang Long snorted coldly, ordered his men to take seven parts of the soup, and turned away.
The remaining three parts naturally fell to Luo Fang.
Luo Fang dearly wanted to keep it all to himself, but with Madame's explicit instruction, and Pang Long strictly adhering to it, how dare he defy it even slightly?
He muttered to himself:
"Madame mentioned 'allocate as seen fit;' I'll drink a part and a half myself, and my nephew, who is at a critical stage of martial arts practice, gets a part.
As for the remaining half part... mix it with clear water, cook it into soup, and let the servants have it, fine, let them take advantage of this."
He was talking enrapturedly,
completely forgetting that Li Xian was nearby, having overheard it all, couldn't help clenching his fists.
The 'allocate as seen fit' obviously referred to Pang Long. Regarding the latter part, Madame's true intention was evidently to add all three parts into the soup for the thousands of servants to share.
But from Luo Fang's words.
Bi Hao, who did nothing whatsoever, even received a part of the soup. Luo Fang himself enjoyed a part and a half.
The tirelessly working Li Xian and the others were left to share just half a part!
The disparity, who wouldn't be furious, who wouldn't be angry? Especially Li Xian, at such a critical juncture, as he would soon have a duel with Bi Hao.
"Hm?"
Luo Fang noticed Li Xian, dismissively treating him as insignificant, completely disregarding him.
...
Li Xian clenched his fists, the exhaustion in his eyes revealing a hint of ferocity.
In the remaining three days, he swore to achieve a minor achievement in the Wild Bull Fist!