"Ah!"
Xiao Man screamed, suddenly rolling on the ground, clawing at her skin frantically.
She felt as if countless ants were crawling over her body, the itch unbearable.
Her nails tore through her skin, blood flowed, yet the maddening itch persisted.
"Ahhhh, mercy! Young Disciple, mercy..."
Senior Brother stood up. Over two meters tall, he was imposing, and his bamboo-like body began to swell. "Sixth Brother, enough. She is, after all, Thirteen Senior Brother's servant."
The dwarf hooked his toes, put his fingers in his mouth, and picked at his teeth. "Thirteen just arrived. Would he really risk turning against me over a servant?"
Senior Brother frowned. "Sixth Brother!" he scolded.
The dwarf sighed and stepped in front of Xiao Man.
He spat toward her face.
The spit landed, and the black spots on her skin dissipated.
Trembling, soaked in sweat, tears and snot streaming, Xiao Man slowly got up.
The itch could have killed her.
If not for Senior Brother's intervention, she would have been tortured to death today.
But one servant's life was nothing—Immortal Mistress wouldn't care.
Kneeling, Xiao Man bowed to Senior Brother. "Thank you, Senior Brother."
She also bowed to the dwarf. "Thank you, Sixth Brother, for showing mercy."
Senior Brother smiled warmly. "I saw you in Thirteen Senior Brother's room before. You are sensible. It would have been a shame for you to die."
Quickly, Xiao Man took a dirty pouch from her clothes and handed it over. "Senior Brother."
He opened it, glanced inside, and smiled in satisfaction. "You may go."
Immortal Mistress gave the servants one or two small silver coins each month as a means to buy their lives; once paid, their lives belonged to Azure Mountain Sect.
Inside the pouch was all of Xiao Man's savings. Every six months, Immortal Mistress allowed them to return home.
She needed to give the silver to her parents to support her brother in school.
If her brother could pass the scholar's exam, their family could turn their lives around.
In just a month, it would be her turn to return home.
If she didn't have the money, her parents would beat her to death.
Xiao Man walked back in a daze.
On the way, she met the dwarf's slave, a child who walked on all fours.
The child handed her a bag of small silver coins, even more than she had just given Senior Brother.
"My master said he wants to conduct an experiment and lacks live subjects. If you survive, all this silver is yours."
Xiao Man's face turned pale.
No one had ever survived the dwarf's experiments.
But she needed money.
Maybe—just maybe—she could be the lucky one.
She accepted the coins and asked, "When?"
"Tonight," the child replied.
Xiao Man hesitated, then said, "I will go."
The child threatened, "You should know my master's methods. If you don't go, you'll suffer and die without relief."
When Gao Yang saw Xiao Man, her smile had returned.
She tried to hide the scratches on her body and tentatively asked, "Master, I might need to leave for a while tonight. Is that okay?"
Gao Yang agreed. "Yes."
Relieved yet nervous, Xiao Man asked, "Master, if I die, would you be sad?"
Gao Yang sensed something wrong.
He stared at the linen covering her and asked, "Why are you wrapped up in such thick clothing in this heat? Take it off."
Biting her lip, Xiao Man replied, "Master, I am ill. It looks terrible."
Gao Yang was no fool. He lifted her garment, revealing her frail body covered with deep, bloody scratches from clawing.
"Who did this?" he asked, suppressing his anger.
Xiao Man remained silent.
Gao Yang stood up and moved outside. "Tonight, you stay in your room. Don't go anywhere."
Xiao Man chased after him. "Master, please!"
Gao Yang headed straight for Twelve's room.
Because of Gao Yang, Immortal Mistress had ended today's class early.
Twelve had just returned and saw Gao Yang standing at the door.
"Thirteen!"
Her ethereal voice stirred his heart, leaving his mind blank.
By the time he recovered, Twelve's blade was already resting on his shoulder.
The blade must weigh at least fifty kilograms, pressing down so heavily that Gao Yang couldn't straighten his body.
It was unimaginable that this fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl could lift it with one hand.
Even more terrifying was her skill.
If it were a life-or-death battle, a single second's hesitation would have seen her blade decapitate him.
Gao Yang noticed the killing intent in her eyes, yet remained calm. "Twelfth Senior Sister, I came to ask you a question."
Twelve rubbed her canine tooth. "Where is my Foundation Pill?"
Gao Yang said, "I ate it."
She raised her arm and slammed it onto his shoulder with a bang.
Gao Yang winced from the pain, shoulder sinking, yet he straightened his back and said, "I dare not disobey Master's orders. But Master promised to personally help me with Foundation Building in a week. I'll find a way to get you another Foundation Pill."
Twelve was astonished. "What? Master will personally help you? Why?"
Jealousy contorted her face, the killing intent in her eyes intensifying. "I am the youngest, clearly the most talented. Why won't Master personally help me?"
Gao Yang smiled. "Perhaps because your talent is so high, one Foundation Pill is enough for success, whereas my talent isn't sufficient, so Master can only give me special attention."
This explanation calmed her anger by half.
"Twelfth Senior Sister, Master still values you highly. Today, she even praised your talent, scolding me and saying I don't even compare to you."
After all, despite her high talent, Twelve was still a little girl.
The sugar-coated bomb softened her. She lowered her blade, folded her hands, and asked, "Speak. Why have you come?"
Gao Yang didn't ask about Xiao Man directly, instead questioning her about the Foundation Pill.
"After I ate the Foundation Pill, my body ached unbearably. Is this normal for Foundation Building?"
Twelve was curious. "Aching? No. When I ate the Foundation Pill, I felt Qi coursing through me. That very night, I could sense Qi gathering in my Dantian."
Gao Yang asked, "Does the body undergo other changes?"
Twelve didn't answer directly. Instead, she asked meaningfully, "What did you see inside the Foundation Pill?"
Gao Yang's pupils constricted, but he kept his expression composed, feigning ignorance. "I saw nothing. The Foundation Pill is just a red pellet."
Twelve stared at him. "You better not be lying."
Gao Yang replied sincerely, "Absolutely not. I have no secrets from you, Senior Sister."
Twelve didn't know whether to believe him. She didn't press further and answered his earlier question. "Body changes vary. Senior Brother, for example, was short before, but grew tall after Foundation Building, though at a cost—his body became bamboo-like. I gained strength, and my face began to rot, but I obtained a special ability."
She paused, not continuing about the ability.