The trial for promoting servants to outer sect disciples had come to an end. As Hou Xiaomei and the other two disappeared atop the mountain, Zhang Dapang watched her retreating figure, rubbing his chubby chin with a meaningful expression.
"White, petite, and pure…" he muttered, then glanced sideways at Bai Xiaochun.
At the same time, Bai Xiaochun was also staring at Hou Xiaomei's back, feeling extremely conflicted inside. Especially after hearing Zhang Dapang's words and noticing his secretive glances, Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but shout,
"Stop looking at me!"
Seeing Bai Xiaochun get angry, Zhang Dapang quickly laughed and took out the pouch full of spirit stones to change the subject.
"Come on, let's count the spirit stones. We hit the jackpot this time, hahaha, that plan was brilliant!"
"What's the point in counting? It's the same stones over and over." Bai Xiaochun huffed.
"Ninth Junior Brother, you just don't get it. What you're counting may be spirit stones, but what you're really measuring... is life." Zhang Dapang unexpectedly said something with philosophical depth, making Bai Xiaochun freeze. Mimicking him, he also started counting the spirit stones, but quickly got bored and tossed them to Zhang Dapang.
Just then, flashes of light burst from the trial path. Everyone's vision blurred. When they could see clearly again, they were already back at the foot of the mountain.
The middle-aged steward who had opened the trial path earlier glanced at the three of them, his expression strange. After a moment, he shook his head and chose to leave it to the sect to handle whatever happened with the Kitchen House.
Bai Xiaochun and his two companions felt a little anxious, but when they saw they weren't being stopped, they exchanged looks, coughed a few times, and quickly headed back to the Kitchen House by the shortest path.
Zhang Dapang continued counting spirit stones all the way, over and over, until they returned. The other chubby brothers had also come back, each wearing a satisfied grin. Upon seeing each other, they all looked smug and proud.
After getting his share, Bai Xiaochun casually tossed it into his straw hut. His true pursuit was longevity — if it weren't for needing to buy herbs to exchange for life-extending pills, he wouldn't have come up with such a scheme to earn spirit stones.
That night, no one in the Kitchen House slept well. Zhang Dapang and the others were too excited after suddenly becoming rich. They reminisced about their long years of poverty, imagined a bright future, then grew anxious with fear. So, they stayed awake all night.
Bai Xiaochun also couldn't sleep, thinking constantly about the longevity pills.
The next day, the incident at the trial path — the gate-blocking by the Kitchen House — had begun to spread. From one servant to ten, from ten to a hundred, the news swept across all the servant quarters on the South Bank of the Spirit Stream Sect. Soon, almost everyone knew.
"Did you hear? The Kitchen House pulled something huge!!"
"They must've gone crazy from being poor! Selling outer sect spots? This is insane! Why didn't I think of this?!"
"I've always heard that everyone in the Kitchen House has strong backing in the sect. Otherwise, how could they eat so well all the time?" That day, every house, every person in the servant quarters was talking about the Kitchen House.
The Kitchen House had been keeping a low profile for several days. No one went out alone. Then, one evening, as Bai Xiaochun was pouring rice broth into large, heavy bowls, footsteps suddenly came from the small path outside.
"Kitchen House, come out! The Disciplinary Division is here to investigate your actions during the trial!" A cold voice echoed, and the main gate of the Kitchen House was kicked open with a loud bang.
More than ten servant disciples wearing the Disciplinary Division's uniform stormed in. Leading them was the burly man who had previously backed Xu Baocai.
"I knew it — I heard crows crying this morning. Turns out it was you again, Chen Fei," Zhang Dapang said to Bai Xiaochun. The two of them, along with the other fat brothers, pretended nothing was wrong, calmly watching the aggressive arrival.
Chen Fei sneered. His gaze swept past Zhang Dapang, then landed on Bai Xiaochun. His brows furrowed slightly — the Kitchen House was far too calm.
On his way here, Chen Fei had been quite excited. He thought he'd finally found the Kitchen House's weak spot, a chance to bring them down and end the long-standing rivalry between the two groups.
They're just putting on a brave face! he thought coldly, eyes flashing sharply.
"Kitchen House, answer me — did your nine members participate in the servant-to-outer-disciple trial a few days ago?" he barked.
"We did," Zhang Dapang said cheerfully.
"Good. Take them away!" Chen Fei didn't waste words. He raised his right hand and pointed. Instantly, the other Disciplinary servants rushed forward with iron chains, ready to bind them.
Seeing this, Bai Xiaochun laughed and spoke aloud.
"So the Disciplinary Division controls everything now? Even deciding who can become outer sect disciples? Impressive."
Chen Fei's eyes flickered at the memory of Bai Xiaochun's flying sword. He raised his hand, and his men paused. Staring at Bai Xiaochun, he narrowed his eyes.
"Junior Brother Bai, if you're not convinced, I'll ask you again: During the trial, did your Kitchen House block the exit and publicly sell outer sect spots? Since you did it, do you dare admit it?"
"Of course! We did it," Bai Xiaochun answered calmly, nodding earnestly and pointing to the others. "They did it too."
"That's right. We all did. So what?" Zhang Dapang and the others laughed, owning it openly.
Chen Fei's expression changed. He hadn't expected them to admit it so easily. He had prepared for a fierce battle of wits and strategy before forcing a confession. Now it all felt… off. A sense of foreboding crept over him.
"Fine, fine! Since you've admitted it, no need to ask further. Come with me to the Discipline Hall! If anyone resists, you'll be expelled from the sect!" Chen Fei shouted and leapt straight toward Bai Xiaochun, his men close behind.
But at that moment, Bai Xiaochun raised his right hand. With a seal gesture, a rainbow-colored wooden sword shot from his sleeve. It flashed between the Kitchen House and the Disciplinary members with a chilling gleam, making Chen Fei freeze mid-step, his face darkening.
"Bai Xiaochun, you dare resist?!"
"Senior Brother Chen, the Disciplinary Division has the right to question us, but who gave you the right to arrest people?"
"Hmph! You admitted to breaking sect rules. Of course I can arrest you!"
"And which rule, exactly, did we break?" Bai Xiaochun asked with a sweet smile. Zhang Dapang and the others narrowed their eyes, sneering at Chen Fei.
"You sold outer sect spots, violating rule… uh…" Chen Fei trailed off. His face changed rapidly, and cold sweat formed on his forehead.
To his horror, he realized — there was no rule in the sect's laws that explicitly forbade selling trial spots! After all, this was such an unheard-of idea, no one had thought to write a rule against it…
"Why are you sweating, Senior Brother Chen? What rule did we break, exactly? Or is it that we didn't break any rules, and you're lying to the Discipline Hall, using public power for private revenge? That would violate Rule 11, Volume 9 of the sect code — a serious offense!" Bai Xiaochun widened his eyes in mock surprise, raising his voice with growing satisfaction.
"You're spouting nonsense, I…" Chen Fei's face paled. Behind him, the other Disciplinary servants also realized the issue and started panicking.
At the same time, Zhang Dapang cracked his knuckles menacingly. The other fat brothers' eyes gleamed fiercely as they walked forward.
"Chen Fei, if you've broken the rules, the Discipline Hall will deal with it. But today, our gate — forged by countless Kitchen House predecessors — has been damaged. You owe us compensation!" Zhang Dapang said with a cruel grin, his aura surging.
They had dared to block the trial path because they were fully prepared. Since Bai Xiaochun had suggested the plan two months ago, they had studied the sect rules inside out before daring to act.
"Attack!" Zhang Dapang shouted. His mountain-like body made Chen Fei and the others tremble.
Instantly, sounds of fighting echoed through the courtyard — fists, groans, and crashes.
Bai Xiaochun stepped aside, as usual, and climbed onto the fence wall. With a flick of his sleeve, hands behind his back, he struck a pose of aloof mastery, staring into the distance.
"I, Bai Xiaochun, with a flick of my finger… have scattered the Disciplinary Division to the wind…"