Chapter 121: Qi Part 2: A Chicken, A Drunk And A Phoenix Walked Into A Bar!

Atop of the Fire Peak Mountain within the territory of the Qi sect. A sad-looking inner disciple Feng was looking down at a group of outer disciples that were gathering the training ground further down the mountain. Due to his high cultivation level, disciple Feng could both see and hear the group clearly despite being rather far away. The group was gathering around the newest disciple Chi Ken.

"Hey Chi! Go wash the laundry!" One of the disciples said

"YES SIR!"

"I've got something important today, so you don't mind filling in for me at the kitchen later, right?" Another disciple asked.

"YES SIR!"

"Don't forget you also need to clean my room today. And it better be spotless by sundown or else!" Another disciple threatened.

"CAN DO!"

This has been a recurring event for the last month. Outer disciples are not much different from servants in the grand scheme of things. They are given a set of daily tasks or chores they have to do every day, in exchange they are provided with some water, food and shelter along with the opportunity to interact with senior cultivators whom they can ask for advice when reaching a bottleneck in their cultivation. They also have the option of doing some additional work to gain contribution points which they can exchange for certain resources that can aid in their cultivation, like low-grade magic stones. However, given the state of the Fire peaks standing in the current sect, there isn't much point, as there are hardly any magic stones distributed our way. Additionally, most disciples that have been sent here in recent years have been lazy and talentless trash who have already given up on rising to higher heights. What's worse is that many of these wretches often try to break the spirit of the new disciples who have not yet given up hope. They often gather in groups like this to intimidate their current target as a way to force their own responsibilities on to the new disciples until they snap under the pressure. Once they break, they either leave the sect dejected or become trash like them who enjoy pushing others down while indulging in their own desires. Their current target was the new outer disciple Chi Ken, who has stood strong for the last month despite it all.

At first, they had been more subtle about it, as they were pretending the additional workload was part of his assigned chores, but as he showed no reactions to the heavy workload, they became emboldened. More and more people gathered to ask him to do their chores. At some point they started losing their pretense and many of them are now ordering him around as if he was their servant or slave. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most of if not all the chores that are usually distributed between all the outer disciples at this mountain are currently being done by a single young man. Even with the low maintenance caused by our lack of disciples, that is still a monstrous feat.

His daily routine over the last week has been to get up right after midnight to get started on cleaning the facilities at the foot of the mountain where all the outer disciples reside. He cleans the gate, sweeps the walkways and training grounds, washes and empties the outhouses, before cleaning the dishes from yesterday's breakfast. He usually finishes at the crack of dawn, which is when he gets started on everyone's breakfast as well as the rations he will be subsiding off of for the remainder of the day. Many of our disciples are lazy alcoholics, so they are often hungover and sleep in, which gives him time to sweep the mountain stairs while munching on some rations on the fly.

By midday he would usually have just finished most chores relating to the midsection of the mountain where inner disciples live. He carries supplies to restock all three kitchens located on different sections of the mountain. He restocks the medical supplies in the infirmary right before or after cleaning the place. He sweeps the training grounds and walkways, before he gets started on lunch. It is usually around this time he is approached by the various disciples to go run errands or do additional chores. Recently even some inner disciples have been joining in on this. While everyone else is eating lunch or fooling around, he will be doing laundry, doing the dishes, running errands, cutting weeds, gathering herbs and doing generally whatever he is asked to do until late in the evening. If he has time left over, he usually spends it in the village at the foot of the mountain, before he gets started on dinner. While everyone is either eating or drinking the night away, he goes back to the shabby hut at the bottom of the mountain to rest for tomorrow.

While he does nearly all the chores on the Fire Peak Mountain, he is rarely if ever allowed to enter the residence at the top of it. That place is a restricted zone where the sect elder in charge of this regional zone lives. The rules state that only core disciples of the sect or higher are allowed to come and go as they please, with the exception of inner disciple Feng. Normally, inner disciples are only permitted on the premises to do chores and errands for the core disciples or sect elder, much like how the outer do for inner disciples. The hierarchical structure of the sect looks like this:

Outer disciple.

Inner disciple.

Core disciple.

Sect elder.

Sect leader.

Where core disciples are personally taught by an elder or the leader themselves. They are the highest ranked disciples who are given the most care and attention within the sect. They are also the only disciples who don't have any mandatory chores.

However, due to there being no core disciples left on this mountain and the elder herself being out of commission, the de facto leader of the mountain became the most senior inner disciple present, inner disciple Feng. Hence, why he is the exception to the rule.

However, the sect elder in her drunken state is getting rather moody and messy as of late, which requires someone to go clean up after her, but with the new disciple, everyone has gotten even lazier as they have become over reliant on him to do their chores. As a result, the inner disciples have been getting sloppier and sloppier in their work, while complaining about the rules. Eventually, one of them didn't show up to do his daily chores, and then another one and the next.

2 months after Chi Ken's arrival, all the disciples went on strike aside from the inner disciple Feng and the outer disciple Chi Ken, leaving him to do all the work. Though it was minuscule compared to what his junior faced every day, it was still a rather large mansion which still required a solid chunk of the day to clean and manage. When paired with the rest of his managerial duties it was just too much for him since, he wasn't built with the same kind of mental fortitude and endurance as Chi Ken. So, he made an executive decision as he went to look for his junior. However, with all the disciples going on strike, he had to go look for him in person.

Feng searched all over the sect, but he couldn't find him. Apparently, with all the disciples going on strike, he had been given less chores and errands to run. Hence, he had been given a rare respite from his usual workload, which meant he was currently in the village at the foot of the mountain.

As he walked down to the mountain gates for the first time in months, Feng was dumbstruck. Last time he was down here it was to quell a rebellion caused by a famine.

After the elder became useless 7 years ago, the region has been declining. First came bandits, then criminal syndicates formed that brought violence and addictive drugs to the streets. Eventually, when the entire community had been sucked dry of all its worth, the only survivors were the poverty-stricken people who littered the streets. The few homes that weren't torn down in the chaos looked so battered and worn that they could collapse at any time. That was when the famine struck.

With the people already pushed to the limits they suddenly had to starve as well, while what little food they managed to produce was collected by the fire peak to feed the disciples as a form of tax by the sect. It wasn't surprising that they chose to rebel, but with how weak the average villager is compared to a cultivator, they stood no chance, especially after they were already exhausted from the previous events. So, all Feng needed to do was stall for as much time as possible, until they were all too exhausted to fight.

By the time he went back up the mountain three months ago, they were all just skin and bones, but now.

*Giggle*

"You can't catch me!" a skinny child said while playing tag with his friends.

"That will be 1 copper teal! Here is your bread! Have a nice day!" A baker said as he sold a loaf of bread to an elderly woman.

"Wei! It's dinner!" A mother yelled from the doorway of a stable and newly built house.

"Coming!" Her child said as he skipped past several buildings just like it.

Inner disciple Feng couldn't believe his eyes. Aside from their slightly malnourished bodies, there wasn't a trace of the crumbling village he had seen just a few months ago. The streets were clean, the people weren't rich, but they certainly weren't poor. The buildings that were built from wooden scraps and rusty nails had been replaced with sturdy buildings of wooden planks and stone bricks. The once miserable people who seemed like they could drop dead any second were walking happily down the streets. It was such a surreal experience, he almost forgot where he was.

"What in the world happened to this place?" He muttered as he took a step forwards.

"HALT! Who are you and what is your purpose here?" A man said upon seeing Feng entering the village.

The man was a brawny looking man with sunken in cheeks and a shaved head. He was wearing regular clothes. The only thing that made him stand out from any other person in this village would be his muscles and the sheathed blade at his hip.

"Who I am is none of your concern! I am looking for my junior disciple! I hear he frequently visits this place. Have you seen him?"

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. Ugh!"

Seeing his uncooperative attitude, Feng decided to force the information out of the man. He grabbed the man's throat and lifted him into the air as he started strangling him.

"If you haven't then I have no use of you!"

"Ugh" The man, seeing he couldn't pry his throat out of the cultivators grasp he reached for the sword at his hip.

"YOU INSOLENT-!"

"HEY SENIOR FENG! OVER HERE!"

Just as he was about to snap the man's neck, he was cut short by the sound of the man he came to see. Outer disciple Chi was giving a piggyback ride to an elderly man as he waved at his senior from further down the street.

*cough**cough*

Seeing the person he was looking for, inner disciple Feng lost interest in the man as he dropped him to the ground before making his way over to Chi.

"What are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh, this? Old Peng twisted his ancle, so I'm helping him get home!" The young man said with a smile.

"Never mind. Just drop the mortal and come with me."

"Okay, I'll be back in a sec!" He said as he started walking away, but…

"Where are you going?! I said, drop him and let's go!" Feng said as he grabbed onto Chi's shoulder.

"I'll just drop him of at his house, then I'll be right back!"

*Tear*

"What!? HEY!" Feng yelled as his junior ran off with an old man on his back. Leaving his senior with only the fabric he had torn from his shirt when he escaped his grip.

Feeling miffed, the senior disciple ran after him, but as it turned out the old man didn't live that far away, so he had already reached his destination by the time Feng caught up to him.

"WHA-!"

"Okay! All done! Let's go!" Chi Ken said before Feng could get a word in, as he walked past him and headed towards the mountain.

…

Fire Peak elder's POV:

My name is Xie Xiu and I am the elder of the Fire Peak Mountain.

In the past I was a core disciple of the late sect leader. Reaching the golden core stage at the young age of 19, I was honored with the title and status as the new elder of the fire element. Normally, the elder positions are reserved for those who has reached the nascent soul realm, but due to a shortage of suitable candidates and the favor of the sect leader I was made an exception and became the first female elder of the sect in generations.

The Qi sect of today has entered a state of gender inequality due to a surplus of male disciples over the last generations, hence I was ostracized by my fellow elders. Most of the elders are narrowminded old men who cannot see past my gender and chose to interfere in my affairs at every turn. They would sabotage missions, tempt disciples to go astray, there were even some hints at them betraying the sect and feeding vital information to an enemy just to get rid of me. However, due to the support of the sect leader I was able to manage despite it all, but that soon came to an end.

9 years ago, the sect leader, my master passed away. In his will he had named me as his successor in hopes of changing the sexist views on cultivators that has spread across the sect. When a sect leader dies, it is tradition to replace him with one of the nine elders, often chosen through the previous leader's last will. Being named as the previous sect leaders' successor would almost guarantee my ascension to the position, even without the support of the other elders. With the support of the main branch of the sect I would be able to match them in influence and military might. If I were a man that is.

Since, I were a woman, there were many at the main branch who disagreed with my master's will and so, with the backing of the other elders I was ousted from my position under the pretext of not having reached the nascent soul realm yet. The leader position was temporarily handed over to my master's only male core disciple Dong Bo, to quell the dissatisfied main branch.

I was feeling indignant about my situation, so I moved to have my breakthrough as soon as possible. My urgency was what led to my downfall. In my rush to reach the nascent soul realm, I failed to take measures to prevent the information from reaching the other elders. Hence, during my advancement, a 'rogue' core disciple of the darkness elder found my cultivation spot and attacked me during a crucial moment. I was fortunately able to keep my core from breaking, but it was permanently damaged, and I have no hope of further advancement. As a result of being interrupted during my advancement, my cultivation stage was left somewhere between golden core and nascent soul. I was left one step away from my goal, but should I ever attempt to take that last step, it is estimated that my core would shatter, and my cultivation would be crippled.

That was 7 years ago now. With my cultivation being stuck between realms I was unofficially disqualified from the position, while the other elders and my juniors reign over the sect was assured. With my master's support gone and my cultivation stagnant, I failed to stop their suppression. As I watched the once flourishing lands below crumbling away from their influence, I grew depressed and started drinking my days away. The only reason they haven't kicked me out or replaced me was because I was a pseudo nascent soul cultivator. There are only a handful of nascent souls on the continent. Having even one or two nascent souls on your side would qualify you as a superpower on this continent, so having eight elders in that realm would make us one of if not the strongest force on the continent, or that was the case up until a few years ago.

With the emergence of the Dark Empire, the entire continent was shaken to its core. The Dark Lord led an army to conquer half the continent, and we soon came to share a border. The Dark Empire was feared for possessing the largest number of nascent soul cultivators on this continent, while the Dark Lord himself was rumored to match the power of a nascent soul back when he was in qi refinement. Last I heard he had reached the golden core, which likely sent the rest of the continent into a panic.

With the ever-looming threat of our neighbor, the sect couldn't afford to shed any more manpower. Even if they look down on me for being a woman, I am still stronger than your run of the mill golden core cultivator. Being a pseudo nascent soul, I am a force to be reckoned with. Even if I am not quite there, I still have enough power to hold my own against a nascent soul, should it come to that.

And so, I am slowly wasting my life away at the peak of my mountain, while drinking my sorrows away. As time went by, I could see my own disciple's admiration towards me slowly turn into disappointment and disgust. I stopped taking disciples because I saw no point in it anymore. Meanwhile, my core disciples I had raised, either left or died as a result of the other elder's influence. The only face that remained from my glory days was the inner disciple Feng whom I put in charge of the mountains upkeep, as I wished to be left alone.

*Smash*

"BOOZE! NOW!" I yelled.

It was early in the morning. I spent yesterday drinking myself to sleep like usual, hence I was feeling hung over. I smashed one of the empty bottles against the wall, to grab the attention of any nearby disciples. Normally, when I do this, someone will take it as a hint and deliver me my breakfast along with some booze, but for some reason no matter how long I waited, nobody came. Even when I kept throwing bottles at the wall, nobody seemed to notice.

Tired of waiting, I got out of my room for the first time in days to go look for someone to go prepare my food and drinks, but it seemed as if the mansion was almost completely abandoned. Even with the low number of disciples in this branch, there should still be a handful of inner disciples walking around the place doing chores at this hour of the day, but I couldn't find any. Just as I was considering just going to the kitchen to look for it myself, I spotted a youngster sweeping the courtyard.

"Hey you! Couldn't you hear me! Go fetch me some food and drinks!" I ordered him.

"YES MA'AM!" He yelled.

"Ugh! Don't shout! You're making my head hurt." I said, as I was trying to cope with my hangover.

"SORRY, MA'AM!" He shouted back without any hesitation, before sprinting into the kitchen. Leaving me with a massive headache.

I returned to my room to lay down while I waited for my drink, and a few minutes later the door to my room was slammed open as an energetic youth came in with a plate of eggs and bacon.

"Hey wait a second!" I stopped the guy as he was about to rush out of the room, as I noticed something.

"WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU MISS?!" He yelled energetically, making my ears ring.

Fighting through the nausea, I said

"This isn't booze! *Smash* Go get me some sake!" I said, as I threw the jug of water at his face so hard it smashed, covering him in water and glass fragments, some of which got pierced into his cheeks.

"YES! RIGHT AWAY, MISS!" The youngster yelled, disregarding the shards of glass in his face, he ran out of the room with a cheery expression.

He returned empty-handed not long after, with a guilty expression.

"SORRY MISS, BUT THERE IS NO MORE BOOZE LEFT!!!" He yelled as he started kowtowing.

"WHAT?! Ouch!" I raised my voice, as I could feel the pain in my head worsening.

Even though I drink every day, there is no way I could finish the entire supply of alcohol delivered to the mansion. Food and alcohol were the only sort of produce this region could still make, after they stripped everything else away. Even during the famine, I still had a surplus of booze to keep me company.

"Did you check the pantry in the basement? *Bleurgh* The majority of it is stored there." I said, as I regurgitated the contents of my stomach.

"I APOLOGIZE MISS! BUT IT SEEMS MY SENIORS CARRIED THE CONTENTS OF THE CELLAR WITH THEM DOWN THE MOUNTAIN A FEW DAYS AGO!!" The youngster yelled while still kowtowing on the floor while facing the floor.

"They what?! Ugh! I'm too hungover for this! I don't care how, just get me some booze!"

"MISS! IF YOU ARE HUNGOVER THEN DRINKING WILL ONLY MAKE IT WORSE!" He yelled as he looked up from the floor.

"Shut up! My head is ringing! If anything, it's your voice that's making it worse!"

"I APOLOGIZE MISS!" He yelled even louder, as he obviously missed my point.

"Ugh! Why are you still here? Go already!"

"OKAY!"

I waited and waited, but he didn't return until lunch time. I had been patiently enduring for what seemed like an eternity, but instead of returning with what I asked, he came carrying a pair of rice balls and a pitcher.

*Smash*

I took one sip of what I hoped was just some very clear alcohol, only to realize it was normal water, before throwing the pitcher at his face. The pitcher smashed, giving him another set of scars on his face to go along with the ones from earlier.

"Where is my booze?"

"I AM SORRY, BUT THERE IS NONE, MISS!" He yelled, as he put his still bleeding face to the floor as he started kowtowing again.

*bleurgh*

"I told you to go get some!"

"I AM SORRY MISS, BUT!" He paused with an awkward expression on his face.

"But what? Ugh! Come on! Spit it out already!" I said as I started feeling dizzy.

"I ORDERED ANOTHER BATCH, BUT THEY SAY IT WON'T REACH US UNTIL NEXT MONTH!"

"WHAT! Ouch! Can't you just buy some from a nearby town or village?" I said, as I could feel a sudden pain inside my head.

"SORRY, MISS! THE FEW BREWERIES IN THE AREA HAS SHUT DOWN, AND NONE OF THE TOWNSFOLK I ASKED HAD ANY LEFT! I HAD TO ORDER FROM ANOTHER REGION OF THE SECT, BUT THE ONLY ONES THAT DARED MAKE THE JOURNEY WERE IN THE NORTHEAST!" He said, as I struggled to follow his explanation through my massive headache.

"Ugh! Fine, just go get the disciples to return what they took! Also! Tell Feng to send someone else to deliver my booze!" I said as I shooed him away.

I waited and waited, but nobody came to give me what I wanted. I was barely managing to hang on to my sanity as I endured over half a decade's worth of alcoholism bearing down on me when that loud mouthed youngster returned late in the evening. He was carrying a bowl of piping hot soup and a glass pitcher of some colored drink.

*Smash*

"What's wrong with you! Didn't I tell you to bring me booze!" I yelled as I threw the entire table at him.

Dashing my hopes, the drink he had brought me wasn't alcohol. Instead of bringing me what I asked, he had wondered off to who knows where, until dinner time, before preparing me some steaming hot chicken soup along with some fruit juice.

"I AM SORRY! BUT IF IT IS REALY THAT BAD, I DO NOT THINK YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING MISS!"

"Who asked for your opinion! *Smash*" I raised my voice as I grabbed some empty bottles and started throwing them at him.

*Smash*

"GET!"

*Smash*

"ME!"

*Smash*

"BOOZE!"

*Smash*

If nothing else, the boy has some impressive pain tolerance. He was taking several glass bottles thrown by a pseudo nascent soul to the face without flinching or showing any change in his expression. Meanwhile, his face was getting bloodier and bloodier with each bottle. By the time I finished throwing every empty bottle in the room at him, you could barely make out any of his facial features amongst the bloody shards of glass lodged in his face.

"Why aren't you talking! Did you deafen yourself with all that yelling?!" I said as I was starting to think he may have taken one too many bottles to the face.

"I AM SORRY, BUT I CAN'T! I APOLOGIZE!" He shouted through the shards of glass in his face.

"*Sigh*! Haven't you heard the saying 'take the hair of the dog that bite you'?"

"NO, I HAVE NOT, MISS!" He yelled, as one of the glass shards popped out of his cheek.

"Ugh! Well, it means the best way to cure a hangover is to drink alcohol! So go get me some, you glass faced bastard!"

"I HATE TO CONTRADICT YOU, BUT I THINK THAT'S A MYTH, MA'AM!" He shouted back at me.

*bleurgh*

"AH! WHO CARES! JUST DO IT!"

"I AM SORRY, BUT IT IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE!"

"WHY THE HELL NOT!" I shouted back, as I lifted him up by his collar and was getting ready to punch the glass shards through his face and into his brain.

"UGH! THERE IS NO MORE ON THE MOUNTAIN!"

"WHAT?!"

"MY SENIORS DRANK IT ALL!"

*Thud*

I dropped the youngster on the floor while I processed the information. After enduring an entire day, I found out that those lazy bums had not only stolen my precious booze, but they had drunk it all too.

"I think it's about time I show them the meaning of fear!" I muttered as I grabbed the wooden sword off the wall before turning back to the boy.

"YOU! LEAD THE WAY!"

"WHAT?"

"I SAID TAKE ME TO THE BASTARDS WHO DARED TAKE MY BOOZE!" I screamed at him with a vengeful fire in my eyes.

…

Inner disciple Feng's POV:

After all the disciples had gone on strike, I had asked my diligent junior to do all the chores at the elder's mansion. With all the paperwork and reports I must file in that bitch's place, I don't have the time or energy to clean up all the broken bottles that litter the mansion.

Unfortunately, when she became a pseudo nascent soul, her poison resistance seems to have been enhanced as she has been drinking amounts that would kill any mortal man on a daily basis for the last 7 years. That means, she has plenty of ammunition to throw at whoever or whatever just so happens to ruin her buzz. Part of the reason the disciples went on strike is because of the unsafe working conditions that come with cleaning her quarters.

I asked the kid to clean up the main courtyard first, before making breakfast. By the time I came to take a look, there wasn't a single shard of glass or hardened stain to be seen on the ground. He had done an exceptional job cleaning the place, without a word of complaint and in such a short time too. It usually takes those lazy guys half a day to finish and no matter how hard they tried they couldn't quite get rid of the hardened stains of food and liquor of the tile floor.

I wanted to give the man some praise, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I eventually found him in my office doing my paperwork.

"HEY! STOP THAT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" I screamed, at the scar faced youth sitting at my desk.

He may be a great servant, but that doesn't mean he knows how to properly balance the sect branch's finances. I spent most of yesterday working on the stacks of papers he was scribbling on.

"OH! SENIOR FENG! I WANTED TO ASKE YOU ABOUT THIS LEDGER HERE! IT MENTIONS AN ORDER OF ALCOHOL TO THE WATER ELDERS TERRITORY FROM A MONTH AGO, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANY CONFIRMATION OF THE PAYMENT ANYWHERE! I FOUND A SIMILAR ONE TO THE DARKNESS ELDERS TERRITORY REGARDING SOME FOOD SUPPLIES FROM 2 WEEKS AGO! THERE IS ALSO A DISCREPENCY BETWEEN THE MONEY WE WERE ALLOTTED BY THE MAIN BRANCH AND THE ONE WE RESCIEVED!" He said as he showed me the ledgers.

"What?!" I said, in confusion as I took a look at the ledgers in question, and it was just like he said.

"Junior Chi, can you really understand all this?" I said as I pointed at the piles of completed paperwork he had stacked up to the side.

"YEP! YOU MIGHT NOT BELIVE IT, BUT I COME FROM A FAMILY OF MERCHANTS! I WAS TAUGHT BASIC ARITHMETIC FROM AN EARLY AGE!" he said, as he just stamped another forum.

At around noon, he left to go prepare lunch for that awful woman. During that time, I looked through the stacks of paper I had been wrestling with for weeks, and it was perfect. I couldn't spot a single flaw or discrepancy in his work. The only odd thing I could find was an order of alcohol from the other side of the sect, but that was it.

There are precious few on this mountain I can ask for help with these ledgers, and none of them can be fully trusted to not embezzle some of the resources should I do so. Hence, I have been left alone all these years to struggle on my own, but finally the heavens have rewarded me for my patience.

After picking up the lunch my kind junior had left for me in the kitchen, I went to grab some of the sake from the kitchen pantry, but it was empty.

"Hm?"

That woman drinks a ton on a regular basis, so it's not too strange for the kitchen pantry to run out of booze. That's why we have a wine cellar where we store large amounts of different alcohol. It was constructed by the previous fire elder before her, as he was also a bit of a drunkard, but not nearly to the same extent as that fool. I opened the door adjacent to the kitchen, revealing a long dark spiral staircase. I lit a candle before walking down to the dark cellar.

"Huh?"

To my surprise. It was empty. All the barrels of wine had disappeared or emptied. The bottles of alcohol that used to align the shelves were gone. I could feel my heart racing as I rushed to look for even just a single bottle of liquor, but there was nothing.

"Shit!" I spouted as I recalled the fresh wounds on my junior's face from earlier.

I rushed upstairs to look for him, only to find him sweeping the hallways while glass shards were poking out of his face. It seemed that even the moody bottles of that drunkard can't shake the boy's spirits as he waved at me while giving me a joyful smile.

"GREETINGS SENIOR FENG! DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER TASK FOR ME? DO YOU?!" He said as he came running right up to me, showing off his excitement as he sprayed me with the blood running down his face.

"Ugh! No! I just wanted to know if you have seen anyone enter or leave the wine cellar today?" I asked as I tried to wipe off the blood drops on my face and clothes, but it only ended up staining the collar of my uniform red.

"WELL, NO! BUT I DID SEE A GROUP OF SENIORS CARRY A BUNCH OF BARRELS DOWN THE MOUNTAIN A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO!"

"WHERE TO?!" I yelled as I grabbed him by the shoulders.

"It's down in the dining hall at the foot of the mountain. Its where all the seniors have been staying lately." He said, as I was shaking him back and forth.

"Okay good! I have a task for you after all!"

"REALLY!?" He shouted in excitement with a starry-eyed expression.

"Yes! I want you to stall for time with that drunkard! I mean the elder! Make sure she doesn't find out about this, and under no circumstances can you let her leave the mansion. I just need you to stall her until I get back. Can you do that for me?" I asked my junior in a desperate tone.

"I'LL DO MY BEST, SIR!" He yelled while giving me a salute.

And with that I rushed down the mountain. I needed to get it back before she sobered up. There is a reason why I have made no attempts to limit her booze intake despite the mess she makes. Many of the disciples here today joined after her alcoholism set in, so they are unaware of this. We don't let her drink all day just because she is the elder. We let her drink all day because the alcohol keeps her docile. The spartan training she had us do back then still sends chills down my spine to this day.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

*Bang*

While spouting obscenities, I rushed down to the loud dining hall where those lazy bums have been partying over the last couple of days. There were some people lain passed out drunk around the building, while I could hear people drinking and singing from inside. The surroundings were littered with empty bottles and trash. The sun was setting behind me as I kicked in the already broken door.

"LISTEN UP! RETURN THE BOOZE YOU STOLE THIS INSTANT!" I shouted as I entered the place.

There was an eerie silence in the room as they all looked at me, before they went back to their reveries, as if they didn't hear my words.

"HEY! DIDN'T YOU!"

*Thud*

"Sorry, dude! I didn't see you their! Hey, aren't you the big guy? The what's you ma call it? *hiccup* The mountain boss. Hey, everybody the mountain boss is here! Hehe!" a drunkard said as he pushed me out of the way.

I got up from the floor as I could see the man piss his pants without noticing, as he introduced me to the entire dining room as the 'mountain boss'. Of course, nobody here seemed to care.

"Hey, let go of me!" I said as the piss drunk man grabbed my arm and dragged me to his group of friends.

"Hey, BoBo! Have you met my new friend… what's your name again?"

"Let go of me!" I said as I tore my arm away from the man as I stumbled back, bumping into the guy behind me.

"YOU PICKING A FIGHT, CHUMP?!"

"Wha!"

*Bang*

The man suddenly turned around and punched me in the face sending me reeling back onto a table covered in empty bottles and cards. The smoking guys playing poker were not happy as they got up to throw a punch at the guy. I could feel my head spinning as I started noticing the smoke in the air.

"Crap is this?"

I suddenly remembered a certain drug that the cartels used to peddle through our territory a couple of years ago. It was a heated inhalant that made people act all weird.

I could feel the colors of the rainbow as I tasted sound. And when I finally snapped out of my drug induced hallucinations, I was standing outside the dining hall pouring a bottle of wine over a certain sober red tigress. Meanwhile I spotted a glass-stained junior standing behind her, covered in blood.

"Oh no!"

"HehehehahahahHAHAHA! OH YEAH! SO, THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK OF ME!"

…

Xie Xiu's POV:

After I forced the loudmouthed youth to tell me where I could find those bastards, I left the mansion.

"Please miss! Don't be too harsh on them!" The young boy pleaded from the side.

As annoying as his voice was, it is rather refreshing to see this innocently naïve youngster plead for his friends. I can't remember the last time I met someone who looked at me with anything but contempt or disgust, yet not once today has he given me even a hint of malice. The fact that those lazy bums he is pleading for, left him to take care of the place on his own only pisses me off more though.

I finally made it down to the bottom of the mountain as I saw the terrible state of the dining hall. I could see empty barrels and bottles of my booze scattered across the ground, along with some past out disciples and furniture.

*Smash*

Suddenly, a chair came flying out the window. It was about to hit me, but I dodged it, the youngster behind me wasn't that quick though, as it knocked him over. While he was brushing off the splintered chair fragments from his uniform, I walked towards the door when suddenly I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey! Hehehe! It's you, miss drunkard!" It was the inner disciple Feng, who was wheezing and giggling to himself as he walked around the corner of the building, while holding onto a bottle of wine.

"You! Were you part of this?"

"Shut up!" He shouted with an excess amount of spit coming out of his mouth.

"What are you?"

"You know, I always hated you. *Hiccup* You would use us as your punching bags as you beat us day in and day out, and we had to just stand there and take it, all because you were the golden girl of the sect leader, you slut!"

"…"

"You think we didn't realize how you became an elder! I wonder how many times you had to shake your hips for that pervy old man, before he gave you this mountain. Meanwhile, the rest of us had to work our asses off just to make ends meet!"

"…"

"You know! I was going to give this to you. It was the last bottle these guys had stashed away. So, here you go you bitch! Drink up!" He said before he uncorked the bottle of wine.

*Drizzle*

"Oh no!"

"HehehehahahahHAHAHA! OH YEAH! SO, THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK OF ME!"

"Miss! Are you okay? I'll go fetch you a new set of clothes! Ugh!"

"SIT!" I said as I grabbed the youngster by the collar as he tried to leave.

"Hey! Eh elder Xiu! I wasn't in my right mind be!"

*Smack*

Just as the little shit started pleading for forgiveness, I smacked him with my wooden sword so hard, he went flying through the dilapidated dining hall. I walked through the hole in the wall as I spotted the group of hooligans who stole my booze. I could smell a hint of poison in the air, that hinted at the extent of their debauchery within my mountain. I can't believe I let my disciples fall as far as soliciting illegal substances.

"This behavior deserves some disciplinary actions!" I said, as I stepped through the hole in the wall, with my wooden sword slumped over my shoulder.

I threw the youngster into a chair in the corner, before turning to the rest of the room.

I could feel my blood boiling with excitement for the first time in years, as I spotted the group of thugs wearing my branches uniform. They all looked ready to go a round or two as they surrounded me.

"Big mistake!"

*BOOM*

Just then, I used my Flame burst technique to send out a fiery shockwave that burned those alcohol-stained bastards alive.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

As the infernal screams of those punks echoed through the hall, some of them realized how screwed they were, and tried to run, but.

*Swoosh*

*Sizzle*

Using my blaze step footwork, I cut them off before they could leave the building and kicked them into the wildfire that I started. I could hear their screams as they one by one crumbled into ash. By midnight, the only ones left alive in the dining hall were me and that bloodied youngster who was staring at the bonfire. He had followed my instructions and remained seated as he watched me burn his seniors to death.

"Nothing to say, huh? With how hard you pleaded on the way over here, I'd expect you to be begging for their lives! Or are you scared speechless"

"You are beautiful!"

"What?"

"The way you moved! The way you fought! You left no openings and had nearly no wasted motions! You even funneled them into an expected path of retreat by creating that hole in the wall. While under duress most people will aim for the first escape route they can see, which in this case with you blocking the entrance would be the hole out the back where senior Feng flew. By drawing their attention to that place, you prevented them from scattering to different exits like the windows, or through another wall."

"Uh, yeah! That's definitely why I did that!" I said, lying out my teeth.

I wasn't thinking nearly that in depth. I was just planning to smack him into the building, but since I'm a bit rusty I failed to control my strength, and he went through the other side. He might be a bit naïve, but he's starting to sound pretty sharp while analyzing the battle. More importantly, those looks of admiration are making it too awkward for me to admit it was just a fluke.

"Ehm! Anyways, what is your name kid?"

"OH! I AM OUTER DISCIPLE CHI KEN MA'AM!" He yelled as he stood up to give me a salute.

"Pft! Okay then little chicken, I hereby promote you to an inner disciple of the sect!"

"YES MA'AM!"

"Okay then once you are done cleaning up this mess, come see me at the mansion." I said as I moved to leave.

"Okay, but ma'am? What am I to do with senior Feng?"

"Hm? Oh! Just strip him of his uniform and belongings before you kick him out on the street!"

"Isn't that a bit harsh?"

"He dishonored me and my master! He should be thankful I didn't kill him!"

"Then isn't it wiser to do that?" The chicken said with an innocent expression

"Hm? Now who's being harsh?"

"An enemy you let live today, will be the enemy who kills you tomorrow! That is what my family always said anyways!"

"Hmph! Just do as I said!"

And with that I left the little chicken to deal with the unconscious ingrate I took off the streets all those years ago.