35: Chapter 35 Guardian Assessment: Superior!

The next day, early morning.

The sky over the Servant District was still gray. In the corner of Ding-zi District Courtyard No. 77, the well water splashed with a "splash, splash" sound.

Su Yourong, wearing a faded, coarse linen garment, was squatting by the well, her hands soaked in the icy, bone-chilling well water, scrubbing a large basin of clothes with effort.

Her voluptuous figure trembled slightly in the morning breeze. Her stunningly beautiful face, usually dignified and elegant, now revealed an unconcealable exhaustion and languor.

Especially around the corners of her eyes and brows, it was as if she had been thoroughly scoured by some violent force, leaving behind a trace of breathtaking, astonishing allure.

Only she knew what kind of storm-like "punishment" she had endured.

"Mother..."

The side door of the main house creaked open, and Su Aili walked out, rubbing her red, swollen eyes.

Seeing her mother, who used to never lift a finger, now squatting by the cold well water working hard like the lowliest of servant girls, tears instantly welled up in Su Aili's eyes.

"Mother! Why do you have to be so humble!"

Su Aili hurried over, grabbed Su Yourong's frozen, red hands, and said with a thick, tearful voice filled with unwillingness: "What right does Qin Feng have to order you around like this?"

Seeing her daughter's angry and heartbroken expression, Su Yourong's movements paused slightly.

She subconsciously turned her head and cast a profound look at Qin Feng's still-closed door.

In her mind, the man's gaze—looking down on her like an emperor—and his suffocating dominance and strength involuntarily surfaced.

Humiliating?

It was just an equivalent exchange; the other party had not used force to subdue her, which was already giving her enough respect.

"Girl, don't talk nonsense."

Su Yourong held her daughter's hand in return, wiped the water stains off her hands on her apron, and forced a gentle smile.

"Mother doesn't feel it's humble. You don't need to feel it's humble either."

Su Yourong lowered her voice, her tone revealing a clarity and calmness after experiencing life and death, and smiled: "The master already spoke last night. You can live in this courtyard, eat from the courtyard, and use what's in the courtyard; he won't bother you. The premise is that you must control that troublesome mouth of yours from now on. Don't be gossipy anymore, understand?"

"What? He... did he really say that?" Su Aili was stunned, her initial rage seemingly extinguished by a basin of warm water.

She had assumed that since Qin Feng, that bully, had taken them in, he definitely had bad intentions and would sooner or later extend his claws toward her.

But hearing her mother's meaning now, Qin Feng actually didn't even bother to pay attention to her?

"When has Mother ever lied to you?"

Su Yourong sighed, reached out to touch her daughter's hair, and a trace of complexity flashed in her eyes. "In the Servant District, being able to survive and have a stable meal is already a tremendous blessing."

"The master is someone who does big things. His mind and methods are not things we can fathom. Go on, go back to the room and stay there. Mother still has to finish cooking this pot of Spirit Beast meat porridge for the master."

Saying this, Su Yourong turned around and continued to work hard with her head down.

Time flew by, and it was noon.

"Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!"

A rapid and loud sound of a bronze gong suddenly exploded in the sky over the entire Intermediate Laborer District!

The sound had extremely strong penetrating power, clearly because the person beating the gong had infused it with vigorous Qi and blood, instantly breaking the afternoon tranquility of the Servant District.

Following that, a dignified and cold voice echoed in everyone's ears like rolling thunder:

"Management Hall Announcement!!!"

"Due to the large-scale expansion of the outer Spirit mine pits, the number of Menial Laborers has surged! To strengthen the management of the jurisdiction and maintain the Sect's rules, the Management Hall has specially decided—to increase the number of guard spots by three!"

"All Middle-tier Servants with cultivation reaching Mortal Rank 6 or above may sign up to participate! Three days later at noon, assemble at the Martial Arts Arena outside the Management Hall for a unified life-and-death selection!"

"The winners will be granted a Black Iron Token, wear black robes, be promoted to Upper-tier Servant, and hold the power of life and death!"

As soon as the announcement was made, the entire Intermediate Laborer District instantly boiled over as if a heavy bomb had been dropped!

"My God, increasing guard spots?! I've finally waited for this!"

"A guard, that's an Upper-tier Servant! Every month, no need to farm or go into the mines; just taking the salary from the Management Hall is five hundred servant coins."

"What's more deadly is the power of life and death! Didn't you see how Ji Boxiao died? One word from a guard, saying you destroyed the Spirit field, and you'd be served with Soul Locking Chains and executed by slow slicing on the spot! Whoever becomes a guard is a local emperor in the Servant District?!"

On the streets and in the courtyards, countless Middle-tier Servants were discussing it with red eyes. Those whose cultivation was stuck at the Peak of Rank 5 or had just achieved a Breakthrough to Rank 6 were breathing heavily, their eyes erupting with undisguised fanaticism and greed!

Inside the room of Ding-zi District Courtyard No. 77.

Qin Feng, who was sitting cross-legged in the Primary Spirit Gathering Formation resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes after hearing this thunderous announcement!

"Swish—!"

In the depths of his profound eyes, a gleam like substance flashed by. The dense Spiritual Qi in the surroundings even rippled slightly due to the violent fluctuation of his Qi and blood.

"It's finally here!"

Qin Feng's lips curled into an arc, and he slowly clenched his fists, his bones emitting a cracking sound like popping beans.

For the past two days, he had been staying in the courtyard to stabilize his Mortal Rank 6 cultivation, while also practicing the throwing knife technique "Inch Radiance" to the point of perfection.

But he knew very clearly that in the Servant District, no matter how strong one's personal martial power was, as long as one was still in the "Menial Laborer" system, one would always be in a passive position.

He held a huge sum of thousands of servant coins and also possessed the mutated blood ginseng. Once these things were exposed, even if he were at the Peak of Rank 6, he would be torn to pieces like a starving wolf by those guards in the Management Hall who held the "legal right to kill."

No matter how wealthy a Middle-tier Servant was, in the end, they were just a fattened pig!

To truly thrive in the Servant District and protect his women and wealth, he had to put on the official "tiger skin"!

Become a guard, possess the power of life and death, and become one of the people who set the rules in this area!

"Creeeeeak—"

The door was pushed open violently.

Bai Yuhe and Wu Mengmeng rushed in from the main hall with excited faces. Even Su Yourong, who usually didn't dare to get close to Qin Feng, stood outside the door holding a wooden basin, looking over with fiery eyes.

"Master, did you hear the Management Hall announcement just now?!"

Wu Mengmeng's watery peach-blossom eyes were filled with excited light, her chest heaving violently. She rushed directly to Qin Feng's side, hugged his arm, and asked: "They are increasing three guard spots, Master. Are you going to participate in the assessment?!"

Bai Yuhe's foxy eyes were also wide open, her Early Stage Rank 5 Qi and blood surging in her body. Her tone was full of admiration and encouragement: "Master is already at Mortal Rank 6 cultivation now. If you go to participate in the selection, it will surely be as easy as taking something out of a bag! As long as Master becomes a guard, from now on in Ding-zi District, we can walk sideways!"

Qin Feng stood up, letting Wu Mengmeng's warm, soft body press against him, and his gaze swept over the three women in front of him.

"Go, of course I will go."

Qin Feng's voice was not loud, but it revealed a resolute dominance and unquestionable authority: "My life, Qin Feng's life, can only be held in my own hands. If I don't become the one holding the knife, I can only be the meat on the chopping block!"