Starting from the Locked Dragon Well, I'll grind my way to becoming the Great Sage of Immortal

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the alley paved with bluestone slabs was shrouded in moisture.

Beside the old well, Jiang Qi stood with one foot on the well platform, gripped the hemp rope with both hands, and used his arm muscles to pull it up one handful at a time.

The wooden barrel struck the well wall, producing a dull echo.

The clear, cool well water gurgled as it was poured into a larger wooden bucket beside the well, splashing up the delicate, refreshing coolness unique to the early morning.

He stopped working only after the two large wooden buckets were full, straightened up, and let out a soft sigh of relief.

The water rippled slightly, reflecting a young face.

He had clear features, tanned skin, and was about seventeen or eighteen years old.

A gentle breeze swept by, and the reflections on the water overlapped, just like Jiang Qi's memories.

In my past life, I worked 996, paying my mortgage and car loan on time every month until the dawn of a night spent rushing to finish a manuscript.

In this life, he was a waterworker at Suolong Well in Sweetwater Lane, responsible for the water supply of the surrounding lanes.

The work was hard and the income was meager, but at least it was a means of making a living. As long as the Suolong Well didn't run dry, he would have food to eat.

The saying "those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water" perfectly illustrates this.

But things can change in an unpredictable way.

Ten days ago, he was delivering water when he stumbled upon a brawl between two gangs at a fork in the alley.

In the chaos, someone hit him on the head.

In that instant, what surged forth was not only excruciating pain, but also a jumble of chaotic memories.

When he woke up again, he had awakened his innate wisdom.

Having lived two lives, one's thoughts are naturally different.

This is an extraordinary world where martial artists can split mountains and shatter rocks, and burn mountains and boil seas.

The words of a writer carry the law; a single word can subdue evil spirits.

He was just an ordinary well-keeper.

On the surface, this job seems to provide enough food and clothing.

But actually?

In this kind of world, ordinary people's lives are as fragile as paper; they can be gone in an instant.

The unexpected disaster that occurred ten days ago is the best proof of this.

The water was calm, and the reflection was perfect.

"Practicing martial arts or studying for an official career are the only ways out," Jiang Qi said clearly. "Only by mastering power can one become a superior person."

"Qi-ge'er!"

A call interrupted Jiang Qi's thoughts.

A young man came running quickly, carrying two bags in his hands.

"You're here." Jiang Qi looked up and greeted him.

This man is called Zhao Xiaoqi, another plumber in the water workshop, and they have a good relationship.

Zhao Xiaoqi ran over and immediately saw the two large buckets filled with water. He exclaimed in surprise, "Qi-ge, how come we caught so much water today?"

Normally, at this time, it would be considered efficient to fill a large bucket.

"I arrived early, so I made a few extra," Jiang Qi replied.

The well water drawn this morning was indeed more than usual, but not because it came early, but because it was drawn quickly.

Zhao Xiaoqi said "Oh," walked around behind Jiang Qi, stood on tiptoe to look at the back of Jiang Qi's head, and then said with a guilty look, "Brother Qi, are you still dizzy?"

"I'm not dizzy anymore, don't worry." Jiang Qi smiled.

Zhao Xiaoqi's expression softened a bit, and she quickly handed over what she was holding: "Here, take it."

"A little pork and some herbs to replenish qi and blood. It was all my fault that day; if it weren't for them helping me..."

Ten days ago, Zhao Xiaoqi was supposed to deliver water, but her mother's old illness suddenly broke out, so Jiang Qi took her place, which is why she suffered the disaster.

"We haven't finished the ones I sent the day before yesterday," Jiang Qi waved his hand. "Take them back for your aunt to have some nourishing food."

These meats and medicinal herbs can't be bought for less than a hundred coins.

Waterworkers like them earn only eight or nine hundred coins a month, barely enough to make ends meet.

Zhao Xiaoqi's family was already poor, and her mother had to take medicine all year round, so they lived a very frugal life.

"My mother said that if you don't accept it, Qi-ge, she won't let me into the house!" Zhao Xiaoqi said stubbornly, forcibly stuffing the things into Jiang Qi's hands.

"...Alright, I'll accept it then. Please thank the aunt for me." Jiang Qi couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Seeing that Jiang Qi had stopped, Zhao Xiaoqi breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered the important matter and hurriedly said, "By the way, the waterman just said that Zhenyuan Martial Arts School urgently needs water, so we need to fetch three more buckets."

The water boss is the head of this well, and the others are the waterworkers.

"Okay." Jiang Qi nodded.

The martial arts school always uses a lot of water, usually requiring at least five large buckets to be delivered, and these two buckets are far from enough.

So the two chatted idly while picking up the well rope and wooden bucket and continuing to draw water.

"Huh?" After filling two buckets, Zhao Xiaoqi realized something was wrong.

He struggled to lift one bucket, but when he turned around, Jiang Qi had already steadily lifted two buckets.

"Qi-ge'er, you fetched water so fast today!"

"The martial arts school is in a hurry, isn't it?" Jiang Qi continued his movements, using his wrist to lift another bucket of well water.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoqi also tried her best to speed up, wanting to share more of the burden.

No matter how fast he sped up, he was always a little slower than Jiang Qi.

Just as he was exerting himself, Zhao Xiaoqi's expression suddenly changed.

"Qi-ge'er! Look at this water!"

Jiang Qi peered into the water and saw that there were some brown impurities floating in the bucket, as fine as sand, slowly sinking into the water.

If you get close enough to smell it, there's a very faint odor.

The smell is very faint; most people can hardly detect it.

But those of them who live off well water have long since developed a keen sense of smell.

This water has impurities in it.

Actually, water with these impurities can be drunk after being left to settle overnight and then boiled again; it won't have any negative effects.

But today, this water needs to be delivered to the Zhenyuan Martial Arts School.

Martial arts schools have much higher requirements for water quality than ordinary people; the water must be clear and free of impurities.

Last month, a worker at the water shop accidentally delivered slightly murky water, and as a result, the entire water shop, including the water supplier, was severely reprimanded by the martial arts school.

The water delivery guy fared even worse; he was kicked in the ribs by a disciple practicing martial arts at the school and is still bedridden, a cripple.

Jiang Qi frowned slightly and drew another bucket from the well.

Sure enough, they all had impurities and odors.

"Xiao Qi, go to the water room and fetch some alum," Jiang Qi said after a moment of silence.

"Alum?" Zhao Xiaoqi was taken aback, then hesitated, "That stuff is fine for cleaning mud and sand, but with all the strange impurities and odors in this well water, it probably won't be effective..."

"Try it first."

This was the only way at the moment, so Zhao Xiaoqi quickly turned around and ran towards the water room.

Once Zhao Xiaoqi's footsteps faded into the distance, only Jiang Qi remained by the well.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the water.

Deep within my consciousness, a misty, ethereal aura rises.

Amidst the ethereal atmosphere, a golden scroll appears and disappears, its surface shimmering with iridescent light.

At the same time, several lines of dark blue text appeared before his eyes:

【Occupation: Plumber (Level 3, eligible for job advancement)】

[Level: 2 (291/300)]

[Effects: Increases water-carrying speed and efficiency; improves stability while carrying water, reducing spillage; slightly enhances basic physical qualities such as arm and waist strength; effects increase with job level.]

[Skill: Water Removal – Can remove impurities from water, improve water quality, and make water more active; can be used for cleaning and decontamination.]

Yes, Jiang Qi has a cheat code.

On the day his innate wisdom awakened, this scroll, named the "Book of a Hundred Trades," appeared.

According to this heavenly book, everything in the world can be accomplished as long as one focuses on it wholeheartedly.

By focusing on one profession and relentlessly pursuing excellence, one can unlock the corresponding career path and gain extraordinary abilities.

Hydraulic work was the first profession he began.

His water-drawing speed far exceeded that of the past, thanks to the professional effect of the [Waterworker] skill.

The [Waterworker] class's accompanying skill, [Leaving Water], is even more wondrous.

[Water Removal] Not only can it remove impurities from water, but the water treated by this method will also undergo a subtle change in texture, which can better enhance the medicinal properties when used to decoct medicine.

Washing the wound with water also has an additional detoxifying effect.

The reason I sent Zhao Xiaoqi away to fetch alum was actually to use the [Separation from Water] skill.

Jiang Qi looked at the bucket in front of him, a thought stirring in his mind.

[Out of water].

The water surface moved automatically, creating tiny ripples, even without wind.

The brown impurities in the bucket were immediately drawn together by an invisible force, gradually gathering towards the center, condensing into small clumps of flocculent material, and slowly sinking to the bottom of the bucket.

In this case, all we need to do is let the flocculent material coagulate and sink to the bottom to obtain the clear water on the top layer.

But Jiang Qi did not attempt to separate them again; instead, he stood quietly and waited.

Not long after, Zhao Xiaoqi came running back, clutching a bag of alum.

"Qi-ge'er, the alum has been brought."

"Let's try putting this bucket in first."

Zhao Xiaoqi did as instructed, putting the alum into the bucket, and then staring intently at the bucket.

After a while.

"Hey! Qi-ge'er, look!" Zhao Xiaoqi's eyes lit up. "It sank! The impurities settled down!"

He leaned closer and sniffed it again, his face beaming with even more joy: "The odor is gone! Alum really works!"

"Quickly clean the other buckets of water as well."

"it is good."

Just then.

"Is the water ready for Zhenyuan Martial Arts School?" a voice came from the alley entrance.

A man pushing a wide cart came along, and upon seeing the two using alum to purify the water, his expression immediately changed:

"What are you doing? How can you use alum in the water of a martial arts school?!"