The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

Seeing Pang Fu staring intently at him, Ye Sheng immediately showed a look of shock and astonishment.

Seeing the blank look in Ye Sheng's eyes, Pang Fu frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Let's go! Let's go take a look!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed out first, with Ye Sheng following closely behind.

When the three arrived at the No. 3 pile of ash, many servants had already come upon hearing the news. They were all pale-faced, pointing and whispering, but no one dared to approach.

Beside the pile of ash, in the sewage ditch, lay a disfigured corpse, already highly decomposed, its face and body riddled with holes, as if it had been gnawed on.

Even more terrifying, countless black beetles the size of fingernails were crawling in and out of the holes, making a rustling sound that sent chills down one's spine.

A strong, foul stench mixed with the pungent smell of erysipelas filled the air, making one want to vomit.

"What... what's going on?"

Looking at the tragic scene before him, Pang Fu's expression turned grave, and he asked in a deep voice.

"Manager," a timid old handyman stammered, "this...this seems to be a 'Bone-Eating Beetle.' The third pile of dregs contains 'Heart-Rotting Pill' waste, the most poisonous and the easiest place for this beetle to breed. We usually avoid it, so how did Du Qiang...how did he get here?"

At this moment, Pang Fu turned his gaze to Ye Sheng again, full of suspicion: Du Qiang had just been seriously injured by Ye Sheng in the afternoon, and then died tragically here in the evening, which was really strange.

Ye Sheng met his gaze, feigning fear on his face. Pointing at the corpse, his voice trembled as he said, "I...I guess he worked as a handyman in the abandoned pill room for many years, and was affected by the miasma of pill poison, lost his mind, and...as a result, accidentally fell into this pile of pill dregs number three, which is why he disturbed these poisonous insects?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, and this explanation did make sense.

But Pang Fu looked at Ye Sheng's "still in shock" face, then glanced at the collar of the rotting corpse on the ground, his eyes flickering, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh, I see."

He said this with a rather profound meaning.

However, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Pang Fu was extremely astute and did not believe Ye Sheng's words at all.

Du Qiang's death was advantageous to him, as it eliminated the incompetent and disobedient official and also deterred Ye Sheng, the newly recruited "money-making tool," achieving two goals at once.

"Hmph, what a damn bad luck! Everyone remember, if anyone from the sect asks, say that Du Qiang died from an insect infestation, not from human intervention. Anyone who dares to spread rumors will not be spared."

Pang Fu reminded them in a deep voice, then waved his hand and ordered the servants, "What are you all standing there for! Hurry up and get the lime and straw mats to clean up!"

Upon hearing this, the servants repeatedly agreed and dispersed.

Then, Pang Fu approached Ye Sheng and lowered his voice, saying, "Kid, you've got some good methods. But in the future, you'll have to be even more discreet."

After saying that, he walked away slowly with his hands behind his back, as if nothing had happened.

Ye Sheng watched his retreating figure, then looked at the rotten flesh on the ground being devoured by bone-eating beetles, a cold chill and worry flashing in his eyes.

This Manager Pang is far more dangerous than Du Qiang. I wonder how I should deal with him in the future. Am I really going to be his "money-making tool" for the rest of my life?

Just as Ye Sheng was about to turn and leave, a middle-aged man dressed as a butler, accompanied by a young maid carrying a lantern, hurried up from the foot of the mountain.

The middle-aged man spotted Pang Fu, who was about to leave, and immediately stepped forward, bowing respectfully: "Steward Pang, I am Liu Chui, the steward of the Liu family in Qingyun City. I have come to request an audience on the orders of my young lady."

"The Liu residence?"

Pang Fu was taken aback, then a fawning smile spread across his face as he asked, "Your household has three young ladies. May I ask which one Steward Liu is referring to?"

"Liu Qing, an inner disciple of your sect."

As soon as the name Liu Qing was uttered, the remaining servants around her let out a suppressed gasp.

In the outer sect of the Qingyun Sword Sect, almost everyone knew the name Liu Qing. She was not only an inner disciple, but also one of the sect leader's personal disciples. She was exceptionally talented and had already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage at the young age of twenty.

More importantly, she comes from a noble family with a strong lineage, and is exceptionally beautiful. Due to her aloof temperament, she is known as the "Ice Fairy" in the sect and is an unattainable goddess in the hearts of countless male disciples.

It's truly baffling that the steward of such a privileged young woman would come to this filthy and smelly abandoned alchemy room in the dead of night.

"So it's Senior Sister Liu Qing, my apologies for not recognizing you."

Pang Fu's chubby face beamed with a wide grin, and he hurriedly bowed and asked, "I wonder what brings Steward Liu to my filthy and smelly servants' quarters so late at night?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chui looked around, seemingly disgusted by the environment, covered his nose with a handkerchief, and frowned, saying, "Manager Pang, let's get straight to the point."

"My young lady is currently refining an important batch of pills, and one of the main ingredients, 'Moon Orchid,' has suddenly withered for some unknown reason. She sent me here to inquire whether any high-quality Moon Orchid roots have been discarded in this pill-refining room recently. If so, please do me a favor, and my young lady will be very grateful."

"Moon Orchid?" Pang Fu's smile froze instantly, replaced by a troubled expression. He said, "Steward Liu, aren't you putting me in a difficult position?"

"This abandoned alchemy room is full of discarded pill residue and completely withered medicinal herbs. How could there be any high-quality Moonflower Orchid roots? Even if there were, they would probably have been treasured and taken away by the alchemists in the sect on the black market long ago."

Liu Chui clearly understood this as well, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face. But he was still unwilling to give up. His gaze swept over the piles of ash around him, and finally landed on the servants who were busy dealing with Du Qiang's corpse.

"These menial laborers work here year-round; perhaps they've seen it before?"

"this……"

Pang Fu hesitated for a moment, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "All of you come here! The steward of the Liu family has some questions to ask!"

Immediately, several servants dropped what they were doing and ran over tremblingly, standing in a row in front of Liu Chui.

"I ask you, have you seen any spiritual plant roots or stems resembling orchids among the elixir residue recently?" Liu Chui asked in a deep voice.

The servants looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No, Master Steward."

"We've only seen some charred grass roots, there's no such thing as a spiritual plant."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chui's disappointment deepened. He sighed and was about to take his leave when a voice suddenly came from behind the crowd.

"Master Butler, wait a minute, perhaps I have a way."

Everyone turned around and saw that the one who spoke was Ye Sheng.

At this moment, he slowly walked out of the crowd, his face still showing a hint of feigned timidity, but his eyes were unusually calm.

"You have a way?" Liu Chui looked Ye Sheng up and down, his eyes full of doubt.

What can a lowly servant do?

Pang Fu was also taken aback. He was about to scold Ye Sheng for talking nonsense, but Ye Sheng stopped him with a look.

For some reason, upon seeing Ye Sheng's calm gaze, Pang Fu had an absurd thought: Could this kid really have a way? If he could make the Liu family owe the servants' quarters a favor, he, the servants' supervisor, would have some face to show for it.

"What's your plan?" Liu Chui asked Ye Sheng again, staring intently at him.

"Although I cannot guarantee that I can save that moonflower orchid, my family has a secret method that can cure dying plants. Perhaps we can give it a try."

Ye Sheng replied in a calm tone.

"What! A family secret technique?"

Liu Chui scoffed, clearly unconvinced, and said mockingly, "You're just a menial servant, at most a commoner. Where would you get any secret techniques from your ancestors? Are you trying to play a trick on me?"

"Whether you believe it or not, it's entirely up to you, Steward."

Ye Sheng said calmly, "That moon orchid is almost dead. It can't get much worse. Let me try; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope. If I don't try, it will truly be discarded here as waste."

This statement makes sense, and Liu Chui fell silent for a moment.

He was truly at his wit's end. That Moonflower Orchid was of paramount importance to the young lady; if it withered and died, the young lady's elixir would be impossible to complete, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"it is good."

He finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Come with me. But let me make this clear: if you dare to play any tricks and cause the Moon Orchid to wither completely, and the young lady blames you, I will make you wish you were dead!"

"Can."

Ye Sheng uttered two words, then turned to Pang Fu beside him and said, "Steward Pang, my younger brother is still inside and has no one to take care of him. Could you please...?"

"Go ahead and don't worry."

Pang Fu immediately understood and patted his chest, guaranteeing, "With me here, I'll make sure he's completely unharmed."

Ye Sheng nodded slightly, and then followed Liu Chui, walking towards the inner gate area on the mountain amidst the mixed gazes of the surrounding servants, some envious and some gloating.