The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 326 Blood Seal

Guangxin Prefecture, Huaiyu Mountain.

The Kongming School.

Hidden among the dense forest, the mountain path slowly ascends, ending abruptly outside the gate of the Kongming Sect.

Above the mountain gate hangs a plaque with the three large characters "Kongming School" clearly engraved on it. On the other side of the plaque hangs a palm-sized wooden plaque with the two characters "Ascending the Peak" written on it.

A young man looked up at the wooden sign, sighed, jumped up and took it off. He then took out a fine soft cloth from his pocket and carefully wiped it clean.

He checked it in the sunlight to make sure it was clean, then used his lightness skill to leap up and hang the wooden sign back in its place. Beside the sign, the Kongming Sect's plaque was covered in dust, but the young man ignored it.

The young man's name was Liu Wenbin, and he was the "closed-door disciple" of the Kongming School.

The disciple responsible for closing the door.

The reason he sighed earlier was because of this "closed-door disciple" assignment.

He was of average talent and had no connections, so he planned to spend his life loafing around inside the sect. In the past, he would have been happy to do this job of guarding the mountain gate—no fighting, no traveling, and as long as he wasn't seen by his teachers, he could even squat outside the gate reading stories without anyone bothering him.

Unfortunately, ever since that wooden sign was hung up, the job has become much more difficult.

The wooden sign must not be dirty, wet, or scratched. It must be taken down when the wind is strong or when it rains. Not only is there no time to rest, but even if a bird flies by, he must be extremely careful, for fear that bird droppings will fall on the sign.

It's truly a grueling job that requires working day and night, rain or shine.

Fortunately—Liu Wenbin looked up at the position of the sun—it was almost time for his shift to end, so he could have a good rest this afternoon and wouldn't have to stand here in fear anymore.

As he planned to go down the mountain later to find some food, a relaxed smile appeared on Liu Wenbin's face.

"Wenbin, what's making you so happy?"

Suddenly, an old voice came from behind him. Liu Wenbin was startled and turned around abruptly. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.

"Elder Long, you're back!"

The person speaking to him was an elderly man with white hair and beard, thin cheeks, and a vigorous spirit. His small eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled and nodded.

"Hmm, I went down the mountain for a walk, but didn't find anything new to eat. It's really boring—what were you thinking about just now?"

Liu Wenbin scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Like you, I was thinking of going down the mountain this afternoon to find some food. Since you say there isn't any, I'll just stay here and sleep."

The old man smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"I don't think you'll be able to get any sleep. Do you know why I came back?"

"The sect leader has given orders that there are important matters to discuss today. Today, entry into this mountain gate is permitted, but exit is not. I reckon even the disciple who is in your place won't be able to leave."

Liu Wenbin's eyes widened.

He had been guarding outside the mountain gate the whole time, so how come he hadn't heard the news?
But this old man is the most senior elder in the sect. Although his martial arts skills are lacking and he doesn't have much say, he probably wouldn't try to deceive a "closed disciple" like him.

He could only sigh.

"Alright, Elder Long, I understand—please go in, I'll close the door now."

The old man smiled, patted him on the shoulder again, and walked into the mountain gate.

Liu Wenbin closed the gate, slowly shook his head, and sighed again. The thought of how long this nerve-wracking gatekeeping task would have to continue made him feel increasingly exhausted.

With his spirits shattered and the mountain gate already closed, so he wasn't afraid of being seen by his superiors, he simply plopped down on the ground, reached into a crack in the wall, plucked a blade of grass, put it in his mouth, crossed his arms, and dozed off with his eyes half-closed.

The autumn air was crisp and clear, and the midday sun felt warm on his skin. He unknowingly fell asleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a voice woke him up. "Hey buddy, wake up."

Liu Wenbin suddenly opened his eyes and raised his head.

A young man in his early twenties, with an unremarkable appearance and an ordinary longsword hanging at his waist, was looking at him with a frown.

"Are you a disciple of the Kongming Sect?"

he asked.

Liu Wenbin shook his head and stood up. Before he could even come to his senses, he instinctively smiled and said...

"Are you here to pay your respects? Unfortunately, my Kongming Sect has urgent business to attend to, and our sect leader has ordered that we do not receive guests today. Could you please leave your visiting card and explain your purpose, so that we can meet later—"

Before he could finish speaking, the young man shook his head.

"No, I'm not here as a guest. And young man, do you know what 'important matter' your sect has?"

Liu Wenbin was taken aback.

If they're not here as guests, what are they here for? To challenge us?
Besides, how would I, a "closed-door disciple," know what kind of "important matter" it was... Even if I did know, would it be any of my business to tell an outsider like you?
Just as he was wondering about this, he heard a mocking and lazy voice coming from behind the young man.

“He’s fast asleep, he probably doesn’t even know his own family has died. Asking him is pointless, Xiao Cao. If he knew anything, he would have died long ago and wouldn’t be alive now.”

"Just kick the door open and go in to take a look."

Liu Wenbin frowned and looked in the direction of the sound.

He had just woken up and was still not fully awake, so he overlooked the fact that there were three people behind the ordinary-looking young man.

One was a young man in his twenties, shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head, looking at him with a smile, seemingly a little "not very energetic"; standing beside him was a woman in her thirties with an ordinary appearance, frowning as she looked into the mountain gate.

The last person was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, who was smiling at him with ill intent—this was the man who had spoken earlier.

Liu Wenbin spoke with a hint of anger.

"What do you mean by this? Why are you insulting me?"

"If you're here to cause trouble, you should think carefully. This is the mountain gate of my Kongming Sect, and my Kongming Sect is a 'Peak' major sect!"

He pointed to the wooden plaque hanging above the mountain gate and puffed out his chest.

"If you intend to cause trouble, my elders will arrive in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—I advise you to leave quickly, and I will pretend I never saw you!"

To everyone's surprise, the other party was not afraid at all, and even smiled as they spoke.

"When did I insult you? Oh, you said 'you didn't even know someone in your family died'?"

"This isn't an insult, it's just stating a fact—why don't you look down at your feet?"

Underfoot?

Liu Wenbin looked down at the ground.

Suddenly, he froze.

At his feet was a red, disc-shaped mark with faint, grid-like patterns—a bloody footprint.

He moved his gaze blankly and found the second and third bloody footprints, which stretched from behind him along the mountain path.

Until it disappeared from his sight.

(End of this chapter)