聚宝盆 第一章

Beneath the freezing cold pool water, a light flickered faintly in the mud.

Xia Ren held his breath, plunged into the water, dug his fingers into the sand, and finally grabbed the glowing object.

When he surfaced and looked under the moonlight, his originally excited expression instantly turned into disappointment.

'I thought it was some ancient treasure, but after all that, it's just a broken clay pot with a missing chip.'

Xia Ren laughed at himself and wiped the water droplets off his face.

As a handyman disciple, his daily task was to carry forty-nine vats of water for the sect kitchen.

This work was exhausting; trying to change his destiny by finding treasure was indeed dreaming.

But even though this pot was broken, it was still an object.

Xia Ren weighed it, thinking his room needed a washbasin, so he tucked it under his arm, shouldered the heavy load, and swayed back to that dilapidated woodshed.

Back in the room, Xia Ren washed the clay pot and filled it half-full with clean water, placing it by the bed—he got thirsty easily at night, and this saved him from running outside.

He was so tired that his bones felt like falling apart; he fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow, snoring like thunder.

Until the next morning, a ray of sunlight shone through the window crack, landing right on the clay pot.

Xia Ren opened his eyes in a daze, and in the next second, he sprang up from the bed, his eyes wide.

'What the hell...'

He clearly only filled half a pot last night, but now this clay pot was so full it was about to overflow!

Even stranger, the originally clear well water now appeared deep green, even emitting a chill.

'Did the roof leak?' Xia Ren subconsciously looked up at the roof, but it was intact.

He leaned in and sniffed, 'Did the water grow green mold in just one night? This damn weather, the water spoils too fast.'

Xia Ren, having no common knowledge of cultivation, just treated this as a pot of spoiled stagnant water. complaining about his bad luck, he carried the pot to the door and with a splash, poured out the invaluable 'Jade Spirit Liquid' completely.

If the sect elders saw this scene, they would probably be so heartbroken they would vomit blood on the spot.

Tossing the pot back to the corner, Xia Ren shouldered the carrying pole again. A handyman disciple's fate was this bitter; if he didn't fill the water, there would be no food tonight.

...

The sun set in the west.

Xia Ren dragged his almost numb legs back to the hut.

Just as he was about to collapse on the bed, the unlocked door was suddenly pushed open.

'Xia Ren, still alive?'

The person who entered was a middle-aged fat man with a fleshy face, the supervisor of the handyman office, Boss Zhang.

Xia Ren forced himself to sit up and squeezed out a fawning smile: 'Senior Brother Zhang, why have you come? I have finished all of today's work.'

'I know you are diligent.' Boss Zhang forced a fake smile, took out a shriveled cloth bag from his bosom, and threw it on the table. 'The elders above were kind and sympathized with our hard work, so they specially rewarded us with spiritual rice.'

Spiritual rice?!

Xia Ren's eyes lit up. That was a treasure containing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; eating one grain was worth three bowls of ordinary rice and could strengthen the body!

'Others get two catties a month.' Boss Zhang narrowed his eyes and patted Xia Ren's shoulder meaningfully. 'I see that you work the hardest carrying water, so I fought for you to get a full ten catties! When newcomers arrive, I can promote you, right?'

'Ten catties? Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang, for the support!' Xia Ren was so excited his hands were shaking.

'Alright, find something to hold it, and I'll pour it out for you.'

Xia Ren looked around; the house was empty. The only thing that could hold anything was the broken clay pot in the corner.

He quickly picked up the pot and handed it over.

Whoosh. White rice grains fell into the pot, making a pleasant crisp sound.

Boss Zhang finished pouring the rice, clapped the powder off his hands, and turned to leave. Before going out, he instructed again: 'Eat sparingly, grab two handfuls before work every day, and I guarantee you'll be as strong as an ox.'