There were two things I had to do:
1. Erase my shame from this sect forever.
2. Find out why my hands still smelled like pickled radish despite washing them fifty times.
Big Wu strolled into the courtyard, chewing on his imaginary rice bun.
"Bro, you good?" he asked, mouth full.
I took a deep breath. "No."
He nodded. "Yeah, figures. You smell like a street vendor's stall."
I clenched my fists. "I need to fix this."
"Good luck with that," he said, patting my shoulder. "Oh, by the way, Sect's Leader looking for you." I froze.
"The Sect Leader?..Wait a minute! There is a Sect's master, and a Sect's leader, too?" I asked looking surprised...
Big Wu smirked. "Yep. Most Sect's have both Sect's Master, and Sect's Leader too. But just incase, The Sect's Leader is talking something about you being 'too talented' to waste on just laundry duty." Immediately, I perked up.
Finally. The heavens have opened a path for me. This sect's leader must be good one. Immediately, i off, looking forward to tasting real freedom from humiliation, again.
I stepped into the grand hall, trying my best not to smell like breakfast.
The Sect Leader, a stern old man with a beard long enough to double as a scarf, eyed me from his seat.
"You are Long Fei Jian?" he asked.
I bowed. "Yes, Sect Leader."
He hummed, stroking his beard. "The Elders say your spiritual energy is remarkable for an outer disciple."
I straightened. Finally, someone recognizes my greatness.
He nodded. "That is why I have called you here today."
I held my breath. Was he about to personally train me? Give me a powerful cultivation technique?
"Long Fei Jian," the Sect Leader continued, "from now on..." This is it. This is my moment.
"....you will also be responsible for cleaning the Sect's public bathhouse."
" Wait! What...!" I was going to vomit.
The moment I stepped outside, Big Wu was already waiting for me.
He grinned. "So, uh, how'd it go?" I stared at him.
He blinked. "Wait. No way. You're kidding me. Don't tell me..."
I exhaled out loudly. Big Wu burst out laughing.
"Bro, you just unlocked another side quest!" I fell to my knees.This sect…!. This cursed sect…!!!. WAS GOING TO PAY!.
Few minutes later, I stood outside the Sect's public bathhouse, staring at the massive wooden doors as if they contained all the world's misfortune.
Me. A Supreme Lord. A being who once crushed heavenly beasts with a single gaze.
Now a glorified bath attendant.
Big Wu, still wheezing from laughter, clapped me on the back. "Look on the bright side, bro. At least you won't smell like pickled radish anymore!"
I gritted my teeth. "Wu."
"Yeah?"
"If you don't shut up, I will personally shave your eyebrows off with my spiritual energy."
Big Wu wisely took a step back.
I took a deep breath, adjusted my robes, and pushed open the doors.
The steamy air blasted into my face. The bathhouse was massive, with steaming pools lined by carved stone, mist rolling over the surface like the breath of an ancient beast.
It was peaceful. Serene. Almost beautiful.
Then I saw the cleaning tools stacked in the corner. Brooms. Scrub brushes. Towels.
I nearly ascended out of my body in rage.
Just as I was about to throw a mop through a wall, a deep voice rumbled behind me.
"You must be the new bath attendant." I turned around sharply.
A towering elder stood before me, arms crossed. He was built like a war god, with muscles that looked like they had their own cultivation base. His beard was tied into a perfect, intimidating braid.
Elder Hu. The Bathhouse Supervisor.
"I am here to make sure you do your duty well," he said. "That means keeping this place spotless, ensuring fresh towels for the disciples, and, most importantly, dealing with troublemakers."
I blinked. "Troublemakers?" Elder Hu's eyes darkened.
"You'll see."
I was halfway through scrubbing the bathhouse tiles like a lowly mortal when I heard them..A group of inner disciples swaggered in, laughing hard at nothing.
At their center was a tall, smug-looking brat with a fan in his hand. His robes were embroidered with a golden dragon. A sign of a powerful family background.
He flicked his fan, and smirked. "Ah, nothing like a good soak after a long day of training."
I kept my head down, scrubbing. He walked closer.
Stopped right next to me. And then....
SPLASH. And, I froze at a shop. While water drip down my face. The brat had just kicked water at me?.
"Oh?" He feigned surprise. "Forgive me, laundry boy. You just looked so dirty, I thought you needed a rinse." His friends burst into laughter.
Big Wu, who had been enjoying the free steam, turned pale. "Oh no." I stood up very, very slowly.
The brat was still smirking. "What, you gonna cry?" Cry? ME?. I smiled, then, I picked up the bucket of dirty mop water next to me… and emptied it over his head.
The bathhouse fell silent. Dripping with filthy water, the brat's face turned purple. "Y-You...!" I didn't let him finish.
I grabbed a wooden bath bucket and...
WHAM! Slammed it straight over his head.
The impact sent him staggering backward into the bath. He staggered, slipping into the water with a mighty splash. His lackeys stared in horror.
I cracked my knuckles. "Anyone else want a 'rinse'?" They ran fast.
Big Wu choked on air. "Bro. You just... You..."
Elder Hu watched the whole thing. He stroked his beard and nodded.
"Good. The bathhouse needs discipline." I blinked. Wait! Was I actually supposed to beat people up here?.
From that day forward, my status in the sect changed.
I was no longer just a laundry boy. No longer just the outer disciple who smelled like pickled radish.
I was now the Bathhouse Enforcer. And as ridiculous as it sounded… This was the first step in my revenge.
After single-handedly baptizing a young master in mop water, I expected two things:
1. A horde of sect elders descending upon me like divine retribution.
2. Immediate expulsion from the sect, preferably through a window. Instead, Elder Hu had pat me on the back.
"You'll do just fine here, boy."
I blinked. "Uh… I just drowned a sect disciple in dirty water."
Elder Hu nodded sagely. "And he deserved it.".Was this how this sect worked?