The Fourth Calamity: My Sect Has Countless Prodigies

Chapter 74 The Depressed Mouse

At the foot of Qingzhu Mountain.

A cold wind rises, and withered trees rustle in the wind.

The rascal was alone in its simple wooden hut, warming itself by the fire and lost in thought.

"It's so cold, Xiaobai. You're the only one keeping me company now."

As he said this, his gaze fell on the small white dumpling in his palm.

The white mouse was curled up in a ball, trying to keep warm with its fur.

Upon hearing its owner's call, it curiously raised its head and blinked its small eyes.

Looking into the wise eyes of the treasure-hunting mouse, the knife-wielding mouse sighed helplessly:

"Sigh... Salty Fish, Salty Fish, you said we two brothers had the ambition to conquer the world, how come you ran away so soon after we arrived?"

Before they came, the two had agreed to explore the world of cultivation together, wielding the best swords, learning the best techniques, and having the best fun...

But who would have thought?

After cutting bamboo in Qingzhu Mountain for two days, his salted fish brother actually chose to bid farewell to the manager and packed his things to run away overnight.

The knife-wielding rat was also helpless about this matter.

After all, he knew that Qingzhu Mountain was more likely to be the setting for a long-term storyline.

If the salted fish doesn't turn over, he'd rather explore the hidden storylines and unlock various new maps.

So after learning this, they immediately decided to go to other places to explore.

He left a message before he left.

"Brother Rat, we are both prodigies, and we will surely meet again on a bigger stage in the future."

Run-Knife Rat didn't know what to say, so he could only follow his auspicious advice and settle down in the long-term storyline of Green Bamboo Mountain for a while.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Runaway Rat got out of bed, changed into a warm sweater, and went up to the top of Green Bamboo Mountain.

The Zhou family's bamboo has a year-round production, with the most produced in spring and summer and the least in autumn and winter.

The workload for the knife-wielding rats isn't too heavy these days; they can finish chopping in about three hours.

One axe, two axe blows, three axe blows...

Time passed slowly, and after an unknown amount of time, nine green bamboo stalks were neatly stacked in the bamboo basket on his back.

The slithering rat wiped the fine sweat from its brow, satisfied, and put the last green bamboo into its basket before descending Green Bamboo Mountain.

This means that his task for the day has finally been completed.

Just as the bamboo cutter was finishing his work, many other bamboo cutters were coming up the mountain.

This period coincides with the time when many bamboo cutters prepare to go up the mountain to cut bamboo.

"Luckily, I was smart enough to choose to cut bamboo at off-peak times; otherwise, with so many people, the efficiency might have been greatly reduced."

The knife-wielding rat thought to itself with relief.

As he drew closer to the crowd, he heard hushed whispers.

"Hey, did you know? Our head steward hasn't been back for a long time."

"Yes, yes, with Steward Zhou Qinghe gone, who will uphold justice for us ordinary members of the collateral branches?"

"Exactly, today when I went to deliver a task to that junior manager in my inner circle, I felt that his attitude towards me had worsened."

……

Zhou Qinghe.

Although not many players have actually seen this person in person, his name was quite well-known on the forums a few days ago.

However, all of this was not due to his terrifying strength or his suppression of the Hidden Dragon Boss and the others.

It was that small wooden sign.

After all, which player wouldn't want to summon a giant panda the moment the wooden sign lights up?

The running-knife rat shook its head, stopping its daydreaming, and then walked towards the foot of the mountain.

Before long, he arrived at an exquisite bamboo house.

The running-knife rat took a deep breath and knocked on the small bamboo door.

With a creak, a person pushed open the wooden door and looked at the running knife rat with a smile.

Seeing this, the running-knife rat quickly took out a green bamboo from the bamboo basket behind him and handed it over:

"Manager, this is today's green bamboo."

The middle-aged manager smiled and nodded, taking the green bamboo from the hands of the running-knife rat.

After checking again to make sure everything was correct, he encouraged them:

"Lin Yi, you're not bad, kid."

"Not at all, I'm just relying on your patronage, sir."

The running-knife rat hurriedly replied, its tone extremely respectful.

If he doesn't cultivate a good relationship with the person in front of him, he might be kicked out in a month.

Being a bamboo cutter is a good job and a key clue to the Zhou family's storyline, so the bamboo cutter doesn't want to lose it.

"Haha, you're good at talking, kid. Don't worry, as long as you work hard, I'll recommend you to the higher-ups."

The manager chuckled twice and patted the running knife rat on the shoulder.

The running-knife mouse quickly replied:

"Thank you, Steward. Lin Yi will certainly follow your lead from now on."

After leaving the area, the bamboo cutter strolled home, pondering what it had seen and heard about the bamboo cutters in the past few days.

Bamboo cutter.

This identity, as the only way for the Zhou family to accept outsiders, naturally became the origin of many of the Zhou family's offerings.

Many outsiders with potential and loyalty to the Zhou family are gradually assessed and recruited by the Zhou family through this method.

The supervisor is the first hurdle in evaluating these bamboo cutters.

"Right now, we still need to gain their trust first and pass the initial assessment."

"As for how to infiltrate the Zhou family, we still need to plan carefully."

……

Qingzhu Mountain, atop the mountain peak.

Snowflakes were falling heavily, and the cold wind was howling.

Zhou Qingyun, dressed in a straw raincoat, hurried back from the foot of the mountain, covered in dust.

However, as soon as he pushed open the door, he saw that there was already someone sitting inside.

"Qingyun is back."

Zhou Xuanming laughed.

Zhou Qingyun was taken aback, then quickly nodded:

"Yes, Second Grandfather, did you come to see me to inquire about the Yun family?"

Zhou Xuanming nodded, but then shook his head.

This strange behavior left Zhou Qingyun somewhat unsure of what to do.

After thinking it over for a while.

He still couldn't figure out Zhou Xuanming's purpose, so he simply asked:

"Second Grandfather, please speak frankly. Qingyun is dull-witted and really can't guess what you're thinking."

Zhou Xuanming stroked his white beard and said with a smile, "Qingyun, your second grandfather has come here today to tell you two things."

"The first one is about the Yun family."

"I just discussed this with the Lin and Liu families a couple of days ago, so you can rest assured to do it."

Hearing this, Zhou Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

If the three families join forces, even a behemoth like the Yun family wouldn't dare to offend them too much.

But the thought of the second matter made Zhou Qingyun feel uneasy again, as if something big was waiting for him.

as predicted,

As Zhou Xuanming uttered his next words, Zhou Qingyun's heart sank completely.

"The second thing is that Zhou Qinghe is dead, and his soul lamp has been extinguished without a sound."

Was the incident covered up in time?

Zhou Qingyun quickly pressed for an answer.

This matter has had a significant impact.

If Zhou Qinghe had died unexpectedly shortly after becoming the head steward, he couldn't even imagine how strong the reaction from the collateral branches would be.

Zhou Xuanming nodded: "It's all taken care of. But what are your thoughts on the next steps, Qingyun?"

Zhou Qingyun pondered for a moment.

This matter must be handled properly, otherwise there will be endless troubles.

After thinking for a long time, he slowly spoke:

"Second Grandfather, Qingyun believes that we should not announce Zhou Qinghe's death yet. It would be best to say that he abused his power for personal gain and fled after being discovered."

"In this way, we can both maintain the family's reputation and prevent those with ulterior motives from taking advantage of the situation."

"As for the collateral branches, Qingyun thinks it's best to appease them and at the same time promote a new head steward from among them."

Zhou Qingyun spoke solemnly, clearly indicating that this was the best method he could think of at the moment.

As for Zhou Xuanming on the other side, he smiled and took a sip of the hot tea on the table.

He knew that his grandson was already capable of handling things on his own.

"Okay, let's do it this way."

As soon as Zhou Xuanming finished speaking, a crane suddenly appeared beside him.

He flashed away and rode away on the crane.

Night had fallen, and all was quiet.

Zhou Qingyun gazed at the starry sky, his thoughts racing.

……

"Putting everything else aside, the game scene designed by the official team is really good; even the stars in the sky are so beautiful and clear."

As the mouse looked up at the starry sky, it couldn't help but sigh.

"Squeak!"

Beside the campfire.

Perhaps sensing the warm atmosphere, Xiaobai barked excitedly twice.

But the next second...

As Xiaobai's nose twitched slightly, a glint of light suddenly flashed in its eyes.

"Something's up?"

The running-knife mouse immediately noticed Xiaobai's unusual behavior and quickly asked.

Xiao Bai nodded its little head, its eyes sweeping towards the depths of the bamboo forest in Qingzhu Mountain.