Several days later, the orchard closed and all the menial workers returned to their quarters. Die You and Old Fang first went to Yang Kai's former room to look for him, but didn't find anyone. After making some inquiries, they learned that Yang Kai had moved into Zhou Zheng's old steward's residence.
That left little room for doubt. The fact that Yang Kai dared move into the steward's residence plainly showed he had backing, and privately, someone was spreading word — most of the menial workers already knew that Yang Kai was about to take over as orchard steward.
Both Old Fang and Die You swore they hadn't leaked anything. Yang Kai figured that nine times out of ten it was Du Rufeng pulling strings behind the scenes, paving the way for the official announcement a few days from now so it wouldn't seem too abrupt.
As always, when the monthly cycle came around, it was time to head to the market district to purchase spirit insects from the other spiritual lands. Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would have been eager about it, but with Elder Xu's situation hanging over his head, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm. He spent his days on edge, dreading the day Seven Skills Earth suddenly erupted into open conflict and he got caught in the crossfire.
On top of that, the revenue stream that General had helped establish through the spiritual lands would probably dry up before long.
Without the mood for it, he let Die You and Old Fang handle the market run on their own. After all, since he'd bought that third-grade Flawless Gold Dew for Die You last time, he didn't have many Open Heaven Pills left. They were the ones who'd be paying for the insects anyway.
Die You and Old Fang were puzzled. Yang Kai had just been elevated to the status of a Seven Skills Earth Disciple and was about to take over as orchard steward, so why was he so downcast? They didn't dare press for details, though, and simply left to meet the six agents from the other spiritual lands at the market.
No sooner had the two of them departed than another menial worker came to visit.
Yang Kai didn't even know the man's name — he'd never laid eyes on him before.
If it had just been about the news, that would have been one thing. The crux of the matter was that Yang Kai was now living in the steward's residence and openly wearing the Seven-Colored Robe, all of which plainly indicated the rumor was no mere fabrication.
With new management on top, the workers below naturally needed to come and smooth relations.
For the entire day, Yang Kai spent his time greeting visitors and seeing them off. The menial quarters held nearly a thousand workers, and even if only a tenth came to pay their respects, that still came to close to a hundred people. Building good relationships wasn't something you could do with just words — presenting gifts was the most natural thing in the world.
The workers weren't well-off and couldn't afford anything too extravagant. Open Heaven Pills were the most practical offering, five or ten at a time. Accumulated over many visitors, the sum was quite respectable.
For three solid days, Yang Kai lost count of how many workers he'd received. By the end, the Open Heaven Pills he'd collected had already surpassed five thousand.
People came bearing gifts, and Yang Kai couldn't very well turn them away — that would be too cold and ungrateful. By day he accepted gifts and entertained visitors; by night he helped Die You and Old Fang feed General. Income from both ends meant his previously depleted wallet quickly ballooned again.
Three days later, just before heading to the orchard, Du Rufeng personally arrived to formally announce Yang Kai's appointment as orchard steward. No one was particularly surprised — it was a happy outcome for all.
At the ceremony, Yang Kai naturally delivered an impassioned speech in front of Du Rufeng, solemnly vowing to manage the orchard well. Du Rufeng offered a few perfunctory words of encouragement and let him go.
Yang Kai headed straight for the orchard, making a beeline for the solitary peak at its center. He'd been here before with Du Rufeng to eavesdrop, so the place wasn't entirely unfamiliar.
With the orchard steward's token in hand, the entire orchard's grand formation was now under his control. Since it was his first time taking charge and he was still unfamiliar with many things, he busied himself for several days before managing to sort everything out and understand what a steward was actually supposed to do.
Truthfully, the role of orchard steward was both relaxed and demanding. When nothing was happening, a casual patrol now and then sufficed. But when issues arose, he needed to go to each worker's plot to assist them in tending the fruit trees — all manner of trivial tasks.
After several days, Yang Kai exercised his authority as orchard steward to requisition Old Fang and Die You to work beside him, ostensibly to assist in managing the orchard. The plots the two had previously tended were handed off to others.
Both Die You and Old Fang were uneasy about this. After all, even Zhou Zheng hadn't been so brazen about using his position for personal benefit when he'd been steward. They urged Yang Kai to keep a low profile for now, lest Du Rufeng take issue with it.
Yang Kai couldn't be bothered. Du Rufeng had his own hidden agenda regarding Yang Kai — why would he care about something like this? What actually unsettled Yang Kai was that Elder Xu had vanished for so many days and Seven Skills Earth remained eerily quiet. If Elder Xu had stirred up some commotion right away, Yang Kai might have felt relieved. Instead, this calm before the storm was impossible to shake off.
No one knew when Elder Xu would suddenly lash out, or what state Seven Skills Earth would be in when he did.
In the half year Yang Kai had been here, both Old Fang and Die You had looked after him in countless ways. Though he couldn't very well spell out the crisis facing Seven Skills Earth, bringing them close to his side meant that if anything happened, they could at least look out for one another.
Unable to persuade him otherwise, Old Fang and Die You quietly took up their roles assisting Yang Kai with the orchard. With them handling things, Yang Kai himself ended up with little to do each day.
Yang Kai had expected Elder Xu to make a move soon. Instead, he waited and waited — three full months passed. Three months in which Seven Skills Earth remained completely still, and Elder Xu never came to find Yang Kai again. If not for that faint, persistent unease he couldn't dispel, Yang Kai might have genuinely believed Elder Xu had left.
But Seven Skills Earth was shrouded layer upon layer in grand formations. The fact that Elder Xu had managed to sneak in by relying on his own abilities meant he couldn't have slipped out quietly either.
On this day, Yang Kai was playing chess with Old Fang when he suddenly sensed something. He drew an object from inside his robe, quietly probed it with his perception, and said, "Du Rufeng is summoning me. I'll be right back."
Old Fang nodded at this. "Come back soon."