Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 19: The Gift-Giving Controversy

After Tang Kuan entered, he first scanned everyone’s faces and said sternly, “This place isn’t like the sect. You’ll frequently encounter demon beasts, and people die here every year. As long as you’re willing to follow orders and abide by the rules, you’ll likely be able to keep your lives.” “Brother Kuan’s experience is truly extraordinary—there’s nothing you haven’t encountered. I’ll be relying on you a lot these next few days,” Guo Yan said, bowing and scraping. “No problem. We’re all brothers in the sect; I’ll naturally look out for you. Get up early tomorrow—I’ll have someone take you down into the mine. Learn the ropes properly. There are quotas to meet, and if you don’t meet them, it’ll be your own fault. Being so lazy right off the bat will put us supervisors in a tough spot.” “All right, finally, let me briefly go over the three rules you must follow once you’re here. First, there are still many unexploited areas in the mine shafts. You must not go into those places—monster beasts might be lurking there. If you ignore this warning and go in only to die or get maimed, you’ll have only yourselves to blame. Second, you are not allowed to hoard the Source Stones you turn in. If you’re caught, you’ll face severe punishment without exception. These Source Stones are primarily intended for the sect’s inner-sect disciples—don’t even entertain the thought of keeping them for yourself. “Finally, listen carefully—this concerns your daily lives here. Song Dachui is in charge of daily affairs. Although there are inner-sect disciples stationed here, their role is limited to maintaining camp security; they generally won’t interfere in other matters. Therefore, whatever Boss Song says goes. Don’t go against him—it’s not up to you newcomers to decide what’s right or wrong. Know your place; this is crucial.” Speaking so bluntly, without the slightest hint of ambiguity, made it absolutely clear who was the boss here. “Brother Kuan, rest assured. We’re all honest folks—we’ll never cause trouble. We just want to get through this month here safely,” one of them hurriedly assured him. “All right, that’s all I have to say. Housing is tight at the camp right now, so you’ll have to make do for the time being. I’ll do my best to make arrangements so you can move out of here.” He had just turned away. Guo Yan took a quick step forward, “Brother Kuan, wait! I heard Boss Song likes little trinkets. This ring is a small token of my appreciation—please, you must accept it!” “This isn’t quite appropriate, is it?” Tang Kuan said, though he reached out and accepted the ring. “Gift-giving isn’t allowed here. Boss Song leads by example and has always strictly prohibited it.” “How can this be called a gift? I’m not asking Boss Song for a favor—it’s purely to make a friend. Brother Kuan, please don’t get the wrong idea.” “Haha, you’re quite the smooth talker, aren’t you? All right, I’ll pass it on for you.” Guo Yan still had a sly side to him; he fished another item out of his pocket. “Here’s a small token of my appreciation—just a little something to mark our first meeting!” The people standing nearby who were preparing gifts were instantly taken aback. They’d prepared gifts for Song Dachui but had forgotten to prepare something for the man standing right in front of them. To smooth things over, they’d have to grease the palms of Boss Song’s inner circle as well. These people hurriedly scraped together whatever they could find to make up the shortfall, without giving it a second thought. Some offered cultivation pills, others presented novel trinkets; Tang Kuan accepted everything without hesitation, skipping the usual pleasantries. He didn’t accept everything that was offered; some gifts were returned—after all, he was quite particular. Tang Kuan had a keen eye; he could tell at a glance whether something was good or not. He returned the gifts presented by the two men, and his reason for doing so was simple. He knew exactly what Boss Song liked and disliked, and these two were unlucky—the gifts they’d brought fell squarely into the “disliked” category. Now that the lavish gifts they’d prepared hadn’t been presented, they were frantic—they were practically on the verge of kneeling down and clinging to Tang Kuan’s legs. Su Mu lay on the hard cot, not moving a muscle, his arms pillowed beneath his head and his feet propped up, looking perfectly content. Guo Yan, seeing that the two men’s gifts had been rejected, felt a weight lift off his shoulders. After all, not every visitor could be treated well—someone had to be made an example of, didn’t they? It had practically become an unwritten rule. He turned his head and saw that everyone had presented their gifts, yet Su Mu alone seemed oblivious, still lying there like a fool. By this point, Tang Kuan had already collected all the gifts—after all, that was the whole reason he’d come. Song Laoda’s gift was naturally the best; running errands for him would earn him a cut, and this was a sweet gig. He had noticed that someone hadn’t presented a gift, and a few days earlier, someone had specifically mentioned a particular person—who happened to be among the ten people visiting the mine this time. Not giving a gift meant either not giving Boss Song face, or being so defiant as to not fear trouble—the kind of person who needed to be put in his place. He stared coldly at Su Mu, who lay motionless in the room, a hint of ferocity already flashing in his eyes. “Get up, get up!” Guo Yan had no idea what had gotten into Su Mu, so he rushed over, shoving and shouting, “Brother Kuan, wait a minute! Brother Su Mu has prepared a huge gift—our little trinkets don’t even hold a candle to his!” “Is that so?” “Of course!” Before Su Mu could even speak, Guo Yan had already answered for him. Upon hearing this, Tang Kuan’s expression softened slightly. Su Mu hadn’t wanted to get up at first, but he couldn’t resist Guo Yan’s shoving and tugging—it was a classic case of the eunuch being more anxious than the emperor. Since Guo Yan had already answered for him, he might as well play along. Su Mu strolled over lazily, locking eyes with Tang Kuan without a hint of backing down. “What about your gesture? I’d love to see what grand gesture you have in store.” “Oh, this is the gift I prepared especially for you.” Su Mu pulled a wooden stick from his waistband and handed it to him. Tang Kuan took it, examined it from top to bottom, and his eyes immediately flashed with fury. “Are you making a fool of me?” “Hey, hey, Su Mu, cut it out!” Guo Yan was absolutely terrified—there was nothing special about that wooden stick at all. “Is there? If you don’t like it, just give it back.” “I’ll give it right back to you!” Tang Kuan swung the stick down toward Su Mu’s head. The blow came so suddenly—all that could be heard was a loud *smack*! The stick landed squarely on Su Mu’s head, but the impact sent Tang Kuan stumbling backward—he lost his grip on the stick, and it flew right out of his hand! Su Mu brushed the wood shavings off his head. “If you’re going to hit someone, put some effort into it. Otherwise, should I show you how?” As he spoke, he took a couple of steps and picked up the stick from the ground.