Outsourced Cleaner

Wei Jingzhi used the paper in front of him to draft two copies of the agreement between the parties.

After finishing, Xu Mu and Luo Fengchan each pressed their fingerprints.

Wei Jingzhi, serving as the notary, also pressed his fingerprint.

The terms were clearly stated on the document: if either party failed to fulfill their obligations in the future, the other party could rely on this agreement and seek justice from Wei Jingzhi.

Once it was done, Xu Mu and Luo Fengchan each kept one copy.

Wei Jingzhi smiled and said, "Xu Mu, take a look at my painting. What do you think?"

Xu Mu looked at the bamboo painting Wei Jingzhi had done and nodded inwardly. "Master, you've done remarkably well this time. You've mostly avoided the flaws I pointed out before. This painting is of high quality—what it lacks is only refinement through practice."

Wei Jingzhi smiled and nodded. "I do think I painted this well. But the refinement you mention—it relies far too much on natural talent."

Luo Fengchan looked at Xu Mu with surprise. The way Wei Jingzhi was behaving, it wasn't that Xu Mu was appraising the painting; rather, he was seeking Xu Mu's critique.

Could Xu Mu actually paint?

She was becoming more and more curious about this man.

"Alright."

Xu Mu said to Luo Fengchan, "Master, I can't get in touch with my teacher for now. When I meet him again, I'll bring the cultivation technique over. At that time, I'll deliver it directly to your sect."

He certainly wasn't going to hand over the technique to Luo Fengchan immediately. He wanted to first let Fu Jinyu, whose attribute aligned with water, practice it before sending it off.

This could also free up one spot. Of course, Meng Wanyue, Dai Xingluo, and even Tong Guoguo could all give it a try first.

What Xu Mu had his eye on was another Heaven-grade technique from the Cold Immortal Sect. He felt that twenty spots should be sufficient.

"Very well."

Luo Fengchan nodded. "I'll be waiting for you at the sect. I'll send you the address first."

After they exchanged contact information, Luo Fengchan turned and left.

It was just Xu Mu and Wei Jingzhi now.

"You really performed well at the Martial Ranking Tournament,"

Wei Jingzhi said, taking a sip of his goji berry water.

"It was mostly thanks to the cultivation technique."

"Advanced techniques often require greater talent. But you yourself are the stronger asset."

Wei Jingzhi asked with a smile, "Are you sure you don't want to join the Cleaners?"

"I don't like being confined. I want to control my own time."

Xu Mu's path to power didn't depend on training; he needed rightness value—essentially, goodwill from people closely tied to the protagonists. He definitely couldn't afford to be tied down by some job all the time.

"Then are you interested in joining as an outsourced Cleaner?"

Wei Jingzhi looked at Xu Mu with a smile. "Don't mind me being persistent. Some things sound grand, but they actually affect every one of us up close."

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Everyone shares the responsibility for the fate of their country."

Wei Jingzhi placed his thermos down. "Most ordinary people are well protected. But given what you're capable of now, you must have seen quite a few alien races, right?"

Xu Mu nodded.

"The races you've encountered so far are all rule-abiding—they don't cause trouble out in the open. Or rather, they don't dare to."

Wei Jingzhi explained. "But the alien races in the Inner Realm? Most of them aren't like that. They're not afraid of us, and they want us dead."

Xu Mu rubbed his nose—he was already well aware of that.

"The only reason we can still live so peacefully is because people on the front lines are bearing that burden for us."

Wei Jingzhi looked at Xu Mu, "Those alien races that want to enslave and slaughter us have always tried to break through, but we have blocked them all."

"Senior, what exactly does this outsourcing cleaner do?"

Xu Mu had to admit, he was tempted by what Wei Jingzhi said. Since it wouldn’t take up his time, killing some hostile aliens in his spare time didn’t sound bad.

Especially for the people around him; only by engaging more with the aliens could they gain real training.

"We’ll have an outsourcing group. If anyone from the inner realm tries to cause trouble, they’ll post messages in the group."

Wei Jingzhi smiled and said, "If you have time, you can take on the missions. After completion, you’ll get a reward. If you don’t have time, just don’t take them. Do your own thing."

Xu Mu nodded to himself after hearing this. "This is pretty good. Why don’t I just become an outsourcing cleaner then?"

"First, make it clear: as an outsourcing cleaner, you won’t have as many rights as a formal cleaner."

Wei Jingzhi explained.

"I don’t care about that. I’m not joining for convenience. Purely because I have a deep love for this land."

Xu Mu spread his arms and smiled.

"Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll report your name now. It shouldn’t take long for the higher-ups to approve."

Wei Jingzhi waved his hand at Xu Mu. "You can head back now."

Xu Mu nodded.

As he drove away, he was still pondering why Wei Jingzhi was so eager to have him become a cleaner.

Maybe it was because of his combat abilities.

Back home, Xu Mu first called Fu Jinyu to ask her to come over.

As a water-element user, she might grasp it quickly.

After the call, he went down to the illusion array underground, where Tong Guoguo, Meng Wanyue, and Dai Xingluo were still training.

When they saw Xu Mu, they all stopped to rest.

"Alright, I managed to get a heavenly-grade technique. The three of you should try practicing it, though it’s better suited for water-attributed Qi."

Xu Mu took out the Diving Abyss. "In a few days, the technique will be sent to the Cold Immortal Sect. You can study it more for now."

"What? A heavenly-grade technique?"

Dai Xingluo was ecstatic. "I’ve never learned a heavenly-grade technique before!"

[Affection +20]

Meng Wanyue was just as shocked. She never expected to learn a heavenly-grade technique.

Tong Guoguo was also stunned. Even though she already possessed a heavenly-grade defensive technique, following Wang Hun for all those years had only earned her one.

And now Xu Mu had just handed one out so easily, letting all three of them learn it.

[Affection +20]

"Study it well."

Xu Mu then entered a focused state to refine pills.

After one round of refining, he stopped and calculated that Fu Jinyu should be arriving soon.

Ding!

Just then, Xu Mu’s phone vibrated.

He took it out, thinking it was a message from Fu Jinyu, but he had been added to a group called "Outsourcing Cleaners."

He glanced around and saw that the group had over two hundred people.

As soon as he joined, a few members sent emojis.

Someone shared a very nostalgic lotus-themed emoji with flashing, colorful text reading, "Welcome, newbie."

A few others sent firecracker emojis.

And of course, some sent Hajime and panda-head emojis.

From these different types of emojis, Xu Mu could tell that the age range in this group was quite wide.

Just then, a user named "The Craziest in the Whole Group" sent a message: "Newcomer, introduce yourself."

Xu Mu felt a bit speechless. Did joining a group really have to be this troublesome?

So he typed a few words: "Am I the rule?"

"What I say is the rule!"

The Craziest in the Whole Group replied immediately.

Xu Mu clicked on the other person's profile picture and found it was a woman. The avatar showed a long-haired dark-haired woman wearing sunglasses.

"Wow, you're so awesome. Must be exhausting being that impressive, huh?"

The moment Xu Mu sent that, Fu Jinyu called him.