Chapter 76 - 74: Pledging Allegiance

The patriarchs from the various villages eventually departed.

Peace returned to Dawan Village.

However, before Shen Changchuan could collect himself and take stock of the spoils from slaying Old Ghost Song and the others days earlier,

within the main hall,

Han Qinhu walked in, leading two children of about eight or nine years old, a faint trace of joy on his face.

The two children, one tall and one skinny, were dressed in old, coarse linen clothes.

Their faces held the uneasy expression of those about to meet a person of great importance.

"Come, pay respects to your Immortal Master."

Without the slightest hesitation, the two children immediately fell to their knees, kowtowing to Shen Changchuan in a grand salute.

"Greetings, Immortal Master!"

Shen Changchuan was a little puzzled seeing these two children, but he waved his hand nonetheless.

"Rise."

Then, Shen Changchuan turned his gaze to Han Qinhu.

"Grandfather, these two children are...?"

"These two lads... the tall one is Wang Tieniu, and the skinny one is Duan Xiaolei."

"They are the boys from the village who recently succeeded in their Spirit Awakening."

Han Qinhu explained to Shen Changchuan with a smile.

He then recounted their backgrounds as well.

As it turned out, the two children’s successful Spirit Awakening was, in fact, related to Shen Changchuan.

More than half a year ago,

Shen Changchuan had just arrived in Dawan Village and wanted to reform the village’s Spirit Grain production.

In the process,

because he had included a step in the Spirit Grain cultivation improvement manual about using riverbed silt for fertilizer,

two villagers were sent into the river to dredge for silt.

In the process, they were attacked by a Crocodile Demon from beneath the water and killed on the spot, their bodies never recovered.

At that time, he too was a newcomer.

Furthermore, he still held some lingering moral sentiments from the modern civilization of his past life.

Thinking that they had died because of his decision, he decided to give ten catties of Spirit Grain as compensation after the harvest.

However, this decision later led to several cases of what amounted to insurance fraud.

This prompted Shen Changchuan to eventually reduce the death benefit to a single catty of Spirit Grain,

to prevent people from deliberately getting themselves killed for the Spirit Grain compensation in the future.

However, although he had revised the subsequent death benefit,

for the incident that occurred before the new rule was announced,

Shen Changchuan did not go back on his word. Instead, he decided to honor the original amount, considering it a lesson learned.

Among these two children,

Wang Tieniu was the son of one of the two villagers who had died in the jaws of the Crocodile Demon while dredging for silt.

Duan Xiaolei was the descendant of a villager who had literally worked himself to death while cultivating the Spirit Fields.

’So that’s how it is...’

On the main seat,

gazing down at the two children with their terrified and uneasy eyes, Shen Changchuan felt a sense of sudden understanding.

’I never expected there to be such a history behind it.’

’But then again,’

’to succeed in Spirit Awakening with just ten catties of Spirit Grain means these two lads have decent aptitude.’

’Of course,’

’it could also be a matter of good luck.’

’After all, success in Qi Introduction Spirit Awakening often has a lot to do with luck.’

’It’s not a given that good aptitude means it will be faster or require fewer resources.’

’Sometimes, it could even be the opposite.’

"Not bad. To achieve Qi Introduction Success with just ten catties of Spirit Grain."

What he thought was one thing,

but what he said was another.

Facing these two children, Shen Changchuan naturally wouldn’t be harsh. Instead, he offered some words of encouragement.

"Now that you have both stepped onto the Immortal Dao and become Cultivators, according to the customs of the Immortal Cultivation Realm, you and your families are now free."

"Go back and discuss with your families what you want to do next. When you’ve decided, I will also choose some gifts for you, a fitting gesture for our time as master and servants."

If they weren’t Cultivators, then strictly speaking, the Mortal Martial Artists in the village were nothing more than serfs.

But if they successfully completed Qi Introduction and became Cultivators, their status would soar, and they would become free people.

According to custom, the master’s family would usually let them go to foster good karma.

After all, anything could happen in the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.

As long as one becomes a Cultivator,

they have a chance, however slim, to ascend to the heavens.

Don’t look down on them for being weak today; it’s not impossible that they might become a Great Power in the future.

Shen Changchuan had no intention of breaking this custom.

He gave them the freedom to choose.

"Immortal Master, we are willing to pledge ourselves to your service, to be your servants, if only to have a place to shelter."

The two children showed almost no hesitation.

As if they had rehearsed it a thousand times, they kowtowed to Shen Changchuan once more.

"Oh? Is this your decision, or..."

"It is what our parents taught us to say."

"Our parents said that we were only able to become Cultivators because of your grace, Immortal Master. We cannot leave until this debt of gratitude is repaid."

"They also said that the Immortal Cultivation Realm is fraught with peril at every turn. If people like us, with no foundation, were to venture out rashly, we would likely end up as just another soul in a ghost banner."

"Immortal Master, you are a great figure from a powerful, established family. Following you is like resting in the shade of a great tree. We implore you to grant our request!"

Their somewhat childish voices echoed in the spacious hall.

These were not words a child could come up with, even if they were prospective Cultivators.

Clearly, a script had been prepared from the very beginning for the two children to recite when they saw him.

Shen Changchuan glanced at Han Qinhu.

’No wonder Grandfather looked so pleased when he brought them in.’

’He must have already confirmed this with both families and known the two boys would definitely stay.’

’And his joy is likely because, although the two children are still young, a Cultivator is a Cultivator. Having more Cultivators under one’s command is naturally a great thing, enough to significantly increase their strength.’

’And in the future, they might even be able to help protect the village and alleviate some of the pressure from Zhao Family Village.’

Shen Changchuan said nothing about this.

This too was a type of custom.

Many newly-awakened Cultivators, after gaining their freedom, did not immediately leave their master’s family to venture into the wider Immortal Cultivation Realm.

Most chose to remain under the banner of their master’s family for protection.

After all, the Immortal Cultivation Realm outside was no greenhouse flowerbed.

The slightest misstep,

and one could be swallowed whole, bones and all.

The families of these two lads were quite clear-headed.

But Shen Changchuan was not in a hurry.

He thought for a moment,

before speaking.

"A matter like this concerns the better part of your future. Don’t be in a hurry to answer me. Go back and discuss it thoroughly with your families. Give me your answer in three days."

Although he was, admittedly, somewhat short-handed at the moment,

he had no desire

to deal with endless bickering down the line.