In the mountains and forests,
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...
The ground trembled slightly, kicking up clouds of dust. On the official road, a convoy of forty to fifty people marched through the mountains, guarding five horse-drawn carriages laden with all sorts of miscellaneous goods.
"Faster! Pick up the pace! We're only ten li from Dawan Village!"
"Don't slack off! Once we get there in one push, you'll have all the time you need to rest!"
The convoy supervisor, dressed in practical gray attire, patrolled back and forth, his face taut as he yelled out the orders.
The ordinary people in the convoy, already exhausted from the long journey, couldn't help but grit their teeth and push on, their minds filled with the thought of resting as soon as they reached their destination.
Meanwhile,
At the head of the convoy,
Flanking the relatively ornate lead carriage were two men on tall, fine horses. They rode slightly ahead, one to the left and one to the right, guarding the vehicle.
On the tall horse to the left sat an old man in his sixties or seventies. Though his temples were streaked with silver, his eyes were still sharp and fierce. A Beheading Great Saber was slung across his back, and he exuded an aura of valor.
On the right was a burly man with a simple, honest face. Hanging from his waist was a Wolf Fang Club, over three feet long and weighing several hundred pounds, its head covered in menacing iron spikes.
"Xiaochuan, your old man is too damn biased! You're his son, after all. Never mind being sent to a major city to live comfortably as a City Lord like those other young masters, but you should at least get posted to a small town, right? What's this about being exiled to Dawan Village, a place so remote even birds won't shit there?"
"We've been on the road for three months just to get here. This place must be at the very edge of what your Tian Nan Shen Family can control!"
"What good could a dump like this possibly do for your Cultivation?"
The valiant old man grumbled as he rode, occasionally patting his horse on the head with a calloused hand, causing it to snort.
His words were filled with indignation at the treatment the young man in the carriage had received.
"Grandfather, the Patriarch has more than fifty children. I am just one insignificant bastard son among them."
"They call me a bastard son of the Patriarch, but to a great Immortal Cultivation Family like the Shen Family, I'm no different than a servant."
Inside the carriage,
Fifteen-year-old Shen Changchuan spoke calmly, his face showing a maturity that belied his age.
His expression remained largely neutral as he spoke.
"This post, to be sent out to garrison and manage Dawan Village, was something my mother had to pay a great price to beg for on my behalf."
"It's only because Dawan Village is far from Tian Nan City, right on the border of the Shen Family's influence, and has no income apart from the Spirit Grain produced by its Spirit Fields, that it was able to fall into my hands."
"Otherwise, a wealthy town closer to Tian Nan City... with my status, I couldn't even dream of such a thing."
At this, Shen Changchuan couldn't help but sigh,
As he slowly explained the situation to the valiant old man beside him.
The fierce old man, named Han Qinhu, was Shen Changchuan's maternal grandfather.
Han Qinhu was originally born a farmer in a mountain village, but he was exceptionally gifted from a young age. As a boy, he could wrestle tigers and leopards. Later, he received guidance from a master and perfected his skill with the great saber.
As an adult, he roamed the Martial World, making a name for himself as a great hero in the Mortal World.
But even a famous Innate hero of the mortal realm was nothing before a Cultivator.
It was said that many years ago, Han Qinhu suffered a great setback at the hands of a Cultivator, which ultimately led him to give up his life in the Martial World. He returned to his hometown, married, and had three sons and two daughters.
As for the exact nature of this setback, Han Qinhu was extremely tight-lipped. He'd kept the secret for half his life, and no one knew the truth.
「Twenty years ago.」
By a chance opportunity, the middle-aged Han Qinhu made a connection with a steward from the Immortal Cultivation Family, the Shen Family. He sent his daughter, renowned for her beauty, to enter the Shen Family as a maidservant.
A few years later, his "dear old dad"—whom Shen Changchuan secretly called 'that human-shaped breeding machine'—the Shen Family Patriarch, Shen Fuxing, took his mother's body in a drunken accident. And so, Shen Changchuan was born.
And because of this,
Compared to the young masters born to the First and Second Madams, who came from arranged marriages with other Immortal Cultivation Families, or even when compared to the other bastard children born to concubines from the Mortal World's Royal Families and great clans,
Shen Changchuan's status was, without a doubt, among the very lowest of his cheap, human-shaped breeding machine father's fifty-plus children.
After all, his birth mother's family, in the face of other great clans, Royal Families, and even Immortal Sects, was practically on the same level as a common farmer from the Mortal World.
It was only because he possessed a sliver of talent for Immortal Cultivation, coupled with the mature mind from his past life and his cautious nature, that he managed to survive. Otherwise, in the scheming, treacherous Shen Family Mansion, his life would have been worse than that of a servant.
After all,
In a great Immortal Cultivation Family like the Shen Family, there was no such thing as brotherly love and respect among the younger generation.
"Actually, being farther away is better. It's what I wanted. At least I can escape some of the family's internal power struggles and avoid the vortex of conflict between the First and Second Madams."
"Otherwise, with my weak standing, even a small ripple within the family would be enough to smash me against the shore."
As he said this,
A shiver of trepidation went through Shen Changchuan.
This wasn't some groundless fear; it was something that could very well happen.
Two years ago, one of his other 'brothers' had shown some decent talent for Immortal Cultivation. The result? He "committed suicide" by stabbing himself in the back seven times.
How could an ordinary person like him, a commoner in his past life, possibly hope to participate in the vicious power struggles of these great families?
To be honest,
Back in the Shen Mansion, he had lived on pins and needles, terrified that he might lose his life at any moment without even knowing why.
In comparison, being sent out to Dawan Village, far from Tian Nan City, couldn't possibly be any worse.
"Sigh... that's true."
"It's a bit far, but at least there's none of that household bullshit..."
Hearing this,
Han Qinhu opened his mouth and mumbled,
But his voice trailed off, clearly not daring to discuss the private affairs of an Immortal Family in public.
But he understood the situation clearly.
Even outsiders had heard rumors of the power struggle between the First and Second Madams in Shen Fuxing's household.
As Shen Changchuan's grandfather, he knew even more of the inside story.
But as a mere mortal, Han Qinhu didn't dare delve too deeply into such private matters.
After all, loose lips sink ships.
Having roamed the Martial World and experienced the ways of men, Han Qinhu knew what could be said and what couldn't.
"I heard Dawan Village has twelve mu of Spirit Fields. If you manage them well and pay the family's share, it could become a fine foundation for your future."
In truth, Han Qinhu wasn't dissatisfied with garrisoning Dawan Village.
A mere mortal in the eyes of an Immortal Family, what right did he have to be picky?
Many famous heroes of the Mortal World's Martial World would act like dogs for an Immortal Family for years and still might not get a single bowl of Spirit Rice.
And Dawan Village...
He'd heard it had a full twelve mu of Spirit Fields!
As long as the annual quota for the Shen Family was met, the rest of the Spirit Grain grown there would belong to the Defender.
Through his relationship with his grandson, he might even get a taste of the Spirit Rice that members of an Immortal Family ate for their Cultivation.
That was a treasure that, if consumed over a long period, could even allow one to achieve Qi Introduction and step onto the path of the Dao!
It was precisely for this reason,
That when he received news from his daughter that his own grandson, Shen Changchuan, was being sent to a garrison post and needed help, he had abandoned most of his family fortune and businesses, bringing his eldest son Han Dayong and the majority of his servants to follow his grandson to his new post.
To put it nicely, he was there to lend his grandson a hand, to help him manage personnel and other issues at the garrison.
To put it bluntly, he was eagerly latching on, hoping that when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. He wanted to ride his grandson's coattails and give his own descendants a boost.
Out there, countless well-known heroes of the Martial World wanted to be a dog for an Immortal Family, but they lacked the connections!
If not for their blood ties, how could such a wonderful opportunity have ever fallen to him, Han Qinhu?
His earlier grumbling was merely him voicing his indignation at Shen Changchuan's treatment.
In reality, he was incredibly excited about this trip to Dawan Village.
He had been so excited he had barely slept for several days before they set out.
How could he truly feel even a hint of disdain?
Shen Changchuan made idle chit-chat with his grandfather, Han Qinhu,
He used the opportunity to broaden his own knowledge, learning about the general state of the Mortal World outside, something he couldn't do growing up in the confines of the great mansion.
To their right, his uncle Han Dayong rode on in silence. He couldn't seem to squeeze a single word out and didn't join their conversation.
Just then,
Suddenly,
"AHHH!"
A blood-curdling scream suddenly erupted from the road ahead.
Shen Changchuan was instantly on alert.
'Something's happened!'