Chapter 5: Cold Face, Warm Heart (Major Revision)

The young man with the blade walked toward that great gate, his palm sweating where it gripped the hilt. When he truly stepped over the threshold and smelled the faint fragrance of flowers drifting in the air, he even felt a little dazed. He had actually just… gotten in like this?

The mountain weighing on his shoulders unknowingly lightened. At last, the young man lifted his head to look around, and at a glance he saw the person standing beneath the corridor. Before he could even see him clearly, he immediately lowered his head again, not daring to show the slightest offense, and kowtowed firmly to that person.

The Thousand-Li Horse had inexplicably dropped to his knees. Chi Yixuan’s eyelid twitched. “He’s not trying to scam me, is he?”

[Perhaps it is moral blackmail.]

Chi Yixuan looked somewhat conflicted at the shiny pickled vegetable above this person’s head. Even if it was moral blackmail, still… “He’s a Thousand-Li Horse!” To be proactively blackmailed by a Thousand-Li Horse was, in a way, also an honor!

And so Chi Yixuan calmed down. “What are you kneeling for? Get up.”

But the young man did not get up. Instead, he said, “This lowly one is Guo Qianshan. I kowtow in thanks to the Immortal Master for saving my life!” As he spoke, he kowtowed again before finally standing, only he still did not dare raise his head. His gaze hung low, his face flushed bright red, and his voice faintly trembled. “This lowly one, Guo Qianshan, is willing to join the Immortal Master together with the thirty brothers outside and serve as slaves under your command, to repay the Immortal Master’s kindness.”

Guo Qianshan’s face was red not from shyness, but from shame. That was because their desire to acknowledge this Immortal Master as their lord was not purely to repay his grace, but to survive. He clenched his fists and hesitated for a moment. But when he thought of the unfathomable abilities of the Immortal Master before him, he still did not dare conceal even half a thing.

“Those two stewards of Strange Treasure Hall have some kinship with the hall master. Once the hall master learns that they died here, he definitely won’t spare our lives. We beg the Immortal Master to save us one more time!”

Chi Yixuan thought, Those two stewards were killed by me, strictly speaking. Why would Strange Treasure Hall go after you? But then he abruptly remembered that this was not his original world. It did not talk about human rights or equality. So the words that had nearly slipped out were swallowed back down, and his expression grew somewhat grave.

Although he had long since discovered from the original body’s memories that this world was far from beautiful, he truly had not expected it to be dark to this extent! The original body’s entire family had been wiped out, and the culprit had at least put on a show of framing someone else. But the hall master of Strange Treasure Hall could kill dozens of menial servants simply to vent his anger, and in their eyes, this was actually an ordinary matter. Otherwise, these dozens of people would not have collectively chosen to seek refuge with him. Clearly, they all believed they had already reached a dead end.

Eek, eek, eek, no, wait. Earlier, to suppress the Sea of Suffering Path, they were willing to put people into cages and slaughter them like livestock. How can I still hold any hope for this world?

“This can’t go on. From now on, I’m going to assume the worst of everyone here with the greatest malice possible.” He muttered silently to himself, and the gaze he directed at Guo Qianshan sharpened.

The life-bound artifact: [Has his behavior made you uncomfortable? I will expel him at once.]

Immortal Dynasty Simulator was the life-bound artifact he had summoned, and this house was produced by the game, so of course the life-bound artifact could manage it. If it wanted to let people in, the doors would open automatically. If it wanted to drive someone out, that would be the matter of a single thought.

And a life-bound artifact was equivalent to its master’s hands and feet. It would strike wherever directed, and would absolutely never betray him.

But Chi Yixuan shook his head. He said to Guo Qianshan, “Get up and tell me about Strange Treasure Hall.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Guo Qianshan immediately stood and poured out everything he knew as if emptying beans from a bamboo tube.

As Chi Yixuan listened, he secretly discussed things with his own life-bound artifact. “I looked at the panel just now. There are only points for defeating the two stewards. There’s no income from claiming territory or recruiting people. Is that because they haven’t admitted to joining my faction yet?”

Hearing the words “recruiting people,” the life-bound artifact went silent for a moment, then quickly replied: [Yes.]

Chi Yixuan said, “How many people are there in total on this piece of land right now?”

The life-bound artifact: [Two hundred and fifty-seven in total. Among them, thirty-one are menial servants. The rest are all human livestock.]

Chi Yixuan said, “Strange Treasure Hall is the place that sold the original owner and operates the slave trade. Its hall master is a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Shadow Guard I summon can beat him, but he probably isn’t just a businessman. The Sea of Suffering Path looks unusual at a glance. I don’t believe a human-trafficking merchant would waste his own goods to seal the Sea of Suffering Path. There must be someone behind him. From now on, we have to be ready for them to attack at any moment. For now, there are no other shortcuts. We can only recruit manpower as soon as possible and raise our cultivation.”

[Very well. However, you do not need to be overly anxious.]

Hearing the life-bound artifact’s gentle voice, Chi Yixuan said in surprise, “What do you mean?”

The life-bound artifact: [My reconnaissance range has already expanded to a radius of one hundred li. Eighty li away from here, a merchant caravan is passing through and discussing the matter of the Sea of Suffering Path’s seal. They said today is the fifth day of the seventh month, and there are still three days until the Sea of Suffering Path here opens. They must pass through this region within three days to avoid being unlucky enough to run into the opening of the Sea of Suffering Path.]

Chi Yixuan’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “In other words, Strange Treasure Hall won’t notice anything wrong until at least three days later?”

[More than that. Strange Treasure Hall cannot predict the future and does not know that the Sea of Suffering Path opened three days early. Therefore, they are still transporting human livestock here. Sealing the Sea of Suffering Path requires one day, and when travel time there and back is included, Strange Treasure Hall will only learn that something happened here in at least five days.]

Chi Yixuan smiled. “So as long as we operate properly, not only do we have five days to rest and reorganize, we can also get another batch of population from Strange Treasure Hall for free?”

[Yes.]

“This is truly excellent!” Chi Yixuan’s heart settled greatly. Without that sense of urgency, even the gaze he directed at Guo Qianshan became much warmer.

By this time, Guo Qianshan had already told him everything he knew. Naturally, he had no idea the Immortal Master was speaking with his own life-bound artifact. After receiving no response for a long time, he did not dare raise his head either, and only stood there like a sculpture. No one knew how long had passed. When even the sound of flowing water in the garden had grown noisy, he finally heard the Immortal Master speak.

“Bring in the thirty people outside.”

Guo Qianshan suddenly raised his eyes and nearly could not suppress his excitement. He restrained himself so hard that the corners of his mouth trembled, then answered respectfully, “Yes.”

Very soon, those thirty people entered the residence.

Chi Yixuan once again sighed that those one hundred points had been well spent.

Otherwise, he and these thirty-one people would have been standing dumbly in the mountain valley, making him, the interviewer, look so cheap!

And the main hall of this residence was quite spacious. Even with thirty-odd people entering, it did not feel crowded.

These thirty people wore the same dirt-yellow menial servant uniforms as Guo Qianshan, and like Guo Qianshan, they stood there with lowered brows and submissive eyes. On closer inspection, some of them were even trembling slightly from nervousness.

Chi Yixuan continued to use the skill “Soul of Bole.” Unfortunately, he did not see another pickled vegetable above any of these people’s heads, which left him faintly disappointed.

But it did not matter. Under heaven, there was no one who could not create points for him.

Therefore, Chi Yixuan’s expression at this moment could be described as exceptionally gentle. “Do you know who I am?”

The menial servants looked at one another, then secretly looked toward Guo Qianshan, each appearing as if they wished to speak but stopped themselves. And so Guo Qianshan once again spoke on their behalf. “We heard the stewards say that you used to be a cultivator.”

When Chi Yixuan saw their expressions, he knew that the original owner’s previously mad and deranged appearance had left a deep impression on them. He raised a brow. “No matter what I was like before or who I was, you only need to remember that my surname is Chi. From now on, I will be your…” The word “boss” was a little too modern. He paused, then said, “Employer.”

When everyone heard this, they finally confirmed that they had been accepted. Their bodies all shook in unison. “Yes, Employer.”

Chi Yixuan nodded slightly. Sitting in his chair, he said, “Those who have summoned life-bound artifacts, step forward two paces.”

Ten people stepped out on the spot.

Chi Yixuan took a sip of tea. “Go on, then. What life-bound artifacts are they, and what do they do?” He was still very curious about life-bound artifacts.

The menial servants were like primary-school students going onstage to explain a problem. Nervously rubbing their hands, they summoned their life-bound artifacts one after another.

Menial Servant One summoned a snow-white cloth. “Employer, my life-bound artifact is a rag. It’s real convenient for cleaning. You don’t need water. One wipe and it’s clean, and it doesn’t get dirty!”

Menial Servant Two summoned a broom. “Employer, I used to sweep courtyards. With one sweep, all the dirty things fly away.”

Menial Servant Three summoned a clay jar and said it was very convenient for hiding private savings.

Menial Servant Four summoned a sickly-looking firefly. Menial Servant Five summoned a blade of grass. Menial Servant Six summoned a rope. Menial Servant Seven summoned a chrysanthemum…

Although they had all summoned life-bound artifacts, these menial servants did not look proud. Instead, they appeared uneasy and anxious. The only one who puffed out his chest was Menial Servant Ten. He summoned a steelyard balance and proudly stated that he could weigh objects up to five hundred jin. In the past, he had been a good hand in charge of inspecting goods.

Chi Yixuan: …

He could no longer drink his tea and fell into a long silence. Within that silence, there was also a kind of irritable anger. Because he was a frugal person who could not stand seeing others waste good things.

After a long while, under everyone’s uneasy waiting, he finally spoke. “I do not keep useless people here.”

When they heard this, the menial servants all turned deathly pale. Yet before they could kneel and beg, they saw that person stand up and point at their noses as he began to lecture them.

“Every life-bound artifact is one of a kind. It is a treasure that belongs wholly to you. Plenty of people only manage to summon one after several decades. You summoned life-bound artifacts at such young ages, yet you don’t know how to cherish them. What kind of names are those? Rag? Broom? Even a dog wouldn’t want them!”

Chi Yixuan pointed at them one by one, his voice cold and extremely harsh. “You. Such a clean white cloth, able to wipe anything clean, and you actually use it as an ordinary rag? Even a dog would know it could be used for beauty treatments. Wipe away the scars and birthmarks on people’s faces, and you could earn enough to bury yourself! Even a pig would know to use it to wipe the water out of a fool’s brain!”

“You! Have you never heard that one sweeps the hall below, then sweeps the world above? And even if not, don’t you understand that you could be a jinx star and bring misfortune down on people? No wonder you deserve to be a menial servant for the rest of your life!”

…

“You! Do you know that wildfire cannot burn it all away, for spring winds blow and it grows again? What vigorous vitality! And you really treat it as a weed! Growing on you is this life-bound artifact’s bad luck!”

“You! This is shegan chrysanthemum. Who knows how many pests the pyrethrin extracted from it could poison to death, yet you really treated it as a wildflower?”

“And you! If someone gave you an abacus, would you take yourself for an accountant? If you don’t know how to use your brain, donate it! Any random scale can weigh goods, so what use is your life-bound artifact? Can’t you use it to weigh right and wrong, black and white, fairness and injustice?”

Chi Yixuan was truly speechless at these people. So many people on Earth went their whole lives without knowing what talents they had. These people were born in a fantasy world and had even summoned life-bound artifacts, easily knowing which direction they should work toward, yet in the end they treated their precious life-bound artifacts like roadside tools.

Chi Yixuan was beginning to suspect whether these people could really create points for him.

So angry that he sat in his chair and gulped down several mouthfuls of tea, he only focused on drinking and did not see that after a moment of stunned silence, the menial servants’ eyes all reddened. There was not the slightest humiliation from being cursed out on their faces. On the contrary, what flickered in their eyes was all shock and gratitude.

Even the menial servants in the back row who had not yet summoned life-bound artifacts looked at them with nothing but envy.

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