PID Chapter 28

Thank you Choco for the kofi! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

(3/5)

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The slave trader naturally wanted to earn more money, so he introduced the children enthusiastically.

 

“These two children are siblings, born from the same birth[mfn]”一胎所生” (yī tāi suǒ shēng): means “born from the same birth,” used to describe twins or siblings born at the same time.[/mfn]. They’re only eight years old, have learned to read, and come from a clean background. They have no one to rely on now, so if bought by a master, they’ll surely devote themselves wholeheartedly to serving.”

 

After some thought, he added: “They were born to a concubine of a certain household. Now the master is gone, the concubine too, and no one can take them in. They were driven out, but they’re good children.”

 

The slave trader sighed as he spoke, wringing his hands regretfully.

 

Xiao Mo’s eyes lingered on the two children. According to the trader, they should be fraternal twins[mfn]”异卵龙凤胎” (yì luǎn lóng fèng tāi): refers to fraternal twins, literally meaning “different-egg dragon and phoenix twins.”[/mfn]. The siblings didn’t look very alike, but both were quite good-looking.

 

The Master of Lin’an Academy, Yan Chun, and the young doctor Chu Xia were indeed siblings. Xiao Mo wondered if these could be them.

 

Hmm, thinking about it, he was the one who found these two children. That’s a bit amazing.

 

Although even if he weren’t here, Chu Jinglan would have found them anyway.

 

The slave trader said so much just to raise the price. Whether he truly cared was doubtful. Being literate was considered a skill, giving them an advantage over many who couldn’t read.

 

In the end, the slave trader got an extra string of cash above the original price, weighing the money in his hand with a broad smile.

 

Chu Jinglan led the siblings and the little beggar, continuing to search for people in the streets and alleys. The little beggar suddenly approached the siblings, startling them. The brother, still wary of the new master and the upcoming new environment, pursed his lips and protected his sister, moving away from the little beggar.

 

The little beggar pouted and ran to catch up with Chu Jinglan, disgruntled: “What’s so good about them? Why are they worth more than me?”

 

Xiao Mo, bothered by the smell, shrunk further towards Chu Jinglan’s neck, wishing he could cast a cleaning spell right then and there.

 

Chu Jinglan replied concisely: “Literacy.”

 

The little beggar protested: “Well, I can fight!”

 

Chu Jinglan gave him a cool glance, immediately silencing the little beggar.

 

After all, the little beggar had tried to steal from Chu Jinglan but was caught red-handed and easily subdued. So claiming he could fight in front of Chu Jinglan now was utterly unconvincing.

 

The little beggar realized this too, sheepishly scratching his head. Xiao Mo watched as an insect crawled from his hair to his wrist. Unable to resist, he secretly used a few wisps of black mist to kill the bug.

 

The little beggar, oblivious, exclaimed: “Oh, it suddenly stopped itching!”

 

Xiao Mo felt a bit suffocated, but if this boy was indeed the future renowned golden knife expert Mo Zhi, his journey from a small beggar to a great cultivator would be truly inspiring.

 

However, he might not be the golden knife expert, as the fourth person hadn’t appeared yet.

 

After carefully searching again without finding any more suitable children, they decided to return to the mansion and continue tomorrow.

 

A sect needs at least five people, so they still needed one more. But as Xiao Mo looked at these three children, he suddenly realized another issue.

 

If Chu Jinglan brought four people from the Lower Realm, why were only three working for him in the later stages? What happened to the fourth person? Did they part ways, or did something happen early on?

 

Chu Jinglan led the three children into the mansion. Reaching the front hall, the siblings remained quiet, while the little beggar exclaimed in wonder: “Wow, I’ve never been in such a big house before. Can I really live here from now on?!”

 

Back at the residence, Xiao Mo returned to human form, staying by Chu Jinglan’s side but not revealing himself to the three children. Chu Jinglan looked at them, his eyes showing no pity or tenderness, and spoke very directly.

 

“I need loyal subordinates who can work for me in the future. I can take you to the Middle Realm and guide you onto the path of cultivation.”

 

All three children looked surprised. They had thought they were coming to be servants, lucky to have food to eat, but now they could become cultivators?!

 

The siblings’ eyes widened, while the little beggar started jumping on the spot: “You mean immortals, the kind that can fly and swoosh around? You’re one of them too?”

 

The joy came too suddenly, but Xiao Mo shook his head. Children were still a bit naive. If a pie really fell from the sky, it would be disappointing if there wasn’t something hard inside to choke on.

 

Sure enough, the next moment, Chu Jinglan, like a snow-capped mountain, poured a bucket of snow water over their heads: “But you must sign a blood contract with me. From then on, your lives will be under my control. If there’s any betrayal, death without mercy.”

 

His tone wasn’t heavy, nor did it need to be particularly intimidating. Even spoken in the coldest voice, the words “death without mercy” were enough to exude killing intent, making the three inexperienced children shiver from head to toe.

 

Xiao Mo, watching the suddenly frightened trio, clicked his tongue: “You scared them.”

 

Chu Jinglan transmitted indifferently: “I’m not here to babysit.”

 

Without Wan Yu, since leaving the Chu family, his style had actually become colder, indifferent and direct, with a strong sense of purpose. But it saved a lot of trouble, and Xiao Mo didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

 

The three children were indeed intimidated. Chu Jinglan said: “If you’re unwilling, keep the money, and you can leave now.”

 

Chu Jinglan had given the little beggar some silver, and as for the siblings, they could be returned to the slave trader in the short term.

 

The little beggar scratched his head and simply sat down on the ground to think. Chu Jinglan didn’t rush them, pouring himself a cup of tea and half a cup for Xiao Mo to smell.

 

It was aged tea, its settled fragrance released by the boiling water, filling the room with a refreshing aroma. Xiao Mo felt very comfortable amidst the tea fragrance, but in front of him were three children in an internal struggle. Xiao Mo sighed: “Suddenly, I feel like we’re the villains.”

 

Chu Jinglan remained silent, but the system chimed in: “Compared to the villains in the original story, you guys are nothing.”

 

Xiao Mo’s eyelids drooped: “Please don’t compare us to him.”

 

The biggest villain in the original story, the current Demon Realm Lord, would play forced love games with Su Baimo, kidnapping him and doing this and that. Actually, Su Baimo was forcibly involved with more than just him, but readers unanimously considered the Demon Lord the biggest villain.

 

Probably because the current Demon Lord was inherently brutal, unable to develop any warmth. Even when fixated on Su Baimo, he was a crazy love-brain.

 

Xiao Mo looked at the clear color of the tea in the cup, chatting with the system up to this point. He happened to remember that when Chu Jinglan died in the Demon Realm in the original story, the Demon Lord was still this villain.

 

The clear, pleasant sound of teaware against the table surface rang out as Chu Jinglan set down his cup. Finally, someone spoke.

 

It was the brother of the sibling pair.

 

He had indeed studied well and even bowed to Chu Jinglan: “Actually, we’ve long known that once sold into slavery and bought by a master, our lives would belong to the master. We… we are willing.”

 

The sister quickly followed his lead and bowed as well.

 

Though he said this, his hands and legs were quietly trembling. After all, they didn’t know what a blood contract was, and unknown dangers are always frightening. But having been driven out of the mansion onto the streets, from warm rooms into the snow and ice, he knew life wasn’t easy. To survive with his sister, he had to make a choice.

 

The little beggar looked at the siblings who were willing to bow their heads, and gritted his teeth. He had been a beggar since childhood, and although life was hard, he was used to being carefree and wild. Perhaps he didn’t know the word “freedom,” but the mark of being unfettered was already in his bones, so now being tied down, his instincts were resisting.

 

However, he looked at the beautiful mansion, which was so much better than broken temples and streets. Finally, he steeled his heart and slapped his thigh: “Alright, this grandpa agrees too!”

 

With their agreement, Xiao Mo finally didn’t have to hold back. He immediately cast a cleaning spell, and the little beggar’s dirty body instantly became clean and fresh. The grime and impurities on his arms all disappeared. He stared at himself in surprise and curiosity: “Wow, you’re amazing!”

 

They all thought it was Chu Jinglan who did it.

 

Now clean, Xiao Mo finally felt comfortable.

 

Chu Jinglan made blood contracts with the three of them and took out a stone to test their spiritual roots, measuring their elemental affinities.

 

The brother of the siblings had dual gold and earth spiritual roots, the sister had gold and wood, while the little beggar surprisingly had a single fire spiritual root.

 

The fewer spiritual roots, the more focused one’s cultivation can be. Although their spiritual roots were ordinary, they were definitely not bad. This was quite good luck in finding people.

 

Chu Jinglan: “Your names?”

 

The little beggar counted on his fingers: “Coward, Stinky Dog, Dung Ball… anything works, call me whatever!”

 

The brother, holding his sister’s hand, bowed: “We have no connection to our past. Please, master, bestow names upon us.”

 

Here it comes, Xiao Mo perked up, waiting to see what names the three would get.

 

He was waiting to verify his guess when he heard Chu Jinglan’s mental transmission.

 

[Do you want to name them?]

 

Xiao Mo was stunned and turned his head to look at Chu Jinglan.

 

Him, naming them?

 

A strange feeling suddenly arose in Xiao Mo’s heart, as if there was a hint of destiny. Now, a blank sheet was before him, and how the plot would unfold depended on what he was willing to write on it.

 

Even when he slightly interfered with Su Baimo and Dai Zisheng’s storyline, Xiao Mo’s feelings weren’t this intense. But now, simply naming them made him feel like he was truly stepping into the torrent of fate.

 

It was a bit strange, with an indescribable sense of unreality and vagueness.

 

Xiao Mo pursed his lips. He had three names in mind, but he couldn’t help wondering, what if I give them different names?

 

But the senior disciple, young doctor, and golden knife expert didn’t appear many times, and their interactions with Su Baimo were shallow. According to the theory of world cornerstones, the storylines of these three weren’t important for the world’s stability, so perhaps changing their names wouldn’t matter.

 

Xiao Mo blinked, stepping out of the strange vortex. After a moment of silence, he pointed at the siblings: “The brother will be called Yan Chun, for ‘new swallow chirping in spring’; the sister will be Chu Xia, for ‘early summer.’ How’s that?”

 

He still chose these two names.

 

Chu Jinglan had no objections and named the siblings accordingly. Finally, he looked at the little beggar: “You will be called Mo Zhi.”

 

So it really was the golden knife expert! The future great cultivators all matched up with the current children!

 

Mo Zhi looked dumbfounded: “Huh? That seems hard to remember.”

 

Chu Jinglan: “You need to learn to read and learn more things.”

 

Xiao Mo couldn’t help but suspect that Chu Jinglan gave him this name to make him read more books.

 

Chu Jinglan took out three introductory cultivation manuals and distributed them to the three, telling them to study on their own and come ask if they didn’t understand. He also instructed Yan Chun and Chu Xia to teach Mo Zhi how to read, and assigned rooms to the three.

 

Their first task after coming to the master’s house wasn’t to do chores, but to continue studying. Yan Chun and Chu Xia were pleasantly surprised, and their wariness of the new environment lessened somewhat. Only Mo Zhi scratched his head in discomfort, thinking that physical labor would be better than learning characters!

 

Without a cook in the house, Chu Jinglan took the three out for dinner in the evening, and also got them new clothes. Xiao Mo watched as the clothing store owner even helped tidy up Mo Zhi’s hair. Surprisingly, once this little brat was cleaned up, without his bird’s nest hair and revealing his whole face, he looked quite presentable.

 

Chu Jinglan arranged with a restaurant owner to deliver meals to the residence for the next few days. Early the next morning, Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan went out again to find people.

 

Given that they had picked Mo Zhi from among beggars, today they divided their tasks: Chu Jinglan would go to the slave markets, while Xiao Mo would scout various beggar spots in the city to see if they could find another one.

 

After all, his spirit form could fly, so distance wasn’t an issue, making it very convenient.

 

But perhaps because the first day’s results were too fruitful, they searched all day on the second day and came up empty-handed.

 

With the aptitude and potential of the three children as a benchmark, those who were too inferior certainly wouldn’t catch their eye. When Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan met up, he said, “I’ve explored several of the larger beggar gathering spots in the city, but found no candidates. The rest are more scattered, so we can only rely on luck.”

 

Like Mo Zhi, who had directly bumped into them, it was purely by chance.

 

Chu Jinglan: “There’s only one small slave market in the west market of Wei City that we haven’t visited yet.”

 

Actually, slave markets would get new people every few days, but Chu Jinglan couldn’t keep waiting in the Lower Realm. There was nothing in the Lower Realm that could restore his cultivation, so Chu Jinglan had set a seven-day limit for finding people.

 

When they returned home, they found the three children in the main hall. Food boxes from the restaurant were on the table, with Mo Zhi staring at them and swallowing. The table was also covered with paper, doubling as a desk. Chu Xia gently tapped Mo Zhi’s head with her pen: “Hey, look at the characters, it’s not time to eat yet!”

 

The papers on the table were scattered about. Some characters were childish but showed future potential, while others could charitably be described as chicken scratch. Many paper balls were scattered on the floor, which Yan Chun was bending down to clean up.

 

Seeing Chu Jinglan return, they immediately got up from the table and bowed to him.

 

“Master is back!”

 

Not just Chu Jinglan, even Xiao Mo was a bit stunned.

 

Mo Zhi was excited, probably because they could finally eat; Chu Xia’s voice was crisp and sweet, and now that she was less wary of strangers, she had become much more lively; Yan Chun was the most proper, and despite being a child, he already had a dignified appearance.

 

The house, which was previously empty and quiet, suddenly became lively and bustling, filled with the warmth of people.

 

Xiao Mo had a bit of a flashback to when he first arrived at the orphanage in his previous life, with a bunch of children staring at him with bright eyes.

 

Xiao Mo nudged Chu Jinglan with his elbow: “They’re waiting for you to eat together.”

 

Chu Jinglan had naturally noticed this too.

 

Moreover, the house had been tidied up a bit, and there was even a flower in the empty vase by the window. Although the overall change wasn’t big, these small touches added a sense of homely warmth.

 

Xiao Mo smiled and tapped his palm with his flute: “I was originally worried about spending so many spirit stones to bring people up, but now it seems quite nice.”

 

Chu Jinglan didn’t say much. He walked to the table, where Yan Chun and Chu Xia had already cleared away the writing materials, all looking at him expectantly.

 

Chu Jinglan opened the food boxes, and the aroma of food wafted out. He said, “You can use the study in the east wing.”

 

Yan Chun and Chu Xia were delighted: “Thank you, master!”

 

Mo Zhi, his mind entirely on the food, echoed: “Thank you, master!”

 

With the food laid out, Chu Jinglan let them eat at the same table without much ceremony. However, for a table of four people, five chairs were set. Yan Chun was about to diligently remove the extra chair, but Chu Jinglan said, “No need.”

 

Yan Chun quickly withdrew his hand: “Yes.”

 

Xiao Mo, sitting in the chair, smiled as he watched the child pull back his hand. Just now, Yan Chun’s hand had passed through his clothes. The child was indeed quite diligent.

 

After the meal, those who needed to practice writing did so, those who needed to cultivate did so, and another day passed. Then came the third day, the fourth day… all the way to the fifth day, and neither Xiao Mo nor Chu Jinglan had found another candidate.

 

Even Xiao Mo found it strange. Who on earth was this fourth person? He couldn’t help but become very curious.

 

The two sat in the hall, with the three children in the study. After several days without results, Chu Jinglan frowned. Xiao Mo said beside him, “It’s alright, we still have time. Let’s keep looking.”

 

To be honest, Chu Jinglan felt it was already not easy to have found Yan Chun, Chu Xia, and Mo Zhi. He didn’t know where Xiao Mo’s confidence came from, seeming certain they could gather all the suitable people.

 

Wait… people?

 

Did it have to be people?

 

Chu Jinglan’s gaze paused, sliding over Xiao Mo. He had a sudden inspiration and took out the spirit root testing stone from his storage device, placing it on the table and pushing it towards Xiao Mo.

 

Xiao Mo played with it, not understanding: “Hm?”

 

“You try it.”

 

Chu Jinglan said, “The administrative office responsible for registering new sects and various sects when accepting disciples all use this kind of stone to test spirit roots.”

 

Xiao Mo hadn’t thought much of it at first, but he suddenly met Chu Jinglan’s gaze. Though Chu Jinglan hadn’t said the most important part, their mutual understanding didn’t fail at this moment. Xiao Mo almost immediately connected with Chu Jinglan’s train of thought, understanding what he wanted him to try.

 

He stopped playing with the stone and looked at Chu Jinglan with three parts uncertainty and even more incredulity.

 

Chu Jinglan pressed the stone and pushed it closer to him: “The testing stone contains spiritual energy used to detect the spirit root fluctuations in the human body. You’re originally a spirit form, so perhaps you can try to fabricate something similar to spirit root channels to deceive the testing stone.”

 

Xiao Mo watched Chu Jinglan’s lips move as he slowly said, “If it really works, the last position in the sect will be yours.”

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter