After a moment of reflection, Han Yang took a deep breath and glanced at Xiao Hei in the sky, noticing that she hadn’t left the city yet.
He then found a teahouse, sat by the window, ordered a pot of tea, and began to listen to the gossip.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Han Youyun frowned and said,
“Father, are we really letting him go like this?”
“He and the Young Miss grew up almost together.
Our departure from the mansion this time means we’ve fallen out with the Han Family.
If we don’t get selected, that’s fine, but if we do get selected, and those Young Misses and Young Masters in the mansion also get selected, then things might not end well.”
“And Han Yang will probably help the Young Miss and the others deal with us!”
“Those pampered Young Misses and Young Masters are nothing, but that guy might be difficult to deal with.”
Han Da glanced at his youngest son, a hint of admiration in his eyes, and said,
“Youyun, your leg being lame has actually made you progress quite a bit.
This is a good thing.”
“Don’t worry, Han Yang and the Wang Family are no longer on the same page.”
“Besides, do you really think he can get to his destination alive?”
Before Han Da’s two sons could ask the questions in their hearts, Han Da narrowed his eyes and said, “If you think that, then you underestimate Han Family Head too much.
I’m certain he will leave guards along the necessary path.”
“When they encounter servants from the Han Family, they will kill every single one they see.”
Han Youyun and Han Youfu gasped when they heard their father say this, and said,
“Father, what should we do?”
Han Da smiled, a calm expression on his face, and said,
“Don’t worry, I’ve already made preparations.
Youyun, Youfu and I will go out first, and then you can crawl out through the dog hole yourself.”
While Han Yang was passing time in the teahouse, he suddenly heard the words “Immortal Sect.” After a slight pause, he activated his Internal Skill and began to listen.
He heard a young man dressed as a Young Master at a table behind him quietly say after looking around,
“Gao Zongzi, I heard the Immortal Sect is recruiting Disciples again.
Do you think we should go?”
Han Yang was startled.
Is there a choice to go or not when the Immortal Sect recruits Disciples?
He heard Gao Zongzi quietly say, “I’m telling you, the Immortal Sect is not a good place to go.
A few days ago, my third uncle sent a letter saying that my fourth uncle was bitten to death by a Demon Beast a year ago!”
“He died a miserable death, wailing for quite a while before he finally died.
If my third uncle hadn’t run faster than my fourth uncle, then my third uncle would have been bitten to death!”
“Poor my fourth uncle, not even 30 years old, and he’s gone.”
When Gao Zongzi said this, he made a show of wiping away non-existent tears, as if he was extremely sad.
Another young man, also dressed as a Young Master, said with a look of horror,
“Ah, aren’t they going to become Immortals and cultivate for longevity?
How can they be bitten to death by a beast?”
Gao Zongzi looked around, made a shushing gesture, and whispered,
“All my brothers are here today, so don’t say that I, as your elder brother, don’t take care of you!”
“Today, I’ll tell you something practical.
After I finish, you’ll know why I’m not going.”
When Gao Zongzi reached this point, he first took a sip of tea, building up everyone’s anticipation before he spoke.
“This Immortal Sect, for those of us without a major background, going there is simply a disaster.”
The others were clearly not very aware of the inner workings, so they all leaned closer to Gao Zongzi, their eyes full of inquiry and curiosity, waiting for Gao Zongzi to explain.
Seeing the expressions of the others, Gao Zongzi raised his head, a look of triumph on his face, and continued,
“I heard from my third uncle that when he went to the Immortal Sect, he became a handyman.
Do you know what a handyman is?”
“It’s the same as the servants in our homes, maybe even worse than a servant.
At least serving as a servant in our Family doesn’t involve any life-threatening danger.
People die in the Immortal Sect all the time.
Otherwise, if they really cultivated for longevity, why would they recruit Disciples?”
“Think about it, they recruit every 3 years, and they recruit from every city.
How many major cities are there in our Song Country?”
“How many people do they recruit each time?”
“What does this mean?
It means that however many go, that many die!”
The others gasped upon hearing this, their faces filled with fear.
Gao Zongzi’s face grew even more smug, and he continued to show off.
“It’s not like everyone is like this, though.
I heard that those with good Spiritual Root can cultivate into something….” Gao Zongzi frowned in thought at this point, then his eyes suddenly lit up and he said,
“I remember, it seems to be called Foundation, Foundation, Foundation Establishment.”
“Yes, Foundation Establishment!”
“If you can reach Foundation Establishment, that’s incredible.
At least you can live for several hundred years.”
Upon hearing that they could live for several hundred years, the others gasped again, their fear turning into envy.
They thought, ‘This must be longer than the turtles in their Family pond, right?
How many years of freedom would that be?’
Gao Zongzi sighed again, shook his head, and continued,
“But this Foundation Establishment is not easy to cultivate.
I heard that not even one out of a hundred can succeed.”
“And before that, you’re not your own master.
I heard that you have to do chores every day.”
“Men scoop faeces and brush hair for some beasts, just like the servants who take care of dogs in our homes.
Sometimes, it seems those beasts go crazy or something.
These aren’t our Family dogs; they’re fierce!”
“And there’s farming and such.
Isn’t that just like the tenant farmers in our Family?”
“Also, women seem to have to weave clothes.
Isn’t that just like female workers?”
“And the women in that Immortal Sect are all arrogant.
My third uncle is in his late thirties and still hasn’t married a wife!
It’s like he’s living as a widower.”
“But I heard from my third uncle that there’s a Jade Phoenix Tower, and inside it are all Immortals, just like the pleasure houses here.”
Upon hearing that there was a pleasure house full of Immortals, the other young men immediately perked up and asked,
“Gao Zongzi, how much silver does it cost to visit the Jade Phoenix Tower once?
If we have a chance, should we go and see?
I’ve never seen an Immortal in my life!”
Gao Zongzi rolled his eyes and said,
“I’d like to go, but I heard that the gold and silver we use there are useless!
Ten thousand taels of silver only exchange for one Spirit Stone, and playing with an Immortal fairies costs several Spirit Stones.
Isn’t that tens of thousands of taels of silver?”
“Let alone us, even my third uncle, who is an Immortal Sect member, is a bit reluctant.
He can only look from downstairs and satisfy his eyes.”
Gao Zongzi’s words left everyone dumbfounded.
They all thought, ‘Tens of thousands of taels of silver for one play?
This might not even be affordable if they emptied their Family’s wealth, right?
The price of these Immortals is too outrageous.’
Gao Zongzi continued,
“Actually, aren’t these Immortals just the Young Misses from our city’s great Families who cultivated?
They might not be much stronger than the courtesans in our city, right?”
“Also, think about it, for pampered people like us to go there and be handymen, and even face life-threatening danger, I’d rather live freely and happily for a hundred years in Jiayuan City!”
“It seems that without reaching Foundation Establishment, one doesn’t live much longer than we Mortals.”
“So, whoever wants to be an Immortal, let them be.
I’m not going, anyway.”
“I drink tea, listen to plays, visit pleasure houses, and tease young ladies on the street every day.
I live a very carefree life.”
“I’d rather be a Mortal World Immortal than an Immortal Sect Dog!”
The others began to frown and ponder.
Their families had also asked them, and some even insisted they go, but after hearing Gao Zongzi’s words today, they felt that it was better not to go to the Immortal Sect.
It was too dangerous and too arduous.
Why be a good Young Master and go be some handyman?
Only someone with a brain illness would go!
One of them suddenly spoke up,
“Gao Zongzi, how about we leave the city to avoid the limelight, lest our families force us to go?
If we get selected, we probably won’t be able to come back!”
Gao Zongzi’s expression changed upon hearing this, and he said,
“Right, right, right!
Then let’s run now.
If we wait a few more days, it’ll be too late to go.
Once we pass the age limit in 3 years, the Immortal Sect won’t want us either.”
“When I become the Family Head, that’s when I’ll truly be carefree.”
Gao Zongzi thought it was a pity his father didn’t cultivate immortality back then, otherwise he would be the Family Head now.
But then he thought, if his father had gone to cultivate immortality, he probably wouldn’t exist.
Han Yang watched as the Young Masters threw down a piece of broken silver and hurried out of the teahouse.
They each mounted tall horses, cracked their whips, and disappeared in a flash.
Han Yang sighed in his heart.
This Gao Zongzi truly lived a clear-headed life.
And this world was truly strange.
Some people desperately sought things they would risk their lives for, while others were born with them and disdained them.
Han Yang looked at the sky, then at Xiao Hei, who was no longer visible, dropped a few copper coins, and headed west of the city.
Passing by a horse market, he casually picked a horse that looked decent and continued his journey.
What Han Yang didn’t know was that Han Da and his two sons were also heading west of the city.
And ahead, someone was waiting for him!
Also, if you spot any mistakes or have suggestions for the story, feel free to share them in the comments.
I’m always looking to improve my writing!