Ancient Blood Sect

The Ancient Blood Sect, located within the borders of the State of Zhu, on the Northern edge of the lands of North Heaven, was once first among the Three Great Sects. Even though it was still famous in the Northern Domain, it had experienced a decline in recent years and did not maintain the glorious position it once had after the second great war. Nowadays, compared to the other Sects within the State of Zhu, it could only be considered inferior.

Actually, it hadn't always been called Ancient Blood Sect, it was one of the oldest sects of the State of Zhu the sect is so old that people forget its original name Eternal Blood Sect.

But things were different now, After the second great war, the sect master went missing.

If it were not for the fact that no one knew if he was alive or dead, the Sect would already have been swallowed up by some other Sect. It was past its glory days. Considering the lack of resources in the State of Zhu, and pressure from the other three Sects, if they wanted to get new recruits, they were forced to kidnap people to act as servants. There was no way they could open their doors to recruit openly.

Han Shen followed the green-robed man along the small paths that wound among the mountain peaks. The surroundings were garden-like, with strange rocks and odd-looking trees everywhere.

Amidst the beautiful scenery, extravagantly decorated buildings with jade roof tiles rose up out of the clouds and mist. Han Shen sighed continuously. Sadly, the teenager next to him wailed the entire time, somewhat ruining the mood.

"I'm finished, really finished…. I want to go home," muttered the teenager, tears rolling down his face. "There's an inheritance waiting at home, and fish".

"Dammit, dammit. I want to inherit the family land, become a rich old man, and have a few concubines. I don't want to be a servant here."

He muttered under his breath for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, until the green-robed man turned. "If you spout one more bit of nonsense," he said coldly, "I'll cut your tongue out."

The teenager suddenly trembled violently, his eyes shining with fear, but he shut his mouth.

When he saw this, Han Shen began to reconsider how wonderful the situation might or might not be. But he had a persistent personality, so he took a deep breath and maintained his silence.

After a while, when they reached a point about halfway up the mountain, Han Shen saw a row of flat buildings emerging from the roiling fog.

Seven or eight young people wearing hemp robes sat outside the buildings. They looked exhausted. As Han Shen and the others approached, the young people noticed them, but did not call out any greetings.

Some distance away, a young man wearing a light blue robe sat on a crag. His eares were long, almost like a bat, and his robe was obviously more expensive and fancy than those worn by the other youths. Though his face was cold, when the green-robed man approached leading Han Shen, the young man stood and greeted him with cupped fists.

"Greetings, Elder Brother."

"These are two newly arrived servants," said the green-robed man impatiently."Please arrange for their accommodations." With that, he turned and left, not even glancing at Han Shen and the other young man.

After he left, the bat-faced young man sat down again, crossing his legs and coldly glancing over Han Shen and the fat teenager.

"This is the Southern Servants' Quarter," he said in a cold, emotionless voice. "The Ancient Blood Sect does not support slackers. Now that you're here, you will work for twenty years, upon which you can leave. If you try to escape, well, there are many wild beasts in these lonely mountains, and you will certainly die. Go retrieve your work uniform. From now on, you are isolated from the mortal world, and will work peacefully as a servant."

The teenager trembled even harder, his face filling with despair. Han Shen remained calm. In fact,

Deep within his eyes was an indescribable sparkle.

The Bat-faced man noticed. He had held this position for many years and had seen many young people captured to be servants, but had never seen anyone as calm as Han Shen.

"If you have a good temperament," he said lightly, "you may not need to labor for the full twenty years".

You can practice cultivation in your time off. If you manage to reach the first level of Qi Refinement Body, then you will be promoted to the Outer Sect." He flicked his wide sleeve, whereupon two hemp robes appeared in front of Han Shen and the teenager. On the front of each robe was a wooden badge the size of a thumb, engraved with the character "Servant."

In addition to the robe, there was also a small booklet, upon the cover of which was written three characters: "Qi Refinement Body Manual."

As soon as Han Shen laid eyes on the characters, he began to breathe hard. He stared at the booklet and recalled how when discussing the cold-faced man, the green-robed man had mentioned the seventh level of Qi Refinement Body.

"We can become Outer Sect disciples when we reach the first level, but that man has already reached the seventh level… what is Qi Refinement Body? Perhaps that is the way to become an Immortal, as they talk about in stories."

If that was the pay he would receive from his work, well, it might not be money, but it would be worth hundreds of pieces of gold in the outside world. Han Shen's excitement rose. He grabbed the robe and used it to wrap up the badge and booklet.

"The East Seventh house is where you will live. Starting tomorrow, your job is to collect bloody bat's eggs. Ten eggs each, every day. You are not permitted to eat until your portion is finished." He closed his eyes.

Breathing deeply, Han Shen imitated the young man and saluted with clasped fists, then walked toward the house, followed by the teenager. The building appeared to be a courtyard dwelling that had been expanded multiple times. Following the signs, they located the seventh one, then opened the door and entered.

The room wasn't large. It contained a table and two small beds, and though simple, was quite neat and tidy. The teenager sat down on one of the beds, then, unable to hold it in anymore, began to cry.

He was about 12 or 13 years old, and he cried loudly. It surely echoed outside.

"My father is a Lord, and I'm supposed to be a Lord too. I'm not supposed to be a servant." He seemed extremely distraught, and his little body trembled.

"Stop crying," said Han Shen, trying to comfort him. "Think about it. It's not that bad here. We're working for Immortals. How many people would envy us if they knew?" He quickly closed the door.

"I don't want to work for other people," he replied. "My marriage has already been arranged and engagement gifts sent. My poor, beautiful lady hasn't even married me, yet is already a widow." The more he cried, the more heartbroken he grew.

A strange expression appeared on Han Shen's face. This teenager was still young, he thought to himself. I can't believe he's been promised a wife, yet has never even felt the touch of a woman's hand. He sighed emotionally, thinking about how amazing it would be to be rich. This teenager's family is so rich that he never has to worry about food or clothing. And yet I have nothing. Even after selling my ancestral home last year, I still owe Steward Wang a lot of money.

Thinking of the money he owed made him laugh. Now that he was here, Wang could come to chase after him for the money if he was strong enough. If not, he would be dead by the time Han Shen left.

The more he thought about this place, the better he felt about it. He didn't need to worry about money, or lodging, or food. He even got payment worth hundreds of pieces of gold, and that was before he even started working. Considering that this was a dwelling-place of Immortals, it could truly be said that he had unexpectedly been rescued from a desperate situation.

"A person should have something to rely on. If you are a mortal who desires riches and titles, if you are a Cultivator who wants to live a life free from worry, join my Ancient Blood Sect. You can rely on me." That was the introduction to the manual, and it was signed by Patriarch Verdant the missing sect master.

Even though it was only a handful of words, they were filled with an indescribable power. It was both an invitation and a description of the Ancient Blood Sect. Han Shen felt numb, and then, everything suddenly made sense.

"In other words, I have to find someone to rely on while I'm here. If I do, I won't have to worry about anything." His eyes grew brighter as he continued to scan the manual. Soon, he lost track of time, and didn't even notice the teenager crying next to him.

The teenager finally cried himself to sleep around midnight, whereupon his snores began to reverberate around the room like thunder. Han Shen reluctantly closed the manual. Even though he felt very tired, his eyes were filled with vim and vigor.

"This book isn't worth 100 gold, it's worth 1,000!" he said to himself. For someone who had always dreamed of becoming rich, something worth 1,000 gold was worth more than anything except his life.