Chapter 93: Two Choices
Old Beggar nodded and imprisoned the Fang Family members in the dungeons. The Fang residence was vast, with three dungeons in total. Although the prisoners were a bit crowded, there was enough space to accommodate them.
Most of the previous prisoners were rogue cultivators who had offended the Fang Family and had been secretly detained.
Lu An sent a paper crane to inform Fang Ling about the situation and instructed her to come quickly.
He then gathered the rogue cultivators in the dungeons and had them wait in the courtyard.
Most of these rogue cultivators were Qi Refining stage cultivators, with only two at Foundation Establishment stage. Among them, the one wearing a vertical crown seemed to hold considerable authority.
"Senior Meng, you are the county governor's nephew. Perhaps you can speak on our behalf. Whether we can keep our lives may depend on you."
The man named Meng shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"These two people have destroyed the Fang Family by themselves. What am I in their presence?"
"Moreover, I have been secretly captured by the Fang Family for years, and my uncle has not been able to find me. He probably thinks I have already perished."
"I can only hope that these two are not ruthless and will spare us."
The others sighed, feeling hopeless, as Meng could not be of much help.
Another Foundation Establishment cultivator pondered for a moment and said, "From what I observe, these two are not indiscriminate killers. If they were, why would they gather us here?"
"They have a grudge against the Fang Family, and we do too. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. They probably won't mistreat us."
Hearing this, the crowd found some reason in his words, and their fears eased slightly.
Soon, Lu An finished dealing with his matters and came before the crowd, saying in a loud voice, "Most of you are poor people. I don't wish to make things too difficult for you."
"But among you, there are undoubtedly some who have committed crimes. It is impossible for me to just let you go."
Hearing the first part of Lu An's statement, everyone was delighted, but the latter part caused confusion.
One person could not help but ask loudly, "What do you mean by that, Senior?"
Lu An smiled slightly and raised two fingers, saying, "It's simple. I give you two choices."
"First, I will plant a soul mark on you. From now on, you will serve as guards here at the Fang residence. As long as you don't have any ulterior motives, I will ensure your safety."
"Oh, no, you can't call it the Fang residence anymore. From now on, it will be renamed as a branch of the Three Talismans Sect. As long as you serve me, I won't make things difficult for you."
The crowd looked at each other, unfamiliar with the Three Talismans Sect, which they had never heard of before. Perhaps it was a newly established sect?
With various thoughts in their minds, someone asked, "What is the second choice?"
Lu An did not hesitate and explained, "Second, as long as you are not major criminals, you can immediately send messages to your family and friends. With a few spirit stones, you can redeem yourselves and leave."
"After all, I went through great effort to save you. I cannot let it be in vain."
"As for the spirit stones, I don't ask for much—100 for Qi Refining stage cultivators and 300 for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators."
"At that time, I will also conduct a heart-to-heart check on you. As long as you pass, I won't obstruct you, no matter which choice you make."
The crowd exchanged glances. The price seemed fair; compared to their lives, a few hundred spirit stones was negligible.
However, many still showed signs of worry. Being loners and ordinary rogue cultivators, they had no friends or family who could provide the required spirit stones.
On the other hand, they were reluctant to have a soul mark placed on them, causing hesitation.
As for the heart-to-heart check, they didn't care much about it. Only a few appeared anxious.
Lu An observed everyone's expressions, understanding their concerns. He continued:
"You might not be familiar with the Three Talismans Sect. Although it was recently established, we have an Ancestor at the Nascent Soul stage overseeing it."
"Joining this residence as guards means joining my sect. Although you will have a soul mark placed on you, as long as you do not harbor ill intentions, it will be fine."
"If you wish to join in the future, it might not be so easy. Think carefully."
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled. An Ancestor at the Nascent Soul stage?
Is it true?
Wasn't the only Nascent Soul cultivator in Yongning County the county governor?
At that moment, Old Beggar's aura erupted, sending the crowd staggering. His peak early Nascent Soul strength was evident.
Everyone was shocked and no one dared to question further.
One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, after a moment of contemplation, stepped forward and declared loudly, "I am willing to join the Three Talismans Sect. Please mark me with the soul mark."
Lu An looked at him and asked, "What is your name?"
"Fàn Chéng."
"Fàn Chéng, good. From today on, you will be the head guard of the Three Talismans Sect's branch in Yongning City."
"All future guards will be under your command."
Fàn Chéng was delighted and bowed his head to accept the order.
Lu An pointed to his forehead, and after a moment, withdrew his hand. The mark was placed.
This technique was a soul mark secret art recorded in the Yimu Spirit Soul Scripture. With a single thought, the marked person could meet a grim fate.
Fàn Chéng felt something new in his sea of consciousness, but with his level of soul strength, he couldn't investigate it.
The difference in their souls was like comparing a firefly to the full moon—one could not compete with the other.
He marveled at how this young man, despite having the same cultivation level, had a soul far stronger than his own.
He increasingly felt that Lu An and Old Beggar were unfathomable and believed his choice was absolutely correct.
Under his lead, many other rogue cultivators also joined the Three Talismans Sect.
The remaining group, clearly able to pay the ransom, did not cause trouble.
Both groups emerged from the dungeon, but their different choices altered their life paths from that moment on.
Years later, when the Three Talismans Sect loomed over the continent, some would be glad while others would regret their decisions.
Of course, that is a story for another time.
Seeing that matters were nearly settled, Lu An turned to Old Beggar and said, "Master, it's time to conduct the heart-to-heart check."
He needed to ensure that those who joined the Three Talismans Sect were not major criminals.
The heart-to-heart check was a common sect examination, so everyone was familiar with it.
However, the previously sneaky individuals seemed to have done something heinous and had been trying to hide their sins to avoid detection.
Yet, when Old Beggar cast a spell and enveloped everyone in golden light, a few people could no longer escape.
Blood-colored light appeared around them—some faint, others intensely red.
"It's a malevolent mark!"
Someone shouted in shock, startling everyone.
A malevolent mark is formed only when targeting innocent, ordinary people. Just killing one or two people is not enough; it usually results from bloodthirsty actions like massacring villages.
The most typical examples are evil cultivators who use living beings for blood sacrifices, often having malevolent marks attached.
For ordinary cultivators, malevolent marks hinder cultivation and cause mental demons, but for evil cultivators, they are considered a valuable tonic.
Seeing the situation, the guilty ones tried to use their techniques to escape.
Old Beggar, however, showed disdain and coldly snorted, "Killing innocent lives and leaving no one unscathed, they deserve death!"
With a wave of his hand, the guilty ones were enveloped in light and then turned into blood mist, dispersing into the air.
Old Beggar showed no compassion and forced a grim smile at the crowd, announcing:
"Alright, the scum has been removed. Welcome to the Three Talismans Sect!"