In the cultivation world, there are only two types of contracts. One is the master-servant contract, usually used to bind spirit pets or train death warriors. The other is the Dao Companion contract, often signed by young cultivators who are deeply in love.
Signing a master-servant contract means absolute control of the master over the servant. If the master wants the servant dead, it’s just a matter of moving a finger.
Originally, Jiang Yin thought the conditions were so harsh that Hun Er would not agree. After all, he was a Blood Cultivator at the early Nascent Soul stage. Most who reach this level of cultivation are unwilling to be enslaved. Unexpectedly, he actually agreed.
When signing a master-servant contract, the power levels of both parties should not be too disparate. Otherwise, it’s easy for the servant to overpower the master and forcibly reverse the contract.
Jiang Yin had not yet reached the Golden Core stage, while Hun Er was already at the Nascent Soul stage. The gap between them was significant. Fortunately, Hun Er’s soul was damaged, and she had the Imprisoning Demon Sword for protection, so she was not afraid of him.
Since he had acknowledged her as his master, she accepted it gladly.
Coincidentally, there were some tasks that needed to be done recently. Jiang Yin thought for a moment and decided to go see him.
Tang Muxi had been frequently going into the mountains lately, bringing back large amounts of spirit plants and fruits each time. The Star Shift Technique was indeed useful. She had just started learning it and could already move quickly, much more convenient than flying with a sword.
When Jiang Yin found her, she was laying down Hun Yuan Purple Soil on “Heaven Island,” planting the spirit plants she had picked.
To make it easier to distinguish, Tang Muxi arranged the eight small islands in the order of “Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow, Universe, Flood, and Wilderness.”
“Are you farming?” Jiang Yin saw her sweating profusely but not tired at all, her face glowing with energy, and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
She had never imagined that Tang Muxi would have such a hobby.
Tang Muxi paused with her hoe, almost planting it into the Hun Yuan Purple Soil, pursed her lips, and corrected indignantly, “I’m building a medicinal garden!” You’re the one farming.
Hmph. Jiang Yin frowned, thinking there was probably no difference between the two. But seeing Tang Muxi’s puffed-up cheeks, she didn’t point it out directly.
“I’m going out for a bit. Do you need me to bring anything back?”
“Going out? I’ll go with you.” Tang Muxi said, casually throwing the hoe to the ground, leaving the spirit plants lying there, and wiped her sweat, ready to leave.
Jiang Yin had anticipated her reaction and immediately stopped her, “No need, I’m just going to buy some things. I’ll be back soon.”
Tang Muxi looked at her suspiciously. After being deceived last time, she no longer dared to easily trust Jiang Yin. Hearing this, she asked again, “What are you buying?”
“Materials for setting up a formation,” Jiang Yin said seriously.
“The island protection formation?” Tang Muxi had heard her mention it a few days ago but hadn’t paid much attention.
“Yes, the Corpse Cultivator’s residence was destroyed, and recently, there have been more frequent appearances of demonic beasts. I can’t be at ease without setting up a formation.”
Tang Muxi was somewhat convinced this time, but still sulked, “Then why won’t you let me go with you?”
It’s just buying materials, why be so secretive?
Jiang Yin gently rubbed her head with a smile. With a height difference of half a foot, the action seemed quite natural. “It’s just unnecessary. There’s no need to go back and forth, wasting time. Aren’t you building a medicinal garden? You might as well focus on your own tasks. Leave the rest to me.”
It wasn’t that she intended to hide anything; it’s just that most of her dealings with Hun Er were filled with bloodshed and violence, and she didn’t want to tell Tang Muxi for now.
She thought it would be better to inform her once these dirty deeds were done and her power had gradually taken shape.
Tang Muxi was reluctantly convinced and didn’t press further. After thinking for a moment, she said, “See if there are any seeds for Spirit Grass and Spirit Springs for sale. If there are, bring some back for me. Also, Huaxing Grass. Other than that… I don’t think there’s anything else.”
Jiang Yin was taken aback by her words. “Why buy Spirit Springs? Isn’t there some on the island?”
“The island’s supply is too little! I need it to irrigate the medicinal garden.” Tang Muxi chuckled, rubbing her hands together.
Watering Spirit Grass requires a lot of water. The Spirit Springs on the island is pure and of good quality. She was reluctant to use it for watering these Xuan and Huang grade Lingzhi; it would be better used for alchemy or cultivation.
Jiang Yin didn’t say more. After nodding in agreement, he turned and left.
After he left, Tang Muxi continued to till the soil. No matter how good the quality of the Hunyuan Purple Soil was, it was still soil, and it needed to be loosened to grow Spirit Grass.
However, there were hundreds of acres of Hunyuan Purple Soil. Tilling each piece individually was too exhausting. She had only managed to loosen a small patch after working all morning.
Tang Muxi turned around and gazed at the endless purple soil, lost in thought.
Was there something that could help her loosen the soil? It didn’t need to be too complicated, just something that could continuously turn the soil and move like the vehicle Jiang Yin had made… A plow?! Tang Muxi’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Jiang Yin had arranged to meet Hun Er at the teahouse opposite the Jubao Pavilion. Even though they had signed a master-servant contract, they couldn’t communicate telepathically, so they had to use a messenger crane to convey information.
She arrived at the teahouse just past noon. The first floor was bustling, with a group of tea patrons gathered around a storyteller, listening to tales of so-called “sect secrets.” These stories often involved taboo or scandalous elements, drawing listeners in.
“Speaking of the Demon Emperor, it’s said he was a handsome and charming young man. He was an ‘orphan’ left behind by the Heavenly Demon, picked up by Elder Tingqin of the Fragrant Valley and taken in as a closed-door disciple…” The storyteller’s voice rose and fell, matching the plot, making people want to listen closely.
Elder Tingqin, a proud woman who practiced the Path of Emotionless in the spiritual cultivation world, took in a demon boy as her closed-door disciple. How could that not spark imagination?
As soon as he spoke, the listeners were captivated, urging him to continue. The usually quiet teahouse was now noisy, filled with the chatter of the audience.
Jiang Yin glanced around indifferently, then withdrew his gaze and approached the counter, taking out ten mid-grade spirit stones. “A private room on the second floor.”
The waiter snapped out of the forbidden story, handing Jiang Yin a room key. “This way, Immortal.” Normally, he would personally escort the guest upstairs, but today he was distracted by the storytelling.
Jiang Yin didn’t say much, took the key, and headed upstairs.
This shop often has cultivators coming and going. The private rooms are equipped with formations that block divine sense, ensuring privacy and tranquility. The first floor is extremely noisy, with the storyteller’s vivid voice still audible on the second-floor stairs, but once inside the private room, it can no longer be heard.
Jiang Yin sat down on a soft chair and was about to take out a mask to conceal her appearance, but after thinking for a moment, she gave up. Today, she was already wearing a treasure to prevent others from probing her cultivation, so there was no need to hide her face. Letting Hun Er see her true appearance would make things more convenient in the future.
It was still early, so she picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea, savoring it slowly. The tea had a faint fragrance, but the brewing method was rough, and the taste was quite ordinary.
Hun Er arrived half an hour later. When he decided to recognize her as his master yesterday, he had already anticipated that the Venerable One would summon him, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon. Standing in front of the private room door, he felt a bit nervous and rehearsed a few opening phrases in his mind. After ensuring there were no issues, he pushed open the wooden door. However, when he saw the true face of the “Venerable One,” he was stunned.
Inside the private room sat a woman, stunningly beautiful, with sharp black eyes that seemed like knives, exuding the composure and elegance of someone who had long held a high position. However, her appearance was quite youthful; if she hadn’t used a secret technique to alter her looks, she seemed no older than twenty.
In the cultivation world, a Nascent Soul cultivator has a lifespan of five hundred years, and Hun Er had already lived for three hundred years. He was momentarily surprised but quickly suppressed his doubts and tentatively asked, “Venerable One?” He couldn’t discern her cultivation level, but he didn’t doubt her strength. Someone who could predict events so accurately and unleash such power must be far stronger than him.
While Hun Er was observing Jiang Yin, she was also assessing him. Nearly a month had passed, and not only had Hun Er’s aura not strengthened, but it had also weakened considerably, and his face looked even paler. Jiang Yin couldn’t gauge his cultivation level but estimated it to be below Nascent Soul, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Why has your cultivation level decreased?” She had clearly told Hun Er that he had enemies and needed to ambush them in advance, absorbing their essence to become stronger. How could he have fallen back to the Golden Core stage?
Hun Er, hearing her point this out, immediately looked ashamed. “My strength is shallow. After killing my enemies, I tried to absorb their essence but was injured by their self-destruction.”
Self-destruction… quite ruthless.
Jiang Yin pondered for a moment. “Since you have joined my ranks, you must follow my orders in the future. Do you have any objections?”
“I dare not.”
Jiang Yin nodded in satisfaction and took out a Fire Heart Lotus Seed from her space ring, placing it on the table. “In the Nether City, there is a Taoist named Hui Ju. Give this to him and ask how to descend to the Yellow Springs.”
Nether City is at the junction of the spiritual cultivation world and the demon world, connecting the two places and existing in a gray area within the cultivation world. Due to its special location, both spiritual and demon cultivators want to take control of it, but the city lord’s erratic behavior has prevented either side from gaining an advantage.
In the previous life, the incident of Gan Sha rescuing the Demon Emperor’s son did not occur, let alone the appearance of the Wraith Seal that opened the Ghost Gate.
Jiang Yin had a gut feeling that something unusual was happening in the Ghost Realm recently.
Hun Er felt suspicious upon hearing this, but he dared not disobey the Venerable’s orders. He lowered his head and accepted, “I understand.” His attitude was extremely respectful.
Jiang Yin frowned slightly and gestured for him to dispense with the formalities. “You don’t need to call yourself a servant anymore.”
A title doesn’t necessarily represent loyalty; hearing it too often only feels insincere.
“I understand.”
Jiang Yin raised an eyebrow but didn’t correct him further.
“Take this Sound Transmission Jade Talisman. Report any situation you encounter along the way. If you meet anyone worth recruiting, go ahead and bring them in.” Jiang Yin handed a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman to Hun Er, then gave him a jade slip engraved with a cultivation technique. “This is the legacy technique of a powerful Corpse Cultivator. It contains the art of Devouring Corpses and Burning Souls, which aligns with your abilities and can aid your cultivation.”
Hun Er, upon hearing this, couldn’t wait to delve into it. The Devouring Corpses and Burning Souls technique was incredibly profound. Even a brief glimpse revealed its mysteries, likely at least an Earth-level spell.
Coincidentally, as a Blood Cultivator, he rarely had such powerful and domineering attack capabilities. This technique would compensate for his shortcomings.
Hun Er excitedly knelt down, “I will never forget the Venerable’s grace! From now on, I will serve loyally and never harbor any disloyalty!”
“Remember these words. Breaking your promise will cost you your life.” After saying this, Jiang Yin pushed open the door and left.
