Fragrant Bamboo Market.
"Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist, please accept this token of appreciation. I don't an anything else by it, I just want to secure a position for myself and my younger brother."
Wrapped in the yellow hemp paper in Yun Da's hands were about seventy-odd spirit stones. This was his and his brother's entire life savings.
The Loyalty Squad of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was preparing to help the two brothers show their loyalty.
Rogue cultivators like them didn't dare refuse the sect's conscription.
To refuse ant certain death.
Going, on the other hand, still offered a slim chance of survival.
The cultivator from the Loyalty Squad swept his divine sense over the package and curled his lip, but he still said,
"Too little. I can only arrange a spot for one person."
Yun Da's eyes imdiately lit up. As long as a spot could be arranged, even for just one person, it was good enough.
"Fellow Daoist, where can you arrange for us to go? I have a small, presumptuous idea. How about you arrange spots for both of us brothers first, and we give you another two hundred spirit stones later?"
The Loyalty Squad cultivator stored the spirit stones in his storage bag and sneered.
"Give it later? If you die, where am I supposed to collect it?
"These things can only be done with ready spirit stones. You give the spirit stones, I give them to the people above, and the people above arrange a position for you.
"Are you suggesting I front the spirit stones for you? Do you think that's possible?"
Yun Da fell silent. It was obviously impossible to expect a red-skinned dog from the Loyalty Squad to front spirit stones.
As everyone knew, nas might be wrong, but nicknas never were.
The Loyalty Squad, spearheaded by Pi Lingxiu within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, was affectionately dubbed the 'red-skinned dogs' by the rogue cultivators under the sect's rule. This was because their noses were sharper than dogs'; as long as they wanted to find soone, they could always track them down and send them to the front lines.
"You're right, you're right. Then where can you arrange for us?"
Yun Da's face was full of expectation. To him, arranging even one spot was still an arrangent, which was far better than none at all.
Was the front line of the two sects' great war a place ant for humans to stay?
Rumor had it that a few years ago, a Demon King led the demon cultivators of the Sky Serpent Sect to charge the lines, instantly killing tens of thousands of cultivators on the front lines.
Tens of thousands of cultivators! Yun Da was only at middle Qi Condensation; he hadn't even seen that many cultivators in his entire life.
And yet, tens of thousands of cultivators were simply roared to death by the Demon King just like that. Rumor had it there were even many Foundation Establishnt cultivators among them.
Even Foundation Establishnt cultivators would easily die without a burial place on the front lines.
Yun Da knew perfectly well that if he and his brother went to the front lines, they wouldn't last more than two or three days.
Hearing Yun Da's question, the red-skinned dog gave a very strange smile and said,
"The Middle Front. On the Southern Front, you constantly have to charge into the Sky Serpent Sect's positions and throw your lives away, but on the Middle Front, you just need to hunker down and defend from within the formation arrays.
"You wouldn't know this, but the formation arrays on the front lines of both sects were all designed by Purple Palace True Persons. They are extrely safe; hide inside and you won't die."
Bullshit. He knew the actual situation.
The cultivators on the Southern Front constantly having to launch loyalty charges was a thing of the past. Now that Pi Lingxiu had withdrawn from the Southern Front, the newly appointed Southern Front Town Guard, Yan Siyuan, was a Core Disciple of the Illuminating Faction. However, he acted relatively by the book and didn't cause chaos anymore.
After all, the Middle Front had already collapsed once, and the Middle Front Town Guard who caused the collapse, Yan Keyi, had directly been turned to ash.
If the Southern Front accidentally collapsed, did Yan Siyuan have a second life?
The reason the red-skinned dog used these past events to deceive the rogue cultivators was purely because he was taking advantage of their ignorance.
"The Middle Front? Hiding behind formation arrays? Doesn't that still an going onto the battlefield?"
Yun Da was sowhat dumbfounded, his mind spinning.
Over seventy spirit stones was his entire net worth.
Unlike Wang Yulou, whose background was never low to begin with, the cultivators Wang Yulou later interacted with were mostly sect cultivators or cultivators from great clans, who weren't particularly destitute either. Therefore, the spirit stones he had handled flowed like water.
But after the spirit stone famine, it was already incredibly difficult for a rogue cultivator to scrape together over seventy spirit stones.
"Of course you have to go onto the battlefield. What, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect treats you so well, and you don't even have a bit of big-picture awareness or love for the sect?"
Seeing that Yun Da's attitude wasn't right, the red-skinned dog's expression instantly turned cold.
Seventy-sothing spirit stones were too few. His previous polite words had already exhausted whatever goodwill those spirit stones bought, and now it was ti to get serious—in short, the deed wouldn't be done, and the spirit stones wouldn't be refunded.
"I... I don't an that. Can't we just go to the rear and do logistics?"
There was a trace of fear in Yun Da's eyes. He didn't dare to lack big-picture awareness, nor did he dare not to love the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, but after spending the spirit stones, shouldn't there be at least so return?
"Sure, twelve thousand spirit stones per person. Prices are clearly marked, and we don't cheat the old or the young.
"The best positions are at the three major Defense Passes, eighteen thousand spirit stones a spot. If you can afford the spirit stones, we can arrange it for you, with absolutely no funny business."
When Pi Lingxiu established the Loyalty Squad, their core inco relied entirely on this.
Eighty percent went to Wang Yuque—that is, Immortal Venerable Mangxiang—and ten percent went to the Town Guard of the respective Defense Pass. Pi Lingxiu took six percent.
Of the remaining four percent, two percent went to the red-skinned dog who 'made the sale,' and the other two percent was put into a prize pool to reward red-skinned dogs with outstanding sales performance.
"Ten thousand..."
Yun Da felt like he couldn't breathe. He had never imagined that his own life could be worth so much.
If selling a life could earn this many spirit stones, he would gladly sell off his idiot brother to gather a sum of cultivation resources for himself.
Unfortunately, this was the price to buy a life, not the price to sell one.
The price Pi Lingxiu offered the red-skinned dogs was this: finding a suitable Qi Refining cultivator and sending them to the front lines rewarded three spirit stones. Not thirty, but three.
In other words, if Yun Da and his brother hadn't bribed this red-skinned dog with spirit stones, their lives were only worth three spirit stones.
This price was certainly distorted, but it was warti, and human lives truly weren't worth spirit stones.
Ultimately, it was because the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was too strong. With the Immortal Alliance locking down the sect's borders at the passes, the Qi Refining rogue cultivators within the sect were currently nothing but fish on a chopping block.
"Forget it, I can see you can't afford it. Co on, get in the cart. I'll take you to the Loyalty Squad's base camp for so training first."
Seeing Yun Da dawdling, the red-skinned dog knew he couldn't afford the spirit stones and imdiately urged him along.
He still had to hurry up and find the next rogue cultivator who needed his help to accomplish their demonstration of loyalty to the sect.
"No, wait. I gave you those seventy-sothing spirit stones to get that done. Since you didn't do it, you have to return the spirit stones to ."
Yun Da's face flushed red as he began to argue with the red-skinned dog.
"Smack!"
A single crack of the whip sent Yun Da tumbling to the ground, leaving a frightful bloody welt across his face.
The red-skinned dog dropped the pretense and roared fiercely,
"What spirit stones? I haven't seen any spirit stones!"
His face was burning with pain, and his left eye was sowhat difficult to open, but Yun Da truly couldn't bear to suffer such a massive loss.
Those seventy-sothing spirit stones were the two brothers' entire liquid assets!
He sat disheveled on the ground, pressing his hands against the dirt on either side. In no mood to care about his injuries, he anxiously said,
"Aren't you just robbing my spirit stones? How can you do this? You take the money to do—"
The red-skinned dog sneered coldly and struck him with a backhand swing of the whip.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
Whip after whip fell. Yun Da rolled across the ground, his screams piercing and miserable.
The rogue cultivators of Fragrant Bamboo Market noticed Yun Da's tragic state, but they didn't even dare to gather and watch. They only dared to stand far away. Their eyes were filled with resentnt, yet their faces showed only numbness.
A Red Lantern Illumination Sect cultivator beating up a rogue cultivator—this sort of twisted "mingling with the people" naturally caught the attention of the Fragrant Bamboo Market Public Security Maintenance Team. However, when the maintenance team arrived, they simply watched in silence.
'Fellow Daoist, don't beat him to death, and don't make wild accusations. The Town Guardian Cultivator of Fragrant Bamboo Market is Senior Yuque, do you understand?'
Shen Yixin, captain of the Fragrant Bamboo Market Public Security Maintenance Team, warned through a voice transmission.
The red-skinned dogs liked to slap severe labels on people, but Fragrant Bamboo Market was territory under Wang Yuque's rule. Shen Yixin couldn't let anyone drag others down with wild accusations, as that would make it seem like Senior Yuque was incapable of managing the cultivators under his jurisdiction.
'Haha, understood, Fellow Daoist, I understand completely.'
Hearing Senior Yuque's na, the red-skinned dog hastily stopped his whip.
"Alright, you're not completely lacking in love for the sect. Take your brother and report to the Loyalty Squad's base in Fragrant Bamboo Market tomorrow. If you don't show up, no one will let you off next ti!"
The red-skinned dog threw down this harsh threat and prepared to leave, however...
"Hold on! What cri did he commit to warrant you beating him like this?"
Qin Churan, wearing the magical robe Golden Autumn Rain, gracefully rode a spirit crane in midair. With a stern tone, she stopped the red-skinned dog.
"Fellow Daoist Churan, I... He didn't want to show his loyalty to the sect, so I just reprimanded him a little."
The red-skinned dog hadn't realized the severity of the situation and still tried to explain.
"Are you implying that the cultivators of Fragrant Bamboo Market do not understand the principle of loving and protecting the sect?"
Qin Churan frowned. She was very cautious; she personally handled anything that could be blown out of proportion and affect Wang Yulou.
Wang Yulou's position was too sensitive. His enemies were always scheming, ready to dig another pit for him.
If this red-skinned dog randomly slapped a label on a rogue cultivator in Fragrant Bamboo Market today and she didn't stop it, the boundaries for such accusations would blur, gradually endangering Wang Yulou, the nominal Town Guardian Cultivator of Fragrant Bamboo Market.
"No! No! Senior Martial Sister Churan, I didn't an that! I didn't an that at all."
With Shen Yixin's reminder and Qin Churan's questioning, the red-skinned dog naturally knew he had committed a taboo.
He could have just punished Yun Da, but he absolutely shouldn't have beaten him so severely in broad daylight, much less slapped a severe label on him.
"It doesn't seem to that he lacks an understanding of loving the sect. Since his injuries aren't too severe, you can compensate him with five... no, eight hundred spirit stones.
"Hey, can you still move? What's your na?"
Looking at Yun Da struggling heavily on the ground, Qin Churan felt a pang of empathy, which was why she had temporarily added three hundred to the fine.
If not for Wang Yulou, her life might not have been much better than Yun Da's.
The viciousness of the higher-ups toward those at the bottom was exactly the sa even within Droplet Cave Heaven.
Yun Da pushed himself up from the ground with great difficulty, looking toward Qin Churan, trying his hardest to see clearly.
But due to the beating, his eyes were severely bloodshot. Even with all his effort, he still couldn't make out what the female cultivator in the sky looked like.
Spitting blood, he said,
"Yun Da. Immortal Maiden, my na is Yun Da. Thank you, Immortal Maiden, for saving ."
Qin Churan nodded. Sweeping her gaze over the surrounding rogue cultivators, she announced loudly,
"The front lines are not a demon's den, much less purgatory.
"In the great war between the two sects, it is the Red Lantern Illumination Sect on one side, and the Sky Serpent Sect on the other.
"This war is like a furnace. Many people enter and are reduced to dregs.
"But many others enter and are forged into fine jade and excellent material.
"Putting aside everything else, the special rit Hall established by Senior Wang Yuque on the front lines treats all cultivators who achieve military rit equally.
"As long as you can earn rit on the front lines, let alone reaching the Foundation Establishnt realm, it's even possible to beco an Inner Gate Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, or even a Core Disciple.
"You might not know this, but it's only been three years since the great war began, yet over two hundred Qi Refining cultivators have already advanced to Foundation Establishnt on the front lines.
"As rogue cultivators, you cultivate for a hundred and eighty years, only to die in the end.
"Going to the battlefield ans you might die, but it also gives you a chance to change your fate!
"A senior I deeply admire once said that no matter how difficult the road ahead, a cultivator must always move forward.
"This is called cultivation.
"Cultivate, cultivate... keep walking. Keep walking through the hardships. Walking to the very end is, in itself, cultivation.
"The opportunity is right there, open to everyone.
"Therefore, do not resist. Accept this war with an open heart."
Many years later, Yun Da would still rember the words he heard Qin Churan say as he kneeled on the ground.
Cultivation was to keep walking. No matter how hard it was, one had to keep walking.
Those who couldn't keep walking naturally couldn't keep cultivating either.
He had to keep walking.
——
At night, inside a narrow inn room.
The two brothers, who had already been slated for the battlefield, finally gathered together. During the day, Yun Er had gone to help a small nearby clan mine ore.
Hidden inside the black mud mine were many Golden Thread Leeches of the miscellaneous demon grade.
The Golden Thread Leeches weren't particularly strong themselves, but the black mud mine was dark and sticky, making it a perfect hiding place for them.
To mine the ore, Qi Refining cultivators had to be sent in to deal with the leeches' sneak attacks.
Shirtless, Yun Da lay on his stomach on the bed, his entire back covered in welts. The red-skinned dog had, after all, only been trying to drag people to the battlefield and hadn't struck to kill.
However, Yun Da's injuries were still frightful. As Yun Er applied dicine to him, he said,
"Brother, do you really think she's a good person?
"I heard she just latched onto Wang Yuque. It's only because she's his mistress that she can throw her weight around in Fragrant Bamboo Market."
Yun Da said angrily,
"Shut up! She is our great benefactor!
"Eight hundred spirit stones—how many days of work is that for you?
"Taking this beating was worth it.
"If I could take a beating like this every day... heh. Tell , if I could take one a day, we wouldn't have to worry about our cultivation resources anymore."
Halfway through speaking, Yun Da actually began to fantasize about the beautiful life of getting beaten every day for spirit stones.
The two brothers made a living by mining black mud.
But the black mud corroded the body. For every day they worked, they needed a day to recover.
Moreover, the small clan paid them very little.
They were paid three catties of black mud a month. Although the black mud was spiritual soil used to cultivate spiritual plants, three catties were only worth nine spirit stones...
Even if both brothers worked the entire year, they could only earn a combined total of two hundred spirit stones.
One beating was equivalent to four years of work.
It was no wonder Yun Da longed to be beaten every day.
"Keep dreaming, Big Brother. After two beatings like this, you'd be dead.
"Sigh, it's my fault. Qin Churan is a good person.
"It's just... I just hate those major sect disciples who throw their weight around too much.
"They were just lucky with how they were born, weren't they? I hate it!"
Yun Er grumbled. Yun Da rolled over, lying on his side on the bed as he looked at his younger brother.
"She's right. Rogue cultivators like us have nothing, and our aptitude is terrible.
"All we have is a worthless life.
"Going to the battlefield... maybe there really is a chance."
Yun Er's movents paused as he applied the dicine.
"The special rit Hall was established by her man. Since she's a good person, her man shouldn't be too bad either," Yun Er said.
"Are we going?" Yun Da asked.
Sighing, Yun Er replied with a question of his own.
"Do we have a choice?"
The red-skinned dog let out a cold laugh and delivered another backhanded lash of his whip.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
Whip after whip landed. Yun Da was lashed until he rolled across the ground, screaming in agony.
The rogue cultivators of Fragrant Bamboo Market noticed Yun Da's miserable state, but they didn't dare to watch the spectacle. They only stood far away; their eyes were filled with resentnt, yet their faces remained completely numb.
A cultivator from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect mingling with the rogue cultivators—this twisted way of 'sharing joy with the masses' naturally attracted the attention of the Fragrant Bamboo Market Public Security Maintenance Team. However, when the security team arrived, they only watched in silence.
'Fellow Daoist, don't beat him to death, and don't implicate others carelessly. The Town Guardian Cultivator of Fragrant Bamboo Market is Senior Yuque. Do you understand?'
Shen Yixin, the captain of the Fragrant Bamboo Market Public Security Maintenance Team, warned him via divine sense transmission.
The red-skinned dogs loved to throw baseless accusations around when handling matters, but Fragrant Bamboo Market was territory under Wang Yuque's rule. Shen Yixin didn't dare let anyone be falsely implicated, lest it make Senior Yuque look incompetent at managing the cultivators under his jurisdiction.
'Haha, understood. Fellow Daoist, I understand completely.'
Upon hearing Senior Yuque's na, the red-skinned dog hastily stayed his whip.
"Alright, you're not completely disloyal to the sect. Bring your brother and report to the Loyalty Squad base in Fragrant Bamboo Market tomorrow. If you don't show up, no one will let you off next ti!"
The red-skinned dog dropped this harsh parting remark and tried to leave. However...
"Hold it right there! What cri did he commit for you to beat him like this?"
Qin Churan, wearing the spiritual artifact magical robe Golden Autumn Rain, leisurely rode a spirit crane through the air and intercepted the red-skinned dog with a stern tone.
"Fellow Daoist Chu Ran, I... he didn't want to offer his loyalty to the sect, so I just reprimanded him a little."
The red-skinned dog didn't realize the severity of the situation and still tried to explain himself.
"Are you implying that the cultivators of Fragrant Bamboo Market do not understand the principle of loving and protecting the sect?"
Qin Churan furrowed her brows. She was extrely cautious; anything that could be exaggerated and used against Wang Yulou, she would handle personally.
Wang Yulou's position was too sensitive, and his enemies were constantly waiting to dig the next pit for him.
If this red-skinned dog carelessly slapped a label on a rogue cultivator in Fragrant Bamboo Market today and she didn't stop it, the boundaries for such accusations would blur, eventually endangering Wang Yulou, the nominal Town Guardian Cultivator of Fragrant Bamboo Market.
"No! No! Senior Martial Sister Chu Ran, I didn't an that! I didn't an that."
Between Shen Yixin's warning and Qin Churan's questioning, the red-skinned dog finally realized he had violated a taboo.
He was perfectly free to deal with Yun Da, but he absolutely shouldn't have beaten him so severely in broad daylight, and to top it off, stick a false charge on him.
"I see that he's not soone who fails to understand the principle of loving the sect. Since his injuries aren't too severe, how about you compensate him five... eight hundred spirit stones."
"Hey, can you still move? What's your na?"
Watching Yun Da struggling on the ground, Qin Churan felt a deep sense of empathy, which was why she had impulsively added another three hundred to the compensation.
Without Wang Yulou, her life wouldn't necessarily have been much better than Yun Da's.
The cruelty of the higher-ups towards those at the bottom was exactly the sa, even inside the Droplet Cave Heaven.
Yun Da painfully propped himself up from the ground and looked in Qin Churan's direction, trying hard to focus.
But due to the beating, his eyes were severely bloodshot. Despite his best efforts, he still couldn't clearly see what the female cultivator in the sky looked like.
Spitting a mouthful of blood, he spoke.
"Yun Da, Immortal Maiden. My na is Yun Da. Thank you, Immortal Maiden, for saving ."
Qin Churan nodded, glanced around at the surrounding rogue cultivators, and said loudly, "The front lines are not a devil's den, much less a purgatory.
"In the great war between the two sects, it is the Red Lantern Illumination Sect on one side, and the Sky Serpent Sect on the other.
"This war is like a furnace. Many people go in and beco useless dregs.
"But many people go in and are refined into the finest jade and exquisite timber.
"Leaving other things aside, the Special rit Hall set up by Senior Wang Yuque on the front lines treats all cultivators who earn military rit with complete equality.
"As long as you can achieve rit on the front lines, never mind Foundation Establishnt—even becoming Inner Gate Disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, or even Core Disciples, is entirely possible.
"You might not know this, but the war has only been going on for three years, yet over two hundred Qi Refining cultivators have already advanced to Foundation Establishnt on the front lines.
"As a rogue cultivator, you might cultivate for a hundred and eighty years, only to die in the end anyway.
"Go to the battlefield, and you might die, but you also have the chance to change your destiny!
"A senior I deeply admire once said that no matter how difficult the path ahead, a cultivator must always move forward.
"This is what it ans to cultivate.
"Cultivating... cultivating... walking on, pushing forward through adversity, making it to the end—this in itself is cultivation.
"The opportunity is right there, open to everyone.
"So, do not resist. Accept this war with an open heart."
Many years later, Yun Da would still rember the words Qin Churan spoke while he knelt on the ground.
Cultivation was just walking on; no matter how hard it got, you had to keep walking.
Those who couldn't walk on, naturally, could no longer cultivate either.
You had to keep walking.
——
That night, inside a cramped inn cage room.
The two brothers, who had already been marked for the battlefield, finally reunited. Yun Er had spent the day helping a small nearby clan mine ore.
Hidden within the black mud mine were many gold-threaded leeches at the Mixed Demon Realm.
The gold-threaded leeches' actual strength was diocre, but the black mud mine was dark and sticky, making it their perfect hiding spot.
To mine there, they needed Qi Refining cultivators; only they could fend off the gold-threaded leeches' sneak attacks.
A bare-chested Yun Da lay prone on the bed, his back covered in lacerations. After all, the red-skinned dog only wanted to drag people to the battlefield and hadn't struck to kill.
But Yun Da's injuries still looked terrible. Yun Er applied dicine to him and said, "Brother, do you really think she's so kind of good person?
"I heard that she only gets to throw her weight around in Fragrant Bamboo Market because she latched onto Wang Yuque and beca his lover."
Yun Da angrily retorted, "Shut up! She's our great benefactor!
"Eight hundred spirit stones! Do you know how many days you'd have to work to earn that?
"This beating was completely worth it.
"If I could get a beating like this every day... heh! Tell , if I could take a beating like this once a day, we wouldn't ever have to worry about cultivation resources again."
Halfway through speaking, Yun Da had unexpectedly started fantasizing about the wonderful days of getting beaten every day for spirit stones.
The two brothers survived by digging black mud ore.
But the black mud would corrode the body. Work one day, and you had to rest and recover for a day.
Furthermore, the pay from that small clan was low.
Their monthly pay was three catties of black mud. Although black mud was spiritual soil used for cultivating spiritual plants, three catties were only worth nine spirit stones...
Even working a full year, the two brothers together could barely earn two hundred spirit stones.
One beating was worth four years.
It was no wonder Yun Da eagerly wished to be beaten every day.
"Keep dreaming, big brother. Two more beatings like that and you'd be a goner.
"Sigh, it's my fault. Qin Churan is a good person.
"It's just... I just hate those tyrannical disciples of the major sects so much.
"They just had the luck to be born better. I hate it!"
Yun Er muttered. Yun Da rolled over, lying on his side on the bed as he looked at his brother and said, "She's right. Rogue cultivators like us have nothing, and our aptitude is terrible.
"All we have are these worthless lives.
"Going to the battlefield might truly be our chance."
His movents of applying dicine paused. Yun Er said, "The Special rit Hall was opened by her man. She's a good person, so her man shouldn't be too bad either."
"We're going?" Yun Da asked.
Sighing, Yun Er asked back, "Can we not go?"
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