“Since that’s the case, I’ll accept you as my adopted daughter.”
Xi Fu’s mind raced. In the end, he still did not kill Shu Xin on the spot.
There was no need to hurry. He could kill her later.
Finding out exactly what the Hehuan Sect intended by sending Shu Xin here—and what she had truly come for—was far more important than killing her.
After all, even if he killed this one, there were still countless others.
It would be better to keep her right under his nose.
“I haven’t even asked your name, how old you are, or what level your cultivation has reached, my daughter.” Xi Fu personally helped Shu Xin to her feet, a kindly fatherly smile naturally appearing on his face.
“My surname is Xi, and my name is Shuangshuang,” Shu Xin replied at once. “I’ve been cultivating for only seventy years, and I’m currently at the peak of Core Formation.”
To reach the peak of Core Formation in seventy years was undeniably an outstanding achievement.
Even in the Hehuan Sect, she would certainly be qualified to compete for a place among the core disciples.
No wonder this woman had dared to be so reckless and play mind games right in front of him. It turned out she was a heaven-blessed prodigy.
Good. Very good.
What they lacked right now was precisely a heaven-blessed prodigy like her!
“My daughter is truly exceptional. You’ve made your father very happy.” The smile on Xi Fu’s face widened. “Now that we’ve acknowledged each other as father and daughter, why don’t you stay at the manor? Once your father’s wedding is over, I can introduce you to your adoptive mother.”
“Thank you, Adoptive Father,” Shu Xin replied.
Anyone who didn’t know the truth might really have mistaken them for a father and daughter with an excellent relationship.
The Sword Spirit cursed inwardly.
[One old fox and one little fox.]
Bah! These humans were all rotten to the core!
Under the name of Xi Fu’s adopted daughter, Shu Xin moved into Busi Manor openly and legitimately.
Xi Fu really was a clever man.
Since he could no longer kill Shu Xin, he simply decided to watch and wait. Not only did he give her the status of an adopted daughter, he also assigned her several servants and provided her with a secluded courtyard.
From the looks of it, he seemed to have truly abandoned the idea of killing Shu Xin.
“Master, this woman’s origins are unknown. If we really allow her to stay, I’m afraid…” An elder was baffled and deeply dissatisfied with Xi Fu’s decision.
“Of course I know that.” Xi Fu gave the elder a helpless look. “Do you really think she came here to acknowledge a relative? No. She was sent by the Hehuan Sect as a spy, so she could keep an eye on us openly and legitimately. There’s no such thing as a wall that keeps out every breeze. They’ve probably discovered something.”
The elder frowned, a killing intent already stirring in his heart.
“Don’t be hasty. There’s still some time before the wedding. From now on, the number of interested parties coming to our manor will only increase. As long as they don’t interfere with our grand plan, everything is worth it,” Xi Fu replied.
The elder thought it over and decided that Xi Fu had a point.
At present, the most important thing was for the wedding to proceed normally, for all the guests to arrive safely, and for the manor to continue growing in strength without interference.
The elder soon withdrew.
Only after he was certain that no one else was around did Xi Fu use a magical artifact to secretly send a message to someone.
[Human magical artifacts are far too strange. That message seems to have been encrypted, and I can’t make sense of it.] The Sword Spirit honestly reported what it had seen to Shu Xin.
It had always taken great pride in its powers of detection. One could say that ninety-nine percent of Shu Xin’s information came from its omnipresent divine sense.
Yet now, it had actually failed against a mere Xi Fu?
“All the important information is encrypted nowadays.” Shu Xin wasn’t surprised in the least. “It’s only because the demonic cultivators we encountered before were relatively weak that we were able to bully them however we pleased. With so many extraordinary figures in this world, how could they not have developed ways to prevent prying?”
[Then what do we do next?]
“Let’s take a tour of the manor and enjoy being a young miss for a while.” Shu Xin rubbed her hands together eagerly. “To be honest, I still have no idea how wealthy Busi Manor really is. If we end up fighting later and accidentally destroy something valuable, wouldn’t that be heartbreaking?”
Naturally, they had to investigate the manor first and mark the valuable things in advance.
[Good! I refuse to believe that this manor has even encrypted its treasure vaults.] The Sword Spirit picked itself up wherever it fell. It absolutely refused to give up so easily.
However, after Shu Xin and the Sword Spirit had genuinely toured the entire Busi Manor, they were both dumbfounded.
[Uh… this is quite a grand operation. I can’t understand any of it, though.]
“I can’t understand it either.” Shu Xin knew a little about formations, but not nearly enough.
No matter. She had status now!
Shu Xin immediately began throwing her weight around.
“You there, go fetch me the finest magical robes in the manor, the prettiest jewelry, and the most attractive men and women in the entire place. Have them come and attend to me.” Shu Xin spoke without the slightest trace of politeness to the manor’s servants. “As your young mistress, I naturally have to help my adoptive father save face. If those esteemed guests arrive and see me dressed in such shabby clothes, wouldn’t that embarrass both the manor and my adoptive father?”
The servants looked at one another, and then at one another again. For a moment, not one of them dared to move.
This new young mistress seemed rather difficult to serve.
“Oh, so I can’t order you around after all.” Shu Xin let out a long sigh. “Forget it. I’ll just go talk to my adoptive father.”
Before the other servants could react, Shu Xin had already dashed off, heading straight for the main courtyard where Xi Fu was staying.
“Adoptive Father, what’s wrong with a young woman wanting to change into a pretty outfit and wear some lovely jewelry? I only don’t want to embarrass the manor—or you. Who would have thought I couldn’t even order the servants around here? Ah, I knew it. I shouldn’t have come to the manor, and I shouldn’t have come looking for you. I’m a young mistress in name only…”
As Shu Xin complained loudly, she even dabbed at tears that had never appeared.
Immediately, quite a few people turned their eyes toward her.
Xi Fu had been waiting for the next order when Shu Xin suddenly interrupted him. He felt a massive headache coming on. His fingers cracked one after another as he clenched them.
“Give her what she wants! From now on, satisfy all of the young mistress’s needs regarding food, clothing, housing, and transportation.”
“Did you hear him?” Shu Xin put her hands on her hips and looked back at the servants who had chased after her, her expression smug.
Because of Xi Fu’s fury, they had all fallen to their knees.
“Adoptive Father, I really didn’t want to disturb you.” Shu Xin wasn’t afraid in the slightest. In fact, she could even be described as utterly fearless. “Then can I go outside and have a look around? Our manor is so big, and I haven’t seen any of it yet.”
“Do as you please.” For the moment, Xi Fu could only endure it.
“Adoptive Father, if I’m going to cultivate in the manor, how many spirit stones can you give me for cultivation?”
Xi Fu immediately turned his gaze toward Shu Xin.
He had probably never encountered someone so shameless before.
“I’m your daughter. Isn’t it only natural for me to use my father’s resources to cultivate?” How could a few hostile looks frighten Shu Xin? Over the years, the cultivators who had given her dirty looks had either died or were already on their way to finding death. She wasn’t angry in the slightest.
After all, she was here to destroy their family and wipe out their household, and, while she was at it, seize the wealth they had spent their entire lives accumulating. So what if they gave her a few dirty looks?
She deserved them.
Otherwise, she would feel uneasy taking their money.
“In our manor, only those who work are entitled to spirit stones. That is the rule of the manor, and I cannot change it for your sake.” Xi Fu held himself back for a moment before deciding to test her. “How about this? I’ll assign you some tasks. Once you complete them, you’ll receive spirit stones. If you’re unwilling, I do have some savings here, but with the wedding preparations underway, I can’t spare much. At most, I can give you a few hundred spirit stones.”
“Only a few hundred spirit stones?” Shu Xin frowned and immediately held out her hand. “Then give me those few hundred spirit stones first. After that, I’ll go do some work and earn another payment. I need spirit stones to break through to the Dao Infant stage, and I’ll only need more and more of them. As the master of Busi Manor, you are a dignified Dao Infant at the peak. Once you become dao companions with my future mother, you’ll be able to advance to become a Cave-Heaven Ancestor. As your daughter, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for you if my cultivation were too low?”
The servants kneeling on the ground did not dare raise their heads. They could only listen silently to the exchange between father and daughter.
They secretly thought that the rumors were true after all.
This nominal adopted daughter was actually the manor master’s biological daughter!
If she were not his real daughter, who would dare speak to the master like that?
Xi Fu laughed.
“You certainly have some of my courage.” Xi Fu looked at Shu Xin, who was completely unafraid to meet his gaze, and suddenly smiled. “Very well. Since you want to work, I’ll give you a few tasks. It will also give me a good look at what you’re truly capable of.”
With that, Xi Fu called over several managers from the manor and had them take Shu Xin with them to handle the assignments.
Only after everything had been arranged did Shu Xin put on a false show of reluctance and bid farewell to Xi Fu.
By the time she returned to her room, a large group of handsome men and beautiful women were already waiting respectfully in her courtyard, carrying all kinds of exquisite clothes and jewelry.
As expected, the child who cried got the milk.
Shu Xin chose a pale blue outfit, then picked out hairpins, earrings, a necklace, and bracelets that she liked and put them all on. She stored the rest in her storage pouch, dressing herself in a manner that practically screamed wealth and status.
“When this young lady goes out, she should at least have the bearing of an immortal.” Shu Xin propped her chin on one hand. She swept her gaze over the men and women, pausing meaningfully on one particular person before saying, “Go prepare a carriage for me, along with a demonic beast to pull it.”
“Yes, Eldest Miss.”
“Mm.” Shu Xin nodded. “All of you can return and hand over your current duties. From now on, you will answer to me. If your managers refuse to let you come over, I’ll speak to them myself.”
With Shu Xin putting it so bluntly, how could the managers dare make things difficult for her?
She was the kind of person who would run straight to the manor master and complain at the slightest issue!
“Eldest Miss, these are the thousand immortal seedlings selected from more than a million mortals living nearby.” The young manager wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to rise to report.
“Stay kneeling. I don’t like people looking me in the eye when they speak to me.” Shu Xin’s voice was airy and casual. “You’re not even kneeling as properly as these mortals. Straighten your posture.”
The young manager immediately straightened his back.
At that moment, Shu Xin sat high upon the platform. Two beautiful maidservants stood beside her, fanning her and feeding her morsels of food, while all kinds of delicacies had been laid out before her.
Below the platform, led by the young manager, row upon row of boys and girls knelt densely packed together.
The oldest were no more than seventeen or eighteen, while the youngest were only eleven or twelve.
Their clothes were not especially tattered, but they clearly did not fit their bodies. Beneath those garments were mostly malnourished figures and skin covered in scars. They had probably changed into these outfits specifically for the occasion of meeting her.
Shu Xin studied the register in her hands, looking somewhat bored. “The best among them is only a three-element spiritual root? The rest are either four-element or five-element roots, and most of them are mixed spiritual roots at that. The quality is poor.”
Cultivators placed great importance on the purity of spiritual roots.
Generally speaking, the fewer elements a spiritual root contained, the higher its purity.
However, if someone possessed dual-element or even five-element spiritual roots, and each element had a purity of twenty percent, they could still be considered to possess excellent cultivation aptitude. Such people simply required more spirit stones to cultivate. Generally speaking, only disciples from powerful sects and aristocratic clans had the resources to afford such cultivation.
Most people, however, possessed mixed spiritual roots.
The greatest trouble with mixed spiritual roots was that the purity of each element differed.
For example, someone might have a water spiritual root accounting for 31.13 percent and a wood spiritual root accounting for 6.9 percent.
Such a person not only consumed more resources but also more of their lifespan.
Other people could simply sit down and absorb spiritual energy of the same nature as their own. Those with mixed spiritual roots, however, first had to separate the spiritual energy and ensure that it remained balanced with each of their spiritual roots. This single step alone took them seven or eight times longer than other cultivators.
Unless your parents were Earthly Immortals, it was better to forget about cultivating with a body full of mixed spiritual roots.
“You jest, Eldest Miss. Everyone living in this area is a mortal who survives on grains and ordinary food. Anyone born with spiritual roots is one in ten thousand. The quality of this batch of immortal seedlings is already much better than in previous years.” The manager was not lying. The thinner the spiritual energy in a region, the fewer children who could be born with spiritual roots.
Busi Manor was located in a remote area to begin with, and all the spiritual energy in the region was drawn into the manor. Naturally, there were very few mortals from whom they could select.
Even this thousand had been gathered from all over the place.
Those with better aptitudes and the ability to read the situation would eventually have a chance to enter Busi Manor as servants. Those with poor aptitudes would be sent to the cities surrounding Busi Manor to work as apprentices and contribute to the construction of those cities.
Even such a life was far better than the muddy existence they had led as common laborers.
“All right, then. However, my adoptive father said that with so many guests coming and going from the manor lately, it would be better to take in fewer people than risk having ignorant fools offend our honored guests.” Shu Xin replied, “This time, we only need three hundred people. I made that perfectly clear. So what does it mean that you prepared a thousand?”
“This… We simply haven’t had time to select the best among them yet.” The manager wore an ingratiating smile. “Since Eldest Miss has come in person, naturally, you should be the one to choose.”
“Oh? I choose?” Shu Xin cast a languid glance over them. “Then keep the dual-element and three-element spiritual-root cultivators. As for the rest, give each of them ten spirit coins, a set of clothes, and a pair of shoes, then send them home.”
“Yes, yes.” The manager did not dare say another word. He only wished this suddenly emerged Eldest Miss would hurry back.
“Eldest Miss, please! I beg you, let me stay. I can do anything!”
“Miss, please have mercy and take us in!”
“Manager, sir, didn’t you say there was a mine we could go to?”
…
The moment they heard they were going back, the boys and girls who had been kneeling on the ground grew agitated.
They had fought tooth and nail among their peers for this opportunity. They absolutely refused to give it up just like that.
After witnessing the incredible abilities of these immortals, who would still be willing to return to being an ordinary mortal?
“What nonsense are you spouting? The young miss said no means no. If you refuse to go back, then your village will lose its eligibility in the next selection of immortal seedlings.” Afraid they would continue arguing, the steward hurriedly shouted them down.
“A mine? I knew it. The manor clearly doesn’t have enough people to account for all the immortal seedlings it selects every year.”
With a flash, Shu Xin appeared in front of the steward and smacked him across the face with the account book in her hand. The steward was sent flying dozens of meters.
The boys and girls nearby trembled at the sight.
This young miss was terrifying!
“When I arrived here, I discovered quite a few underground mines nearby.” Shu Xin looked at the steward and spoke slowly. “There’s less spiritual energy here than elsewhere, but it shouldn’t be this scarce. Those aboveground mines can still produce dozens, even hundreds, of spirit stones every year in bits and pieces. But what they produce in even greater numbers are corpses. The baleful energy is almost condensed into physical form on the ground. Do you take me for a fool?”
Even before Shu Xin had arrived at Busi Manor, she and the Sword Spirit had already discovered the truth hidden beneath this seemingly peaceful land.
Countless skeletons had been buried beneath the golden wheat fields, while rings of baleful energy divided the earth veins into different formations.
It was the perfect place for Blood Demon Sect cultivators to arrange formations that gathered yin energy and condensed baleful energy.
The steward’s face turned deathly pale. Even though he was seriously injured, he did not dare stand up.
The existence of the mines could not be exposed.
He had embezzled so many spirit stones. Now that he had been found out, he would surely be silenced.
“How laughable. Even someone like me, who only just arrived, could discover these mines. Do you really think the people at the manor knew nothing about them?” Shu Xin glanced coldly at the panicked cultivator. “You’re an idiot who’s been sold and is still helping the seller count the money!”
How could scattered spirit stones be buried underground?
And how could these young boys and girls be made to mine them?
If someone had not deliberately revealed the method, how could the steward have known about it?
They had merely been offered bait, yet they had eagerly volunteered to become someone else’s blades.
The steward and his ilk wanted the scattered spirit stones beneath the earth. The people at the manor, however, wanted the mountains of corpses behind those spirit stones.
That way, even if the matter were discovered, the manor could remain perfectly innocent, claiming only to have been deceived by these stewards.
The stewards themselves might even believe that everything was their own fault.
True manipulation required no one to wield the knife personally. All one had to do was tell the people below how to exploit others. They would naturally avoid taking on the consequences while reaping the finest materials.
And no one would discover the truth.
The reason Busi Manor had colluded with the Blood Demon Sect for so many years without being exposed was precisely because it had employed this bloodless method.
“As for you, do you really think you’ll be able to do whatever you want just because you stay behind?” Shu Xin swept her cold gaze across them. “Those who remain in the mines can only rely on their naturally weak spiritual roots to sense the scattered spirit stones hidden deep underground. You’re all still young. Mining day and night will only make you die sooner. Do you know the average lifespan of someone working in the mines? Five years at most. Even adults die there. With bodies as frail as yours, you’ll be lucky to survive a year.”
They were nothing more than resources to be squeezed for their spiritual energy and value while alive. Once dead, they would become the foundation of formations for Blood Demon Sect cultivators.
The boys and girls looked at Shu Xin in confusion. They seemed not to understand what she was saying.
Those who were a little older, however, understood her words. Their faces instantly turned deathly white.
“Those of you who are older, take the people you know and go back to your villages.” Shu Xin turned around. “You don’t even know how to live as mortals. How do you expect to learn to be cultivators? If you can’t even defeat a wild wolf in the mountains, you’ll never adapt to the world of cultivators.”
“Miss, my village encountered the Bone King. It’s gone now. Can I stay?”
“My village is gone too. My parents are gone as well. Please, let me stay.”
…
One boy or girl after another stepped forward.
Many of them had nowhere to return to at all. They had simply been taken in by the stewards from place to place, gathered up as extras because they possessed spiritual roots.
The small villages far from Busi Manor were especially vulnerable to attack.
The Blood Demon Sect cultivators came periodically to collect materials, so they naturally turned their attention to remote villages.
Since they were forbidden from killing people nearby, they could only target isolated places.
Many of the children had consequently been left to wander from village to village. Only after their spiritual roots were discovered did they gain any hope for the future.
“If you insist on seeking death, so be it.” Shu Xin crooked a finger and dragged over the steward who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead. “You’re going to change the location of your mine and do exactly as I say. Otherwise, you’ll die without even a proper grave. Understood?”
“Understood, understood.” The steward hurriedly nodded. He had nearly lost his life just now; how could he possibly dare object?
…
Shu Xin found several people and tried to ask them what the Bone King was.
But the boys and girls could not explain clearly. All they could say was that their villages had offended some monster in the past, and that it had come back for revenge.
The servants accompanying her, however, were able to explain everything clearly.
According to them, in the villages surrounding Busi Manor, a monster that fed on people’s vital essence would appear around the end of every year. It was known as the Bone King.
When adult men and women encountered it, they would often fall seriously ill. When the elderly or children encountered it, they would usually be transformed into skeletons. Many villages had been wiped out for this reason, while children under eighteen who possessed spiritual roots were able to survive unharmed.
Many immortal seedlings had come from this very source.
They had already been screened once before, making them easier to control.
After all, if an orphan with neither parents nor family died, no one would notice.
Moreover, the Bone King did not appear in every village. Generally speaking, once a village encountered it, it would not happen again for more than a decade.
And even when it did appear, not every encounter ended with the village being destroyed. Villages with a larger number of able-bodied adults could still survive.
One had to admit, this Bone King understood the principles of cyclical regeneration quite well.
Adult men and women were the main source of new births, so it only needed to absorb a little of their vital essence. The useless elderly and the frail children without spiritual roots, on the other hand, were the best sources of nourishment.
The Blood Demon Sect really knew how to keep up with the times. No wonder it was the leading sect among the demon sects.
