Yan Qing watched them kowtow fervently. He immediately ran to the old woman who used to be full of bruises, now already restored, looking like she was ten years younger.
"Ay… don't kowtow again…"
"Come, come… I already unlocked the gate to the inner estate."
Twelve carriage drivers and fifteen former victims were by no means a small group. They followed Yan Qing, and this mansion truly held its name as a hidden estate inside the city.
Everything they saw was much more pristine and even more luxurious than any place they had ever seen or imagined.
After they passed the former restricted area, they entered the residential zone.
A giant and imposing hall welcomed their sight.
One floor so huge, supported by eight pillars of various jade colors, as if carved from imperial jade, shaping eight pillars of different kinds of dragons.
The plaque hanging on the giant double-sided doors was glistening in crimson gold.
Verdant Dragon Hall
The name was carved with extremely imposing calligraphy.
[ Reporting, Verdant Dragon Hall is the multipurpose reception hall, the eight pillars are constantly emitting a distinct Qi that can calm one's mind ]
"Oh, that magical?" he asked the system.
[ Affirmative, This hall can instantly destroy mental attacks coming from someone below an Emperyan Cultivator.]
After a brief introduction by the system, Yan Qing turned his back to the small group.
"You guys can stay inside the hall and make yourselves at home. I'll go to my courtyard for a while."
"Yes, Young Immortal Master."
They respectfully replied in unison.
After Yan Qing walked to the east wing and disappeared into his courtyard, the small group busied themselves. One of the three elderly former slaves cupped his hands toward the carriage drivers.
"I'm He Shouceng. Thank you for your help. It's rare to see youngsters willing to help us slaves."
"We get paid… a lot, Old He. We're just doing our job," said the youth who shouted the renting price earlier. "My name is Zhang Liang."
The former slaves, except for the father and daughter duo, also cupped their hands and made respectful bows, beginning to introduce themselves one by one.
Then Luo Qinghe, the youth who was able to identify the Azure Heart Banyan Sapling, led them to enter the Verdant Dragon Hall.
"The Young Immortal Master said to make ourselves at home. We might as well enter the hall and take care of this still-weak father and daughter pair."
"Aiya, you youngsters are so brash… this is the Young Immortal Master's place. We can't just treat it as our own house," said Sun Yulan, the old woman whose face had once been full of bruises and almost unrecognizable.
"But we still have to take care of these two," said Zhao Ying, a quiet, withdrawn, and timid young woman among the former slaves.
"She is right," said Luo Qinghe.
When they entered the Verdant Dragon Hall, they couldn't stop themselves from being amazed.
Inside, the eight dragon pillars felt even more alive. Each carving was so vivid it almost felt like it would jump out at any second.
The ceiling was a grand octagonal support with red cedar wood, also carved with scenes that looked like battles against mythical beasts.
"Look at the beam, it tells a story," said a little girl, Tang Xiyi, nervous but excited.
One of the carriage drivers murmured,
"This hall alone, even a single beam, could support my family for years."
The more they looked around the hall, the more they understood that everything in this hall was luxury they would never be able to reach, even if they had ten lifetimes.
The seat of honor sat imposingly higher than the rest of the seats below it.
This seat was quite spacious and looked comfortable, but when they looked closer—
"That… that seat… isn't it similar to spirit stone?" said Mo Yichen incoherently.
"What the hell, that alone could buy some smaller kingdom," one of the carriage drivers said.
"Also, don't you feel we are more refreshed?" Luo Qinghe said.
"This is true! My old brain feels much clearer!" Old He shouted in disbelief.
"Then let's put this father and daughter on the floor beneath that seat," Luo Qinghe instructed them as he began to walk toward them.
"These two are barely conscious. Poor child, she was kept in that small compartment inside that carriage for who knows how long," Qin Meilan said, one of the three elderly women, while rubbing the girl's hair affectionately.
After they moved the two near one of the dragon pillars that they believed was also magical, the father began to regain consciousness.
His head still felt slightly dizzy, but his body didn't feel any pain.
As a drop of clarity rose inside his head, he jolted awake.
"Yu'Er!" he exclaimed.
Then he slowly realized the unfamiliar faces surrounding him. In the corner of his eyes, he saw his daughter lying unconscious. He rapidly grabbed his small daughter into his embrace and leapt back, staying alert.
"Who are you people?" he said menacingly.
Luo Qinghe was also surprised that this old father turned out to be a cultivator. His qinggong was not bad; one could see an afterimage for a brief second.
"Don't worry. We were saved by a kind cultivator. We are also former slaves like you," said Luo Qinghe.
"Ay… young man, what he said is true. My name is He Shouceng. People call me Old He. You can call me that too."
"You are cultivators. Why did they capture you and your daughter like that?"
Meanwhile, in his embrace, there was a small rustle. A small movement from the little girl.
"Dad…" a small voice sounded, a little raspy, not hurt, just still sleepy.
"Yu'Er, are you alright?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore, Dad… Yu'Er still feels sleepy."
"My daughter is the bravest. Go back to sleep, Yu'Er. Father will wake you up when we eat later."
"Mnm…"
She began to sleep peacefully in her father's embrace.
After making sure his daughter was safe and sound, he turned back to face the unfamiliar people.
"You said you were slaves before. Why do you all look so healthy?" he asked them, looking around. Though their clothes were tattered, their bodies and faces were all healthy.
"Look at yourself," said Wu Qingshun, a former slave with broad shoulders who was mostly silent and observant.
The man checked his hands. No scars whatsoever. He rubbed his face, then looked at his daughter. Everything was perfect, like a small cotton bundle, except for her tattered clothes.
Then he felt his qi and dantian, both fully restored.
"This…" he said in disbelief.
Then a young man with silver-platinum hair and a sunny personality came in.
"Oh, you are awake. It's good you are awake," Yan Qing said with a smile.
He flew, hovering midair, and landed a few steps in front of the man.
"Greetings, Young Immortal Master," said the small group in unison.
"Aiya, am I some kind of emperor or something? No formalities from this moment on," he said, waving his hands at the group.
This cultivator was really rare. Not many strong cultivators acted humble like this young lord, they thought.
Then, with his sleeping daughter still in his embrace, the man knelt in front of Yan Qing.
"This humble one is Zhao Wenhai. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Young Immortal Master for saving my daughter's and my life."
"Get up. I said no formalities. You can call me Yan Qing," he said while helping him back to his feet.
"Your daughter is fine, right?" Yan Qing asked.
"She is fine, currently sleeping. For that… for that… you have my gratitude, and my life is yours, Lord Yan," he said, choking on his words.
"Don't talk so heavily right now," Yan Qing said.
Then he looked at the small group.
"Come. As far as I know, behind this hall there is a dining hall. We can dine there."
"Is there any cook in this secret mansion, Lord Yan?" one of the drivers asked, puzzled.
"No, no one here besides us. Come, you will understand when you get there."
They walked, trailing behind Yan Qing. The scenery was as if they were walking through a celestial palace. Towering trees and a dazzling, natural low-rise waterfall flowed into what seemed to be a spiritual lake.
Everything in this mansion looked magical and expensive beyond words.
After a while, they arrived at a small open pavilion at the top of the spiritual lake.
A group of more than twenty people saw a small, beautiful open pavilion. In the center, there was a round table brimming with various fruits and greenery they didn't recognize.
"Lord Yan is mighty. Those are spiritual fruits—Azure Plum, Vermilion Sun Berry, Morning Peaches. That's all I can recognize," said Zhao Wenhai.
"Those are Silver Dew Spirit Mushrooms," exclaimed Luo Qinghe.
"They can enhance immunity and mostly grow under Azure Heart Banyan Saplings. I should have realized it earlier. When I saw the tree, the mushrooms would most probably grow too," he continued.
For mere mortals, eating spiritual food was almost never possible, as it was usually within the control of sects or great powers.
"Young Immortal Master, this is too much for us," said one of the carriage drivers.
"What do you mean, too much? I haven't eaten either. I'm starving," Yan Qing said.
"But isn't it that a cultivator as strong as the Young Immortal Master doesn't—"
Before the small boy, ten or eleven years old, could finish, Yan Qing cut him off with a smile.
"I'm starving, and that's that. What is your name again, little guy?"
"I… I'm Pei An, Lord Yan," the boy timidly introduced himself.
Yan Qing reached out and carried the little guy in his arms.
"Come, little Pei. Sit with me, and we eat."
"I'm sorry. Although you guys are okay now, I believe it's been a while since you last ate. While I went to my courtyard, I prepared this modest and light food so your stomachs can adjust slowly. Tomorrow, we eat meat."
Everyone was left without words to describe Yan Qing's humility.
Pei An, in his arms, awkwardly nodded.
"Sit beside Brother Yan, little Pei."
The other three children among the survivors watched Pei An enviously.
After all twenty or so people took their seats at the round table, Yan Qing felt satisfied. On the first day he came out of the cave, he found many people to accompany him.
The desolation he felt after his seclusion now seemed like a distant memory.
"Come, let's eat. Eat whatever you like," Yan Qing said, permitting them to take anything on the table.
"Thank—"
Yan Qing didn't hear the rest of the former slave's sentence as he was distracted by a sudden alarm in his consciousness.
[ WARNING! WARNING! ]
[ UNKNOWN GROUP TRYING TO BREACH THE FIRST PARAMETERS ]
[ IMMORTAL ASCENSION ENTITIES DETECTED ]