Chapter 780 - 235: [Seeking Help] (6200)_2
Chen Yan squinted his eyes but didn’t show any emotion. He didn’t reach out to help the person; instead, his tone turned cold: "What do you mean by this?"
The person’s face was full of pleading as he knelt on the ground and cupped his hands toward Chen Yan: "Fellow Daoist, just to let you know, I have reached a dead end now. After much thought, I came to you, hoping there’s still a glimmer of hope for me!"
Chen Yan sighed and said blandly: "I am like you, just someone living in the outer court, nothing here, afraid I can’t help you much. No matter the issue, you may have asked the wrong person."
The person respectfully replied: "Fellow Daoist, don’t be modest! Throughout the whole courtyard... ah no, not just our courtyard! Among the hundreds of selected disciples this term, who doesn’t know we have someone like you in our yard.
Everyone says that fellow Daoist is exceptionally talented and even appreciated by someone in the sect. At the end of this selection, when the official quota to be admitted to the sect is confirmed, there will definitely be a place for you!"
Chen Yan frowned slightly, feigning displeasure: "These rumors are all baseless and cannot be taken seriously. In a grand sect, it’s not that easy to enter."
Saying this, he glanced at the person and slowly said: "You may get up first. Since I let you in to speak, you should speak properly—staying on your knees isn’t right."
The person shook his head: "I’m not doing this to force you, Fellow Daoist. I just want to show my respect."
Chen Yan sneered inwardly, regretting somewhat letting the person come in—according to his thinking, those who deliberately humble themselves to plead with others inevitably employ a kind of moral coercion.
He firmly believed in one notion: a person who can easily discard their dignity for gain is likely someone who will readily break boundaries.
Not good!
·
"Since that’s the case, kneel if you wish; it’s not that I won’t let you rise." Chen Yan’s tone grew even colder: "Say what you want to say now."
The person wiped his forehead with a sleeve and then slowly spoke: "Fellow Daoist, you may not yet know my background. My name is Nan Qiao, originally from the Western Border’s Fire God Mountain. My family has been cultivators for three generations, but we’re just a minor cultivation family, barely better than loose cultivators.
However, since we’ve been cultivators for three generations, joining the sect was slightly easier for me; I didn’t have to go to the local office for enlightenment, as my elders tested my talents at a young age and taught me how to practice cultivation and gain enlightenment.
But in the path of cultivation, our small, lower-tier cultivation family doesn’t have many resources, almost the same as loose cultivators..."
Chen Yan nodded; he wasn’t surprised by this.
If he were really from some great family, there’d be no need to participate in a mass selection like this.
"Hmm, go on," Chen Yan said as he slowly seated himself by the bedside, speaking indifferently: "But I suggest you get to the point; I’m not very interested in your origins."
Nan Qiao spoke softly: "Fellow Daoist, although my family is a cultivation family, in fact, my ancestors for three generations were not ordinary cultivators but... followed the path of artifact refining. My grandfather, my father, and I, are all artifact refiners.
My hometown is at Fire God Mountain, renowned for producing high-quality fire essence copper.
As they say, rely on the mountain to eat the mountain; since my family is based in Fire God Mountain, naturally, we live off the fire essence copper mines there.
Although the best large veins have been divided among great families and clans, some lesser veins are not worth the attention of these great families and clans, like the scraps they leave behind, used to attract and recruit some grassroots forces in the locality..."
Nan Qiao quickly narrated, and Chen Yan roughly understood.
Nan Qiao’s family, locally, resembled country gentry. They originally sought patronage under a local second-rate family, which tossed them a small vein to manage, something like an "outsourcing" arrangement.
But most of the proceeds had to be handed over to that family, and because Nan Qiao’s family consisted of three generations of artifact refiners, they also had to accept periodic artifact refining orders from that family.
This small lower-tier cultivation family seemed to be doing well; in local terms, they were big shots to common people.
Yet, in front of true families, even just local cultivation families, they were just subservient minions surviving off them.
Although their situation wasn’t ideal, it was much better than that of most loose cultivators. They had stability from managing a mine and steady income.
Also, being three generations of artifact refiners meant they had technical skills, which were quite valuable for a living.
Yet, trouble ensued.
This trouble was common... due to a matter of love and marriage.
Nan Qiao had a half-sister, reportedly stunning and with decent cultivation talent.
The family counted her as an asset, planning to nurture her potential for future marriage alliances with other cultivation families.
But things went awry when Nan Qiao’s sister caught the eye of a young master from the very family they relied on.
—Ordinarily, this might seem like excellent news for Nan Qiao’s family!
Though they claimed to be a cultivation family, in truth, there was some exaggeration in that title.