Chapter 001: The Strange Encounter at the Ancient Well
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"You! You really dare to make a move!" The chubby boy, seeing Fang Yan about to get serious, turned and ran. Everyone knew that although Fang Yan usually had a playful demeanor, when he got angry, he might just dare to take a beating of thirty lashes in order to give the chubby boy a good thrashing.
"Brother Yan, let's go too," Dogwa said, extending his small hand and pulling Fang Yan to follow behind.
This matter is quite strange, a servant said: "Should we call a mage to perform a ritual?"
As Fang Yan's fingers barely touched the three-legged small cauldron, the soft and crystalline white radiance surrounding the cauldron suddenly surged, dazzling his eyes and causing him to instinctively raise his hand to shield them. He stumbled back two steps, and at the same time, the small turtle and the cauldron, enveloped in a burst of brilliance, swiftly merged into Fang Yan's body
The small turtle and the white jade ding combined are only slightly larger than a fist. The craftsmanship is exceptionally exquisite; although the items are small in size, both the turtle and the ding exude an air of ancient simplicity and weightiness, making one reluctant to underestimate them
Untouchable
According to the Hanwei legal code, if a lowly person engages in a fight with another, regardless of the reason, they shall first receive a severe punishment of thirty heavy strikes. Thirty heavy strikes are sufficient to leave an otherwise healthy person half dead
How is it?" asked Xu Guan.
The residence of the Northern Marquis was rebuilt on the foundation of a prince's mansion from the previous dynasty. By estimation, the well in the residence has a history of at least two to three hundred years. The water is sweet and refreshing, remaining abundant year after year. Even during occasional droughts, when other wells in Yunjing City have run dry, this well in the Marquis's residence continues to yield a plentiful supply of water
The lowborn are forbidden from holding office, engaging in commerce, or farming; they can only serve as slaves and servants for generations. The descendants of the lowborn bear the mark of humiliation from the moment they are born, living their lives in a state of abject misery and degradation
Fang Yan cautiously observed the cave entrance for a moment and did not detect any signs of danger from hetushu.com. He then bent down and entered the stone cave to examine the items placed on the white jade stone platform.
Fang Yan instinctively touched his belly and suddenly realized that a turtle and a cauldron seemed to be quietly suspended within his energy sea
As he spoke, an elderly man dressed as a steward hurried over from the backyard. The chubby boy reluctantly lowered his sleeves, pouted, and said: "Manager Xu, you have arrived just in time. This lowly fellow Fang Yan is causing trouble..."
"Fang Yan, be careful. Go down and take a look," Xu, the manager, instructed.
When several people arrived at the backyard, more than ten servants from the Hou residence had already gathered around the well, engaged in animated discussions. Fang Yan and Gou Wa listened for a few moments and quickly understood what was happening
"Oh, you little rascal, are you feeling mischievous again?" The chubby boy rolled up his sleeves with confidence.
Completed! The Qi Sea is the place where the human body maintains its essence, accommodating the original energy cultivated through nourishment and practice. How could this small cauldron possibly enter the Qi Sea?
Manager Xu furrowed his brows and glanced at the seemingly bottomless well: "The lord has always used the water from this well to brew tea, and now the well has suddenly run dry. We cannot ignore this; someone must go down and take a look first."
The thick, long rope hung down more than ten zhang, and the faint white glow at the bottom of the well had unknowingly become increasingly bright.
"Everyone disperse, go about your own business. This matter should remain confidential and not be spoken of outside," Xu Guan ordered. The servants discussed among themselves as they left. The chubby Wu Liang snorted and said to Fang Yan, "You lowly commoner are quite fortunate, but unfortunately, no matter how fortunate you are, you are still just a commoner."
"Are you not convinced?" The chubby boy smirked, "I am right here for you to hit, come on, come on. Ah, the generations of lowly people, worse than pigs and dogs, and yet you dare to rebel..."
Blocking Fang Yan was another young servant from the Northern Town Marquis's residence, named Gou Wa. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, of commoner status, and among all the servants in the residence, he was the only one who did not look down on Fang Yan's lowly background
Fang Yan gently tapped the small cauldron with the dagger in his hand, producing two light clinks. After waiting for a while, nothing unusual appeared. He sheathed the dagger at his waist and, gathering his courage, attempted to pick up the small cauldron on the jade platform for closer inspection
Although Fang Yan and that chubby boy, who is entirely made of flesh, are both servants of the Northern Town Marquis's residence, Fang Yan is a lowly commoner, while the chubby boy is a commoner and a distant relative of one of the stewards in the marquis's household. If a fight were to break out, Fang Yan would undoubtedly be unable to escape the punishment of thirty strokes of the heavy board.
Upon hearing this, the servants instinctively shrank their necks. The fact that the well had dried up so mysteriously, coupled with the faint shimmering light flickering at the bottom of the well, led them to privately believe that some kind of demon was at work, and none of them had the courage to go down and investigate
The term "untouchables" has a long history dating back to the Han and Wei dynasties.
Wu Liang! Dog Wa turned to the chubby boy and said in a low voice: "You have gone too far!"
Shut up! Xu Guan Shi snorted coldly. Wealthy families are most averse to any rumors of strange occurrences within their households. If such information were to leak out, one could only imagine how it would be distorted by others
Oh? Is that so?" Fang Yan squinted his eyes and said, "Even if I have to endure thirty strikes, I will still beat you up!"
Fang Yan kept thinking about the small cauldron in the sea of qi, lost in thought and indifferent to arguing with the fat man, as he turned around and left with Dog Wa.
The chubby boy, with an air of arrogance, rubbed his nose, provocatively glanced at Fang Yan, and then menacingly shook his fist at Gou Wa, before following the old steward towards the backyard
Inside the cave, which measures only about four to five zhang in circumference, stands a small stone cave. In the center of the cave, there is a quietly towering white marble pedestal, more than half a person tall, on which something is vaguely placed, emanating a white radiance from that object.
"It doesn't matter," Fang Yan said with a grin, patting his little head. "If there really is a monster in the well, just watch me capture it alive. In the evening, we'll stew a pot of meat for everyone to try something new."
In the midst of deep contemplation, faint shouts from the crowd reached Inoue's ears. Fang Yan temporarily withdrew his thoughts and hurriedly crawled out of the stone cave, responding loudly a couple of times.
"Fang Yan is bold; let him go down and take a look first," shouted the chubby boy, squeezing through the crowd.
"Sir Xu, what do you think?" a servant inquired.
"Fugitive?" The chubby boy took a few steps, saw Fang Yan being blocked by Gou Wa, and then stopped, standing at a distance. He sneered and said, "Born with a worthless life, and you still want to escape? Your ancestors were criminals, your parents are lowly commoners, and when they die, they can only be dragged to a mass grave. As for you, save your energy; if you tuck your tail between your legs, you might live a few more years!"
The young servant named Fang Yan was originally engaged in a heated exchange of insults with the chubby boy, but was suddenly pierced to the heart by the words "lowly commoner." He clenched his fists tightly, and a glimmer of coldness flashed in his eyes
Just as Fang Yan was gearing up to charge at the fat man, a pair of tender little hands firmly held him back from the side
However, for 99% of the lowly, renunciation of citizenship is merely a dream that is desirable yet unattainable
Although this well has run dry, standing in the well still offers a sense of coolness. The square rock has been lowered more than ten zhang, yet the bottom of the well remains unseen
Fang Yan's head buzzed and swelled noticeably, but after just a few breaths, his entire body, including his energy sea, remained safe and sound, showing no signs of any abnormalities. The stone cave fell into a silence so profound that a pin drop could be heard, with only the sound of his pounding heartbeat echoing.
Several servants pulled together on the rope, exerting their strength to hoist Fang Yan up from the well
"What do you think you're doing? Just because you've learned a few worthless techniques, you think you can challenge me?" A chubby servant, dressed in servant attire, wore an extremely disdainful expression as he contemptuously glanced at another young servant in front of him. "Fang Yan, don't forget that you are a lowly commoner. If you want to make a move, I won't mind giving you a beating with thirty strokes of the board!"
In the section where Fang Yan concealed the small tripod, only the stone cave on the well wall was mentioned. Strangely, less than half a tea's worth of time after Fang Yan emerged from the well, the water in the dried-up well suddenly surged, and before long, it returned to normal. Manager Xu instructed someone to draw a bucket of well water, which remained sweet and clear, just as it always had been.
As the square rock was lowered into the well for more than twenty zhang, a sudden brightness appeared before my eyes. A small opening emerged on the well wall, and that beam of white light seemed to be emanating from within the opening
"How could there be an opening?" Fang Yan leaned over the opening and took a closer look, slightly taken aback.
"Yes." Fang Yan replied calmly. This was not because he was so bold as to disregard his own life and death, but because within the entire Hou residence, whether it was the common servants or the lowly servants, daring to defy orders was a grave offense. Especially for the lowly servants, once they spoke out against the overseer, they risked being struck dead on the spot.
The capital of the Hanwei Empire, Yunjing, is home to the Duke of Zhenbei's residence
Dogwa leaped in front of Fangyan, desperately hugging him, with two glimmers of tears shining in his eyes: "Brother Yan, you promised, you would work hard to get out of your status, to get out of your status..."
However, something strange happened today. I do not know why, but the well inexplicably dried up, and moreover, a faint white glow intermittently emanated from the bottom of the well.
Once reduced to the status of a lowly commoner, one can never escape this shackles devoid of dignity for generations. Only by gaining the favor of the powerful and having one's status changed can one hope to regain the status of a common citizen.
At that moment, an aged voice echoed from afar: "The lord is not in the residence; do you all wish to rebel?"
Brother Yan! You cannot go! If you are hit by the thirty big boards, you will lose your life!
Brother Yan ... ... Dog Wa is deeply worried
"You are the one making a fuss for no reason!" Dogwa retorted angrily
"This well is quite deep." Fang Yan said lightly from above the well, which was merely a reflection of his character; he did not wish to appear weak in public. However, once he entered the well, he felt a mix of anxiety and apprehension. He firmly held the torch in one hand while gripping a sharp dagger in the other.
Boom
More than one hundred years ago, the Hanwei Empire took control of Dongping Prefecture, declaring certain nobles, officials, and even some members of the royal family from the previous dynasty as irredeemable criminals deserving of a hundred deaths. Those found guilty were subjected to death by slicing, and their families and relatives were all reduced to the status of commoners.
The remaining servants were eager for someone to take the lead, and promptly brought a bundle of ropes. Fang Yan securely tied one end of the rope around his waist and held a torch, while the other servants slowly lowered him down from the well's opening.
Fang Yan glanced at the chubby man nonchalantly, neither speaking nor expressing any opinion
Manager Xu is not actually ill-natured; he does not mistreat the numerous servants under him. However, the nobles of the Northern Town Marquisate have become accustomed to drinking the water from this well, and now that the well has become problematic, even Manager Xu is at a loss.
As one approaches, the objects wrapped in the white glow become visible to the naked eye. It is a small turtle carved from an unknown material, with a three-legged white jade tripod resting on its back.
Alright! Everyone be quiet! The old steward shot a glare at the two and then said: The well in the backyard has some strange occurrences, you all go over and help out.