Chapter 45 Zhang Xinci

“Should we help her keep the situation under control?” one of the Zhang clan guards at the gate asked his companion.

His companion snorted. “Hmph, no need. She’s just a bastard who doesn’t even know who her father is. Disgusting. She spends all day mingling with those lowly mortals.”

Zhang Xinci’s mother became pregnant before marriage, and no one knew who her father was. Because of her birth, she had always been looked down upon and ostracized by the other members of the Zhang clan. Coupled with her soft-hearted nature, she was constantly ridiculed and despised throughout the Zhang Family.

“A bunch of pigs! Shut the hell up! Line up, one by one. No one will be left out. But if anyone dares cut in line or make a racket in front of me, I’ll chop them down on the spot!”

A thunderous roar suddenly rang out as an old but burly Gu Master strode over. His fierce gaze swept across the crowd, and the commotion instantly subsided.

This was the power of a Gu Master. Not a single servant doubted his words. To a Gu Master, killing two or three mortals in a fit of anger was nothing at all.

Though the crowd continued to jostle and shove, they quickly formed a long line and quietly waited for Zhang Xinci to treat them.

“Uncle Zhang Zhu, you’re doing this again.” The girl in green pouted slightly. She had never liked the old Gu Master’s heavy-handed approach.

The old Gu Master patiently advised the girl, “These mortals are all ungrateful. The kinder you are to them, the more they’ll take advantage of you. Young miss, have you already forgotten the servant who stole your jade pendant while you were handing out donations? If you ask me, just let them fend for themselves. Why waste your time on them?”

“His mother was critically ill and needed primeval stones to buy medicine. He had no other choice,” Zhang Xinci replied softly.

The old Gu Master merely shook his head, unconvinced.

Uncle Zhang Zhu is always like this. If Brother Lin Feng were here, he would definitely understand me, she thought helplessly.

“Achoo!”

Elsewhere, Lin Feng suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. He rubbed his nose, wondering if someone was thinking about him.

“After several days of travel, I finally made it back to Zhang Village.” Lin Feng looked at the familiar village gates in the distance, and a faint sense of warmth rose in his heart.

One of the guards at the entrance yawned, looking as though he hadn’t slept well the previous night. The moment he spotted Lin Feng, his drowsiness vanished.

“Welcome back, Elder Lin!”

“Welcome back to the village, Elder Lin!” the other guards echoed.

Though only in his early twenties, Lin Feng was already a Rank Three Gu Master. Such talent was rare even in the Zhang Family. Aside from the sons of elders and the clan leader’s direct descendants, few could reach that level at his age.

However, their achievements were not solely the result of their own efforts. As the sons of elders or the clan leader, they had enjoyed abundant resources and opportunities that ordinary Gu Masters could never hope to obtain.

Lin Feng, on the other hand, had begun as an ordinary mortal with nothing to his name. Every step he had taken was earned through his own hard work. It was precisely because of this that, despite being an outsider to the Zhang Family, he had earned the respect of many Mortal clansmen.

Entering the village, Lin Feng found little had changed since his last visit. The flagstone streets were bustling with people. Dusk had arrived, and the village was at its liveliest.

Many Gu Masters returned to the village after completing their missions, their bodies covered in wounds and their clothes stained with dust and blood. Farmers, having labored from dawn until dusk, trudged home in silence, their feet caked with mud and their faces lined with exhaustion.

In this world, life was never easy. Whether mortal or Gu Master, everyone bore their own burdens.

The setting sun slowly disappeared behind the mountain peaks, casting its final rays across the land. The fading light filtered through the barren branches, scattering across the green bamboo walls.

If I hadn’t obtained the Blood Sea True Inheritance, I’d probably be walking among them.

Lin Feng quietly watched the people passing by. For a brief moment, he imagined the life he might have lived if he had never obtained the Blood Sea True Inheritance.

Just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Lin Feng turned around and found an old acquaintance standing behind him.

“Brother Lin Feng, you’re back? Miss, Young Miss, and even your sister have all been worried about you. Come with me, quickly.”

The newcomer was none other than Zhang Zhu, the old Gu Master Lin Feng had met earlier. Having served the Third Miss’s household for decades, he was regarded as a loyal retainer who had faithfully served three generations.

The “Miss” Zhang Zhu spoke of was Zhang Baizhi, the third daughter of the Zhang clan. More than a decade ago, while traveling outside the village, she met a heartless man and later gave birth to a daughter on her own.

That daughter was Zhang Xinci, the young girl who had been tending to the injured servants earlier.

In a modest courtyard with only a handful of servants, a young girl sat beneath a tree, carefully sewing a delicate sachet. Whether from inexperience or simple fatigue, the needle suddenly pricked her finger.

“Hiss…” Zhang Xinci winced softly. She took a moment to compose herself before lowering her head and resuming her sewing.

“Xinci, it’s been a while. Did you miss me?”