The Ashes of Fate - Chapter 6: Senior Brother

Translator – SynthSoon

What happened next wasn’t much to write home about.

Vice-Envoy Yao took all of them to a deep pool near a valley at the back of the Life Suspending Manor, where they were ordered to wash themselves off, and then changed into a set of dark gray clothes of the same style.

These uniforms were similar to those of the special teenagers An Jing had seen earlier, but his was a bit more run-down.

Next, was the name register.

“An Jing, Han Bei Road, Xuan Que State, Gu Feng Province, bone age is eleven ……”

“Xia Li, Han Hai Road, Han Hai State, bone age is twelve ……”

“Tang YuanChang, Han Bei Road, Liu Guang State, Lai Feng City, bone age is nine……”

An Jing hung his eyes at the very front, silently noting down all the names and recorded voices, while analyzing their origins.

Most of those collected by the Life Suspending Manor were children and teenagers who had suffered the Frost Scourge in the area north of Han Hai, and the one who came from the furthest place was a girl named ‘Bai QingHan”, she came from Hai Nan Road, one of the three roads of Han Hai.

She suffered probably not just from the recent Frost Scourge, but also the Han Hai Demon Scourge from ten years ago, she was a survivor who struggled all the way here.

After the finalization of the register, the number of people reached two hundred and forty-eight, and the five people who had not been recorded in the register, that is, the five black-robed teenage girls that Anjing found at the beginning, had been taken away.

After the entire ordeal, it was almost dusk, and it was time for dinner.

The evening meal prepared by the Life Suspending Manor was very simple: a large bowl of simple corn rice with a strange bean paste filled with many medicinal flavors, and three sheets of bread smeared with oil and salt.

It was simple, but everyone ate well, and when the steward announced that it was time to eat, there was no sound other than eating in the entire hall.

After all, after more than a year of enduring the disaster, they had been gnawing on tree barks and eating grass roots along the way, and after traveling to the mountain village for more than ten days, how could they possibly dislike these generous portions of food?

Not to mention, each person was given a can of meatball soup. Inside the brown tile pot, hree white meatballs floated up and down in the oily soup, making it look particularly appetizing. An Jing scooped one up with a spoon and took a bite, the long-lost meat flavor filled his cheeks, as he savored the saltiness that came with the elastic texture.

Even An Jing didn’t have time to think about anything else while he was eating, and he only realized it when he finished eating and was led to his own quarters by a servant.

(This Life Suspending Manor is quite familiar with the techniques of holding people’s hearts and minds.)

Standing in front of his bamboo bed, An Jing thoughtfully turned back and looked at the pavilion of the Life Suspending Manor under the moonlight: (For the vast majority of children who were bought, they had just been rescued from a disaster area, cured of their stubborn illnesses, and left their hometowns for a bumpy and long journey, their hearts must be restless and uneasy.)

(And then, they arrived to a hidden manor that existed outside the known world, right now they are at their most vulnerable and sensitive state, so they desperately need a pillar of support.)

(In response, the Life Suspending Manor bathes them, changes their clothes, washes away their past fatigue, their panic and fear, and builds up a shared mentality by providing everyone with the same clothes.)

(And finally, through the name register, they built them the feeling of being recognized, and to deepen their appreciation to hem with a large meal and a little meat.)

Thinking about this, An Jing couldn’t help but feel something in his heart: (Even though I’m the only one who’s suspicious – I don’t hate this place, I might even like it here.)

(After all, they really spent money to cure the sick, used food to buy people, so far no one has been persecuted or abused, and there’s nothing to complain about the food or clothing… I see now.)

At this moment, something clicked inside him.

When he was still a kid, he was actually quite unimpressed by the many ‘sworn soldiers’ and ‘hidden hands’ in martial arts novels. He always wondered where those people’s loyalty came from, and how they could still be so loyal to their masters even when they were lurking in the shadows.

But now, he understands a little bit – if the Life Suspending Manor continued to cultivate these youngsters and girls like this, by the time they reach adulthood, one by one, they will be absolutely loyal to the manor.

Reduced to lurking in the shadows? What’s wrong with that? Even if this Life Suspending Manor was really some kind of evil sect, it wouldn’t affect their loyalty one bit.

They would regard the world’s vigilance, aversion, and caution against the Life Suspending Manor as heresy, and would recognize from the bottom of their hearts that the Life Suspending Manor is the only correct side.

The more notorious the Life Suspending Manor was to the outside world, the more angry these children indebted to the manor would become, pushing them to further strengthen themselves all for the sake of the manor.

This was only the case if the Life Suspending Manor really was an evil sect, if it was some kind of famous sect, it can convince people to die for it more easily, pushing them to sacrifice themselves for righteousness!

“Well …”

Since he was also indebted to the manor, An Jing wasn’t in the place to say anything more, he recalled the flavor of meat in the previous soup, smacked his lips and muttered to himself, “Alright, one job, for one serving of meat.”

Because of his character, because of his knowledge, An Jing knew he would probably never become loyal to someone else.

But if the wages and benefits were appropriate…..

He could also be completely loyal!

The Life Suspending Manor divided the children by gender, and each was assigned a private room.

It was open-air, almost like a bunkhouse, but they used bamboo walls to separate them all.

The room was so small that there was only room for a bed and a little space to stretch out their legs, but this confined environment was the most reassuring to children who lived through the disaster – after sleeping on the earth under the bare sky for so long, people would rather shrink into their own small, warm spaces rather than being exposed to the wind and rain.

An Jing couldn’t help but think of a capsule hotel. Although he had no idea what a capsule hotel was, all kinds of images would appear in his mind, allowing him to deeply understand those unfamiliar concepts.

This is the wisdom he has had since he was a child. His peace of mind, and his mature way of thinking, was what kept him safe from all the dangers he faced.

(Let’s rest first.)

He laid down on the bed, covered himself with a blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

For the next period of time, the Life Suspending Manor didn’t do anything, other than allowing the two hundred or so Children of Calamity to adjust their routine, nourish their stomachs and bodies, and adapt to the soil and water of the mountains and forests.

They claimed that they were an ancient hidden heritage, because the living environment was too harsh, they had to live in the mountains and forests, making it difficult to recruit ordinary disciples. In order to pass on their legacy, they would go to all parts of the world to buy orphans and refugees who could tolerate this kind of life.

This explanation was in fact quite pale and feeble, if this was said in the camps of vagrants or when they first arrived at the manor, the people who believed it would definitely have some problems with their brains.

But now that the Life Suspending Manor had taken care of all the people’s food and living needs, so that the young boys and girls could sleep peacefully, given them food, meat and new clothes, nor did they sell them as slaves or treat them with abusive whippings…

These children would believe anything they said.

From An Jing’s point of view, the Life Suspending Manor was like a huge closed training camp.

Every morning, the servants would gather all the children, and the rider leaders would act as instructors, teaching a simple set of martial arts to bolster physical fitness. In the afternoon, the children would be taught to read and write, then they were examined by a doctor for their physical conditions.

This type of Martial Arts was lesser than An Jing’s family Martial Arts, but it could indeed strengthen the body. An Jing also only learned the basic foundations of his family’s Martial Arts, so learning more about Martial Arts wouldn’t hurt.

For their literacy training, they read a book called “The Emperor of Heaven”, an ancient scripture about fate, instead of scriptures that were meant to brainwash them. The scripture was mainly about respecting the will of the Emperor of Heaven and sacrificing for the Heavens, it was popular all over different regions of DaChen.

There was a meal after each Martial Arts and literacy training session. An Jing thought it was some kind of medicinal diet, since he could feel his body was rapidly recovering and getting better with the combination of ample sleep and the medicinal diet.

After half a month of this routine, everyone’s energy levels were very different from when they first entered the manor, and all the children except An Jing had fully recognized their identity as ‘disciples of the Life Suspending Manor’.

Even An Jing, as cautious as he was, had begun to think that this place was really good.

—eating and sleeping every day, studying and practicing Martial Arts, this is the life of a young master!

For many others, this life was far better than the one they had at their own homes before the Frost Scourge, and they began to fully recognize the Life Suspending Manor as their true “home”.

During this time, An Jing gradually became familiar with the other teenagers.

First of all, An Jing had studied Martial Arts and could also read, making him the best of the group. He was occasionally called up by the lecturers and instructors to demonstrate moves or recite verses for the others, and was rewarded with compliments.

Secondly, it was also because An Jing had an extraordinary image.

When he first arrived at the manor, everyone was basically skinny and shriveled, with no appearance to speak of.

But even at that time, An Jing’s aura was enough to suppress the worries of the people, only a small number of people were dissatisfied with him.

As all of them became healthier, An Jing also regained his original appearance.

After a year of exile, having killed many scoundrels, even his smile exuded a dangerous aura, he was like a clouded leopard in the forest, graceful but bloodthirsty.

Even the owner of the Owner Yao had commented that when An Jing was present, anyone would look up to him without a word.

On the surface, An Jing was grateful for the arrangement of the Lie Suspending Manor, but in his heart, he was calm and analytical.

He naturally knew that this was merely a means of pulling in other children without cost. He, the best performer with a good image, would instinctively present himself as “part of the Life Suspending Manor” or “Senior Brother”, and have a strong sense of belonging. This would attract other children to create a sense of collective identity and a sense of solidarity.

An Jing wasn’t proud of this status, but there would always be other young girls and boys gathered around him.

However, whether it is because of his identity as “Senior Brother”, or because of his appearance …… An Jing wasn’t sure.

In short, all the children in his dormitory gathered around him, he had unconsciously become almost like a big brother-like figure, whether it was going to the cafeteria, or going to exercise in the Martial Arts field, he was always leading the group.

Like a real Senior Brother, he guided his brothers and sisters during their training, this sort of life could make anyone excessively relaxed.

However, all of this was just a prelude.

After all, the Life Suspending Manor was a Martial Arts sect with a heritage, it was impossible for people to live like a true young master forever.

Soon enough, the hellish formal training arrived.