After walking for a full fifteen minutes, the three finally arrived at a secluded corner of Tian Sha Gang.
It was nestled against the mountain, with an independent courtyard.
The courtyard was guarded by over a hundred escorts carrying steel knives and crossbows. These guards had cold expressions and tall builds, exuding an immense, intangible sense of oppression.
Upon entering the courtyard, rows of wing rooms came into view.
Behind the wing rooms, at the foot of the mountain, stood a detached two-story building.
The area around the building had been cleared and divided into neatly arranged plots of land, where some unknown medicinal herbs were cultivated.
A burly man pointed at the wing rooms and spoke in a commanding tone.
"You can find any unoccupied room to stay in. Meals will be delivered three times a day, and you are forbidden from leaving your room until someone calls for you."
With that, the burly man stared at Song Wen with a cold expression, as if urging him to quickly choose a room.
Song Wen casually picked an empty room and walked inside.
The room contained a set of table and chairs, a bed with bedding, and a teapot on the table. There was nothing else in the entire room.
After surveying the room, Song Wen turned and closed the door.
As he closed the door, he took the opportunity to glance at the scene outside.
The two burly men had already left the courtyard, and the courtyard was heavily guarded, so they were not worried that Song Wen might do anything out of line.
After closing the door, Song Wen's expression turned ferocious and angry.
Just now, he had been suppressing the rage in his heart.
The dominance of Tian Sha Gang and his own weakness filled his heart with resentment and hatred.
At this moment, Song Wen's heart was filled with a longing for power.
Yesterday, while begging for food outside a teahouse, he learned from the discussions of the diners that this world had martial artists who could scale walls and traverse rooftops.
He now wished desperately that he was a knight with powerful martial arts, capable of cutting through the entire Tian Sha Gang.
Song Wen was confined to the room for seven days.
For the first two days, Song Wen's heart was filled with resentment towards the domineering and barbaric nature of Tian Sha Gang.
This feeling of being the fish on the chopping block, completely unable to resist, was truly terrible.
But thankfully, someone delivered meals on time every day, and the food wasn't bad, with both vegetables and meat.
After getting through the first two days, Song Wen's mind gradually calmed down.
By the last two days, Song Wen had also understood that being confined to the room and forbidden from going out was likely intentional on the part of Tian Sha Gang, precisely to wear down their rebellious emotions and make them face reality.
On the eighth day, Song Wen finally heard someone shouting outside the door.
"Everyone, come out of your rooms immediately. Those who delay will be severely punished."
Immediately, there was a continuous sound of doors opening nearby.
Song Wen also opened his door and walked out.
He saw about a hundred teenagers scattered in the courtyard in front of the wing rooms, and more than ten armed Tian Sha Gang members standing in the distance.
These young people were gathered in groups of three or five, clearly, like Song Wen, most of them had been coerced here, and many were quietly expressing their dissatisfaction.
These young people were all locals of Yan City and knew of Tian Sha Gang's power. Although their hearts were filled with anger and unwillingness, they could only whisper and point at the guards, daring not to speak their minds aloud.
Among them was a well-dressed chubby boy who stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens among the mostly impoverished and thin young people.
The chubby boy roared angrily.
"You Tian Sha Gang have some nerve, daring to kidnap me, your young master! My father, Zhang Erhe, is the County Magistrate of Qingyuan County! Why haven't you sent me back yet!"
His defiant voice was loud, attracting the attention of everyone present.
Song Wen's gaze was also drawn to the chubby boy.
Qingyuan County was a county under Yan City, only about a hundred li away from Yan City.
In Gan Country, the power of a county magistrate was still considerable.
Song Wen was curious how Tian Sha Gang would handle this chubby boy.
Was the chubby boy a rich family's foolish son, unable to see reality; or had Tian Sha Gang made a mistake and kicked an iron plate?
Upon hearing this, the guards, though showing hesitation in their eyes, remained unmoved. They had clearly heard the chubby boy mention his identity before. But the guards also felt somewhat Tricky about how to deal with the chubby boy.
Just then, a figure walked out from behind the guards.
The newcomer was about forty years old, slender, with a Ba Zi Hu.
Seeing the chubby boy roaring in the courtyard, Ba Zi Hu's eyes were filled with impatience.
He raised his right hand, a yellow talisman paper clutched between his fingers, and he lightly uttered.
"Go!"
The talisman paper in his hand suddenly turned into a pile of ashes, and a fireball the size of a human head appeared out of thin air.
The fireball emitted terrifying, scorching heat, and the surrounding space seemed to begin to twist and deform.
The fireball shot like lightning, accompanied by a wanton whistling sound, and in a blink of an eye, it reached the chubby boy.
The chubby boy looked at the fireball that suddenly appeared before him, his eyes filled with fear. Just as he thought of escaping, the fireball struck his chest.
The chubby boy's chubby body immediately seemed to suffer a heavy blow, and he was blasted into the air.
"Ah! ..."
Amidst the chubby boy's shrill screams, scorching flames rapidly spread over his entire body.
Before his body even hit the ground, he had turned into a human torch.
Making crackling sounds of burning fat, soon, the stench of burning flesh permeated the surroundings.
In just a dozen breaths, a living person was transformed into a pile of ashes, not even a speck of bone remaining.
Everyone was startled by the sudden turn of events. The hundred or so young people looked at the chubby boy, who had turned into a human torch, with horror, their faces pale, and not a sound was heard.
Song Wen, who had lived two lives, was equally terrified by this scene before him.
He was both horrified by Tian Sha Gang's audacity, daring to publicly execute the County Magistrate's son, clearly showing no regard for the Gan Country court or the hundred or so young people present.
He was also fearful of Ba Zi Hu's methods. Ba Zi Hu had summoned a fireball with a single yellow talisman. This did not look like a martial artist's method at all; it was more like the ability of an immortal cultivator from legends of his previous life.
"Could this world be a world of immortal cultivation?"
Just as Song Wen was filled with doubt, the young people in the field answered his question.
"He is an immortal!"
A simply dressed man with several patches on his clothes suddenly knelt on both knees, shouting with both terror and longing in his expression.
The young man's exclamation instantly woke everyone up, and more and more young people knelt on both knees, bowing to Ba Zi Hu.
Ba Zi Hu's miraculous and ruthless methods instantly made the rebellious thoughts in most young people's hearts vanish into thin air.
Song Wen also followed the reaction of the majority and knelt down.
His heart was like surging waves.
This was true power, a power even greater than those high-flying martial arts heroes of the Jianghu.
"One day, I too must possess this kind of power."
Song Wen, who had suffered unfair treatment for days, had a determined look in his eyes.
This immortal power would surely allow him to become a strong person in this world, no longer at the mercy of others, no longer bullied.
Not only were the young people at the scene awed by Ba Zi Hu's immortal technique, but even the Tian Sha Gang guards showed deep fear in their eyes.
Seeing this, Ba Zi Hu's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
This act of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys achieved his desired effect.
His gaze swept over the kneeling young people, his eyes disdainful, and an air of superiority, of having everything under control, naturally emerged.
"This Venerable One is an immortal cultivator, known as Ji Yin. I cultivate the righteous Daoist cultivation method, Chang Sheng Gong, so you need not fear."
"I have gathered you here to bestow upon you a great opportunity, an opportunity to become an immortal and seek longevity."
"For the next month, this Venerable One will personally teach you the immortal cultivation method, 'Chang Sheng Gong.' Anyone who can successfully 'Induce Qi into the Body' within a month will become a direct disciple of this Venerable One."
"I hope you will cherish this immortal opportunity. Anyone who can induce Qi into the Body, even if they cannot achieve longevity, will gain great power, and wealth and glory will be within reach."
As Ji Yin's words fell, it immediately sparked an enthusiastic response from the young people. Everyone looked at Ji Yin with eager eyes, filled with anticipation and longing.
Song Wen was also quite excited. He hadn't expected to obtain an immortal opportunity so easily.
At the same time, he secretly warned himself to be vigilant.
Ji Yin's methods of manipulating people's hearts were truly formidable. First, he used thunderous means to intimidate everyone, and then he threw out the immortal opportunity to win them over.
This was a typical 'first hit with a stick, then give a date' approach. This way, the young people present would undoubtedly put their heart and soul into cultivating 'Chang Sheng Gong.'
"Things are probably not as simple as Ji Yin says. How could someone grant others an immortal opportunity for no reason? This Ji Yin must have some ulterior motive! This immortal opportunity probably isn't that easy to obtain."