Zhang Tie composed himself, trying to calm his emotions and recall the details of what had just happened.
However, the sudden and bizarre change made it impossible for him to make sense of it.
Zhang Tie took a deep breath and once again examined the condition of his body. He was surprised to find that the familiar wisps of Qi had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed, and he found no other abnormalities.
“Could all of this be because of that bead?” He picked up the bead that had fallen to the ground, frowning as he looked at it, his eyes filled with both confusion and a hint of fear.
The bead itself had not changed; it was still in its original state, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusory dream.
Zhang Tie gritted his teeth and decided to try Cultivating Changchun Gong again, to see if any abnormalities would recur. He readjusted his posture, closed his eyes, and slowly guided the Qi within his body.
However, this time, no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer sense the familiar Qi. His body felt like a dead silence, completely still.
A wave of unease welled up in Zhang Tie's Heart-Nature: “What is happening?!”
Just as he closed his eyes and fell into deep thought, an extremely tiny green light dot appeared in his mind without any warning.
Zhang Tie was startled and quickly opened his eyes, but the green light dot was nowhere to be seen.
He was filled with doubt and closed his eyes again, and the sesame-sized green light cluster clearly reappeared. Upon closer inspection, the light cluster was slowly rotating, covered in dense symbols or characters, like heavenly script, none of which Zhang Tie recognized.
He frowned and sat back properly, trying to adjust his state. He focused intently on every part of his body; aside from feeling slightly fatigued from the recent experience, he found no abnormalities.
Zhang Tie pondered for a moment, finding the events of the night too peculiar to understand immediately.
After thinking it over, he put away the green bead and slowly walked towards his room.
The next day, dawn broke, and a gentle breeze swept through.
Zhang Tie and his second brother, Zhang Yin, as usual, carried the chopped firewood and walked home.
However, before they reached their doorstep, a luxurious carriage came into their sight. The carriage was parked in front of their house, and beside it sat a solemn-faced coachman. The coachman's eyes were sharp and bulging, giving him an indescribable feeling.
Zhang Tie's Heart-Nature sank when he saw this, and an unspeakable premonition surged within him. If he was not mistaken, what was meant to come had finally arrived.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, the sound of his footsteps startled his father inside the house.
His father looked up, then quickly rose and walked out of the main hall, looking slightly nervous: “Zhang Yin, Zhang Tie, quickly put down the firewood and come in. We have a distinguished guest today.”
A moment later, Zhang Tie and his brother entered the main hall.
Inside the house, a young man in black, in his early twenties, with a slender face, clear features, and a heroic demeanor, sat upright in the central chair.
His father and older brother, Zhang Jin, sat on the right side, looking respectful and constrained.
Just as Zhang Tie was about to speak, he heard his father say again: “Zhang Tie, quickly go and get the item the esteemed guest asked you to keep. How can you be so silent about such a big matter? Hurry, the esteemed guest has been waiting for a long time.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tie immediately left the main hall and walked towards his sleeping room, instantly understanding in his Heart-Nature that his Elder brother must have already told their father the whole story.
A moment later, Zhang Tie returned from his room with a white box, carefully placing it on the table in the room, closer to the man in black.
The man in black reached for the box, and with a “click,” the box opened. He looked intently at the contents, a satisfied smile appearing on his face, and nodded slightly before putting the box away.
“Well done; your Heart-Nature is also quite good,” the man in black said, looking at Zhang Tie.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Shufei, and I am an Enforcer of the Iron Bear Gang. I won't say much more, but I can help examine the Cultivation roots of your three children. If any of them are good, I can guarantee their entry into our Iron Bear Gang.
Even becoming an Outer Sect Disciple of our Iron Bear Gang will earn you more than ten taels of silver a month. All right, all three of you, come over.” The man in black said, waving his hand.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tie's father's eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly calculated in his Heart-Nature.
An Outer Sect Disciple gets over ten taels of silver a month—ten taels of silver! That was half a year's income for his blacksmith shop! Thinking of this, he quickly urged the three of them forward.
Soon, Li Shufei finished carefully examining the Cultivation roots of the three. “You are Zhang Tie, right?” Li Shufei asked, looking at Zhang Tie.
“Yes,” Zhang Tie replied respectfully.
“Although Zhang Tie's Cultivation roots are average, I see that your body is full of vigorous Qi, indicating you likely possess innate Divine Power. It seems very suitable for our Iron Bear Gang's external Cultivation Technique. Becoming an Outer Sect Disciple should be more than enough, and if you are diligent, even the Inner Sect is not without hope,” Li Shufei nodded slowly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tie's father was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to pat Zhang Tie's shoulder, his happiness evident on his face.
“You all quickly pack up; you will return with me shortly. This is the token of my Iron Bear Gang. If you ever have anything, you can use this token to go to the Iron Bear Gang's sub-branch in the county town, and they will help send your letters to the Gang.” With that, Li Shufei threw a one-inch-long iron hook onto the table and said no more, closing his eyes to rest.
Zhang Tie's father picked up the token from the table, then quickly urged his two brothers to pack their belongings.
Half an hour later, Zhang Tie, carrying his belongings, boarded the carriage.
Sitting by the window of the carriage, he watched the figures of his parents and brothers fade into the distance, his heart a mix of emotions. This scene reminded him of leaving home in his previous life to participate in the Seven Mysteries Sect test, as if it had just happened yesterday, everything vivid in his mind.
The carriage jolted forward, but Zhang Tie's thoughts had already drifted far away. He imagined what the Iron Bear Gang looked like and envisioned his future Cultivation life, filled with both anticipation and a hint of trepidation.
Soon, the carriage finally drove out of the familiar county town and entered an unfamiliar wilderness. Zhang Tie looked out the window at the rolling mountains and the vast, boundless fields, his heart filled with emotion.
"Is this my new beginning?" Zhang Tie murmured to himself.
Li Shufei patted his shoulder: "Kid, don't overthink it. When we get to the Iron Bear Gang, work hard, and you'll definitely make something of yourself. At the very least, it's better than being a blacksmith. If you accidentally get into the Inner Sect, that's a step to heaven."
Zhang Tie nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The carriage continued forward, sunlight spilling onto the road, casting golden outlines.
After crossing a mountain and a long while, the carriage finally arrived at a bustling town. Through the carriage window, Zhang Tie saw the bustling crowds and dazzling shops on the streets, and a sense of novelty welled up in his heart.
"This town is much livelier than our county," Zhang Tie said.
Li Shufei opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Tie: "What's this? When you Disciple get into the Iron Bear Gang, there will be even more things to open your eyes to."
After a while, the carriage stopped at the foot of a mountain, where a stone tablet more than a person tall stood, bearing the three large characters "Iron Bear Gang."
"We're here, get out," Li Shufei said, getting out first.
Zhang Tie followed Li Shufei up the mountain gate. Soon, after passing through a patch of woods, he saw distant pavilions and towers, scattered in a picturesque manner, and the sounds of shouts occasionally came from the training grounds.
"This is the Iron Bear Gang; you will be here for a long time," Li Shufei said.
Zhang Tie looked at everything, his heart slightly excited.
Next, Li Shufei led Zhang Tie all the way to the area where the Outer Sect Disciple lived. There were hundreds of stone houses of various sizes, arranged neatly, but looking around, most of the stone houses had their doors and windows tightly shut, clearly having been vacant for a long time.
Li Shufei chose a stone house for Zhang Tie: "You can rest here for now. If there are any changes in the future, arrangements will be made then." Zhang Tie nodded in agreement and properly placed his belongings.
Then, Zhang Tie followed Li Shufei to the Outer Affairs Hall.
The Outer Affairs Hall was located in a secluded spot, with two ancient, sturdy pine trees standing tall on either side of the hall.
Entering the hall, he saw an old man lying in a grand armchair, resting with his eyes closed. This Elder looked to be over sixty, his hair white but meticulously combed and neatly tied on top of his head, secured with a wooden hairpin.
His face was thin and covered with wrinkles, and he wore a black long robe embroidered with the Iron Bear Gang's emblem on the sleeves.
Li Shufei respectfully said: "Elder Wang, this is the newly initiated Outer Sect Disciple Zhang Tie."
Elder Wang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze like lightning, sweeping over Disciple Zhang Tie. Then he nodded slightly and waved his hand, signaling a Disciple standing nearby to retrieve a set of the Gang's uniform Outer Sect Disciple clothing, a token, and a handbook of the Iron Bear Gang from a cabinet behind him, which he handed to Disciple Zhang Tie.
The Elder saw that Disciple Zhang Tie had received the items and then spoke: "Since you have joined my Iron Bear Gang, you must abide by the Gang's rules and Cultivate diligently. For today, you may return and rest well. Tomorrow, officially report to the Outer Affairs Hall."
Disciple Zhang Tie bowed with both hands: "Thank you, Elder Wang." Elder Wang then closed his eyes again and waved his hand, signaling Disciple Zhang Tie and the others to leave.
By the time they left the Outer Affairs Hall, it was already late, and the afterglow of the sunset dyed the sky crimson. When Disciple Zhang Tie returned to his dwelling, he was hungry, so he first went to the Logistics Hall according to the location in the handbook and got a few steamed buns.
Back in the stone house, it was somewhat dim.
Disciple Zhang Tie lit the oil lamp, sat at the simple wooden table, took out the steamed buns, and devoured them. After filling his stomach, he briefly cleaned the entire house, then eagerly opened the initiation handbook, wanting to quickly understand the Iron Bear Gang, which was about to become his place of residence.
It turned out that the country he was in was called the Black Phoenix Country.
The origin of this country's name was due to its shape on the map resembling a black Phoenix spreading its wings and soaring, hence the name. The location of the Iron Bear Gang was in the western part of the Black Phoenix Country. Another two hundred li further west, one would cross the border of the Black Phoenix Country.
The mountain where the Iron Bear Gang was located was named Qinglang Mountain.
A hundred years ago, there was once a large Gang named Qinglang Sect here, renowned and flourishing for a time.
However, it was later destroyed by the Iron Bear Gang, and the Iron Bear Gang took advantage of the situation to occupy this place. Perhaps to deter other School, or perhaps because everyone was used to calling it that, the mountain's name was not changed and is still called Qinglang Mountain.
The town at the foot of the mountain where they arrived was called Iron Bear Town, under the jurisdiction of the Iron Bear Gang. The town was basically composed of Iron Bear Gang properties and Outer Sect Disciple.
If Outer Sect Disciple could not achieve Cultivation success and enter the Inner Sect within five years, or rise to a certain position within the Gang, they would be sent out to manage Gang properties. This explains why there were so many vacant stone houses outside.
The handbook also contained a detailed introduction to the entire Gang's halls.
The Iron Bear Gang was mainly divided into the Elder Council, Enforcement Hall, Black Bear Hall, Cloud Sparrow Hall, Cultivation Technique Transmission Hall, Outer Affairs Hall, Logistics Hall, and so on. And the hall he was in was the Outer Affairs Hall; reporting tomorrow would presumably be to receive Cultivation Technique and daily tasks.
Disciple Zhang Tie became more and more absorbed as he read, his heart filled with expectation and longing for the future.
The long journey and fatigue finally made it difficult for him to resist the onset of drowsiness. At some point, Disciple Zhang Tie, holding the small handbook, unconsciously fell asleep.