Chapter 1: Death Sentence
The cold iron shackles bit into his wrists, their weight a grim reminder that his life was no longer his own. Aeron, or rather the man who now inhabited this fragile mortal body, sat in the damp, dark prison cell. Memories of his former life mingled with the unfamiliar echoes of this new world. He had been a programmer back on Earth—a mundane existence filled with endless lines of code and the occasional night of video games. Now, he found himself in the mortal world, a realm where strength dictated survival.
“To be transmigrated into a servant? Really?” Aeron muttered under his breath. “At least make me the son of a sect leader or something...”
But fate seemed determined to humble him. Born into servitude under the Liang Clan, a powerful family ruling over the prosperous Emerald River Province, he had spent his days scrubbing floors, fetching water, and enduring the jeers of noble brats. That life, as thankless as it had been, seemed preferable compared to the predicament he now faced.
His crime? Spilling tea on the robe of Liang Jianyu, the arrogant second young master of the clan. The accident was trivial, but Jianyu had used it as an excuse to vent his frustrations, accusing Aeron of intentional disrespect. The punishment was swift and brutal: death by execution at dawn.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the stone corridor, interrupting Aeron’s bitter reflections. A pair of guards appeared, their torches casting flickering shadows across the damp walls. One of them sneered as he unlocked the cell.
“Time to meet your end, servant,” he spat, hauling Aeron to his feet.
As they dragged him out into the courtyard, the chill of the night air bit at his skin. A small crowd had gathered, eager to witness the spectacle. Aeron’s heart raced, not out of fear but frustration. He had barely begun to grasp the rules of this new world, and now his life was about to be cut short over something so petty.
“Kneel,” a voice commanded. Aeron was forced to his knees before a stone platform where Liang Jianyu stood, his smirk radiating self-satisfaction.
“Let this serve as a lesson to all,” Jianyu declared. “Disrespect the Liang Clan, and you’ll pay the ultimate price.”
The executioner raised his blade, its edge gleaming in the moonlight. Aeron closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable.
“Stop!” A clear, commanding voice rang out, silencing the murmurs of the crowd.
Aeron’s eyes snapped open. A young woman strode forward, her figure silhouetted against the torchlight. She was clad in an elegant robe embroidered with phoenixes, her posture exuding authority. Liang Yuexin, the eldest daughter of the clan and a rising star in the Azure Sky Sect, had arrived.
“Sister,” Jianyu began, his voice faltering. “This servant—”
“Enough.” Yuexin’s gaze was icy, her tone brooking no argument. “Your petty grudge isn’t worth staining the Liang Clan’s reputation. Or are you so insecure that you must assert dominance over a mere servant?”
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Jianyu’s face flushed with embarrassment, but he dared not argue. Yuexin turned her attention to Aeron, her sharp eyes studying him for a moment.
“This one will come with me,” she declared. “From now on, he is my servant.”
The crowd erupted in whispers. A servant? Such a position was unheard of for someone of Aeron’s status. The Azure Sky Sect, one of the top sects in the Kingdom, was a place where only the most talented individuals could hope to enter. For Yuexin to take a servant...
“Prepare yourself,” Yuexin said to Aeron, her tone softer but still firm. “You now belong to the Azure Sky Sect. Disgrace me, and I will not save you again.”
Aeron nodded, his mind racing. This turn of events had saved his life, but it had also thrust him into a new world of challenges. He would have to navigate the sect’s treacherous politics, survive rigorous training, and somehow find his place among the powerful cultivators who saw him as little more than an anomaly.
As the guards removed his shackles and Yuexin led him away, Aeron felt a flicker of hope. He didn’t understand why she had intervened, but he wasn’t about to waste this second chance. The road ahead would be fraught with peril, but for the first time since his transmigration, he felt a glimmer of purpose.
“Alright,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s see what this world has to offer.”
“From now on, this is the place where you will be spending the rest of your life.”
Aeron had been given a new name, Qing Chen, by the Valley Master. As a servant of the Liang Clan, the servants in this world were not named, as most commoner parents didn’t even name their children, afraid that their whole family might be wiped out if anyone in the family offended some young master from a noble family.
By not naming them and calling them only by the sequence of their birth, like First and Second Child, they avoided having their family tree registered.
“Zhao Ling, these are your juniors. Teach them how to tend to herbs.” The Valley Master left Qing Chen and the others in the care of his disciple and walked back to his manor. It stood at an impressive height of four stories tall.
“You will address me as your senior brother from now on. If you have any concerns or face any trouble, you will come directly to me. Do not disturb the Valley Master.” Zhao Ling immediately changed his humble posture, rested his hands behind his back, and took on an arrogant stance, standing upright.
He continued walking toward the herbs. “These are the herbs that you have to tend to. Be careful, as mishandling could lead to severe punishment. All these herbs are important resources for the disciples of the sect, which assist them in their cultivation.”
Qing Chen followed Zhao Ling with the other servants that had been hired by the Valley Master. Qing Chen looked around and found that the valley was quite deserted, with no soul in sight.
All four of us servants nodded.
It seemed like, before we were brought here, only the Valley Master and Senior Brother were in this Herb Valley.
“Bai Zian, Qing Chen, and Feng Liang, in the end, I just want to say that if you work honestly and do not try to steal the herbs planted in the valley, you might have a chance of breaking through the Energy Refinement Realm.”
Zhao Ling, in the end, gave us servants a little motivation, saying that if we continued working hard in this place, we were better than 70% of the people who never came into contact with the world of cultivation. If some did, they were of the demonic path, which led them to become demonic beasts or shorten their lifespans.
After Zhao Ling went away, we introduced ourselves to one another.
“I am Qing Chen, a servant who used to work in the Liang Clan, but the eldest lady brought me here with her.”
“I am Bai Zian.”
“Feng Liang.”
Only Qing Chen introduced himself honestly, while the other two just gave their names. As Qing Chen had just arrived in this ancient era, he did not know the customs and trends of this era, nor was he interested in knowing them.
They were to start work from today, and Zhao Ling also gave us a manual on how to start cultivating energy. Although it was of the lowest level, it was still very precious for Qing Chen. Feng Liang also held the manual tightly in his hand, as if someone would steal it. Bai Zian’s attitude was nonchalant.