Chapter 103: A Two-Year Employment Contract (Gratitude to Jiushan Xuanqing, Xiangyao Jueze Daoist, and Quantum Information Entity for their votes)

The largest, warmest hut here belonged to the two brothers. In truth, the hut was barely more than thirty square meters, containing only two simple wooden single beds and a long table. There were no stools—just a few clumps of earth serving as seats.

Wang Shuyuan laid a clean animal skin over the earthen clumps and, feeling a bit embarrassed, smiled at Wang Keyue and the others. "Please forgive the humble conditions of my home. I beg your pardon, kind benefactors. Please, sit, please!"

Wang Shuyuan was quite tactful, managing everything with meticulous order. Once everyone was seated, he wasted no time and immediately instructed someone to boil water and prepare tea.

Watching his busy, inexpensive second uncle, Wang Keyue thought to herself that he might make a fine steward in the future.

“Clan Leader Wang, meeting you and your brothers yesterday felt like reuniting with old friends. My master, considering the kinship between our clans and the shared heritage, is willing to make an exception and accept you into our sect. How do you feel about this?” Xiao Hongyu got straight to the point after sitting down.

Wang Jinfeng, naturally straightforward and generous, didn’t beat around the bush or play tricks at such a crucial moment. Smiling broadly, he said, “The venerable immortal’s magic is profound. Our Wang tribe is willing to pledge allegiance. I just wonder what the immortal’s conditions are?”

He had heard from his brothers about some of the immortal’s requests but preferred to clarify on the spot. He didn’t mind asking or setting terms upfront.

“The requirement is, of course, loyalty to our sect. No actions that harm the interests or honor of the sect will be tolerated,” Xiao Hongyu replied.

“You can rest assured, venerable immortal. Our Wang clan, as descendants of generals, honor their word and will never betray,” Wang Jinfeng’s eyes shone with resolute determination.

“Oh? Descendants of generals, you say? Clan Leader Wang, would you be willing to share some details?” Wang Keyue, who had remained silent until then, found this intriguing. She wasn’t sure whether her cheap father had blurted out something inadvertently or was cunningly feigning ignorance.

“Well… I don’t want to hide anything from the venerable immortal,” Wang Jinfeng began to answer truthfully. Wang Shuyuan next to him grew anxious—this wasn’t how their prior discussion had gone. Was his brother planning to reveal everything at once? This sudden move caught him completely off guard.

“Big brother…” he immediately interrupted, looking at him with puzzled eyes.

“Second brother, the venerable immortal’s magic is profound and unfathomable. Sooner or later, he would learn the truth. I don’t want any misunderstandings to arise later,” Wang Jinfeng said calmly, speaking both to his brother and the immortal present.

His sudden change of heart was a spur-of-the-moment decision, born from witnessing the immortal’s overwhelming power—undeniably formidable.

It wasn’t just the strange flying creature outside; it was also the imposing aura radiating from the two before him.

Especially the white-haired immortal elder, who exuded a unique kind of internal force pressure that almost left Wang Jinfeng breathless at their first meeting.

This wasn’t Wang Keyue’s fault—she was unaware that her recently learned minor thunder spell was still difficult to control, causing her body to intermittently emit some power. To ordinary people, this was negligible, barely noticeable, akin to static electricity, and hardly impactful.

But for someone like Wang Jinfeng, steeped in deep internal energy, the sensation was intensely… stimulating!

There was one last point that puzzled Wang Jinfeng: he felt an unexpected closeness to this immortal elder, as if meeting a long-lost relative, making it impossible to harbor any suspicion or defense.

Could it be… could it actually be that this immortal was their own ancestral forebear? Didn’t their clan have an ancestor who cultivated the Way a century ago? If not…

No one knew for sure, but Wang Jinfeng’s imagination soared, and he conjured up the idea of having found a convenient ancestor for himself.

Wang Keyue noticed the admiring and affectionate look her cheap father gave her, now tinged with a coaxing sweetness.

What on earth was with that look?!

“Ahem! If you have any troubles you find hard to speak of, there’s no need to…” Wang Keyue sipped her tea, feigning casualness.

“Please don’t take offense, venerable immortal. I’ll speak plainly… just please don’t mind my humble status,” Wang Jinfeng suddenly adopted a respectful tone, addressing the elder as “senior” and himself as “junior,” as if opening the gates to wisdom.

This formality made it seem as if they were truly family.

Wang Keyue’s mouth twitched involuntarily. If this continued, she feared she might soon become the cheap father’s cheap ancestor, which would be quite a spectacle.

“Don’t mind it. Speak,” she steadied her expression and said.

“Yes, senior.” Wang Jinfeng, the warrior, then in a few simple, unembellished sentences recounted the rise and fall of the Wang clan, eliciting sighs from those present. It was a poignant tale: centuries of history compressed into just a few words.

“Our Wang clan has been loyal and brave for generations. Yet the emperor’s ungrateful heir slew our men and exiled our women. I brought my people here, hoping to rescue our kin, but we found no trace… alas!” Wang Jinfeng sighed deeply.

An oppressive silence fell. Everyone waited for more, but after his sigh, he fell silent and took a long drink of tea.

“Well… well… our Wang clan is now exiled and branded as criminals. I wonder if the venerable immortal…” Wang Shuyuan seized the moment and quickly added.

“That doesn’t matter. Your status is irrelevant. You only need to guarantee your clan’s loyalty and honesty,” Wang Keyue said, presenting a contract. “This is a two-year labor contract for service in our sect. After two years, whether you stay or leave is up to fate.”

This short-term contract was different from the indentured agreements signed previously by the Zhou and Zhang families.

After all, these were the original owner’s cheap relatives, while the others were loyal subordinates of the cheap father. A bit of dignity had to be preserved.

As for what happened after two years, she would have completed her mission by then and would no longer concern herself with it. So, all would be left to fate.

Wang Shuyuan accepted the contract respectfully. He exchanged a glance with his elder brother, disbelief shining in their eyes. They had already prepared themselves to sell their freedom.

They planned to sacrifice their entire lives so the next generation could be free and strong. From a lofty position to becoming someone’s subordinate or slave—such endurance and courage were rare.

Yet the two brothers accepted this calmly, never expecting that instead of a lifelong indenture, they were offered only a brief two-year labor contract.

Le Wen