Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Heo Yuyeon of Heo Manor (1)
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Heo Jeongwon roughly grasped that Yuyeon was concentrating on her mental image and realized how things were unfolding.
So, he thought it would be good for Yuyeon to get a closer look at him and began pointing things out one by one from the side, adding explanations.
"First, that village is mainly inhabited by mortals."
Yuyeon already knew that even the great cultivation clans had mortals living there.
She hadn't thought deeply about it at the time, but now she realized that even the lowest laborers with spiritual roots had their own uses, so mortals handled the menial tasks to serve the cultivators.
And though it was called a village, the number of households easily exceeded a thousand, so given this world's culture where families crammed together under one roof as a basic norm, she estimated at least ten thousand people lived there.
It was practically a small city. A bit smaller than the county seat.
"Most of the residents are Heo clansmen who lack spiritual roots and their descendants, but occasionally, people from the outside world bring in mortals due to connections they've formed.
Even in that village, children with spiritual roots are born now and then, forming one of the pillars supporting the clan.
Some of them serve as servants to the clan, while others farm or tend livestock. Even if not, they do odd jobs to earn their keep.
In larger manors, mortals are sometimes treated like livestock, kept ignorant of the mortal villages in the cultivation clans.
We're not that extreme here, so we treat the mortals as part of the clan and give them at least the minimum respect."
From what Yuyeon had heard, Yeonha Province consisted only of isolated city-states with little external exchange, lacking a large unified nation like Fu Nation. She figured even those city-states were mortal cities raised by cultivation clans.
"The mountain range encircling that village is what our clan calls the Returning Sage Mountains. We actually invited a feng shui master for that very purpose and shaped the terrain accordingly."
Her feeling that the mountains resembled city walls hadn't been coincidental.
"The individual peaks don't have special names, but since each mountaintop has buildings suited to specific needs, we usually call them accordingly."
For example, the peak with the pill-refining workshop was called Pill Peak, the one where Qi Refining disciples gathered was Qi Refining Peak, and so on.
"Do you see the building near the tallest mountain to the far north? That's the assembly hall where the clan handles major and minor affairs or official business. We usually call it the Grand Mirror Pavilion. Someone's always there handling work or standing guard, so if you ever have questions, head to the Grand Mirror Pavilion."
With that, Heo Jeongwon finished his explanation. There would be plenty of time in the next half year before Yuyeon entered the Peach Garden to learn more in detail, so helping her commit it to memory was enough for now.
Yuyeon had fully absorbed the mental image. She couldn't draw a complete three-dimensional map of the entire manor like the one her teacher had sent before.
But she could recall the parts she understood. For her, knowing the general directions and distances of the noteworthy spots was sufficient; she didn't need to memorize the whole thing.
If she needed it again, she could always ask her teacher to remake the manor's map.
"Yes, I've got it all memorized. I heard the explanations, but seeing it in person makes it feel even more grand. To think a single clan can hold such vast land as its manor... The cultivation sects truly are colossal entities."
Heo Jeongwon nodded silently in agreement. Though he had pulled ahead among cultivators by reaching the Consolidation Stage, compared to the entire sect, he was still barely at outer disciple level.
Still, with his accomplishments in formations, he could probably take an elder position in one of the outer halls.
But to set foot in the inner sect, he'd need to reach late Consolidation Stage to even assist as a guest. To formally become an inner sect cultivator, he'd need the Insight Stage.
Of course, this was the path for old cultivators like him who hadn't shown talent young enough to be selected as inner disciples, advancing to become sect heavyweights.
Those like Yuyeon, who displayed talent from childhood, went straight to inner disciple via the Peach Garden, serving in inner halls, then progressively taking on roles as their cultivation advanced.
The distinction between outer and inner came from the sect's thorough consideration of not just current ability, but future potential and loyalty when investing resources.
That was how strictly aptitude was divided in cultivation.
Yuyeon didn't like that part.
Cultivation was a path of enlightenment, so why judge and discriminate based solely on spiritual root quality and cultivation speed?
Yet, with her limited experience in the cultivation world, she could also see they had their reasons.
Besides, even if she disliked the sect's structure, she had no sense of belonging or desire to reform it. It was just a temporary stopover to broaden her horizons.
As Yuyeon pondered this, the two arrived at a mountain lodge. Cleared of trees amid the forest, it was a simple single-story house.
There was no separate garden or fence—just the bare main building.
Opening the front door revealed a central hallway with two rooms on each side, totaling four, and a large living room at the far end for receiving guests and daily use. The rooms weren't built for specific purposes; they were all the same size.
"This is the house I used while staying at the sect. Fortunately, it's been maintained."
The servants must have kept it cleaned, as there were no signs of habitation, but no dust had accumulated either.
The house was equipped only with bare essentials: a table, a few chairs, tea sets, and such.
No drawers or cabinets anywhere—the four walls were fully visible. It felt like a reflection of the stark mindset of its former occupant.
Heo Jeongwon seemed to sense it too; though it was his house, he didn't look comfortable and appeared a bit embarrassed.
"I actually spent more time in a cultivation cave than here. Among cultivators, unless they're married with children, most are like me. Some don't even have separate houses. I haven't been back here in nearly a century. No real need."
Heo Jeongwon spoke as if making excuses. Yuyeon had assumed it had been vacant a long time, but a whole century was beyond imagination. It really had been diligently maintained by others.
"Use whichever room you like."
Seeing Yuyeon look around, the embarrassed cultivator said. Since that was her plan anyway, she nodded and picked one. They were all the same, so she chose the south-facing one with the window.
Heo Jeongwon had no intention of staying; he didn't unpack or inspect a room.
"Won't you be staying here at the house, Elder Heo?"
"I'm your uncle in name and grandfather by pretext, but not actually family. It wouldn't be right to share a house with you, and as I said, I prefer my cultivation cave anyway."
This made Yuyeon realize that while Heo Jeongwon had overly focused on cultivation due to his apathetic nature, he was inherently very cultivator-like.
Thinking that way, it was odd he even had this house. Maybe prepared for guests. Perhaps it had some history.
"Then, how should I go about meeting you if I want to see you, Grandfather? Staying here alone isn't an issue, but I'm also curious what I should do in the meantime."
If she was free to act, Yuyeon would probably return to the formation boundaries to observe and contemplate them, gathering insights.
And if other knowledge piqued her interest, she could tour the peaks, using divine sense to peek and learn.
"First, what I think is most urgent for you is your divine sense. You have no choice but to perceive the world through it. It's fine among mortals outside, but wandering the clan or sect like that will invite trouble. Needless to say, many would notice your special talent."
This was something Yuyeon had worried about too, but had no ready solution. She could only minimize its use, as learned during the corpse ghost incident, to avoid provoking others.
Her teacher had hinted at ways to use divine sense without detection, so until entering the Peach Garden, she'd just research that.
With half a year, surely some progress would come.
"So, if you have nothing particular for the next half year, studying consciousness techniques would be good. I don't have one on hand now, but as an elder, I can borrow one from the sect and lend it to you."
At those words, Yuyeon felt her mind clear.
Consciousness techniques. The name alone suggested they involved perceiving and interfering with things mentally, linked to divine sense.
Naturally, she wondered if the difference between her teacher's divine sense and hers lay in these techniques.
"Sounds good. It was bothering me anyway, so I'd welcome a solution."
Internally, she wanted to urge him to fetch it quickly, but she replied politely.
"Good. Now that we have a direction, let's settle it like this.
For the next half year, study the consciousness technique here, and in your spare time, tour the clan's areas to make acquaintances and broaden your knowledge.
If you need help, go to the Grand Mirror Pavilion. I'll probably be there often. Just in case, take this."
Heo Jeongwon pulled a talisman from his sleeve. Yuyeon was familiar with paper charms used by Jang Jina for letters, but one inscribed with a spell was new and intriguing.
Scanning it with divine sense, she grasped its nature. The spell inside seemed to transmit signals.
"This is a voice transmission talisman. Consume it to send a message to the designated recipient. I'm set as the receiver, so use it freely. It's not expensive."
Whoa, a cultivator pager. Yuyeon first thought of DMs in MZ slang, but yeah, a pager.
Heo Jeongwon added a few more words before departing abruptly. Probably to the village hall. Grand Mirror Pavilion sounded fancy, but calling it the assembly hall felt more affectionate somehow.
He'd mentioned a few other things. Within the clan, the main currency for transactions was the sect's contribution points.
But since Yuyeon wasn't a formal disciple without a sect token, Heo Jeongwon couldn't directly give her points.
So, for any trades, she should use his name prefixed, or barter with items. Otherwise, go to the mortal village and earn points through the minor tasks usually handled by labor disciples.
Labor disciples didn't receive points directly; they got clan-guaranteed vouchers usable like currency under names like Heo Jeongwon's. Yes, a form of money.
Yuyeon was gradually adapting to these advanced yet puzzling aspects of cultivation society.
"It's not good for a young child like you to do labor, and you have more pressing cultivation matters, so don't bother. Just put it under my name, and I'll handle it. But please don't squander too much."
Heo Jeongwon added that out of grandmotherly worry. Her teacher inwardly wondered if it was the lingering worldly attachment from nearing his lifespan's end in Qi Refining.
After all, he'd plainly seen Yuyeon's disastrously wasteful spending in Gangyang Province.
But that remained the teacher's thought alone; Yuyeon just nodded readily, giving him peace of mind.
The teacher watched, fretting over his contribution points in her stead.