Destiny in Cinders

The rest of the proceedings were not particularly noteworthy. The vice apothecary brought everyone to a deep waterfall canyon where they were told to bathe themselves and change into identical gray outfits. The clothes looked similar to the ones worn by the youths that An Jing had taken note of before, save for being somewhat plainer.

Next came their registration.

"An Jing, North Han Highway, Xuanque Prefecture, Gufeng County, bone age: eleven."

"Xia Li, Hanhai Highway, Hanhai Prefecture, bone age: twelve."

"Tang Yunting, North Han Highway, Liuguang Prefecture, City of Phoenixperch, bone age: nine."

An Jing stood at the very front with his eyes down, quietly memorizing the names and origins of the registrees. Direlife Manor was gathering young children from the North Han Highway. The one from the farthest reaches was a girl called Bai Qinghan from the South Han Highway. Instead of the snow calamity, she was a survivor who had been born during the previous fiend calamity. Of the 248 people there, the only ones who hadn't been outright named and registered were the five black-robed youths that An Jing had noticed being brought away at the start.

It was almost twilight when the registration was done, right in time for food to be served. It was a rather simple meal of chestnuts with a uniquely herbal-smelling hummus. Each person got a large bowl each as well as three pieces of salted flatbread. Even then, they all seemed to enjoy the food dearly. When they were told they could eat, no sound apart from chewing could be heard. They had endured the disaster for more than a year and had eaten their share of bark and grass, after all. Coupled with the tiring and bumpy journey to the mansion, nobody complained about being able to fill their stomachs.

On top of that, every one of them was given a bowl of meatball soup. Three white meatballs floated within the brown ceramic bowl in deliciously oiled broth, looking incredibly appetizing. An Jing spooned one of them up into his mouth and relished as the meaty flavors filled it. The fresh and springy texture was simply irresistible! It was so intense that even An Jing couldn't spare a moment for any thought as he enjoyed his meal. It was only after he was finished that he snapped with realization at how good Direllife Manor was at winning their hearts. They seemed to be professionals at it.

Standing before his bamboo bed, he looked at the moonlit buildings of the manor, thoughts filling his head. Most of the children who were sold were anxious and worried. They had just been rescued from a disaster zone and had to leave their homes right after being treated.

Then, they were brought to a secretive and isolated manor at their weakest and most sensitive state. Now more than ever, they needed a firm hand of support. Direlife Manor bathed and clothed them, washing away their fatigue and fear, building a common sense of belonging with identical clothing. The registration process made them feel like they had properly been acknowledged. The hearty meal with a delightful serving of meat only intensified the gratitude they already felt for the manor.

An Jing truly marveled at how thorough they were. Even someone skeptical like me thanks to my Spark can't help but have a good impression of Direlife Manor. They really did spend quite a lot of resources to treat and purchase us. They didn't even harm us the whole time and even fed and clothed us... I see.

He suddenly realized something. He had always wondered why the deathsworn in the novels he'd read as a child were so loyal to their cause, even when they were in subterfuge and so far away from their organization. It finally made sense to him. If Direlife Manor continued to nourish him and the other children, it was only a matter of time before they grew incredibly loyal.

So what if they were sent on an infiltration mission? Even if Direlife Manor was some kind of evil sect, that wouldn't stop the growth of their loyalty. In fact, they would begin to see the fear and mistrust the outside world had toward Direlife Manor as proof that their cause was truly just! The worse reputation Direlife Manor had, the more vindicated its disciples would feel!

Without even being prompted, the disciples would rationalize all the justifications for their actions on their own, and that was only if Direlife Manor was actually evil. If they were actually championing a just cause, it was even easier for them to convince the disciples to sacrifice themselves for the greater good!

"Hmm..." Being someone who was indebted to them, An Jing couldn't really criticize them either. He recalled the meaty flavor of the soup and muttered, "Fine. Since I've eaten their food, I will work for them in kind."

Given his personality and Spark-enlightened awareness, it was really difficult for An Jing to truly feel loyal to anybody. That didn't mean he wouldn't serve people as well as they treated him.

Direlife Manor split the children up according to their gender and gave each of them their own space. It was a large dormitory space lined with beds, separated by bamboo walls. The "rooms" were small and only had enough space for a bed and some space to stretch one's legs, but the enclosed nature of the space gave the disaster children a sense of security. They had been exposed to the elements for far too long, so a warm but tight space like this was much more preferable.

An Jing was reminded of capsule hotels, or at least the notion of them. He didn't really know what they were, but it was not the first time odd images surfaced in his mind, showing him sights of a strange and foreign world. This was the Spark that he had borne since childhood. His Spark and maturity were the most reliable things he had to protect him from all sorts of dangers.

Since I've come this far, let's get some good sleep. Feeling rather fatigued, he decided to stop analyzing Direlife Manor's model of loyalty development and spend that time getting some proper rest. It didn't take long after he tucked himself in before he fell asleep.

Direlife Manor didn't do anything particularly noteworthy in the coming days. Instead, they let the 200-odd children rest and recuperate while they got used to life in the deep woods. They proclaimed themselves to be the successors of an ancient and hidden legacy that had trouble recruiting new disciples due to the stringent demands of life deep in the forest. That was why they had to go around purchasing refugee children or orphans to continue their legacy, or so they claimed.

It was an explanation alright, albeit a flimsy one. Any sound-minded individual would immediately scoff at hearing it, especially at the refugee camp or when the children were first brought to the manor. However, the manor's conditioning had calmed the hearts and minds of the young children, providing them with shelter, new clothes, good food and not even demanding them to slave away at work. They were never threatened with corporal punishment either. At this point, the children were willing to believe anything they were told.

As far as An Jing was concerned, Direlife Manor was a gigantic and secluded training camp. Every morning, the children would be gathered together and taught simple body-strengthening martial techniques by the riders, who now served as their instructors. They were also taught to read in the afternoon before being sent off to the physicians for physical evaluations.

The techniques taught were inferior compared to those of An Jing's clan, but they did work to strengthen the body. Considering that he had only mastered the basic techniques taught in his clan, it didn't hurt for him to learn more martial techniques. As for the book they used in their reading lessons, it was a text titled "Imperial Sky Classic," definitely not a cursed text that eroded the mind. It was a common text in Grand Chen that discussed respecting the will of the heavens and making offerings to the heavens.

As for the meals they were given after a whole day of martial practice and studies, An Jing could tell that it was a medicinal meal plan of some sort. He could feel his body recovering rapidly with ample rest on top of the medicinal boost. His slender frame began to fill up once more after two weeks.

Apprehensive as he was, even he began to find the place rather pleasant. All he had to do every day was eat, sleep, practice and study like a privileged young scion! For most of the others, this lifestyle was far better than anything they had experienced even before the snow calamity struck. They were beginning to see Direlife Manor as their true homes.

In time, An Jing also familiarized himself with his peers. As he was experienced in martial practice and knew how to read, not to mention being the most talented out of the batch, he would occasionally be called out by his lecturers or instructors to demonstrate what they were teaching and be praised for it. It also helped that he had an air that made him stand out even during the earliest days when they had been brought here; the others were far too starved and weak to leave any lasting impression at all. An Jing carried himself in a way that suppressed skepticism or doubt from most save for a very few.

The year-long vagrant lifestyle had turned An Jing into someone who could slaughter those who held ill intent toward him with a smile on his face, giving him the dangerous air of a feral predator that delighted in blood and gore. But as everyone's health recovered, and he started to look more like he used to: brimming with talent, potential and positivity. Even the manor lord was stunned by the change. An Jing didn't even need to say a word to inspire a look of confidence from others.

Though he was outwardly filled with gratitude for what Direlife Manor had done for him, he didn't stop his cold, calculating analysis of their actions. He was well aware that this was a well-established method of getting loyal recruits.

He made sure to perform the best he could as the senior disciple of Direlife Manor. This status was supposed to give him a sense of belonging and also build a sense of camaraderie among the other children. It was also a good way to stimulate competition among the children who were displeased with the special treatment he got.

An Jing wasn't actually proud of being the senior disciple, but the other children seemed to flock around him all the same. Whether it was because of his current appearance or status, he didn't know. Either way, he was the focal point among the children in his dormitory. Unconsciously, he had become a big-brotherly figure for them, often leading the others along during practice or meal breaks.

The life of a senior disciple who advised the other junior disciples was incredibly relaxing, if anything, but this was just the prelude to the tough trials ahead. Direlife Manor was a martial sect, after all, and there was no way they were brought there just to live spoiled, pampered lives.