Li Ji'an packed up and set out for the clan's main hall with Zhang Tie Zhu.
Both men now belonged to the clan as members with outside surnames, so they had to register whenever they entered or left.
To be precise, Zhang Tie Zhu had earned merit and won the Yan family's recognition. He had started out as a Land Reclamation Warrior, then became an external hire for the Yan family, and after rendering great service in the clan war, he had been promoted to a member with an outside surname.
They ranked below those who had been granted the Yan surname. They were given a peripheral training ground comparable to a Rank 1 low-grade Spirit Vein, ten catties of Spirit Rice each month, and permission to marry women from the clan. If they did marry into the clan, their status rose another level, granting them the same rights as those with the Yan surname.
If they could father a child with exceptional talent, they would receive even greater rewards.
Of course, the child would have to bear the Yan surname.
Li Ji'an's case was somewhat unusual. To those who didn't know the truth, he was merely a servant who had luckily made it into the clan by following Alchemist Mo. Just getting that far was more than his ancestors could have hoped for.
Then Alchemist Mo betrayed the clan, yet Li Ji'an not only avoided expulsion but was even rewarded.
A man with an outside surname who had never shed blood on the front lines for the clan had somehow become the Eldest Young Lady's alchemy assistant.
He enjoyed a training ground beside the core Spirit Vein Land, a privilege reserved for the clan's upper ranks, and could chat and laugh with several elders and the Eldest Young Lady.