Hostage

Divine Wood City.

The Li Clan.

Patriarch Li Haimo's study.

"Tianliang, come in." Li Haimo's voice carried a coercive pressure as it echoed from within the study.

Li Tianliang, an elder of the clan's Cultivation Hall, put away the book in his hand, entered the room, and stood respectfully before the patriarch, his eyes lowered as he gazed at the white-haired old man.

"May I ask the Patriarch, what are your orders?"

"Among the disciples you're leading this term, are there any geniuses?" Li Haimo asked in a deep voice.

Li Tianliang frowned in thought for a moment, then shook his head. "All the disciples are only learning the arts of identifying and debating poisons; they haven't started cultivation yet. It's truly impossible to tell who is a genius and who is mediocre."

"Then who has more spiritual aptitude?"

"None of these children are lacking; they're clever and quick-witted."

"Then this time, passing through the Five Poisons Cave, will they be able to smoothly obtain their Spirit Companions?" Li Haimo asked again.

"All of them will." Li Tianliang nodded with certainty.

Li Haimo nodded, then said in a grave tone, "This time, keep ten disciples in the clan for continued training here. Hand the rest over to the Five Poisons Sect for cultivation. Remember, those with good talent must be kept; those with poor talent go to the sect. Women of exceptional appearance must be retained. If a family has brothers, they should be split up—the younger ones stay in the clan, the older ones go to the sect."

After hearing this, Li Tianliang's face showed hesitation. "Patriarch! The Five Poisons Sect is a Demonic Sect, with extremely brutal internal competition. Many of the clan's outstanding disciples have already died in the sect's trials."

"The Five Poisons Sect is an upper sect! In the future, do not call it a Demonic Sect. Besides, the Five Poisons Sect's trials are harsh—do the clan's tasks not also risk life and death?"

"This subordinate understands."

"Submit the list to me before departure."

"Patriarch, this subordinate finds this very difficult." Li Tianliang's face showed reluctance.

"There's nothing difficult about it. Submit the list first. In the end, who goes and who stays will depend on their Spirit Companions."

"Yes, Patriarch." Li Tianliang's face was troubled, but he ultimately nodded, signaling his submission to the patriarch's decision.

The Li Clan.

Li Haoshan's residence.

Father Li Haoshan, mother Madam Jiang, Li Shuidao, and his two younger siblings, aged five or six—a family of five sat in the small courtyard, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, sharing a warm family meal.

"Are you heading to the Five Poisons Cave tomorrow?" Father Li Haoshan looked visibly worried.

Li Shuidao nodded. "Yes, Father."

Mother Madam Jiang was a mortal, and she asked anxiously, "Is it very dangerous?"

Li Shuidao gave a light laugh. "Mother, don't worry. We've been preparing for so long; everything will be fine."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Li Haoshan shook his head, hesitating as if to say more.

"Father, feel free to speak your mind." In Li Shuidao's eyes, Li Haoshan was still quite young, just past thirty, in the prime of his life.

The two were both father and friend, never at odds.

"Over the years, at least half of the clan members who obtained Spirit Companions have been sent to the Five Poisons Sect."

"The clan elder has long told us that the clan's resources aren't enough to train everyone. It's indeed necessary to send some clan members to the Five Poisons Sect for training," Li Shuidao said.

"Back in the day... when the clan first settled at Black Mountain, even more clan disciples were sent to the Five Poisons Sect. After I obtained my Spirit Companion, the clan kept me in the Five Poisons Sect, and I became a disciple of Daoist Black Light." Li Haoshan frowned as he spoke.

"Father, I've never heard you mention this before?" Li Shuidao was quite surprised; he had always thought his father had never been to the Five Poisons Sect and had been trained entirely by the clan.

"Don't even mention it. Back then, I spent three years at the Five Poisons Sect raising spirit beasts. In between, I did laundry, cooked, scrubbed chamber pots—endless chores, often chopping wood late into the night. Luckily, my Spirit Companion was a gecko that could hunt on its own, or it might have starved to death."

"This..." Li Shuidao's brow furrowed deeply.

"Did Father learn any Daoist arts in those three years?"

"I never even saw my master's face, so how could I have had a chance to learn Daoist arts? Those who become favorites by their master's side are either smooth talkers skilled at flattery, or bold fighters who stand out in trials. Otherwise, you're stuck doing odd jobs with no opportunity to cultivate Daoist arts, let alone get any cultivation resources. That's why, from the time you turned six, I told you to master the art of etiquette. When you enter the Five Poisons Sect and follow a master, you can flatter and curry favor to win his approval. Maybe he'll even pass on his legacy to you. But with how dull and wooden you are, it's clear you won't earn your master's favor." Li Haoshan's brow was deeply creased.

Li Shuidao was deeply absorbed in studying the essence of Poison Cultivation and had already written hundreds of thousands of characters in Chinese script.

Studying issues to such a depth naturally made him a bit absent-minded, and he came across as somewhat unlikable.

"Uh... then how did Father come back?" Li Shuidao asked with great interest.

"That Daoist Black Light lost a duel with someone and died outside. We disciples who followed him were naturally sent back to the clan. It was only after returning to the clan that I began to cultivate—truly not easy."

"What if Daoist Black Light hadn't died?"

"Then I'd probably still be doing odd jobs at the Five Poisons Sect. Do you know that cultivators in the Spirit Refining Realm generally have a lifespan of two hundred years? They reach the Spirit Refining Realm in their fifties or sixties. Waiting for them to die of old age is simply impossible."

"Then if Father couldn't work anymore, couldn't he retire?" Li Shuidao pressed on.

"Impossible. If I couldn't work anymore, my master would send me on all sorts of dangerous trials," Li Haoshan said.

Li Shuidao stared at his father's face for a long time, so long that Li Haoshan found his son a bit strange.

"Father, that can't be right, can it?"

"Why not? I saw it with my own eyes."

"Since Father had already foreseen this situation, why didn't he find a chance to slip away?" When he said the words "slip away," Li Shuidao lowered his voice to a whisper.

Li Haoshan stared at Li Shuidao, his gaze equally profound. Only after a long while did he speak: "If I ran away, that would be equivalent to betraying the sect. Betraying the Five Poisons Sect means the whole family dies. You had just been born back then."

At these words, Li Shuidao suddenly understood.

There was a strange rule in the clan's code that Li Shuidao had never quite been able to figure out. Now, he finally got it.

Whenever a clan member joined a sect, they would arrange a marriage and have a child within a year. As soon as the child was conceived, the clan would send the member back into the sect.

If they married and had children, the sect would always grant leave.

This wasn't about having a son—this was about creating a hostage.

"Child, you could fly far away and become a Rogue Cultivator. Your mother and I being implicated is one thing, but your younger siblings are still small. They shouldn't have to..." Li Haoshan sighed, unsure how to continue.

Li Shuidao looked at his young parents, then at his two younger siblings who understood nothing. The food in his bowl suddenly lost its appeal.

The night was deep...

Li Shuidao walked alone toward the brazier at the door. In his hands was a thick, thread-bound book.

The pages rustled as he flipped through them...

The book was filled entirely with Chinese characters.

Li Shuidao tossed the thread-bound book into the brazier. The flames blazed fiercely, and his gaze was as deep as still water.

One must always prepare for the worst...

If he were sent into the Five Poisons Sect, his first priority would still be to strive for a win-win outcome.

If master and disciple could get along harmoniously, naturally all would be well.

But if he were truly pushed to the brink with no way out—how would he break the deadlock!?

Li Shuidao's eyes were dim, his expression grave.