Dawan Village

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Dawan Village (大湾村)
Alias(es)	Dawan City; formerly Dawan Town 638 838
Affiliation	Tiannan Shen Clan; later closely associated with the Han Clan and Dragon Firmament Sect 10 329
Occupation/Role	Originally a remote spirit-grain settlement; later a commercial hub and cultivation city 1 189 534
Location	A mountain-ringed valley plain several thousand li south of Tiannan City, on the border between the Border Wilderness and settled lands 10 12
Status	The original village site is largely abandoned and preserved by the Han Clan; Dawan City’s center was rebuilt more than ten li away 838 839
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Geography and Layout

Dawan Village was built at the upper reaches of a crescent-shaped river that divides its valley basin into two uneven halves. The settlement stood against the mountain at a higher elevation, while its central hall was located at the mountain’s foot 12.

• A spirit spring flows from the back mountain and gradually enriches nearby soil with spiritual energy. 10 12
• Its twelve mu of spirit fields were arranged as terraces behind the village, beside the Half-Mountain Courtyard. 12
• The original Half-Mountain Courtyard served as Shen Changchuan’s first residence and cultivation site after he took over the village. 6 839
• The Dawan River is broad, turbulent, and inhabited by demonic beasts; villagers instead relied on mountain streams for water. 12
• The old village site retained much of its earlier appearance after Dawan City’s commercial center moved outward. 838 906

History

Early settlement and Shen Clan takeover

The surrounding southern wilderness began receiving settlers roughly three centuries earlier, when low-level cultivators and mortals fled south during the war connected to the destruction of the Elephant Mountain Sect. Human settlement remained slow because of frequent demon-beast attacks and the region’s undeveloped terrain 10.

About a century before Shen Changchuan’s arrival, a small cultivation clan established Dawan Village after discovering the spirit spring. Through generations of irrigation and soil cultivation, it developed twelve mu of spirit fields and became a notable local village 10.

Twenty years before the story, the Shen Clan eradicated the village’s original cultivation clan after its head allegedly killed a Shen collateral clansman. An Out of Body Realm cultivator was sent to settle the matter, and Dawan Village became Shen Clan property used to place collateral branches 10.

Shen Changchuan’s administration

Shen Changchuan was assigned to Dawan Village because of its remoteness and limited income, arriving after a three-month journey. At the time, its spirit fields were its principal formal source of revenue 1.

He replaced Shen Shiying as guardian and took control with the assistance of Han Qinhu, Han Dayong, and their retainers. The transition met no serious resistance, in part because most residents were mortal martial artists unable to challenge a cultivator’s authority 5 6.

The inherited administration was disordered: household records were incomplete, the population included old Hu Clan survivors, recruited martial artists, former forced laborers, and their descendants, while Shen Shiying had delegated most governance to his steward 6 24. Shen Changchuan’s first major reform registered 2,300 residents, divided them into twelve teams, and assigned each team responsibility for one mu of spirit fields under Han Clan supervision 7.

Rise as a regional center

Dawan Village’s Shen Clan connection caused nearby minor cultivation forces to treat it as their local leader. Surrounding villages brought regular gifts and tribute in hopes of maintaining ties and avoiding conflict with the Shen Clan 10 11.

The closure and upheaval surrounding Wu Family Market redirected cultivators and merchants toward Dawan Village. The Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce established a temporary trading post, while an influx of travelers created demand for lodging, construction, and commerce 126 189.

Within roughly half a year of this commercial expansion, the settlement had developed an East Village Commercial District and become a recognized place to trade cultivation resources 156 159. By the time Shen Changchuan reached the ninth level of Qi Induction, outsiders no longer recognized it as the impoverished twelve-mu village described in old Shen Clan records 189.

Dawan City

Over subsequent decades, Dawan Village expanded from a market town into Dawan City. The former spirit fields were replaced by residences and cave abodes, while city walls and tall buildings rose around the growing settlement 638.

The city was not built directly atop the original village. To preserve the quiet of Shen Changchuan’s back-mountain residence, Dawan City’s center progressively shifted outward until it stood more than ten li from the old site 838.

By Shen Changchuan’s later return, the original Dawan Village had become a preserved keepsake of his early life, while Dawan City had grown to a prosperity comparable to Qing City 638 839.

Population and Administration

• Initial recorded population: 2,300 residents after Shen Changchuan’s census and household reorganization. 7
• Earlier composition: Shen Clan martial administrators, coerced or recruited mortal martial artists, former laborers, Hu Clan survivors, and locally established families. 6 24
• Labor expansion: Han Qinhu recruited 1,000 young martial artists to support construction and population growth during the commercial boom. 126
• Early guardian: Shen Shiying, whose crude rule left daily administration largely to his household steward. 6
• Reforming guardian: Shen Changchuan, who directed broad policy and development but relied on Han Qinhu and subordinates for detailed administration. 7 856
• Early chief steward: Han Qinhu, who managed village affairs, organized defenses, oversaw construction, and later developed an intelligence network. 12 18 356
• Later administration: A Han Clan member—Han Dayong’s son—served as Dawan City’s manager by Shen Changchuan’s return. 839

Economy and Resources

• Spirit fields — The original twelve mu produced at least 2,400 jin of spirit grain annually, worth more than 240 Spirit Stones; an earlier single harvest was estimated at roughly 1,200 catties. 4 10
• Spirit spring — The village’s foundational resource, supplying spiritually infused water used to cultivate spirit grain. 10 12
• Tribute and protection income — Nearby cultivation villages brought gifts and payments that passed to the Shen Clan cultivator stationed at Dawan Village. 10 11
• Commercial district — The Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce and later additional merchant guilds established trading operations, turning the village into a cultivation-resource market. 103 126 150
• Lodging and construction — Cultivators fleeing regional unrest rented rooms and filled taverns, forcing repeated expansion while greatly increasing village revenue. 126 188
• Intelligence network — During the Border Wilderness turmoil, Han Qinhu established information-gathering channels for the village on Shen Changchuan’s orders. 356

Defenses and Major Threats

Demon beasts

Dawan Village’s wilderness location repeatedly exposed it to demonic-beast attacks.

• A giant wild boar was killed by Shen Changchuan before he formally assumed control, discouraging Shen Shiying from attempting to intimidate him. 5 6
• A river demon killed two villagers working in the spirit fields, prompting Shen Changchuan to compensate their families and attempt to lure the creature out with bait. 13
• A Crocodile Demon killed villagers and abducted others. Han Qinhu organized armored fighters, archers, nets, obstacles, and watch positions before Shen Changchuan defeated it. 18 21
• Gale Falcons targeted the ripening spirit grain and later attacked isolated villagers, killing residents and nearly taking a child. 36 84 87
• The old village’s remembered dangers also included rainy-season Mountain Leeches and repeated aerial demon-beast raids. 906

Political and external threats

• Mutual Protection Alliance — Attempted to recruit Dawan Village, then considered crippling it after Shen Changchuan refused. 85 87 103
• Outside rogue cultivators — The village’s growing wealth drew plots to attack it and frame commercial rivals. 104 106
• Qing City Shen Clan members — Attempted to seize control of the prosperous settlement after it ceased to be a marginal posting. 229
• Black Shadow — An injured Out of Body Realm demonic cultivator targeted Dawan Village for its concentration of Qi Induction cultivators and attacked the settlement directly. 228 233
• Foreign-region cultivators — Their arrival during the Elephant Mountain Sect ruin turmoil increased concern over Dawan City’s lack of permanently stationed Out of Body Realm defenders. 496 511

Relationships

• Tiannan Shen Clan — Acquired Dawan Village twenty years before Shen Changchuan’s arrival; its reputation initially protected the remote settlement and later attracted internal attempts to seize its prosperity. 10 229
• Shen Changchuan — Guardian, reformer, and the principal figure behind the village’s rise into Dawan City. 5 7 638
• Han Clan — Managed day-to-day affairs, construction, defenses, intelligence work, and later preserved the original village site. 18 126 356 838
• Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce — Established the first major trading presence and helped transform Dawan Village into a commercial center. 103 126
• Nearby cultivation villages — Seven small villages, including Zhao Family Village, regarded Dawan Village as their regional leader and offered gifts or tribute. 10 15
• Dragon Firmament Sect — Its nearby mountain gate strengthened Dawan Village’s strategic position; Shen Changchuan later chose to remain stationed in the village while serving the sect. 329 371
• Mutual Protection Alliance — A hostile regional alliance whose failed recruitment effort led to schemes against Dawan Village. 85 103

Trivia

• Dawan Village’s original twelve mu of spirit fields were eventually replaced by housing and cave residences as the settlement urbanized. 638
• The village later became known as the place “where the dragon rose” for Shen Changchuan, attracting cultivators and families seeking to benefit from its association with him. 486
• Despite Dawan City’s prosperity, Shen Changchuan eventually viewed the original village chiefly as a memorial to his past rather than a source of cultivation wealth. 587 839