NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: Chapter 15 Teaching
Tang San looked up at Wang Yanfeng, observing the man who already seemed somewhat aged, his eyes filled with pain.
Qiu Jing's child was also his child! Their child had once failed in the awakening assessment, just like those five children today.
That's why he was so desperate today, why he worked so hard, hoping that more children could survive.
"Teacher! Thank you," Tang San deeply bowed to Wang Yanfeng.
Despite being a Godking in his past life and despite Wang Yanfeng being a humble existence even in Wind Wolf Town, Wang Yanfeng's actions to preserve that glimmer of hope for humanity had earned his respect. And they had known each other for only one day.
With his divine consciousness, Tang San could feel the sadness and sincerity in Wang Yanfeng and Qiu Jing's hearts. In this world, he finally had a home.
He didn't sleep that night. Tang San didn't cultivate either; the image of the altar kept surfacing in his mind. He didn't go out that night, and while the seed of hatred was deeply sown in his heart, the warmth Wang Yanfeng and his wife had given him was also something he cherished dearly. At this time, he couldn't act recklessly. He had to be absolutely certain, and ensure there was a way out for the people in this house, before he had the right to take action.
Early morning. Qiu Jing had prepared breakfast early on.
After a night's rest, Wang Da, Wang Er, and Wang San were noticeably more spirited. They ate the quite ample breakfast with gusto, their faces showing satisfaction.
Tang San appeared somewhat listless, Ling Muxue had swollen eyes and a somewhat vacant gaze.
Wang Yanfeng seemed to have returned to normal. After breakfast, he had the five of them stand before him.
"From today onwards, I will be teaching you. Every morning, I will lecture you on cultural lessons and some knowledge about the continent. The next morning, there will be an assessment on the previous day's content. Failures will be punished. In the afternoon, it is the teaching of Wind Wolf Transformation cultivation. We need to elevate you as quickly as possible. For the next three years, you have no rest, you must work hard every day. Only this way, after three years, you will have a chance to survive. Did you all understand?"
"Mm-hmm," Wang Da, Wang Er, and Wang San all nodded continuously. Here, they felt as though they had arrived at an unprecedented paradise, not having to work and able to eat their fill was already very satisfying for them. Although they could be said to be unenlightened, humans are naturally smart, so they somewhat understood that their fate had changed. They also understood what Wang Yanfeng meant by the assessment in three years. Failure meant death, just like yesterday's assessment.
Wang Yanfeng brought out a blackboard and began to write on it, teaching the five of them to learn the writing of this world, one character at a time.
Among the five, Ling Muxue was the only one who had some understanding of these characters and knew a little. Tang San could speak, but he truly did not know how to write; after all, he had been a little slave for eight years!
On the first day, they only learned ten characters, ten basic and simple characters. Then came the talk about the Demon Monster Land.
"On our Demon Monster Land, there are mainly two large areas, the region controlled by the Monster Clan and the region governed by the Spirit Clan. The Monster Clan calls themselves the Holy Clan, and the area they control is also known as the Tianyu Empire. The Spirit Clan is also referred to as the Spiritual Clan, and the area they control is called the Rihchen Empire. The names of the countries themselves even differ among the various races. Therefore, in my future narrations, I will mostly use 'Holy Clan' and 'Spiritual Clan' to refer to them to make it easier to distinguish."
"It's unclear when the Demon Monster Land came into existence. According to the histories recorded by both clans, it is said that the Ancestor Monster and Ancestor Spirit were born in this world. They created the Monster Clan and Spirit Clan, that is, the Holy Clan and the Spiritual Clan. Both the Holy Clan and the Spiritual Clan were born with powerful abilities, gradually becoming stronger by absorbing the spirituality of heaven and earth. Gradually, great monsters and Spirit Monsters, or Heavenly Spirits, began to appear. The two powerful clans, with their unrivaled strength, ruled the vast expanse of the Demon Monster Land. There is a certain symbiotic relationship between the Holy Clan and the Spiritual Clan, so although there is conflict, overall balance is maintained. The strength of the two sides is also quite close. That's why they ruled separately."
"The Holy Clan mainly controls the northeastern part of the Demon Monster Land, while the Spiritual Clan resides in the relatively warmer southwest part. Each clan has many large cities, each ruled by the powerful great monsters and Spirit Monsters of the two clans. At the central point where the borders of the two clans intersect, which can also be said to be the center of the entire Demon Monster Land, there is a Holy Spirit City. This is the largest city in the entire Demon Monster Land, inhabited by the most powerful great monsters and Spirit Monsters. It is said that the size of this city is unimaginable."
Tang San and his four companions listened to Wang Yanfeng's narration, and even Ling Mu Xue, who was still grieving, was somewhat mesmerized. Her mother was just a slave, with limited knowledge. What Wang Yanfeng was talking about was like a story to them, but it was also the first time that the vast world outside was laid out before their eyes.
"The Monster Clan has a total of eight main cities, and the Spirit Clan has seven. Plus the Holy Spirit City. Together, the two clans have sixteen large cities. Only the most powerful great monsters and Spirit Monsters have the qualifications to rule these main cities. The weaker ones form villages and towns around the main cities, with the clans as units. The towns also vary in size; places like our Wind Wolf Town are just the smallest of towns. This is because the Wind Wolf Tribe itself is not very strong, and our branch within the Wolf Tribe is rather marginal, so we are even weaker."
"And what about humans? Do we humans exist everywhere?" Tang San asked.
Wang Yanfeng looked at him and then slowly nodded, saying, "Yes, we humans are scattered throughout the Demon Monster Land, and in terms of numbers, we are even more than the combined populations of the Monster Clan and Spirit Clan. Among the slave races, we are the largest."
"We humans have no innate abilities and weak bodies. Compared to the Monster Clan and Spirit Clan, who possess innate abilities from birth, we are far too weak. Some powerful Monster Clan and Spirit Clan members are even born with the strength of the fifth or sixth stage. After reaching adulthood, they can break through to the ninth stage and continue to develop in a more powerful direction."
"Although we are weak, we reproduce rather quickly. And we have some intelligence, capable of executing more complex orders, and we have a degree of creativity. And then there is..." he said, his expression twisting slightly, "good flesh."
"So, we can be used as slaves, and to some Monster Clan, we are even livestock. That's why they widely farm us. In their eyes, we are lowly beings. But it is quite strange that those powerful Monster Clan and Spirit Clan, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, or those who are naturally very strong, will develop the ability to take on our form. This is something I've only heard about; although I have been to the big cities, I have never seen it."
"It is said that the human slaves on the Spirit Clan side have a slightly better life, mostly because the Spirit Clan mostly do not eat meat and are relatively less fierce. Moreover, under coincidental circumstances, there can be some fusion between our humans and the Spirit Clan. Therefore, the human vassals on the Spirit Clan side have higher status than us. It is said they are also quite powerful in their own right."
"That's enough for today. If I tell you too much, you won't remember it. After you go back, you must write each of the characters I taught you today ten times, and remember them well. There will be a test tomorrow, and anyone who fails will be punished. Off you go."
The morning class ended. Judging from Wang Yanfeng's narration, his knowledge, while limited, was definitely considered extensive among the humans. Listening to all this, especially the parts about the Demon Monster Land towards the end, was very helpful to Tang San.
He wanted to find his reborn wife, and the first step was to understand this world.