"Ling Ye, although you will never walk the path of cultivation, our Ling Clan is not so heartless as to cast aside our pure blooded mortal members. Though rare, such cases do exist and some still manage to pursue their dreams as mortals with the help of our Ling Clan."
The voice belonged to a middle aged man named Ling Bai, who had come to speak with Ling Ye. It had only been a day since Ling Ye returned to the mansion, and already someone had come with that question. He had expected it, of course, he wasn't naïve, but he had hoped, foolishly, for a few more days of silence.
So when the question came, sudden and without much context, it caught him off guard.
His thoughts, already heavy with bitterness and regret, raced chaotically again.
Ling Bai had introduced himself earlier, explaining that he was sent by the clan to oversee Ling Ye's affairs moving forward. But hearing those words, "what will you do with your mortal life?", cut deeper than Ling Ye expected.
It was another reminder of his failure.
Reminding him that the path he once dreamed of had vanished before it could even begin.
So much had happened in just a single day.
His eyes no longer held the light they once did. The proud, confident youth who had climbed toward the Hall of Spirituality no longer existed. In his place stood someone quieter. Someone changed.
He had read about things like this, stories of loss, of broken ambition, but living it was something entirely different.
As one of the ancestors once said, "Read ten thousand books, walk ten thousand miles."
Only now did Ling Ye truly understand what that meant.
Ling Bai noticed Ling Ye's cold, pained expression, but he didn't try to comfort him. Instead, he simply carried out his task with a faint smile on his face.
"So, Ling Ye," he said casually, "do you want wealth beyond what you could ever spend in a lifetime? Or perhaps authority, handling clan affairs and rising through the ranks? Maybe you'd prefer a quiet life in one of our prosperous mortal cities, managing shops or restaurants? Or… do you wish to enjoy the pleasures of beauty and women? Speak freely. Our Ling Clan can afford to indulge you a little."
As Ling Bai listed off the options, Ling Ye remained silent, lost in thought.
None of the suggestions stirred anything within him. Wealth, power, comfort, they all felt hollow, but then, one word stood out.
Authority
His eyes widened slightly as a vision began to take shape in his mind.
With no other path open, he thinkg he found a path.
He thought for a few more moments, hesitating a little, weighing the idea. Then, slowly, his eyes regained their focus. The lifeless gaze that had haunted him since returning to the mansion vanished. In its place, a fire began to burn.
For the first time since stepping out of the Hall of Spirituality, Ling Ye's expression held resolve. Fierce, determined, an ember of ambition had returned.
Ling Bai noticed the shift immediately. He smiled to himself, satisfied. His task was nearly complete, and he waited calmly, ready for whatever Ling Ye was about to say.
"Senior Bai," Ling Ye said quietly, looking up and meeting the man's yellow eyes, "before I answer, may I ask you something?"
Ling Bai raised an eyebrow and nodded, curious now. "Go ahead."
Ling Ye took a breath and asked, "Senior, I once read about a mortal village chief. He developed his village from nothing, and by fate or fortune, many talented youths were born there. Through his efforts in raising them and providing support, he contributed greatly to the clan. Eventually, he was accepted into the Ling Clan as an honorary member. Is that story true?"
Ling Bai blinked, surprised by the question. For a moment, he was at a loss. A mortal being granted honorary membership in the Ling Clan? He had never heard of such a thing. It was… unprecedented.
Ling Bai fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Seeing Ling Bai fall silent, Ling Ye grew uneasy. He started to worry that maybe the man didn't know what he was talking about after all.
"Was the story wrong…?" Ling Ye murmured, beginning to doubt the tale he had once read, but just then, Ling Bai looked up and gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
"That part may not be true," he admitted. "I've never heard of a village head, a mortal, becoming an honorary member of the Ling Clan, but the core of what you said is true."
Ling Ye blinked in surprise as Ling Bai continued.
"If someone contributes enough to the clan, even a mortal can be acknowledged and granted honorary membership. It does happen… rarely, but it happens."
Ling Ye's eyes lit up. That was all he needed to hear.
Even if the story had been romanticized or exaggerated, its core truth remained. With enough contributions, it was possible to become an honorary member of the clan.
Now, he knew exactly what he wanted to do.
Being named an honorary member of the Ling Clan was no small thing. Many clanless cultivators dreamed of such a status. Honorary members weren't merely servants or helpers, they stood just a step below the true bloodline members. Their authority and respect could rival even that of the younger generation's "young masters."
And Ling Ye… was no longer a young master.
In the Ling Clan, that title only belonged to those under the age of fifteen, or those who had awakened their spiritual root and become cultivators. A mortal above the age of fifteen, without a spiritual root, lost that title. It was stripped away, quietly but firmly.
Mortals had no place in the core of the clan.
Only the outer layers were home to mortals, towns and villages managed by low-level cultivators. The deeper one went into the clan's territory, the denser the qi became, and the more restricted it was for mortal access. The inner and core layers were sacred lands for cultivation. Mortals weren't allowed to live there.
Only rare exceptions were made, special mortals who had earned permission. Either by becoming an honorary clan member… or being declared a benefactor to the clan, someone who had saved or helped them in a time of crisis.
But Ling Ye didn't even consider becoming a "benefactor." That title was never given to a mortal. Why would a cultivator would ever need the help of some mortal?
Thinking through it all, Ling Ye let out a soft sigh before nodding resolutely. He turned to Ling Bai and asked,
"Then, Senior Bai… if it's possible, I would like to become the head of a mortal village. Can the clan allow that?"
Ling Bai, who had already guessed as much after hearing Ling Ye's strange story, wasn't surprised. While the request was uncommon and not easy to fulfill, since all mortal villages and cities were under the clan's management, it wasn't entirely impossible. However, such a position would require finding a village without a current head or one in need of new leadership.
"Are you sure about this?" Ling Bai asked, eyeing the young man carefully.
But the answer was clear before the words were even spoken. Ling Ye nodded, his eyes burning with unwavering determination.
"Tsk," Ling Bai clicked his tongue softly. This was going to be more troublesome than he had expected. He could already see there was no persuading Ling Ye to choose something simpler, like managing shops or resting in a peaceful city. The boy had already made up his mind.
Defeated by the sheer force of Ling Ye's conviction, Ling Bai let out a sigh and finally nodded."Very well. It can be arranged, but I'll need time to find a suitable village without a current head. Prepare yourself to leave the Library Courtyard. I'll return in two days."
With that, Ling Bai rose from his seat and walked out of the room. Ling Ye watched him go, eyes filled with a quiet, stormy emotion.
There was no turning back now.
With his decision made and only two days left before his departure, Ling Ye had no interest in wasting time. He didn't seek out anyone for farewells, nor did he try to relax or find comfort.
This mansion, once his home, no longer welcomed him. Since that cold encounter, Wang Xin had vanished without a trace. No one had spoken to him since.
So, without hesitation, Ling Ye turned and made his way to the only place in the world that still brought him peace, the library.
The library doors looked the same as ever. Nothing had changed, but Ling Ye had.
A wave of frustration washed over him as he stood before them, teeth clenched. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the storm of emotions within him, then reached forward and pushed the doors open.
Inside, everything was as he remembered. The familiar scent of old paper greeted him. A thin layer of dust had settled since no one had cleaned it the day before, but Ling Ye no longer cared. These would be his final two days in the place he had once considered his sanctuary.
He stepped inside and gently closed the doors behind him, the soft thud echoing through the quiet room. Then, he began walking through the rows of books he had personally collected and organized, volumes on how to teach, on common herbs that supported mortal health and growth, and more.
Eventually, he stopped before a hidden shelf.
Behind it lay a secret room, known only to him and Old Man Wang. It had been the elder who installed the concealment formations, shielding it from others, even from Wang Xin. Though she had never entered, it was she who had passed down the books after Old Wang's death.
Ling Ye carefully moved the shelf aside, revealing the hidden door. As he stepped inside the forbidden room, a wave of nostalgia struck him. The quiet air, the dim light, the faint scent of ink, it all reminded him of the times he spent learning under Old Wang's quiet guidance.
He paused for a moment, letting out a soft sigh before approaching the collection of rare books.
These were texts that only cultivators were supposed to access, knowledge far beyond what mortals were permitted to study. But thanks to Old Wang's tricks and connections, Ling Ye had the privilege to read them.
He began scanning through them with purpose, hoping to find something that could help him in the path he had now chosen. It didn't take long before his fingers landed on a particular volume: the personal journal of a Ling Clan ancestor, written before that ancestor had become a cultivator.
Back then, the man had been a mortal.
Ling Ye's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he opened the book and began reading, committing every word to memory.
And so, two days later, it was finally time to leave.