"Not at all, that's not what I meant. I mean, we don't need servants, we're all friends, there's no need to be so..."

Jiang Chen listened to You Zhengqian's extremely serious words, and hurriedly began to explain with a look of anxiety on his face.

"Chief Instructor, please just agree, the Shadow Clan is bound to serve Lord Xue for life. This is an ancestral command; those who violate it will be expelled from the family and hunted down by the whole clan!" Spirit You quietly explained.

"This..."

Jiang Chen had a puzzled look: "Is there such a thing? Is there forcing to be servants..."

Suddenly, Jiang Chen thought of the master-servant bond between Lord Xue and the founder of the Shadow Clan in the cave, and he immediately understood that given the founder's loyalty, such an order indeed would be passed down as an ancestral command.

"Alright then! I... I accept you all as servants! Everyone, please get up!" Jiang Chen spoke with some awkwardness.

"Thank you, Lord Xue!"

"Thank you, Lord Xue!"

You Zhengqian and the others expressed their respectful thanks and then stood up.

Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly, thinking these people had really isolated themselves for too long. Plus, their ancient ancestor from a thousand years ago was still alive, causing their mindset to remain stuck in the ways of a thousand years ago—this would not do!

Considering this, Jiang Chen glanced at everyone and spoke loudly: "Everyone, since you say you wish to serve me, then I will set three rules!"

"Lord Xue, please speak, we will strictly adhere!" You Zhengqian bowed respectfully.

Jiang Chen glanced at You Zhengqian and said loudly: "First, don't always bow and kneel when speaking. Just speak, all these formalities make things too grand!"

"This..."

You Zhengqian paused for a moment, and confusion appeared on the faces of You Bitong and some older members at the front, while some middle-aged and young ones at the back showed a hint of agreement.

"Second, the custom of kneeling, from now on, do not kneel unless you have committed a capital offense and are begging for mercy. Men in this world should only kneel to heaven, earth, and their parents, no one else needs to kneel!" Jiang Chen continued, half-jokingly.

You Zhengqian and others were taken aback once again.

"Third, starting today, you will follow You Ye and learn about the current social customs, especially those of the Flame Dragon Kingdom's Martial Dao World and the Secular World. Let go of your old-fashioned ways!" Jiang Chen glancing at You Ye, called out loudly again.

"Yes!"

You Zhengqian was the first to respond, seemingly realizing that their actions might have made Lord Xue uncomfortable. Later, he would ask You Ye about this.

"Yes!" All members of the Shadow Clan bowed in unison in response.

"This..."

Jiang Chen made a helpless gesture, turned his head to You Ye, and said, "You Ye, it's up to you. I can't stand all this politeness!"

"Okay!"

You Ye smiled lightly and nodded her head.

"Er..."

Jiang Chen turned his head to You Zhengqian: "Elder, could you find me a secret room? I've touched upon the opportunity to break through and would like to adjust and prepare for the breakthrough, please join me, and see if I can help you during it!"

"Thank you, Lord Xue, the quiet room is already prepared, this way please."

You Zhengqian clasped his fist in a bow and gestured in a direction.

Following the direction pointed by You Zhengqian, Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned.

Green trees in haste, meandering rivers, by the riverbank, wooden pavilions and towers stood at the foot of the mountain. Before the wooden tower, there was a vast Martial Arts Arena, and beyond the wooden area were several semi-man-made caves.

"This... what a beautiful scene, this place shouldn't be called Unchanging Valley, it should be called Peach Blossom Valley!" Jiang Chen murmured in amazement.

"Lord Xue, let me take you to the secret cave where I practice in seclusion!" You Zhengqian spoke softly.

Jiang Chen nodded, "Okay!"

You Zhengqian led the way, and the two headed toward the beautiful scenery.

"Little You Ye, it seems that Lord Xue doesn't quite like us!" After Jiang Chen and You Zhengqian left, You Bitong looked worriedly at You Ye.

You Ye pursed her lips and smiled, "He doesn't dislike us; we just startled him!"

"Startled? Why? We didn't show any force, did we?"

You Biguo asked with a puzzled face.

"It's because everyone is too... too enthusiastic!" Spirit You laughed lightly as he took over the conversation.

"Too enthusiastic?"

You Bitong showed a baffled expression.

You Ye thought for a moment and said softly: "Let me explain the current world and the Flame Dragon Kingdom to everyone. Our clan members who have gone out have only gathered information and paid little attention to the current culture. It's inevitable that they still adhere to customs from a thousand years ago. Once I explain, everyone will understand why Lord Xue feels uncomfortable!"

"The current societal culture..."

You Ye began to explain the present-day culture as per Jiang Chen's third command. She knew very well that although the commands set by Jiang Chen seemed straightforward, the most crucial one was the third, as it was necessary for them to understand the differences between past and modern societies; otherwise, Jiang Chen would never dare to take these people out with him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen followed You Zhengqian to a rock face behind the wooden buildings.

"Lord Xue, the clan has set up my secret cave at the very top to avoid disturbing me. I'll take you up there," You Zhengqian spoke quietly.

Jiang Chen paused, looked up, and saw several secret caves of various sizes on the rock wall in front of him. The lowest cave was about tens of meters high, whereas the highest was about two hundred meters high!

"Is it the one at the top? Inside..."

Jiang Chen looked at You Zhengqian with confusion. In the highest cave, he sensed a very strong, familiar aura.

"Inside is the Blood Crystal that my clan has been safeguarding, all prepared for you, Lord Xue!" You Zhengqian spoke softly.

Jiang Chen nodded slightly and then looked up at the top cave, smiling faintly: "I'll go up myself!"

"This... Lord Xue, this rock wall is also a training ground practiced by our Shadow Clan. It contains the energy left by generations of our clansmen, making it impossible to borrow force from," You Zhengqian hesitated a moment, then reminded quietly.

"I know!"

Jiang Chen smiled slightly, glanced at the Shadow Clan members who had turned their heads, and noticed that the group watched as the pair reached the cliff face.

Swoosh!

Gathering his energy and focusing his mind, Jiang Chen leaped directly into the air.

"This... is Lord Xue planning to leap directly up there? Not even the power of a Late Stage Venerable Realm would allow one to go up in one go!"

"Is he going to use a momentum?"

"With momentum... I could get up too!"

"But this cliff has many energy residues left by our ancestors, and you can't borrow force from it!"

"This... well! Our Lord Xue is going to embarrass himself on his first visit!"

"Ha, maybe he's just young and likes to show off? When he falls, we'll have our elder take him up, that's going to be really embarrassing!"

A group of young Shadow Clan's members quietly muttered among themselves.

You Bitong and other elders frowned as they watched Jiang Chen leap from afar, a look of concern appearing in their eyes.

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