Chapter 3 – Encounter in the Servant’s Quarters

Faced with two choices of where to begin his work, Qin Yun chose the most unconventional one, but also the most pragmatic. He headed towards the servants’ quarters first.

Usually, one would prioritize fixing the residences of the true members of the Qin Clan instead of the servants’ homes, as any blemish could affect the clan’s reputation as a whole, especially now that something massive seemed to be brewing, but Qin Yun didn’t really care.

He believed seeing them put too much emphasis on their image only cheapened the clan’s prestige, instead, making them look simpleminded and petty.

It was pretentious and hollow.

He knew, from experience, that such a clan wouldn’t be able to endure the vastness of time and would crumble into oblivion eventually, usually from self-inflicted wounds born of hubris.

However, the Qin Clan, as pompous and shallow as they could be, were at least savvy in this regard. The clan was prideful, yes, but wasn’t that inflexible, which clearly showed by the way Steward He introduced Qin Yun’s two current tasks.

Had he wanted him to prioritize damaged art pieces, he simply had to not mention the servants’ issue until after the repairs were done, yet he went out of his way to mention it, clearly knowing Qin Yun’s personality.

Despite the man’s clear manipulations, being forced to deal with something that was clearly not part of his defined responsibilities, Qin Yun saw no reason to refuse.

He would have chosen to deal with it either way, if only to prevent further complications.

A hole in the roof, as it seemed to indicate, was a big matter for any structure. It could result in much more than just water infiltration. The foundation could rot, and mould could grow within the walls, leading to various health implications.

The servants were an integral part of the Qin Clan’s daily operations. It wouldn’t do for them to grow sickly. It could even impact whatever event they were currently preparing for.

It was no wonder Steward He wanted Qin Yun to take a look.

I wonder what’s happening in the clan… Qin Yun thought.

Despite Qin Yun’s father being rather high-up in the clan’s hierarchy, no word of this event had reached Qin Yun’s ears. He knew none of the specifics, only that it seemed extremely important, and that most of the servants had been recruited to prepare for it.

As usual, he was kept in the dark, which didn’t surprise him. Most things related to the clan were linked to practitioners, and with Qin Yun unable to accumulate Etra as any other practitioner could, there was little to no reason to seek his input.

If the clan’s main living quarters could be found on top of a hill overlooking the entire city, the servants’ living space was located out of the way, hidden in a steep valley accessible only through a hidden path—a single, winding stone path covered by dense foliage on all sides.

Still, just like everything within the clan, the scale of it all was mindblowing. The stairway was massive, allowing over ten people to walk side by side without hindrance, and long enough that he counted over a thousand steps, leading down to a similar-looking gate, except that this time, no guards could be found protecting its bounds, only countless numbers of servants coming and going, those on night duty returning to their abodes as the morning shift took over.

All those servants wore the same black clothes, making them virtually indistinguishable from one another, yet a few and far between were exceptions.

They were much taller than the average man, their skins an ashen grey, devoid of any colour, reminiscent of Steward He. Fewer were women, yet even they stood taller than Qin Yun himself.

He was by no means small, standing at around six feet of height, but even he had to look up to meet their gaze—if their gaze could even be met.

Indeed, unlike Steward He, many of the ashen-skinned servants, if not all of them, wore a black piece of cloth over their eyes, layered multiple times, completely blocking any light from reaching their eyes.

Despite it all, they walked no differently than their more common-skinned counterparts, avoiding each other with ease as if they could see normally, even nodding to each other without a word as they passed them by.

Despite being an uncommon sight, nary one gave them but a glance, proving they were nothing unusual.

Standing below the towering wooden gate, the symbol for ”servant” prominently displayed, Qin Yun couldn’t help but stand in awe of what he was facing, no matter how many times he saw this sight.

One would expect servants to live in, but the bare necessity, usually just a roof over their heads, just big enough to allow them to function as human beings, something similar to Qin Yun’s own abode.

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Yet, this was anything but.

Qin Yun was the exception, not the rule.

Had he felt the need, he could have chosen any of the sprawling residences for himself, yet he chose privacy over comfort, unlike those who lived in this village.

Indeed, “village” was the right word for it, for no other could better describe what Qin Yun saw.

Dozens of similar-looking buildings lay at the bottom of this valley, enough roofs to house hundreds, if not even more, if space weren’t an issue. There were even detached houses a little further away for those with families of their own, so that they could live together.

Indeed, for many, being a servant of the Qin Clan was a lifelong endeavour. They were born into servitude, married into it, and bore children so that they too could serve the clan.

Some eventually chose to buy their way out, but many simply accepted their fates, finding fulfillment in such a life.

But make no mistake, they weren’t enslaved, forced to bend to the will of their masters. They served willingly and were compensated for it.

If anything, being a servant of the Qin Clan came with a certain amount of prestige within Jin City, as well as a considerable amount of power, power that those servants would never be able to achieve any other way.

However, not many among the hundreds of servants in this village could aspire to wield that influence; only a select few were deemed worthy and allowed the privilege of living among the members of the Qin Clan proper as their personal servants.

Such as the one standing before Qin Yun at this very moment.

She was tall, as many of her kind were. However, for some reason, her skin was even paler than others’, almost as white as snow. As if her blood was colourless, imparting no hue to her skin. The same could be said of her hair, for it, too, was devoid of any colour.

Another thing that stood out was the lack of a blindfold on her face.

Her eyes were open, yet despite being used to the sight, Qin Yun couldn’t help but shudder internally, for what he saw could only be deemed an anomaly, yet was the norm among her people.

She had no pupils.