117: Chapter 117 Founding a Sect or a Human Trafficking Den?

Gu Changan turned around abruptly and strode over to Xiao Aotian, who was handcuffed to the side.

"Xiao Aotian."

Gu Changan's voice sounded like it was squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a dangerous Aura that was on the verge of erupting. "Are these children the so-called... Outer Sect Disciple of the Aotian Sect that you speak of?"

Although Xiao Aotian was covered in dust and his hair bun was disheveled, he still tried his best to straighten his back, attempting to maintain the last bit of dignity of a "Sect Leader."

Upon hearing Gu Changan's questioning, Xiao Aotian instead displayed a nearly fanatical pride.

"Director Gu, it seems you are also a person who knows quality."

Xiao Aotian shook his messy hair, held his chin high, and his tone was full of showing off: "These are the Outer Sect Disciple that I spent three months traveling across the country, using 'Spell' to meticulously select one by one! Each of them possesses a Spiritual Root and is a one-in-a-million talent for Cultivate!"

As he spoke, he used his handcuffed fingers to point at one of the young boys.

"Especially that one, he has a natural Fire Spiritual Root! As long as he follows me to Cultivate for ten years, he will definitely reach Foundation Establishment, and in the future, he even has the hope of reaching the Golden Core Dao!"

Xiao Aotian's eyes flashed with light, as if in his eyes, these gaunt children were not people, but rare treasures waiting to be sold, stepping stones for his Ascension to Immortal Ascension.

"Talent for Cultivate?"

Gu Changan sneered, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

He suddenly raised his hand and slapped a broken stone tablet nearby hard.

"Slap!"

This loud noise startled the smug Xiao Aotian, and even the shivering children over there trembled.

"I think your brain is filled with mercury, blocking your crown!"

Gu Changan pointed at the group of children, burning with anger: "Open your dog eyes and look clearly! How old are they? Eleven? Twelve? At this age, they should be sitting in a spacious and bright classroom, studying junior high! Learning physics! Learning chemistry! Instead of being in this godforsaken mountain gully, wearing these rags, and being some bullshit Disciple for you!"

Xiao Aotian was stunned for a moment, then showed an expression of "how can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan," and scoffed.

"Studying? Gu Changan, you are too vulgar."

Xiao Aotian shook his head with disdain: "What is the use of reading more books as a Mortal? Can it grant immortality? Can it allow one to fly on a sword? Can it turn the rivers and seas and have a lifespan equal to the heaven? The things taught in school will just be a handful of yellow soil after a hundred years. I am enlightening them, giving them a great Opportunity that a Mortal cannot ask for in several lifetimes!"

"Opportunity?"

Gu Changan was so angry he laughed. He took out a thick red book from his briefcase; it was the Peoples Republic of China Compulsory Education Law》.

He rolled the book into a tube and poked it directly onto Xiao Aotian's forehead.

"Come on, read it out loud for me! What law is this!"

Xiao Aotian was forced to lean back, but he still stiffened his neck: "I won't read it! I am a person outside the world, not bound by your secular laws! In the Aotian Sect, my words are the heavenly law, the king's law! These children followed me up the mountain voluntarily. I gave them the chance for Immortal Ascension. This is their blessing!"

"Voluntarily?"

Gu Changan threw the law book to Chen Xiaobei and strode toward the group of children.

The children saw him coming and shrank back, their eyes full of fear.

Gu Changan took a deep breath, trying to restrain the Evil Qi on his body, squatted down, and tried to keep his line of sight level with these children.

"Don't be afraid." Gu Changan softened his voice and asked as gently as possible, "Tell Uncle, how did you come here?"

Silence.

No one dared to speak. They secretly looked at Xiao Aotian in the distance, as if that disheveled man was some kind of monster.

"It's okay, he has already been caught." Gu Changan pointed to Xiao Aotian, who was being held down by the Special Police, "That 'Old Ancestor's' Spell has been broken. Now the police uncles are here, no one can hurt you."

Perhaps it was the uniform on Gu Changan that gave them a sense of security, or perhaps the scene of the steel monsters tearing down the Sect was too shocking. Finally, among this group of children, a young boy, the smallest and skinniest, moved.

He timidly stretched out a dirty little hand and gently tugged at the corner of Gu Changan's clothes.

Gu Changan looked down at him.

The little boy sniffed, and tears washed two white marks on his dusty face.

"Police Uncle..."

The little boy's voice was choked with sobs, hoarse and severe: "I want to go home... I want to eat burgers... I want to drink cola... The steamed buns here are too hard, like stones, I can't bite them no matter how I try... Wuwuwu..."

This cry was like opening the floodgates.

"I want to go home too! I want my mom!"

"I want to play Honor of Kings! I don't want to memorize that mantra every day!"

"I'm hungry... I want to eat braised pork..."

For a moment, the originally silent crowd erupted with various cries. All the "immortal demeanor," all the "detachment from the world," were shattered at this moment by the children's most instinctive and real hunger and desire to go home.

What immortality, what Golden Core Dao, at this moment, was not as real as a hot burger.

Gu Changan's heart ached. He stood up, his eyes shooting at Xiao Aotian like knives.

"Did you hear that? Is this the great Opportunity you gave?"

Gu Changan grabbed a so-called "Bigu Pill" from a broken basket nearby—it was actually a dried-out, hard black steamed bun with grass clippings on it.

He threw the black bun directly at Xiao Aotian's feet.

"You call this thing Cultivate resource? Pigs would find this too hard to eat!"

Xiao Aotian looked at the rolling black bun, and his old face flushed red for once.

"That... that is to temper their Heart-Nature! When heaven is about to place a great burden on a man, it must first frustrate his spirit, exhaust his muscles and bones..."

Xiao Aotian was still quibbling, but he was actually bleeding inside.

The System's exchange mall did have Advanced spiritual rice and spiritual meat, but it was too expensive!

All his points were used to exchange for that flashy mountain protection array and to build these magnificent palaces. To maintain the operation of the "Sect," he had to be extremely stingy with food.

After all, the System task only required recruiting Disciple, it didn't say he had to raise them to be plump and healthy.

In his view, as long as they didn't starve to death and could Cultivate, it was fine.

"Screw your Heart-Nature!"

Gu Changan couldn't help but curse. He bent down and picked up the little boy who had just cried.

The child was very light, so light that it shocked Gu Changan. This was not an eleven or twelve-year-old child; his weight was not even as much as a well-fed Golden Retriever in the city.

Gu Changan felt that he was not holding a person, but a skeleton wrapped in thin skin.

Fury surged and burned in his chest, eventually turning into the coldest verdict.

He stared at Xiao Aotian and said word by word:

"Xiao Aotian, I thought you were just a chuunibyou patient who built illegal structures and promoted feudal superstition. But now it seems I underestimated your evil."

"Suspected of child abduction."

"Abuse of minors."

"Illegal school operation."

"Organizing and utilizing superstitious Sects and cult organizations to undermine the implementation of the law."

Gu Changan every time Gu Changan stated a charge, he took a step forward, and the Aura on his body pressed Xiao Aotian until he couldn't breathe.

"You didn't just get into trouble; you are in big trouble."

"The parents of these children have been looking for them like crazy! I'm afraid many names in the national missing children database can be matched here!"

Xiao Aotian's face was pale, but he still refused to admit defeat, shouting hysterically: "That is their Opportunity! They are voluntary! I used the 'Soul-Bewitching Spell'... No, I used the 'Inspirational Spell', they truly wanted to follow me to Cultivate!"

"Soul-Bewitching Spell, right? Excellent, intentional injury and illegal detention can also be added."

Gu Changan interrupted him coldly and turned to order Chen Xiaobei: "Notify the local Education Bureau, Civil Affairs Bureau, and hospitals. It's too cold on this mountain. Send the children down first, and everyone must undergo a comprehensive physical examination and psychological assessment."

"Yes!" Chen Xiaobei immediately took out his walkie-talkie and started calling for support.

Down the mountain, sirens sounded again, and this time they were more intense than before.

Several buses and ambulances flashed blue lights, winding up along the dirt road just opened by the engineering troops.

Medical staff and Education Bureau staff in plain clothes rushed to the scene, holding blankets and hot milk, and began to comfort the frightened children.

Watching the children gulping down the hot milk, Xiao Aotian was still shouting unwillingly: "Don't drink that! Milk is a turbid substance! It will block the Meridians! It will destroy the Dao foundation! You stupid Mortals, you are destroying the future Immortal Emperor!"

Gu Changan found him noisy and signaled the Special Police to give him a "gag package"—a piece of special tape.

"Make him shut up."

After dealing with the children's matters, Gu Changan did not breathe a sigh of relief.

His gaze turned to the building in the ruins that still had half a wall standing.

On the broken plaque, the three words "Preaching Pavilion" could be vaguely seen.

That was where Xiao Aotian stored the "Cultivation Technique."

"Since it's running a school, we have to check the textbooks." Gu Changan straightened his collar and said to the Education Bureau leader beside him, "Director Li, shall we go and take a look at the teaching syllabus this 'Old Ancestor' compiled for the children?"

Director Li of the Education Bureau was a man in his fifties. He had been trembling with anger looking at those thin children. Hearing Gu Changan's words, he pushed his glasses, his face livid: "Check! Must strictly investigate! I want to see what kind of 'poisonous textbooks' can teach good children into this state!"