Chapter 253 - 251: Blood Contract Gourd

The mission I completed in the Noon Realm awarded a "Family Heirloom," which was one of the most valuable rewards from the main quest line.

At the time, Yang Shen had been worried he’d get something particularly heavy or large, so he had put off checking it until he returned to Jianghuai.

’I wonder what kind of Marvel of Heaven and Earth it’ll be this time...’

Yang Shen opened the system.

"Family Name: Jianghuai Yang Family (Martial Arts Gate)"

"Martial Arts Gate: When equipped, increases clan members’ understanding and Comprehension of Martial Arts. They become particularly adept at passing various assessments and selections. It also somewhat increases the attention the clan receives from official mortal world factions."

"Family Reputation: 2331"

(You have become the most dazzling young genius in your Mortal Realm in recent years. Your family’s power grows daily, and many have pledged their service to you. The name of the Jianghuai Yang Family is gradually becoming well-known. Please continue to develop your family, increasing its strength and reputation.)

"Main Quest: Increase Family Reputation to 1000 (2331/1000). Complete."

"Quest Reward: One random Family Heirloom (Claimable)."

Back in the Noon Realm, there had been two main quests active. At that time, his family’s reputation was just over 2000 points.

Four or five days had passed, and it had risen by another 300-plus points.

This was actually a small increase. After all, the commotion Yang Shen had caused on Harmony Island was done in his personal capacity. With the multinational joint development of the Exotic Realm under militarized management, it was difficult for his contributions to be linked to any specific family.

However, after some time, once the personnel on Harmony Island were rotated out and dispersed, he expected a real surge. Anyone interested in him could find out about the "Jianghuai Yang Family" with a simple background check.

Now that he had completed the quest with a huge surplus, he figured he could complete the next reputation-based quest just as easily.

Yang Shen closed the window in his room, then silently thought, ’Claim.’

The next moment, a shimmering ball of light appeared before him, just like the previous times.

Having seen the Gate of the Exotic Realm, Yang Shen couldn’t help but compare the two. He ultimately concluded they were nothing alike. The Gate of the Exotic Realm was enormous, a doorway that looked like constantly swirling dyes, whereas this was just a sphere overflowing with Spiritual Light.

Yang Shen no longer hesitated. He reached his hand in and touched something.

’It’s very light, and not very big.’

’If I’d known, I would have taken it out in the Noon Realm and had some fun with it...’

He yanked it out. The ball of light instantly dissipated, and an object appeared in his hand:

It was a "gourd."

It was about forty centimeters tall and smooth all over, but its surface was covered in light red patterns.

The patterns seemed naturally formed, yet their complex curves and exquisite angles also looked as if they had been carved by hand.

Other than that, there was nothing special about it... ’This is the most ’ordinary’ Family Heirloom I’ve received so far...’

But when Yang Shen infused it with Spiritual Power and learned its name, he no longer dared to underestimate it.

Its name was: the Blood Contract Gourd.

This gourd was one of the Marvels of Heaven and Earth.

The owner could use Spiritual Power to carve "rules" onto its surface. The Blood Contract Gourd would then automatically absorb the text’s content, supplemented by the owner’s mental interpretation, to form the basis of a "Blood Contract."

After that, others could drip a drop of their fresh blood into the gourd to establish a "Blood Contract."

Prerequisite: The person dripping their blood must be clearly aware of the "rules" and must do so voluntarily. Otherwise, the blood will simply hover at the gourd’s mouth, unable to fall.

Once the blood falls, the Blood Contract is formed.

The Blood Contract acts upon the Divine Soul. When a Blood Contractor violates the rules—even if they are ten thousand miles away, hidden in a dark room, and completely unknown to anyone—they will suffer a backlash from the contract and experience immense pain in their Divine Soul.

If they do not stop immediately and feel remorse, this pain will not cease. It will only grow more severe until they perish in body and soul.

Could some legendary figure resist it? It was hard to say, but according to the Blood Contract Gourd’s own description, the pain was enough to create a state where one could neither live nor die.

At the same time, the owner of the Blood Contract Gourd would also sense it and have a rough idea of who had caused the problem.

This was the fundamental ability of the Blood Contract Gourd.

Furthermore, the "rules" engraved on the Blood Contract Gourd were not permanent; they could be modified. However, every modification had to be known to all "Blood Contractors." They could not be changed in secret, or the original Blood Contracts would all become void.

Of course, you could also intentionally change them in secret to update the "rules," actively abandoning the constraints on marginal contractors to establish a new Blood Contract on your own.

Only one version of the rules could be in effect at any given time.

It was an exceptionally strange treasure. Its abilities weren’t aimed at the family, but its appearance as a "Family Heirloom" made its purpose obvious.

It was meant to ensure the family members’ loyalty to the family.

Of course, in theory, it could also be a supreme tool for an evil cultivator to control people’s minds.

Although its mechanism was filled with strict requirements for "informed consent" and "voluntary participation."

But frankly, when a gun is pointed at someone’s head... you can guarantee they’ll be both "informed" and "willing."

The Blood Contract Gourd only cared about its own rules; it wouldn’t interfere with the law of the jungle in the outside world.

If he were more ruthless, Yang Shen could very well inscribe something like: "Be a slave for eternity; never betray me."

Then he could find people far weaker than himself, hold a knife to their throats, and force them to drip their blood.

If they wanted to live, they would be "willing" enough.

If the first drop wasn’t voluntary, chop off two fingers. The next drop would be.

It was practically the cultivation version of a "Demon Contract."

Of course, that would make him no different from those Rebel Species vermin. They used Gu Insects to harm and control countless ordinary people, devouring them whole until not even bone fragments remained.

As a model student of the new era, Yang Shen disdained such methods. Besides, it wouldn’t benefit his family’s development.

If the Clan Leader adopted such a style, it was guaranteed that the entire family would be led astray over time.

His younger brothers and sisters would all turn into Little Demonesses and Little Demons...

Therefore, in Yang Shen’s hands, it was best to prioritize its use for "family loyalty."

The moment he saw its effects, Yang Shen already had a rough idea.

He had always believed that what sustained a family was emotional bonds, not blood ties.

But whether it was emotion or blood, the ultimate goal was to ensure loyalty and stability.

Not loyalty to him, Yang Shen, but loyalty to the family. Yang Shen was merely the Patriarch, who had the legitimacy to implement his ideas.

He trusted his current family members, including his few core disciples. But the family couldn’t grow with just this small group of people. In the future, with the next generation and the generation after that, there was no guarantee that every child would be a good one.

If they were unlucky, the family might be full of people who were parents in name only, while the home was actually full of traitors and fools.

The Blood Contract Gourd had come at the perfect time. Its significance was immense!

He placed the gourd on the table, took out a pen and paper, and began to formulate the rules...

’Since the punishment for breaking the contract is severe, it’s best not to include any ambiguous content.’

’For example, the moral exhortations in the Yang Clan’s rules. If I wrote those in, they’d be too vague. A rule like ’be loving and respectful to your siblings’ should never be part of a Blood Contract. What if someone just gets into a playful fight?’

’If I need a Blood Contract to ensure even the emotional bonds between clan members, that would be pathetic. Besides, the gourd’s judgment mechanism is unclear, so I shouldn’t take the risk.’

Yang Shen’s thoughts grew clearer. He wrote down a few points on the paper that he considered most important and had clear boundaries.

First: Cultivation Techniques must not be passed on to outsiders or leaked.

Second: Do not betray the family. Do not secretly harm or kill fellow members. Sparring and official punishments do not count.

Third: Do not line one’s own pockets at the family’s expense.

After a moment’s thought, Yang Shen crossed out the third rule.

’Lining one’s own pockets is also a very vague concept. For example, if someone is out on business, accepts a small gift, and acts with a bit of flexibility, it doesn’t mean they’ve betrayed the family. Elevating the ’Blood Contract’ to the standard of a ’Saint’ would only lead to fewer and fewer useful people in the family...’

Some things could be managed with real-world rules; there was no need to use the Blood Contract Gourd. After all, the backlash from the contract was terrifying. If an ambiguous rule was triggered unintentionally, it would only breed resentment.

’I should only use it for the most esoteric matters. Naturally, ’Cultivation Techniques must not be passed on’ is the most important. If someone triggers that, they’re truly asking for death, and there’s no room for misjudgment.’

Having it stolen or something similar wouldn’t count.

After some more thought, Yang Shen wrote a new third rule: When the family is in peril, one must not turn a blind eye.

’This will do for now. It’s not like I can’t change it later, and there aren’t many people yet.’

The more complex the rules, the more likely problems will arise. If I discover issues after implementing them for a while, I can just make adjustments.

If necessary, as the owner, Yang Shen could also use the Blood Contract Gourd to release someone from their Blood Contract.

Yang Shen picked up the "Blood Contract Gourd" again. Using his finger as a brush, he released a stream of Spiritual Qi and, following the method provided by the gourd itself, wrote the text on its surface.

Normally, without a special technique, Spiritual Qi itself isn’t ink and wouldn’t leave a mark. But the Blood Contract Gourd was different. As the Spiritual Qi swept over it, text naturally appeared.

There weren’t many words. It was done in a moment, and the writing then faded back into the surface, becoming completely invisible. However, it had already extracted the interpretation of the rules from Yang Shen’s Divine Thought.

As for "informed" and "voluntary," that would mostly rely on Yang Shen, as the Patriarch, to explain the terms verbally. The gourd would then judge for itself whether the person dripping their blood met the requirements.

Yang Shen tossed the Blood Contract Gourd in his hand. It felt heavy, as if full to the brim, yet there was no liquid inside.

It was as if it held the very rules of a family.

’In a couple of days, I’ll find a suitable opportunity to organize a ceremony.’

He already had an idea. As long as he made progress on another matter, this would be a natural next step!

’Named Disciples and Ordinary Staff can be excluded. Only core members need to establish a Blood Contract, since only core members will come into contact with the secrets of our Cultivation Techniques.’

’With this, the ever-increasing number of the Yang Family’s Secret Techniques will have a foundation for inheritance. I could even pass down Cultivation Techniques...’