“Those who will enter my gate, who receives my teachings, have to abide by three divine commands. Light violations will result in forfeiting their teachings and being chased out of the school, heavy violations will result in forfeiting one’s life!”
“One, to not kill. More importantly, do not kill indiscriminately and do not kill cruelly. This ‘kill’ includes not only human beings, but all living creatures such as plants, animals, and insects.”
“Two, to not waste. When one wastes food or item, it is equal to indiscriminate killing.”
“Three, to not betray. Revere the Primordial God and your teacher. Be united with your fellow students and never turn against your brothers.”
Yan Mo only made three commands and stopped there. It’s simple, easy to remember and can easily spread to the whole tribe.
These three commands didn’t seem like much, but it will be a challenge to uphold them when the individual’s grown stronger. Especially the second rule against wasting.
The tribesmen didn’t have that much thought about these commands at this point of time. They thought that the commands sounded strict, but it’s not that hard to uphold it.
Everyone in the tribe, even those not studying under Yan Mo, felt that they needed to etch the three commands in their hearts because it was from the Primordial God. After all, the three divine commands clearly stated that everyone who had received the priest’s knowledge had to abide by it. In the tribe where everyone shared their knowledge with each other, who hadn’t ever learnt something that came from the priest?
Later, they learnt that people who violated the commands will be punished according to the tribe rules and tried by the judging body. And interestingly, they subconsciously thought the nine rules of the tribe was god’s expectations and commands to them, communicated to them through the priest’s mouth. Thus the people of the tribe seem to have higher regard to the nine rules than before.
Not even Yan Mo could have expected that publishing the rules of apprenticeship in the name of Primordial God would bring him such benefit. It made him realise again just to what extent the primitive people revere their gods.
No wonder people of the ancient times would always connect anything and everything to the gods and demons. This fear of the supernaturals might be something that exist within the human gene, since it still applied to modern people. Science permeated everything in the modern days, but how many people can truly say they don’t believe and aren’t scared of gods and demons? Most people had a ‘better safe than sorry’ mentality and would be respectful, not wanting to offend them.
With this new realisation, Yan Mo would then carry on to cling tight to Primordial God’s name, even if the Primordial God in his mind is different from the Primordial God in other people’s mind.
But that’s all in the future. Right now, Meng and the two little kids listened to the three commands and declared they would uphold it and would not do things contrary to it.
Yuan Zhan also declared that he would uphold the three commands. Even the Lord Chief had said that, how can the other three have a different answer?
It goes without saying Wu Chen agreed to the rules, all the little kids knelt down together.
Yan Mo had a solemn expression, “Though you will learn the knowledge of Primordial God from me in the future, you are not my disciple. Only Wu Chen is. You can only be called my students. When my students make mistakes, they will be judged and punished following the tribe rules. I will handle the punishment for my disciples!” — even if it’ll cost me my scum points.
Wu Chen pursed his lips and his small fists clenched tightly, telling himself to never make mistakes.
Ye Xing and Sa Yu peeked at Wu Chen, so jealous they wanted to pounce at him and bite him. He gets to be punished by Lord Priest himself… that’s so nice!
Yes, their faith and respect towards Yan Mo had reached a point where their brain gets crooked.
“Mo, what do I need to do to become your disciple?” Meng said this with a very serious face.
This is a question Yan Mo will definitely have to answer a lot from now on, so he already had an answer prepared, “Pass my test.”
“What test?”
“Moral character and ability, the person has to have both.”
“Moral character?” Meng didn’t understand this word. Everyone else also perked up their ears.
This is the first time Yan Mo used this term. “Moral character means characteristics favoured by the Primordial God. Ability is the condition to receiving the knowledge passed down from Primordial God. No matter how strong someone is, they can’t be my disciple if they have a bad moral character. Even if they are my own family, I can’t and won’t pass them the god’s knowledge to them.”
How does the fox rule over the pack of wolves? You’ll want to control them but not tame them to the point they become a flock of sheep.
What you need is muzzle and shackle to restrict their actions.
The concept of ‘moral character’ is a shackle to their mind and thoughts.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Take parents who want their kids to treat them well, for example. They will teach their kids: You have to respect your parents, respect your elders, you have to be filial, you have to listen to your parents, and so on so forth.
When these kids grow up and have their own kids, these demands will not only get repeated, but will also grow. Those who doesn’t follow these rules will be despised and rejected by the group.
Similar to this is the code of brotherhood and comradeship promoted by the warriors. Never turn your back on your brother, leave no one behind, loyalty to your companions, remember your history, love and protect your own, and death to your enemies.
People in one family, school, clan, or tribe would focus on wanting members that are united, diligent and hardworking, and everyone must adhere to various rules.
Life might be going along well even before the concept of ‘moral’ is made known. But once it was known and people find out the benefit of being moral, the rational part of the group will start to think:
I learned it. I followed the rules. Why aren’t you following it?
How can you stay a savage like that, when I’ve become this ‘good’ person?
Follow it! You too have to follow the moral from now on! Everyone must strive to become the good person that god favoured!
The following events proved that Yan Mo’s prediction was right. After he told Meng and the kids what made someone a morally good person, the concept of morality quickly spread to the tribe. The moral virtues would become deeply rooted in the tribe, and spread out when A’wu people discover that they would benefit greatly if other people also abide by and possessed these moral virtues.
Who knows what Meng was thinking, but he had set his mind on becoming Yan Mo’s disciple.
Surprisingly, Yuan Zhan didn’t disapprove.
Yan Mo wanted to refuse at first, but then he thought, if Meng becomes his disciple… won’t Meng’s big brother, Lie, become his junior too?
Heh heh. That doesn’t seem so bad?
Yan Mo actually knew that their tribe will inevitably have some relations with the Yuanji people.
Before, they had to do their best to survive, neither Yuan Zhan nor Meng can get people from Yuanji even if they wanted to. But now, Yuan Zhan had become level 4 warrior and their city was beginning to make shape. Now that they are living comfortably, there’s no way the two of them would leave their clansmen behind. Even if you ignore the old priest’s Heiyuan clan, there was still Zhan’s Xirang clan and Meng’s Feisha clan. Zhan would definitely bring these two clans over in the future.
Jiuyuan also needed more workers.
“It’s not that I can’t take you as my disciple. We have known each other for so long and you seem to really want this.” Yan Mo warmly smiled, then gave Meng a rather easy question to solve. The catch was that Meng had to help him with human research after he gets blessed and has studied the beginner training method.
Yan Mo naturally wouldn’t give the guide reason to punish him. He said to Meng: “Aren’t you trying to be my disciple just because you’re envious of Ah Zhan and Wu Chen? Don’t deny it, I’ll make Ah Zhan beat you up.”
Meng had a silly smile on and admitted it without shame, “You really know me, Mo!”
Ye Xing and Sa Yu snickered while Wu Chen tried his best to hold his laughter in. Yuan Zhan seemed to be focusing on his other thoughts rather than the conversations of people around him.
Yan Mo could do nothing to Meng’s brazenness, “But, I have to tell you that your body’s condition is different from Ah Zhan and Wu Chen. You have less god’s blood. I have to do some tests to wake your ability. This goes against the will of the Primordial God, which means the process will be longer and more painful compared to others, it might not even succeed… do you still want it?”
Meng didn’t even take a second, he immediately nodded and shouted out loud, “Yes! No matter how painful, I can take it!”
“Alright. If you can endure this pain, someday you will become my disciple, just like Wu Chen.” Yan Mo gave himself a big thumbs up. Nice. Test subject for acupuncture practice, check! This is Meng’s own initiative, and it really is for Meng’s benefit. What other problem can the guide nitpick with him now?
Ye Xing and Sa Yu looked at each other. They looked like they wanted to take this chance to put themselves forward again. But then Yan Mo glanced at them, seemingly with no other meaning, and the two brats quieted down.
That’s how things concluded that day. After Yan Mo taught them the first move in the beginner training method, he blessed them one by one.
Consecutively blessing three people at once caused Yan Mo’s half-white hair to turn completely white.
The three of them felt moved beyond words, but that’s not the point of the story. Four days after that, Yan Mo was carried out of the tent by four guards on a lined wooden chair, like he was the king of outlaws.
A’wu people were shocked to see him in this way!
Firstly because it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a chair. The word ‘chair’ was even taught by Wu Chen and the kids.
Secondly, it was the first time they knew that people can actually be carried to go to other places.
Thirdly, and most importantly, Lord Priest on the chair looked completely different than usual. He was wearing a fur coat and had a withdrawn expression. His short hair white as snow, his eyes staring far ahead, and his weathered face, everything made him seem not of this world. He was like the deities in legends.
Of course they wouldn’t be using that specific words to describe their Lord Priest, but their in limited imagination, they felt that the current Yan Mo was just like the gods.
Seeing the current Yan Mo made them want to kneel down as soon as they see him.
But actually…
The pristine coat was brushed neatly by Ye Xing and Sa Yu, who fought over the chance to do it. In addition to that he got Wu Chen to boil water for him and washed himself clean in the four days he spent in the tent.
His ‘deep gaze’ was because the sun was hitting him directly in the eyes and he had to squint. As for a withdrawn disposition… who can still be cheerful after being turned into a small old man? a disabled small old man, at that.
Yan Mo told the four guards to put him down, but, either because Yuan Zhan had told them not to or they wanted to express how much they love their Lord Priest, or simply because it’s new and fun, the guards insisted to keep the chair on their shoulders.
And that was how Yan Mo was carried up above everyone on their first meeting since the incident.
“Lord Priest!” The old shaman was the first to rush to the front.
“Lord! Why are you…” Wu Qing wanted to ask the question for old shaman, but he was scared off by Yan Mo’s fully white hair. He had been learning alongside the other kids and can now speak in simple Jiuyuan.
The rest of A’wu people started to gather, they would usually gather around and do their chores near the stone stele. They can sit with everyone and bask in the sun at the same time, and if anything happens in the tribe, they would immediately know.
Currently spinning the flax with others, Dofie rejoiced inwardly when she saw Yan Mo’s appearance. She had taken some life force again so that she can have some mobility back, but fortunately she had looked for a secluded place and only took a small amount of it. These people’s priest had become a white-haired teenager after blessing them, if she had recklessly sucked in the surrounding life force to look young again, A’wu people would definitely driven her out of the tribe now.
Yan Mo came out today to bless the people who were affected seriously by the reaping last time, and reward Shi Dong and Mu Changming. Aside from that, he wanted to teach the tribesmen the benefits of the wild herbs and medicinal herbs, and encourage them to gather the herbs and look for the plants that he had drawn.
The spring is here, a time when life blooms back after winter. It was more dangerous to go outside, but they have better chances of surviving too.
They have to start to save up and prepare for the next and all future winters.
Evidently it’s not just Yan Mo who had this thought.
“Chief!” Da Ze went to the brick making site with another warrior in tow. Yuan Zhan had taken warriors who wasn’t hunting and guarding to make large amounts of bricks. Yuan Zhan was currently stirring the mixture for bricks with his power while half-naked.
“What is it?” He turned his head.
Yuan Zhan’s tall stature and bulging muscles was quite intimidating, that Da Ze didn’t dare get too close to him.
“Chief, Leader Meng was on patrol and told me to deliver a message, he said it’s urgent.” Da Ze retreated and let the warrior behind him report it.
The warrior wasn’t too well-versed in Jiuyuan language, so he can only say simple sentences. “Near river, outside city, small people.”
Yuan Zhan’s hand halted. “Small people? Is it the small monsters that attacked us before?”
The warrior and Da Ze didn’t understand the words, “small monsters” and had a blank face in response.
Yuan Zhan immediately turned around, “Go, to the river!”
”
”
Far off to the north, in a grand castle on the other side of Father-God mountain.
A tall and long haired man was listening to his subordinate’s report.
“Lord, we have searched the wilderness all winter, but we still can’t find her highness.”
“Keep searching.”
“Yes, lord.” After receiving the order, he hesitated.
The tall man asked in a deep voice: “Anything else?”
The subordinate bit his lips. “Lord, the other side of the Father-God mountain is a vast territory with barbarians and beasts. We have no way of finding the princess in a short amount of time with just a few of us. Lord, can you ask the Priest if he can give us the precise location of the princess? Even just a general direction.”
The tall man looked at his subordinate without saying anything, then said again, “This is no longer your task, summon Felitt to me.”
“Lord?!”
“Leave!”
“Yes…” The subordinate retreated in cold sweat. He didn’t know what he did wrong. Was he not supposed to suggest the lord go consult the priest, or…?
But he thought again, it might be quicker for Felitt to go look for her highness. After all, that guy can fly.
Padam: Sorry for the long wait, I really didn’t mean to not-update. There’s so much going on IRL and I couldn’t find the time to finish it along with the edits. I’ll make it up during the holidays! Write me a comment if there’s an issue with the chapters, updates will continue as scheduled.
If you want to know what happened:
…
At one point, I was looking for apartments, which made me run around
I was so sure I would get one!!
but it fell through so now I’m stuck far far away from my uni…
the commute is a bit awkward… I wake up at 4 past, right? but I get to my school at 8.
Uncovered my student perks while other paperworks in uni hit me along with the assignments 
I got really anxious because I feel like I’m constantly running but still late. On top of it I was also job hunting because I need money for food and gas, and whatnot
It took me a long time to organise my life together so I can sleep, do my work, go to my lectures, still eat well and keep myself and my place reasonably clean
Again, I feel really sorry this has taken so long to update!! It wasn’t my intention, I don’t want to drop this or delay the chapters because I’m aware of the size of the novel… btw I haven’t paid attention to most things, idk what’s new with the novel lock thing now… I’ll just pray I’m not in trouble…
Thank you for the chapter! I hope everything goes well in life for you
Ugh, this Dofie is such a trouble magnet.
Thank you for the chapter! And I totally get your student-life struggles. I hope you’re doing well now and stay healthy both physically and mentally!💕
Thank you for the update! I have read Banished before and now I’m reading it again here with a better translation of which I am grateful.
Your irl is also important so take care of yourself.
Take care of yourself first, don’t worry about updating if you need the time. I hope things will get better for you soon.
I hope things go well for you from now on, please take care of yourself :3 Nevertheless, I’m very happy you are able to continue the translation of this novel, I love it so much
Thanks for the update I was really waiting for it🎉
Thank you for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter
Thank u very much for this chapter!!
Please take care of yourself first! When u aren’t stressed or tired u can work on this. There’s no rush, I’m grateful to read whenever u can update.