With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

While Lin Ye was busy arranging resources, rallying people's hearts, and supervising martial arts, the situation was quite different for Tian Han and his sister.

Two days after parting ways with Lin Ye outside the city, Tian Han and his sister went their separate ways with Zhao Cheng. Zhao Cheng was going to the west of the city, while Tian Han took his sister Tian Yu back to Xiang County.

Their family lived in the east of the city. Although they couldn't compare to the powerful Lin family, who owned fortified villages and fertile fields, they were still a well-known restaurant family in the county, and they never had to worry about food or drink.

Tian Han's father is the younger brother of the current head of the Tian family. In terms of seniority, Tian Han can be considered a "young master" in the clan. He went to the sword sect to learn martial arts five years ago, and now he has returned, which really has the feel of "returning home in glory".

"It's been five years since I've been back, and I can finally taste the food from our restaurant again!" Tian Han rubbed his hands as he walked. "I've been craving the braised carp, braised pork hock, and three-delicacy soup from the restaurant..."

"Let's go up to the private room on the third floor first. I want to have a good meal and let the chef know that Young Master Tian is back!"

Tian Yu followed behind, but keenly noticed something was amiss; the streets of the county town were much quieter than they had been five years ago.

The peddlers who used to roam the streets and alleys, and the vendors who hawked sugar figurines, are now rarely seen; the only occasional abandoned shops on the roadside have crooked doors, torn window paper, and a musty smell of desolation.

As the two walked to the east entrance of the city, they could see the signboard of Tianjia Restaurant in the distance. The black plaque with gold characters and three-story flying eaves and upturned corners was one of the most impressive in a small county town like Xiangxian.

But upon closer inspection, it became clear that although the waiter standing at the entrance was still wearing his brand-new uniform, his shouts were listless, exuding a sense of dejection. Few people were coming or going, a stark contrast to the restaurant he remembered.

The two entered the restaurant amidst the shouts of the waiter.

In my memory, there were more than twenty square tables, but now only three or four tables are occupied by guests. The dishes on the tables are bland, with some consisting of just a dish of peanuts and half a pot of turbid wine. They are too lazy to even touch their chopsticks.

Upon seeing this, Tian Han and his sister froze.

Just then, a young man in a silk robe came out from the back room. Upon seeing Tian Han and his sister, his eyes lit up. "Brother Han, Sister Yu?"

Tian Han looked up, both surprised and delighted. "It's my older brother! It's me, Tian Han! We're back!"

"Oh my, it really is you guys!" The young man rushed over and grabbed Tian Han's arm.

"Hurry up, come upstairs! I've prepared a feast for you! You haven't gone home yet, have you? Eat your fill first before you go back!" he said, turning back to shout towards the back hall.

"Xiao Wang, go and bring up the braised carp from the private room on the third floor. Brother Han hasn't been back for five years; he needs to taste the flavors of home!"

Tian Han didn't move, but his heart skipped a beat. This man was his elder brother, Tian Mao, the only son of the Tian family patriarch, five years older than him. He never expected that he would be the manager of a restaurant now.

He couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why are you the manager? Why is business so bad at the restaurant?"

Tian Mao's smile faded slightly as he gazed at the deserted street below.

"Alas, ever since Xiang County suffered from war five years ago, coupled with the increase in monsters in the past two years, people in the city are filled with fear. The wealthy households and merchants have either moved to the neighboring county or simply closed their shops and gone into hiding."

The remaining ordinary people are tightening their belts to survive; who can afford to eat out?

"At the beginning of last month, the entire restaurant only earned thirty taels of silver. You do the math. Just the monthly wages of the waiters, the rent, the purchase of ingredients—all of these cost money. We're almost unable to pay the waiters' monthly wages."

The family business is almost failing. Of the three restaurants we used to own, only this one is still open. A couple of years ago, my father resigned as manager and made me take over. The rest of the family are all finding their own ways to make a living now.

Tian Han felt a heavy weight in his heart. He recalled that when he left home five years ago, the Tian family was a well-known "restaurant family" in Xiang County, with three restaurants that were always full, and reservations had to be made half a month in advance for holidays. Now, however, only one restaurant remained, and it was deserted.

"Let's go home first. We need to see our parents and uncles soon. I miss them too," Tian Han said.

Tian Mao could also see that the siblings weren't very interested. "Alright, you two go back first, I'll leave later."

That day, Lin Ye was practicing the Shadow Spear in the training ground when a clansman came to report that Tian Han and his sister had arrived.

Lin Ye put away his gun and quickly walked to the gate of the fortress. In the distance, he saw Tian Han and Tian Yu each riding a horse, standing in front of the gate, their eyes fixed on the tribesmen who were planting and tending to the spiritual plants in the distance, their expressions somewhat lost in thought.

"You're here. How's things at home?" Lin Ye greeted them, her tone full of concern.

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Han and his sister's expressions changed slightly, and they said with a hint of guilt, "Steward, we have something to report, and we hope you can help us out."

"What is it? I'll help if I can." Lin Ye looked at the two of them with some confusion.

"Brother, just say it, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Tian Yu said impatiently.

"Steward, we discussed this with our family when we returned home this time. We hope to lead the entire family to follow you, not just the two of us, but the entire Tian family, to become a vassal family of the Lin family."

"Become a vassal family? Did your uncle agree? Did something happen to the family?" Lin Ye asked, somewhat surprised.

"Sir, as you know, our family runs a restaurant, but with the state of Xiang County these days, who still goes to restaurants to eat? The family has lost its income, the clansmen have lost their livelihoods, and everyone is trying to make a living on their own. People's hearts are slowly falling apart."

Therefore, we persuaded our uncle to come and join you, to follow your lead and develop the family. This way, the clan can stay together and find a way out. Otherwise, if people's hearts are scattered, the family will fall apart, and everyone will go their separate ways, making life even harder in this world.

"Has the county town become this desolate? How many of you are there?" Lin Ye pressed.

"More than fifty members of the Tian clan have had their former servants dismissed, and some disloyal members of the Tian family have also left. Now only family members remain."

"Fifty-odd people isn't too many; the fortified village can accommodate them. Since you've already decided, come on over. As you can see, the Lin family is short-handed right now, so having everyone together will provide mutual support," Lin Ye replied.

"Then I'll go back now and tell the family the good news. We'll start moving immediately. Tian Yu, you stay here with the young master." After Tian Han finished speaking, he turned to his sister and instructed her.

Seeing that Tian Han had changed his form of address and was still a little reserved, Lin Ye chuckled and teased, "Then, little maid Tian Yu, you can stay and serve the young master."

"Hahaha..." The three of them laughed at the same time, and the awkwardness they felt when talking about vassals just now immediately dissipated in the laughter.

On this day, a series of horse neighing sounds suddenly rang out in the alley where the Tian family lived in the east of the county town.

Neighbors from near and far peeked out and saw more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages parked in the alley, with members of the Tian clan busily loading things onto the carriages, carrying large and small bags.

Boxes, bedding, pots and pans, and even the large water vat in the corner of the yard that had been used for many years were all steadily lifted onto the cart by several strong laborers.

When familiar neighbors came up to inquire, they learned that the Tian family was moving. They heard that they had rented a carriage from a caravan company. As for where they were moving to, the Tian family only vaguely said "southwards," without specifying whether they were going to the prefectural city or the neighboring Yun County.

In recent years, Xiang County has been in decline. We've seen many large households move away and smaller households disperse. The neighbors are used to it and just stand at the alley entrance muttering, "Another family has left... This alley is getting more and more deserted."

Someone sighed, "The Tian family runs a restaurant, after all, but even they can't hold on anymore." Another person chimed in, "It's good that they can move away; it's better than being trapped here starving."

After saying this, the crowd shook their heads and dispersed, leaving only the sound of horses' hooves and the creaking of wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs, mixed with the last wisp of smoke rising from the alley, as if bidding farewell to this old resident.

In the distance, more than ten carriages slowly approached, with Uncle Lin Qiang leading a guard team composed of Lin Hu and several other young clansmen closely following on both sides of the convoy.

Tian Han rode back first to report that the Tian family had arrived. Lin Ye had been leading the clan's stewards and warriors to guard the gate of the fortress since early morning. This was the first time the Lin family had formally accepted a vassal from another clan, so they had to show their sincerity.

As the caravan approached, the leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a slightly worn silk shirt. Upon seeing Lin Ye waiting at the door, he hurriedly dismounted and ran over with a humble smile on his face.

Lin Ye knew that this was Tian Han's uncle, Tian Liang, the current head of the Tian family. Although he was down on his luck, he still retained the shrewdness of the restaurant manager from back then.

"We've kept you waiting, young master!" Tian Liang approached, bowed deeply, and lowered his posture considerably. "Thank you for taking in our Tian family of over fifty people. From now on, we are your vassals. If you say east, we would never dare to go west!"

Lin Ye quickly stepped forward and grasped his hand. "Master Tian, ​​you're too kind. According to seniority, I should address you as 'Uncle' like Tian Han did. Have all the things been moved over?"

"Young Master, you wouldn't dare call me that!" Tian Liang quickly waved his hand.

"We came here as vassals, and you will be our head from now on. Alas, after decades of hard work, from three restaurants to just a dozen or so carriages, we have truly failed our ancestors," he said, his voice choked with emotion.

Just as Lin Ye was about to say a few words of comfort, Tian Liang suddenly straightened up and took out a wooden box from his pocket. "This old man has a small gift here. It's a few Qi-Nourishing Pills that I saved up years ago. I've never been willing to use them. Now I'm offering them to you, young master, as a token of my appreciation."

Lin Qiang stepped forward and took the box, inside which were five dark red pills neatly arranged. He looked up and said, "Young Master, these are Qi-Nourishing Pills, a foundation-strengthening pill commonly used by third-rate martial artists. There are five of them."

Lin Ye remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed. The Qi Cultivation Pill wasn't particularly precious; it couldn't help one break through realms, but it could nourish vital energy and solidify one's foundation. For third-rate martial artists, they could gradually accumulate it through hard work, although it would take much longer.

But right now, what Lin Ye lacks most is time!

He was eager to improve his cultivation so that he could challenge the Dao soldiers and manifest the nest as soon as possible. With one more Qi-Nourishing Pill, he could save ten or fifteen days of waiting and obtain his fiefdom a day earlier, which would make a big difference.

Although the sword sect provided resources, it did not have any Daoist soldiers' nests that knew how to refine pills, and pills were always in short supply, so there were no pills among the resources; as for the others, it didn't matter to me.

These five pills are a godsend.

"This gift is too generous." Lin Ye accepted the pills. "I do need them now, so I'll accept them. If the Tian family ever faces any difficulties in the future, please feel free to ask, and I will certainly not refuse."

Tian Liang bowed repeatedly, saying, "I'm overjoyed that you're willing to accept us, young master! Now that we've joined the Lin family, we will swear our loyalty to the death!"

Lin Qiang called out loudly at the opportune moment: "Open the gates! Beat the drums to welcome the Tian family!"

More than ten horse-drawn carriages entered the fortified village one after another amidst the sound of drums.