Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

The next morning, the thin, dark-skinned girl and the boy who was missing his left arm found Xuan together.

"Sir, I would like to exchange 1 point for a ring coin," the thin, dark-skinned girl said. She was the same girl who had volunteered to read the points table the day before and earned her first points.

Xuan didn't ask any further questions and handed over the corresponding number of ring coins according to the exchange request.

The two men took the money and ran towards the main street. About half an hour later, a rented wooden cart appeared at the end of the dirt road, piled high with bundles of dry hay.

The boy gripped the handlebars firmly with his only remaining hand, while the thin, dark-skinned girl pushed hard from behind, both covered in sweat, yet their faces beamed with undisguised smiles.

The car was rented from a carriage shop at the end of the main street. When the owner heard that it was for the new Grim Reaper, he waived the deposit and only charged the rental fee, which saved the two of them a lot of trouble.

They carried bundles of hay into the stone shed, stuffing them tightly into the gaps between the stone pillars—the stone shed, enclosed by four pillars, had one side left open, with only a thick, openable straw curtain woven on it. The other three sides were completely covered with hay, like a thick earthen wall, transforming the originally drafty stone shed into a warm nest that could block out the cold at night.

The evening breeze swept in again, making only a slight rustling sound as it hit the hay wall, but it couldn't penetrate the shed at all.

The wandering spirits gathered around. Some reached out and touched the thick, dry grass wall, then stood against it, immediately letting out a sigh of relief and murmuring, "It's really...it's not so cold anymore! I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight!"

Xuan walked over, looked at the dry grass wall in front of him, and then at the two people standing to the side who looked a little awkward.

"Was this idea something you two came up with together?"

The thin, dark-skinned girl wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded hurriedly: "Yes, the carpenter said that hay can block the wind and keep warm, so I used the points I earned the day before to exchange for money, rent a cart, and buy hay..."

"Well done." Xuan nodded and said, "The 1 point for purchasing supplies for collective living will be fully reimbursed. This rule will be added to the points table today—from now on, all purchases of public supplies for collective living and production can be reimbursed according to the procedure. In addition, each of you will be rewarded with 1 point for proactively using points to improve the collective living environment without prior knowledge, which will be recorded in today's work hour log. All details will be posted today, and everyone must follow this rule."

Although the two of them couldn't fully understand some of the words, they could still roughly grasp the meaning of the words, and their eyes lit up with joy.

They originally just wanted to make sure everyone suffered less from the cold, but Xuan not only reimbursed them for their costs, but also turned this into a rule that everyone could follow, rather than a special reward just for the two of them.

The dark-skinned, thin girl's eyes shone with an astonishing light. The boy, missing his left arm, stood rooted to the spot, his lips trembling several times before he finally managed to squeeze out an awkward but genuine smile, bowing repeatedly to Xuan in gratitude.

It was during this day that a small incident occurred. The two young wandering spirits were perfunctory in their work of cutting down trees and preparing materials. The sawn timber was crooked and cracked, completely failing to meet the standards for building a house. When Mosaburo pointed it out, the two were indifferent, thinking that they could get the maximum points by accumulating enough time.

When the accounts were reconciled in the evening, the one-armed young man in charge of bookkeeping only recorded half of their working hours according to the rules. The two immediately started arguing and shouting around the notice board, which attracted everyone to come and watch.

Xuan Wensheng walked over, not angry, but simply had Maosaburo publicly verify the wood produced by the two men. Then, addressing the gathered wandering spirits, he repeated the most crucial rule, word by word:

"Distribution according to work, more work more pay, no work no pay. Qualified work is rewarded accordingly, unqualified work is not counted and the employee is expelled from the organization."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two troublemaking wandering spirits fell silent, lowering their heads and daring not to utter another sound. The wandering spirits around them also took these words to heart, and no one dared to take any chances anymore.

As he finished work in the evening, looking at the clear pay standards on the notice board, Maosaburo finally mustered up the courage to approach Gen.

Maosaburo nervously rubbed the hem of his clothes with both hands: "Sir, I looked at our points chart today and did the calculations. Working here with you not only earns me more than I did setting up a stall on the street, but I also feel more at ease. I've been a carpenter on the street for over ten years, and I've always been robbed of my wages by thugs or pressured to pay exorbitant prices by nobles. Never before have I had such a clear and transparent payment for the amount of work I do. Could I... formally join your organization?"

Xuan looked up at him: "Have you thought it through? After joining, you'll have to abide by the organization's rules and be paid according to your work. There won't be any special treatment."

"I've thought it through! I've thought it through perfectly!" Maosaburo nodded vigorously, his eyes full of sincerity. "Once these houses are finished, I can make furniture, plows, and barrels for everyone. I can do all kinds of carpentry work, and I can keep earning points. I'll never slack off!"

"Okay." Xuan nodded in agreement.

Maosaburo grinned instantly, his wrinkles smoothing out, and he bowed repeatedly to Xuan.

That evening, Mosaburo returned to his residence in Rukongai. His apprentice watched him pack his belongings, looking completely bewildered.

Maosaburo patted his apprentice on the shoulder, handed him the key to his carpentry workshop, and said in a deep voice, "You've graduated. From now on, ordinary carpentry work on this street will be yours. Your master has found a good place and won't be coming back."

The next day at dawn, Shigesaburo carried his luggage and officially became the organization's first full-time craftsman, beginning to build his own wooden house.

As the daily workday ends with the sound of the mallet, the sight of the wandering souls crowding around the notice board outside the stone shed to check their points becomes an unchanging scene on this wasteland.

The sun rose and set over the eastern side of the dense forest, and the accounts on the bulletin board changed one after another. The plot of land, which was originally overgrown with weeds, took on a new look every day.

More and more processed timber was piled up at the edge of the forest. Wall panels and roof beams were neatly stacked and categorized, each marked with a number. The notice board outside the stone shed had changed from a piece of straw paper to three fixed ledgers nailed to thick wooden boards, recording daily work hours, income and expenditure points, and rule supplements, each entry written meticulously. The stone shed, which was originally drafty, now had thick thatched walls and a simple stove set up at the entrance. The large communal sleeping area inside the shed was also divided into groups, making it look more and more like a place where people lived.

Gen had already finalized the layout of the houses with Mosaburō. In addition to a dozen simple wooden houses for the wandering spirits to live in, a storefront for the Yorozuya was reserved near the main street. A flat open space was left next to the forest as a training ground for the Kidō sect, and a closed supply warehouse was also planned in the corner. Every step was in accordance with his long-term plan to establish the Kidō sect.

Xuan had already made arrangements for the one-armed youth in charge of bookkeeping. He specially selected two reliable wandering souls to check everyone's work hours every day, have the parties sign to confirm, and then hand them over to the one-armed youth for bookkeeping.

The two of them supervised the bookkeeping process every night, and after the accounts were made public the next day, they were open to all objections and reviews throughout the day, thus preventing errors and corruption in advance.

After finishing work that day, Saito jumped down from the top of the fence, dusted himself off, walked over to Gen, and bumped his arm.

"Hey, this is really strange. We have people in charge of the accounts, people to cut down trees and prepare materials, people to do the carpentry, and even people to block the wind and keep warm." Saito raised an eyebrow. "So what am I supposed to do? I can't just sit here and look at the scenery all day, can I?"

Xuan looked at her and said, "If you're willing, you can be responsible for teaching basic cultivation knowledge and ghost techniques to those with spiritual aptitude. You'll get points based on the number of lessons you take."

Saito clicked his tongue and said, "Forget it, it sounds too troublesome."

Gen added, "Since leaving Seireitei, I've paid for all your expenses along the way. You yourself said that you owe me this money."

Saito's smile froze instantly, and he finally sighed with feigned sadness, "Ah, people forget the bonds of friendship that transcend life and death when it comes to money..."

"We just cleared out some Hollows together. Strictly speaking, the Shinigami killing Hollows is just purifying them, not risking their lives," Xuan interrupted.

"Does it have to be so meticulous?" Saito waved his hand resignedly. "Anyway, I always keep my word. Deal."

She watched as Xuan turned to confirm the building plans with Maosaburo, and couldn't help but lean in again, arms crossed, lazily complaining, "What's wrong with your brain? It's one thing to be good at fighting, but where did you learn this whole construction organization stuff? Just listening to all these rules and regulations gives me a headache."

Xuan glanced at her but didn't reply, continuing to check the dimensions on the blueprints. Saito wasn't annoyed; he leaned against a nearby wooden post, observing everything before him.

She watched as the once overgrown wasteland gradually became orderly and tidy; she watched as the once numb and timid wandering souls, who dared not even look up at people, slowly gained light and vitality in their eyes, and began to truly live; she watched as Xuan calmly laid out the principle of "distribution according to work" on this barren land of the wandering soul street.

The nobles in Seireitei always said that people from Rukongai were born lowly and hopeless, but she now understood that what these people lacked was never strength or ability, but simply an opportunity that didn't consider status and only valued effort.

Saito continued to complain, but for the first time he truly admitted that this organization, which didn't even have a name yet, might actually succeed.

The evening breeze, carrying the scent of pine, stirred Saito's drifting thoughts.

The wandering souls huddled in the stone shed, the thatched walls shielding them from the night's chill. The communal sleeping platform, though still crowded, was much warmer than it had been a few days prior. Some, exhausted from the day's work, had fallen into a deep sleep, emitting soft snores; others remained awake, lying on their beds, staring at the stone slabs above them, counting their accumulated points on their fingers, wondering whether to exchange them for a jar of clean water first, or to splurge and save up to exchange for real food, experiencing a full stomach they had never enjoyed in life or death.

The one-armed bookkeeper leaned over the edge of the communal sleeping area, using the dim light of the stove fire to meticulously record everyone's points for the day in his ledger. He wrote with extreme care, each number neat and tidy.

After finishing the last entry, he tidied up the ledger, preparing to post it on the notice board first thing the next morning. But he couldn't help but flip to the page that recorded his own entry, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He arrived in Rukongai more than a decade after his death. Because he was missing an arm, he was always treated as a useless cripple. Only today did he earn his due reward with the pencil in his hand.

Jiro lay on the very edge of the communal sleeping platform, his eyes wide open, staring at the stone slabs on the ceiling. In his mind, the image of Gen using his demonic arts kept replaying.

The surging spiritual energy, the miraculous scene, flashed through his mind again and again. He rolled over, buried his face in the straw mattress, clenched his fists, and silently vowed to himself that he would work hard and accumulate enough points to guide his cultivation as soon as possible. He would definitely become like Xuan, someone who could support a world on his own.

Undeterred by ordinary cold or heat, Saito, dressed only in her Shinigami uniform, lay supine on the stone roof, a blade of grass she had casually torn dangling from her mouth, tossing a pebble she had picked up up and down. Her purple eyes gazed absently at the bright moon hanging above the dense forest, and the Zanpakuto at her waist swayed gently with her movements.

Xuan did not fall asleep. He sat on a tree stump not far from the stone shed, put away the Zanpakuto that had been lying across his lap, and ended his unwavering training.

This wasteland in Rukongai is no longer an abandoned wasteland.

The one-armed youth found his value in the meticulous accounting; the boy Jiro saw a path to advancement in the clear rules; the dark-skinned, thin girl and the one-armed boy found dignity in their hard work; Mosaburo found long-lost peace in the clearly marked prices; Saito saw a possibility on this land completely different from the rigid class system of Seireitei; and Gen planted the first seed of the Kido sect here.

Here, rules were established, roots were laid, life began to flow, and the place felt like home. These wandering spirits, struggling to survive in Rukongai, finally began to truly transition from "those who were saved" to "workers," embarking on a new life that belonged to them.

Seeing Xuan open his eyes, seemingly having finished his cultivation, Maosaburo, who was sitting not far away, quickly got up. He had been preoccupied with something all night, and with heavy dark circles under his eyes, he walked to Xuan's side, lowered his voice, and his face was grave:

"Sir, there's something I need to tell you. There's a gang leader in the West 20th District named Yuan Tienan. He has several thugs under his command and carries a knife. He specifically targets outsiders. A while ago, a family nearby was building a house, and I had just finished repairing it when they burned it down. We've made quite a commotion here, and they might come looking for us."

His dark eyes were calm and unwavering. He lightly tapped the scabbard with his fingertips and said indifferently, "Understood. Thank you for the reminder."

Mosaburo felt a warmth in his heart, becoming even more certain that his decision to join this place was the best thing he had ever done in his life.

A Grim Reaper actually thanked him, an ordinary craftsman, with such solemnity. He subconsciously straightened his back, which had been hunched over for over a decade. Shigesaburo was actually somewhat looking forward to seeing those thugs come looking for trouble and then be taught a lesson by this young Grim Reaper.