The mortals from the Eight Treasures Manor, apart from the twenty-odd people they had brought with them, included other individuals as well, numbering over two hundred—all of them refugees from recent crises.
Before that, there had actually been even more people, but as Song Yin and the others had guessed, they disappeared after reaching a certain degree of gratitude.
The explanation given by the manor was that the people were released because they longed for their hometowns, a notion that not only dispelled any suspicion but also inspired a certain motivation.
The master of the manor was not only kind to them but would also let them go!
When gratitude reached its peak, they naturally became fertilizer for the spice trees.
There were those who doubted, but under the influence of the spices, the mortals' vigilance significantly weakened, preventing suspicions from arising and gradually turning them into mediators for Cultivation.
Until Song Yin came to their rescue.