Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 1116 Reunion with Zhongli Xiayi
"So Uncle still remembers Father. I wonder how Uncle is doing now?" Zhongli Jue sighed softly.

Yang Zhengshan laughed and said, "Brother Zhongli, everything is fine. I went to Taoyuan Mountain before I came to Wanbao Immortal City. Hehe, it was Brother Zhongli who invited me to Wanbao Immortal City!"

"So that's how it is. I never imagined that you, senior, had such a deep friendship with my uncle!" Zhongli Jue bowed again.

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand, "Don't call me senior anymore. I'm an old friend of Brother Zhongli and Fellow Daoist Xiayi. Just call me uncle!"

Zhongli Jue hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Nephew greets Uncle Yang!"

Yang Zhengshan's face showed a kind expression, and he nodded with satisfaction, "Since you call me uncle, uncle should give you a gift!"

He reached out and flipped his hand, taking out a Mountain-Suppressing Seal. "This Mountain-Suppressing Seal should be very suitable for you. You can take it and use it!"

This Zhenyue Seal is the one he just acquired. He didn't want to take out the previous one because it was a high-grade spiritual artifact, while this one is only a low-grade spiritual artifact.

However, even such a low-grade spiritual artifact is a rare treasure for Zhongli Jue.

Yang Zhengshan was right when he said that this Zhenyue Seal is very suitable for Zhongli Jue.

Firstly, because their attributes are compatible, and secondly, because this Zhenyue Seal was just refined by Chi Yuan, and its spirit has not yet matured, making it easy for Zhongli Jue to make it recognize him as its master.

Despite being born into the Zhongli family and being a disciple of the Wanbao Sect, Zhongli Jue did not possess any magical artifacts.

Zhongli Jue was both surprised and delighted when he saw the Zhenyue Seal handed over by Yang Zhengshan, but he was still too embarrassed to accept it.

"Uncle Yang, this..."

"Haha, I can't refuse such a gift from an elder, so take it!" Yang Zhengshan laughed.

He gave Zhongli Jue the Zhenyue Seal not to curry favor with the Zhongli family. Even if he wanted to curry favor with Zhongli Jue, there was no need to put effort into it. Although Zhongli Jue had good talent, he didn't have much influence in the Zhongli family.

He only accepted Zhongli Jue as his nephew because Zhongli Jue was pleasing to the eye and because Zhongli Jue was the nephew of Zhongli Yue and Zhongli Xiayi.

Zhongli Jue hesitated for a moment before bowing and saying, "Nephew thanks Uncle Yang for his kindness!"

"Sit down, let's talk!"

Yang Zhengshan invited him to sit down, and he sat down respectfully.

"Is Fellow Daoist Xia Yi in seclusion?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

“Yes, Aunt is currently in seclusion and will not be able to come out for a while. I received a message from Uncle Yang, so I came to tell Uncle Yang on behalf of Aunt,” Zhongli Jue said.

"Well, let her go into seclusion then. I don't have anything urgent to discuss with her," Yang Zhengshan said.

There was nothing urgent at all; he simply wanted to leverage the Zhongli family's influence to do business in Wanbao Immortal City.

Actually, after he learned about Wanbao Immortal City, he didn't necessarily need to rely on the Zhongli family's influence.

Wanbao Immortal City is an open immortal city that does not refuse any outsiders; anyone can come here to do business.

Of course, if the business is too big, it will attract attention. Yang Zhengshan did not plan to make a big splash in Wanbao Immortal City. He just wanted to open up another trade route for the Spirit Source Land.

“Uncle Yang, if there’s anything you need, I can help you,” Zhong Lijue said.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, I do have something I need your help with! I'd like to buy a residence and two shops in the city!"

“This is not difficult. I wonder what requirements Uncle Yang has for the residence and shop?” Zhongli Jue asked.

“The bigger the residence, the better, and the shop should be in a good location, but it’s not too outstanding. After all, I’m new here and don’t want to attract too much attention,” Yang Zhengshan said.

“No problem, I can leave this to my nephew!” Zhongli Jue said confidently.

"Haha, good!" Yang Zhengshan laughed.

Zhong Lijue acted quickly. The next afternoon, he came to the courtyard where Yang Zhengshan was again and said that he had found the residence and shop that Yang Zhengshan needed.

Yang Zhengshan then went with him to see the residence and shop.

The place he found was a large courtyard, which was said to have been the clan property of a family of immortal cultivators in the city. After the family declined, they moved outside the city and sold the courtyard to a brokerage firm.

This courtyard has three sections: front, middle, and back, with three pavilions and more than forty rooms. Although it is not considered a high-end courtyard in the entire Wanbao Immortal City, it is enough to house a small family.

There are two shops, both in the southern part of the city, and both on the second street after entering the city.

The location isn't remote, but it's not the best either; it's just average.

There are two shops. One has three rooms and used to be a spiritual materials shop, mainly selling various talisman-making materials. The other is a three-story pavilion that used to be a restaurant.

Yang Zhengshan looked around and thought the two shops were quite nice, and the courtyards were also very nice, so he bought them without hesitation.

With a place to stay and a shop in hand, the rest is easy.

For opening a shop and running a business, Lingyuan Land is a professional choice, with many skilled professionals available.

In just over half a month, the Yang family opened two shops: one selling pills and the other selling spiritual materials.

The pill shop mainly sells first- and second-tier spirit pills, while the spirit material shop buys and sells all kinds of spirit items, from top-tier spirit items to non-tiered spirit herbs and fruits.

The pill shop can earn spirit stones for the Spirit Source Land, while the spirit material shop is to help the Spirit Source Land exchange spirit items, exchanging surplus spirit items for needed spirit items. Through the circulation of spirit items, the Spirit Source Land can ensure its demand for various spirit items.

Yang Zhengshan entrusted all matters concerning Wanbao Immortal City to the two sisters, Li Jianning and Li Jianan, and also had Luo Zhen and Zhen Tao assist them.

After Lingyuan Land withdrew from Qingli Immortal City, Luo Zhen and Zhen Tao found themselves with nothing to do. Now that they are starting a business in the Immortal City again, it will be a good opportunity for them to put their abilities to use once more.

The Yang family's shop opened in a very low-key manner, without any ceremony, and opened in an unremarkable way.

Business was naturally not very good at first, but as time went on, many people found that the pills and spiritual materials provided by the Yang family were of high quality and inexpensive.

A year later, the Yang family's pill shop and spiritual material shop became bustling with activity, and many immortal cultivation families and clans became regular customers.

However, Yang Zhengshan didn't pay much attention to these things. He didn't leave Wanbao Immortal City, but stayed in the Yang family mansion he had just bought, and went into seclusion to study the bamboo staff he had just obtained.

Because this bamboo staff did not have a spirit, Yang Zhengshan gave it a name: Evergreen Bamboo Staff.

As for the origin of this bamboo cane, Yang Zhengshan asked Pei Lun about it, but Pei Lun didn't know either, only that his ancestors had obtained it by chance.

Yang Zhengshan searched through many ancient books in Wanbao Immortal City, but still could not find the specific origin of this bamboo staff.

The Wanhua Domain has a history of millions of years and has had hundreds of rulers and hundreds of artifacts. Many of the rulers are now impossible to verify. The only rulers we can find now are those from the ancient times onward. As for the Dao Lords of the ancient and prehistoric periods, they can only leave behind a few words and cannot be verified at all.

Since he couldn't find the information, Yang Zhengshan decided to investigate it himself.

The study focuses on the methods of wielding bamboo staffs, the supernatural powers of controlling life force, and the coordination between bamboo staffs and the supernatural powers of decay and prosperity.

And so, Yang Zhengshan spent three years researching and finally grasped a little bit of the secret to controlling life force. Although he hadn't yet mastered it, he was only one step away from it.

On this day, Zhongli Xiayi finally emerged from seclusion.

When Yang Zhengshan saw Zhong Lixia again, he sensed something was different.

The last time he saw Zhongli Xiayi was when Zhongli Xiayi had just formed her core, and at that time Zhongli Xiayi's aura was not very stable.

Now, Zhong Lixia's cultivation has stabilized, and Yang Zhengshan has also sensed an extremely peculiar aura emanating from her.

On the third-floor terrace of the Yang family mansion, Yang Zhengshan looked at Zhong Lixia's clothes with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"You noticed?" Zhong Lixia's face was radiant, like a blooming flower.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, then shook his head gently, "I can see a little bit, but it's not very realistic."

"The Way of the Glowing Light!" Zhongli Xiayi flipped her hand, and a crimson radiance danced in her palm.

Yang Zhengshan looked at her palm, then at the rosy robe she wore, and suddenly realized, "A spiritual treasure!"

"I can't hide it from you!"

"Your Zhongli family is indeed wealthy and powerful, actually giving you a spiritual treasure!" Yang Zhengshan laughed.

Zhongli Xia smiled, not saying much about it, and instead asked, "Why did you come to Wanbao Immortal City? Did something happen in the Western Regions?"

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand and said in a helpless tone, "Don't mention it. The Impermanent Ghost Sect has made a mess of the Western Regions. I had no choice but to come and seek refuge with you!"

“Let’s go there!” Zhong Lixia blinked.

"That's right, I'm coming to you for help. Once I'm on your turf, you can take better care of me!" Yang Zhengshan joked.

Zhong Lixia covered her mouth and laughed, "Of course I'll take care of you!"

"But what exactly did the Impermanent Ghost Sect do in the Western Regions?"

Yang Zhengshan said, "What else can they do? They simply build giant white bone pillars to draw the yin energy from the earth's veins to the surface, thus altering the spiritual energy environment. In the past few years, they have turned most of the Yunxiao Mountain Range into a ghostly realm filled with yin energy!"

Although he left the Western Regions, it did not mean that he was not paying attention to the development of the situation there.

After he left, the Impermanent Ghost Sect drastically altered the spiritual environment in the Western Regions, turning the central and eastern parts of the Cloud Soaring Mountains into a gloomy ghost realm.

However, their expansion stopped east of Cangyu Mountain. Neither Lingxiu Sea nor Yang Family Blessed Land fell to their clutches.

They didn't seek revenge on the Yang family or Cangjian Mountain. Instead, they acted as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring Cangjian Mountain and the Yang family.

The reason for this is the death of Huang Quan Lao Gui and the downfall of An Wusheng. Now, Li Shanghun is in charge of the Wuchang Guizong in the northern part of Wanhua Mountain Range. Li Shanghun will not avenge An Wusheng and Huang Quan Lao Gui, and he is also unwilling to continue to compete with Cangjian Mountain and Yang Family for that little bit of spiritual land.

For him, it was better to focus on the Wanhua Demon Court than to waste time and energy on Hidden Sword Mountain and the Yang family.

After all, the Wanhua Demon Court was their main enemy, while Cangjian Mountain and the Yang family were just isolated in one corner and did not have much impact on their overall situation.

So after occupying most of the Yunxiao Mountains, they once again went to war with the Wanhua Demon Court.

At this moment, the Impermanent Ghost Sect is engaged in a war of attrition with the Wanhua Demon Court in the Wanhua Mountains.

On one side were countless Yin soldiers and blood puppets, and on the other side were powerful Linglong tree people. The two sides fought to a standstill, neither giving an inch.

However, these matters are no longer relevant to Yang Zhengshan, and he no longer wants to get involved in the affairs of the Wuchang Ghost Sect.

"Oh, that's really annoying!" Zhongli Xiayi said.

"Yes, I didn't want to cause any trouble, that's why I came to Wanbao Immortal City!" Yang Zhengshan said.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Lixia smiled and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Yang Zhengshan asked, sensing the deeper meaning in the smile.

"You came to Wanbao Immortal City to avoid trouble, but you don't know that Wanbao Immortal City is also in a lot of trouble now!" Zhongli Xiayi said with some worry.

Yang Zhengshan's expression turned serious. "What trouble?"

“I estimate that it won’t be long before my Wanbao Sect goes to war with the Tianji Pavilion!” Zhongli Xiayi said.

"What?" Yang Zhengshan exclaimed in surprise, "Hasn't your Wanbao Sect always been neutral?"

"But some people are unwilling to see Wanbao Sect remain neutral."

"Someone's there?" Yang Zhengshan frowned. "Who?"

Zhong Lixia pointed upwards with her hand.

Yang Zhengshan was taken aback. "The Imperial Law Enforcement Bureau!"

"That's right! They'll all be on the field sooner or later!"

Yang Zhengshan's brows furrowed even deeper. Even Tianxiandao had intervened; there was probably no safe place left in Wanhua Domain.

"The North Sea Demon Court has also entered the fray. Just half a year ago, they occupied the coast of the Northern Region and are now expanding into the Northern Region!"

"In the Southern Region, the Hengshan Sect stands in the way of the South Sea Demon Court, but in the Northern Region, no one stands in the way of the North Sea Demon Court!"

Zhong Lixia took a deep breath. "It won't be long before the struggle for power enters its most intense phase, at which point all sides will reveal their true strengths."

"I have read some records about the struggle for power. Every struggle for power results in the demise of many forces and the death of many Golden Core cultivators."

"If you only want to stay safe, I suggest you seal off your grotto and live in seclusion for two hundred years!"

She looked at Yang Zhengshan with eyes full of concern.

Yang Zhengshan lowered his head in deep thought. According to Zhong Lixiayi's meaning, the Wanhua Domain would be completely engulfed in war for the next two hundred years.

All sides will get involved, and many unknown entities will also emerge to cause trouble.

If that's the case, then what should Bai Yujing choose?

To escape or to take the initiative?

Neither of them is actually an option.

To escape, one must seal off the Spirit Source Land, but without external spiritual support, the Spirit Source Land cannot function properly for two hundred years.

Taking the initiative is even worse. Bai Yujing's current strength is not enough to become the player. If he takes the initiative, he may become someone else's pawn and cannon fodder.

After much deliberation, Yang Zhengshan decided that he should just stay put.

As long as he doesn't actively reveal Bai Yujing's strength, all factions will ignore Bai Yujing's existence, and Bai Yujing won't need to actively participate in the wars between the various factions.

Bai Yujing should stay in the background and do business.

Take advantage of the war to earn more spiritual items.

As long as Yang Zhengshan can endure, Bai Yujing will be invincible.

However, Yang Zhengshan's idea was obviously too idealistic. Sometimes people are not in control of their own lives. There are some things you can't avoid doing just because you don't want to, and there are some people you can't ignore.

One can endure it for a while, but not for two hundred years.

(End of this chapter)