Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 712 Qinglan Island Master Li Shangyuan

Just as Yang Zhengshan and his group settled into the courtyard, several guests in other courtyards on Linfeng Island were discussing them.

Li Shangyuan was dressed in a blue robe, with a white jade hairpin in his black hair. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a square face. He sat there, expressionless, yet he exuded a powerful aura.

"That group should have at least four innate martial artists. The leader had an extraordinary bearing, with a beard that reached past his abdomen, flowing like a cloud, each hair like an ink line running through silver, glossy and lustrous. Judging from his posture, he was imposing and had the air of a general in the army!"

"There was also an old Taoist priest dressed in a Taoist robe and holding a whisk. The old priest looked quite old, but his every move was relaxed and unrestrained, so his cultivation level was probably not low!"

"The other one was quite strange. He was fair-skinned, beardless, and had jet-black hair. He looked very young, but there was an age in his eyes and brows. It was very odd!"

"The last one wore a mask, had a long sword at his waist, and had a cold demeanor; it was impossible to tell his true strength!"

"In addition, they had about thirty followers, all of whom were quite skilled, and should have a cultivation level of at least the fifth level of the Acquired Realm!"

"Master, these people are no ordinary individuals; they must be from some powerful force!"

Tang An stood in front of Li Shangyuan and analyzed the situation logically.

His analysis was mostly correct, but he made one mistake: they overlooked Li Chang and Wang Lei, both innate martial artists.

Actually, it's not his fault, because Li Chang and Wang Lei have always served as Yang Zhengshan's close followers.

What is a close attendant?

That's a lackey, a gofer, a handyman.

Li Chang and Wang Lei each carried a bundle and followed behind Yang Zhengshan. Who would have thought that they were innate martial artists?
Li Shangyuan pondered, "His beard hangs down past his belly, flowing like clouds. Does this man carry any weapons?"

“No!” Tang An said.

Li Shangyuan rubbed the stubble on his chin. "There are countless experts in the vast sea area, and even more reclusive old masters. The experts who come to Linfeng Island are not only martial artists from the vast sea area, but also experts from many surrounding sea areas!"

"It's incredibly difficult to guess someone's identity based solely on their appearance!"

The innate martial artists who want to go to the Great Zhao Dynasty to find a way to break through are definitely not only those from the Wanli Sea. They include those from Da'an and the surrounding forces, as well as those from the Galo Sea, several sea areas to the south of the Wanli Sea, and so on. Martial artists from these places all have more or less legends about the Great Zhao Dynasty, and some of them will travel thousands of miles to Linfeng Island.

For example, Li Shangyuan comes from the Tianfeng Sea, which is located in the south of the Wanli Sea. Logically speaking, it would be much closer to bypass the Fengbao Sea from the Tianfeng Sea. However, Li Shangyuan is the master of Qinglan Island, which is located at the junction of the Tianfeng Sea and the Wanli Sea.

Qinglan Island belongs to the Tianfeng Sea Area, but it is closer to Linfeng Island, less than two thousand miles away.

Therefore, the shortest route for Li Shangyuan to travel to the Great Zhao Dynasty is to cross the stormy sea area from Linfeng Island.

Li Shangyuan was also a renowned figure. He was known for his forthright and unpretentious personality, his love of making friends, and his willingness to help others. In the southeastern part of the vast sea, he was known as the Azure Mist Swordsman.

Because he had many friends spread across a wide area, he had some knowledge of the powerful figures in various seas.

Unfortunately, Yang Zhengshan's fame is not great enough. But that's not quite right. Yang Zhengshan is now a well-known figure. Not to mention Da'an, he is a prominent figure in the central and western regions of the vast sea area.

However, Yang Zhengshan doesn't have a wide circle of friends. In Da'an, he still has many old friends, but in the vast sea, only the forces around Shenmu Island know much about him.

Li Shangyuan couldn't figure out the identities of Yang Zhengshan and his group, but he knew they were definitely not ordinary people.

After pondering for a moment, Li Shangyuan instructed, "Go and keep an eye on them. See how they behave. If they're worth befriending, then we'll pay them a visit. If they're eccentric and arrogant, then we'll stay away from them!"

He enjoys making friends, but he doesn't make friends with just anyone.

He was willing to befriend anyone who wasn't a bad person, and if they shared similar temperaments, he was willing to develop a deeper friendship with them. However, he always kept his distance from those with corrupt character.

Li Shangyuan has a chivalrous heart, but he is not a pushover.

In this world, people who are overly kind never live long, let alone cultivate to the Innate Realm.

"Yes!" Tang An replied, then bowed and withdrew.

Li Shangyuan was not the only one who wanted to befriend Yang Zhengshan. On the second day after Yang Zhengshan arrived at Linfeng Island, he received several visiting cards. These people were much more eager than Li Shangyuan. They didn't even need to know the background and character of Yang Zhengshan and his group before they came to pay their respects.

Of course, it's uncertain whether they're there to genuinely make friends or to gather information.

For three consecutive days, Yang Zhengshan saw off wave after wave of visitors.

When these people came to visit, Yang Zhengshan naturally couldn't turn them away; he had to meet them and exchange pleasantries.

However, Yang Zhengshan found this kind of feigned politeness somewhat tiresome.

"That's all, right?"

Yang Zhengshan had just seen off a group of guests when he asked Li Chang a question.

Li Chang smiled and said, "There's one more, um, the Pavilion Master of Bihai Pavilion! He said he'd be visiting this afternoon, he should be here soon!"

"Azure Sea Pavilion? What kind of power is it?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

After three days of investigation, he discovered that experts from various sea regions had gathered on Linfeng Island.

Da'an is far enough away from the stormy sea area, but yesterday he actually met a master of innate cultivation from the Great Yue Dynasty.

That's right, it's the Great Yue Dynasty, located southwest of Da'an, a full 20,000 li away from here!
"Azure Sea Pavilion, hmm, it seems to be a force from the Azure Sea Region!" Li Chang said somewhat uncertainly.

The Canglan Sea is also located in the southern part of the vast sea area, roughly directly south of Da'an, about seven or eight thousand miles away from the South China Sea near Da'an.

This person also traveled a long way to get here.

"Why do you think these people came to see me? I have a feeling they have ill intentions!" Yang Zhengshan said thoughtfully.

The Taoist Xuanzhen, who was dozing off next to him, said, "They probably want you to go ahead and scout the way!"

"Scouting the way!" Yang Zhengshan raised an eyebrow. "Heh, they're quite interesting!"

In the afternoon, the Pavilion Master of Bihai Pavilion indeed came to visit. He was an ordinary-looking old man with gray hair, short stature, and a somewhat thin face, but no one would underestimate such a small old man.

"This old man, Duan Chaohai, greets Mr. Yang!" Duan Chaohai greeted Yang Zhengshan with a friendly smile and cupped his fists in a salute.

"Haha, Senior Duan, I've heard so much about you!" Yang Zhengshan said with a laugh.

"Long time no see" my foot! He hadn't even heard of the name Bihai Pavilion this morning, let alone Duan Chaohai.

Such polite formalities are so insincere and fake.

Duan Chaohai paused for a moment. He wanted to ask Yang Zhengshan where he had heard of his name. If Yang Zhengshan knew his name, then he should have heard of Yang Zhengshan's name as well.

However, after thinking about it, he didn't ask the awkward question. He simply exchanged pleasantries with Yang Zhengshan and then sat down at Yang Zhengshan's invitation.

Tea was served, and the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat awkwardly quiet.

"Good tea. May I ask what kind of tea this is?" Duan Chaohai started the conversation by asking.

Yang Zhengshan laughed and said, "This is Donglingchun from my Great An!"

"Da'an?" Duan Chaohai looked puzzled again.

Yang Zhengshan smiled faintly, “North of the Canglan Sea is the Jialuo Sea, north of the Jialuo Sea are the Great Yue Dynasty and the Martial God Temple, and north of the Martial God Temple is my Great An Dynasty!”

"Isn't the Great An Dynasty the Great Rong Dynasty?" Duan Chaohai asked.

A strange light flashed in Yang Zhengshan's eyes, "The Great Rong Kingdom was destroyed, and the Great An Dynasty was established. The Great An of today is the Great Rong of the past!"

"I see!" Duan Chaohai finally looked enlightened.

After rambling on for a while, Yang Zhengshan steered the conversation to the main point, "May I ask what brings Senior Duan to see me?" Duan Chaohai chuckled and said, "The Stormy Seas are extremely dangerous, and I am truly not confident in navigating them. Therefore, I wish to travel with Mr. Yang, so that we can help and support each other!"

"I see!" Yang Zhengshan nodded.

The people who visited him in the past three days have all given the same explanation, and it seems that they have even reached a cooperation agreement, forming about six or seven small groups to go out to sea together.

This is actually normal. With so many people waiting for the calm season to arrive, they would definitely want to stick together and cross the stormy sea area.

Can a group of strangers really help each other when they cross the sea together?

What if a conflict arises?
In fact, the people who came before also had this plan, but when they learned that Yang Zhengshan wanted to leave in six days, they had to give up their plans to go with Yang Zhengshan.

"I plan to depart in six days, and I may not be able to travel with Senior Duan!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

Duan Chaohai was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but ask, "Why do we have to set off in six days? Logically speaking, it wouldn't be too late to set off in another month."

The calm season begins in July, but the exact date is uncertain, so departing in August is ideal.

But Yang Zhengshan didn't want to wait another month. Others might not know when the calm period would begin, but he did!
Six days later, the winds in the storm area will be much calmer. Although there will still be strong winds and huge waves, they will be much smaller than they are now.

Moreover, the duration of the calm period is uncertain, ranging from two months to one and a half months.

If we wait until August to set off, the calm season will likely end just as we are about to cross the stormy seas, at which point we will really have to wade across the seabed.

"Hehe, I have urgent business to attend to and must set off as soon as possible!"

How can Yang Zhengshan explain this, and is it even necessary for him to explain it to Duan Chaohai?
He had no intention of traveling with others.

"This..." Duan Chaohai didn't know what to say.

Urgent?

Are you willing to risk your life for an emergency?
Is this something that can be rushed?
At this moment, he felt that Yang Zhengshan was just a hothead, a reckless fool, or a brainless idiot.

Duan Chaohai actually wanted to persuade Yang Zhengshan. He wasn't worried about Yang Zhengshan's safety; he just wanted Yang Zhengshan to set sail with him.

But after thinking about it, he ultimately gave up on trying to persuade them.

The two had just met and had no prior relationship; offering advice might offend them.

Besides, he didn't want to get to know Yang Zhengshan, such a hothead, any further.

Duan Chaohai got up to say goodbye, and Yang Zhengshan saw him out of the courtyard, watching his departing figure and chuckled softly.

Back in the hall, Yang Zhengshan drank the tea he hadn't finished earlier.

Although this Donglingchun tea is the worst spiritual tea produced within the spiritual spring space, it is a spiritual tea that does not exist here.

Duan Chaohai was completely clueless and couldn't even taste the difference.

Well, he's met seven or eight guests in the past few days, and not one of them could taste the difference in Donglingchun.

In fact, the so-called "spiritual tea" is just a name given by Yang Zhengshan. The tea trees in the Spirit Source Land are all irrigated with spiritual spring water. As for how effective these tea leaves are, it is hard to say. It can only be said that long-term consumption of spiritual tea can bring about effects similar to drinking spiritual spring water.

Nowadays, there are many kinds of spiritual tea produced in the land of spiritual origin. The best of them is spiritual dew tea, which is made from the tenderest leaves of the tea tree and its production process is much more complicated.

Secondly, there is ordinary tea, which is also made from relatively tender leaves.

The worst one is this Donglingchun.

Donglingchun tea is sold to the public, ordinary tea is used to distribute cultivation stipends, and Linglu tea is used as a reward.

Yang Zhengshan took a sip of Donglingchun tea and asked, "Who came just now?"

It seemed that someone else had come to visit while he was entertaining Duan Chaohai, which is why he asked that question.

“It’s from the Tianfeng Sea area. The island lord of Qinglan Island sent a visiting card!” Li Chang replied.

Yang Zhengshan glared at him. "It's not over yet!"

Li Chang shrugged, making a helpless expression. "There's nothing we can do. They've sent a visiting card; we can't just turn them away!"

Yang Zhengshan sighed softly, "These people are really something. If they want to go to the Great Zhao Dynasty, they should be prepared for the risks. Why do they do these useless things?"

Li Chang laughed and said, "It's not their fault. After all, they weren't confident they could cross the stormy sea."

"Alright, I'm going to find the old Taoist priest to play chess!"

Yang Zhengshan didn't want to waste his energy on those people; he'd rather play a game of chess with Xuanzhen.

……

The next morning.

Li Shangyuan then led Tang An to the gate of the small courtyard where Yang Zhengshan was.

His visit was much more formal than others; he even brought a gift.

As the saying goes, it's never wrong to be overly polite. Looking at the gifts Li Shangyuan brought, Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but feel even more enthusiastic towards Li Shangyuan.

It wasn't that he coveted Li Shangyuan's gift; it was simply that Li Shangyuan's attitude was far better than anyone else's.

After a few simple pleasantries, the two sides sat down and were served tea.

However, this time Yang Zhengshan didn't feign respect by saying he had long admired your name.

Li Shangyuan looked Yang Zhengshan up and down and said, "I have long admired you, senior. It is truly an honor to meet you today!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengshan almost spat out the tea he was drinking.

He refrained from saying anything like "I've long admired you" because of the gift, but he never expected Li Shangyuan to say that he had long admired him.

Li Shangyuan noticed Yang Zhengshan's unusual behavior and smiled, "Senior's name, Lei Jun, is renowned far and wide. I have heard of your great name even in the Tianfeng Sea!"

"Uh!" Yang Zhengshan's expression turned serious, and he said with a faint smile, "Just an empty reputation, not worth mentioning! Hehe, not worth mentioning!"

I've really heard of him before!
Don't forget that he also has the nickname "Thunder Lord of Beihai" when he's away from home!

This name is widely known in the central and western parts of the vast sea area, and unexpectedly it has even spread to the Tianfeng Sea area.

Yang Zhengshan never expected that he would become so famous.

Actually, he was wrong. His name was only known in the central and western parts of the vast sea area. Li Shangyuan knew his name only because Li Shangyuan had a wide circle of friends.

Li Shangyuan sized up Yang Zhengshan, thinking to himself that the rumors were indeed true; Lei Jun of Beihai was indeed extraordinary.

He didn't know who Yang Zhengshan was before, but in the past few days, Yang Zhengshan met with some people, and his background has become known on Linfeng Island.

Others didn't know Yang Zhengshan's name, but Li Shangyuan had heard of him and even knew a little about him.

He not only knew that Yang Zhengshan was known as the Thunder Lord of the North Sea, but also that Yang Zhengshan had entered the Daoist path.

Because he has a friend named Zhang Juhai.

(End of this chapter)