Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 916 Tenderness Like Water
After distributing the spirit stones, the cultivator holding the folding fan approached Fang Shou and asked in a low voice, "Brother Fang, should we hide for a while?"

"Hide? Why hide?" Fang Shou looked at him in confusion.

The cultivator with the folding fan said, "The Yang family of Lingxiu is not to be trifled with. It is said that the Yang family of Lingxiu has more than two Foundation Establishment cultivators. If we anger the Yang family, we will not be able to leave the Lingxiu Sea!"

As the only immortal cultivation family in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, the Yang family of Lingxiu is quite well-known. Many forces in the western part of the Cloud Soaring Mountains, the Qingli Dynasty, and the Wanlin Mountain Range have a good understanding of the Yang family of Lingxiu.

"Hehe, what's there to be afraid of? The Yang family is too busy taking care of itself right now, how could they have time to care about these insignificant martial arts families?" Fang Shou laughed indifferently.

The cultivator with the folding fan frowned. "Indeed, the Yang family should be paying more attention to those powerful forces now, but we must be wary, just in case."

"Brother Li, aren't you being a little too cautious?" Fang Shou said with some dissatisfaction, seeing that he was talking so much nonsense.

Fang Shou comes from the Fang family of Cuihu, a family of immortal cultivators. The Fang family of Cuihu is located in the southeast of Wanlin Mountain Range, which is about 5,000 miles away from the Lingxiu Sea.

That area no longer belongs to the Yunxiao Mountains, but to the Southern Wilderness.

There are also many immortal cultivation forces in the Southern Wilderness, as well as some immortal cultivation markets. However, the immortal cultivation forces in the Southern Wilderness are far inferior to those near the Cloud Mountain Range.

There are only seven immortal cultivation families in the entire Southern Wilderness, and the Fang family of Cuihu is one of them.

Compared to the abundant resources around the Cloud Mountain Range, the Southern Wilderness is undoubtedly much more barren. That vast area simply cannot meet the resource needs of the seven immortal cultivation families, let alone the cultivation needs of many independent cultivators. Therefore, the competition among immortal cultivators in the Southern Wilderness is even more intense.

Various types of cultivators emerged in endless succession, and the struggles between immortal cultivation families continued unabated.

The Fang family of Cuihu has always wanted to join the Lingxiu Sea and become one of its prominent families.

Over the years, they have been trying to infiltrate the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, and have even accumulated a lot of power there.

In particular, during the previous war between the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty and the Netherworld Sect, they took the opportunity to gather a lot of forces in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

The situation in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty has changed drastically, making it the best time for the Fang family of Cuihu to enter the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

They seized this opportunity and sent some of their clansmen to the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty to assess the strength of the sects and families there.

As the only immortal cultivation family in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, the Yang family naturally deserves their special attention.

Therefore, Fang Shou's goal was not to plunder resources, but to lure the Yang family out of their hiding place and make them reveal their strength.

His four companions were temporary hires; they were all cultivators who frequented the Southern Wilderness Market.

The other three were brainless good-for-nothings, whom Fang Shou didn't take seriously at all. In comparison, Li Shangyuan was much smarter.

“Brother Fang, the Lingxiu Sea is so vast, and there are countless second-rate martial arts families. Why should we provoke the Yang family?” Li Shangyuan said calmly, gently waving his folding fan.

"But those martial arts families are not as wealthy as the Yang family's affiliated families. The Yang family has always been generous, and its affiliated families have accumulated a lot of wealth over the years!"

"The four families we plundered before prove one point!"

“Brother Li, fortune favors the bold. If we’re not even willing to take this risk, why did we come out at all? We should just stay home!”

Fang Shou advised.

“That’s right, Boss Fang is right!” the tall, thin cultivator agreed.

The other two cultivators nodded in agreement.

Li Shangyuan looked at Fang Shou meaningfully, "Brother Fang is right. In that case, I will follow Brother Fang!"

Seeing that he was no longer troubled, Fang Shou felt much more relaxed.

"Haha, Brother Li, don't worry, I've also made preparations!"

"I have already contacted several familiar fellow cultivators, and they will be here soon. At that time, our strength will increase greatly, and even if the Yang family wants to capture us, we will have the power to resist!"

The first step of the probe has ended, and the Yang family has not reacted at all. Therefore, Fang Shou has decided to increase manpower to further test the Yang family's strength and attitude.

"Oh! When will they arrive?" Li Shangyuan asked.

"Tomorrow!" Fang Shou revealed a sinister smile. "Once they arrive, we'll have a big showdown, hahaha~~"

“That’s right, let’s go all out, haha~~” the tall, thin cultivator chimed in.

"Yes, yes, following Boss Fang means you'll get to eat meat!"

"This one job has brought in more money than we did in the previous ten years!"

"Of course, with Boss Fang around, how could we be afraid of not being able to snatch spirit stones?"

The other three cultivators all looked excited, their eyes filled with greed.

In such a short time, they have already received tens of thousands of spirit stones. If they could do it a few more times, wouldn't they be able to receive hundreds of thousands of spirit stones?
The thought of a large number of spirit stones entering their storage bags made the three of them's eyes gleam with greed.

Looking at their greedy expressions, a sinister glint flashed in Li Shangyuan's eyes.

He gently waved his folding fan and looked up towards the north.

"The Lingxiu Yang family? Is that the Yang family?"

……

Baiyun Immortal City, Wanbaohang.

In the tea room on the third floor of the shop, Yang Zhengshan and Zhong Lixia sat facing each other.

Dressed in her finest attire, Zhong Lixia sat gracefully at the tea table, brewing, steeping, and pouring tea with elegant movements.

"I've heard that things have been rather unsettled in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty lately!"

She placed a celadon teacup in front of Yang Zhengshan.

"Hmm, it's not just not peaceful, it's practically turning the world upside down!" Yang Zhengshan picked up his teacup and gently savored the rich aroma of the tea.

Zhong Lixia chuckled lightly, "But you don't seem to be in a hurry at all!"

Yang Zhengshan looked up, seemingly surprised, and asked, "Why should I be in a hurry? With Wanbaohang around, would anyone dare to lay a hand on my Yang family?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Lixia couldn't help but giggle.

"Fellow Daoist Yang is trying to intimidate others by taking advantage of their power!"

"Of course, otherwise why would I join Wanbaohang?" Yang Zhengshan said nonchalantly.

Zhong Lixia laughed so hard her body trembled, her breasts surging like waves.

"I admire Fellow Daoist Yang's honesty!"

Yang Zhengshan raised his hand and waved it, "Fellow Daoist Zhongli, please don't act recklessly. I am a married man and cannot accept your favor!"

Zhong Lixia looked at Yang Zhengshan with a smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

With her delicate, jade-like hands, she picked up the teapot and poured him another cup of tea.

"So what if he has a family? I don't care!"

Yang Zhengshan was truly shocked this time. He suddenly raised his head and saw Zhong Lixia in disbelief.

Does this woman really have other feelings for me?
He looked at Zhong Lixiayi, and Zhong Lixiayi was also looking at him.

Their eyes met, but Yang Zhengshan couldn't see through Zhong Lixia's thoughts.

Zhong Lixia smiled, her lips slightly upturned, revealing shallow dimples. That smile spread from the corners of her eyes, like spring water breaking through ice, shimmering like gold fragments. Her pupils seemed to hold unmelted morning dew, clear and radiant with a gentle glow. Tender as water!

The word suddenly popped into Yang Zhengshan's mind.

But he soon came to his senses.

What tender affection! If you believe that, you've already lost!
Yang Zhengshan had lived for over a hundred years, and he no longer had the desire and urgency of a young man when it came to matters of the heart. Although he also had physiological needs, his powerful cultivation allowed him to control himself to an extremely high degree.

His physiological needs remained, and his desires for men and women had not disappeared, but Yang Zhengshan was no longer a person with base desires.

He has always been very restrained when it comes to matters between men and women.

Therefore, apart from Yu Qingyi, he never had any other feelings for any other woman.

He was like that, and so were the other monks.

Whether martial artists or immortal cultivators, they are very restrained in matters of love and sex, unless they are practicing certain special techniques.

This can be seen from many powerful individuals.

People like Lin Daoyuan, Yunxiao, Yue'e, and Yueqing are all single and have no partners.

They had been married before, and they had children, but in the end they were all alone.

It's because of their restraint of desires.

Cultivation is not just about improving one's skills and strength, but also about cultivating one's state of mind.

Most people who become strong are able to control their physical desires.

This was true for everyone else, including Zhongli Xiayi.

Zhong Lixia is a powerful cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage. To say that she is as gentle and tender as a little woman is absolutely a lie.

Of course, powerful individuals can also form Daoist couples.

However, a Daoist partner is neither a husband nor a wife, nor a romantic partner, but a companion who can walk together on the long path of cultivation.

Cultivators possess emotions, but they are not swayed by them.

"Giggle~~" Seeing Yang Zhengshan's incredulous expression, Zhong Lixia covered her mouth and laughed so hard she was shaking.

"Oh, I almost fell for it!" Yang Zhengshan joked.

"Wouldn't that be a real shame!" Zhongli Xiayi said with a smile.

"I'm not worthy of this, I'm not worthy of this!" Yang Zhengshan lowered his head and waved his hands repeatedly.

He didn't know what Zhongli Xiayi was thinking. Perhaps Zhongli Xiayi really had something on her mind, or perhaps she was just joking.

But no matter what Zhongli Xiayi was thinking, he didn't have such thoughts.

Yang Zhengshan changed the subject, saying, "Wanbaohang has no interest in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty?"

The topic shift was a bit abrupt, but Zhongli Xiayi's playful expression vanished, and she said seriously, "No!"

Yang Zhengshan wasn't surprised; it was normal for Wanbaohang, with its strength and influence, to look down on the Lingxiu Sea.

He considered it for a moment, then said, "Could I hire two guest advisors from Wanbaohang?"

That was his real purpose in bringing Zhongli Xia's robe today.

Just yesterday, Lu Fusheng and Lan Peng gave him their reply. They finally decided to ask him to help invite two guest elders from Wanbaohang to take charge in Shanggu County.

"Hire? What do you want to do?" Zhongli Xiayi asked.

"Well, it's nothing really. Fellow Daoist, you know that the Lingxiu Sea has been quite chaotic lately. My Yang family has the support of Wanbaoxing, so we're not afraid of those petty villains. But it's a different story for other martial arts families!"

Yang Zhengshan gave a brief explanation of the Lu family's situation and his relationship with them.

After listening, Zhongli Xiayi thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible, but it requires contributing points!"

When she mentioned that contribution points were required, Yang Zhengshan understood what she meant.

Normally, Wanbaohang's retainers do not accept external employment, but within Wanbaohang, retainers are actually employed on a contract basis.

They hire numerous retainers to complete tasks, rewarding them with points for their contributions.

The tasks are diverse, including alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman making, array formation, hunting monsters, and escorting caravans.

The Lu family cannot hire guests from Wanbaohang, but Yang Zhengshan, as an eighth-rank guest of Wanbaohang, can issue some tasks through Wanbaohang.

For example, searching for a certain medicinal herb or hunting a certain monster.

Of course, he could also hire a few retainers to protect himself.

As for being sent to a certain place to oversee things, that's not impossible, but Wanbaohang generally wouldn't allow such a mission.

This could potentially drag Manpower into some unnecessary power struggles.

Wanbaohang itself had no interest in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, and naturally did not want to get involved in the struggles within it.

Under normal circumstances, they would not allow their retainers to participate in the struggles between other forces without authorization. However, another problem arises: since the retainers themselves belong to a certain force, Wanbaohang cannot prevent them from fighting for the interests of their descendants.

If that's the case, Wanbaohang probably won't be able to attract any guest retainers.

"I understand. I will go to Wanxiang Tower to issue the mission in a moment!" Yang Zhengshan said.

“Yes, there are some things you need to clarify, such as making Shanggu County a part of your Yang family’s territory!” Zhongli Xiayi said.

This can be considered as exploiting a loophole in Wanbaohang's rules to hire retainers in Yang Zhengshan's name, ensuring that the interests of the Yang family are protected.

Yang Zhengshan smiled and said, "There's no need. I'll just ask the two guest elders to stay in Yangjia Town, and then I'll send a Foundation Establishment cultivator from my Yang family to Shanggu County City to take charge!"

Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.

By simply rearranging the staff, both goals can be achieved.

Of course, all the expenses incurred will be borne by the Lu family; Yang Zhengshan will not help the Lu family for free.

After leaving Zhong Lixia's side, Yang Zhengshan went to Wanxiang Tower and posted a task.

Hire two guest advisors to take charge of Yangjia Town, with a reward of 100 contribution points per year.

One hundred contribution points are roughly equivalent to 100,000 low-grade spirit stones. Earning 100,000 low-grade spirit stones a year is a decent task for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, this only applies to ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. For alchemists, weapon refiners, talisman masters, and array masters, this contribution is insignificant.

Yang Zhengshan could exchange a single Demon Essence Pill for several hundred contribution points, while a high-grade Demon Essence Pill earned him three thousand contribution points, even making him an eighth-rank guest elder.

Therefore, he is not short of contribution points and does not mind spending a few hundred contribution points to help the Lu family hire two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

As for why they didn't hire from outside of Wanbaohang?
The reason is simple: they don't trust them.

Wanbaohang's retainers are guaranteed by Wanbaohang's reputation, so if anything goes wrong, Wanbaohang will naturally take responsibility for handling it.

(End of this chapter)