Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 221 Riverbed City
"Xiubai..."

Hu Yufen nodded softly and said, "The meaning is quite apt, so let's call it Xiu Bai."

Seeing that Liu Yiran was still very wary of them, Hu Yufen thought for a moment and then said, "The girl is weak and needs to rest, so let's not disturb her."

"You lot, take good care of them. All tonics and meals should be prepared according to the standards of me and the ladies."

"We must not be negligent in any way."

The maids in the room immediately bowed respectfully.

Unlike other aristocratic families, the servants and maids in the Shen family mansion were not snobbish, so Hu Yufen was not worried about any servants riding on their masters' heads or doing anything outrageous.

"Girl, get some rest."

She smiled gently at Liu Yiran again, then led Huang Lingxiu, Hu Meier, and the others out of the room.

In the courtyard, Shen Yuan, Shen Chongming, and others arrived one after another.

"Grandma, Mother."

"Aunt Hu."

Seeing the group of people come out of the house, Shen Chongming bowed respectfully and asked, "Mother, how is the child?"

Huang Lingxiu first bowed to Shen Yuan, then smiled and said, "The child is fine, but that girl is very wary and won't let anyone touch her."

"Mother has arranged everything."

"After a while, that girl's wariness should lessen."

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Shen Chongming's eyes.

That child is of the Shen family bloodline; Liu Yiran and her brother had ulterior motives from the very beginning.

He was terrified that something might happen to the child while he was in Liu Yiran's care.

"Grandma has already promised her that she will take care of the child herself until she is three years old."

"Chongming, whether they are ordinary mortals or immortal cultivators, they are still human beings in the end."

"That girl isn't a bad person. She just made a mistake for a moment. But as a mother, she probably won't have any bad intentions towards her child."

Sensing that Shen Chongming seemed to have something on his mind, Hu Yufen pondered for a moment before speaking.

Over the years, she has rarely interfered in the affairs of the Shen family, big or small.

But right now, they can't bear to let their family members target the two women who are orphans and widows.

Shen Chongming remained silent, his gaze falling on Shen Yuan, who stood with his hands behind his back.

Hu Yufen's gaze also turned to her husband.

"Fine, I'll listen to your grandma."

"but……"

Meeting their gazes, Shen Yuan pondered for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "Arrange for two shrewd servants to attend to them."

Shen Chongming was taken aback for a moment, but instantly understood his grandfather's meaning. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Grandson understands."

Shen Yuan nodded and then spoke:
"Let's go."

"Stop crowding around here."

The family slowly left the courtyard.

……

The surging Lai River gathers from the depths of Yinlong Mountain, rushing westward and flowing eastward to the sea.

In the sweltering heat of July, four or five children, around ten years old, swam across the rushing Laishui River.

"Brother Xu Zhan, is that turtle really as big as you say?"

In the icy river, a boy with a bowl cut on his head poked his head out of the bottomless water, wiped the water off his face, and shouted.

"You don't want to go swimming in the river, but you're too scared to come yourself, so you're just tricking us into coming to keep you company, right?"

"Nonsense!" In the middle of the river, amidst the turbulent currents, a handsome young man glanced around and said angrily:

"Ten days ago, my father asked me to come to the river to collect the fishing nets."

"I forgot the time because I was cultivating, and I only remembered it after it got dark."

"The moon was very big at the time, and I saw with my own eyes a strange little island appear in that location."

Several teenagers splashed in the water and swam up to him, looking with great interest in the direction he was pointing.

"and after?"

The young Xu Zhan continued, "Later, when I was putting away my fishing nets to go back, I heard the sound of splashing water."

"When I turned back again, the island was gone."

"What else could grow this big and live in the water but a turtle?"

Several teenagers nodded involuntarily, but the boy with the bowl cut spoke up again: "A turtle that big must be a monster."

"You saw it all, the immortals in the city are incredibly powerful, how come you didn't notice?"

Xu Zhan stammered for a long time, then said stiffly, "I...how would I know why the immortals didn't notice?"

"Perhaps the immortals didn't notice."

"Tch..." the boy with the bowl cut scoffed, "I think you're just lying."

"Let's go, let's go. If the elders of the clan council catch us later, we'll definitely get a scolding."

Several teenagers hurriedly swam towards the riverbank, leaving only Xu Zhan, the young man, still searching in the middle of the river.

In a short while, the others who came with them had all swum to the shore.

Two of them shouted to Xu Zhan, who was still in the river, "Brother Xu Zhan, come up quickly!"

"We still have to cultivate this afternoon. If our masters find out we came to bathe in the river, they'll beat us to a pulp."

Xu Zhan glanced at the flowing water around him with some reluctance, a resolute look flashing across his slightly immature face. He then flipped over and plunged into the bottomless river.

The sound of the churning water echoed in my ears, and sunlight pierced through the water's surface, casting interplay of light and shadow all around.

The young man was arrogant and could not tolerate being misunderstood.

After plunging into the water, it swam with all its might towards the dark bottom below.

He secretly made up his mind that he would find that giant turtle today and show the people on the shore that he had not lied.

As it descended deeper and deeper, the surrounding light became increasingly dim.

His physical prowess, honed through physical cultivation, grants him a lung capacity far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Having held his breath underwater for over a hundred breaths, Xu Zhan was still able to swim with ease.

Just as he was about to continue diving, the temperature of the surrounding river water dropped sharply. Before Xu Zhan could react, his body was suddenly pulled in by a suction force and flew rapidly toward the cold, dark riverbed!

On the riverbank, several boys who had already come ashore felt a pang of worry when they saw that he had not surfaced for a long time.

"Did he drown?"

"Could it have been dragged away by a monster in the river?"

"We must hurry to the city and report to the adults!"

Despite their playful antics, the group was of similar age and all physical trainees at the martial arts school, so they had a very good relationship.

Seeing that Xu Zhan had been submerged in the river for so long without coming up, everyone was naturally very worried.

After thinking for a moment, the boy with the bowl cut said, "You guys stay here and keep watch, I'll go find someone!"

After saying that, he hurriedly put on his clothes and ran barefoot towards Yunshui City in the distance.

……

When Shen Chonghong arrived at the riverbank with several cultivators, the boys all hung their heads, looking fearful and not daring to speak.

Looking at the mighty river flowing eastward, Shen Chonghong asked with a grave expression, "How long has that little guy been missing?"

"Your Excellency, it has been... a quarter of an hour."

"No, it's almost time!"

"More than two quarters of an hour..."

The teenagers started talking all at once, but Shen Chongming gave them a cold glance and said, "Shut up!"

"You lot, get back here right now and go to the clan head to receive your punishment!"

"None of you take your masters' instructions seriously. If someone dies this time, you'll all be in big trouble!"

After being reprimanded, the group of teenagers all walked toward Yunshui City with bitter faces.

"Son."

After the others left, another cultivator arrived on the wind, landed in front of Shen Chonghong, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"I went to the martial arts school to inquire. The young man's name is Xu Zhan, and he is at the peak of the first level of body cultivation."

Shen Chonghong nodded slightly.

A cultivator at the first level of physical cultivation can only hold their breath for a maximum of fifteen minutes.

If this little guy named Xu Zhan had stayed underwater for more than fifteen minutes, he would probably be in grave danger by now.

"Which of you has a water-attribute spiritual root?"

After a moment's thought, he turned to look at the cultivators beside him.

"Replying to Young Master, I possess a water-attribute spiritual root."

One of the young men, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

Shen Chonghong nodded.

"Go and try, see if you can find that kid."

After bowing once more, the young man at the sixth level of Qi Refining made a hand seal and began to ride the waves, heading towards the center of the river.

But before he could even cast a spell, the rushing river beneath him suddenly underwent a strange change.

The river water, which had been flowing freely, suddenly began to surge for some unknown reason.

In the blink of an eye, a huge whirlpool quickly appeared on the wide river surface!

The vortex spun and expanded rapidly, stirring up everything around it, and even showing signs of influencing the surrounding weather.

The sudden turn of events left the Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator standing on the river with no time to react.

In an instant, he was sucked into the terrifying vortex, unable to unleash his true essence and spiritual power, and was pulled into the depths of the vortex.

Upon seeing this, Shen Chonghong's expression changed slightly, and he immediately wanted to fly over to save the young man.

"Young master, you're in danger!"

"Send your subordinates away!"

The vortex was strange, and the other cultivators beside him naturally dared not let Shen Chonghong put himself in danger.

They stopped Shen Chonghong, and a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining rode the wind to rescue the young cultivator from the vortex.

Just then, two thick vines suddenly shot out from behind us in the distance!

One of the thick vines wrapped around the Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator who was trying to take flight, while the other spanned the wide riverbank, firmly binding the young cultivator who was about to be completely swept into the center of the whirlpool.

As the vines tightened, pulling the two directly to the shore, a figure appeared gracefully.

"Third aunt."

Upon seeing that the visitor was Wei Qiuling, Shen Chonghong quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

The other cultivators beside him also quickly and respectfully cupped their hands in greeting.

After nodding, Wei Qiuling stared intently at the whirlpool in the river.

"Third Aunt, can you figure out what's going on with this vortex?"

Shen Chonghong said with a solemn expression.

The Laishui River is only a few dozen miles away from Yunshui City. In recent years, as the spiritual energy has continued to recover, some fish and shrimp in the river have gradually become demons.

However, most of these fish and shrimp monsters were weak, and the cultivators who patrolled Yunshui City on weekdays didn't take them seriously at all.

The whirlpool that suddenly appeared is so terrifying. If it was the work of a demon beast, then there is probably a powerful demon lurking in the river.

Wei Qiuling shook her head slightly without saying anything.

She is also very suspicious now.

The vortex was incredibly powerful, but his divine sense failed to detect the presence of any demonic beasts.

It was as if this terrifying vortex, capable of stirring up storms, was formed naturally.

In Yunshui City, many cultivators were gradually drawn to the commotion on the river. Streaks of light flew from the city and landed on the riverbank.

Gradually, Shen Chongming and his son Shen Wenxing also arrived here.

"Sister-in-law, have you found anything?"

Shen Wenxing approached Wei Qiuling and asked in a deep voice.

Wei Qiuling shook her head and sighed, "There is no trace of any demonic beasts or cultivators."

"It's very strange."

As soon as she finished speaking, something suddenly flew out of that terrifying vortex.

"what!"

After being thrown out by the whirlpool, the thing screamed in terror!
With lightning speed, Wei Qiuling pointed a finger, and thick vines instantly wrapped around the figure in mid-air.

With a pull of the vine, the figure was dragged directly to the shore; it was Xu Zhan, who had previously dived to the bottom of the river.

On the river, the terrifying whirlpool that had spat Xu Zhan out showed signs of weakening.

Xu Zhan was pulled ashore, his body trembling, his face still showing signs of shock.

Only when he realized that the area around him was full of cultivators from Yunshui City did he kneel down and kowtow to Shen Chongming and the others with lingering fear, not daring to speak.

Shen Wenxing glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Get up first."

Xu Zhan stood up in fear, head bowed.

Shen Chongming narrowed his eyes and glanced at him, his expression indifferent as he asked, "What did you see at the bottom of the river?"

Xu Zhan first shook his head in bewilderment, then quickly cupped his hands in a respectful reply:
"Kid... I don't know how to say it either."

I don't know how to say it?
Shen Chongming frowned, about to reprimand him, but was stopped by a look from Shen Wenxing beside him.

"Master, this little fellow must be terrified."

One of the cultivators spoke with a faint smile.

Shen Wenxing, who was standing to the side, took over the conversation and glanced at Xu Zhan, who looked bewildered: "You were lucky to escape with your life today."

"Alright, everyone go back to your own business. If anyone goes into the river without permission again, they will be punished according to the clan rules!"

Upon hearing this, many cultivators cupped their hands in greeting and then rode the wind towards Yunshui City.

After everyone had left, Shen Wenxing glanced at Xu Zhan, who still seemed a little dazed, and pondered for a moment before saying, "Take him to the manor."

Shen Chonghong cupped his hands in greeting, and the group immediately flew towards the manor in the city.

In the wing room.

Xu Zhan had changed into clean clothes and stood somewhat awkwardly among the group.

"Tell me in detail everything you saw at the bottom of the river."

Shen Wenxing picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and spoke in a deep voice.

This little guy must have seen something amazing at the bottom of the river. There were too many people around, so he stopped Shen Chongming from asking.

Xu Zhan suppressed his fear, composed himself, and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting:

"I saw a big turtle in the river a while ago. I secretly ran away this time, intending to find out if that big turtle is still there."

"Unexpectedly, when I dived to the bottom of the water, I suddenly felt a suction force."

"After that, my body felt like it was being pulled into a strange place."

"There was only a dim, gray light all around, and it sounded like countless people were making noise and whispering in my ears."

At this point, fear reappeared in his eyes.

Clearly, the scene he had just witnessed at the bottom of the river had left a shadow in his mind.

Seeing this, Shen Chongming picked up a teacup, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him.

"Don't rush, speak slowly."

Xu Zhan took a sip of tea, his voice trembling, and after calming down, continued, "The boy's body was torn apart by the suction force and plummeted rapidly. After an unknown amount of time, he vaguely saw a huge city appearing in the darkness below..."

"Patriarch, old patriarch, I... I really saw a huge city!"

"It's a city much larger than Yunshui City!"

Realizing that his words were somewhat absurd, and fearing that Shen Chongming and the others wouldn't believe him, Xu Zhan spoke urgently.

Inside the room, Shen Wenxing and the others exchanged glances, understanding the situation.

If the little guy wasn't hallucinating, the underwater city he was talking about might actually exist.

What did you see in the city?

Shen Chonghong asked curiously.

Xu Zhan shook his head slightly: "That city was shrouded in a gray fog. I think I vaguely saw some shadowy figures in my hazy state."

"Then I was pushed out by a force."

The room fell silent.

Whether what Xu Zhan saw at the bottom of the river was a hallucination or something real, they did not know.

But in either case, it is enough to prove that the Laishui River is not as simple as imagined.

"Chongming, take him down. Let him stay on the mountain for the time being," Shen Wenxing said after a moment's thought.

Before the matter of the city in the river is thoroughly investigated, Xu Zhan cannot be allowed to leave.

On the one hand, it was to keep the secret, and on the other hand, it was to protect his safety and prevent anyone from trying to get any information from him.

Xu Zhan understood all this, and gratefully cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Shen Wenxing before leaving with Shen Chongming.

"What are your thoughts, brother?"

After the two left, Wei Qiuling spoke slowly.

Shen Wenxing got up and paced back and forth. After a moment's thought, he looked at Shen Chonghong and said, "Go and find Li'er."

Shen Li has two battle pets: a golden toad and a silver-threaded centipede.

Entrusting the task of exploring the bottom of the Laishui River to Jinchan is undoubtedly the best course of action.

……

Late at night, the group returned to the Laishui River.

Shen Li, dressed in a white dress, glanced at the Laishui River in front of her, then turned to the golden toad and said, "Be careful once you go down there. I can sense that this river is very strange."

The golden toad nodded its large head and then leaped into the river.

Time passed slowly, and after about fifteen minutes, a golden light suddenly burst forth from the surging river.

The golden toad landed, its body emanating a large amount of cold air, and a layer of purplish-black frost condensed on its surface at a visible speed, which was quite eerie!

He shook his body, and golden light shimmered on his skin, dispelling the purplish-black frost. After slowly adjusting his breathing, he seemed to be getting better.

"how?"

Shen Chongming spoke.

Jin Chan hesitated slightly before saying, "I didn't see the city, but the bottom of this river is quite strange."

"The little demon sensed a yin energy at the bottom of the river that was even more concentrated than in the extremely yin places of the Southern Frontier, and indeed saw traces of a large demon beast that had stayed there."

"Master, head of the household."

"I think this river is too strange, so it's best not to get involved too easily."

After saying this, the golden toad involuntarily burped again, exhaling a thick, cold aura that instantly lowered the surrounding temperature.

Shen Chongming turned around and glanced at his father beside him.

"Let's do as Jin Chan says for now."

"Let's leave the secrets in the river alone."

After thinking it over, Shen Wenxing made a decision and then turned and walked towards Yunshui City.

The second floor of Blackwater Pavilion.

An empty chessboard lay before Shen Yuan. He had been staring at this empty chessboard for several days.

After Shen Wenxing arrived on the second floor, he bowed slightly but did not make a sound to disturb him.

After a long while, Shen Yuan slowly raised his hand, picked up a black piece from the chess box on the left, and placed it in the lower left corner of the chessboard.

What happened in the Laishui River?

After placing his piece, Shen Yuan did not look up, but asked in a deep voice.

Shen Wenxing slowly walked over, sat down cross-legged, and briefly recounted the events at Laishui River.

After listening to his story, Shen Yuan fell into deep thought.

The Shen family was able to rise from an ordinary farming family to the current Fetal Breath Immortal Clan thanks to the white jade tortoise shell that he picked up from the Laishui River a hundred years ago.

At first, he thought it was just a coincidence that the white jade tortoise shell appeared in the Laishui River.

It now seems that a huge secret is indeed hidden at the bottom of the Laishui River.

"The city... the yin energy..."

"It's probably some kind of secret realm or something."

"Given the current volatile situation, it is indeed safer not to take the initiative to explore new avenues."

As Shen Yuan spoke, he took another white piece from the chess box on the right and placed it on the bottom center line.

"What did the little guy who discovered the river's secret do?"

Shen Wenxing replied, "My son asked Chongming to arrange accommodation for him on the mountain."

Shen Yuan continued playing chess by himself, oblivious to everything else.

"This is tantamount to house arrest. If word gets out, it will not only arouse suspicion, but it will also sound bad."

“That little guy is a body cultivator. Find an opportunity to take him as your disciple.”

Shen Yuan paused slightly while holding the chess piece, and said with a faint smile, "A person chosen by the secret realm's inheritance is certainly not an ordinary person."

"it is good."

When Shen Wenxing agreed in a deep voice, he glanced at the few chess pieces that had been placed on the chessboard, and felt that his father was plotting something.

However, he did not ask any further questions, but simply bowed slightly and left Blackwater Pavilion.

Shen Yuan didn't look up, and picked up another black piece with his fingers, placing it on the chessboard.

……

The black dot fell resolutely between his fingers.

On the chessboard in front of them, black and white pieces were intertwined, and the two sides had clearly played nearly fifty moves.

For Shen Wen'an, who was originally a complete novice in chess, this was already a huge improvement.

Are all sword cultivators this straightforward and stubborn?

"I told you long ago that those three pieces were doomed, but you still had to make a fuss for so long. In order to save those three pieces, you've wasted the next twelve."

With a white piece placed, the old man in the straw hat smiled faintly and collected the fifteen black pieces that had been completely trapped, occupying a large blank area on the chessboard.

Shen Wen'an remained expressionless, then picked up a black piece and placed it on the chessboard.

He also collected five white stones.

"Is this your purpose?" the old man in the straw hat asked, his brows furrowed slightly.

Shen Wen'an didn't say anything. He simply took another black piece from the chessboard in front of him and gently dropped it onto the board, resigning his defeat.

This caused the old man in the straw hat to change his expression.

"That's all!"

He waved his hand to put away the chessboard and chess box in front of him, slowly stood up, looked at Shen Wen'an in front of him with a complicated expression and said: "I was also too attached to the idea and wasted half a year."

"He actually wanted to teach an idiot how to play chess..."

"You can leave now, don't get in my way."

The old man in the straw hat turned away angrily, as if he didn't want to look at him again.

Looking at his somewhat hunched back, Shen Wen'an also had a complicated expression. After a long silence, a hint of respect flashed in his eyes, and he bowed slightly and cupped his hands: "Thank you for your guidance and teachings over the past six months, senior."

Upon hearing this, the old man in the straw hat suddenly turned around and said, "Instruction? Guidance?"

"You're probably overthinking it, aren't you?"

"It was just playing chess with this old man for half a year, which helped relieve some of my boredom."

"Get out of here."

Before he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing a perfectly round black stone.

With a flick of his finger, the black chess piece, carrying an unparalleled force, struck Shen Wen'an's chest, causing his body to transform into a streak of light and fly away into the distance.

"Ugh!"

Watching Shen Wen'an's figure disappear, the old man in the bamboo hat sighed slightly, then sat cross-legged on the boulder again, turning into a statue.

After being carried hundreds of miles by the power of that black chess piece, Shen Wen'an finally regained his ability to move.

He slowly reached out and circulated the sword energy within his body, picked up the chess piece floating in front of his chest, examined it carefully for a long time, then put the chess piece into his storage bag and flew towards the Azure Vine Sword Pavilion.

On the cliff.

The two sat opposite each other.

Huang Lingshan, who was making tea, listened to Shen Wen'an's story with a strange expression.

"Did that old guy really keep you playing chess for half a year?"

Shen Wen'an took the teacup she handed him, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "I can sense that he wants to teach me a lot."

"But... his path is ultimately not the one I want to follow."

"None of what he taught was suitable for me."

Taking a sip of tea, Shen Wen'an sighed and continued, "It has been a disappointment to have failed that senior's good intentions."

Over the past six months, the old man in the straw hat has incorporated many things into his game of chess, which Shen Wen'an can naturally see.

However, there were some things he disagreed with, which was why the old man became somewhat angry in the end.

He probably thinks he's a stubborn mule.

"In the past six months, another major event has occurred in Danzhou."

Huang Lingshan did not delve into the matter of the old man in the bamboo hat. She leisurely picked up the teacup in front of her and said slowly, "The Tingfeng Valley, the immortal sect in Qishan that was good at gathering information, has been destroyed."

"The person who made the move seemed to have been planning it for a long time. The vast Listening Wind Valley was wiped out overnight, and all the disciples outside were also accurately assassinated."

Listening Valley!?

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an was somewhat surprised.

He didn't have much affection for Tingfeng Valley. In fact, it was because Tingfeng Valley spread the rumor that his second brother, Shen Wenyan, had obtained the Female Yuan Hui Pearl left behind by Bai Ze when he passed away that he was indirectly killed in Danzhou.

However, the strength of Tingfeng Valley is not weak; it is even stronger than that of Luoxia Mountain before Jiang Xiuqi broke through.

It is truly astonishing that such a powerful and well-informed force, with its long history, could be so thoroughly wiped out.

"Senior sister, do you know who made the move?"

In the entire Danzhou, it seems that only the three upper sects could wipe out Tingfeng Valley so cleanly and efficiently.

Huang Lingshan smiled and shook her head.

"It doesn't matter who made the move anymore."

"The important thing is that all the major immortal sects in the Qishan Mountains are now terrified, seemingly because of a secret rumor."

Shen Wen'an asked curiously, "What rumor?"

Huang Lingshan straightened her sleeves and said four words in a deep voice.

"Daying Immortal Mansion."

"Rumors have been circulating that the destruction of the mysterious force in Tingfeng Valley was an attempt to wipe out the descendants of Daying Immortal Mansion."

"Among the immortal sects in the Qishan Mountains of Danzhou, many have received the inheritance of the Daying Immortal Mansion."

"What's ridiculous is that many immortal sects in Qishan don't even know whether their lineage actually comes from the Daying Immortal Mansion."

A strange light flashed in Huang Lingshan's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"However, Yangnao Land is more like a pure land right now. At least with that old man guarding it, the mysterious force that destroyed Tingfeng Valley should not dare to set foot in Yangnao Land easily."

"Take these next few days to rest and recuperate. Afterwards, I will take you to other forces in Danzhou to exchange and spar with some of the other geniuses of your generation. This will also help you build up your reputation, which will reduce some trouble when you travel in the future."

After a moment's thought, Shen Wen'an nodded.

……

September.

Autumn has begun again.

The Great Wushan, who suffered a loss during the great harvest, was extremely resentful.

At the time of the spirit rice harvest, many demonic beasts crossed Hidden Dragon Mountain and attacked several cities under the jurisdiction of the Shen family, preparing to plunder the ripe spirit rice, as well as the common people and cultivators.

Although Chun Gui City, which is adjacent to Yinlong Mountain, took timely countermeasures, it still suffered significant losses due to repeated attacks.

In response to the attack on Mount Dawu, the Shen family also launched corresponding retaliatory actions.

The cultivators of Yunshui City formed several teams and repeatedly stormed into Hidden Dragon Mountain and the Western Wilderness to hunt down the monsters of the Western Wilderness.

The two sides fought back and forth, and in the process, they managed to plunder some spirit mines and spirit crystals, as well as obtain a considerable number of monster corpses.

With a large amount of demonic beast flesh and blood available, many commoners under the Shen family's rule who lacked spiritual roots also chose the path of physical cultivation.

Yunshui City Manor.

As evening approached, Shen Chonghong returned from the mountains covered in blood, cursing angrily.

"A bunch of beasts who waste food, they don't know how to harvest spirit rice, they just eat peonies like cattle and loot indiscriminately."

Shen Chongming came out from the courtyard to greet them, and said with a faint smile, "Demon cultivators are nothing but beasts. Do you really expect them to know how to cultivate like us human cultivators?"

"how?"

"Have the demon cultivators of Mount Wu retreated?"

Shen Chonghong leaned the spear in his hand to the side and plopped down on the steps in front of the door.

"The retreat has been made, but a lot of the spiritual rice in the various cities has been wasted."

At this point, he suddenly turned to Shen Chongming and whispered, "Brother is wise indeed, allowing each ethnic group to govern itself ahead of schedule."

"Otherwise, based on this year's harvest, we don't know how much more we'll have to give them."

Shen Chongming's gaze was deep, and he remained silent.

Over the years, the various affiliated families have secretly accumulated a considerable amount of resources for cultivation.

In the past, besides supporting the cultivators under his rule, any surplus spirit crystals and spirit rice were inevitably wasted by his direct descendants.

Now it's time to let them experience firsthand the hardships their master has faced over the years, so they won't think that all the resources for their cultivation came from thin air.

If these affiliated families only care about their own interests and don't know how to allocate resources reasonably, then they deserve their gradual decline.

He has now figured it out: in the cities under his rule, there are plenty of families willing to take over and replace the existing subordinate families.

Only by putting pressure on them can they develop better.

"Although this season's harvest of spiritual rice was fraught with twists and turns, it has finally come to a successful conclusion."

"The next planting season should be better."

Patting his younger brother on the shoulder, Shen Chongming sighed slightly and said, "Take a good rest these next few days. When it's time to farm, you still need to be careful and on guard, lest the demon cultivators of Mount Dawu take advantage of any loopholes."

After Shen Chonghong nodded in agreement, he picked up his long spear and walked towards the courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

As he approached the courtyard and heard the clanging sounds coming from inside, Shen Chonghong smiled and quickened his pace.

In the corner of the courtyard, in the blacksmith's shop, Xiao Hongxiu, dressed in a dark red outfit and with a fine gauze headscarf tied on her head, stood with her arms crossed in front of the glowing furnace.

Beside the stove in front of him, a boy of about seven or eight years old, shirtless, was swinging a small iron hammer, vigorously striking the red-hot metal on the anvil.

Shen Chonghong pushed open the courtyard gate and came to the two of them.

"My husband is back?"

Xiao Hongxiu turned around and spoke with a smile.

Although the boy in front of the stove heard the noise, he did not stop what he was doing and continued to concentrate on hammering the metal in his hands.

"How long have you been practicing?"

Seeing his son covered in sweat, Shen Chonghong asked in a low voice.

"Two hours should be enough."

Although there was some heartache in Xiao Hongxiu's eyes, there was more relief and satisfaction.

The son, Shen Xiuyun, possesses a fire-attribute spiritual root. He not only has exceptional talent in cultivation but has also been very fond of weapon crafting since childhood.

As the chief daughter of Hundred Refinement Valley, Xiao Hongxiu also wanted to cultivate his talent in the art of weapon crafting. However, Hundred Refinement Valley only mastered the basic introductory chapters of the ancient weapon crafting technique and could not craft any real magical artifacts.

In the past two years, she could only teach Shen Xiuyun the most basic training techniques.

"Yun'er, stop."

But seeing that the piece of metal in front of her had been hammered down to a third of its original size, Xiao Hongxiu finally spoke.

After the little guy finished the last hammer blow, he put the forging hammer aside and excitedly went to Shen Chonghong.

"Father."

Gently patting his son's head, Shen Chonghong nodded slightly and said, "You haven't slacked off in your cultivation while your father was away, have you?"

Shen Xiuyun shook his head slightly, then glanced at Xiao Hongxiu and said, "Mother is much stricter than you."

"Isn't Mother doing this for your own good?" Xiao Hongxiu glared at him.

"Hehe, alright, go wash up first, it's time to eat."

As night fell, the family of three sat together.

Xiao Hongxiu looked absentmindedly at her son, who was shoveling rice into his mouth.

Shen Chonghong noticed his wife's expression and cast a questioning glance at her.

Xiao Hongxiu smiled and shook her head, then lowered her head to eat.

In the stillness of the night, after the couple had been intimate on the bed, Xiao Hongxiu nestled tightly in Shen Chonghong's arms. After thinking for a long time, she whispered, "Husband, I have nothing more to teach Yun'er about weapon forging."

She had given everything that Hundred Refinement Valley possessed to Shen Xiuyun without reservation.

She felt uneasy knowing that her son had a talent for weapon crafting and genuinely enjoyed it.

Shen Chonghong gently stroked his wife's shoulder, his face somber, unsure of what to say.

The Shen family still has too little inheritance in the various arts of cultivating immortality.

If we want to continue to cultivate our son's development in this area, we must find another way.

"My lord, I have an idea, but..."

"Tell me first."

Shen Chonghong spoke up.

Between husband and wife, whether a method is appropriate or not can be discussed first, and then discussed further.

Xiao Hongxiu shifted her body, somewhat hesitantly saying, "Luoxia Mountain possesses a portion of the weapon-refining heritage, and my third aunt..."

Shen Chonghong shook his head slightly.

"The Shen family has a good relationship with Luoxia Mountain, but they still can't do things that cross the line."

Weapon crafting is the core tradition of Luoxia Mountain. Over the years, the Shen family has tried every means to search for and accumulate the essence of the various arts of cultivation, but they have never asked Wei Qiuling for it.

This is a matter of bottom line.

"Husband, please don't refuse yet. Let me finish speaking."

Xiao Hongxiu twisted his arm with some dissatisfaction and said, "Of course I know these things, and I will not make things difficult for Third Aunt."

"If we let Yun'er become a disciple of Luoxia Mountain, would this matter be perfectly resolved?"

To become a disciple of Luoxia Mountain?
Shen Chonghong paused for a moment, then looked at his wife in his arms with a strange expression and said, "Your idea is really quite cunning."

"However... the others at Luoxia Mountain aren't stupid either; they can obviously guess these things."

"This move may make some people in Luoxia Mountain think that the Shen family is shrewd and calculating, thus creating a rift between the two families."

A hint of resentment flashed across Xiao Hongxiu's face, but she continued, "I think we can speak frankly with Luoxia Mountain. This is to give Yun'er the opportunity to cultivate the art of weapon crafting and achieve something in the path of weapon crafting."

"Moreover, Yun'er can also make a solemn vow, just like the other disciples of Luoxia Mountain, that she will never pass on what she has learned to anyone in the Shen family."

Hearing his words, Shen Chonghong was deeply conflicted.

He also knew that his son had a good talent for weapon crafting and wanted the Shen family to have a weapon crafter.

But doing so was ultimately suspected of being somewhat opportunistic and calculating, so he couldn't make a decision.

"Go to sleep first. I'll take Xiuyun to see my older brother tomorrow morning and see what he says."

After much deliberation, Shen Chonghong still couldn't make up his mind.

"Can't we just take Xiuyun to see Father? My older brother..."

Before Xiao Hongxiu could finish speaking, she sensed that something was wrong with her man's aura, and immediately stopped talking.

"Brother, you are now the head of the Shen family. Do not have such thoughts again in the future."

Shen Chonghong said solemnly.

Xiao Hongxiu realized that she had spoken carelessly and made a mistake, so she immediately stopped talking.

The next morning, the father and son left the small courtyard and went to the courtyard where Shen Chongming lived.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two brothers directly expressed their thoughts.

"This matter is rather difficult to handle."

"But... it's not like we can't give it a try."

"Senior Jiang is currently in Yunzhong County. I will take Xiuyun to pay him a visit later."

"If it succeeds, my Shen family will no longer need to ask others for help to refine magical artifacts from the spirit ore and monster materials we obtain in the future."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chonghong quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, elder brother."

Shen Xiuyun, who was standing to the side, also bowed happily and said, "Thank you, Uncle."

Shen Chongming smiled and patted his head, saying, "Kid, your uncle is telling you, if you join Luoxia Mountain, you must cultivate diligently."

"Although the weapon-refining methods taught to you by Luoxia Mountain cannot be left to the Shen family, if you can create new methods yourself, that would be a great fortune for the Shen family."

"Do you understand?"

After pondering for a long time, Shen Xiuyun nodded solemnly and said, "I understand, Uncle."

"Hehe..." Shen Chongming stood up with a smile, and then said, "Alright, there's nothing to do at home right now, so I'll take Xiuyun over first."

"Go back and tell your father."

Shen Chonghong repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting and watched the two leave the Shen family.

……

Deep within Hidden Dragon Mountain.

Ancient trees stand tall in the secluded valley, exotic flowers bloom, and spiritual fruits and herbs are scattered throughout the forest.

A huge waterfall hangs on the cliff face at the other end of the valley, the water roaring and the mist spreading.

At the mouth of the valley, in the backwater, a simple thatched hut stands amidst ancient trees and groves.

Inside the thatched hut, an old man dressed in a gray-white robe, with white hair and beard, sat cross-legged on a futon, his brows furrowed.

This old man was none other than Fu Yang, who helped Yunshui City set up the Renshui Concealing Spirit Formation back then.

When King Wu of Fushan forcibly bombarded the Void Harmony Corridor Formation with the Imperial Cauldron, Fu Yang, relying on his understanding of the Void Harmony Corridor Formation, forcibly stopped the three of them for a period of time.

When they finally realized that the situation could not be reversed, they hastily withdrew from the sky of the great formation and, after several twists and turns, hid deep in Hidden Dragon Mountain.

The waterfall in this valley is one of the main sources of the Laishui River. Fu Yang lived in seclusion in the mountains for several years. Through his understanding of the power of heaven and earth, he was shocked to discover that something seemed to be changing in Yangnao.

The most obvious of these changes is the Laishui River, which stretches between Yangnao and southern Xinjiang.

So he went upstream and came to one of the sources of the Laishui River, wanting to see what secrets this place held.

(End of this chapter)