Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 305 Before Tangguan City
Contrary to what many people imagine, "cultivating immortality" doesn't mean doing nothing all day, taking a break from work to meditate, and then, like leveling up in a game, constantly breaking through, cultivating, breaking through, cultivating.

Rather, it is like reading and writing, or practicing martial arts, which requires a balance between work and rest, and depends a lot on one's temperament and comprehension.

Just like many people who diligently wrote every day during middle school, filling dozens of notebooks with notes and error correction books, but still couldn't do well on the college entrance exams, it's because this behavior is "fake effort".

The same applies to cultivating immortality.

Spending all day meditating and breathing exercises when there's nothing to do is actually a form of fake effort.

Cultivation isn't about seeing a progress bar or being able to break through simply by meditating for a certain amount of time. What's more important is understanding the "Tao" and some techniques.

Of course, those like Zhang Chengdao who opened businesses don't count.

In short, cultivating immortality is like studying; it doesn't necessarily require taking time off work to cultivate. In fact, reaching a certain level can even produce results—

After all, starting from graduate school, students entering various "institutes" have already become cheap cattle and horses, beginning to create value, and the same applies to cultivating immortality.

As long as you cultivate to a certain level in a certain "path" (similar to a profession), you can easily produce results. The most obvious examples are weapon cultivation, agricultural cultivation, medicine cultivation, alchemy cultivation, and talisman cultivation. Moreover, most cultivators rarely cultivate only one path in order to be self-sufficient, unless they are cultivating one of these categories that make a living easily. Otherwise, cultivators like sword cultivators and magic cultivators always need to cultivate a side profession, otherwise they may not even be able to support themselves.

Although Zhang Chengdao had not systematically thought about these principles, nor had he taught them, there was indeed a book called "Cultivator Employment Guide" in the sect's library that detailed them. Almost all the disciples of the White Stone Immortal Sect had been lectured by their senior brother Chang Ping'an, who had a very strong sense of responsibility, and Tang Xiaoyu was no exception.

She first talked to Tang Zhongfu and Tang Chi about this and that before she mentioned her original plan: "I feel that I am quite good at formations, so I plan to establish a new sect to teach formations."

"The saying goes, 'Don't bite off more than you can chew.' As long as you specialize in one thing, you can still achieve results. Moreover, with my master Zhang Xianren's arrangement, more than a hundred teleportation arrays will be built under the jurisdiction of the White Stone Immortal Sect alone. Construction, maintenance, and repair all require talent, so we won't be unemployed!"

"Moreover, besides teleportation arrays, there are also protective arrays and mountain-protecting arrays, which have a huge market. Specializing in these will definitely not be a loss!"

Tang Zhongfu and Tang Chi listened with great interest, and the two even asked about various classifications of immortality, chatting non-stop as they walked towards the government office.

"Actually, our Tang Clan is quite well-suited for weapon crafting, so we could consider developing a business in this area."

Tang Zhongfu's opinion was deeply agreed upon by Tang Chi, and even Tang Xiaoyu nodded in praise, saying, "You're right! Actually, there are many different kinds of weapon crafting, such as forging and puppetry. If you go further, there are those who specialize in space-related techniques and those who specialize in making small transportation magic items. But the most powerful ones are those who craft flying boats and houses; those are the most profitable!"

What is a flying boat?

"Can houses be 'refined'?"

Tang Zhongfu and Tang Chi asked in surprise.

"Of course it can be made! A house made of refined materials is more resistant to all kinds of magic, and it's also warm in winter and cool in summer, making it more comfortable to live in. The houses in the White Stone Immortal Sect are all made by the sect leader, and they're very comfortable to live in! And theoretically speaking, anything can be made, even your pair of worn-out leather boots! There's also a tailoring technique in weapon crafting, but I forgot what it's called!"

Tang Xiaoyu pointed disdainfully to Tang Zhongfu's leather boots, which were covered in dirt and dust from his journey and hadn't had time to change. She continued, "As for flying boats, they're large ships that fly in the sky. They can fly in the sky and be used in the sea, so they were originally made in the shape of ships and called 'flying boats.' However, it's said that in some places, many flying boats don't look like ships at all. Some look like carriages, and some even look like houses. But these shapes are hard to predict. If there's a shortage of spiritual energy, they'll be useless. So, the ship-shaped ones are still the most popular!"
“Building a flying boat requires a lot of spiritual materials, so it’s very profitable. I have a junior brother who is very interested in this. He once estimated that it would probably take him a hundred years of saving without eating or drinking to accumulate enough spiritual materials to build a flying boat. It’s very expensive!”

Listening to Tang Xiaoyu's description, Tang Zhongfu and Tang Chi were filled with longing and wished they could return to the Tang Clan immediately to urge their disciples to cultivate the path of immortality so that they could quickly step into this magnificent world.

"Also, the reason I came back this time was to see if you had any suitable children that I could take with me and teach. You can't leave because you're in charge of Jiannan Road, but your children can't be neglected. They need to start cultivating quickly and stop getting entangled in martial arts. They're useless now!"

Tang Xiaoyu continued.

Tang Zhongfu was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, I have four children, two boys and two girls. The oldest is twenty-five and the youngest is six. Grandmother, why don't you take them all with you?"

Tang Xiaoyu waved her hand dismissively: "What's the point of having so many! A six-year-old can't even be weaned yet, why would you let him leave home? Those who are fifteen or sixteen years old can come with me. In the future, when the teleportation array is built in Yuzhou, it will be very convenient to travel back and forth. It won't matter if they come back once a month. I'm already this old, I don't want to take care of your child! I used to be suffocated by the smell when I washed your diapers!"

As a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, Tang Zhongfu was indeed taken care of by Tang Xiaoyu when he was a child.

Not to mention Tang Zhongfu, even Tang Chi was once made to urinate by Tang Xiaoyu.

So when Tang Xiaoyu said this, both of them, an old man with a full head of white hair and a middle-aged man with a thick beard, blushed and wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Tang Chi coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Why is the old ancestor bringing this up? It's all ancient history..."

"What are you afraid of?" Tang Xiaoyu opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, but seeing the two people with wrinkles all over their faces, she swallowed her words and mercifully said, "Okay, okay, I won't say anything!" While chatting, the three of them arrived at the Yizhou City Government Office.

Because Yizhou City was the capital of the entire Jiannan Circuit, and Tang Zhongfu lived there for many years, the government office in Yizhou City was extremely large, comparable to an imperial palace, hence it was called "Tang Official City".

As its name suggests, "Tangguan City" was the city where the Tang Dynasty's military governor served as an official. It was the "inner city" of Yizhou City. There were more than a dozen halls, pavilions, and other buildings used by the officials for their offices. The rear courtyard where the military governor's family lived was filled with countless pavilions and towers. It was expanded little by little by the Tang family over hundreds of years.

The main gate of Tangguan City was usually closed. When the three of them arrived at the side gate, they saw the chief clerk pacing anxiously back and forth at the gate, having waited there for an unknown amount of time.

Seeing Tang Zhongfu return, the Chief Clerk breathed a huge sigh of relief, took a few steps forward, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lord Prefect, greetings, Sect Leader Tang, uh..."

When the Chief Secretary saw Tang Xiaoyu, he was speechless—he really didn't recognize this beautiful woman!

Could it be a new concubine that my master is planning to take?
But at this critical juncture, with the Dong family on the verge of death and the banners raised by the Bai tribe pointing towards Jiannan Road, everyone in Tangguan City was extremely anxious. Women can be sought at any time, but why now? Surely their lord wouldn't be so petty as to control the big picture?

As the Chief Secretary's thoughts wandered, his gaze toward Tang Xiaoyu became strange, though he kept his head down so no one could see it.

Fortunately, before his family patriarch could even begin to ponder, Tang Zhongfu quickly salvaged his image by introducing him to his confidant: "This is the Tang family's ancestor, an immortal at the Core Formation stage. You may address him as Immortal Elder!"

Then, he respectfully cupped his hands to Tang Xiaoyu and said, "Grand Ancestor, this is the chief steward of my mansion, surnamed Cui, courtesy name Wenrang. Although he is young, he has already reached the seventh rank of cultivation and is quite useful."

Upon hearing this, Chief Secretary Cui was startled; the hairs on the back of his head stood on end.

He had long heard that the Tang Clan had an ancestor who had lived for hundreds of years, but he never imagined that this Tang Clan ancestor would actually be a beautiful young woman. This was too much...

Before he could think it through, Chief Secretary Cui's face turned serious, fearing that the Tang family patriarch had discovered his unreliable guess. He quickly bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Immortal Tang! I was blind and did not know it was the Tang family patriarch in person. Please forgive me, Immortal Tang!"

Tang Xiaoyu had no interest in prying into other people's thoughts, so she casually waved her hand, indicating that the other party did not need to be so polite.

After Chief Clerk Cui paid his respects, Tang Zhongfu asked, "Wenrang, what are you doing here? Didn't I say you wouldn't be back until tomorrow at the earliest?"

Chief Secretary Cui, his face etched with worry, replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, I did send someone to appease Princess Dong, and I am anxiously awaiting news… This morning I received a secret letter that the princess’s only son has also been assassinated. In her grief and anger, the princess is determined to fight to the death with the Gao clan of the Bai tribe. I have just sent someone to persuade her, thinking that we can discuss everything after Your Majesty returns…”

Tang Zhongfu was greatly surprised upon hearing this.

The Gao family is truly ruthless. First, they killed all of the Dong family's sons, and now they are not even sparing the son of the eldest princess. They are determined to cut off the Dong family's lineage and replace the Dong family!

However, he quickly gave another urgent order:
"Well done! Quickly send someone to invite the Princess into the city. Immortal Zhang from the White Stone Immortal Sect and Prince Qin have already arrived. The mere Gao family, let alone the Bai tribe, or even dozens of tribes from Dianyun combined, are not worth our attention. It is best to quickly assist the Princess and support the Great Changhe Kingdom!"

Chief Secretary Cui was taken aback upon hearing this: "The King of Qin?"

He knew "Immortal Zhang"—it was the very same Immortal on Earth who had been the subject of much discussion lately, but this "King Qin"...

Which "King of Qin" is it this time?
Tang Zhongfu and Chief Secretary Cui had known each other for many years and were very familiar with each other. So when Tang Zhongfu saw Chief Secretary Cui's expression, he understood what the other was thinking and immediately nodded in confirmation of his guess: "It is indeed the Qin King of the Qin King Temple. The matter of the Three Altars is of great importance, so even the old Qin King has been alarmed. He is currently investigating this matter with Immortal Zhang, so the Bai tribe is no longer a threat."

With his master so certain, Chief Secretary Cui felt a little relieved.

He didn't really care whether the Bai tribe rebelled or not; what worried him was that if the Bai tribe rebelled, they would use the pretext that the Dong family was unfair in their dealings and that they favored the Zhong and Tang families.

The Zhong family is located in the southeast and is close to the Southern Chu Kingdom. It is likely that the Southern Chu Kingdom is indeed behind the scenes. It is also a tributary territory of the Great Changhe Kingdom. However, the Zhong family only governs two cities. Not only is the territory small, but there is also little profit to be made. They even need the Southern Chu Kingdom to support them for survival. Unlike the Tang family (Jiannan Road), which has many cities under its jurisdiction, if the Great Dong clan really falls, the Tang family will have to confront the Bai family!

Now, hearing that the Immortal of the White Stone and the King of Qin had both personally arrived, Chief Secretary Cui was even somewhat excited—

Judging from what their master said, both the White Stone Immortal and the Prince of Qin seemed to be quite close to the Tang Clan, so the Tang family...

As Tang Zhongfu's most trusted confidant, Chief Secretary Cui dreamed of being promoted, but he was already the most important person under Tang Zhongfu, so how could he be promoted further?

Only our own lord can be promoted first!
The more Cui Changshi thought about it, the more excited he became, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He simply bowed and agreed in a nonchalant manner. Seeing that Tang Zhongfu was urging him on, he apologized and took the order to leave first, then jogged into Tangguan City.

(End of this chapter)