Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 23: The Game Ends with Wounds, The Immortal Path Begins Together

With his last breath, Meng Xihong practically burst open the back door of the Meng residence.

The strong stench of blood and the gruesome wounds all over his body instantly horrified Bai Shi and the night watchmen who rushed over upon hearing the noise.

"Xihong!" Bai exclaimed, tears streaming down her face as she rushed forward to support her swaying husband.

"It's nothing... just a minor injury... cough cough..." Meng Xihong's voice was hoarse. With Bai Shi's help, he steadied himself and his sharp gaze swept over the still-shaken servants.

"Keep the doors tightly shut and increase vigilance! What happens tonight must not be revealed!"

"Yes, sir!" The servants, seeing Meng Xihong's still imposing aura despite his serious injuries, suppressed their fear and quickly agreed and withdrew, reinforcing the door bolts and lighting more lamps.

Back in the inner room, Meng Xihong could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the couch.

Bai hurriedly fetched clean water, clean cloth, and wound medicine. Looking at the several deep, bone-revealing, and horrific wounds on her husband's body, her heart ached, and tears streamed down her face.

"Why are you crying..." Meng Xihong forced a pale smile and grasped Bai's trembling hand. "It's a blessing that Yan Ning is alright. If something had happened to her, I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life."

"Did you feel that power just now? That was your innate constitution."

At this point, Bai nodded vigorously, her tearful eyes filled with lingering fear and determination.

"Xihong, I...I also want to learn immortal techniques. I no longer want to just watch you bleed and passively wait for danger to strike!"

"Alright, as you wish. But remember, don't be impatient for quick success." Meng Xihong's eyes were full of relief and pity.

"I only wish for your safety and well-being with the children. I will protect you from any storms that may come." He gently stroked Bai's head with affection.

"Once I have stabilized my injuries, I will pass on the magic to you. Our Meng family will probably have another female fairy."

After saying that, he laboriously took out the bottle of Rejuvenation Pill from the storage bag he had seized from his waist.

The emerald green pills exuded a refreshing fragrance and were full of vitality.

He poured out a pill and swallowed it. The pill entered his stomach and immediately transformed into a warm current, quickly nourishing his parched meridians and damaged internal organs. The searing pain in his wound was also slightly relieved.

"The pills from a family of cultivators are indeed extraordinary..." Meng Xihong felt the changes in his body, which were completely different from the herbal medicines he used to use to heal himself.

He poured out another pill and handed it to Bai: "This pill may greatly benefit your Qi cultivation. Keep it safe."

Bai carefully accepted it and treasured it close to her body.

As the medicine took effect, combined with the powerful self-healing ability of a Transformation Realm martial artist and the nourishing effect of the spiritual power at the peak of the early Qi Refining stage on his body, Meng Xihong's complexion improved visibly, and his breathing stabilized.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, his fatigue had lessened and his gaze had regained its calmness and sharpness.

“Xihong, just now…” Madam Bai recounted in detail the attack on the mansion, the thwarting of the poison needle attack, and the gasp of surprise.

"Black-lined snake venom...proficient in using blowguns for stealth...Zhou Maocai's illegitimate son, 'Black Snake'!" A cold glint flashed in Meng Xihong's eyes as he instantly locked onto his target.

"It seems that old dog Zhou has a backup plan. The source of his obsession with female fans is most likely this 'snake'."

"Good, very good!" He suppressed his pain, took out Lin Fei's storage bag, and laid out the contents one by one in front of him.

Forty-three low-grade spirit stones shimmering with light, three Rejuvenation Pills, a bottle of Bigu Pills, the "Thick Earth Technique" cultivation method, several jade slips, a fabricated intelligence cloth, and the "Shadow Thorn" that felt cold to the touch and exuded a murderous aura.

His gaze lingered longest on the "Thick Earth Manual" and on fabricated intelligence.

The former is key to solidifying the foundation of immortality and enhancing combat power; the latter is a sharp weapon to stir up the winds and buy time.

"The gift of immortal bones is indeed extraordinary..." Meng Xihong's mind raced. "Not only did it grant me the aptitude for cultivation, it also unlocked the affinity of all my spiritual roots! All five elements are complete... My future path of combat will surely see a qualitative leap! It seems that I need to carefully plan this cultivation technique."

"Ji Beichuan, come in," Meng Xihong called out in a deep voice.

Having already heard the news and been waiting outside the door, Ji Beichuan, who was anxiously wringing his hands because of the failed guard duty, immediately pushed the door open and entered.

"Sir! I am incompetent! My martial arts skills are too weak, and I allowed the thieves to take advantage of the situation, causing my wife, young master, and young lady to be frightened! Please punish me, sir." He knelt on one knee, his face full of shame.

"Ahem, get up. This is not your fault; it's just that the enemy is too treacherous and cunning." Meng Xihong waved his hand.

Only then did Ji Beichuan notice Meng Xihong's injuries, and he couldn't help but gasp. "Sir! You…"

“He won’t die.” Meng Xihong interrupted him, his gaze intense. “Two things, get them done immediately!” “First, use all your undercover agents to dig out ‘Black Snake’! Keep a close eye on him, find out all his whereabouts and contacts, especially the source of the Drunken Heart Grass. Remember, I need him alive! He has something we need on him.”

“Second,” he said, picking up the fabricated piece of silk, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Spread the word! Say that last night, in the abandoned residential area in the west of the city, near the mortuary, there was a fierce battle between unknown cultivators for a rare treasure. The earth and rocks collapsed, and flames soared into the sky. In the end, it seems that both sides were injured, and a streak of earth-yellow light fled in panic, heading towards... Wolf Valley." He pointed heavily to the first location marked on the silk cloth.

"Remember, you have to make it sound convincing, so that people in taverns, teahouses, and all sorts of places might 'accidentally' overhear it!"

Having followed Meng Xihong for a long time, Ji Beichuan instantly realized: "They're trying to shift the blame! The Lin family's 'Qinglin Hall' has suffered a great loss because someone died there, and they're like mad dogs trying to get revenge."

"This 'extraordinary treasure' and the clues to 'Wolf Valley,' along with this 'treasure map,' could 'accidentally' fall into the hands of their other branches..."

His eyes gleamed with excitement. "That'll keep them fighting like dogs for a while!"

“That’s exactly what I meant!” Meng Xihong nodded.

"The Lin family is by no means monolithic. With the 'Azure Scale Hall' losing a Qi Refining cultivator, how could the other halls let go of this opportunity to kick them while they're down and steal their 'credit'?"

Let them go to Wolf Valley or even other places on the map and get their heads bashed in! That will buy us a chance to catch our breath!

"Understood! I'll take care of it right away!" Ji Beichuan clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Meng Xihong called out to him and tossed him a Rejuvenation Pill.

"You worked hard last night. Take this pill, dissolve it in water, and share it with the brothers. Tell them to be on high alert and keep their eyes peeled these next few days! The Lin family has suffered a setback, and their revenge could come at any time, and... it will only be more ruthless!"

Ji Beichuan accepted the pill, feeling its pure medicinal power, and his heart warmed: "Thank you, sir! Your subordinates and brothers will do our utmost!"

"Go ahead, cover for me at the county government office. I need to rest and recuperate. I'll leave the daily patrols in the county to the brothers."

Three days later, in a quiet room.

Meng Xihong's wounds had been covered with thick, dark red scabs. Although his aura had not fully recovered to its peak, the weakness caused by his serious injuries had largely subsided.

The vitality of a martial artist at the Transformation Realm complements the spiritual power at the peak of the early Qi Refining stage, resulting in a recovery speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.

He sat cross-legged, holding the "Shadow Thorn" in his palm.

The spiritual power at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining flowed into the dagger like a gentle stream, washing away the residual aura of its former owner and establishing a preliminary mental connection.

As it was nurtured by spiritual energy, the eerie light on the dagger became increasingly restrained and profound, ready to deliver a fatal blow at the slightest thought of its master.

With a slight shift in thought, the "Shadow Thorn" emitted a barely audible hum.

Then, with a "whoosh," it transformed into a black thread that was almost invisible to the naked eye, silently weaving and traversing the quiet room. Its trajectory was unpredictable and elusive, and finally it hovered steadily in front of Meng Xihong, its sharp aura concealed yet undisguised, as if it were an extension of his own arm.

"Good!" A glint flashed in Meng Xihong's eyes.

With this powerful weapon at his side, combined with the close-range burst of power from the Huajin martial arts and the "Huamu Concealing Breath" technique, his ability to assassinate and counter-assassinate increases dramatically.

He turned his gaze to the other side. Bai was also sitting cross-legged, his expression calm and focused.

In the past few days, she has been trying to sense and guide the gentle and fertile water and earth spirit energy between heaven and earth, following the simplified Qi-guiding technique tailored for her by Meng Xihong based on the basic methods of "Thick Earth Technique".

Although the Immortal Bone stimulated the Bai family's water and earth spiritual roots, it failed to activate all spiritual roots like Meng Xihong did. Clearly, the Immortal Bone had consumed most of its power to compensate for the damage to its origin.

“A wound to the source comes at a high price… however, a solid foundation is the right path.” Meng Xihong understood this.

Meng Xihong could clearly sense that strands of pure water and earth spirit energy were flowing into Bai Shi's body at a steady and continuous rate, gathering in his dantian.

Although the speed was slow, it perfectly matched her gentle and resilient nature and the characteristics of her roots in the local soil and water.

Meng Xihong extended his finger and gently touched Bai Shi's brow, channeling a gentle, mellow spiritual energy with guiding intent into her: "Concentrate your mind and focus on the oneness of the body, sink your will into the dantian. Guide your qi like a stream flowing into the sea, absorb spiritual energy like fertile soil supporting all things... Yes, that's it!"

Bai's body trembled slightly, and a look of sudden enlightenment appeared on his face.

The spiritual energy gathered around her suddenly became orderly and smooth. A faint but extremely pure spiritual power, carrying a gentle vitality and profound meaning, finally slowly condensed and settled deep in her dantian. Although it was as weak as a candle flame in the wind, it was tenacious and unyielding.

This marks the official entry of Bai Muyun, the second cultivator of the Meng family, into the path of immortality, making her a Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator.

(End of this chapter)