Family Cultivation: My Ancestral Home Gets Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 126 A Prophecy Come True

The auction hall was brightly lit.

Wang Zhichuan looked at the empty seat beside him, a hint of doubt rising in his mind:

Why did Jiang Fu'an and his son leave in such a hurry before the auction was even over?

Just as I was pondering this, the light dimmed, and I saw that familiar figure turn back alone once again.

After the other person sat down, he asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, what did Stone do?"

Jiang Fu'an's expression remained calm, revealing a faint smile: "Zhao Yun has been stuck at the peak of the early stage of Qi Refining for too long."

"Considering that she has always been diligent and hardworking in managing the shop, I asked Shitou to send her one of the Spirit Gathering Pills that I just photographed."

A hint of surprise flashed in Wang Zhichuan's eyes.

It's not that I doubt these words.

He just didn't expect that the other party would be willing to give such an expensive pill to a daughter-in-law whose aptitude was only mixed spiritual roots.

Putting aside whether such talent is worth the expense of cultivating, isn't Jiang Fu'an afraid that Wang Zhaoyun will betray the Jiang family again and run back to the Wang family?

What Wang Zhichuan didn't know was that Jiang Fu'an was now much better off financially.

He no longer needs to weigh the price of a Spirit Gathering Pill as carefully as before.

Moreover, although this daughter-in-law has poor spiritual root aptitude, her ability to run a shop is extremely outstanding.

If a single pill can make her work even harder, the Spirit Talisman Pavilion will earn far more spirit stones in the future.

Just then, the voice of the old man in gray on the stage rang out again.

The old man picked up a sandalwood box with both hands. When the lid was opened, several jade slips and a stack of booklets were inside.

"This fifth item is a complete first-tier superior-grade pharmacist's inheritance."

"It contains various medicine-making tips, herb identification, and hundreds of prescriptions."

"I don't need to elaborate on its value, do I?"

"Starting bid: 1,000 spirit stones. Auction begins now!"

Jiang Fu'an sat up straighter, his eyes fixed on the sandalwood box.

He had actually long intended to get involved in the path of a pharmacist.

When he was preparing the herbal medicine for Zhao Lintang, he was already thinking about it:

Could we combine medicinal herbs with everyday meals to develop a medicinal diet?

In this way, the effects of "dietary therapy" can be logically attributed to the drugs involved, which is both subtle and natural.

Unfortunately, he didn't know anything at the time and only tried to match a few times.

What he made was not medicinal cuisine at all, but a strange-tasting "dark cuisine" that even he himself couldn't swallow.

The path of the pharmacist is relatively unpopular in the cultivation world.

Despite the completeness and preciousness of this heritage, there were very few bidders in the audience, and the bids were casual, as if they were just doing it on a whim.

Seeing that the old man had raised his gavel and was about to bring it down, Jiang Fu'an no longer hesitated and announced loudly, "One thousand five hundred spirit stones!"

However, before he could finish speaking, that lazy voice followed again: "I, Zhao, offer 1,600 spirit stones!"

As the young master Zhao spoke, he even turned his head.

He raised an eyebrow and looked straight at Jiang Fu'an through several rows of seats, his eyes full of smugness.

Jiang Fu'an sneered inwardly.

This person really doesn't know when to back down; they actually want to continue to swindle him.

He recalled the whispered instructions he had just given to the stone, and his gaze darkened slightly.

Since the other party wants it, let him have it first.

Just because something is temporarily in someone else's hands doesn't mean it's impossible to get it back.

So he simply cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the old man in gray on the stage and said, "I give up."

The moment those three words were uttered, the smug look on Young Master Zhao's face froze instantly.

His eyelids twitched, and he instinctively felt something was wrong. He turned to look at the other two people who had been bidding earlier.

Sure enough, the two men, who were already not very interested, shook their heads and gave up when they saw that the price had increased by a full two hundred spirit stones.

Finally, the gavel fell, and Young Master Zhao won the pharmacist's inheritance with 1,600 spirit stones.

But there was no joy on his face; instead, it was ashen.

This inheritance is of no use to the Zhao family; it's simply a burden they've been left with.

Wang Zhichuan, who was standing to the side, burst out laughing: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, your move is brilliant!"

"I was just about to ask you why you suddenly became interested in the pharmacist's inheritance, but I didn't expect you to be setting a trap for that kid."

Jiang Fu'an raised his hand and touched his nose, explaining truthfully, "Actually, I am quite interested in the craft of pharmacist, and I really wanted to take a picture just now."

"Yes! Yes! I understand, Fellow Daoist Jiang really wants to buy it."

Wang Zhichuan nodded repeatedly, a "I understand you" smile on his face.

Jiang Fu'an was speechless.

On the stage, the old man in gray had already brought out the next item for auction—two small white jade bottles.

"Next up for auction are two mid-grade first-tier longevity pills."

"Although there is more erysipelas, it does not affect the life-extending effect. Taking one pill can add twenty years to one's life."

"However, I must remind you all: this longevity pill can only extend life by twenty years the first time it is taken."

"The second time it was taken, the effect was halved, and it only lasted for ten years."

"The third reduction will be halved again, leaving only five years;"

"By the fourth time, it had no effect whatsoever."

"Two stones, starting bid 1,500 spirit stones—bid begins now!"

Longevity pills are the most commonly used elixirs in the cultivation world.

After all, nobody wants to die too long.

Moreover, it can be taken by both cultivators and mortals.

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall instantly heated up.

Bidding calls rose and fell, and prices climbed steadily.

Jiang Fu'an was naturally tempted as well.

But he didn't rush to make a bid; he simply observed the situation on the field quietly.

After a fierce battle, only two voices remained vying for dominance on the field.

"Two thousand spirit stones!"

The woman's voice, as she gave the quote, was clear and melodious, like jade beads falling onto a plate.

Jiang Fu'an looked in the direction of the sound and saw a female cultivator dressed in a moon-white robe sitting to his right.

The woman had a beautiful face and was none other than Mu Wenxue, who had previously bought talismans from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

"Two thousand one hundred spirit stones!"

A rough male voice followed immediately, unyielding.

Mu Wenxue's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Actually, two thousand spirit stones was already a bit overpriced, and she didn't expect the other party to agree.

But this elixir is related to the future of the Mu family, and she absolutely cannot let it go.

She bit her lower lip and quoted again, "Two thousand two hundred spirit stones!"

"Two thousand three hundred spirit stones!"

The rough voice came almost seamlessly, without the slightest hesitation.

The price caused a moment of silence in the room.

Many eyes swept back and forth between the two, filled with curiosity and surprise—who was so wealthy?

Jiang Fu'an also seemed to be deep in thought.

Judging from Mu Wenxue's attitude, she is determined to get the Longevity Pill.

This reminded him of the seriously injured patriarch of the Mu family.

The Mu family is currently facing a generational gap, and it is entirely up to this Foundation Establishment ancestor to keep it afloat.

If the patriarch were to fall, the Mu family would likely be devoured by the surrounding, covetous forces.

Could it be that this elixir was bought to prolong the life of our ancestor?

The two continued bidding, and the price climbed steadily.

Before long, he broke through the three thousand spirit stones mark.

Mu Wenxue's face gradually turned pale; the spirit stones she carried were almost insufficient to support her continued bidding.

"Three thousand spirit stones!"

Her voice trembled slightly when she called out the number.

"Three thousand one hundred spirit stones!"

The rough voice immediately followed.

Mu Wenxue turned her head sharply, clenching her teeth, and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

There sat a man in black wearing a cloak, his face hidden in the shadows and indistinct.

She stared at the man, her voice laced with suppressed anger: "Who exactly are you? Why are you opposing the Mu family?"

Upon hearing this, the man in black chuckled softly.

He raised his hand and slowly removed his cloak.

The candlelight illuminated a face full of fleshy, menacing features.

He had thick, bushy eyebrows, fierce eyes, and short, stiff stubble on his chin.

Mu Wenxue's pupils contracted sharply, her eyes flashing with hatred: "You, surnamed Cui—it was you!"

The burly man surnamed Cui grinned, "Little girl, you might as well give up now. Our Cui family will never let you buy this Longevity Pill!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Wenxue's face showed despair.

Cui Jiakai of Luochuan has long coveted Feiyue Lake, and today he spares no expense to prevent her from purchasing the pills, his intentions are obvious.

Without the Longevity Pill, the Ancestor won't last long.

At that time, the Mu family will lose a Foundation Establishment cultivator to oversee them.

Jiang Fu'an had already sensed something was wrong, so he hadn't offered a price yet.

Having overheard their conversation and combined it with what his daughter-in-law had previously mentioned about the Mu family's current situation, he finally understood that this burly man surnamed Cui was probably one of the forces eyeing the Mu family as a lucrative target.

The auction continued, but none of the subsequent items were what Jiang Fu'an wanted.

What he needs most right now is a Spirit Gathering Pill to help him break through his bottleneck.

The three I ordered earlier are simply not enough.

Er Ya and the other two immortal seedlings recruited at the Spirit Root Testing Conference are estimated to reach the peak of the early stage of Qi Refining in three to five years.

To reassure them about creating talismans for the family, he initially established a contribution system:

Once you complete the quota and accumulate enough contribution points, you can exchange them for Spirit Gathering Pills.

Therefore, he needs to prepare more.

However, Jiang Fu'an was not in a hurry.

This auction is held almost every year.

Occasionally, other shops in the city would also have Spirit Gathering Pills leaking out.

He planned to have Shi Tou keep an eye out for such items and buy them whenever he came across them, accumulating wealth little by little.

Two hours later, the auction finally came to an end.

People gradually got up and walked out of the venue.

Wang Zhichuan, who was standing nearby, took the initiative to invite, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, things have been rather unsettled around the market lately. Shall we travel together?"

Although Jiang Fu'an wasn't particularly afraid of the cultivators outside, he wouldn't refuse their kindness.

He nodded: "That's good, at least we can look out for each other."

The two followed the flow of people out of the market and led their own half-spirit horse out of the animal pen.

They then rode side by side, chatting casually about recent interesting events.

After walking about ten miles, a loud "boom" suddenly came from ahead.

Wang Zhichuan's heart tightened, and he looked in surprise in the direction from which the sound came: "There are people fighting ahead, could they be Tribulation Cultivators?"

Jiang Fu'an also looked up.

A hundred paces ahead, there was a dense birch forest that completely blocked the view, making it impossible to see the specific situation.

After a moment's thought, he said, "It's probably true. Let's take a detour and not get involved."

As he spoke, he gently pulled the reins, and the half-spirit horse beneath him skillfully turned to the right.

But just then, the sounds of the battle ahead began to move rapidly toward them.

The explosion grew closer, interspersed with a man's urgent cry: "Fellow Daoist over there, please lend a hand! I will reward you handsomely!"

Wang Zhichuan found the voice familiar.

Just as he was frowning and thinking, a figure stumbled out from the edge of the dense forest.

The man was dressed in tattered clothes and held a dark, round shield in his hand.

Upon seeing the man's face clearly, Wang Zhichuan blurted out, "It's actually Young Master Zhao!"

Jiang Fu'an looked over there.

The once high-spirited young master Zhao, who had been so confident at the auction during the day, was now in a sorry state.

His brocade robe was charred in large patches, and his hair was disheveled and draped over his shoulders.

Young Master Zhao also saw the two of them, and his fleeing steps suddenly stopped, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.

Clearly, he was worried that the two men would take advantage of his misfortune, so he didn't dare to approach them for the time being.

At that moment, three more figures darted out of the dense forest.

Two men and one woman, all wearing cloaks that covered their faces, so their features could not be seen.

As soon as they appeared, they surrounded Young Master Zhao in a triangular formation.

Jiang Fu'an's gaze fell on the woman.

Even though her clothes concealed her figure, the curves of her chest were still noticeable as she ran.

His eyes flickered slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly before he regained his composure.

The half-spirit horse beneath him did not stop, but continued to circle around at its current speed.

Jiang Fu'an caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye before his view was completely blocked by the trees.

The figure of that young master Zhao seemed to have fallen down.

Wang Zhichuan naturally witnessed this scene as well, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

The opponent who was just arrogant at the auction has now been besieged by the treacherous cultivators and is now in unknown condition.

Although he felt a sense of satisfaction, he was also filled with a chill.

These cultivators are so rampant, who knows when it might be their turn to suffer?

At this moment, he suddenly remembered Jiang Fu'an's evaluation of Young Master Zhao: "This man will never amount to anything in his life and will not go far."

At the time, I thought it was just something said in anger, but now that I think about it, it seems like a promise that came true.

Wang Zhichuan couldn't help but turn to look at Jiang Fu'an.

The other person's profile was calm and expressionless, their gaze fixed straight ahead.

A thought popped into Wang Zhichuan's mind:

This matter—could it have anything to do with him?

Today, Young Master Zhao threatened him in public and deliberately raised the price during the auction. Jiang Fu'an certainly had a motive.

Moreover, Stone left the scene early and his whereabouts are still unknown.

But soon, Wang Zhichuan shook his head, banishing the absurd idea from his mind.

He knew the Jiang family's background very well; they had always been law-abiding and had a simple network of connections.

Such a family could never possibly be associated with those ruthless cultivators.

It must be a coincidence.