Family Cultivation: My Ancestral Home Gets Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 129 Two Years Later

After returning from Ping'an Town, Jiang Fu'an's life returned to its usual rhythm.

His schedule was packed with cultivation, drawing talismans, and teaching disciples.

But now, he has added another item to his daily list: studying medicinal cuisine recipes.

Time flows quietly in the mountains, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years have passed.

Qinglu Mountain remains peaceful, but the neighbors outside the mountain are not.

Ever since the death of the late-stage Qi Refining Master Zhao from the Zhao family of Huachi, the Wang family, which had been keeping a low profile, has revealed its true colors.

What started as minor frictions eventually escalated into a large-scale battle between the two groups of cultivators.

The war lasted intermittently for nearly a year.

In the end, the Wang family gained the upper hand and advanced with unstoppable momentum, even reaching the gates of the Zhao family's ancestral home.

Driven to the brink of despair, the Zhao family had no choice but to seek help from their ancestor, who was cultivating in a sect and had already successfully established his foundation.

However, the fishing waters along the Yueling River that originally belonged to the Zhao family were now entirely taken over by the Wang family.

When the news reached Qinglu Mountain, Jiang Fu'an sighed softly, "Having a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the family makes all the difference."

If it were the Jiang family that attacked the Zhao family, that Foundation Establishment cultivator, in his rage, could wipe out the entire Qinglu Mountain with a single casual strike.

But it was precisely because behind the Wang family stood Consort Wang, who was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator and was practicing in the Miaoyin Sect.

The Zhao family member who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage could only exert pressure and dared not kill him.

If he were to harm the Wang family, and Wang Zhaoyi were to return with the news, would she possibly let the Zhao family off the hook?

In addition, the Mu family of Feiyue Lake has also experienced considerable changes in the past two years.

Jiang Fu'an originally thought that since Mu Wenxue failed to purchase the Longevity Pill and the Mu family's ancestor had passed away, the family would inevitably face a situation where everyone would turn against them.

Unexpectedly, Mu Wenxue became acquainted with the Lu family of Qixia, one of the seven great families of the Song Kingdom.

She married Lu Xuanfeng, the most outstanding young member of the Lu family.

It was the same Lu family member who had once expressed his affection for Jiang Xianghe and later sparred with Shi Tou.

With the Lu family as their protector, the other powerful families that had been eyeing the Mu family immediately changed their tune and sent people with generous gifts to apologize.

The power structure around Jade Moon Lake was instantly reshaped.

"Master! Grandpa!"

On this day, Jiang Fu'an was in the kitchen, preparing to try making a soup to strengthen the body and nourish the vital energy.

Two clear shouts, accompanied by the sound of thumping footsteps, came from afar and grew closer.

He turned his head and saw Er Ya and Xuan'er holding hands as they rushed in.

Jiang Fu'an quickly reminded him, "Slow down! Be careful not to trip. What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Xuan'er spoke first, her voice clear and crisp: "Grandpa! Sister Er Ya and I have both broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining!"

Jiang Fu'an was taken aback upon hearing this.

Er Ya's breakthrough was within his expectations.

Although this girl only has mixed spiritual roots, her cultivation is slow.

However, with the added benefit of the "Mysterious Yin Body", it took another four or five years to reach the middle stage, which was a natural progression.

Ke Xuan'er—that speed is quite astonishing.

All told, it has only been two years since I officially started to draw in Qi into my body.

To solidify his foundation, he didn't even give her the Spirit Gathering Pill.

Unexpectedly, he broke through so quickly.

He bent down and carefully sensed it.

Although the little girl in front of me still seemed immature in her spiritual energy flow, the fluctuations of the fourth level of Qi Refining were real.

He reached out and ruffled Xuan'er's hair, his smile full of approval: "Very good. Xuan'er, you are even more hardworking than I imagined."

After saying that, he straightened up and his gaze fell on Er Ya.

The girl in front of me has grown quite a bit taller and has shed much of her childishness, now standing tall and graceful.

It is unknown whether it is because of the breakthrough to the mid-stage of Qi Refining that the "Mysterious Yin Body" has become more apparent.

Her features, which were originally only considered pretty, now subtly revealed a pure and ethereal quality.

Her skin became even whiter and brighter, and she looked three times more radiant.

Looking at Er Ya's slightly flushed cheeks from excitement, Jiang Fu'an felt a slight stirring in his heart, recalling his initial purpose in bringing her back to Qinglu Mountain.

Once her "Mysterious Yin Body" is fully manifested, he will cultivate the "Dragon and Phoenix Twin Cauldrons Technique" with her, using her special physique to aid his own cultivation.

Now, the time is right in front of us.

But Jiang Fu'an hesitated.

Over the years, he has taken special care of Er Ya, personally answering her questions about cultivation and taking care of her daily life.

Er Ya felt a greater dependence and closeness to him than to others.

If he were to bring up the matter of dual cultivation now, this girl would most likely agree in a daze.

But—she was only twelve years old.

In this world, it's not unusual for someone his age to get married, but the boundary he felt from his past life still stood between him and his family.

That's it.

Let's wait a few more years, until I'm eighteen.

"father!"

Just then, Yue'er's voice came from the courtyard: "There's a beautiful fairy sister outside looking for you!"

Jiang Fu'an straightened up and walked towards the door: "Do you know the name of the person who came?"

She said her surname was Zhao.

Yue'er blinked, her eyes full of gossip: "Father, when did you meet such a fairy?"

Surname Zhao —

Jiang Fu felt relieved.

He strode outside, and as he passed his daughter, he lightly tapped her forehead: "Children shouldn't ask about these things."

Upon arriving at the gate of the mansion, a female cultivator dressed in a moon-white robe stood quietly beside a clump of lush green bamboo not far away.

She had her back to the house, seemingly gazing at the scenery below the mountain.

As if sensing the movement behind her, the female cultivator turned around.

It was an extremely beautiful face, with skin as white as snow, eyebrows and eyes like paintings, a delicate nose, and pale cherry lips.

In terms of appearance alone, she was in no way inferior to Jiang Xianghe.

Jiang Fu'an smiled and quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "It is an honor to have Fairy Zhao grace our humble abode. Please come in and have some tea."

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, it's been a long time."

Zhao Lintang returned the greeting with a cupped hand, but glanced at the bamboo path beside him and said softly, "No need for tea. If Fellow Daoist Jiang has some free time now, would you like to accompany me for a walk on the mountain?"

"The scenery of Qinglu Mountain is indeed serene and tranquil."

Jiang Fu'an knew that the other party must have important business to attend to since they had come from afar.

He readily agreed, smiling, "Since you have invited me, I, Jiang, will gladly oblige. Please."

The two walked side by side along the winding path, slowly entering the depths of the bamboo forest.

After exchanging a few words about their recent situations, Zhao Lintang paused slightly before finally getting to the point: "To be honest, Fellow Daoist Jiang, for the past two years, I have been trying to clear the remaining cold poison from my body."

"But this poison has lingered for a long time and has even invaded the heart meridian, making it truly stubborn."

"I secretly sought out several rather expensive antidote pills and took them, but they were like throwing a stone into the sea, having little effect."

Her gaze was fixed intently on Jiang Fu'an's face, her tone carrying a complex sigh: "When I first heard you humbly say that you only have a slight understanding of medicine, I thought you were just an ordinary pharmacist."

"Now it seems that you are the truly hidden master."

Speaking of this, she couldn't help but think of that medicine jar.

I shouldn't have assumed it was just an ordinary medicine just because it tasted bad, and I certainly shouldn't have thrown it away.

Jiang Fu'an waved his hands repeatedly, saying modestly, "Fairy Zhao, you flatter me. The pills you take must all be rare treasures."

"However, the lingering effects of the cold poison are stubborn and require targeted treatment to completely eradicate it."

"The medicine failed to achieve its full effect, probably because its properties did not fully target this last remaining ailment."

He guessed that Zhao Lintang, in order to conceal the truth about assassinating Zhao Linlan back then, would not dare to let other pharmacists delve into the condition of her body.

Therefore, the difficulty of the cleanup was downplayed to avoid arousing too much suspicion from the other party.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lintang nodded slightly: "What Fellow Daoist Jiang said is similar to my guess."

"Could you please take another look and tell me the extent of the cold poison in my body?"

She stretched out her right hand, her sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of her fair, jade-like arm, and offered it to Jiang Fu'an.

Jiang Fu'an did not refuse.

After two years of dedicated study of the pharmacist's legacy, he can now be considered a genuine pharmacist.

He extended his right index and middle fingers and gently placed them on Zhao Lintang's wrist.

The next moment, a wisp of peaceful wood-attribute magic slowly flowed from his fingertips, carefully probing into the other person's body along the meridians of their wrist.

Zhao Lintang felt a warm and gentle current of air spread up his arm, bringing a comfortable, warm, and itchy sensation wherever it passed.

She was slightly surprised: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, your method seems different this time? Do I need to infuse my magic power to investigate?"

"In order to eradicate the virus completely this time, we must carefully investigate where the remaining poison is lurking, so we need to be even more meticulous."

Jiang Fu'an closed his eyes slightly, his mind mostly absorbed in the sensation of the magical power feedback, while answering the question.

After circulating his magic power for a while, he had a general understanding of it.

As he said, there were still some residual cold toxins in the other person's body, and they had already faintly merged with some of the meridians, making them difficult to separate.

With his current medical skills, he simply cannot remove it.

Unless the effects of "dietary therapy" are employed.

However, he also discovered that Zhao Lintang had firmly imprisoned this remaining cold poison in several minor meridian nodes.

His daily practice and magical duels with others are almost unaffected.

He withdrew his finger and asked with a hint of doubt, "Please forgive my bluntness, but the cold poison in your body has been well controlled and does not affect your daily life."

"Why are you so determined to eradicate it completely?"

A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Lintang's face: "I used to think so too. Until last year, when I felt I was fully prepared and wanted to try the Foundation Establishment stage."

"A senior expert specifically advised that Foundation Establishment is a transformative process, and any hidden dangers or injuries within the body could affect the chances of success at crucial moments."

Jiang Fu'an nodded in realization, his face showing an expression of understanding: "That is indeed true! It was my oversight that I did not consider this."

In fact, this was the first time he had ever heard of such a claim.

Zhao Lintang raised his eyes and looked at him intently, with anticipation: "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Jiang is confident that he can completely eliminate this stubborn poison for me?"

"Please feel free to name your compensation."

Jiang Fu'an needed the other party's help with something, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.

Moreover, the other party had sworn an oath to never reveal the matter of clearing away the cold poison, so safety is guaranteed.

He nodded in agreement: "I am quite confident. However, this time, Jiang would like to ask for a different kind of payment."

"I would like to trouble Fairy Zhao to help me find a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Foundation Pill?"

Zhao Lintang frowned slightly, clearly finding the matter quite troublesome.

She hesitated for a moment, then said apologetically, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, to be honest, although I usually have access to Foundation Establishment Pills..."

"However, the Foundation Establishment Pills used for auction in the pavilion are all set up to make a name for the pavilion and attract cultivators from all sides. The process is strict, and I have no right to trade them privately."

"However, if there are Foundation Establishment Pills auctioned again in the future, I can inform you in advance so that you can come and bid."

"If you don't have enough spirit stones right now, I might be able to lend you some to help you out."

Jiang Fu'an quickly waved his hand: "Let's forget about the auction."

"My cultivation is too low; how dare I compete with you powerful figures?"

The consequences of the Mu family's bidding for the Longevity Pill at Feiyue Lake serve as a cautionary tale.

How could he dare to put his own family under the public eye?

After a moment's thought, he asked, "I wonder what quality your pavilion usually auctions Foundation Establishment Pills of?"

"Mostly medium grade, occasionally high grade."

Zhao Lintang told him the truth.

Jiang Fu'an pressed further, "What about low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills? How does your organization usually handle them?"

"Inferior?"

Zhao Lintang looked surprised and couldn't help but advise, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, the low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill contains extremely heavy poison. After taking it, one's lifespan will be shortened by at least fifty years, and up to a hundred years!"

"And it increases the chance of successfully establishing a foundation, but only by a mere ten percent."

"For the vast majority of cultivators, this substance is no different from poison; taking it means almost certain death."

"Even if one is fortunate enough to successfully establish the foundation, the lifespan gained will only be fifty or sixty years, which will offset the lifespan loss, and may even result in a loss. It is really not worth it."

Jiang Fu'an was naturally aware of these drawbacks.

The lifespan of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator is around 180 years.

If a hundred years are lost, plus the wasted time during the Qi Refining stage, even if one successfully establishes the Foundation, the remaining time would be almost insufficient to sustain cultivation to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Not to mention the slim chance of only increasing by 10%, failure would severely damage the foundation and further shorten lifespan.

It was a path fraught with peril, a journey where one had to face almost certain death.

But precisely because of this, it is possible for him to obtain this useless, low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill with relatively little risk.

Otherwise, if there were any chance of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill, how could it possibly be his turn?

As for erysipelas and root damage, "dietary therapy" can cure them.

Faced with Zhao Lintang's well-intentioned reminder, Jiang Fu'an could only smile wryly: "Thank you for the reminder, Fairy. But it is precisely because the disadvantages outweigh the advantages that I may have a sliver of a chance to purchase it."

"I will still have to trouble you, Fairy, to pay close attention in the future."

"If you can find it, it's best to trade it privately and not let a third party know."

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Zhao Lintang had already given him all the advice he needed to give, so he said no more and nodded, saying, "In that case, I will remember this. I will definitely keep an eye out for you."

"Although low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are useless, they are still very rare and require some luck."

"Besides this, does Fellow Daoist require any other compensation?"

"No need, that's all."

Jiang Fu'an knew that even if the other party agreed to help, it was still uncertain whether they would really take it to heart.

If one is greedy and demands too much at this time, it may cause the other party to become complacent, which would be a case of losing more than one gains.

Seeing how tactful he was, Zhao Lintang's eyes flashed with a hint of amazement.

He immediately assured him, "Then thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Jiang. I, Lin Tang, will do my utmost to help with the Foundation Establishment Pill."