The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Inside the Han family's reception room, two elderly men sat on either side.

The old man on the left is dressed in a brown brocade robe. His hair and beard are all white, and his face is kind. He is Li Mubai, the patriarch of the Li family, one of the three major families of Yanling Fort. He has a Foundation Establishment level of three and has been running Yanling Fort for a hundred years.

The old man on the right is dressed in a blue robe, with a thin figure and sharp eyes. He is Zhang Xuanfeng, the patriarch of the Zhang family, with a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivation. He is famous for his swordsmanship and has a rather upright personality.

Both were veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators from Yanling Fortress, and they usually kept to themselves with the Han family. Their joint visit today was clearly unusual.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I apologize for my unauthorized visit and hope you will forgive me," Li Mubai said with a cupped hand and a gentle smile.

Zhang Xuanfeng simply nodded, his gaze sweeping over the layout of the reception room, as if trying to discern something from it.

Han Mu walked out of the inner room, still dressed in a blue robe, his face "slightly pale", and his aura was maintained at the first level of Foundation Establishment, with a slight sense of weakness - all of which he deliberately pretended.

"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Zhang, what a rare treat!" Han Mu sat down in the main seat and gestured for a maid to serve tea. "May I ask what brings you two here today?"

Li Mubai and Zhang Xuanfeng exchanged a glance, and the latter spoke first: "Fellow Daoist Han, I heard that three elders from the Blood Refining Sect visited your residence a few days ago?"

Although his tone was calm, the probing meaning in his words was obvious.

Han Mu understood. The three Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Blood Refining Sect, along with dozens of disciples, were marching in a grand procession towards Yanling Fortress. Such a commotion couldn't possibly be unknown to the other two families. Their previous inaction was likely due to a desire to observe the conflict from the sidelines; only now, seeing the Han family unharmed, did they come to investigate.

"That's true." Han Mu sighed softly, a look of lingering fear on his face. "Fellow Daoists Zhao Xue Sha and his two companions came to demand the return of the Green Bamboo Peak's spiritual vein, and their attitude was quite forceful. However, later... they suddenly received an urgent message from the sect and left in a hurry."

"Gone?" Zhang Xuanfeng raised an eyebrow. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know about that," Han Mu shook his head. "Perhaps the sect has something important to attend to."

Li Mubai picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip: "Fellow Daoist Han, are you aware that a major incident occurred at the Blood Fiend Mountains yesterday?"

"Oh?" Han Mu asked, feigning doubt. "What important matter?"

"The Blood Refining Sect... has been wiped out." Li Mubai put down his teacup, his gaze fixed on Han Mu. "The sect's gate was destroyed, all three elders and sect leader Zhao Tianxue were killed, and dozens of disciples are missing. It is said that it happened last night. There are only traces of a battle at the scene, but no sign of the murderer."

He spoke slowly, each word seemingly carefully chosen.

Han Mu's face immediately showed a look of "shock": "Shocked the entire sect? Who dares to be so bold? The Blood Refining Sect has four Foundation Establishment cultivators in charge!"

"Exactly," Zhang Xuanfeng replied. "To be able to kill four Foundation Establishment cultivators in such a short time, the murderer's strength must be at least in the mid-stage, or even late-stage, of Foundation Establishment. Moreover... the way they acted so decisively, leaving no survivors, suggests they came specifically for revenge."

He paused, then added, "Our spies reported that the incident occurred shortly after the three elders of the Blood Refining Sect left Yanling Fortress."

These words almost made it clear—your Han family just had a conflict with the Blood Refining Sect, and the Blood Refining Sect was wiped out the next day. What a coincidence!

Han Mu sneered inwardly, but on his face he feigned realization: "Do you two fellow Daoists suspect that I was the one who did it?"

"I wouldn't dare," Li Mubai waved his hand. "It's just that this matter is too strange. Our two families and the Han family are both located in Yanling Fortress. We are interdependent, so we naturally have to pay more attention to it."

They're just trying to get information out of me.

If the Han family truly has a mysterious expert capable of destroying the Blood Refining Sect, then the power structure of Yanling Fortress will be reshuffled. If not, then the Han family is a piece of easy prey—after all, the Blood Refining Sect has been eyeing the Green Bamboo Peak spiritual vein for a long time.

Han Mu naturally understood what the two were thinking.

He paused for a moment before slowly saying, "To be honest, I did invite a good friend to come and help me."

"A friend?" Li Mubai's eyes narrowed.

"Indeed." Han Mu nodded. "When I was traveling in my early years, I once saved a rogue cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and he owes me a favor. This time, the Blood Refining Sect came with great force, so I sent a message to ask him to come and help. As for the destruction of the Blood Refining Sect... perhaps it was just something he did on a whim."

That's half true and half false.

Yes, there are some. Han Mu did know quite a few cultivators in his previous life, and although his memories have merged in this life, his interpersonal relationships remain. There are also fake ones. He didn't invite any friends at all; he did everything himself.

But Li Mubai and Zhang Xuanfeng didn't know that.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator! This surpasses the highest combat strength currently held by Yanling Fortress (Li Mubai, Foundation Establishment Level 3). Moreover, this person is so ruthless, wiping out the entire Blood Refining Sect in one fell swoop; he is clearly no pushover.

"I see." Li Mubai's face broke into a smile again. "Fellow Daoist Han is truly blessed to have such a good friend. But... where is that fellow Daoist now? Could you perhaps introduce us?"

"He's already left," Han Mu sighed. "He's a rogue cultivator, his whereabouts are unpredictable. He said he had important business to attend to in the Great Jin Dynasty."

These words completely extinguished their desire to see "that master".

Zhang Xuanfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Han, with the destruction of the Blood Refining Sect, its mountain gate and the three small spiritual veins in the surrounding area have become unclaimed land. Our three families are all located in Yanling Fortress, so this matter... still needs to be discussed and agreed upon."

Now, let's get to the main topic.

Han Mu understood, but his face showed a troubled expression: "What does Fellow Daoist Zhang mean?"

"According to the rules of the cultivation world, unclaimed land belongs to the capable," Li Mubai continued. "However, our three families have been on good terms for generations, and it's not wise to ruin our harmony over this. I propose that each of our three families take one of these spiritual veins. As for the main peak and gate of the Blood Fiend Mountain Range… let's put that aside for now and wait for the seven major sects of Yue Kingdom to offer their opinions. What do you think?"

It appears fair, but in reality it harbors malicious intent.

The main peak of the Blood Fiend Mountains has the best spiritual vein quality, far surpassing the three smaller ones. The so-called "waiting for the seven major sects to speak" is actually an attempt to temporarily set aside the controversy and wait for the storm to pass before making further plans.

Moreover, the Han family currently only has Han Mu, a "Foundation Establishment Level 1" cultivator, who is the weakest and will definitely receive the worst spiritual vein.

"Fellow Daoist Li is right," Han Mu nodded. "However, the Han family has suffered considerable losses this time. The protective mountain array is severely damaged and requires a lot of resources to repair. Of those three small spiritual veins, Qingyang Peak is the closest to Yanling Fortress, so let the Han family take it. As for the other two, you two can allocate them as you see fit."

Qingyang Peak!

Li Mubai and Zhang Xuanfeng's expressions both changed.

Of those three small spiritual veins, Qingyang Peak's was of the highest quality, with a higher concentration of spiritual energy than the other two combined. Han Mu's demand for this was quite ambitious.

"Fellow Daoist Han, Qingyang Peak is probably..." Zhang Xuanfeng wanted to refute.

"What's wrong?" Han Mu looked up at him. "Does Fellow Daoist Zhang find this inappropriate?"

His tone was calm, but both Li Mubai and Zhang Xuanfeng felt a sense of pressure.

They then remembered that the Han family might have a ruthless expert at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage behind them. Although that person wasn't here now, who knew if they might suddenly return?

"Perfect, perfect." Li Mubai quickly smoothed things over. "It's only fair that Qingyang Peak belongs to the Han family. As for the other two places, my Li family wants Black Stone Valley in the east, and Fellow Daoist Zhang wants Red Pine Slope in the west, what do you say?"

Although Zhang Xuanfeng was unwilling, seeing that Li Mubai had conceded, he could only nod and say, "I will do as Brother Li says."

"Then it's settled." Han Mu smiled. "However, I have one more request."

"Fellow Daoist Han, please speak."

"During this conflict with the Blood Refining Sect, several of my Han family's younger members were frightened and need some calming pills. Fellow Daoists, your families are very wealthy; I wonder if you could part with a few bottles of 'Heart-Clearing Pills'? I, Han, am willing to purchase them at market price."

The Mind-Clearing Pill is a mid-grade first-level pill that has the effect of calming the mind and spirit for cultivators in the Qi Refining stage. It is not particularly precious, but it is not cheap either.

Li Mubai and Zhang Xuanfeng exchanged a glance and both understood Han Mu's meaning—he wanted them to "show their appreciation" as a form of hush money.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you're too kind," Li Mubai said with a smile. "My Li family happens to have a few bottles in stock, and I'll have someone deliver them to you later. There's no need to talk about buying or not buying."

"The Zhang family also has some," Zhang Xuanfeng added.

"Thank you very much then." Han Mu cupped his hands in thanks.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two said their goodbyes and left.

As he watched their figures disappear, the "weakness" on Han Mu's face vanished instantly, and he returned to calm.

"System, bring up the map showing the distribution of forces around Yanling Fortress."

[Map generating...]

[Yanling Fort's sphere of influence: 300 li in radius]

[Main Powers: Han Family (Foundation Establishment Family), Li Family (Foundation Establishment Family), Zhang Family (Foundation Establishment Family)]

[Spiritual Vein Distribution: Green Bamboo Peak (3 miniature spiritual veins, controlled by the Han family), Crimson Flame Valley (2 miniature spiritual veins, controlled by the Li family), Cold Pool Mountain (2 miniature spiritual veins, controlled by the Zhang family)]

[New Spiritual Veins: Qingyang Peak (Small Spiritual Vein x1, awaiting acquisition), Black Stone Valley (Mini Spiritual Vein x1, acquired by the Li family), Red Pine Slope (Mini Spiritual Vein x1, acquired by the Zhang family)]

[Blood Fiend Mountain Range Main Peak (Small Spirit Vein x2, Not Yet Assigned)]

Han Mu looked at the map and fell into deep thought.

Acquiring Qingyang Peak will significantly increase the family's resources. However, the main peak of the Blood Fiend Mountain Range is the real prize, as it contains two small spiritual veins, enough to support a Foundation Establishment family for a century.

"We can't rush things," he muttered to himself. "We'll wait until Changqing successfully completes his foundation before making any plans."