Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 350 The Cai Family of Pingyi (4K)

The last magical item was a small box of translucent gelatinous substance.

At first glance, it looks like aspic.

Its surface is faintly glowed with an almost invisible purple light, and inside, one can vaguely see tiny starlight flickering on and off.

Xiao Chen naturally didn't recognize this thing either, but it wasn't hard to tell that it was a man-made spiritual object.

Because he wasn't afraid of being poisoned, he picked it up and examined it directly.

It's not easy to discern the purpose of this thing yet, but he can sense that it contains abundant wood elemental power and a very rich vitality.

This indicates that it is at least a mid-grade fourth-tier spiritual item, and it belongs to the wood element.

"Interesting, but what's this thing used for?"

If he obtained an ordinary wood-type spiritual item, Xiao Chen would simply absorb and refine it for cultivation.

But this thing looks quite special; it might be a treasure.

So he decided to keep it for now, figure out its specific function, and then decide how to use it.

After finishing tidying up, Xiao Chen circled around again, holding the "Silent and Shadowless Spell".

After confirming that no one was chasing him, he began to think about what to do next.
He originally came along out of curiosity to watch the show, but he never expected it to turn out like this.

Fortunately, we can deduce the information from what we got from the storage ring, especially from the contents of those two letters.

That burly man with the red beard was indeed a cultivator from the Reverse Immortal Alliance.

Theoretically speaking, Xiao Chen could even go to the wanted poster at the entrance of the market and accept the reward money.

Of course, he wouldn't go so far as to reveal his identity just for spirit stones.

"In that case, the problem with Guiyun Sect shouldn't be too big."

Xiao Chen thought about it. After all, the Anti-Immortal Alliance was a wanted criminal organization. Even if they wanted to take revenge on him, they certainly couldn't collude with the Guiyun Sect.

They might not even dare to contact Guiyun Sect to verify the situation, otherwise they might be dealt with first.

If that's the case, then Xiao Chen wouldn't have been put on a wanted list.

But now he has offended the Rebellious Immortal Alliance.

I just don't know how long it will take them to find out that today's incident is related to me.

There should have been no witnesses at the scene, and he left relatively quickly.

The only clue is the traces of magic left behind during the battle.

Be extra careful when taking action from now on, and avoid using the "Crimson Sky Mountain-Splitting Palm" whenever possible.

To prevent the other party from directly locking onto you based on the traces of the spell.

"In that case, it doesn't seem to affect my decision to go to the Cai family again."

Xiao Chen had originally planned to find a business partner, and although he encountered a small accident, it didn't seem to delay things.

While the Reverse Immortal Alliance and the Cai family might not be irreconcilable enemies, they certainly wouldn't be in cahoots.

After making up his mind, he took a long detour again.

Then we went to Pingyi City, which is near Fangshi.

Although people usually refer to the Cai family of Pingyi, this large city, home to tens of thousands of cultivators, is not exclusively controlled by the Cai family.

Only the large mansions in the east, south, and middle of the city belong to the Cai family.

The shops in the west of the city are mostly owned by other families, while the north of the city is a gathering place for many independent cultivators.

When Xiao Chen arrived in Pingyi, it was evening, and he saw that the north of the city was the most lively place, where most of the cultivators had gathered.

The east and south sides of the city were almost deserted, clearly very quiet.

This is not good news for the Cai family.

Nobody goes to their place, and naturally nobody buys their spiritual items.

As a result, it becomes very difficult for them to earn many spirit stones.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the cultivators in the wasteland may not seem to have many spirit stones. Those who have the ability to come to the city are relatively wealthy.

Moreover, although a single cultivator may not have many spirit stones, if they can accumulate over time, it can amount to a considerable sum.

Xiao Chen noticed, in particular, that today's trading seemed exceptionally brisk.

Many monks crowded onto the only three main streets in the north of the city, haggling fiercely with the street vendors.

He leaned closer and listened, and found that most of the cultivators were preparing to go out.

Pingyi is about 3,000 li away from Guiyunfang. If the road is safe and there is no need to worry about being robbed, you can travel at full speed.

Most low-level cultivators can catch up in just two days.

Therefore, many cultivators chose to go out tonight to purchase some necessities, and then set off early tomorrow morning to participate in the Double Jade Assembly.

"Luckily I arrived quickly enough, or I would have missed the deadline."

Since none of the independent cultivators had left, Xiao Chen guessed that the Cai family probably hadn't set off either.

He still had time to finalize the cooperation agreement beforehand.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask how to get to the Cai family's residence?"

Xiao Chen casually grabbed a rogue cultivator and asked for directions: "It seems like no one lives in that big courtyard in the middle of the city."

He had already checked it with his divine sense.

The front and back gates of the courtyard were tightly closed, and even though it was already evening, there were no lanterns lit inside.

It seems like no one lives there at all.

Shouldn't the Cai family have gone to Guiyun Market before the lower-level cultivators even set off?

"The Cai family?"

The rogue cultivator was taken aback for a moment, then replied enthusiastically, "Senior, you may not know this, but the Cai family members now live near their ancestral home outside the city."

"It's said that they chose that place because of its better feng shui."

"The large courtyards in this city have been empty for over a hundred years."

"Aside from occasionally sending servants back to clean and take care of things, no one has lived here for a long time."

Ok?
What the hell is this feng shui?

Xiao Chen immediately sensed something strange. Could there be a problem with the feng shui of the city?

Moreover, since everyone here is a cultivator, what were you doing when you were building your courtyard in the city?
Besides, even if the feng shui is found to be wrong after the repairs are completed, for such a large family, demolishing and rebuilding wouldn't require much effort.

There must be some hidden story behind this.

"Let's check on the Cai family's situation first."

Xiao Chen turned and arrived at a restaurant in the west of the city.

Soon they saw an elderly Golden Core cultivator sitting in a corner, drinking alone.

He immediately leaned over and used two jars of spirit wine to coax two relatively reliable pieces of gossip out of the other person.

The first point concerns the feng shui of the Cai family.

According to this elderly man who has lived for over three hundred years and witnessed the rise and fall of the Cai family.

Starting two hundred years ago, members of the Cai family frequently died unexpectedly.

Moreover, the situation spiraled out of control, and at its worst, three people died within just ten years.

At that time, the important members of the Cai family still lived in the city, while the various branches were located in the east and south of the city.

At that time, rumors were circulating in the market that the Cai family must have had a problem with their feng shui, which was why their descendants could not prosper.

It should be noted that at that time, the Cai family was already facing a major crisis: the lineage of Nascent Soul True Monarchs was about to end.

There is an urgent need to cultivate a new Nascent Soul True Monarch from among the clansmen.

Under those circumstances, the previous generation of Mr. Cai persisted for seventy years, and during that time, the courtyard was renovated twice.

But eventually, more than 120 years ago, he led his direct descendants to move out of the city and return to their ancestral home in the suburbs.

Later, many more members of the branch families followed. The second reason is that in recent years, many cultivators have noticed that the Cai family seems to have lost its former prestige.

They spend most of their time near their ancestral home and rarely go out.

They even stopped sending members of their branch clansmen to guard some of the spirit fields and spirit mines that were far from their ancestral home, and instead leased them directly to outsiders.

Some of the bolder cultivators would secretly sublet their properties without any regard for consequences.

"I'm afraid it won't work."

The old man sighed softly, shook his head, and took a sip of the spirit wine: "Don't look down on me just because I'm halfway to the grave. Maybe I can still watch a good show."

He still has a hundred years left to live.

If things continue like this, we might actually witness the downfall of the Cai family.

However, now that Xiao Chen has arrived, the situation is naturally different.

After confirming that the Cai family was indeed in decline and on the verge of collapse.

He immediately went to the Cai family ancestral home in the suburbs, intending to have a good talk with Old Master Cai.

"No way, what is this thing?"

However, as soon as Xiao Chen approached, he noticed that a pale yellow light curtain was covering the outside of the Cai family's ancestral home.

From a distance, it looks like an inverted bowl, protecting the entire ancestral home.

It was a fourth-tier defensive array that had already been activated!

Although it doesn't look like it's fully activated yet, it's only in a semi-activated state.

However, according to Xiao Chen's understanding, even to maintain such low-consumption operation, it would inevitably consume a lot of spirit stones and spiritual materials.

Over time, the old array base will need to be replaced and maintained, and the array patterns will need to be re-engraved.

These are all significant losses!
Under normal circumstances, only when a sect is established will it be necessary to use the mountain-protecting array for a long time and borrow spiritual veins to bear part of the loss of spirit stones.

Most cultivation families don't have this habit; it's simply a waste of money.

Even if I were to use it, I wouldn't use a fourth-order grand formation; there's no need for it.

However, the Cai family made an exception and activated the interlocking array left by their ancestors, which clearly indicates that they were under considerable pressure.

"very good!"

For Xiao Chen, the worse off the Cai family was, the more they needed outside help, and the more likely they were to agree to cooperate with him.

He immediately strode to the door and said, "I am Jin Guang Sanren, and I have come here to pay my respects to Master Cai. Please inform him of my presence."

The four servants standing at the door were all stunned when they heard this.

Why are there still guests?

You should know that no Golden Core cultivators have come to visit their home for the past three or four years.

Aside from some Foundation Establishment cultivators, the guests were usually old friends invited by the clan elders.

The elders would often wait at the door to greet them, so there was no need for them to announce their arrival.

The four of them looked at each other, completely bewildered for a moment.

Then a quick-witted one immediately bowed and replied, "I will go and inform them right away. Please wait a moment, senior."

After saying that, he dashed out the side door and ran to the backyard.

"Jin Guang Sanren?"

Grandpa Cai was processing spiritual herbs in the backyard when he heard this and frowned slightly, trying to recall which fellow Daoist it was.

No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember where he had met such a fellow Daoist.

So he simply took the initiative to come out and greet them, wanting to recognize them.

"Quickly open the main gate and invite Fellow Daoist Jin Guang in."

Before Old Master Cai even arrived, his voice preceded his arrival, directing the servants to push open the half-closed main gate.

He then came out and saw Xiao Chen waiting at the door.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked; once he did, all the polite words he had prepared were immediately swallowed back.

Something is wrong!
This fellow Daoist Jin Guang looks incredibly young.

Judging by his appearance alone, he doesn't look more than fifty years old.

My family has been facing increasing difficulties in recent years, and we have almost only a few old friends left.

When did I meet such a young person in person?
A look of confusion flashed in Grandpa Cai's eyes—Who are you? Do we know each other?

However, he certainly didn't ask that question. Instead, after pausing for a moment, he stepped aside and raised his hand to welcome him, saying, "Please come this way, fellow Daoist, and have a seat in the front hall."

After saying that, he led Xiao Chen through the corridor to the reception room, where the host and guests took their seats.

Two boys immediately served the sacred tea.

Grandpa Cai took the spirit tea, slowly skimmed off the foam, and took a small sip.

Then he dismissed the maids around him and began to examine the fruit platter on the table.

At this moment, he actually had many questions in his mind, but he held back and waited for Xiao Chen to speak first.

This was actually a little trick by Mr. Cai.

If someone takes the initiative to visit you, they must have come with some purpose.

In that case, he can first listen patiently to what the other party has to say, and then carefully consider how to handle the situation.

This allows them to gain the upper hand in the dialogue by striking back after the opponent has made their move.

It has to be said that Grandpa Cai's actions did surprise Xiao Chen.

He had expected the other party to ask him who he was and why he had come.

Then one can take the opportunity to say that this trip is to save the Cai family, getting straight to the point.

Unexpectedly, after the two sat down, the other person stared at the fruit plate in front of them, seemingly considering which one to eat first.

There was no response for several breaths.

What a strange man.

Xiao Chen then took the initiative to speak: "The old gentleman probably doesn't know me, so let me introduce myself first."

"I am a rogue cultivator from the Far East, nicknamed Golden Light Hermit."

"I've come here today for no other reason than to discuss a deal with the old gentleman."

"A deal that concerns the future of the Cai family. I wonder if the old gentleman would be interested?"

transaction?

Upon hearing this, Old Master Cai immediately understood Xiao Chen's identity.

He said that the reason why a strange Golden Core cultivator had suddenly come to visit was that he was just another ambitious person who had emerged after seeing the Cai family decline.

Since that's the case, then he doesn't need to give the other party a friendly look.

Although the Cai family is not as powerful as before, it is still one of the four major families in Zejing Blessed Land.

This isn't a place where just any Golden Core cultivator could have ulterior motives.

Old Master Cai's face darkened, and he was about to reprimand him.

However, before he could even speak, he suddenly felt a powerful divine sense sweep over him, cleaning up the entire front hall.

"It's best not to let irrelevant people hear what happens next."

Xiao Chen smiled and said, "After all, this is a matter of great importance, so I personally checked it to prevent anyone from overhearing."

"The old gentleman shouldn't mind, right?"

The moment Grandpa Cai was scanned by divine sense, his mind tightened and the hairs on his body stood on end.

The newcomer is a Nascent Soul True Monarch!
His right hand gripped the teacup tightly, while his left hand quietly slipped into his sleeve to hold a small array flag, which made him feel much more at ease.

He forced a smile onto his previously stern face: "What you say makes sense, senior. I don't mind at all."

(End of this chapter)