Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 426 Is this all there is to Qian Yuan?

Jiang Yuan opened her mouth, looking somewhat speechless.

Let alone whether Jiang Duxu believed it or not, even she didn't believe it.

Even if she didn't fully understand the intricacies of these bastards' schemes, she had learned her lesson this time and should now realize that Lu Xingzhou's primary objective was definitely not this.

Jiang Duxu also laughed: "You can use such words to fool her, but don't try to fool this old man."

Lu Xingzhou said, "But it's true. Well... I do have a lot of curiosity about the ancient world and hope to have a good talk with the old gentleman. But there are many ways to trade... For example, the information I just mentioned about chasing illegal immigrants. I believe that would be enough to get a lot of information I want from the old gentleman. That would be enough for me."

Jiang Duxu was taken aback: "You... don't want the cultivation methods of the Ancient Realm?"

"The cultivation method I want is very specific, and I never expect to get it from you. It's just about exchanging some information, so that I can find it myself with some clues."

Jiang Duxu remained silent, lost in thought.

People in this world who want to "cooperate" with the ancient world should primarily do so for the sake of cultivation methods.

The cultivation path has been drastically cut off, making advancement extremely difficult; this is undoubtedly the greatest pain point for people in this world.

The second pain point is that even if some geniuses manage to break through the barriers, they will most likely face death or have to prolong their lives by various means... Cooperating with him in this regard is of little use, as Lu Xingzhou should know. At most, they can only exchange some information in order to find out the whole story.

Therefore, if one does not seek spiritual cultivation, there is really no need for in-depth cooperation with them; there is only superficial cooperation involving information exchange, and there is absolutely no question of marriage or related matters.

Lu Xingzhou said, "The most fundamental reason why I insist on competing with the emperor for a business partner is probably because I really don't want Miss Jiang to marry Huo Xingyuan. Of course... there are often many reasons, and another important factor is that the Huo family has a grudge against me, and I want to sabotage their affairs."

Jiang Duxu finally revealed a slight smile: "So, I believe you."

Jiang Yuan bit her lower lip. This time, Lu Xingzhou seemed to be telling the truth.

Is it really true that he's primarily concerned with his own affairs?
Lu Xingzhou asked, "So why does the old gentleman insist on using marriage alliances to establish himself in this realm?"

"Marriage alliances are a common practice in deep cooperation, something every family does all the time, nothing special," Jiang Duxu said calmly. "Of course, initially we were also considering Gu Zhanting..."

Lu Xingzhou said, "The Empress has passed away, and none of the sons are capable. Logically speaking, Gu Zhanting has no chance of passing on the throne for decades. If Miss Jiang marries into the family and has a son or daughter, and you raise them to be successful... that would truly be the most efficient and best solution for establishing yourself in this world."

Jiang Duxu nodded: "That's right."

“But someone like Gu Zhanting, who is always scheming against others, couldn’t have been unaware of this outcome. He even worried that you immortals from the Upper Realm might have other abilities, and that he would be killed by you in the end… so he dumped it on the Huo family.” Lu Xingzhou said, “I can easily understand the whole story, but this is what I can’t understand. The Huo family ostensibly holds immense power, but in reality, they are just the emperor’s dogs. The so-called dual first-rank officials of one family are probably not even worth your attention. Is it worth it?”

Jiang Duxu took a sip of tea: "The Huo family is capable of producing exceptional individuals... Huo Liancheng is almost there."

"That's it?"

How many Super Grade items are there in this world?

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

That makes sense, from one's own perspective, the Huo family is a mess, but from an outsider's perspective, it's much more complex.

Moreover, it also shows that none of the philosophers were of any use...

Jiang Duxu said calmly, "Not only that, given time, even Huo Xingyuan might become a top-tier cultivator."

Lu Xingzhou's heart stirred slightly: "Why do you make this judgment, sir?"

“They possess a very special aura… celestial aura. The Huo family might have celestial treasures.” Jiang Duxu glanced at Lu Xingzhou: “You also have a little bit, extremely ancient and faint, practically negligible.”

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and did not answer.

The Huo family's alchemy furnace is of a higher grade than I imagined... and there is a faint trace of ancient blood in my body, which is probably A'nuo's blood.

Furthermore, Jiang Duxu's cultivation might actually be stronger than Ye Tinglan's and Long Qinghuang's... Ye Tinglan couldn't see that.

"So the Huo family is actually a very good prospect," Jiang Duxu said calmly. "If the Tianyao Holy Land wants to cooperate with us... could you offer even better terms?"

The matriarch of the elite family can also strive to make her son the heir.

They can also plot to seize so-called immortal treasures.

Such conditions are something that the Heavenly Yao Holy Land truly cannot provide, so Jiang Duxu's idea is perfectly reasonable.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou remain silent in thought, Jiang Duxu continued, "The reason why the Huo family was willing to change the marriage proposal to you was because you are a member of the Huo family, and your abilities are sufficient to make you the head of the Huo family. In that case, Yuan'er would not be at a loss marrying you. But if you insist on separating, in my opinion, the attraction is not enough, and even if you have the Tianyao Holy Land behind you, it is not very meaningful."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Does the old man really not consider his granddaughter's own wishes at all? She wouldn't want to marry Huo Xingyuan."

Jiang Duxu said calmly, "For the sake of the family, personal wishes are not that important."

Jiang Yuan stood up angrily: "Grandpa!"

Jiang Duxu then said, "Don't say the old man is heartless. If you two had feelings for each other, it wouldn't be impossible to discuss it. But you don't have feelings for each other, you're just cooperating to cause trouble, simply because you don't want to marry Huo Xingyuan... This is simply absurd. Is this how you play with the family's century-long plan?" The two looked at each other, their expressions somewhat strange, and Jiang Yuan turned her head away from him.

Lu Xingzhou said, "Who else is in the family? It's not that your so-called 'for the family' is just for the old man himself, and for the son you all imagine, is it?"

Jiang Duxu: "Of course, there are still some people."

"How is your cultivation?"

"None of them are too high."

"Too high to be smuggled across, right?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Duxu didn't hide anything anymore: "So what does Physician Lu want to say?"

"I want to say that for an old man of the Qian Yuan realm to have such a low level of vision is simply shameful."

Jiang Duxu narrowed his eyes: "Doctor Lu, that's too much."

He was somewhat shocked; how did this person know he was Qian Yuan?
Even Jiang Yuan's eyes widened; she hadn't mentioned this before...

And this is the first time I've ever seen someone criticize my grandfather like this to his face. It feels so good.

Lu Xingzhou was just bluffing. Seeing Jiang Duxu's reaction, he knew it was true. He couldn't help but sneer: "So you really are Qian Yuan. Qian Yuan is so great that it crushes everything in this world. Instead of considering how to overcome all obstacles and lead your clan to stand at the top of this world, you betray your granddaughter's life for the sake of a bunch of big men's future? You say it's for the sake of the family? You really have the nerve to say that?"

"What do you know?" Jiang Duxu suppressed his anger: "We dare not expose the power of Qian Yuan!"

"The peak of Huiyang, formed by suppressing the Qian Yuan level, also crushes the other Huiyang. With such strength, if it were me, I would have already shit on Gu Zhanting's face. Why would I need to sell my granddaughter? Oh, are you trying to say the most efficient and the most profitable? Is that what you achieved? I thought there was some unavoidable hardship, but is that all? No, how did you come to think of Qian Yuan?"

Jiang Duxu took a deep breath, extremely annoyed, while Jiang Yuan laughed so hard her eyes were almost closed.

Before Jiang Duxu could speak, Lu Xingzhou quickly interrupted him: "Putting aside everything else, just talking about the so-called 'super-grade family,' I, Lu Xingzhou, am confident that I can achieve it on my own. You have a family with Qian Yuan in charge, so why do you need to steal someone else's family to achieve it? Isn't that ridiculous? From another perspective, even if we really want to form a marriage alliance with a super-grade family, how do you know that in a few years I won't have to rely on the Huo family already in place?"

Jiang Yuan said sarcastically, "Is it because you covet the immortal's treasures?"

Jiang Duxu was furious when his granddaughter interrupted him again. While the immortal treasures were certainly one reason, wasn't the main reason that nobody dared to bet on his future becoming a top-tier character? Instead of considering a family with existing top-tier members, they were gambling on whether he could become a top-tier character in the future—who was being ridiculous?

Lu Xingzhou said, "You want to steal a celestial treasure? You don't even dare to? I want to steal from the Huo family, and you have the Qian Yuan realm, so why don't you dare?"

Jiang Duxu swallowed back what he wanted to say, narrowing his eyes: "You know?"

"Of course I know, I even took your granddaughter to peek." Lu Xingzhou scoffed, "What kind of far-sighted plan is this? Is this all you've got?"

Jiang Duxu frowned: "Do you know what that is?"

Lu Xingzhou said, “A pill furnace. I believe you understand what a pill furnace is. It’s not a magic treasure that can only be used by one person, but a tool for producing pills. If we can guarantee that you and I will both have a share of the pills in the future, wouldn’t that be a kind of cooperation?”

Jiang Duxu's expression was somewhat strange.

To be honest, if the item were a pill-refining furnace, it wouldn't be as appealing to him, since he already possesses a plethora of pills beyond the comprehension of this world. Limited by the materials available in this realm, even with a celestial-grade pill-refining furnace, the resulting products might not necessarily surpass those he could produce himself.

But Lu Xingzhou's attitude struck him as very strange. If an ordinary person knew of such a treasure, wouldn't they hide it away and wish they could keep it to themselves? Yet he just casually mentioned it and even took Jiang Yuan to see it beforehand. Did he really not care at all?

Lu Xingzhou seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly, "I've never coveted any treasures, especially this alchemy furnace, which holds very unpleasant memories for me. I don't really want it. If I did want it, it would only be because it originally belonged to me and should be returned to its rightful owner. Apart from that, it holds no appeal for me. My initial plan was to let Gu Zhanting know about its existence so I could directly seize the Huo family's possessions..."

"Then why not implement it?"

“I don’t want Gu Zhanting to get the alchemy furnace to heal his injuries, so I’m hesitant. As long as Gu Zhanting doesn’t get it, I don’t care at all about who owns the furnace. The only result I want is for the Huo family to perish because of this furnace.” Lu Xingzhou poured Jiang Duxu another cup of tea: “So, Mr. Jiang, are you interested in this kind of cooperation?”

Whether or not to cooperate is another matter. At this moment, Jiang Duxu suddenly felt that his perspective was even lower than that of a junior in the Cloud Realm.

A junior doesn't covet treasures, treating them as mere props. What is he doing?
Lu Xingzhou sipped his tea leisurely and said, "As for my confidence in my superior grade... Elder Jiang investigated me and should know that I used to have a broken leg and severed meridians, making it difficult for me to cultivate?"

"Ah."

"It may be necessary to remind the old gentleman of something... After his leg was healed, it took Lu a little over ten months to rise from a mere seventh rank to his current second rank."

Jiang Yuan's eyes widened suddenly, and Jiang Duxu's heart skipped a beat.

In fact, most of this information can be gleaned from the list of heroes, so we know he wasn't exaggerating. But without careful consideration, one can't truly grasp the terrifying aspect of this place. Subconsciously, one might think that Teng Yun, in his early twenties, while a genius, isn't particularly extraordinary.

But upon closer examination, this is a journey from the mere Phoenix Beginning stage to the mid-stage of Soaring Cloud in just over ten months. What does that mean?
This is an unprecedented feat in the history of human spiritual cultivation.

If this person isn't exceptional, who is?
Why not invest in him, but instead invest in the dying Huo family?

No wonder Lu Xingzhou thought the Jiang family's actions were short-sighted... That confidence was something only he could possess.

Lu Xingzhou stood up and said calmly, "That's all I have to say. Old sir, go back and think it over carefully. Regardless of the final decision or whether you decide to cooperate, I still want to advise you that sacrificing your own granddaughter for the future of your family is absolutely not the mindset of a Qian Yuan cultivator, whether it's for the Huo family or for me."

(End of this chapter)