From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 107 Reputation
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators were locked in combat in the sky, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Tong Yiyan had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and was an alchemist who was not skilled in combat, so his strength was far inferior to Lan Yunkai's.

However, his intention was not to confront Lan Yunkai, but only to create chaos to give the Tong family members an opportunity to escape.

Fire spells swept across the sky, appearing like fiery clouds.

The spiritual fire dispersed into clusters of flames, falling towards the spiritual fields on Qingqiu Mountain. Instantly, the spiritual fields everywhere burned, and thick smoke rose.

"Put out the fire!"

Lan Yunkai was heartbroken to see the burning spirit field, which contained several hundred-year-old second-tier spirit plants.

The spirit sword flew out of his storage pouch, and he rode it towards Tong Yiyan.

After a few moves, Tong Yiyan was no match for the sword and was pierced through the dantian, falling towards the ground.

"Sealing Talisman!"

Lan Yunkai deliberately controlled the spirit sword to only cripple Tong Yiyan's dantian, without harming his life, because he wanted to capture him alive.

A second-tier sealing talisman landed on Tong Yiyan, and the talisman transformed into spiritual energy that spread outwards.

Seeing that his opponent had completely lost the ability to resist, Lan Yunkai relaxed his guard. Having been struck by the sealing talisman, his spiritual power and divine sense were completely sealed, rendering him like a mortal.

"Yi Yan, why did you do this? It's just refining another Foundation Establishment Pill, why did it have to end like this?"

"Heh, with your ambition, even if I really gave you a Foundation Establishment Pill, would you let us leave?"

Tong Yiyan's lips curled into a disdainful sneer. Given the Lan family's current actions, the more Foundation Establishment Pills he refined, the less likely he was to leave.

"..."

Lan Yunkai was taken aback. Indeed, since the Tong family was able to refine a second Foundation Establishment Pill, he was even less likely to let them leave. Instead, he coveted the pill-refining inheritance even more.

At this moment, he saw Tong Yiyan's throat move, as if he had swallowed something.

"slow!"

“Uh~~”

Tong Yiyan's body stiffened, flames scorched from within him, and the body of a Foundation Establishment Immortal melted like ice and snow under the flames, along with his spiritual power, divine consciousness and soul, all burned into nothingness.

That was a "Flame Erosion Pill" he had prepared long ago. It wasn't of high grade, but it was an excellent elixir for suicide. As long as one didn't resist, one would instantly turn to ashes.

Before he died, he reflected on the history of the Tong family. Such a disaster that almost wiped out the clan was not unique, yet the family has still survived to this day.

Long before he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he had arranged for several of his own alchemy prodigies to leave Qingqiu Mountain; that was his backup plan. Even if the Tong family of Qingqiu Mountain were gone, there would still be alchemy Tong families elsewhere. Perhaps a few hundred years later, a powerful Tong family Foundation Establishment cultivator would come to Qingqiu Mountain and burn the Lan family to ruins.

"Ugh!"

Lan Yunkai was filled with regret. An alchemist who could refine Foundation Establishment Pills was gone just like that, without giving him the chance to search his soul.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Inside Qingqiu Fang Market.

Tong Bailie, at the Tong Family's Spirit Pill Pavilion, knew exactly what had happened when he saw the "fiery clouds" in the sky.

A few days ago, the Qi Refining stage cultivators of the Tong family gathered together to discuss whether to stay or leave.

Leaving might cause the Lan family to break off relations.

If they stay, they will be exploited to death by the Lan family, who will refine Foundation Establishment Pills at any cost. Generation after generation, they will live under the Lan family's roof, becoming their "alchemy slaves."

He advocated staying because, based on his understanding of Lan Yunkai, the current patriarch of the Lan family, he knew that this man was hypocritical, treacherous, and would not easily let his family leave. Forcing them to leave could very well bring disaster upon them.

However, the minority had to submit to the majority, and more than half of the Qi Refining cultivators in the Tong family agreed to leave, so he had no choice but to follow the crowd.

"Ugh!"

Having anticipated this, he quickly changed into a black robe to conceal his identity and left disguised as a customer of the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

Unfortunately, he had already been targeted, and with this method of disguise, he couldn't escape.

Before he was captured, shouts amplified by spiritual energy echoed throughout the market: "The Lan family is treacherous and thieving! They have forcibly seized my family's alchemy heritage!"

After saying this, he swallowed the Flame Erosion Pill and transformed into a ball of flame.

As soon as Xu Fugui stepped out of the spirit plant garden, he first saw the Foundation Establishment battle in the sky, and then he saw Tong Bailie burned to ashes not far away, leaving only a pile of spirit stones shimmering in the ashes.

Immediately afterwards, the Lan family members stepped forward to pick up the spirit stones and clean up the ashes. They then said to the onlookers, "The Tong family stole our Lan family's treasure, which is why we wiped them out."

Xu Fugui didn't know if others believed it or not, but he certainly didn't.

"Was that the owner of the Tong Family's Elixir Pavilion just now? Sigh."

He thought to himself, it seems that the biggest group of cultivators who steals from Qingqiu Mountain is the Lan family, they even want to forcibly seize other people's alchemy inheritance.

Witnessing this scene firsthand, he realized even more how extraordinary the "alchemy inheritance" truly was. With the Lan family acting this way, the situation in Qingqiu Market was doomed.

As an outsider, he did not linger and quietly left with the two spirit pills and spirit plant seedlings he had bought.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On Fangshi Mountain, the Tong family members who were surrounded had no chance of escape; not one of them managed to get away.

However, they were more resolute than Lan Yunkai had anticipated. Those alchemists in the Qi Refining stage swallowed Flame Erosion Pills without hesitation when they were captured, and all of them turned to ashes.

Many members of the Tong family who had not yet reached the Qi Refining level also voluntarily sought death.

The Lan family captured many people, but they were all ordinary people.

The Tong family's alchemy lineage could not be passed down to ordinary people. Their alchemy skills were passed down through a rigorous selection process among the clan members, choosing those with spiritual roots and good alchemy aptitude.

A fight to the death, a lose-lose situation!
This is the final result.

Lan Yunkai found this result unacceptable: "Give me severe torture! I refuse to believe that those ordinary people in the Tong family don't know any secrets!"

Of the hundreds of Tong family members, not everyone can be stubborn.

Not long after, the Lan family acquired a fire-type Qi-refining cultivation technique, which was used for alchemy.

Lan Yunkai was not satisfied because fire-type Qi cultivation techniques were the easiest to obtain from alchemy inheritances, and his family already had them!

In the inheritance of alchemy, the most important aspects are the alchemy techniques and the pill formulas. Without these two, relying solely on a fire-based cultivation method, no matter how many spiritual plants are wasted, it will be difficult to refine a true spiritual pill.

Then, the negative consequences became apparent.

"Clan leader, those Qi-cultivating families who rented accommodations in Fangshi Mountain have all said they've found other places to stay and are preparing to leave." "..."

Lan Yunkai was speechless; this outcome was within his expectations.

He could accept the inheritance of alchemy if he could obtain it.

However, the Lan family suffered heavy losses because they did not receive the alchemy inheritance.

Now, he doesn't know if he made a mistake.

After pondering for a long time, he arranged: "Spread the word that the rental price in the spiritual vein area of ​​Fangshi Mountain has been reduced by 70%, and only 20% of the previous price will be charged. We welcome independent cultivators and Qi-refining families to move in."

Furthermore, the price of spirit plants sold at the spirit plant nursery is halved!

Without the Tong family's cooperation, their spiritual plants from Qingqiu Mountain have already lost their most important buyer, so they might as well lower the prices to attract customers to the market.

The market will definitely be affected in the short term, but decades or even centuries from now, who will remember what the Lan family did today?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The old residence of the Xu family.

Several tables were set up in the spacious front yard, where a sumptuous feast was being prepared, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Third sister-in-law, you're showing a lot of baby bumps."

Zhang Caixia noticed Fu Zhiyi's slightly protruding belly.

"Yes, it's been about four months."

"Give our Xu family a daughter. Other families all hope to have sons, but our Xu family has too much yang energy, and we don't have a single girl."

The speaker was Xu Xiaoan's wife, Chunjuan.

Xu Fugui knew that his family's situation was due to the blessing of the family's precious tree, so the probability of having a boy was extremely high.

"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet."

Xu Xiaoniu cleared his throat and spoke loudly.

"I prepared something for my mother, and since everyone is here today, I'm taking this opportunity to give it to her."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and presented Jiazhen with an exquisite porcelain vase held in both hands.

"Ok?"

Jiazhen was puzzled. She didn't know what was going on today. First, Xu Fugui said he was calling the family members back for a get-together, and now Da Niu was giving her a gift.

"what is this?"

"Mother, this is a pill for preserving youth and prolonging life. I bought it at a high price. Don't worry about the price, just take it now."

The youth-preserving pill in Xu Xiaoniu's hand was given to him by his father.

Given the Xu family's circumstances, it is most appropriate for him to give them this youth-preserving elixir.

Jiazhen's transformation after taking the Youth Preservation Pill couldn't be kept secret from others, and Xu Xiaoniu had recently presented the traitorous cultivator Chu Wuyang as a merit to the Demon Subduing Division.

"An elixir for preserving youth and prolonging life?"

Jiazhen muttered to herself, guessing from the name its effects.

She reached out and took the bottle, opened it, and poured the elixir into her palm. The milky-white elixir emitted a rich, pleasant medicinal fragrance.

He opened his mouth and swallowed it, quietly waiting for the change to happen.

Everyone present remained silent, watching Jiazhen intently. None of them had ever witnessed the effects of the Youth-Preserving Pill, and they were all filled with curiosity.

Moments later, the elixir took effect, and a miraculous change occurred in Jiazhen's body.

The dry, wrinkled skin became plump, smooth, and fair.

The wrinkles on her face were smoothed out, her droopy eyes slowly lifted, and her nasolabial folds gradually faded... In about half an incense stick's time, Jiazhen returned to the appearance of someone around thirty years old.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Was this the effect of the elixir?
Xu Fugui had only one thought in his mind: the Youth Preservation Pill costing twenty-eight spirit stones was worth it!
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Jiazhen felt a surge of life force within her, as if she had become several years younger. She looked down and was surprised to find that her hands were as soft and white as scallions, just like when she was young.

She touched her face in disbelief. She couldn't see it, but she could clearly feel the difference.

Xu Xiaoan hurriedly went to get the mirror, and almost tripped on the steps in his haste.

"Mother, look!"

He took the bronze mirror and held it up in front of Jiazhen.

Jiazhen stared at herself in the mirror in disbelief, as if in a dream: "How long will this youth-preserving pill last?"

"Mother, the Elixir of Youthful Appearance and Longevity can maintain youthful appearance for thirty years and extend life by ten years."

Xu Xiaoniu explained.

Thirty years?!

Jiazhen was overjoyed; what woman doesn't love beauty?

Fourteen-year-old Xu Xiaohou stared blankly at Jiazhen, then suddenly said, "Mother, it turns out what everyone said was true. You were really beautiful when you were young."

His childhood memories are not vivid; he only remembers that his mother was very strict when she taught him to read and write and often punished him.

By the time he got older, Jiazhen was already approaching fifty and was no longer beautiful.

At this moment, Xu Xiaohou transcended time and saw his mother's appearance when she was young, which shocked him.

Upon hearing this, Jiazhen's eyes inexplicably welled up with tears, which she quickly wiped away.

Zhang Caixia quickly whispered in Xu Xiaoyun's ear, "Honey, can you buy me one too?"

Which woman could resist the allure of a youth-preserving elixir?
Xu Xiaoyun's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice: "I'll tell you when we get back."

A single pill for preserving youth and prolonging life costs twenty-eight spirit stones; how could he possibly afford that?

In the Xu family, he wouldn't enjoy the resources of twenty-eight spirit stones, nor could he advance to the Innate Realm. He estimated that he wouldn't live as long as his mother in this lifetime, let alone get a youth-preserving elixir for his wife.

(End of this chapter)