From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 141 Ning Family
Xu Fugui brought a total of seven century-old spiritual plants.

Both the century-old withered leaf crow and the century-old blue vine cost 30 spirit stones each, while the century-old ground rose vine cost 28 spirit stones, for a total income of 206 spirit stones.

It may seem like a lot, but it was the result of his years of using spiritual energy to nurture spiritual plants, which even delayed his own cultivation.

In essence, Xu Fugui was slowing down his own cultivation progress in order to earn spirit stones for the Xu family descendants.

"Zhongche is at the third level of Qi Refining. We should buy him a Qi-Boosting Pill to help him break through to the fourth level. Da Niu and Liu Zi will also need Qi-Boosting Pills."

A Qi-Boosting Pill costs 18 spirit stones and can be used to help break through minor bottlenecks in the mid-stage of Qi Refining. For example, breaking through from the third to the fourth level of Qi Refining, or from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Refining...

Xu Fugui spent 54 spirit stones to buy three Qi-boosting pills, leaving him with 152 spirit stones.

"Spiritual stones are really not durable."

He pondered how to allocate these cultivation resources before leaving Kunxu Market.

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.

Beside the Kunxu Market, there is a mountain peak shrouded in a thin mist, which is the main peak of Kunxu Mountain: Kunxu Peak.

At this moment, Ning Feiyu, the patriarch of the Ning family, stood on the peak looking towards the direction of Kunxu Market, his gaze piercing through the pervasive white mist.

"The news has spread, we're just waiting for the fish to take the bait."

He deliberately had the Ning family sell their ancestral spirit beasts in the market, just to mislead them.

This time, their plan is grand enough to shake up the situation among the various Foundation Establishment families in Yuanli County.

If successful, the Ning family's power will rise to a new level.

Even if it doesn't succeed, it won't have any impact.

In short, that Foundation Establishment family hundreds of miles away is doomed.

Ning Feiyu turned his head and looked in another direction, towards the Lan Family Green Hill.

Twenty years ago, Lan Yunkai, the head of the Lan family, acted desperately and caused the destruction of the Tong family in order to pass on his alchemy skills. That incident dealt a huge blow to the reputation of the Lan family.

"No new members of the Lan family have reached the Foundation Establishment stage in the past twenty years, and the old patriarch probably doesn't have many years left to live."

Ning Feiyu thought to himself, "When Lan Yunkai passes away, it will be the time when the Lan family suffers utter annihilation."

Just then, a huge figure came from afar.

It was over three zhang tall, with an incredibly robust body, and its entire body was covered in thick brown hair.

Its movements seemed clumsy, yet it leaped hundreds of meters in a few steps and landed in front of Ning Feiyu: "Clan Chief."

"Senior Hanshan".

Ning Feiyu was very polite to the lion-bear beast in front of him.

This lion-bear beast has reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, making it comparable to Ning Feiyu. It is the most powerful of the "Mountain-Suppressing Lion-Bear Beasts" raised by the Ning family. Its "master" was the previous head of the Ning family.

The name "Hanshan" was given to him by the previous head of the Ning family, meaning that he has the power to shake mountains.

Ning Feiyu addressed it respectfully as "senior" according to seniority.

With its furry belly protruding, Hanshan stretched out its paw and pointed towards Kunxu Market, its throat emitting a buzzing roar that mimicked human speech:
"I heard you had someone sell our clan's lion-bear beast in the market? What's the meaning of this? Is our Ning family so short of money?"

His tone was accusatory and stern.

"You've misunderstood, it was just an act. It's a long story, the Lan family patriarch of Qingqiu Mountain is dying..."

Ning Feiyu patiently explained the reasons behind it.

He explained the whole story and the interests involved, and only then did Hanshan understand: "So that's how it is."

"Senior Hanshan, if things get chaotic, we might need your help in the battle."

"Of course. Since it's a misunderstanding, I'm going back to sleep. Ugh~~"

Hanshan opened its beast mouth, yawned, and turned to leave.

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.

According to outside rumors, the Ning family is a "beast-taming" family, capable of raising spirit beasts as spirit pets to assist in battle.

However, this is not actually the case.

To be more precise, the Ning family and the Lion Bear Beast clan are like partners and allies who have shared life and death.

According to the Ning family history, the ancestor came from humble origins and was just a shepherd in a poor mountain village, herding sheep and cattle every day.

But from a young age, he had a unique talent: a natural affinity with poultry and livestock, and even the ability to communicate with animals.

When he was herding sheep, he was the leader of the flock, and all the sheep followed him and would not get lost.

He seems to be able to communicate with cattle, make them eat grass or work, see when they are tired, and detect when they are sick.

The chickens he fed laid eggs every day, and the pigs he raised gave birth to litter after litter of piglets...

Such talent makes him a born shepherd.

He fed better food than others, and he saved up some money, but he did not marry or have children, and his life continued as before.

He prefers being with animals and dislikes interacting with people.

In his words, "Livestock are simple and straightforward, unlike the complexities of the human heart."

Until one day, a rogue cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining from the same village discovered his peculiar talent. He tested his spiritual roots and found that he had an amazing dual spiritual root of water and earth.

Dual-elemental earth spiritual roots are extremely rare. In a county with over a million people, it might take decades for a cultivation genius with an earth spiritual root to appear.

Unfortunately, when he discovered that he possessed spiritual roots, the Ning family patriarch was already fifty years old.

The rogue cultivator from the same village had a good relationship with the patriarch of the Ning family. He asked the rogue to keep his spiritual root a secret and even passed on his cultivation technique, the "Water Spirit Nourishing Life Technique," to him. The rogue thought that the rogue was already fifty years old and had no spirit stones, so it would be difficult for him to achieve anything in his cultivation.

But he underestimated the talent of the Earth Spirit Root.

The patriarch of the Ning family had a very poor foundation, and it took him several days to understand the meridians and acupoints in his body. But after that, he was like a fish returning to the sea or a trapped dragon ascending to heaven.

He sat cross-legged in the receiving posture, and within a quarter of an hour he sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Within two quarters of an hour, he drew the energy into his body and opened up his dantian and sea of ​​qi.

From then on, he continued to raise cattle and feed pigs as usual, practicing his martial arts in the cattle and pig pens.

If one has a pseudo-spiritual root of five elements, without spirit stones or spiritual land, in the sparse spiritual energy environment of the mortal world, it would take at least seven or eight years to cultivate to the second level of Qi Refining, and more than ten years to cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining.

He reached the second level of Qi cultivation in two years, the third level in three years, and the fourth level in five years.

It only took him ten years to go from an ordinary person to a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

The progress slowed down in the later stages of Qi cultivation, and it took another twenty-five years.

He was eighty-five years old and at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He had not consumed any cultivation resources.

Upon reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, his spiritual power increased, and the Ning family patriarch discovered that his talent had become even stronger. He could use spiritual energy to examine the condition inside animals and "understand" their intentions.

By chance, he rescued a young spirit beast, the "Lion Bear Beast," from being hunted.

Using his talent for communicating with animals, he raised the lion-bear beast. As the lion-bear beast grew stronger, it attracted the covetous eyes of some Qi-cultivating families.

The Ning family patriarch began a difficult life of survival with the lion-bear beast, the two of them wandering the world, relying on each other for survival.

Ordinary spirit beasts like lion-bear beasts only have the strength of the mid-stage Qi Refining realm when they reach adulthood.

The lion-bear beast raised by the patriarch of the Ke Ning family was nurtured by him using the water-based magic of the "Water Spirit Nourishing Life Technique". Combined with his talent for being close to animals, he nurtured the lion-bear beast to the strength of the late stage of Qi Refining.

During this period, the Ning family patriarch passively obtained some cultivation resources, and decades later, he achieved the Qi Refining Perfection.

He didn't have a Foundation Establishment Pill, so he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm on his own.

After decades of quiet and low-key development, a herdsman from a mountain village has become a prominent figure in Zhuji Realm.

Once one reaches the Foundation Establishment Realm, their status also rises, and all the necessary things come to them.

Female cultivators threw themselves at him, wanting to become his cultivation partners, and cultivation families recruited him as a son-in-law... The Ning family patriarch was lucky enough to meet a female rogue cultivator with three true spiritual roots who was willing to become his cultivation partner.

With both earth spirit root and true spirit root, the probability of one's children having spirit roots is very high.

They competed for cultivation resources, occupied spiritual lands and mountains, earned spirit stones, and resisted demonic cultivators and various disasters... During this time, the spirit beasts lion and bear played an indispensable role.

The Ning family developed smoothly and without experiencing any major setbacks.

The Lion-Bear Beast has always existed as a "great contributor" to the rise of the Ning family, not as a spirit pet controlled by them.

The patriarch of the Ning family was of pastoral origin and had a somewhat eccentric personality. He had a deep love for livestock and poultry, and the generational names he set for his descendants were:

Chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, fish, shrimp, clams, crabs, jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, birds of prey, beasts of scale, fur, feathers, and insects—all are life, and all things are one.

Thirty-two characters.

In his view, birds and beasts are no different from humans, and all things are equal.

The clan leader, Ning Feiyu, belongs to the "Fei" generation, which is the third cycle of generational naming. In other words, there have been eighty generations of the Ning family lineage since the founding of the Ning family.

It is worth mentioning that when the Ning family generation name was changed for the second time, they used a homophone because "chicken, duck, goose, and rabbit" sounded unpleasant.

For example, "chicken" should be changed to "auspicious". "Duck" should be changed to "Ya".

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.

Qingqiu Mountain is located several hundred miles away from Kunxu Mountain.

After twenty years of development, Qingqiu Market has barely managed to regain some of its former vibrancy.

However, compared to the bustling Kunxu market, it is naturally far inferior.

At this moment, Lan Yunkai paced anxiously back and forth on Qingqiu Mountain.

He could already feel his life force waning and his strength slowly declining. In three years at most, he would die of old age.

No matter how unwilling they were, there was nothing they could do.

His illustrious two-hundred-year life is about to come to an end.

In his youth, he competed with his peers in the clan, displaying his talents and full of vigor. Later, he enjoyed resources and made rapid progress in his cultivation. Then, the whole clan searched for the Foundation Establishment Pill and he was lucky enough to obtain it.

Once he established his foundation, he instantly became the pillar of the entire clan.

The previous clan leader passed away, handing the Lan family over to him.

He implemented sweeping reforms, which revitalized the family and improved business in Qingqiu Market... There may have been some mistakes in his decisions, but none of them had a significant impact. Whether they were right or wrong, no one in the family would question him.

That decision he made twenty years ago was the biggest mistake of his life!
He had no doubt that this incident would be recorded in the history of the Lan family, making him one of the worst patriarchs in the Lan family.

Regret was useless; he only wanted the Lan family to continue.

However, the biggest crisis remains unresolved: there is no successor to the Foundation Establishment stage clan leader!
Speaking of "Foundation Building Pills", the Lan family actually obtained one several decades ago.

Even with the Foundation Establishment Pill, the cultivator from the Lan family who had reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage still failed to establish his foundation.

Foundation Establishment Pills only increase the probability of successful Foundation Establishment; they do not guarantee 100% success.

"Clan leader!"

"So, any news about the Tortoise-Year Pill?"

Lan Yunkai looked at the person who had come.

"No, we've inquired everywhere, but there's no news about the Tortoise-Year Pill. We even spent some spirit stones, but to no avail."

The man shook his head helplessly.

"No...?"

Lan Yunkai heard that a Turtle-Year Pill had appeared in Yuanli County, and the Ning family of Kunxu Mountain were collecting spirit stones.

The Tortoise-Year Elixir can extend the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator by forty years.

If he could obtain the Turtle-Year Pill, it would give the Lan family at least forty more years to catch their breath.

But despite sending so many people to inquire, he found nothing.

The news about "Guinian Dan" seemed to appear out of thin air, and its source could not be found at all.

But the more this was the case, the more Lan Yunkai felt that the Turtle-Life Pill really existed.

The Turtle-Year Pill obtained through normal channels would not be something Lan Yunkai could covet. It would definitely be firmly controlled by those powerful Foundation Establishment families or even Golden Core families, and would not fall into the market.

Only Gui Nian Dan of dubious origin could possibly fall into his hands.

"Investigate! Keep investigating! Also, send a few people to keep an eye on the Ning family."

“The Ning family is better informed than I am; they must know something.”

Lan Yunkai was filled with longing for the Guinian Dan.

However, when he thought about the price of the Tortoise-Year Pill, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He wanted to buy the Tortoise-Year Pill, which would cost at least eight thousand spirit stones.

Eight thousand spirit stones to extend his lifespan by forty years seems like a good deal, but the Lan family doesn't have that many spirit stones to extend his lifespan.

Now that no one in the Lan family has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he has no choice but to consider using the Tortoise-Year Pill to prolong his life.

If the Lan family had a Foundation Establishment patriarch to succeed him, Lan Yunkai would definitely not waste eight thousand spirit stones to buy the Tortoise Year Pill.

Maintaining a Foundation Establishment cultivation family requires a lot of spirit stones on a daily basis.

As a spiritual mountain with a second-tier spiritual vein, Qingqiu Mountain pays a rent of up to one thousand spirit stones to the Forest Supervisor every year.

The shrewd imperial court allowed cultivation families to occupy Mount Ling, leaving them little profit; the annual rent accounted for roughly 20-30% of Mount Ling's output.

Besides rent, those Qi Refining Clan members also need spirit stones for daily cultivation and to purchase cultivation resources.

Lan Yunkai, the clan leader who is in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, is not wealthy.

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.

Tonggu County, Baihe Mountain.

Inside the underground caves of the core area.

This place, which will serve as a venue for the Xu family to discuss important matters in the future, has been excavated to a great depth and spaciousness.

Xu Fugui sat in the main seat.

Xu Xiaoniu, Xu Xiaoyun, Xu Xiaoan, and Xu Xiaohou took their seats in turn, along with Zhong Che and Zhong Huai, who belong to the "Zhong" generation.

In recent years, several members of the Xu family's "Zhong" generation have broken through to the Innate Realm, such as Xu Xiaoniu's eldest son, Xu Zhonglei, and Xu Zhongchuan.

But not a single Qi Refining cultivator appeared.

The Xu family is suffering from a lack of spirit stones and cannot afford to support so many Qi Refining cultivators.

A few years ago, after Xu Zhonglei broke through to the Innate Realm, Xu Xiaoniu suggested that we not tell him about how he had developed five spiritual roots through the Five Elements Stance.

In Xu Xiaoniu's view, his eldest son broke through to the Innate Realm too late, and even if he cultivated immortality, he would not achieve anything. It would be better to save spirit stones and first raise the cultivation of the existing Qi Refining cultivators in the family to the late Qi Refining stage.

Xu Xiaoniu's philosophy is to first raise one's personal ceiling.

After discussion, everyone agreed that it was feasible and agreed to set a rule: those who did not have innate talent before the age of 16 would not be told the secret of stance training, but would be allowed to practice martial arts.

The age of 16 was suggested by Xu Xiaohou, who himself reached the Innate Realm at the age of fourteen. Nowadays, the Xu family has more resources in martial arts, with ample Qi and Blood Pills and Five Elements Pills, so reaching the Innate Realm at 16 is considered quite a talent.

This rule, though seemingly strict, applies equally to everyone. Regardless of who you are, everyone uses this rule to decide which path to take.

This is a desperate measure taken by the Xu family at present.

(End of this chapter)