From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 292 Deep Father-Son Bond, Methods to Prolong Life

"Where's my father?"

Wu Yu did not sense his father's presence in the mansion.

"Master has gone to the chess garden to play chess. I'll go and deliver the message right away."

The servant ran off to deliver the message.

After a while, a carriage stopped at the entrance of the mansion.

An elderly man in a brocade robe stepped down from the carriage with the help of his servants.

He was thin and emaciated, with shriveled skin, droopy eyes, and slow movements, but his eyes were still relatively clear.

"Yu'er, Yu'er~~"

He called out in a deep, muffled voice.

He is Wu Linong, Wu Yu's father.

"Dad, slow down."

Wu Yu arrived gracefully, taking Wu Linong's arm from the servant and supporting him.

While helping his father into the house, he asked with concern, "How have you been lately? Have you taken the tonic you bought from Doctor Li on time?"

Wu Linong smiled, his eyes crinkling, and said in a kind tone, "I've had my fill. I'm taking bird's nest in the morning, ginseng in the evening, and all those other tonics. Yu'er, don't waste your money. I'm getting old, and even the best medicines don't work for me anymore."

"What age? You're only ninety. Many ordinary people live to be a hundred, you'll live to be at least a hundred! Oh, and I have some good news..."

Wu Yu whispered in his father's ear the good news that he had broken through to the Golden Core stage.

Golden Core Realm?!

Wu Linong's cloudy eyes gleamed: "Yu'er, you're a Golden Core cultivator now? That's incredible. How long do Golden Core cultivators live again?"

Five hundred years!

"Tsk, five hundred years! He's truly an immortal."

As Wu Linong spoke, his eyes showed only pride in his son, not envy.

"Yu'er, although you can live to be five hundred years old, you are still very young now. But your father can't wait a few more years. If you were an ordinary person, you would be a grandfather by now."

Before I die, will I be able to see you get married?

"..."

Wu Yu was taken aback, realizing that he could no longer have children after joining the Prince of Zhennan.

He forced a smile, not wanting to tell his father the news: "I'm already a Golden Core cultivator, so I should marry someone who cultivates immortality. Female cultivators aren't easy to find, so let's see what fate brings."

"Yes, yes, you're already a Golden Core cultivator, you should at least find a Foundation Establishment immortal..."

As the two were talking, Wu Yu helped his father sit down in a chair.

As a result, Wu Linong lost his balance and almost slipped and fell to the ground, but fortunately Wu Yu caught him quickly.

"Father, how are you?"

"It's alright, it's alright, nothing's wrong."

Wu Linong waved his hand, forcing himself to stand up. He knew his son cared most about his health, so every time his son came home, he would force himself to appear as if he were still able to move around nimbly.

Actually, his health was very poor; he even needed help to get into bed.

He is getting old.

The average lifespan of a mortal is seventy years. Wu Linong had taken a longevity pill called "Longevity Pill," which was believed to extend the lifespan of mortals.

The Longevity Pill can only extend the lifespan of mortals by ten years.

Thanks to the nourishment of longevity pills and various spiritual teas and plants, Wu Linong has lived to the age of ninety, which is now the end of his lifespan.

Wu Yu felt heartbroken seeing his father in this state.

He is now unable to have children, and his father is the only family member he cares about in the world.

With his Golden Core cultivation level, he might be able to find a way to extend the lifespan of mortals.

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.

Wu Linong is not Wu Yu's biological father.

Wu Yu was born into a peasant family in a remote mountain village in Yanping County, Zhennan Prefecture.

When he was a child, a drought affected half of Yanping County, causing food shortages and a large number of displaced people.

Wu Yu was ten years old at the time and got separated from his family during their escape from famine.

How difficult must it be for a ten-year-old child in this situation?
At ten years old, they can already remember things, and other families wouldn't adopt someone of that age.

He was unable to work and was at an age where he was still growing. In an environment of food shortages and widespread displaced people, he couldn't even get enough to eat by begging.

They fled famine all the way, relying on the charity of others to survive, and finally reached the county seat of Yanping County.

The situation in the county town is better, and many people make a living there.

Wu Yu wanted to find a way to make a living in the county town, but he repeatedly ran into obstacles. He was often subjected to insults, discrimination, and even beatings.

The worst time was when he was captured and almost had his tongue cut out and was sold into slavery in a remote area. He only managed to escape because of his cleverness.

After a long and arduous journey fleeing famine and several setbacks in the county town, Wu Yu experienced firsthand the coldness and indifference of people's hearts.

After a year of wasting time, he became malnourished and emaciated. Just when he was at his wit's end and about to join a gang as a thug, he was adopted by Wu Linong.

So-called gang thugs are a group of people who roam the underworld as thugs, fighting for others, collecting debts, and doing dirty work for brothels and gambling dens. These people never end up well.

At that time, Wu Linong was also in a bad situation.

Wu Linong was a small merchant who owned two shops in the county town. He was in his thirties and had been married to his wife for ten years without having any children. The doctor said it was his problem.

Then, he lost money in business, and his wife, unable to endure the hardship, ran off with someone else.

Business failure, marital breakdown, and inability to even have children—it was truly a desperate situation.

By chance, he met Wu Yu and adopted him.

When Wu Yu was adopted, his relatives all disagreed because Wu Yu was eleven years old. The neighbors all laughed at him, saying that he was desperate because he couldn't have children and was raising someone else's child.

Wu Linong knew his relatives were waiting to exploit him for his lack of offspring, but he adopted Wu Yu despite their objections. He didn't care about the ridicule from his neighbors.

He's been talked about behind his back for so long because he can't have children, he's gotten used to it.

And so, the father and son began their life together. Wu Yu originally did not have the surname "Wu," but changed it.

Wu Linong treated Wu Yu very well. Although he had failed in his business, his family situation was better than Wu Yu's original farming family, so he sent him to school.

Another two years passed.

Wu Yu's talent for cultivating immortality manifested, and spiritual energy entered his body and opened his dantian overnight.

He has an earth-elemental spiritual root, which has never been tested before, but it will automatically manifest as he grows older.

At first, Wu Yu didn't even know that he had an earth spirit root.

Wu Linong was a merchant in the county town. Although he wasn't a cultivator, he had some knowledge. He knew that it was difficult for independent cultivators to achieve immortality, but he strongly supported his son's pursuit of immortality and tried his best to find cultivation techniques for Wu Yu.

At first, he told Wu Yu to keep it a secret and not to reveal it until he had a certain level of cultivation to protect himself.

Wu Linong spent most of his family fortune and finally managed to obtain a very ordinary Qi cultivation method, which enabled Wu Yu to embark on the path of cultivation.

With Wu Yu's earth-root aptitude, even the most ordinary cultivation techniques become extraordinary in his hands.

Having acquired cultivation techniques and knowledge about cultivation, Wu Yu realized his aptitude for the Earth Spiritual Root. However, knowing the dangers of the cultivation world, he did not initially reveal his spiritual root aptitude.

When Wu Yu reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he unintentionally revealed his identity as a cultivator.

A mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator from a small merchant family—this status is already extraordinary for ordinary people.

From that moment on, the Wu family's life was different.

Those relatives who had previously deliberately distanced themselves from the Wu family all started to visit and interact with them on their own initiative.

The neighbors who used to mock Wu Linong now fawn over him and try to curry favor with him.

Wu Linong's status has been completely reversed.

After that, Wu Yu mingled in the cultivation world, becoming a rogue cultivator and trying various ways to earn meager amounts of spirit stones. Earning spirit stones was not easy for cultivators, but earning silver was far too easy.

To improve Wu Linong's life, Wu Yu earned money for him to do business, buy a large mansion, and hire a bunch of maids and servants.

Wu Linong's life suddenly improved.

The people he used to know all envied him, saying he had raised a good son and that Wu Yu was "filial".

After some years, Wu Yu's cultivation level rose rapidly, seemingly without any bottlenecks, easily reaching the Qi Refining stage. With dual earth elemental roots, he could cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage without needing Foundation Establishment Pills, thus overcoming all obstacles.

Wu Linong made a decision: to move to the ancient city of Gu Nancheng.

He learned that the ancient city of Gu Nan was full of spiritual veins, offering more opportunities for independent cultivators. So he sold all his assets and resolutely moved to Gu Nan with Wu Yu.

There are indeed many opportunities in Gu Nancheng.

A few years later, Wu Yu advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator elevates one's status once again, and provides more opportunities to earn spirit stones.

Wu Yu rented a spiritual cave dwelling to earn spirit stones and cultivated diligently. It wasn't until he reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage that he revealed his talent for cultivating earth spirit roots.

Before long, news of his earth spirit root attracted Zhao Wuji's attention...

Over the years, his cultivation level has continuously improved, and he has always remained devoted to his father, Wu Linong, and always been very filial.

His father, Wu Linong, is his only relative and his emotional support. He is indeed very filial. On the other hand, it is undeniable that his filial piety towards his father is to prove to the outside world that he is not a burden and to show how wise his father was in adopting him.

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.

After spending two days with his father, Wu Yu went to Xingyue Palace.

As a subordinate of the Prince of Zhennan, he had not yet informed the Prince of Zhennan about his advancement to the Golden Core stage.

After meeting the Prince of Zhennan, it was time to assign tasks.

Xuan Tong is almost 100 years old and has no children.

For Xuan Tong, having a child was a major event, as it concerned the selection of the next Prince of Zhennan.

He had experienced the fratricidal conflict during the last struggle for the title of Prince of Zhennan, which left him with psychological trauma.

He was still young and didn't want to consider the succession of the King of Zhennan so early, so he delayed having children. He planned to have children after he turned three hundred, which, considering the five-hundred-year lifespan limit of the Golden Core stage, was not too late to have offspring at three hundred.

Xuan Tong had no children or grandchildren, and no "family members" around him.

As for the royal family, that is, the other members of the "Uju Nara clan," he trusted them even less.

That's why he recruited so many Golden Core cultivators with earth-elemental roots to work for him.

Wu Yu had just advanced to the Golden Core stage, but was only at the first level. Xuan Tong assigned him to take turns guarding the Star Moon Palace, which was essentially the "guard" position.

There are four permanent guards at the Star Moon Palace: two guard the main gate and two hidden sentries inside the palace.

Only Xuan Tong in the entire Zhennan Prefecture has the ability to use Golden Core cultivators as guards.

His Golden Core cultivators obeyed his orders and served him alone, which made his combat strength and manpower appear sufficient, and he could afford to use Golden Core cultivators to "guard the gate."

The Star Moon Palace's guard team consists of more than a dozen people, all of whom are at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and they take turns on guard duty in shifts.

Those who guard the gate are usually those with higher cultivation levels. Someone like Wu Yu, who has just advanced to the Golden Core stage, wouldn't even be assigned to guard the gate.

For Xuan Tong, having a Golden Core cultivator guard the gate was not only for safety reasons, but also for the sake of grandeur.

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.

A month later.

Wu Yu's shift has ended.

He stood guard for three consecutive days, followed by six days of rest. This job was easy, because this was the residence of the Prince of Zhennan, and no one would dare to harm him.

That being said, it's not "completely nonexistent"; some foolish thieves, oblivious to the situation, actually dared to come to the Star Moon Palace.

During Wu Yu's month-long assignment, he actually encountered one such incident: two petty thieves who had practiced martial arts somehow learned that a "wealthy family" lived in Xingyue Palace, and they came here at night to steal.

Those two petty thieves were merely acquired martial artists who had practiced lightness skills; they weren't even innate martial artists, yet they dared to come to the Star Moon Palace.

The two didn't even get close to the Star Moon Palace before they were discovered by the Golden Core cultivator guarding the gate several miles away. The Golden Core cultivator killed them instantly and searched their souls without hesitation.

Through soul searching, it was learned that the two were probably tricked by others, thinking that Xingyue Palace was the residence of an ordinary wealthy merchant, and never imagined that this was the territory of the Prince of Zhennan.

Apart from this incident, Wu Yu has not heard of any strangers daring to approach the Star Moon Palace.

"Hey~~"

Wu Yu used his lightness technique to walk several miles before taking to the air.

He flew back to Ancient South City, but did not return to his own spiritual land. He used to rent a second-tier spiritual land, but now he owns a mountain in a third-tier spiritual land.

The hilltop wasn't large, less than a mile in circumference, but it was the hilltop where he lived alone, much larger than his previous second-tier spiritual land cave dwelling.

He occupied a mountain peak in a third-tier spiritual land without spending a single spirit stone; it was arranged for him by Xuan Tong.

With just a word from Xuan Tong, someone will naturally find him a suitable third-tier spiritual land in the ancient southern city.

"Judging by the time, they should have arrived by now."

Wu Yu invited several fellow Daoists he hadn't seen in a long time.

Wu Yu stood before a majestic stone building, thirty feet high, located on the edge of a third-tier spiritual land.

This is a restaurant with a sign that reads: Zui Xian Ge (醉仙阁).

It's a restaurant that caters specifically to cultivators, and it's said that the owner has a close relationship with a Golden Core cultivator from one of the five major families.

It's normal for people who can do business in the ancient southern city to have some connections and background.

Wu Yu entered the restaurant, lightly touching the ground with his toes, and headed upstairs. They had already booked a private room in advance.

The restaurant was enclosed by numerous restrictive formations, making it difficult even for a Golden Core cultivator to detect.

Wu Yu walked to the door and found it ajar, with faint sounds coming from inside.

"Wu Yu has advanced to the Golden Core stage, his status is different now, making so many of us wait for him. He was never late before."

"Ahem, he already told me that something came up and he's been delayed for a moment. We've known each other for many years, and he's not a snob."

"How could he advance to the Golden Core stage so quickly?"

"I heard he has pledged allegiance to the Prince of Zhennan."

"The Prince of Zhennan? Heh, you call it 'joining forces,' but it's just being a servant to the prince. No, not even a servant. Servants can get married and have children."

"Shh... Never speak ill of the Prince behind his back."

As the group was talking, Wu Yu pushed open the door and entered.

The dozen or so people present all had strange expressions on their faces.

Wu Yu, his face grim, glanced at one of them—the one who had said he was "worse than a servant."

These people present had known Wu Yu for many years; they were at least in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and one of them was a Golden Core cultivator. Their spiritual roots and talents were also quite good, making them outstanding among rogue cultivators.

They were all independent cultivators, but their spiritual roots were all quite good, which is why they were able to gather together.

After knowing each other for so many years, those who have had better opportunities have become Golden Core cultivators, while those who have had worse opportunities are still in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The one making sarcastic remarks was at the peak of Foundation Establishment and also possessed an Earth Spirit Root. He must have been recruited by the Prince of Zhennan, and therefore knew about the prince's rule that his subordinates "could not reproduce."

He was more skilled than Wu Yu in his early years, but was stuck at the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment Perfection for many years.

Now that Wu Yu has advanced to the Golden Core stage, his sarcastic remarks are largely driven by jealousy. However, he is unwilling to submit to the Prince of Zhennan, so he can only vent his emotions verbally.

Faced with Wu Yu's sinister gaze, this person became restless. Speaking ill of Wu Yu behind his back, he forgot the difference in their cultivation levels.

Another Golden Core cultivator present smoothed things over. He was well-liked and, even though he was at the Golden Core stage, he still gathered with his fellow cultivators: "Wu Yu, long time no see! You really have reached the Golden Core stage, haha. I told you before that you would definitely reach the Golden Core stage. Congratulations!"

The others also offered their congratulations.

"Now that everyone is here, let's have the restaurant serve the food and drinks."

A moment later, various spirit wines and delicacies were served.

The door to the private room was closed, and the security measures were activated.

The cultivators chatted and reminisced about the past, discussing the major and minor events that had occurred in the ancient southern city.

These people get together every now and then. There's some genuine affection involved, but more often it's about showing off and comparing with each other, and also about sticking together for mutual support.

After all, they are all from independent cultivation backgrounds, so there might be ways for them to help each other.

After chatting for a while, Wu Yu inquired about something.

"I have a question for you all. Do you know of any way to prolong the lifespan of mortals?"

He wanted his father to live longer.

His father, Wu Linong, is his only solace. Now, he shares everything with his father, good or bad, with him first. If his father were to pass away, he would be all alone and inevitably lonely.

"You must have used the longevity pills for mortals before."

"Besides the Longevity Pill, there is only one other way. Let mortals cultivate immortality. This is the only way to break through the lifespan limit."

"Let mortals without spiritual roots cultivate immortality? How is that possible? Even the five great families might not have that ability."

"You don't know the power and resources of the five great families. They definitely have the ability, but the price will certainly be high. I do know a method, but it's rarely circulated outside these days."

"What method?"

Have you ever heard of the Tuoba family?

"Who doesn't know the Tuoba family of Jiurong City? But wasn't their family wiped out twenty years ago?"

"Did you know that the proportion of cultivators in the Tuoba family was very high? It is said that when their clan was wiped out, 30% of their members were cultivators."

"I've heard of it. The Tuoba family seems to possess a secret martial arts technique that can allow ordinary people to cultivate spiritual roots!"

"An ordinary person can cultivate a spiritual root? If that were true, the Tuoba family wouldn't even have a chance; the five major families would fight tooth and nail for it."

"It's true. The reason the five major families don't care is because they can only refine five types of pseudo-spiritual roots."

"That certainly won't be of much use to the five major families."

"It's not just ineffective; it's a secret technique that only drags the family down. The Tuoba family was wiped out, and this secret technique is largely to blame."

"how do I say this?"

"..."

After some discussion, the group began to recount the story of the Tuoba family.

The Tuoba family was wiped out more than 20 years ago, but his family obtained the Five Elements Stance Technique even earlier, more than 100 years ago.

Many of those present had never heard of the anecdotes surrounding this event.

(End of this chapter)