Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 177 A family is not built overnight.

"Brother Lin, Erniu was really careless about this matter."

Eighty-year-old Shen Lie, with a full head of white hair, shook his head and sighed helplessly at the situation of Er Niu's family.

Wei Buyi, standing to the side, simply snorted coldly in annoyance.

"Back then, Erniu took a concubine because he was greedy for beauty. I had said long ago that one should not abandon one's wife who has shared hardship. But what happened? Ever since Yifan achieved the Foundation Establishment, he has been living in a dream."

"Does he really think he's the patriarch of a Foundation Establishment family? Look at how many concubines he's taken these past few years! It's true that Yifan is his biological son, but he was raised by this wife who shared his hardships!"

Wei Buyi said with a tone of disappointment and frustration, which was harsh but true.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chang'an shook his head and sighed.

"How can Erniu, at his age, still be so reckless and cause such a big problem?"

It turns out that after Li Yifan established his own family business over the years, Li Erniu also rose in status by marrying his son and became the patriarch of the Li family.

He took several beautiful concubines, but a dispute arose over the distribution of clan resources. One of the concubines even conspired with her younger brother from her maternal family to take advantage of Li Yifan's absence from the clan.

They stole a high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill that Li Yifan had left behind after he established his foundation.

They shook their heads at Erniu's family affairs.

The three of them arrived at the Li family's house.

There was a strange atmosphere in the courtyard.

"Uncle Lin, Uncle Shen, Uncle Wei."

Upon entering, they saw Li Yifan.

As the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Li family, Li Yifan greeted them respectfully, but only led them to the outside of his father's courtyard without going inside.

One can imagine the relationship between the father and son over the years.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Li Erniu, despite his advanced age, fell seriously ill after this incident and could not get out of bed until Lin Chang'an and others came to visit him, at which point he burst into tears.

"Brother Lin, what kind of nonsense is this? How dare this lowly servant girl! How dare she!"

After this incident, Erniu looked three years older, his eyes filled with regret and shame.

"Brother Lin, this is something Fan'er painstakingly saved up. She was planning to keep it for later... It's all my fault. I was drunk and lost my mind, letting this slip out..."

Lin Chang'an also shook his head. Erniu is so old, how can he still be so inconsiderate?

Wei Buyi, known for his sharp tongue, stomped his iron crutch hard and said irritably:

"Erniu, you're not old, you're not drunk, and you're not bewitched. You're just carried away by your pride. Look at the mess you've made over the years."

"Open your eyes and look outside. Your descendants, due to the unequal distribution of resources, are all clearly divided. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a power struggle among emperors!"

Seeing Wei Buyi's anger, Shen Lie hurriedly stepped in to persuade him.

"Erniu, don't be angry."

"How could I not be angry! The Foundation Establishment Pill! That wretched woman and her brother actually stole it..."

Li Erniu roared angrily, while the Li family members in the courtyard all had different expressions.

Li Yifan's mother, along with her several children, were all filled with anger mixed with a hint of indifference.

After this incident, what will the offspring born to these concubines have to compete with them for resources?

These concubines were all in a state of fear, and each of them almost hated the slut who stole the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Li family has only been around for a few years, and there are only so many people in total, yet Lin Chang'an felt that it was like a royal family with intrigue and power struggles.

"That lowly maid has been caught and is currently locked up in the back room, but her younger brother has taken the Foundation Establishment Pill and gone into seclusion."

Lin Chang'an understood the remorse on Li Erniu's face inside the room.

If this person fails to establish his foundation, he will only be a mere Qi Refining cultivator, and Li Yifan will naturally not let him go.

But what if the foundation building is successful?

Therefore, even though Li Yifan is currently keeping the concubine who colluded with outsiders to steal the Foundation Establishment Pill locked up, he wants to see what she plans to do next.

“Erniu, things have come to this point. Just as Fellow Daoist Wei said, it’s not that easy to establish a cultivation family.”

Lin Chang'an shook his head, indicating that he had no intention of interfering in Erniu's family affairs.

Shen Lie patted Erniu and sighed helplessly.

“Erniu, I come from a noble family, so why haven’t Qingqing and I thought about establishing a cultivation family all these years? Even after Shen Fan reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I didn’t even consider it?”

This family business wasn't built in a day, nor were its rules established overnight. This is true even for ordinary noble families; how could a family of cultivators expect it to be so easy?

The crowd offered words of comfort, but Lin Chang'an remained calm, though he could clearly see the pleading look in Li Erniu's eyes.

But he remained calm, for he knew he would eventually leave this place to pursue the path to immortality.

Can he help once, and keep helping?
……

Finally, Lin Chang'an walked out of the house and encountered Li Yifan in the courtyard.

"Uncle Lin."

Lin Chang'an gave a soft "hmm," looked at the taciturn Yifan, and couldn't help but sigh, "What do you think about this matter?"

Li Yifan did not show the anger one might expect. Instead, he calmly raised his head, his eyes filled with only endless exhaustion.

“Uncle Lin, I now understand why the Zhou family agreed to let me start my own business so readily.”

Li Yifan's complex expression revealed that the Zhou family's centuries-old foundation was not something that any Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily establish.

If it were that easy, there would be countless cultivation families in the world.

He was an unsettling factor back then, so letting him start his own business was the best choice.

Lin Chang'an naturally saw this out back then.

"Yes, the Zhou family was very farsighted back then. Although you set up your own business, the Li family's businesses and spiritual fields still need to rely on the Zhou family."

This isn't much different from being in the Zhou family; it's just that you have more freedom, and the Zhou family is united, even using you to inspire other members of the clan.

How could these powerful clans possibly be so easy to talk to?

Unless it is in their best interest.

"Perhaps the Zhou family had already foreseen this would happen. The eldest daughter even tried to persuade her mother back then."

Looking back now, Li Yifan smiled bitterly. Establishing a cultivation family was far more than just relying on him and having some resources.

Without rules, nothing can be accomplished; the so-called Li family was chaotic from the very beginning.

It's only been a few years, and the Li family has only a few members, yet he's already exhausted.

Lin Chang'an naturally noticed Li Yifan's exhaustion and couldn't help but sigh softly, offering words of comfort:

“Yifan, neither your personality nor the Li family’s background is suitable for establishing a cultivation family. Look at your Uncle Shen, he knows this and he has lived a very easy life all these years.”

Given the chance, wouldn't Shen Lie want to establish a cultivation family?

Of course I want to!

However, there are too many things needed in all aspects, and it is far from something that can be solved by a Foundation Establishment cultivator sitting in charge.

"Uncle Lin, I'm planning to move out with my mother and a few of my younger brothers."

This time, Li Yifan finally saw reality and realized the truth. At the same time, his father, Li Erniu, naturally had no face to mention the Li family again after this incident.

Seeing Li Yifan's choice, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but smile with satisfaction and nod slightly.

“That’s right, you’re better than your father in that respect.”

When Erniu first entered the world of cultivation, he had a peasant mentality, content with a wife and children and a stable life. However, as his cultivation grew stronger, and with Li Yifan achieving Foundation Establishment, his role as a live-in son-in-law became a constraint, and he always wanted to break free.

After leaving, he was still burning with desire to bring glory to his ancestors and establish a family of cultivators.

Ultimately, it's still a small-farmer mentality, only now it's a more developed one.

But they hadn't considered everything that a cultivation family needed.

“Uncle Lin, actually I also have a selfish reason for wanting to keep this Foundation Establishment Pill for my child, but the Foundation Establishment Pill is only a second-tier pill, and its effects will easily diminish over several decades.”

Li Yifan had great respect for Uncle Lin. His father had given him little care since he was a child, but Uncle Lin would often teach him some principles.

"That's why you decided to leave the Foundation Establishment Pill to your younger brother, so that if another Foundation Establishment cultivator emerges, they can support each other in the future, right?"

Lin Chang'an smiled and nodded at Li Yifan's thoughts.

This is similar to his current relationship with Yun Yao; he has a partner he can trust and support.

He helped Yun Yao establish her foundation, and Yun Yao also helped him establish his foundation.

In the turbulent world of cultivation, the bond between brothers like Li Yifan and his close blood relatives would only grow stronger.

"Yes."

Li Yifan's frank smile revealed no trace of pretense.

The two talked a lot, and Li Yifan's honesty reminded him of Erniu from back then.

Erniu has changed now, or rather, people change.

Just like him, he only thought about reaching the Foundation Establishment stage at first, but after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he became greedy and wanted to form the Core.

“Uncle Lin, there will be no more Li family. I am Li Yifan, and my future children will also have the surname Li. With my Foundation Establishment cultivation, I am more than capable of protecting my family and ensuring their peaceful cultivation.”

Lin Chang'an nodded slightly at Li Yifan's sincere smile.

With Li Yifan around, Erniu can just live a peaceful life. Why think about so many unrealistic things?

He got so many opportunities, but he still worked hard and steadily. You can't expect to get rich overnight.

“A family of cultivators cannot be established overnight.”

Then Lin Chang'an, Shen Lie, and Wei Buyi left.

After that, all I heard was that the cultivator who stole the Foundation Establishment Pill failed to break through to the next level.
Terrified, they wanted to flee Tianxuan City, but many were more willing to give face to Li Yifan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The man was taken directly to Li Yifan's residence, and it is said that he was eventually forced to sign a contract of servitude, and his entire family became slaves of the Li family to pay for the consequences of stealing the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Erniu, no longer as spirited as before, was dejected and never mentioned establishing a cultivation family again.

The scheming and infighting among the concubines and children in the courtyard alone were enough to exhaust him.

They wanted to ask Yifan for resources, but Li Yifan said that he had also been an apprentice and farmed spirit fields in the Zhou family.

Moreover, he also has children and several younger siblings from the same father and mother, who need his help in critical moments.

Unfortunately, Erniu's children, including those from his concubines, had no choice but to rely on the Zhou family's businesses for survival.

Without the burden, Li Yifan felt much more relaxed. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief and cultivate in peace.

The concubine was also divorced by Erniu and became a slave along with her brother's family. They toiled in the Zhou family's spiritual fields, spending their lives paying for the evil consequences of stealing the Foundation Establishment Pill.

……

Cave.

"Brother Lin, here is the meridian-protecting pill you need."

Inside the pavilion, Yun Yao retrieved the materials that Lin Chang'an had asked her for earlier.

Upon seeing this, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but smile and cup his hands in greeting:

"Fellow Daoist Yun, this is really too much trouble for you. These second-grade high-quality meridian-protecting pills are quite rare, even in the Treasure Pavilion and the Myriad Treasure Pavilion they are hard to find."

Lin Chang'an wanted the meridian-protecting pill because he wanted to try cultivating the 'Sword Shadow at Will' divine ability.

Although Yun Yao did not know the specifics, she had a vague guess that Lin Chang'an needed this pill given his current cultivation level.

It should be cultivating a relatively rare supernatural power.

"Brother Lin, this bottle of Meridian Protection Pills contains only seven pills. Within the Divine Sect, there are many secret techniques and supernatural abilities that can cause significant damage to the meridians, which is why these pills are available."

In response to Yun Yao's concern, Lin Chang'an smiled and nodded:
"Don't worry, if it doesn't work, I won't be foolish enough to force myself to cultivate, after all, I still want to form my core."

The Sword Shadow at Will: This divine ability, when first cultivated, places extremely high demands on the meridians.

Lin Chang'an has a self-healing body, so he is naturally not afraid of damage to his meridians. However, since his meridians cannot withstand the damage, he is unable to cultivate this supernatural power.

That's why he needs this elixir to aid his cultivation.

Once he masters it, it will become another trump card for him.

The two then talked about Erniu, and Yun Yao shook her head repeatedly.

“I know about this too. Erniu is getting more and more confused as he gets older.”

They have a genuine affection for each other, but they're not quite at the point of being parents yet.

Even Lin Chang'an, who had the best relationship with Erniu, was the same.

"Brother Lin, do you think people can all change?"

Because of Li Erniu's matter, Yun Yao, at this age, actually felt somewhat melancholy.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it is still very young, but for an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, it is already nearing the end of their life.

"People naturally change, just like you and me back then, constantly changing, but we have controlled our inner greed."

"And Erniu is at an age where it's understandable. He just wants to plan for his descendants. But Erniu has forgotten that it is Yifan who will bear all of this."

Lin Chang'an chuckled and shook his head as he spoke.

"Yes, they've all grown old. Of all the people from back then, only you and I remain on the path to immortality."

Seeing Yun Yao's melancholy, Lin Chang'an banished the matter of Er Niu from his mind and looked at Yun Yao with a smile.

"Aren't the two of us enough?"

Yun Yao was taken aback, but then she understood and a smile immediately appeared on her face.

"That's quite a lot. In this unpredictable world of cultivation, it's fortunate that I've had companions along the way."

Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word.

……

Inside the cave.

Lin Chang'an held the bottle of meridian-protecting pills, his eyes gleaming.

"Although Core Formation is still a long way off for me, I need to start making plans soon."

Whether it's a spiritual object that forms a golden core or the secret technique of cultivating the Three-Turn Golden Core Formation, these resources are not something that Yue Kingdom or even the Seven Kingdoms can provide.

The Seven Kingdoms region is too impoverished.

Even the Blood Fiend True Man and True Man Lu had to travel to the Demon Beast Sea Abyss to form their cores, let alone him.

"The Demon Beast Abyss is a place I will definitely go to once my cultivation breaks through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. However, this place is also known as the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Demons, so you can imagine how dangerous it is."

Therefore, Lin Chang'an took the risk of preparing to cultivate this supernatural ability ahead of time, thinking that having more self-protection power would never be a mistake.

　Thank you all for your support.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)