Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 80 The Zhou Family of Yuehu County (Seeking Further Reading)

"Two or three dishes of meat and three dishes of vegetables are enough."

"Alright!" the waiter called out. "Please wait a moment, you two Taoist priests."

“Fellow Daoist San Shu, this tavern is truly bustling with customers.”

"Yes, it's rare in other counties as well."

As the two chatted, a deep, magnetic voice came from behind them.

"It must be your first time visiting my Moon Lake County, Daoist priests."

As Xu Chuan turned around, he saw a young man in a white robe approaching, holding a bamboo fan. His face was as handsome as jade, his eyebrows as bright as stars, and a warm smile played on his lips. He was neither arrogant nor haughty.

He was accompanied by four guards, all of whom were peak-stage acquired martial artists.

This must be the Zhou family member mentioned in the divination.

"Who are you, young master?"

"May we sit together?"

"Please do as you please, young master," Xu Chuan said calmly.

The young man in the white robe, seeing that the other man spoke coldly, did not care and immediately took a seat in the empty seat.

"Next Monday, Lin."

"What business does Young Master Zhou have with us?" Xu Mingxian asked coldly.

"I admire the immortal master. I only approached him by chance and spoke to him. Please do not take offense."

"Young Master Zhou, please speak frankly."

"Do you two know alchemy? My Zhou family is looking for alchemists. If you can lend us a hand, we will reward you handsomely."

Zhou Yilin cupped his hands in greeting to him.

Xu Mingxian looked at Xu Chuan with surprise in her eyes.

Isn't that a coincidence?

Xu Chuan said calmly, "I do know some medicine and medical techniques, but I don't know if I can be of any help."

"Tell me what kind of compensation your family can offer first," Xu Mingxian said.

The two played opposite roles, one good cop and the other bad cop.

"How about we talk in a private room on the second floor?"

The two looked at each other and nodded.

The group immediately called over a waiter and changed their room to another one.

"By the way, may I ask how the two Taoist priests are addressed?"

"Three vertical lines."

"Yunming".

Are you two independent cultivators?

"That's right, Young Master Zhou looks down on rogue cultivators like us?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yilin waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Of course not."

"Then tell us in detail what kind of help you need and what the reward will be. If it's too difficult, then we'll have to decline."

Zhou Yilin looked at Xu Chuan, who smiled faintly and said, "Fellow Daoist Yunming means the same thing as me."

He truly is a rogue cultivator, prioritizing profit above all else.

Zhou Lin began to speak slowly, “My Zhou family has obtained an incomplete pill formula by chance. We want to use the help of everyone to complete the formula. If we successfully make the pill, we will reward each person according to their contribution.”

"As for the reward," Zhou Yilin paused deliberately, "spirit stones, pills, magic weapons, cultivation manuals, etc., anything the Zhou family has, we can provide."

"Young Master Zhou, are you perhaps joking? Does your Zhou family have such ability?"

Xu Chuan was also suspicious, even though he had heard that there were usually Qi-cultivating families in the county town.

But anyone who dares to make such a bold claim certainly raises suspicions.

"Two Daoist masters, there is no need to doubt. My Zhou family ancestor has just advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage and is also a fourth-rank immortal official of the Great Wei. If my Zhou family's foundation were not still insufficient, we would probably have moved to the imperial city long ago."

"So you are from a Foundation Establishment family. I was too ignorant."

Xu Chuan clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression becoming much warmer.

After dinner.

Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian then went to the Zhou family with Zhou Yilin.

The Zhou family's property is located in a place shrouded in spiritual energy outside the county town. The vast fields and lush forests that pass through the area are all owned by the Zhou family.

The Zhou family is a family of cultivators, established for over four hundred years, and is the true top family in Yuehu County.

Furthermore, the Zhou family patriarch broke through the Foundation Establishment stage and became the true overlord of Yuehu County.

In the Zhou family, the Qi Refining disciples with spiritual roots are the true core.

However, those with talent in martial arts will also be given great opportunities for training.

After all, the Great Wei Dynasty is a place where immortals and martial artists coexist, and it's inevitable to interact with others. Therefore, they cultivate martial arts experts to deal with these worldly matters. Along the way, Xu Mingxian was also greatly shocked, thinking: Although my Xu family has developed extremely rapidly, compared with these truly profound families, we are still too shallow.

This may be an opportunity for the Xu family.

"By the way, Young Master Zhou, why did you suddenly seek us out? Is it perhaps because of a mission within the clan?"

"Haha, Daoist Sanshu has keen insight." Zhou Yilin did not hide anything, "The clan does indeed have this task: to find alchemists who are skilled in pharmacology. Once they are found, they will be rewarded with a large amount of resources."

"I don't have the aptitude for cultivating immortality, so I can only take the path of martial arts. But the path of martial arts is equally difficult. Without a lot of resources, progress is slow."

Xu Chuan nodded in agreement, then asked, "There should be a test to examine the pharmacological changes, right?"

"As long as Daoist Sanshu has real talent and skills, there is no need to worry too much. Even if he does not pass, my Zhou family will not make things difficult for him."

Xu Chuan thought to himself, "To recruit such talented alchemists, it seems that the pill formula obtained by the Zhou family is extremely important to them."

The two stayed at the Zhou family's house.

Several courtyards nearby are also inhabited, all by elderly Taoist priests over sixty years old.

Xu Chuan had spoken with them during the few days he was there.

They were all independent cultivators.

Soon, a pharmacist from the Zhou family came to assess Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan is well-versed in pharmacological changes and can develop his own prescriptions, medicinal diets, and improve the Qi-inducing pill formula. Naturally, he can easily pass the tests they give him.

He was confident that he could refine a genuine entry-level pill formula if given the opportunity to study and experiment with it.

“Fellow Daoist San Shu’s mastery of medicine far surpasses mine. I admire him greatly. Tomorrow I will come and take you to study the elixir formula with the other Daoists.”

The Zhou family pharmacist said, "As for your friend, he can stay in this courtyard for the time being. The Zhou family will provide all his food. Moreover, the spiritual energy here is much richer than in the county town, which will also benefit him."

"But there is only one rule: no one is allowed to trespass," the Zhou family pharmacist solemnly said. "Otherwise, my Zhou family will have no choice but to expel them."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhou. I will certainly warn my friend."

The Zhou family pharmacist nodded slightly.

Xu Chuan gave Xu Mingxian many instructions, telling him to cultivate the "Golden Origin Technique" here.

The next morning.

Xu Chuan, along with the Zhou family's pharmacist and three old Taoist priests, arrived at a grand hall of the Zhou family.

"One person is missing. It seems someone failed the assessment."

Xu Chuan looked around the main hall.

The main hall stands majestically, with eight bronze pillars supporting the vast dome.

The bronze pillar is engraved with blue-green cloud and thunder patterns.

The hall is spacious with a high dome. The walls are made of bluestone, and traces of moss can be seen in the cracks between the stones, indicating that it has been there for quite some time.

The light inside the hall is soft, so it doesn't feel dim.

"Indeed, it has a profound foundation."

Just as Xu Chuan and the others settled down, they suddenly heard the soft tinkling of jade pendants and saw an old man with white hair and a youthful face walk in from outside the main hall.

His silver beard hung down to his chest, and he wore a dark-patterned purple robe. His steps were steady as if he were walking on a rock, and when his eyes narrowed, they seemed to flash with a sharp light.

He was accompanied by a handsome young man and woman, dressed in blue robes and with their hair tied up with blue-green ribbons.

"This is an elder of my Zhou family, and also the chief alchemist."

As the man spoke, the woman flicked her sleeve, sending out four pages of paper that landed in the hands of Xu Chuan and the other three.

Elder Zhou suddenly spoke up: "Fellow Daoists are all experts in pharmacology. What you have is a pill formula that my Zhou family obtained by chance. As for its use, I cannot disclose that."

"I hope that all fellow Daoists will use their wisdom and ingenuity to complete it."

"My Zhou family will assign each member a junior who understands pharmacology, so that you can easily ask us to fetch medicinal herbs."

"There are three alchemy rooms behind the main hall, as well as rooms for living. The juniors will take you to your accommodations later so you can get familiar with them."

"There aren't enough alchemy rooms, so please be understanding and refrain from fighting or grabbing."

"The refined pills can also be given to the younger generation for people to test."

Xu Chuan and the others stood up and bowed to Elder Zhou.

Then, four boys aged between eleven or twelve and seventeen or eighteen walked in.

Xu Chuan was assigned a twelve-year-old boy.

Under his guidance, they first went to his residence and then visited several alchemy rooms.

Each of these alchemy chambers must have been incredibly expensive to build, and each alchemy furnace is a magical artifact.

As for the grade of the magical artifact, Xu Chuan was not yet clear.

After that, he began to study the incomplete elixir formula at his residence.

　Thank you to Zuoqie, Book Friend 20241027205, and Book Friend 968608 for their generous donations.

　　Last week, fellow cultivators, let's go!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)