Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 144 Me and My Golden Core Master? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The Qinghe Island Master was somewhat bewildered.

Are young people these days so lacking in martial ethics?

He wasn't stupid. When Ji Yuan brought up Li Changhe earlier, he had already figured out that this kid probably guessed he was going to see a Golden Core elder and wanted to run away.

Why run?

Because of fear.

Then I thought back to what Hua Yaoyue had said earlier.

How could the Lord of Qinghe Island not understand that Ji Yuan must have hidden a lot of fine wine and was deliberately not taking it out?

Now that Hua Yaoyue has come knocking on his door, he is naturally afraid and wants to run away.

But now that he's actually waiting for Hua Yaoyue to come to him, what will his reaction be?

He was practically sliding down to his knees.

This young man... is being rather unreasonable.

As for Hua Yaoyue, she was now completely absorbed by the wine.

With just a gentle sniff, she could discern the taste of each jar of wine, knowing its name, origin, and flavor... something was off.

Because all of these drinks, no matter which jar, tasted better than the ones she had drunk before.

And it tastes much better!

This little guy is really quite capable.

Hua Yaoyue lowered her gaze and it fell on Ji Yuan, who was still bowing.

"You're going to brew wine for me?"

"Exactly."

Ji Yuan, bowing deeply, spoke in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Hua Yaoyue finally smiled slightly. "Could it be that you saw that I, a fish in the Golden Core Realm, had taken the bait, and wanted to win me over through my stomach, so you brewed wine for me?"

"this……"

Ji Yuan was so frightened that he was sweating profusely.

Admittedly, he had initially considered bringing up the Li family to see if it would be useful, but the words of this Golden Core elder completely dispelled that idea.

Even Li Changhe had to kneel before her... and the Golden Core cultivator from the Li family had to give way to her.

We're all from the Water Dragon Sect, we'll run into each other all the time. If you didn't have some strength, would you dare say that?

So Ji Yuan chickened out on the spot.

It's both a statement of one's attitude and... a way of thinking about finding another powerful patron to lean on.

There are many big trees behind us, so we can lean on them.

More trees won't weigh you down.

Besides, it's much better for me to volunteer to make wine than for her to drag me into it, right?

This is similar to turning oneself in.

Confess and you will be treated leniently.

"I have truly brewed this wine for you with all my heart."

"Alright, alright." Hua Yaoyue looked at him with a smile. "Did you brew all this wine?"

"No, it's because I bought it and then modified it myself, which is why it tastes like this."

Ji Yuan told him the truth.

This wine couldn't be kept secret even from the Iron Hammer Island Master, let alone from this Golden Core Elder.

The Qinghe Island Master behind this... Damn it, you told me back then that you went to a very far place to get it, and that it was very difficult, so that's why you only got so little at a time.

Now you're actually saying you bought it and processed it yourself.

You son of a bitch, you deserve it!

"Oh?"

Hua Yaoyue's voice sounded somewhat surprised.

Ji Yuan quickly explained, "This method of improving wine was passed down from an ancestor of mine, a Golden Core cultivator..."

"Alright, I don't have time to listen to your made-up stories."

Hua Yaoyue casually waved her hand, directly exposing Ji Yuan's lie, "How much can you improve these drinks?"

Ji Yuan said in a deep voice, "That depends on how much you want, senior."

"Okay, so you've got the ability, huh?"

Hua Yaoyue, who had already turned away, turned back again. She gently raised her jade hand, and all the wine on the ground disappeared.

But then three more jars appeared... containing wines with extremely exquisite designs.

The wine jar in his left hand was made of sky-blue glass, with nine layers of cloud and thunder patterns carved on it, and two dragons with their heads turned up to the sky carved on the mouth of the jar, looking ferocious and terrifying.

Through the crystal-clear jar walls, one can see the amber-colored wine swirling with stardust, each ripple forming a flowing star map.

It doesn't look like an ordinary thing.

The wine jar in the middle is carved from black ice, and it is filled with cold mist. There are two round beads at the bottom of the pool, which are still emitting a cold blue light.

The wine is a translucent nectar, with ice crystals and snowflakes swirling in the jar without wind, and upon closer inspection, one can even see frost-like veins spreading in the liquid.

The wine jar on the far right is made of red crystal lava, with nine phoenix tail feathers inserted around it, constantly burning with protective fire to temper the wine jar.

So much so that the wine inside the crimson jar surged and boiled like lava, a sight that terrified anyone who saw it.

"I have three jars of wine here."

Hua Yaoyue casually said, "Their names are Nine Heavens Cloud Pattern Wine, Mysterious Ice Cold Marrow Wine, and Crimson Sun Burning Heart Wine. Take them and help me improve them. Then see how they taste. If I'm satisfied with the taste..."

Hua Yaoyue looked Ji Yuan up and down, as if this was the first time she had ever looked him up.

At first, she only glanced at him casually, but after seeing Ji Yuan's appearance clearly, her mood improved a bit, and she casually tossed a communication talisman to Ji Yuan.

"The communication talisman is restricted; you can't use it before your magic power reaches the Foundation Establishment stage. Once you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, send me a message. If the wine and drinks you offer satisfy me, I'll accept you as my disciple. How about it?"

Ji Yuan held the golden communication talisman in his hand, his hand trembling slightly.

He even wanted to kneel down right now and shout, "Master, please accept my bow," but he was afraid of offending my Golden Core Master.

What an incredible opportunity it is for a Golden Elixir cultivator to accept a disciple!

Ji Yuan's breathing suddenly became hot.

Seeing his appearance, Hua Yaoyue seemed to find it somewhat amusing and laughed out loud. However, as she laughed, her figure became fainter and fainter until she disappeared from the room.

As soon as she left, the faint oppressive aura emanating from Ji Yuan disappeared.

He was able to regain consciousness.

The communication talisman in my hand is real, and the three jars of wine in front of me are real too... I'm not dreaming.

Then, as if remembering something, he quickly turned around to look at the Qinghe Island Master behind him.

"Uncle-Master..."

He had just shouted something.

The Lord of Qinghe Island stroked his beard and interrupted with a smile, "Still calling me 'Master Uncle'?"

Ji Yuanfu, with a sudden inspiration, took the golden communication talisman and cupped his hands in greeting, "Greetings, Senior Brother Qinghe."

"Ha ha."

As Qinghe Island Master recalled the telepathic message Hua Yaoyue had sent him when she left, the more he thought about it, the happier he became... As expected of the Forget-Worry Immortal, she was so generous.

"Alright, since Junior Brother has such skill and has caught the eye of Uncle Wangyou, you should quickly put away all these wines and such."

Ji Yuan turned around and looked at the three uniquely shaped jars of wine, grunted in agreement, and quickly put them away.

Any one of these three jars could probably buy my life… Ji Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “Senior brother, these three jars of wine are so valuable, is your…uncle really at ease leaving them with me like this?”

Foundation Establishment is the senior uncle, and Golden Core is the grandmaster.

Calling Hua Yaoyue "Grandmaster Uncle" wouldn't be wrong now.

"Uncle Wangyou has always acted as she pleased and doesn't follow the rules. Besides, if it were in your possession, would you dare to embezzle it?" said the Qinghe Island Master with a smile.

"How could I dare? I would risk my life to protect you!"

Ji Yuan said very seriously.

"That's it."

The Qinghe Island Master spoke with considerable emotion, "Golden Core cultivators accepting disciples... Nowadays, among the Foundation Establishment cultivators of our Water Dragon Sect, there aren't many who can be chosen as disciples by a Golden Core cultivator. You, who haven't even reached Foundation Establishment yet, already have such an opportunity..."

"Work hard and reach the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible; that's more important than anything else."

"Um!"

Ji Yuan nodded vigorously. That was for sure. Once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, not only would his strength be considerable, but he would also be able to find a Golden Core disciple. What would he have to fear then?

"Please keep this a secret for me, Senior Brother Qinghe."

Ji Yuan bowed slightly to him again.

Keeping secrets is always the most important thing.

"Don't worry, helping you is helping me too."

After finishing speaking, the Lord of Qinghe Island waved his hand, "Alright, if there's nothing else, go back and brew your wine properly."

Ji Yuan nodded and headed towards the door, but as he walked, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "Senior brother, do the drinks I just submitted still count as merit points?"

Each jar costs 200, and Ji Yuan paid for 12 jars in one go.

"..."

In the end, I still didn't get the merit points.

The Qinghe Island Master's words left Ji Yuan speechless.

He said, "How dare you take advantage of your master like this?"

Now that things have come to this point, if he still clung to those merit points, he would seem too immature. However, Ji Yuan didn't understand why the Qinghe Island Master was so reluctant to part with those merit points.

After leaving Thousand Machine Island, Ji Yuan didn't rush back to Misty Island to "brew wine".

He still needs to inquire about the Yang family.

But to his surprise, as soon as he returned to his home on Chulong Island, he saw a woman squatting not far from his house... Du Wanyi.

Upon seeing Ji Yuan return, she immediately stood up, her gaze towards him somewhat complicated.

Moved, surprised, bewildered, astonished... and a little unfamiliar.

"Come in, let's talk inside."

Du Wanyi stepped forward and offered her suggestion.

"it is good."

Ji Yuan nodded.

The two entered the house, and Ji Yuan closed the door before asking, "Second Sister, how long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long ago, I just arrived."

"..."

"Really, I'm not stupid. If I came looking for you as soon as I heard the news of the Yang family father and son's deaths, wouldn't that just be causing you trouble?"

Du Wanyi is not stupid.

"What? The Yang family father and son are dead?"

Upon hearing this news, Ji Yuan looked at Du Wanyi in surprise, then exclaimed with great joy, "Second Sister, your troubles are resolved! That's wonderful!"

I was worried about you before.

Du Wanyi just stared at Ji Yuan without saying a word.

He just watched him perform like that.

"No, Second Sister, what's wrong? Has something happened to the Yang family? Are you unhappy? Or is there some other trouble?"

Ji Yuan's smile gradually disappeared.

"Fourth brother, do you know why I know it was you who did it?" Du Wanyi finally spoke, but her voice was somewhat low.

Before Ji Yuan could argue that "he didn't do it," Du Wanyi took a deep breath and spoke again:

"Because apart from you, there's absolutely no one else willing to help me."

"The Yang family has committed many evils and made quite a few enemies. Who knows, it might have been one of those enemies who did it?" Ji Yuan said softly.

Upon hearing this, Du Wanyi suddenly laughed, a very happy laugh.

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded firmly.

"That must be it; it was another enemy of the Yang family who did it!"

Ji Yuan smiled and spread his hands.

"That's right, I knew it. How could I possibly kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator? I'm just a mere Qi Refining cultivator."

"But according to what I've heard, everyone says that Yang Shunan was killed by a demon beast."

"Oh? Second Sister, please explain in detail."

Ji Yuan returned to the house and used magic to brew a pot of tea.

After sitting down, Du Wanyi thought about and recalled the events for a while before saying, "There are many rumors circulating outside. Some say that they were killed by flying monsters that came out of the Red Cloud Mountain Range, while others say that they were killed by burrowing monsters. But neither of these claims hold water, because the monsters only killed the Yang family father and son. The rest of the family members were unharmed, but it is certain that they were killed by the monsters."

"Therefore, the most widely believed theory is that... the Yang family father and son were killed by cultivators from the Yuling Sect."

Du Wanyi looked at Ji Yuan very seriously as she spoke.

Just like I just said, she could guess that Ji Yuan was behind it, but Ji Yuan definitely didn't do it himself... Even if her fourth brother really had the strength to deal with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was impossible for him to openly break into the Yang family, easily kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and then leave.

Based on all the information, Du Wanyi deduced that Ji Yuan had "hired a killer" and that he had spent spirit stones to hire a cultivator from the Yuling Sect to do the job.

Because beast taming is practically a standard skill for cultivators of the Spirit Control Sect. Only cultivators of the Spirit Control Sect can tame beasts, especially second-tier demonic beasts... which are even rarer.

"That's quite possible."

Ji Yuan nodded knowingly. "The murderer came from the north. He pulled off a heist in the south, then left triumphantly back north. Who could possibly find him?"

"They all come and go without a trace."

"Hmm, they are most likely cultivators from the Spirit Control Sect."

Du Wanyi nodded and said.

"So how are you now?" Ji Yuan was more curious about this.

Upon hearing this question, Du Wanyi's face showed a hint of relief. "The one who was making things difficult for me was Yang Yunxiang. Now that he's dead, Yang Shunan is dead too."

"Our sect's Forest Island Master has no idea about this. He's busy tracking down that Spirit Control Sect cultivator, so I'm definitely fine now."

"Moreover, I took some time to go back to Qingye City these past two days. The uncle who used to make things difficult for me is now quite embarrassed and has also expressed his apologies to me in a tactful way."

"His original plan was to force me out of the sect and then use that opportunity to establish a relationship with the Yang family. Now that the Yang family is no longer in power, his chances are naturally over."

These are all interconnected matters.

Once the root cause is addressed, all other problems can be easily solved.

Ji Yuan even thought that if Yang Tai'an had more methods and persisted in investigating, he would most likely be able to trace it back to Qingye Auction House, and then find out that a northern cultivator named "Qiu Qianhai" had bought a second-tier spirit beast bag there.

In this way, everything became logical and natural.

With all the spearheads pointing north, Yang Tai'an will also set his sights on the north.

If he manages to find his way back to him... Ji Yuan felt that he had good talent and a cheat code, so he would at least be a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator by then.

When the time comes to fight among equals, Ji Yuan will have the help of the giant toad, so he is confident that he will have nothing to fear.

But the possibility of that is extremely small.

Knowing that Du Wanyi was fine and that the Yang family would have a hard time finding his way back to her, Ji Yuan felt relieved. In addition, the Meditation Room had been upgraded, which made him even more at ease.

"Fourth brother..."

Du Wanyi looked at Ji Yuan, who was leisurely drinking tea, and called out.

"Um?"

"What's wrong?"

Ji Yuan looked at her.

"I'm going to the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven." Du Wanyi's words silenced Ji Yuan.

Du Wanyi put down her teacup, stood up and said, "After going through all this, I finally understand that joining a sect is useless. In the end, everything still depends on one's own strength."

She took a deep breath and continued, "If I had also reached the Foundation Establishment stage, would the Yang family dare to treat me like this? Would their Foundation Establishment master uncle behind me dare to make things difficult for me like this? In fact, I would never have encountered this situation in the first place."

"Whether I join the Water Dragon Sect or the Water One Hall, these are all superficial. Only my own strength is real. Only when I have strength can my thoughts be clear!"

Ji Yuan held the teacup in his hand and slowly nodded. "It cannot be denied that this is indeed the truth."

"But Second Sister, have you ever considered what kind of strength is needed to achieve true freedom of thought?"

Ji Yuan looked up and said, "After Foundation Establishment, there is the Golden Core above your head, and after the Golden Core, there is the Nascent Soul..."

"From the very beginning of our cultivation, we have embarked on a path of no return."

Du Wanyi gave a wry smile, sat back down, and said nothing more.

Ji Yuan knew that Du Wanyi was waiting for his answer.

Ji Yuan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Then, Second Sister, please prepare well. If you need anything, you can tell me anytime."

"Fourth brother, you..."

Upon hearing this answer, Du Wanyi looked at Ji Yuan in astonishment.

She knew her fourth brother was always cautious, but how could he not be tempted by something like the Nine Netherworld Cave?

If Ji Yuan's spiritual root were slightly better, and it were a true spiritual root, she could understand. But a pseudo spiritual root... In the current situation, if a pseudo spiritual root doesn't go to the secret realm to seek the Thousand-Year Illusionary Spirit Grass, how can it refine Foundation Establishment Pills?

How can one establish a foundation without Foundation Establishment Pills?

This is a pseudo-spiritual root!

Therefore, Du Wanyi had always believed that no matter how cautious Ji Yuan was, he would still go to the Nine Nether Cave Heaven, but hearing this answer today...

"I will."

"Then I'll go back and prepare."

Du Wanyi got up without trying to persuade her.

There's not much to say about spiritual practice, and Ji Yuan isn't the type of person who's easily persuaded.

Du Wanyi could only think that once she entered the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven, she could pick a few more Thousand-Year Illusionary Spirit Grasses and share some with Ji Yuan after she came out, so that her fourth brother could also establish his foundation.

"it is good."

After seeing Du Wanyi off, Ji Yuan returned to the house.

He surveyed his surroundings, and although everything looked familiar, it wasn't as familiar as when he used his divine sense. So, with this thought in mind, he released his divine sense.

Everything around me entered my mind.

Flowers and plants thrive in the gaps between tables and chairs.

Then his consciousness reached the backyard, and all the words carved on the wall were absorbed into his mind. The peaches in the front yard had fallen to the ground and were beginning to rot.

With his divine sense, Ji Yuan could even perceive the process of the peach rotting.

All of this made Ji Yuan realize the extraordinary nature of divine consciousness.

This is what the surface looks like, but what about underground?

Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh as he sent his divine sense into the earth again.

On the Misty Island, the surrounding walls were stone, making it extremely difficult to traverse with one's divine sense. But now, in this muddy soil, it's much easier.

His divine sense penetrated the ground and traveled a distance of ten feet in a short time.

There is no difference between different types of soil.

Just as Ji Yuan was thinking about testing how far his divine sense could penetrate, suddenly, an image appeared in his mind, and he "saw" a hole!

There's a hole in the ground beneath my house!

It was dug out by humans. Judging from the soil marks, the hole was extremely fresh, as if it had just been dug out. He followed the hole with his divine sense and found that it had actually been dug from the neighboring courtyard number seventeen.

That place is... Pi Fangzhi!

He dug a hole and, without anyone noticing, broke through the protective barrier of his house, digging a hole in the barrier as well.

Ji Yuan stood up in an instant.

A thought popped into his mind: Could this Pi Fangzhi... also be a spy from the demonic path?

Whether it is true or not, it is certain that he intends to do something nefarious to me.

With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan took two steps and left his courtyard. Only after arriving at the gate did he feel a little relieved.

Even if Pi Fangzhi is insane, he wouldn't openly attack himself; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of digging a tunnel to get here.

If that's the case, what should we do?

Should we storm his door and kill him?

Or should we find an opportunity to assassinate him?

No, that's the behavior of a brute.

Ji Yuan first thought of finding the Law Enforcement Hall and Fang Jie, since Fang Jie had previously said that he could contact him anytime if he had any clues.

But upon further reflection, Ji Yuan rejected the idea, as he had a more suitable candidate.

Looking for Li Changhe!

Thank you to Adult Fish for the 100 spirit stones reward.

(End of this chapter)