Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 166 Returning Home in Glory! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Oh, back to Zengtou City?"

As soon as the idea was put forward, Ji Yuan's heart stirred.

Admittedly, in the years since he joined the Water Dragon Sect, before he had even reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he had returned once or twice, but he only bought some spirit pigs and other things in the market before leaving again in a hurry.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he never went back even once.

"right."

Han Feiyu leaned back and laughed frankly, "As the saying goes, 'Wealth and honor without returning home is like wearing brocade at night.' We are both fishermen from Zengtou City, and now that we have both successfully established our foundations, we can be considered wealthy in Zengtou City. So naturally, we should go back for a visit and seek some peace of mind."

Returning to one's hometown to manifest divine power—not in the sense of manifesting divine power, but simply to go back and visit.

Ji Yuan didn't have any particular thoughts about the divine manifestation, but he also thought he would take the opportunity to go back and see Lin Hu's family and Wen Lin's family to see how they were doing.

After thinking it over, I realized it's been several years since I've seen him.

"Alright."

"It's been several years since I've been back either. When are you planning to leave, Brother Han?"

Ji Yuan asked.

Han Feiyu hesitated for a moment, then said, "There's no time to lose. I'll have other things to do when I get back... If Brother Ji isn't in a hurry, how about we set off now?"

"good!"

Ji Yuan immediately stood up.

The two hit it off immediately, each summoning their own flying boat, which took off from Jiyuan's Worry-Free Island and headed straight to the southwest.

During this time, Ji Yuan also noticed that Han Feiyu was using a low-grade spiritual artifact-level flying boat.

Ji Yuan still used the Thunder Falcon Boat, a top-grade magic artifact.

Han Feiyu must have made a fortune in the Nine Nether Cave Heaven. It's one thing to have just refined a few batches of Foundation Establishment Pills, but now he can even afford this spirit-grade flying boat... Ji Yuan thought to himself.

"By the way, Brother Ji, have you heard anything about what's happening in Linshui City?"

On the way back, the two flew side by side, and Han Feiyu chatted casually.

"Linshui City? Never heard of it."

All Ji Yuan could think of was the incident he encountered a few months ago when he went to Linshui City to buy carp. It was said that the guards there had stolen from their posts and then let the demonic cultivator become the "Great Sage of the Flat Tent".

"The Foundation Establishment island lords who were originally stationed there seized a lot of the sect's property. When the accounts could not be balanced, they used the demonic cultivators as a pretext to stage a demonic cultivator attack on the city."

"I had heard about this, but at the time everyone said it was just a rumor."

"That's not a rumor, it's true. The Enforcement Hall has already sent people to arrest them. But I heard that the leader, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, is called... Lord Qinghan Island. He defected and ran away. He's courting death."

Han Feiyu shook his head as he spoke.

In the territory of the Water Dragon Sect, what future is there for a defector cultivator?

If one honestly admits defeat and makes a mistake, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator might be able to serve the sect for decades and eventually gain freedom.

Now, I reckon the sect has already issued a kill order.

"indeed."

The two chatted idly along the way, spending more than a day on it.

Finally, they returned to Zengtou City from the Water Dragon Sect.

Looking at the market town where he had made his fortune, and returning for the first time as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Ji Yuan felt somewhat emotional... Once upon a time, he was just like these fishermen now, having to look up to those Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even those who weren't even at the Foundation Establishment stage, but merely at the late Qi Refining stage, were beings he had to look up to.

But now, he himself has become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Since neither of them deliberately concealed their cultivation aura, the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators of the Water Dragon Sect's Treasure Pavilion noticed something amiss as soon as they arrived.

They initially thought it was an enemy attack.

It turned out that some audacious rogue cultivators had come to plunder the market, but when some cultivators came out and saw the two dark blue figures in the sky, they immediately urged their flying boats to fly up.

"I was unaware of your presence, my two senior uncles. Please forgive my failure to greet you properly."

Ji Yuan recognized the man; his surname was Huang, and he was acquainted with Old Master Xu.

Once upon a time, he was someone Ji Yuan had to look up to.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"

Han Feiyu and he were obviously acquainted, and Han Feiyu greeted him with a smile.

Upon hearing this voice, the cultivator surnamed Huang abruptly raised his head. "Han Fei... Uncle-Master Han, and you, Uncle-Master Ji?!"

"You two have actually reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"By sheer luck."

Ji Yuan remains the same two words, used to deal with everything.

"It's just luck."

Han Feiyu smiled, "I just successfully established my foundation and was thinking of coming back with Brother Ji to see you old friends. How have you been lately?"

How could the cultivator surnamed Huang not understand the meaning behind Han Feiyu's words? But even if he did understand, what could he do?

All I could do was agree and say, "Okay, everything's fine."

Immediately afterwards, the other disciples of the Water Dragon Sect also came up to pay their respects to their senior uncle, especially those who already knew Ji Yuan and Han Feiyu, who kept calling him senior uncle and trying to get close to him.

For them, it's rare to even encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator on a normal day.

Not to mention those who already had connections with Ji Yuan and the others.

If we don't establish a relationship and show our faces now, what are we waiting for?

Do you really think that a Qi Refining stage cultivator can put food on the table?

After exchanging pleasantries and receiving some compliments, Ji Yuan took his leave. He planned to go back and see Lin Hu and the others first, and then find some other acquaintances to visit later.

Han Feiyu was the same; he also had some distant relatives in Zengtou City.

Once the two of them left, the Water Dragon Sect disciples at Baibaolou had no choice but to return to their posts.

When Ji Yuan and his companion returned, it was already close to evening. So when they landed at the lakeside cottage, they found Lin Hu and his family there.

As for the courtyard where Ji Yuan used to live... it is indeed now inhabited by new people.

He cast an invisibility spell, piloting his flying boat above the courtyard, and looked down.

The first thing that caught his eye was naturally the two peach trees he had planted. It was springtime, and the peach blossoms were in full bloom, which he noticed.

Both peach trees have been clearly pruned, indicating that the family living here takes good care of them.

Ji Yuan floated to the backyard again and saw two children, a boy and a girl, who looked to be about seven or eight years old by the fishpond he had dug.

The two were playing in the mud by the pond, and they looked somewhat alike, so they were probably siblings.

"Brother, why aren't Mom and the others back yet? My stomach is rumbling."

The little girl stood up, holding the mud-covered stick, and patted her tummy.

Upon hearing this, the boy immediately threw down the stick he was holding, turned around, and ran towards the kitchen. "Brother will make you something to eat. Mom and the others will be here in a while."

"Little sister, come and help us. When Mom and Dad come back, we can eat."

Ji Yuan watched the little boy run away... He scanned him with his divine sense and found that there was no spiritual energy fluctuation on the little boy. At his age, the lack of any spiritual energy could only mean one thing.

He was a mortal without spiritual roots.

On the contrary, the little girl possessed a certain spiritual quality.

She has spiritual roots, but they are pseudo-spiritual roots.

"It's difficult."

Ji Yuan sighed inwardly and didn't linger any longer. He then steered his flying boat up and arrived at the gate of the neighboring courtyard. Before he could even knock, he saw a Dharma boat docking nearby, and a couple disembarking from it.

Men cultivate Qi to the third level, and women cultivate Qi to the fourth level.

The two chatted and laughed, guessing that they had had a pretty good day.

Ji Yuan deliberately waited for a while, and only after the two of them entered the house did he remove his invisibility spell and go up to knock on the gate of Lin Hu's house.

After a few breaths, footsteps sounded in the courtyard, the door opened, and Wu Qin poked her head out, "You're looking...looking..."

Wu Qin stared at the figure at the door, stunned, seemingly unable to believe it.

Lin Hu's voice came from inside the courtyard immediately afterward.

"Who is it? Coming so late? Didn't I say we weren't accepting talismans for the time being?"

Lin Hu yawned, followed to the door, and opened it.

He was stunned at first glance, then rubbed his eyes as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"Brother Ji... Brother Ji?!"

Lin Hu was sizing up Ji Yuan, and Ji Yuan was also sizing up Lin Hu.

Compared to when Ji Yuan left a few years ago, Lin Hu has not undergone earth-shattering changes, but there have certainly been significant changes.

Ji Yuan could tell that Lin Hu was definitely not fishing anymore.

Because fishermen cannot raise such a plump, white body, and their cultivation level has even increased by one level.

Back then, Lin Hu was at the fourth level of Qi Refining; now, he is at the fifth level.

Not only that, even the clothes he was wearing had been transformed into a low-grade magic robe, in a dark gold color, making him look like someone from a wealthy family.

"You're doing well, Tiger."

Seeing Lin Hu living so well, Ji Yuan couldn't help but feel happy.

Especially considering that he used to be a gambling addict for a while with that neighbor surnamed Deng... Fortunately, he later reformed.

"Brother Ji, what brings you back? Please come in, please come in."

Lin Hu's eyes were a little red. He bowed and turned to the side, "Wu Qin, go and cook a few dishes. Ji Ge and I will have a good drink tonight."

"well."

Wu Qin was extremely happy to see Ji Yuan return.

After all, without Ji Yuan, their family wouldn't be where they are today.

As Ji Yuan stepped through the courtyard gate, Lin Hu waved to a little girl inside the house and said, "Qiao Ruo, come here quickly and call Uncle Ji."

The little girl seemed a bit shy and didn't dare to go forward, but she was also curious, so she just hid behind the door and looked around.

Upon seeing Lin Hu's daughter, Ji Yuan truly felt the passage of time. Back when he left, Lin Qiaoruo was still being held by Wu Qin, and she was about the size of a baby.

Now, several years have passed, and Lin Qiaoruo is as old as Wen Ling'er was back then.

"Is the spiritual root test about to begin?"

Ji Yuan asked with a smile.

"It'll be soon. I was supposed to reach the age next year, but there's no selection process next year, so I'll have to wait until the year after."

After the two entered the house, Lin Hu led Lin Qiaoruo to Ji Yuan. The latter obediently called out "Uncle Ji" and immediately shrank behind Lin Hu to hide. However, she still secretly peeked at the unfamiliar man in front of her through the gap between Lin Hu's legs.

Ji Yuan smiled and agreed, then took out a low-grade magic artifact resembling a bracelet from his storage bag, pushed it with his hand, and it landed in Lin Qiaoruo's hand.

"Nice to meet you. This is a gift from your uncle. Please remember to keep it safe."

I can afford expensive services, but they're not suitable.

This low-grade magic weapon is just right; it can protect the body without attracting attention.

Lin Hu naturally said no, no, and after a long and polite refusal, he finally let Lin Qiaoruo put it away.

For him, a magical artifact is still extremely precious. Even the low-grade magic robe he was wearing was something he had saved up spirit stones for a long time to acquire.

The bracelets are made from scraps of minerals, and they come in a variety of colors, making them quite beautiful.

Lin Qiaoruo held it in her hand and liked it very much. She immediately ran to the backyard to share it with her mother.

Ji Yuan took the tea poured by Lin Hu and then asked, "Hu Zi, you're not fishing anymore?"

"That's it. I haven't been in the water much for the past three years. As for now..." Lin Hu chuckled憨厚ly, "I'm barely a talisman master."

"Oh? Hello, talisman master."

Ji Yuan was surprised that Lin Hu had become a talisman master. "Tell me, how did you come to have this opportunity?"

"Actually, to be honest, I was able to become a talisman master thanks to your help, Brother Ji."

"Why is it me?"

Ji Yuan didn't react for a moment.

Then, after listening to Lin Hu's detailed explanation, Ji Yuan finally understood what had happened.

Before he left, he left Lin Hu a bottle of pills to help him break through to a higher realm, along with four mid-grade first-level talismans and a storage bag.

After obtaining these items, Lin Hu first broke through his cultivation level from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level.

Having become a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, after some thought, he simply sold the remaining four talismans and a storage bag...

Finally, with the 80 low-grade spirit stones obtained from those items, I purchased a book called "Introduction to the Way of Talismans," along with a talisman brush of unknown age, talisman ink, talisman paper, and other such items.

After three months of diligent study at home, Lin Hu discovered that he could actually draw something decent.

This further boosted his confidence, and two months later, he was finally able to attempt to draw a complete talisman.

From that point on, his livelihood changed from fishing to drawing talismans.

Ji Yuan was deeply moved after hearing this. He never expected Lin Hu to be so decisive, daring to sell all those things and turn to drawing talismans.

Fortunately, it was just drawing talismans.

Among alchemy arrays and talismanic artifacts, the way of talismans is the simplest and easiest to learn.

"Then wouldn't you be the famous Master Lin of Zengtou City now?" Ji Yuan teased.

"No, no, I can't even stabilize my mid-grade talismans. I'm currently relying on low-grade talismans to survive."

Having experienced many hardships, Lin Hu now knows what restraint means.

Even after becoming a talisman master, one will not be careless or irresponsible.

Ji Yuan then inquired about the situation of the family next door. Lin Hu said that they had moved from Jing'anfang and were just ordinary fishermen with nothing special about them. However, the boy had no spiritual root, and they didn't know what to do with him in the future.

"What about the Wen family? I just checked, and it seems they've moved away?"

When Ji Yuan was checking the situation in the neighboring courtyard, he also glanced at the courtyard where the Wen family used to live... It had changed drastically. Ji Yuan did not see the familiar Wen Lin and his wife, nor did he see Wen Ling'er. He only saw a female cultivator living alone, dressed in a flamboyant manner.

"The Wen family? Brother Ji, you don't know about them from the Water Dragon Sect?"

Lin Hu was also somewhat surprised by Ji Yuan's question.

"I don't know. How come Wen Ling'er, who has a true spiritual root, was taken into the Water Dragon Sect?" Ji Yuan asked rhetorically.

Lin Hu seemed to want to say something, but he hesitated and stammered, making him appear somewhat reluctant to speak.

Ji Yuan saw his worry and said with a smile, "Don't worry, with me here, no one in the entire Zengtou City can eavesdrop on our conversation."

Because Ji Yuan released his divine consciousness.

In this way, even if Han Feiyu came, he could sense it in advance. But as soon as he released his divine sense, he noticed something strange... The female cultivator who used to live in the Wen family courtyard was not running a legitimate business!

No wonder they don't need to go out on ships anymore.

"In the same year that you joined the Water Dragon Sect, Brother Ji, Wen Ling'er also participated in the spiritual root test."

Lin Hu lowered his voice and said softly.

"right."

"I was watching from the side at the time. After Wen Ling'er's spiritual root was tested, a fog rolled in over the entire fishpond. After the fog cleared, Wen Ling'er and her family had disappeared."

"It's gone?"

Ji Yuan guessed something.

"Yes, Wen Ling'er's spiritual root was a single color when it was tested. At first, I thought it was a Heavenly Spiritual Root, but we had just had a Heavenly Spiritual Root detected in Zengtou City, and the Water Dragon Sect didn't have that attitude. Later, I gathered some information... Wen Ling'er most likely has a Wind Spiritual Root among the Different Spiritual Roots!"

For the past few years, Lin Hu has never dared to mention this matter to anyone, for fear of being implicated. It was only today, when he saw Ji Yuan return, that he dared to reveal a little bit about it.

"A different kind of spiritual root..."

Ji Yuan murmured.

Based on Lin Hu's description, it is most likely a different spiritual root. Even if it were a heavenly spiritual root, the Water Dragon Sect would not treat it with such caution.

It is precisely because it is a different spiritual root that the Water Dragon Sect has kept the news so tightly under wraps.

So many years have passed, and if Ji Yuan hadn't come back to ask, I really wouldn't have known anything about it.

"Yes, I estimate it's 90% likely."

Lin Hu nodded very seriously.

"Alright, this matter is indeed very serious. Remember not to tell anyone. If the news leaks out, the sect will probably investigate thoroughly."

"Okay, I understand, Brother Ji, don't worry."

"Um."

The two didn't talk about this topic much after that. Before long, Wu Qin brought the food, and Ji Yuan had dinner there.

After all, who knows when I'll be able to come back next time.

That is, until the next day.

After leaving Lin Hu with some first-tier pills and talismans, along with a book titled "Comprehension of Talisman Dao," Ji Yuan left the lakeside cottage.

He then went to Zengtou City to see Luo Tong, who had previously taken care of him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ji Yuan left him some pills.

Incidentally, he also ran into the long-lost chicken cultivator near Luo Tong's house. He was still selling chickens, and his cultivation level hadn't changed much. When he saw Ji Yuan, he didn't dare to call him Brother Ji like he used to.

Instead, he was meek and respectful, addressing her as "Senior Ji" repeatedly.

After seeing all these old friends, Ji Yuan and Han Feiyu headed north back to the Water Dragon Sect.

is the day.

Lin Hu did not draw talismans at home, but came to Zengtou City alone. After making some inquiries, he learned that not only Ji Yuan had returned, but also Han Feiyu.

Moreover, according to rumors, they had successfully established their foundations, which is why they came back to visit.

After all, back then, many people would bow to the two disciples of the Water Dragon Sect and address them as "Uncle-Master".

After learning the news, Lin Hu returned home and discussed it with Wu Qin:

"Brother Ji has most likely reached the Foundation Establishment stage. I estimate that it won't be long before someone from Zengtou City comes to rent the house where Brother Ji lived. I reckon someone will want to rent our house too."

"That won't do. Brother Ji has really reached the Foundation Establishment stage. This house is imbued with the spiritual energy of a Foundation Establishment immortal. How can we sublet it to someone else?"

Wu Qin immediately said.

Lin Hu narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly said, "You really think there's some kind of Foundation Establishment Immortal's spiritual energy here?"

"That's just the delusion of some people who are obsessed with reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."

"So, Tiger, what you mean is...?"

Wu Qin knew that her man was becoming more and more different, and even his mind was becoming sharper, so most of the time she would listen to what Lin Hu said and would not argue unreasonably.

Lin Hu pondered silently for a moment before speaking:

"I'm planning to spread some rumors that Brother Ji once broke through in our house. Whether others believe it or not, the value of our house will definitely go up. We'll resell it at a high price, and with those spirit stones, we'll move into the city... With the resources Brother Ji has given us, it shouldn't be difficult for us to establish ourselves in the city."

"At that time, I will try to advance to a mid-grade first-level talisman master."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

After Wu Qin finished speaking, Lin Hu stroked his short beard and said:

"If Brother Ji were here, what do you think he would choose?"

"..."

After returning to the Water Dragon Sect, Ji Yuan went straight to Forget-Worry Island. If Wen Ling'er truly possessed a unique spiritual root, then Hua Yaoyue should have some idea of ​​what was going on.

He planned to first inquire about his neighbor's whereabouts.

Ji Yuan was somewhat curious about a neighbor with a wind-type unique spiritual root.

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(End of this chapter)