I'm determined to become an immortal!

About two weeks later,

He Sheng had only been back at Wanshoutan Water Mansion for a few days when he received good news.

"Immortal Master, Immortal Master, the He family has come to deliver their annual tribute again."

The green snake, carrying a storage bag with gold and silver trim, swam in through the waterway.

He Sheng took the storage bag and scanned it with his divine sense.

This year's annual allowance is quite good; with spirit stones and various spiritual materials, it's worth about 30,000 spirit stones.

"Was it He Weixiong who came to deliver the year-end bonus?"

He Sheng put away the storage bag and asked casually.

"That's right." Green Snake nodded. "Elder He also had Qing'er relay the changes in the He family over the past year or so. He said that Elder He Weixian, following the decree left by the Lord of the Mansion, has been promoting the policy of separating immortals and mortals within the clan."

"How effective was it?"

According to Elder He, after more than half a year of reorganization, all the mortals in Changyang Mountain have been relocated and settled in several nearby mortal cities.

The He family acquired many properties in the mortal world, allowing those mortals to enjoy wealth and comfort without the harshness of the mountains. "The Green Snake paused, a hint of hesitation in her voice, "Even the clan leader He Sheng's mother was sent down the mountain."

He Sheng remained expressionless, but secretly nodded in agreement.

The actions of the patriarch He Weixian were forceful and decisive, even involving Piao Ge's biological mother, demonstrating the strength and determination with which he carried out this matter.

This is actually the best outcome. If only Piao Ge's mother is left behind, the so-called separation of immortals and mortals will become a mere scrap of paper, and the elders of the second branch, who are always good at finding loopholes, will be able to use this as an excuse to make a comeback sooner or later.

"Anything else?"

"The Green Bamboo Courtyard has also been expanded. Elder He said that all the collateral descendants with spiritual roots have now been included in it."

Next, the clan elders plan to invite advanced practitioners of various immortal arts to teach the skills, ensuring that the offspring of the collateral branches graduate from the Green Bamboo Academy with at least one immortal art, thus providing them with a means of livelihood.

He Sheng nodded in satisfaction.

For him, the annual allowance alone was quite substantial once the Ho family was able to get back on track.

"In addition, Elder He also said that He Ziyang had another letter presented to the Lord of the Prefecture."

He Sheng did find a letter in the storage bag that was delivered. He was a little surprised at first, but upon hearing this, he took the letter out.

The letter was written on ordinary bamboo paper, with neatly trimmed edges and clear, elegant ink strokes, each stroke revealing the writer's seriousness.

"The Lord of the Palace personally declares:

Respectfully submitted by He Ziyang, a junior.

It has been more than a year since the elder left.

The junior diligently practices the "Thousand-Ren Jade-Severing Skill" every day, daring not to slack off in the slightest.

When he practiced his cultivation last month, he suddenly felt a warmth in his dantian, and his meridians thawed like spring water. He broke through the barrier and entered the second level of Qi Refining.

Master Yun said that with my aptitude, this progress is quite diligent, but I know that without your guidance and teachings, I would never have achieved what I have today.

..."

He Ziyang's letter was quite detailed, mentioning many things to He Sheng. He first talked about his own progress in martial arts, and then focused on the changes in the Minghui Water Ape.

It is said that after the little monkey stayed in the Green Bamboo Courtyard for more than a year, it gradually became intelligent. Not only could it recognize characters, but a few days ago, after a class, it took the initiative to approach the "Master Yun" and pointed to the characters in the book to ask about its doubts.

This greatly shocked everyone in Qingzhu Courtyard, but as time went on, they gradually got used to it.

Later, the little monkey even gave itself a name, calling itself "Changming".

He Ziyang praised the little monkey repeatedly, saying that it was diligent, studious, well-behaved, and sensible, and that it was like a friend to him.

'It seems this Minghui Water Ape is truly suited to this kind of growth. I wonder to what extent its bloodline will awaken if things continue like this.'

He Sheng was quite looking forward to it, and patiently continued reading the letter.

After recounting the changes in Minghui Water Ape, He Ziyang then mentioned the changes in the He family over the past year.

"...Since the clan elders followed the Lord's orders to implement the policy of separating immortals from mortals and relocated all the mortals from the mountains, the atmosphere in Changyang Mountain has been completely renewed."

Those arrogant and domineering mortals who used to rely on their lineage to run rampant have all been driven away.

After the expansion of Qingzhu Academy, more than 30 new members from collateral branches were recruited. Now there are nearly 100 people in the academy, with the sound of reading aloud and the flashing of swords, creating a vibrant scene.

The clan elder also invited several skilled immortal craftsmen from Xiajiangfang to teach the disciples the basics of various arts such as spiritual plants, weapon crafting, and talismans.

Although I aspire to the path of sword cultivation, I also audited two weapon-refining classes and benefited greatly from them.

The He family today exudes a vibrant and competitive spirit...

However, He Ziyang did not only mention the positive aspects. At the end of the letter, he mentioned that after the implementation of the policy of separating immortals and mortals, coupled with the clan policy of "Xuan Gui is supreme" and the expenses of Qingzhu Academy, the treatment of cultivators in the main branch of the clan has been reduced considerably.

These ordinary cultivators from the main branch had many complaints in private, but because of the Lianyue Lake incident, no one dared to complain openly, for fear of offending the mysterious Lord of the Mansion.

But these people's ulterior motives have never stopped. Recently, there have been rumors that several elders of the main branch of the clan proposed in front of the senior elders that the children of the main branch be included in the Qingzhu Academy to study together.

"...It seems that the elder's mind has wavered."

After all, if the children of the main branch are willing to study at Qingzhu Academy, there is no reason to exclude them.

Otherwise, some might say things like "the main and side are different, and the Heavenly Stems are reversed," which would make the people of the clan even more restless.

However, I worry that if the main branch's children enter Qingzhu Academy, their old arrogance might resurface, thus ruining Qingzhu Academy's enterprising and vigorous atmosphere.

I discussed this matter privately with Master Yun. Master Yun only said, "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish," and did not say anything more.

I humbly request Your Excellency's guidance on whether this matter is good or bad.

Changming is tugging at its junior's sleeve again, probably because it thinks the junior is taking too long to write and is delaying the time it should spend reading with it.

I will stop writing here.

May your immortal journey be smooth and your life long and prosperous.

Respectfully presented by He Ziyang!

After reading the letter, He Sheng couldn't help but smile knowingly.

The letter, written with the uprightness and sincerity unique to young people, rambles on about various trivial matters, and has the feel of a younger person writing a letter to an elder.

After reading the letter, he inexplicably felt that his relationship with He Ziyang had become even closer.

He folded the letter again and put it in his pocket. After a moment's thought, he took out a piece of gold paper and used his magic to write eight characters on it.

Let nature take its course and observe the changes calmly.

"Xiaoqing, give this to He Weixiong and have him take it back to He Ziyang."

As he spoke, He Sheng took out a few spirit stones and gave them to the green snake, asking it to deliver a message outside the water mansion.

The green snake obeyed the order and left, returning shortly afterward.

"Immortal Master, today is truly a day of double joy!"

"Oh? What other good news is there?"

Tell me about it.

"The giant python has finally relented." The green snake's tone was somewhat excited. "It said it was willing to help the immortal master find those hidden resources, only asking that the immortal master spare its life and let it return to the mountains after the task was accomplished."

The treasure-swallowing snake has been confined in a water cage for more than two years, and now that it has finally bowed its head, it can be considered a good thing.

But when He Sheng’s gaze fell on the green snake, he saw that as it spoke, the light in its vertical pupils dimmed a little, and its head drooped slightly, clearly hiding something on its mind.

"Is your sister going with it too?" He Sheng asked calmly.

The green snake trembled slightly, raised its head, and its eyes were filled with astonishment:

"How did the Immortal Master know?"

The water palace was only so big, and under his divine sense, the movements of the green and white snakes could not escape his perception.

The White Snake was completely bewitched by the Treasure-Swallowing Snake, and spent her days dreaming of the good old days of roaming the mountains and fields together and ruling over their own territories. Her mind was no longer on the Water Palace.

What are you thinking?

He Sheng looked at the green snake and asked.

The green snake remained silent for a long while before whispering:

"Qing'er tried to persuade her sister and even tried to stop her, but her sister said that I was stupid and didn't understand anything."

"Don't understand what?"

"I don't understand the carefree life in the mountains and fields, nor the joy of being king of the mountain." The green snake said, her voice tinged with grievance. "But I think that the giant python with the precious light only talks a good game, and it's hard to say how much skill it actually has."

It had been locked in the water cage for so long, never thinking of escaping on its own, nor daring to bargain with the immortal master face-to-face, only daring to ask its sister to plead for it.

He Sheng nodded approvingly, thinking that the green snake had indeed seen through the treasure-devouring snake clearly.

"Immortal Master, if Sister truly wishes to follow it, Qing'er would like to ask you for a favor." The Green Snake raised its head, its vertical pupils filled with earnestness.

"What is it?"

"Qing'er begged the Immortal Master not to be angry because of her sister's matter and to drive Qing'er away as well."

Qing'er still wants to stay in the Water Mansion to continue her cultivation.

Since you have this intention, we naturally won't drive you away.

Having received He Sheng's promise, the Green Snake seemed to have a great weight lifted from her heart.

He Sheng then stood up and said calmly:

"Let's go, come with me to meet this treasure-swallowing serpent."

With that, He Sheng and the Green Snake headed toward the side hall where the Starlight Water Cage was located.