Thank You for Your Hard Work, Mr. Liang

Huang Yan never expected that his visit to the Yang Family-made purely on a whim to try his luck-would yield such a tremendous surprise.

Not only had he successfully invited Liu Zihao to set up a Formation for his family, but more importantly, he had firmly latched onto the Yang Family's rising fortunes!

By now, everyone knew the Yang Family had the backing of the He Family.

The Wanchong Forest He Family. That name was known to all throughout Zhuhu.

The Yang Family's meteoric rise was an indisputable fact. For the Huang Family to become their Affiliated Family at this juncture meant their own future would naturally rise with the tide.

"Hehe, Patriarch Huang, you flatter me. There's no need for quite so much effort. Establishing one on the mountain, one at the residence, and one in the village will suffice."

"Good! No problem! Please rest assured, Patriarch Yang! I will arrange this matter properly the moment I return!"

Huang Yan had braced himself for the Yang Family to impose excessively harsh conditions, fully prepared for his family to face a century of brutal exploitation.

Yet all they asked for was the construction of halls and stone tablets. Moreover, the Huang Family was permitted to become their Affiliated Family. This was an incredible blessing!

After all, it made no difference whose statue sat upon the altar, nor did it matter to the commoners whom they bowed to.

Rather than offering respect to those ethereal immortals and gods, it was far better to earnestly burn incense for the living benefactors right before his eyes!

"Lingrui."

"Here."

At Yang Lingqing's soft call, Yang Lingrui appeared silently within the room.

Huang Yan's heart jolted. He stared at Yang Lingrui, his gaze filled with shock.

He had not sensed when this person entered the room, nor when he had come to stand right before him.

"This Senior truly possesses a celestial bearing! Hiss... why does he look a bit familiar?"

Huang Yan pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized-wasn't this the handsome youth who had followed behind the Li Family's second young master years ago, back when he was only at the third level of Qi Gathering!?

"Now he is... at the seventh level! And he hasn't just recently broken through; he is already nearing the peak!"

Yang Lingrui's appearance brought Huang Yan an overwhelming, unparalleled sense of shock.

In just a few short years, he had gone from the third level to the seventh!

Such talent, in Huang Yan's understanding, could only be described as monstrous!

"Yes, yes, that makes sense. No wonder the Wanchong Forest He Family took notice. It turns out the Yang Family has produced such a world-shocking prodigy!"

Huang Yan spoke no words, but his rapid breathing betrayed his current state of mind.

"Accompany Mr. Liu on a trip to Fengling."

"Yes, I receive the Patriarch's command."

Yang Lingrui turned calmly and smiled. "Patriarch Huang, please. Let us hurry and return quickly. I do not wish to delay my cultivation for too long."

"Understood, but what about the formation diagram..."

"It is already drawn."

Liu Zihao waved his hand, tossing out a brand-new formation diagram. Yang Lingrui summoned a gentle breeze, delivering it right in front of Huang Yan.

In the brief time the three had been speaking, Liu Zihao had already finished drafting the diagram.

The events of this day had left Huang Yan's heart somewhat numb from shock.

It was already done?

The Formation Master at the Formation Pavilion had made him stand waiting outside for two full hours!

"What is it? Is there a problem with the formation diagram?" Liu Zihao asked, raising his eyes.

"No, no, no."

Huang Yan hurriedly waved his hands. "I was merely astounded by Formation Master Liu's miraculous skill. There is no problem at all!"

He then turned to Yang Lingqing and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Patriarch Yang. I am endlessly grateful for this great kindness. In the future, the Huang Family will spare no effort and serve the Yang Family with the utmost loyalty!"

With that said, the three men set off on the road to Fengling.

Yang Lingqing had chosen the Huang Family to be the Yang Family's first Affiliated Family for three main reasons.

First was their geographical location. The Fengling region, where the Huang Family resided, was currently a blank spot in the Yang Family's southern Wangyue territory.

Second was the guarantee provided by that bamboo grove cultivator.

That person's cultivation had progressed rapidly; he was now at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Gathering, with a great chance of breaking through to Perfection.

After four years of Talisman trade, along with the deep blue crystal Yang Lingrui had delivered last year, his relationship with the Yang Family was already excellent.

Although Rogue Cultivators walked a difficult Dao path, they were not bound by Wangchao, Sects, or families, allowing them to act with unhindered freedom.

A Rogue Cultivator with an extremely high cultivation realm was destined to become a prime target for various factions to recruit.

By taking the Huang Family as an Affiliated Family, the Yang Family was, to a certain extent, doing that person a favor.

Finally, there was the consideration of the Huang Family's own strength.

During the previous ancient tomb exploration, the Huang Family was one of the few families capable of sending mid-stage cultivators.

This demonstrated that they possessed a deep foundation and significant influence in the Fengling region, satisfying all the requirements the Yang Family sought in an Affiliated Family.

Neither Yang Lingrui nor Liu Zihao were men who dawdled in their tasks.

Upon arriving at the Huang Family, Liu Zihao focused entirely on setting up the Formation, while Yang Lingrui outlined the many details regarding the sacrificial rites. Once finished, they immediately departed.

The entire affair, from beginning to end, took less than two months.

"Second Young Master! It's blooming! It's blooming!"

The moment Yang Lingrui returned, he saw Liang Yi running excitedly from the spirit herb garden, cradling a cluster of purple-glowing stamens in his hands.

After personally experiencing the secret vault incident, Liang Yi had practically abandoned his cultivation and technique practices. He poured his entire heart into nurturing Spirit Grass. Later on, he simply moved his living quarters into the garden. From the moment he opened his eyes to the moment he closed them, his mind was completely devoted to tending the spirit plants.

Through his diligent, meticulous care and the efficacy of the He Family's secret methods, all three of the Yang Family's original spirit plants in the garden had advanced to the mid-stage of Qi Gathering.

Now, the Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass could produce two drops of Spirit Liquid every two months, while the Yang-Returning Grass bore fruit once every year and a half.

As for that Purple Firmament Flower, it had finally blossomed today, growing its first cluster of Purple-Core Stamens!

This item could increase the success rate for Qi Gathering cultivators attempting to break through to a new realm.

At its current mid-stage Qi Gathering level, the Purple-Core Stamen could boost Yang Lingrui's chances of breaking through by roughly fifteen percent.

Yang Lingrui had once casually mentioned this, and Liang Yi had secretly kept it in his heart. For the better part of a year, he had focused the vast majority of his energy on nurturing the Purple Firmament Flower.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Liang," Yang Lingrui quickly expressed his gratitude.

Liang Yi grinned. "It's no hardship at all. I am truly of little use at home. Being able to do something-anything-to help the family leaves me completely satisfied."

Hearing these words caused a pang of sorrow in Yang Lingrui's heart.

Yang Linghu's death had impacted Liang Yi far too deeply.

In his mind, it remained an insurmountable hurdle. He constantly felt that the eldest young master's death was entirely due to his own incompetence.

After returning home, he found himself entirely unable to enter meditative cultivation, eventually abandoning his Dao path altogether.

He managed all the affairs of the spirit herb garden by himself, never causing the family any worry. Only when the plants yielded spiritual items would he step out to deliver the good news.

The members of the Yang Family saw all of this clearly and kept it in their hearts.

"Mr. Liang."

Yang Lingrui stepped forward and rested a hand on Liang Yi's shoulder. "Do not say such things anymore. You are also a member of our family."

Liang Yi froze upon hearing this, and then the corners of his mouth began to tremble.

"Second Young Master, I..."

"The fault for that incident lies with no one here. It falls solely on Lone Moon Mountain's wickedness. One day, I will exact justice for my elder brother."

Yang Lingrui supported Liang Yi's arm and said softly, "You are only in your thirties, Mr. Liang. Your Dao path is still long. You must not abandon it so lightly. If my elder brother knew in the underworld, he certainly would not wish to see you like this."

By this point, Liang Yi was already sobbing uncontrollably.

It wasn't that he failed to understand this reasoning. It was simply that the guilt weighed too heavily upon his heart; he had never been able to forgive himself for his performance that day.

Even Zhao Qi, whose cultivation realm was lower than his own, had fought to the bitter end, while he had stood there, frozen in terror.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Liang."

Startled by the voice, Liang Yi turned around to see Yang Lingqing, Wu Tong, Zhao Qi, Liu Zihao, and little Yang Yuanhong, who had recently learned to speak, standing behind him.

Wearing a tiger-head hat, Yang Yuanhong waddled forward, his little head wobbling as he mimicked the elders' actions, folding his hands in an incredibly adorable bow.

"Tank you... Mis-ta Liang!"

"On da table, there's sugar cake! I'll take you to eat it!"

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