Yang Shu

Seasons turned; winter gave way to summer, and autumn yielded to spring.

In the blink of an eye, the Sanglu Valley branch family had been established for a year.

According to the rules, it was time to join the main family for the aptitude selection of the children from both the main clan and collateral branches.

No one knew if the discovery of Zhao Qi and Wu Tong had overdrawn too much of the family's Providence.

Since that last aptitude test, several years had passed without a single child from the Yang family-whether from the main bloodline or the collateral branches-showing any talent for cultivation.

However, this year held great promise.

Aside from the fresh blood of the branch family's collateral lines, the three towns and twelve families had also come knocking one after another upon learning that the Yang family was recruiting cultivators from outside the clan.

The Yang family's strength alone was enough to command respect.

And after those families tasted the sweet rewards granted by Wangchao during the campaign against the rogue cultivators, they were even more convinced that following the Yang family was a promising path!

That was a hundred Spirit Crystals!

In the past, earning a hundred Spirit Crystals would have required years of exhausting labor.

"Hurry and count all the children of age!"

"Living under someone else's roof? What do you know! Do you realize how many people want to seek shelter under this roof but can't even get past the door?"

"Silly child, why are you pouting? Don't you know that once you step through that gate, you'll have Spiritual Treasures, Talismans, and Pills at your fingertips!"

"Look at the Liang family. Before, they could barely survive in Liuye. How long has it been since they followed the Yang family? They have completely changed their fate. Even Liang Yi, whose cultivation stagnated for years, has finally broken through!"

Cultivators from various families arrived to pay their respects. Unable to ascend Song Mountain, they gathered at the Yang family estate at the foot of the mountain.

This created a peculiar sight outside the Yang family's main gate: a long line of cultivators eagerly waiting to enter a mortal residence.

Yang Lingqing received them in the meeting hall. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she politely sent them on their way.

Now that the branch family was established, the Yang family indeed needed new cultivator families to settle in Sanglu Valley and expand their numbers, just as the Liang family had done.

However, this matter would have to wait until the aptitude tests for the family's own children were concluded.

"Senior Sister Lingqing, there are seventeen children at the foot of the mountain who have reached the age of ten this year. Three are from the main family, and fourteen are from the collateral branches."

At the Yang family's Restricted Grounds, Zhao Qi delivered the roster to the entrance of the main courtyard.

Yang Lingqing took the roster and skimmed the names. The numbers were acceptable this year, but she wondered if any promising seedlings would finally emerge.

"Since you and Wu Tong, not a single seedling has appeared in the family. You two must have taken all the good fortune," Yang Lingqing said, teasing him.

Zhao Qi smiled and scratched his head. "Senior Sister Lingqing, I was plagued by bad luck as a child. Perhaps this is simply my extreme misfortune finally turning into good fortune?"

The two chatted as they descended the mountain and arrived at the Yang family's main courtyard.

"Greetings, Immortal Masters!"

The crowd in the courtyard knelt. Yang Lingqing took the seat of honor and raised a hand, signaling them to rise.

One by one, the seventeen children stepped forward under the nervous gazes of their elders to undergo the test.

Yang Lingqing examined each one. When she finished checking the last child, she simply shook her head and said, "You may go back."

This year, they had gained nothing.

Whether from the main family or the collateral branches, not a single child possessed complete Qi Channels.

After dismissing the crowd, Yang Lingqing's brows furrowed slightly.

What a family feared most was a gap between the old and new generations. Although she, Lingrui, and Linghu were still young, several consecutive years without a single seedling appearing stirred a faint sense of crisis in her heart.

The Yang family was now riding the great momentum of Wangchao; this was the perfect time to nurture the younger generation.

But even a clever cook cannot make a meal without rice. Without suitable cultivation seedlings, the Yang family had no one to train, regardless of how willing they were to spend resources.

Unlike the Liang family back then, the three towns and twelve families did not face immediate peril. They were mostly eyeing the benefits of joining the Yang family.

Only a few families genuinely wished to submit and attach themselves to the Yang family. Yang Lingqing was well aware of this dynamic.

Just as she was deep in thought, her father, Yang Feiyun, hurried in with quick steps.

"Lingqing, Linghu is back! And he brought a child with him!"

Yang Feiyun said excitedly. "He is from the main family! His surname is Yang!"

Yang Lingqing's eyes lit up instantly!

"Tell him to bring the child up the mountain!"

"Right away!"

Returning to the Yang family's Restricted Grounds, Yang Lingqing saw a young boy holding Yang Linghu's hand.

The child was a bit chubby, with plump, round cheeks and large, clear eyes.

He clutched a half-eaten rice ball in one hand, with a few grains of rice still stuck to the corner of his mouth. He looked at Yang Lingqing with a dazed expression.

He tilted his head, staring blankly at her.

If Yang Linghu hadn't nudged him, he might have forgotten to bow.

"Ah, oh!"

He quickly wrapped up the rice ball and tucked it into his pocket, though he forgot to wipe the rice grains from his mouth. He bowed clumsily to Yang Lingqing.

"Disciple of the Yang family, um... Yang Shu, pays respects to the Family Head!"

Yang Linghu stepped forward and whispered in Yang Lingqing's ear, "He is from the main family. His Qi Channels are complete and unobstructed, and his aptitude is excellent. But I've heard people say that this child has been a bit simple-minded since he was young..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lingqing fixed her gaze on Yang Shu, whose bowing posture was far from standard.

After observing him for a moment, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of her lips. She had formed her judgment.

"Simple-minded? I don't think so," she thought.

Yang Lingqing nodded slightly. "Rise."

"Oh! Thank you, Family Head!"

Yang Shu scrambled to his feet somewhat clumsily. Once standing, he nearly lost his balance and swayed twice.

Both Yang Linghu and Zhao Qi wore complicated expressions.

Was this child really alright?

"You two may leave first. I want a private word with Yang Shu."

"Yes."

After Yang Linghu and Zhao Qi left, Yang Lingqing led Yang Shu into a side room.

The moment Yang Shu entered the room, his attention locked onto a plate of fruit placed by the window. Without waiting for permission, he shuffled over, grabbed an apple, and began eating it in large, noisy bites.

Yang Lingqing noticed his actions but did not stop him. She simply sat on a meditation cushion and silently watched him devour the fruit.

Yang Shu finished the entire apple right in front of her.

"Hehe, Family Head, this fruit is really fragrant. Burp-"

Yang Shu let out a loud belch. His face instantly flushed red, and he offered Yang Lingqing a slightly embarrassed, foolish grin.

"Is this enough acting to look like a useless waste?"

"Surely she can see I'm good for nothing, right?"

"Sigh... I never wanted to get involved in troublesome matters in the first place. Why did I have to end up with cultivation aptitude..."

"Huh? Why is the Family Head walking toward me?"

As Yang Shu's inner thoughts raced, Yang Lingqing had already reached him.

She pulled out a handkerchief, dampened it with water, and gently wiped the rice stains from the corner of his mouth.

Yang Shu stared at her blankly, then grinned like a fool. "Hehe, thank you, Fam-Ouch!"

He had planned to continue his act, but in the next second, Yang Lingqing tightly pinched his ear and twisted.

His reaction was lightning-fast. Tears as big as beans immediately streamed down his plump cheeks. He wailed, "Wah! Family Head, I was wrong! I really was wrong! I didn't mean to eat the apple! I just couldn't resist because I was greedy! Don't punish me, I-"

"Playing dumb."

Yang Lingqing cut him off, meeting his sudden, startled gaze. "You little brat! I used that exact same trick myself when I was a child."

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