Another Year

Having bestowed the method for nurturing spirit plants, He Shenglai's purpose for this trip was fulfilled.

From his brief conversation with Yang Lingqing, he could tell she was an intelligent woman. She needed no further instruction to understand the deeper meaning behind his visit.

After He Shenglai departed, the members of the Yang family gathered to study this method of cultivating spirit plants.

The Spirit-Nurturing Rain-Seeking Art was, at its core, a technique capable of improving the ambient spiritual energy of an environment.

Performing the technique required three steps: Nurturing Spirit, Bestowing Rain, and Transforming Qi. A single cycle took four days. At a frequency of three times a month, it would occupy twelve days in total.

After some discussion, the Yang family entrusted the Spirit-Nurturing Rain-Seeking Art to Liang Yi.

Given the current composition of the Yang family, he was the most suitable candidate.

In terms of cultivation, he was stranded somewhere in the middle. If a true battle broke out, he could only assist from the sidelines rather than serve as a main force.

At the same time, as a member of a relocated clan, he did not possess the deep trust of the main family like Zhao Qi did. Tasks like running errands or delivering sensitive messages rarely fell to him.

On ordinary days, aside from his own cultivation, his only duties were patrolling and standing guard along the north and south banks.

Liang Yi himself had always wanted to do more for the main family. Ever since he used that inferior Marrow-Washing Pill to break through, this desire had only grown stronger.

Yang Lingqing understood his thoughts. With the sudden appearance of the Spirit-Nurturing Rain-Seeking Art, he was the perfect choice, so she assigned the duty of cultivating spirit plants to him.

From then on, Liang Yi had a new primary duty within the Restricted Grounds.

On the second day after He Shenglai left, another group of people arrived at the foot of Songshan.

Led by a cultivator, the group immediately began kowtowing and prostrating themselves upon reaching the mountain base, loudly chanting words of "gratitude for the main family's profound kindness."

When Zhao Qi heard the news and hurried to the scene, he found that it was Xie Chuan, the head of the Xie Family, leading his surviving kin to seek refuge.

The Xie Family's original courtyard had been completely destroyed in the fierce battle that day.

Restoring it to its former state would require nearly as much effort as building a new estate from scratch.

Many members of the Xie Family had perished in the turmoil, making it exceedingly difficult for them to rebuild their strength.

Through this disaster, Xie Chuan realized that the political landscape would only become more complex and dangerous. Therefore, he decided to simply lead the surviving Xie Family members to throw their lot in with the Yang family.

After receiving orders, Zhao Qi escorted Xie Chuan up the mountain, where Yang Lingqing and Yang Lingrui formally received the family head.

Following a closed-door discussion, the three reached a preliminary agreement.

The Yang family naturally welcomed the addition of a trustworthy mid-stage fourth-layer Qi Gathering cultivator.

Xie Chuan swore a Blood Oath of allegiance to the Yang family right before the siblings. From that day forth, the Xie Family became one of the subordinate clans residing on the north bank.

With that settled, the remaining matters became much simpler.

Yang Lingqing delegated the task of settling the Xie Family to Zhao Dapeng and Liang Min.

Having received the family head's explicit orders, the two dared not show the slightest negligence. From selecting the land and building houses to allocating properties, everything was smoothly arranged in just over a month.

With the Xie Family's relocation, the population on the north bank alone swelled to nearly four thousand.

Aside from the natural growth driven by the north bank's own "first ten-year childbearing plan," a portion of this population came from wealthy households in the south bank villages, who transferred their children to the north bank through adoption.

Row upon row of houses stretched endlessly along the riverbank, and the number of bridges spanning the river increased from the initial three to seven.

Shops and taverns were tastefully scattered throughout the settlement. Three tall pavilions stood like a tripod across the east, west, and south, marking the three major clans that had cultivators stationed on the mountain. The remaining dwellings varied in height, subtly indicating the hierarchical strength of the lesser families.

Under the protection of the prospering Yang family, the mortal clans and villagers in their territory lived and worked in peace. Over time, a unique local culture centered entirely around the Yang family began to take root.

After suffering a catastrophic loss during their recent descent, Lone Moon Mountain finally reacted, awakening to the drastic shift in the region's power dynamics.

The Sect issued a strict ban: disciples were no longer permitted to leave the mountain at will.

It was said that even the Mountain Lord, who was still in Secluded Cultivation, was forced to emerge and personally make a trip to Wangyue City.

No one knew exactly what the two sides discussed. The only certainty was that even after the Mountain Lord returned, Lone Moon Mountain did not lift the ban on its disciples.

Meanwhile, within the Yang family, a major event took place over the following half-year.

Yang Linghu and Wu Tong were married.

On the day of the wedding, all the clans and families from the three towns gathered at Songshan. The grand occasion was bustling with unprecedented life and noise.

Wu Laosan and Elder Yu sat together on the red platform of honor. The mortal old man was so moved he wept uncontrollably. Ten years ago, this was a scene he would never have dared to dream of.

The marriage was actually brought forward due to Wu Tong's pregnancy. In ten months' time, the Yang family would welcome its first child born to parents who were both cultivators.

Generally speaking, children born of two cultivators possessed a far greater chance of having complete Qi Channels, and their natural talent and aptitude were often superior.

This was truly a double blessing. Even He Shenglai sent congratulatory gifts through Gao Hui.

Following their union, the couple settled in Sanglu Valley. The valley's climate was warm and moist, its spiritual energy stable-a perfect environment for nurturing a pregnancy.

"Young Master Shu, it is time."

Outside an isolated pavilion in Sanglu Valley, Lü Fangxuan bowed slightly, keeping his eyes lowered as he called out to the person inside.

"Mm, I know."

Yang Shu finished writing his final stroke and placed the brush back onto the desk.

As he stepped out of the room, Lü Fangxuan moved with practiced ease, draping an outer robe over his shoulders.

A cultivation companion was, in essence, much like a mortal scholar's study attendant.

Aside from his own cultivation, Lü Fangxuan's primary duties were to attend to Yang Shu's daily needs and handle various mundane chores for him.

Given his naturally proud and arrogant disposition, he had initially loathed the arrangement.

Especially upon first meeting Yang Shu-seeing his plump figure and seemingly dull expression-Lü Fangxuan had felt a deep sense of indignity and unfairness.

He kept his complaints to himself, but secretly resorted to a number of petty schemes.

Knowing his place within the Yang family, he dared not cross the line. His intention was simply to stage 'unintentional' accidents, hoping to make Yang Shu look foolish before the elders.

However, he gradually realized that not a single one of his supposedly clever traps ever worked.

At first, he assumed Elder Yu had noticed his tricks and felt a twinge of panic.

But when he finally understood that all his little schemes were being effortlessly dismantled by Yang Shu without a single word, a profound chill of fear washed over him.

Yang Shu never mentioned these incidents to anyone. He simply countered every move as it happened, as naturally as breathing or eating.

It was then that Lü Fangxuan finally understood: he and Yang Shu were not playing the same game at all.

He also realized that Yang Shu had been deliberately giving him a chance to back down.

Fortunately, he came to his senses before it was too late. Realizing his utter defeat, he went directly to Yang Shu, prostrating himself to confess his faults and beg for forgiveness.

Desperate to earn Yang Shu's trust, Lü Fangxuan even offered to swear a Blood Oath, but Yang Shu stopped him.

Yang Shu had simply told him, "Trust does not stem from oaths. I have no desire to use such methods to enforce superiority or coerce you. I am idle anyway. If you still wish, you may continue to scheme against me until the day you are truly convinced. There will be time enough for oaths then."

Hearing those words, Lü Fangxuan's mind trembled violently. Kneeling on the ground with cold sweat pouring down his back, he permanently severed any lingering thought of opposing Yang Shu.

Now, having served together for half a year, Lü Fangxuan increasingly felt the quiet depths of Yang Shu's capability. Subtly influenced by his companion's presence, his once-restless temperament had steadily cooled into calm focus.

Both boys possessed solid natural talent. Under Elder Yu's careful instruction, they had successfully condensed their Qi Mansions and reached the first layer of Qi Gathering.

However, due to the sheer difference in the quality of their cultivation techniques, Yang Shu had taken less than a month, while Lü Fangxuan had required four.

The two walked in tandem, one leading and one trailing behind, until they reached a secluded courtyard near the bottom of the valley.

Lü Fangxuan halted before the bluestone path leading to the courtyard. He carefully removed Yang Shu's outer robe, then turned and retreated around the corner to wait in silence.

Yang Shu stepped onto the green stone steps, approached the courtyard gate, and raised his hands in a formal greeting.

"Yang Shu pays respects to elder brother and sister-in-law."

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