Hu Li Reappears

After a series of tests, Zhou Ping finally confirmed that the pill he had refined was indeed the Jade Rock Green Origin Pill. Only then did he feel completely at ease.

"Chengyuan, take the remaining pills for your cultivation. Remember not to advance too rashly. You must establish a firm and stable foundation." Zhou Ping handed the small bottle to Zhou Chengyuan. Only four pills remained inside.

As for the other three, two had been used to turn Zhou Ba and Zhou Jiu into Green Jade Guards. The very first pill had been fed to a prisoner to test its medicinal efficacy; that man's head was later severed by Zhou Ping with a single stroke of wind astral energy.

He also discovered that consuming the pill did not instantly turn flesh and blood into jade. Rather, there was a slow, two-to-three-day transformation period. During this time, the mortal who took the pill would suffer the excruciating agony of metal and stone eroding their body.

If one soaked their body in Earthly Yin Cold Water during this period, the pain could be greatly alleviated.

Zhou Ping had investigated the matter thoroughly. It was the yin-cold energy within the Earthly Yin Cold Water that slowed the erosion caused by the metal and stone qi.

He then soaked some healing pills in the Earthly Yin Cold Spring, having the Green Jade Guards ingest them at regular intervals. This would allow the Green Jade Guards to live a few years longer, sparing them from constant suffering in their daily lives.

The Green Jade Guards were the clan's sworn death warriors. Naturally, Zhou Ping wanted them to live a bit better.

In the future, if the clan produced a true alchemist, they would certainly need to refine life-replenishing pills using the Earthly Yin Cold Water, or perhaps improve the recipe into something less harmful to mortals, ensuring they would not suffer such agony or die so young.

Among them, Zhou Jiu was dispatched by Zhou Ping to the county seat to protect Zhou Chang'an.

Although Zhou Chang'an was an official and cultivators dared not casually move against him, an extra layer of protection was always more secure. With a Green Jade Guard present, ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators were nothing to fear.

Zhou Ba, on the other hand, was sent to stay by Zhou Changhe's side. Changhe often conducted affairs at the foot of the mountain and, being a mortal himself, required a guardian.

As for the other juniors, they would not be leaving Baixi Mountain anytime soon. Thus, Zhou Ping had no plans to create new Green Jade Guards for the time being.

After all, even with the mitigation of the Earthly Yin Cold Water, the Green Jade Guards still could not live beyond ten years. Every death warrior was immensely precious; they could not be squandered so carelessly.

"Your grandson understands," Zhou Chengyuan smiled, accepting the small bottle.

Ever since cultivating the Jade Rock Spirit Origin Art, his aura had grown increasingly sharp. His figure was tall and straight, and the loose robes he wore only accentuated his fierce, imposing demeanor.

Zhou Ping was about to go refine pills, but he glanced up at the dim sky where thick clouds surged. Feeling the damp chill in the surrounding air, he knew the next few days would not be suitable for alchemy.

He abandoned the idea and walked toward the courtyard with a smile, wanting to visit his family.

Rumble!

Before long, thunder and fire rolled across the heavens. A torrential downpour cascaded wildly, washing over all living things on the earth. Birds and beasts retreated to their nests, while mortals hurried back to their homes.

Some cultivators soared into the sky, roaming amidst the rain and thunder, either refining the lightning fire or collecting rootless water vapor.

The Zhou clan possessed no such gathering methods, nor did they have the strength to attempt it.

Instead, Zhou Ping organized a proper family banquet. The main hall was packed to the brim, seating over thirty people.

The wives and concubines of each branch, along with their born children, gathered together. Zhou Changhe alone had six wives and concubines and had sired eight children, yet not a single one possessed cultivation aptitude.

Zhou Minghu also had four wives and concubines. Besides Madam Huang, Madam Wang, and Madam Niu, there was a Madam Li, a clanswoman of Li Mu. At the time, the Li clan had begged to marry their daughter away, hoping to live and multiply safely under the Zhou clan's protection.

Madam Huang looked around with sorrow, yet no matter how she searched among the servants, she could not find Qiu Ping's figure. Her heart grew a few degrees colder.

"Husband, why isn't Sister Qiu Ping here? I even saw Sister Chunlan," she asked softly.

"She is handling other matters in the rear courtyard and cannot step away," Zhou Minghu said indifferently.

Madam Huang wanted to inquire further, but Madam Wang and Madam Niu pulled her into their conversation, forcing her to abandon the thought.

Zhou Xuanya also had one wife and two concubines. His wife was Zhang Ting's granddaughter, while the two concubines had been forced upon him by Zhou Ping.

As for Zhou Bo, he was only about ten years old and not yet of marriageable age. He sat with his older nephews like Zhou Chengqian, chatting and laughing, alongside Zhou Zhuo from the third branch.

At the head of the hall sat Zhou Dashan and his wife. Although they were already past seventy, their bodies remained hale and hearty under Zhou Ping's careful nourishment.

This was also thanks to the establishment of the market, which allowed them to purchase pills of extraordinary quality to nurture their health.

To Zhou Ping, whether a pill was expensive or not mattered little; his parents' bodies were what mattered most.

He looked at his aging parents, his eyes filled with sorrow. If there were a way to let them live to a hundred, even at a tremendous cost, he would willingly pay it.

Zhou Hong had grown increasingly plump, his entire being resembling a kind and benevolent wealthy patriarch. "Don't just sit there. Hurry and greet your great-grandfather and great-grandmother."

At his words, the children, urged on by their respective mothers, gathered around Zhou Dashan and his wife. Their sweet calls made the old couple beam with joy.

Zhou Ping also teased Zhou Chengming for a while, taking the opportunity to nourish the bodies of a few other grandchildren with Spiritual Qi. No matter how the world changed, he hoped his family would live safely and enjoy their fortunes.

Even if this peace had to be built upon the backs of countless mortals, feeding one clan with the blood of thousands, he did not care.

Outside, the rain poured heavily; inside, the atmosphere was lively and festive. Even the servants and maids received rewards, bringing cheers and laughter to the slopes of Ming Peak.

The next day, the heavy rain gradually subsided.

Behind Baixi Mountain, the small lake that Zhou Changhe had once ordered dug as a relief project had swelled and expanded overnight, even submerging half of the original Baixi Village.

After remaining uninhabited for several years, many of these houses had fallen into ruin and collapsed, merging with the small lake to form a watery landscape.

Within the lake, fish and shrimp thrived, and flying birds soared above. Wild beasts emerged from the mountain forests to drink and hunt along the water's edge.

Ever since the people of Baixi Village were entirely relocated, this land had become the Zhou clan's secluded paradise. For now, their numbers were still too few to require developing it, so they simply allowed nature to reshape it.

At that moment, deep within the distant Darong Mountain, a blood-red fox the size of a small calf leaped agilely. It finally arrived at the cliff where Zhou Ping had once lived in seclusion, but when it looked toward the direction of Baixi Village, its eyes instantly flashed with confusion.

"Where did that human village go?"

This was the demon fox, Hu Li.

Five years ago, needing to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, it had returned to its clan for Secluded Cultivation. Now that it had finally succeeded, it thought of heading east to find that human from before, hoping to snatch some human delicacies to satisfy its cravings.

But where had such a large village gone?

As a powerful demon, it could naturally see the abandoned houses, and it also spotted many new courtyards resting on the waist of a smaller mountain in the distance.

Had they relocated up the mountain?

Hu Li felt puzzled, yet it dared not take a single step forward.

As a descendant of the Heavenly Fox Demon Clan, it naturally knew of the ancient pact between Darong Mountain and the Zhao Kingdom. If it were still merely a Qi Condensation demon, it might possess the nerve to step into Zhao territory. But now that it had reached Foundation Establishment, it was genuinely terrified that a high-level Zhao cultivator would descend and slaughter it.

After thinking it over, Hu Li summoned a small fox and dispatched it toward Baixi Mountain.

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