txolops Chapter 157 Bad News Arrives
Chapter 157 Bad News Arrives
After the foundation-building ceremony concluded.
Bai Lin suggested staying at Gaojishan until after the New Year before returning to Xiantaoshan, and Li Ping agreed.
He then left Yan Hengchuan with the cultivation resources he needed for several years and ordered Ji Shuxuan to return to the Immortal City alone.
As for himself, he was in no hurry to return.
Instead, at Cheng Yao's strong invitation, he visited the Wang family in Yanxia Mountain with Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, and others.
Inside the rapidly moving floating shuttle.
The five siblings of the Tongzhou Society, along with Wang Xingwei, made up a total of six Foundation Establishment cultivators who sat cross-legged and chatted idly, sharing common interests.
Zhang Tie is in charge of logistics in the Immortal City, while Gu Musheng is the manager of the Wanfa Tower, responsible for the trade of the largest shop in the Immortal City.
As the leaders of their respective Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans, Bai Qing and Wang Xingwei were responsible for selling the unique resources produced in their family's spiritual lands in the Immortal City in exchange for other cultivation resources.
With Zhang Tie and Gu Musheng looking after them, they could undoubtedly save a lot of trouble during the transaction.
Zhang and Gu, while fulfilling their duties, also gained certain benefits from the process.
Why not?
After exchanging ideas on the Floating Shadow Shuttle for half a day, the five quickly formed an alliance under Li Ping's witness.
Li Ping smiled but remained silent.
He originally thought that Tongzhou would gradually fade away and be forgotten by everyone after everyone had successfully established their foundations and lost their specific responsibilities.
But I didn't expect that.
No further discussion is needed.
Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao, and Bai Qing automatically formed a community of interests centered around the Tongzhou Society, in order to seize more benefits for themselves.
The four of them met when they were all humble beginnings and developed a deep friendship.
For more than 30 years, they have met every year, where they open their hearts to each other and trust and understand one another very much.
Therefore, the current cooperation can be said to be a natural outcome.
……
"Is this Yanxia Mountain?" Li Ping stood on the flying boat and looked down.
Yanxia Mountain is a mountain range that stretches for thousands of miles. Its main peak is thousands of feet high and its summit is shrouded in mist and miasma all year round, which is the origin of its name.
Over the past few years, hundreds of cultivators from the Wang family, as well as tens of thousands of mortals, have moved here from the Immortal City.
As for the ancestral land within the Wang Family Immortal City, it was renovated and used for rental purposes.
Originally, Cheng Yao planned to sell the Wang family's ancestral land directly, but she was forced to give up this idea by the old cultivator of the Wang family threatening to kill himself.
"Big brother, let's go down!"
Li Ping smiled and nodded: "Okay."
……
After staying in Yanxia Mountain for several days, Li Ping returned to Xiancheng with Zhang Tie and Gu Musheng.
As for Bai Qing, he returned to Gaojishan on his own.
On the way back, Zhang Tie expressed his envy of the spiritual land occupied by the Bai and Wang families.
Although his cave dwelling on Qinglong Mountain was of superior quality (second tier), its area was far smaller than that of Gaoji Mountain or Yanxia Mountain, and it was impossible for the Bai family or the Wang family to cultivate large quantities of spiritual herbs or mine spiritual minerals.
To have a sacred mountain to run one's own business—how carefree that must be!
After Zhang Tie said that, Li Ping and Gu Musheng showed expressions of agreement.
Even Li Ping couldn't help but consider whether he should also leave the city and occupy a spiritual vein for cultivation, instead of continuing to rent a place on Immortal Peach Mountain.
However, he quickly banished the thought from his mind.
Occupying a sacred mountain and having one's ancestors multiply their families, how can one find the carefree life of attaining immortality?
He possesses advanced skills and has no shortage of cultivation resources, so there's no need for him to occupy a sacred mountain for business. On the contrary, living in a sacred city, close to the market, would be more beneficial to his cultivation.
But Gu Musheng thought differently. He suggested, "Second brother, let's join forces to leave the city and seize a sacred mountain for our descendants to live and multiply."
Zhang Tie nodded in agreement: "Okay."
Although the two made a plan, they had no intention of taking immediate action.
They are disciples of the Immortals, destined to serve the Immortal City for their entire lives; they have no time to occupy and manage immortal mountains outside the city.
We can only take this step when there are more cultivators in the family.
Of course, by then, their ideas might change again.
After all, farming and mining are tough jobs.
Their descendants, relying on the relationship between the two ancestors, run businesses in the city or directly enter the Immortal City system to take up positions and secure a stable job. Isn't that easier than going out to explore outside the Immortal City?
Just like the Wang family cultivators before, if Cheng Yao hadn't forced them, they probably wouldn't have wanted to leave the city at all.
……
Upon returning to Xiantao Mountain, Li Ping secluded himself for intensive cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, another year has passed.
That year, Li Ping was sixty years old, reaching the age of sixty.
At his age, an ordinary person would already have gray hair, but for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, sixty years old is only a quarter of Li Ping's long lifespan.
He is still very young.
At the end of that year, three cultivators, weary from their journey, arrived in the Immortal City to visit Li Ping.
"Uncle Li," the three called out in unison, their voices filled with sorrow.
Li Ping glanced over and recognized the three as three outstanding cultivators from the Ji family: Ji Shuwen, Ji Shuxuan, and Ji Shuchen.
They brought bad news on their trip.
Not long ago, Master Ji passed away peacefully at Xiaomei Mountain.
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Not long ago, Master Ji passed away peacefully at Xiaomei Mountain.
Upon hearing of Master Ji's passing, Li Ping was deeply saddened.
Master Ji was his guide on the path to immortality. The two were both teacher and friend, and their relationship lasted for nearly fifty years.
Although Li Ping had anticipated his passing, he still couldn't help but sigh at this moment.
He had no doubts about the cause of Ji Daozhang's death.
After all, Master Ji was nearly 120 years old when he passed away, which is considered to be the lifespan limit for Qi Refining cultivators.
Moreover, when he visited Li Ping several years ago, he already had the intention of entrusting his affairs after his death. At that time, he probably knew that he was about to pass away.
As Li Ping lamented, Ji Shuwen began to recount the circumstances of Master Ji's passing, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke: "Grandpa laughed three times and suddenly passed away after learning that I had successfully established my foundation."
Ji Shuwen, who appeared before Li Ping, exuded the pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage, clearly indicating that she was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Li Ping sighed: "Brother Ji, being able to see you successfully establish your foundation, I can say that I have no regrets in this life."
Upon hearing this, Ji Shuwen burst into tears.
As a rogue cultivator with five spiritual roots, Master Ji must have been very proud to have nurtured a Foundation Establishment cultivator for his family.
Li Ping silently guessed that perhaps it was because he wanted to hear the news that Ji Shuwen had successfully established her foundation that he was able to hold on until now.
"Where is Brother Ji buried?" Li Ping asked again after a moment of silence.
Seeing that Ji Shuwen was heartbroken and speechless, Ji Shuchen quickly replied, "According to Grandpa's will, his funeral should be simple, and his ashes should be scattered at Xiaomeishan."
He added, "Grandpa said he hoped to continue protecting the Ji family even after he died."
Ji Shuchen had been cultivating in Xiaomei Mountain. However, when Li Ping was exploring the underground spiritual veins of Xiaomei Mountain, he killed a demon snake and refined its gall into a pill, which he then gave to Daoist Ji.
The snake scales were also left to the Ji family.
With these resources, plus a Qi Condensation Pill that Li Ping had asked Master Ji to bring back several years ago, he successfully broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining and became a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
In addition, Ji Shuxuan is also a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
Unbeknownst to them, the Ji family had grown up.
……
evening.
Li Ping kept Ji Shuchen by his side.
More than a decade ago, when Li Ping met him in Xiaomeishan, he was still a mischievous boy who liked to raid bird nests.
But now, he is over thirty and has become a calm and composed man.
Before his death, Master Ji passed on the position of clan leader to him.
He was also told about the underground events at Xiaomeishan separately.
Thinking of his agreement with Master Ji, Li Ping took out the contract for the Xiaomeishan spiritual land from his storage bag, spread it on the table, and pushed it in front of Ji Shuchen.
He explained, "Shuchen, I made an agreement with your grandfather that if your Ji family produces several late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the future, or if Shuwen successfully establishes her foundation, the Xiaomei Mountain spiritual land will be transferred to your family. Now is the time."
"This..." Ji Shuchen was somewhat surprised.
He didn't put away the contract, but instead said hesitantly, "Uncle Li, Grandpa didn't tell me about this agreement, and there's a third-tier spiritual vein beneath Little Plum Mountain..."
Hearing his words, Li Ping couldn't help but sigh.
He knew that Master Ji was a kind person, and perhaps worried that he would be in a difficult position, so Master Ji did not tell Ji Shuchen about his promise.
After all, Li Ping might not take Xiaomei Mountain, a first-tier spiritual land, seriously.
But beneath Little Plum Mountain lies a third-tier spiritual land, a place sufficient for a Core Formation Immortal Clan to thrive and multiply.
Are you willing to give this to the Ji family like this, Brother Li?
Therefore, he simply handed the choice over to Li Ping.
If Li Ping is willing to give the sacred land to the Ji family, then there is no need for him to say anything more.
If Li Ping changes his mind, then let's pretend this never happened.
Coming to his senses, Li Ping shook his head: "Perhaps your grandfather forgot to mention this. You can keep the contract for now."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Also, remember to keep the matter of the underground spiritual vein a secret. Never touch it. If you're not strong enough, you can't possibly protect a third-tier spiritual vein; it could bring utter destruction to your family!"
"I understand, Uncle Li." Upon hearing this, Ji Shuchen's expression turned serious, and he quickly nodded in agreement, putting away the spiritual land contract on the table.
Clearly, he knew the importance of the matter.
He also firmly remembered his grandfather's instructions before his death: no one was allowed to tell anyone about the underground spiritual vein except Uncle Li.
After handing over the matter of the sacred land, Li Ping inquired about his third senior brother and the Yan family.
From Ji Shuchen, he learned that although his third senior brother was old, he was still full of energy.
Upon hearing this, Li Ping nodded. Calculating the time, his third senior brother was already over seventy years old. However, he had secretly used the power of the Nourishing Life Technique to regulate his third senior brother's essence.
So his health is still very good, and he can live for another 10 or 20 years without any problem.
Next, Ji Shuchen brought up the matter of marriage between the Ji and Yan families.
Over the years, the children born to these couples have gradually reached the age where they need to have their spiritual roots tested.
As a result, the Yan family produced two children with spiritual roots, both possessing five spiritual roots. However, once they grew up, the Yan family could barely be considered a family of cultivators.