Chapter 194: Chapter 144: Lianxing’s Array Discussion

With the nourishment of nature’s spiritual energy, it wasn’t uncommon to see people in their seventies.

Suddenly, Lü Zhong stopped walking, a look of resignation on his face.

’Sigh... How can I run into something like this every time I go out for a stroll?’

He had been continuously using his Qi Observation Skill, so he could see two Tan Family cultivators conversing inside a tile-roofed house up ahead. They looked as if they were secretly plotting something.

He didn’t even need to get closer; he could just use Scene Regression to "eavesdrop."

"Seventh Brother, why is there so much less Spirit Rice this time? Did the main family requisition grain again?" a young man in Tan Family attire asked in a low voice after checking the Storage Bag in his hand.

"It’s all because of the new Guest Minister Steward. Until we get a measure of his temperament, who would dare to keep siphoning off grain? If he reports us to the main family, we’ll have to give it all back, and then some," the middle-aged man beside him sighed. He was also dressed in Tan Family attire but wore a Steward Hat.

The middle-aged man heaved three heavy sighs, worried that his son’s supply of Pills would be cut off.

The clan’s grand tournament was approaching. If he couldn’t raise his son’s cultivation, the boy would surely be defeated. That would affect their annual resource allocation from the family, which was why he was hesitating about whether to continue siphoning grain.

After a moment, he finally abandoned the idea.

Turning to the young man beside him, the middle-aged man warned, "To be on the safe side, you shouldn’t come by for a while, Nineteenth Brother. We can’t let that man Lü catch on to us."

"Alright, I understand." The young man handed over a small bag of Spirit Stones, cupped his hands in farewell, and departed.

Outside, Lü Zhong watched the two part ways but had no intention of chasing them down to catch them in the act.

’Corrupt parasites are everywhere. Besides, they aren’t stealing my property, so why should I meddle in other people’s business? Their family ties are a tangled web of uncles, nephews, and aunts. I’m just an outsider.’

As long as it didn’t affect his own quotas, Lü Zhong couldn’t be bothered to get involved.

’Oh, right. I wonder if I get a cut of that,’ he suddenly thought. He felt it was about time to give someone a little nudge. Skimming Spirit Rice was probably a common practice at the Liuyun Mountain Farm, and as a Steward, there was no reason he shouldn’t get a piece of the action.

’Of course, I can’t be the one to ask for it directly.’

’That would be beneath the dignity of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator. I’ll just leave the details to Li Hejun. She spends almost all her time thinking about this sort of thing, so I’m sure she’ll handle it perfectly.’

’That should add up to another few hundred Spirit Stones a year.’

At this thought, Lü Zhong’s mood brightened considerably.

...

Spring came and went, flowers bloomed and withered.

During this time, the main branch of the Tan Family was in turmoil. Thief Cultivators had infiltrated their grounds on several occasions, and external powers had tried to pressure the family into submission, all in an attempt to seize the "Fire-Bound Golden Flower." However, the Tan Family’s Ancestor easily resolved all these threats.

As a result, the entire Jingyang Region was thrown into unrest.

They were, after all, a Golden Core Clan. If another Golden Core Master were to emerge from their ranks, it would inevitably trigger a reshuffling of power and a redistribution of immense wealth—a process where violence was unavoidable. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Meanwhile, with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator stationed there, the Liuyun Mountain Farm remained an oasis of peace and tranquility.

A little slacking is nice, but slacking all the time is bliss.

Lü Zhong had been living quite comfortably lately. He didn’t have to worry about trivial matters, and he had even managed to acquire some suitable Cultivation Pills through the Tan Family.

His days consisted of meditating to refine his qi, practicing the Flying Star Inheritance Technique, and drawing Golden Light Talismans.

Nurturing his Spirit Ring and the Qingyang Mirror was also a mostly automatic process that required little effort on his part.

He also had to absorb the world’s Star Yang Qi at sunrise and sunset to strengthen his Gang Qi. This was a slow, grinding process that couldn’t be rushed.

After all, Star Yang Qi only manifested in nature during sunrise and sunset; there was no other way to gather it in large quantities.

This was both an advantage and a disadvantage of the Star Yang Gang.

The advantage was that he never had to worry about being unable to find the right qi, which meant his Gang Qi would eventually reach Great Success. The disadvantage was that, unlike other Refining Gang Skills, he couldn’t find a concentrated source of the corresponding qi to master it quickly.

However, that wasn’t a major concern, since Lü Zhong didn’t have to engage in combat for the time being.

When he was bored, he could also seek out Li Hejun, or the three women together, to amuse himself. This also allowed him to obtain a bit of Yin Yuan. While not as potent as the Yin Yuan from a Female Cultivator, it was still useful for soothing the fiery nature of his True Essence.

He had, in fact, considered finding a partner outside for dual cultivation.

But the thought of spending a fortune in Spirit Stones always pained him so much that he gave up on the idea every time.

「Now, the Lantern Festival was approaching.」

On a moonlit night, beneath a faintly glowing Flowing Cherry tree, Lü Zhong and Li Hejun sat facing each other.

The pair of sister attendants stood by their side, ready to pour tea and fetch water at a moment’s notice.

Li Hejun had secured many benefits for Lü Zhong over the past few years, and her tireless service certainly deserved a reward. A few days prior, he had bought her a bottle of Beauty Pills.

Seeing the writing on the pill bottle’s red label, the two sisters were so jealous their eyes could have spit fire.

They had long been suspicious of Li Hejun’s ageless appearance. Though she was nearly thirty, she still looked as young as a teenage girl. Her face showed no trace of time’s passage—no blemishes, no wrinkles. It was obvious she had been taking Anti-aging Pills for years.

Now, seeing for themselves that the Immortal Master was indeed gifting her such medicine, how could their envy not sour into bitter jealousy?

After all, every woman cherishes her beauty above all else.

Soon, however, the two of them sensibly suppressed these feelings.

They knew, after all, that their status was even lower than a concubine’s. How could they dare to harbor such presumptuous desires?