Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 35 - 34: Wouldn’t That Be Wonderful?

’Just as I expected, they’re here already...’

Ling Changqing glanced at Tang Qiu Yao. The stunningly beautiful woman wore a tranquil expression, showing no intention of speaking.

He sighed silently and asked in a gentle tone, "May I ask which branch your young lady belongs to?"

The Ling Family had several Direct Lineage branches, so there was certainly more than one pampered young lady. He wondered which clan elder backing this one had taken an interest in him.

The young lady’s name and even her Cultivation Level were secondary. If she were too lacking, her family surely wouldn’t have presented her.

The Maid curtsied slightly and said in a soft, delicate voice, "My lady’s great-grandfather is the Celestial Defect Grand Elder."

Ling Changqing shook his head lightly. "In that case, please return. I don’t wish for the Patriarch to misunderstand."

’If I actually meet this young lady, things will get complicated. It’s better to state my position clearly and not give them any opportunity to stir up trouble.’

"..."

The Maid’s expression was one of astonishment, but she didn’t dare say more. She curtsied once more before turning to leave.

Once she was at a distance, Tang Qiu Yao smiled faintly. "I hear that young lady, Ling Xueyu, is quite remarkable in both talent and looks. Aren’t you tempted to go see for yourself, little junior brother?"

"And what good would seeing her do?"

Ling Changqing shot her a look. "Within the clan, I listen only to you, Senior Sister, and the Patriarch. What others think has nothing to do with me."

The Patriarch Ling Qiyue’s branch was currently in power, and it was a situation unlikely to change for the next several hundred years.

From Ling Changqing’s perspective, choosing Ling Qiyue was obviously the optimal solution. No one else could be relied upon.

’Forget all that talk about finding a backer to cling to. What’s wrong with clinging to Senior Sister?’

’And as for the Patriarch Ling Qiyue’s thigh... if he could latch onto that one, Ling Changqing would never let go for the rest of his life.’

Tang Qiu Yao smiled, satisfied. "I’m very happy you think that way, little junior brother. I’m sure the Patriarch will be extremely pleased as well."

"Those old geezers have no real skills; they just know how to scheme and fight for power within the clan. The Patriarch has been putting up with them for a long time!"

If not for their past contributions, their considerable power, and their remaining usefulness to the family, Ling Qiyue would have conducted a major purge long ago.

Someone who could seize power by force and compel the previous Patriarch to step down in disgrace was no harmless, naive fool.

"When can we leave?"

Ling Changqing asked. He had already made his appearance, and he didn’t care about the rest of the schedule. The sensible thing to do was get back to his Cultivation as soon as possible.

Tang Qiu Yao explained, "The gathering lasts for three days. Next is an internal trade fair for Cultivation Resources, where family disciples can exchange what they have for what they need."

"After that, there will be sparring matches, an auction, and a banquet specifically arranged for matchmaking among the family disciples."

Ling Changqing thought for a moment. ’The trade fair might be worth a look. Maybe there’s a chance to find a hidden gem?’ He wasn’t interested in the other events.

Meanwhile, the Maid returned to a corner of the courtyard and softly explained what had happened to a petite, delicate young girl in a cyan dress.

"Just as I thought... That brat Ling Qiyue has gone too far!"

The beautiful woman in red, Ling Yuzhu, said through clenched teeth, her face like ice. "Ling Changqing didn’t dare to accept. It must be the result of them colluding to pressure him. This is utterly outrageous!"

Ling Rensong sighed. "Stop. She is the Patriarch, after all. And she was the one who discovered Ling Changqing. For us to just go and try to poach him... we’re not exactly in the right."

Although they had their complaints about the Female Patriarch, Ling Qiyue, the Ling Family truly couldn’t do without her now. The Elders weren’t so senile as to disregard the family’s overall interests.

Ling Yuzhu was clearly unwilling to give up. "Then what should we do? Besides Ling Changqing, it won’t be easy to find another suitable match for Yu’er within the family on such short notice."

Ling Tianque’s expression was indifferent. "There’s no rush. If it didn’t work this time, then wait for an opportunity when Tang Qiu Yao isn’t with him. You can go and speak to him personally then."

"Yes, let’s do that."

Ling Yuzhu nodded in agreement.

...

For the remainder of the gathering, Ling Changqing maintained the attitude of a bystander. He helped himself to the free Spirit Wine, Spirit Tea, and various snacks provided by the family, eating his fill and paying no mind to anything else.

During this time, it wasn’t as if no one tried to strike up a conversation with Ling Changqing or invite him to discuss the Dao over tea.

However, with Tang Qiu Yao by his side, they all returned disappointed, without exception. Not that Ling Changqing had any desire to interact with them in the first place.

Forget all that talk about "making connections" or "more friends mean more paths." For a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator, the top priority was to race against time and spare no effort to raise their Cultivation. Everything else had to be pushed aside.

As long as Ling Changqing’s Cultivation Level continued to rise, and especially if he reached the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future, there would be no shortage of people flocking to curry favor with him.

The first day of the family gathering passed quietly like this, and Ling Changqing hadn’t gotten to know a single other Ling Family disciple.

The next morning was the family’s internal trade fair. Hundreds of small stalls appeared in the courtyard, offering everything imaginable: Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Herbs, Elixirs and Magical Artifacts, Talismans and Puppets, Spirit Wine and culinary ingredients.

With Tang Qiu Yao’s experience, she naturally had no interest in a trade fair of this level. So, Ling Changqing went down to browse on his own.

Because Cultivation demanded a huge amount of resources, and the support from their parents and the family was limited, most Ling Family disciples would learn some kind of Supporting Art Skill to earn resources.

Among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, Pills, Talismans, Artifacts, and Arrays were the top choices. Other common paths for lower-level Cultivators included raising Spirit Companions, Refining Daoist Soldier Puppets, cultivating Spirit Rice and Spirit Tea, or processing certain rare Spirit Ores.

However, Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators had a limited Lifespan. After the age of sixty, their vitality and lifeblood would begin to decline, making it even more difficult to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Therefore, spending too much time and energy on these Supporting Art Skills was not necessarily a good thing for a Cultivator.

In particular, achieving proficiency in any one Art Skill required a significant initial investment of resources and time, something an ordinary Cultivator simply couldn’t afford.

Of course, if one was truly talented and successfully mastered a skill, earning Spirit Stones and resources would become quite easy.

’...I’m not short on Spirit Stones right now, and I have plenty of time. Should I consider learning something?’

Weaving past a few pairs of Cultivators haggling over prices, Ling Changqing wandered aimlessly through the crowd as the thought naturally surfaced in his mind.

But to learn these skills, you needed a master who was sufficiently skilled and willing to guide you. It wasn’t something you could figure out on your own.

"...Hey, young man, want to come take a look at some Talismans? The quality won’t disappoint you."

A bright, youthful voice sounded in Ling Changqing’s ear.

He turned his head to look. At a stall a few steps away, a tall, curvaceous Female Cultivator in a pink dress was calling out to him with a beaming smile.

Her stall was primarily filled with various Rank One Middle and Lower Grade Talismans. Beside them were a dozen or so exquisite wine jugs, which seemed to contain Spirit Wine.

Ling Changqing walked over without a word, picked up an Armor Horse Talisman, and examined it for a few moments before nodding slightly.

The Talisman’s price was very fair, slightly lower than the market rate, and its quality was above average.

"Young man, you often go out to sea. Why not take a look at these? They’ll be very useful for you!"

The Female Cultivator handed over a stack of Talismans shimmering with Spiritual Light. The stack included Water Escape Talismans, Profound Ice Shield Talismans, and Water Repelling Talismans, all of them high-quality.

"You know me?"

Ling Changqing looked at her in surprise. The Female Cultivator had fair skin and picturesque features, as radiant as a peach blossom. Her large, dark eyes gazed at him with a smile. Her own cultivation was at the Peak of Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

Her magnificent pink dress faintly glowed with Spiritual Light, emitting a subtle fluctuation of Magical Power. It was clearly a Magical Artifact of no small rank.

Furthermore, she was accompanied by two exceptionally beautiful maids, both at the Qi Cultivation 1st Layer. A still-graceful older woman at the Qi Cultivation 4th Layer stood by her side, and several guards were stationed not far away.

With such an entourage, one could imagine her status was no lower than that of Ling Xueyu.

"Young man, you’re the rising star among the family’s Direct Lineage disciples. Who wouldn’t know you?"

The beautiful woman was all smiles. "My name is Ling Bingyun, and my ancestor is Elder Tianhe. I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting you to be a guest at my grotto-abode?"

Ling Tianhe, another Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Ling Family.

Ling Changqing sighed. ’Ling Xueyu failed to get what she wanted, and now this Ling Bingyun has shown up. Am I really that popular?’

"These Talismans, I’ll take them all!"

Ling Changqing said, picking out over thirty Talismans of types he could use, then took out Spirit Stones to pay.

"Young master, these Talismans are all my lady’s finest work,"

the woman beside Ling Bingyun said with a broad smile. "In the future, if you need any Talismans, you can always come to our young lady to buy them. Discounts and special offers can all be discussed!"

"And this Spirit Wine, our young lady brewed it herself. It tastes quite good."

Ling Changqing smiled. "Miss Bingyun is truly multi-talented. In that case, I’ll buy some to try."

With that, he picked out four jugs of Spirit Wine from the stall. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Young man, you enjoy wine. I actually have even better wine in my grotto-abode. Care to come and have a taste?"

Ling Bingyun tilted her head slightly, her shimmering eyes fixed on the handsome, purple-robed young man before her. From every angle, his qualifications were impeccable.

In particular, he possessed a certain indescribable aura that naturally drew people to him, making them want to get closer.

Ling Bingyun didn’t know this was the subtle influence of his Destiny, but she was indeed quite taken with this young man.

"If I went, I probably wouldn’t be coming out in one piece, would I?"

Ling Changqing chuckled. "And right now, I’m sure there are countless family disciples red-eyed with jealousy. Do you really want to roast me over a fire like this, milady?"

Ling Bingyun’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. "To not be envied is to be mediocre. With your temperament, young man, how could you possibly care about such a trivial matter?"

"Come with me, won’t you? This big sister feels a real connection with you. We could discuss the Dao over wine in the future. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?"

Ling Changqing: "..."