Chapter 151 - 141: The Arrival

Chapter 151: Chapter 141: The Arrival

With no Spirit Fruits or Spirit Vegetables at home, Li Changsheng simply stir-fried some ordinary produce. He also took out the few spirit snakes he had and made a dish of braised spirit snake.

Although the meal was humble, Tan Hu and Steward Ma showed no disdain. On the contrary, they praised it repeatedly.

The taste of the food wasn’t what mattered; it was the thought that counted.

Tan Hu, being from the Cyan Yang Sect, knew very well the temperament of the sect’s Spirit Plant Masters.

While they weren’t all impossibly arrogant, you couldn’t even dream of getting one to personally cook you a meal unless you were a Dao Foundation Realm Cultivator.

Although Steward Ma didn’t understand all the intricacies, he wanted to get on Li Changsheng’s good side, and the simplest way was with flattery. How their relationship would deepen from there depended on the sincerity of both parties.

The meal was a pleasant affair for host and guests alike.

Through their conversation, Li Changsheng learned a great deal of the latest news, listening with great interest.

For example, the Cyan Yang Sect had opened its doors to new disciples, attracting aspirants from the three kingdoms of Baiyue, Nanfeng, and Qingyuan.

The Mist Marsh had been battered by torrential rains for three months without a clear day, turning the kingdom of Nanfeng into a swampland where countless demons ran rampant in its rivers and tributaries.

The King of Qingyuan was on his deathbed, and his Princes and Princesses were using every means possible to connect with Cyan Yang Sect Members as they vied for the throne.

The kingdom of Baiyue was relatively quiet, but with its desolate lands and treacherous waters, brutal conflicts, both internal and external, were inevitable.

As they chatted, a sense of worry gradually grew in Li Changsheng’s heart.

’I wonder how my family is doing...’

Steward Ma, who had been watching him closely, noticed his expression. A thought flickered in his mind, and he smiled. "Junior Brother, why the long face?"

Tan Hu stopped talking and looked over, confused.

Li Changsheng hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Hearing you speak of Qingyuan, Senior Brother, has made me miss my parents."

Tan Hu asked in surprise, "Junior Brother, you’re from Qingyuan Country?"

Li Changsheng gave a slight nod.

A look of delight flashed in Steward Ma’s eyes. "Where is your home, Junior Brother?" he said hurriedly. "To be honest, I’m from Qingyuan Country as well."

Without hesitation, Li Changsheng replied, "My home is in Chi City. My family runs a place called Li’s Tavern."

"Chi City?"

Steward Ma frowned, searching his memory, but he couldn’t recall the name. He immediately understood that Chi City must be a small city, and Qingyuan Country was full of them.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, "Junior Brother, do you know the name of the largest city near Chi City?"

Li Changsheng thought for a moment. "The nearest major city to Chi City is called Weicheng." He paused, then smiled. "I went there once with my father as a child. I still remember how incredibly delicious the Silver-Scaled Carp from the Wei River near Weicheng were."

’Wei River, Weicheng...’

Steward Ma committed the names to memory and said with a broad smile, "Just wait a few days, Junior Brother. I’ll send a letter home. I guarantee I’ll have news from your family for you within a month."

"I thank you, Senior Brother."

Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng stood and bowed with his hands clasped.

He had once planned to return home only after his next cultivation breakthrough, but he had already been away for five years. Hearing news of Qingyuan Country today filled him with a sense of urgency.

Fortunately, he now had some standing and was considered a rare asset to the sect, so he reckoned no one would give him trouble for it.

Steward Ma gestured to help him up, feeling even more committed to the task.

While some Cultivators were emotionally detached, there was no shortage of those who cherished their families.

Li Changsheng was clearly one of the latter.

And people were generally happy to befriend and show goodwill to those who valued family.

While the three men sipped tea and chatted.

「Inside the Central Hall of Ring Mountain Spiritual Land.」

The seat of honor was empty.

In the first seat on the left, below the main one, sat a woman. She wore a green robe, her hair was streaked with white, and while her features were plain, she possessed a cold, aloof air. She toyed with two brilliant golden orbs, her expression indifferent.

This was Steward Feng—Feng Bai Mei—of the Mixed Peak Spirit Field Hall, and also the Daoist partner of Luan Jian, the vice-captain of the Demon Hunting Corps.

Below her sat a cheerful, smiling Jin Fang, and next to him, Ke Jing, who wore tight-fitting black clothes and had a troubled expression.

Across from the three of them.

In the highest seat on that side sat a middle-aged man with graying temples and long, upturned eyes. He wore a cloud-white robe inlaid with gold and toyed with a piece of emerald-green jade. His aura was gentle yet steady.

Below him sat a woman in a pink, lotus-embroidered robe. Her figure was graceful and captivating, but her face was hidden behind a thick veil, revealing only a pair of luminous, watery eyes.

After her were two Cultivators in plain black robes. They both had ordinary faces and unassuming auras, and they sat with their eyes closed as if feigning sleep.

Everyone in the hall sized each other up, but no one spoke.

Just then.

Everyone felt a pleasant breeze. In the next instant, an old man in a cyan Daoist Robe slowly materialized in the seat of honor.

Feng Bai Mei, Jin Fang, and the others all rose to their feet and said respectfully, "Disciple greets Elder Qing."

Hearing this, the people on the other side could no longer remain seated. They scrambled to their feet and bowed. "Disciple greets the Elder."

"Rise."

As the clear voice sounded, everyone felt an irresistible force lift them to their feet.

"Thank you, Elder."

Elder Qing’s gaze swept over the group, finally settling on the middle-aged man and the veiled woman. "What are your names?" he asked.

"Answering the Elder, this disciple is Yan Shaoyuan." "Answering the Elder, this disciple is Hao Yuegui."

"No need for such formalities."

Elder Qing waved his hand and said, "In a short while, you will go to Snake Island to meet Li Changsheng. He will arrange for you to plant the Spirit Fields."

’Li Changsheng?’

Confusion flickered in both of their eyes.

This was especially true for Yan Shaoyuan. When he heard that Li Changsheng would be assigning them to plant Spirit Medicine, a sense of disdain instantly welled up inside him.

He had specifically made inquiries and knew that Li Changsheng was nothing more than a Spirit Farmer who had gotten lucky and awakened a Spirit Plant Main Vein.