In front of the manor gates, Shen Yuan stood on the stone steps with his hands behind his back, gazing thoughtfully at the massive Human Bear Demon Beast corpse before him, lost in thought.

Shen Wenxing arrived, waved the villagers away, and approached his father.

"Did you kill it?"

Shen Wenxing nodded: "It's roughly equivalent to the Qi Cultivation second or third layer."

"I suspect there might be more than just this one Demon Beast in the mountains."

Shen Yuan descended the stone steps, took the spear from his hand, and poked open the bloody belly of the Human Bear, rummaging inside.

"The Alchemy Master's Manual records that when a Mortal Beast becomes a Demon, it forms a Primordial Pill in its abdomen."

"This Demon Essence Pill can be used as a material for Alchemy."

As he spoke, a quail egg-sized earth-yellow crystal rolled out from the belly of the Human Bear Demon Beast.

Seeing this, Shen Wenxing hurriedly picked it up and wiped it clean on the snow pile beside him.

"Father, this thing..."

"Looks a lot like the one from the Iron-spine Demon Wolf back then, right."

Shen Yuan said with a smile.

Years ago, after returning from the Dragon Tamer's ruins, he was tailed by the Iron-spine Demon Wolf. Together with his son, they eventually slew the Iron-spine Demon Wolf and found a Demon Essence Pill in its abdomen.

Back then, they did not know what it was, and in the end, not only the blood and flesh of the Iron-spine Demon Wolf but even the Demon Essence Pill was eaten by Xiao Hei.

After consulting the Alchemy Master's Manual, they learned that it was a Demon Essence Pill, but Shen Yuan did not regret it.

Because over the years, the "Little White Rat" of the five black kinds has grown, magnificent, and become the best companion for Shen Chongming's three little ones.

"Immortal Wei said that the blood and flesh of the Demon Beast and the Demon Essence Pill aid in Body Cultivators' training."

Looking at the corpse of the Human Bear Demon Beast in front of him, Shen Wenxing spoke.

"I plan to give it a try."

Hearing this, Shen Yuan frowned, suddenly feeling that using the Iron-spine Demon Wolf's flesh and blood to feed the dog before was really a bit wasteful.

"By the way, Father, take a look at this."

Shen Wenxing was about to find someone to dismember and preserve the Human Bear corpse when he felt something pressing against his chest and remembered another matter, immediately taking out the cyan-gray ore and handing it over.

Shen Yuan examined the ore, looked it over, and squeezed it hard twice, discovering it to be extremely hard, unlike common stones.

"I suspect this is a Spirit Ore that can be refined into an Immortal Magical Artifact."

He vividly described the scene within the cave.

Shen Yuan nodded, speculating that the reason the Human Bear could cultivate into a Demon Beast first likely had a lot to do with this cave.

"Father, when spring arrives, should we send someone to covertly mine some first?"

"There also seem to be Spirit Crystals in that cave."

"The mined ore might not be needed now, but we can store it for future exchange for Spirit Crystals."

Shen Yuan examined the cyan-gray stone in his hand without speaking.

In the mundane world, an ore vein represents enormous wealth, and the same should be true in the Cultivator's world.

The rarity of this vein is still unknown; if it is too precious, with the current strength of the Shen Family, mining it rashly would only bring disaster.

After some thought, he tossed the cyan-gray ore back to Shen Wenxing and said:

"You go to Yunzhong County City now and show this ore to Immortal Wei."

"If possible, we can mine this vein together with Luoxia Mountain."

"If not, then offer the vein to Luoxia Mountain in exchange for some tangible benefits."

A few days ago, suspecting that the one who exterminated the Xu Family was a disciple from Qiyun Valley's Cliff Mountain Courtyard, he had already realized there were significant issues within Qiyun Valley.

One should not put all their eggs in one basket; taking advantage of the pivotal moment when Luoxia Mountain is interested in forming a good relationship with the Shen Family, they could respond in kind.

If Qiyun Valley proves unreliable in the future, the Shen Family would not risk losing all their support.

Moreover, mining out these ores, when left in their hands, are just useless stones.

By the time they become truly useful, who knows how long it will take.

Better to exchange them now for some tangible benefits and first enhance the family's strength.

Though Shen Wenxing was a bit hesitant, he did not ask further, and pocketed the ore before leaving.

...

"This is a Cyan Spirit Stone, a relatively decent item among lower-grade refining materials."

"Mixing a small amount during Artifact Refining can increase the hardness of the Magical Artifact."

In Yunzhong County City, within a refined pavilion, Wei Qiuling glanced at the ore and smiled as she spoke.

As expected, it was material for refining Immortal Magical Artifacts! Shen Wenxing thought to himself while recalling his father's instructions, and immediately detailed everything about the Cyan Spirit Stone vein.

"Immortal Wei, I seem to have seen something like Spirit Crystal in that cave."

Wei Qiuling nodded: "It should be Spirit Crystal Fragments."

"In the Cultivation Realm, there are many ways to obtain Spirit Crystals."

"The most common is through dedicated Spirit Crystal Veins, where most of the mined crystals are complete Spirit Crystals."

"Besides that, some Spirit Crystals are found accompanying Spirit Ore, though these aren't very pure and often produce Spirit Crystal Fragments."

"The Spirit Crystals you saw should be Spirit Crystal Fragments accompanying the Cyan Spirit Stone, so their quantity won't be much."

Shen Wenxing was enlightened.

Even Spirit Crystal Fragments aren't bad, as the Shen Family lacks everything right now.

However, since this matter has been disclosed to Luoxia Mountain, it's best to see how they propose to handle it.

"How does Immortal Wei plan to deal with this Cyan Spirit Stone vein?"

Wei Qiuling slowly lifted the teacup before her, not rushing to respond.

She could surmise that the Shen Family's action was likely intended as a goodwill gesture toward Luoxia Mountain, yet determining the interests tied to this Cyan Spirit Stone vein was troubling.

Given the high value of the Cyan Spirit Stone vein, if too little is offered, the Shen Family might feel resentful once they learn of its true worth in the future.

If too much, it could hinder long-term planning.

After all, right now, merely some minor favors could elicit immense gratitude from the Shen Family.

"Here's the plan; after Brother Shen returns, have someone begin mining. Luoxia Mountain will help sell the mined stones in the Cultivation Realm and talk profit-sharing after making a profit."

"As for Spirit Crystal Fragments obtained during mining, how about letting the Shen Family keep them all?"

Shen Wenxing frowned slightly upon hearing this.

He didn't quite understand what Wei Qiuling meant.

Could it be that Cyan Spirit Stones don't sell well in the Cultivation Realm, or is there another reason?

However, remembering that Luoxia Mountain was usually generous, Shen Wenxing felt that Wei Qiuling must have other considerations this time and didn't ask further.

"Mining a Cyan Spirit Stone Vein requires a large amount of manpower."

"Qiuling will notify the He Family shortly, and the entire Yunshui Town will be handed over to the Shen Family to manage."

"Additionally..."

Wei Qiuling paused slightly, looked at Shen Wenxing, and said, "The Yangnao Land has already recovered, so the Spirit Field Blessed Land should be planted with Spirit Seeds."

"Junior Sister Yu Jin has returned to Luoxia Mountain to transport Spirit Seeds. After a while, Qiuling will have someone send some Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine seeds to the Shen Family."

Perhaps feeling that her earlier ambiguous words were not very meaningful, Wei Qiuling decided to give the entire Yunshui Town to the Shen Family, and also planned to give them some Spirit Seeds at that time.

Compared to other things, these tangible benefits were what the Shen Family most hoped to see.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Shen Wenxing's face lit up with joy, and he repeatedly cupped his hands in thanks.

After returning home from Yunzhong County City, the hunting competition had already ended.

Although Zhao Jinhua and Liu Fang had little to show for due to encountering the Human Bear Demon Beast, they unexpectedly gained an "Immortal Fate."

Shen Yuan explained that in the future, as long as someone discovers a Demon Beast in the mountains, they will have an opportunity to gain Immortal Fate. If they are fortunate enough to slay the Demon Beast, they may also receive other rewards in addition to Immortal Fate.

Besides Liu Fang and Zhao Jinhua, four other participants in the hunting competition received Immortal Fate rewards.

These four people were disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, and Huang Qingzhou had deemed them to have good talent.

After Shen Yuan had them swear a "True Spirit Oath," he passed down the Five Elements Breathing Technique and only planned to teach them a complete Cultivation Technique once stability was ensured in the future.

In the Black Water Pavilion, Shen Wenxing relayed word-for-word what Wei Qiuling had said.

"Ah Die, Fairy Wei seems to have a peculiar attitude."

Shen Yuan remained silent, pacing with his hands behind his back in thought.

After a long while, a sneer emerged.

"That Fairy Wei is indeed much smarter than Li Heshan."

"Alright, let's handle things this way for now."

"In a few days, it will be the annual festival. After the festival, take some gifts and visit the He Family."

"And make sure to properly pass on the responsibilities for Yunshui Town."

Shen Wenxing nodded.

As the annual festival approached, the rare early spring sun warmed the body pleasantly.

Shen Yuan gave himself two days off, refraining from cultivating in the Black Water Pavilion. Instead, he sat with his hands tucked inside his sleeves on the doorstep, watching the three little ones, Shen Chongming, and a glossy black dog play in the yard.

Over the years, the big black dog had become increasingly intelligent.

At this moment, it was actually playing a game of "Eagle Catches Chicks" with the three little ones.

Shen Yuan watched them quietly, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face.

"Hey, dear."

Hu Yufen walked over from the backyard, her face filled with barely contained joy.

Shen Yuan glanced up at her, then continued watching the three little ones in the yard. "What's up?"

Hu Yufen approached him and said, "Good news!"

"Oh?"

Shen Yuan turned his head, "What's the good news?"

Hu Yufen leaned in and whispered, "Our eldest and second sons' wives are both expecting!"

As she said this, she nudged Shen Yuan and laughed, "Isn't it a coincidence?"

"By my calculations, the second son's baby should arrive about a month earlier than the eldest's."

Shen Yuan's face was filled with a smile as he looked up at the sun and murmured, "Wonderful..."

Since he had asked his wife a year ago to encourage their daughters-in-law to have another child, and now they finally were.

In less than ten months, the Shen Family would have new members.

"Is Wenping supposed to be back today?"

Suppressing his joy, Shen Yuan asked.

Hu Yufen nodded, "I had Shi Tou tell her the day before yesterday—in time for the annual festival, so she should close her shop early today."

"She should be back by now."

"Hey, dear." Hu Yufen suddenly said seriously, "What do you think of that boy He Zishi?"

He Zishi?

Shen Yuan frowned in thought, vaguely recalling that the young man had been helping at their town's shop for two years, rarely seen, and not very well-known to him.

"Why are you asking about him?"

Noticing his wife's question, Shen Yuan felt a hint of unease.

Hu Yufen gave him a look, "Naturally, it's about Wenping."

"You only care about cultivating all day and pay no attention to the children's affairs."

"After the annual festival, both Wenping and Wen'an will be sixteen."

Sixteen…

Shen Yuan seemed dazed, then frowned and said, "Are you thinking of having Wenping marry He Zishi?"

"What's wrong?" Seeing his reluctance, Hu Yufen said, "I think He Zishi is a good boy, especially attentive to Wenping."

Shen Yuan nodded.

He also found He Zishi quite nice, but as a father, the thought of his daughter, whom he'd raised for over a decade, getting married—even to someone good—was something he couldn't bear or trust.

Hu Yufen seemed to read his mind, teasing him, "If you're reluctant to part with your daughter, let them live at Black Water Pool when the time comes."

"Besides, He Zishi probably won't return to the He Family."

Shen Yuan's eyes lit up at her words.

That seemed like a good idea.

Just after the annual festival, the eldest son was expected to visit the He Family, and he could bring up the matter with He Yan.

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