When the two brothers returned home, the sky had completely darkened.

Shen Wenxing approached Shen Yuan and cupped his hands: "Father, I've asked around about that mysterious beast."

Shen Yuan sat up straight in the recliner and said, "Tell me."

After the White Jade Turtle Shell displayed strange phenomena, he had asked Shen Wenxing to inquire about his second son, Shen Wenyan.

Upon learning that he had gone to Danzhou, although he said, "Let's pretend we don't have this son," he still couldn't let go, as he was his own child.

During this period, he had flipped through many books copied by Pei Zhao but found no clues.

Today, upon hearing that Shen Wenxing was going to Anyang City and meeting with several Immortal Sect leaders, he hurriedly sketched the appearance of the mysterious beast to see if the sect's disciples had any leads.

"This beast is called Bai Ze..."

Shen Wenxing narrated all the legends related to Bai Ze.

Shen Yuan listened and seemed lost in thought.

About Bai Ze, he seemed to have heard some legends in his past life as well.

This beast was indeed called an Auspicious Beast and was also regarded as a symbol of wisdom.

"Since it's an Auspicious Beast, does it mean that brat is still alive..."

Shen Yuan muttered to himself gravely.

He wasn't really concerned about Shen Wenyan's life or death.

Although the White Jade Turtle Shell wasn't completely under his control, it was still bound to the entire Shen Family.

As a direct lineage member of the family, if Shen Wenyan were dead, the White Jade Turtle Shell should have shown some signs.

During this period, the White Jade Turtle Shell showed no anomalies or warnings, suggesting that the unfilial son was at least still alive.

"Ah Nu is blessed and should be fine, Father, don't worry."

Shen Wenxing could only console from the side.

"Hmph!"

Shen Yuan snorted coldly and said, "If I'm still alive to see him return, I won't stop at breaking his leg!"

"Go eat."

Waving his hand, he lay back down on the recliner, unable to suppress the image of that mischievous figure who loved catching fish in the pond and urinating on ant nests.

No matter how harsh the words spoken, there were countless threads of concern in his heart...

Danzhou, a mountain village.

In a serene courtyard, the white-haired Old Man Bai sat quietly on a bench, gazing at the brilliant starlit sky.

Shen Wenyan and Hu Mei'Er sat beside him.

"Cough, cough..." Even though Old Man Bai's eyes remained bright, the aura of decay on him was more intense than before.

He was injured.

Very severely injured.

On the night he first met Shen Wenyan, while cultivating in the courtyard, he suddenly felt an inexplicable force trying to spy on him.

Old Man Bai instinctively rose to resist.

But the power was too strong; just a wisp of its aura made him, a master at the Golden Core Perfection Realm, feel worlds apart.

Fortunately, the force was fleeting and carried no malice.

Yet, it still caused a heavy re-injury to his already failing body.

Moreover, Old Man Bai vaguely felt that something inside him had been extracted by that force.

"Brother Shen..."

As his wandering thoughts returned from the vast starry sky, Old Man Bai turned to Shen Wenyan and said, "You've probably realized by now that my granddaughter and I aren't human, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Mei'Er next to him widened her eyes in shock and exclaimed, "Grandmaster Bai Ze..."

Old Man Bai gestured slightly with his hand, his eyes as if encompassing the entire starry sky, quietly watching Shen Wenyan.

There was not even a hint of surprise on Shen Wenyan's face. With a slight smile, he cupped his hands: "To be honest, I discerned it the second day after arriving here."

"Oh?" Old Man Bai was a bit surprised, "And you're not afraid?"

Shen Wenyan shook his head: "Why should I be afraid?"

"Neither you, Old Master, nor Miss Mei'Er intend to harm me."

Pursuing the Literary Dao, refining the Literary Heart, upon first meeting the grandfather and granddaughter, his weary body and mind did not immediately notice the oddity.

After sleeping and waking up the next day, he sensed the uniqueness in them.

Though he didn't exactly understand what they were, he could tell they weren't human.

Years ago, his father, Shen Yuan, had him translate some ancient texts retrieved from the Dragon Tamer's ruins.

Among them was a book titled "Feeding Spirit," which narrated the story of a Dragon Taming Clan member named Zhuo and his dragon.

He loved that book, poring over it many times.

Moreover, the lack of any evil aura typical of demon beasts in the Old Man Bai and his granddaughter further proved they weren't such man-eating, killing beasts.

As such, there was not much fear in his heart.

After spending some time with them, he realized he hadn't misjudged.

Old Man Bai was gentle-natured, and in their conversations, his simple words often carried immense wisdom—wisdom that spanned the ages, having seen the vicissitudes of life.

From the simplest tides rising and falling, the changing of the seasons, to the transformation of all things, and the rotation of the sun and moon...

Each discussion left him immersed, as if conversing across time with several ancient sages of deep and extensive knowledge.

Shen Wenyan felt his Literary Heart slowly transforming, and his practice in the Literary Dao was gradually progressing.

"Hehe..."

Old Man Bai smiled contentedly, then sighed, "I, this old man, can sense that Brother Shen is pioneering an entirely new path."

"Such a path is unprecedented and will surely be fraught with thorns."

"The world often says there are three thousand Daos, yet these three thousand are not fixed in number."

"Brother Shen, I, this old man, do not have much time left." Old Man Bai looked at the bright moon in the sky and sighed:

"Those few in the mountain know that I am about to face the end of my life and Dao, and have always coveted my lifetime of Dao practice."

"Mei'Er is a white fox I inadvertently saved back in the day. With my guidance, she has achieved what she has today."

"But she has a simple heart and is unaware of the world's dangers."

Old Man Bai turned to look at Hu Mei'Er beside him, then solemnly looked at Shen Wenyan and said, "Although I, this old man, do not know the path Brother Shen is walking, I can see your integrity, and you seem not to be a deceitful person."

"I wish to ask you for something."

"When my time comes, I hope you can help take care of this girl."

"Do not let the so-called righteous human cultivators outside the mountain use the pretext of eliminating demons to capture her, cut her open to extract a pill, leading her to a tragic death."

Shen Wenyan frowned slightly, not immediately agreeing.

He knew his own strength; even with all his means, he was only equivalent to some Qi Cultivation second or third-layer cultivators.

Faced with danger, let alone protecting Hu Mei'Er, even self-preservation would be challenging.

Old Man Bai seemed to perceive his concerns and smiled as he said, "No worries, I will give you a fortune when the time comes."

...

Yunshui Town.

After the affairs of Hundred Beasts Mountain were resolved, life briefly returned to calm.

As if the Bai Ze Auspicious Beast had brought good fortune, during this time, not only did Chen Youran and Shi Miao successfully break through to the Qi Cultivation Realm from the peak of Body Tempering, but among the dozens of six-year-old children recently sent from various villages, two Spirit Root Immortal Seedlings were also discovered.

When the news reached Shen Yuan's ears, it indeed brought a slight smile to his face, which had been gloomy for months.

Lying on a chair in the backyard, Shen Yuan lowered his eyes, gently tapping the armrest of the chair with his fingers.

Despite appearing thirty, his whole being was marked by the vicissitudes of time.

Upon reflection, he had lived over a hundred years across his past and present lives.

His appearance was such, but only due to cultivation.

Behind him, a little girl in a pink floral jacket, with two small buns tied on her head, giggled as she vigorously shook the chair.

"You'Er, stop shaking~"

Shen Yuan chuckled as he pulled the little girl to his side, feeling the unique aura of a Water Element Spirit Root emanating from her. "Girl, after the age festival, you won't be able to be mischievous anymore."

Little Shen You straddled the large black dog beside her, giggling, "Why not?"

Shen Yuan sat up and said, "Because after the age festival, you will start cultivating."

In Yunshui Town, children of common families were selected for their spirit roots at six and then began cultivating.

But in the Shen Family, children were nourished with spirit rice and various medicinal meals from an early age, so they couldn't wait until six to start cultivating.

After the age festival, Shen You would be four years old.

At this age, Shen Chongming and his two brothers had also started cultivating.

Now, his eldest grandson, Shen Chongming, already had a cultivation of Qi Cultivation Second Layer, and Shen Chonghong and Shen Chongxuan had also successfully tempered their bodies.

Unfortunately, Shen Chongxuan did not have a spirit root, and the gap between him and others would likely widen over time.

"You'Er can start cultivating!?" The little girl stood up from the back of the black dog excitedly, looking at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan nodded, gazing at her, "Do you like cultivating?"

The little girl nodded vigorously.

"Cultivation can be very tough and boring; are you scared?"

The little girl thought for a moment, then shook her head resolutely, "Not scared!"

Seeing this, Shen Yuan petted her head affectionately and said, "Go on, play now."

Hearing this, the little girl grabbed the big black dog next to her, "Blackie, let's go…"

Watching the girl and the dog run out of the courtyard, Shen Yuan's face showed a faint smile.

Recently, although Shen Wenxing did not bring him troublesome matters as often as before, the clan's internal changes were still reported regularly.

The Shen Family currently had eleven cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Realm.

Among them, four were from the Huang Family, and recently, Huang Lingxiu finally broke through to the Qi Cultivation Realm under Shen Wenxing's persistent urging.

However, without a spirit root, great achievements were unlikely.

Among the four from the Shen Family, Shen Wen'an had already achieved Fetal Breathing and had become the family's cornerstone, no longer easily taking action.

Chen Youran, who was close with his grandson Shen Chongming, was already his designated granddaughter-in-law, so there was no need to worry too much about Zhao Jinhua's son, Zhao Tuan.

The remaining concern was Shi Miao from Black Stone Village.

During a casual conversation last time, Shen Wenxing mentioned that after Shi Miao broke through to the Qi Cultivation Realm, the Shi Family in Black Stone Village seemed to have become somewhat arrogant, believing that they had produced an immortal and acting more and more presumptuously, with even signs of challenging the affiliated Liu Family.

Thinking of this, Shen Yuan's face gradually turned somber.

"It's also because the Liu Family hasn't kept up."

As the steward clan of Black Stone Village, the Liu Family once secured an Immortal Fate through a hunting competition but, unfortunately, no one had broken through to the Qi Cultivation Realm to this day.

Slowly rising from his chair, Shen Yuan walked toward the front yard with his hands behind his back.

The family matters had been entrusted to Shen Wenxing.

But with the Jinghe Market nearing completion, Shen Wenxing focused most of his energy on the market.

Seeing that the backyard was close to catching fire, he couldn't leave it unattended.

He needed to formulate a plan.

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