Madam Qi Wan had a thought in her mind, she was preparing to create some opportunities for her two daughters.

As someone with experience, she knew very well that sometimes a little more 'chance encounter', a bit more interaction, could indeed gradually change the emotions of those young men and women.

If fate allows, many marriages that originally faced heavy resistance could swiftly fall into place.

Of course, the premise was that neither party had any notable flaws.

Undoubtedly, Zhang Jian and the two girls from the second household did not have any significant shortcomings.

...

Fengyang County, West of the City, Gu Family

The patriarch of the Gu Family, Gu Chengyan, had been observing Gu Linlang's situation over the past month.

Gu Chengyan had a medium build, not very tall, with a gloomy face and narrow eyes, but his gaze was unusually deep. He seemed to be a man of few words, yet no one among the power holders of Fengyang County's noble families dared to underestimate him.

He was nicknamed "Cunning Fox," and was certainly not easy to deal with.

At this moment, Gu Xiu'Er was also standing by the side.

Actually, for the purpose of drawing in the Zhang Family and choosing a candidate for marriage alliance, the family was more inclined for her, the Gu's legitimate daughter, to personally step forward.

Because Gu Xiu'Er and Zhang Jian already had a layer of 'special' fate!

But Gu Xiu'Er recommended Gu Linlang.

Because Gu Xiu'Er knew well that although Zhang Jian had spoken frivolously of her, he was only lustful but without affection.

However, Zhang Jian's recent actions indicated that the matter of the marriage alliance had essentially failed.

Gu Chengyan let out a soft scoff:

"That Zhang Family father and son truly don't know what's good for them, thinking that just because the family has gained two Heterodox Sorcerers, they can stand on equal footing with the noble families of the county. They should know there are always differing levels of these extraordinary individuals!"

A figure beside him pondered, it was Ji Ming, his eyes somewhat gloomy.

If one truly wanted to rank them, then at what level did this extraordinary individual, who was defeated by the others, stand?

"Master, since they refuse to drink a toast, they'll be forced to drink to their punishment, should we not take action?"

Gu Chengyan's eyes fluctuated, as the Gu family had earlier learned of a message, someone was preparing to take action against the Iron Immortal Temple on the occasion of General Wei Yuan Qi Yi's sixtieth birthday, and perhaps Governor Yu Tongguang might simultaneously seize the opportunity to target the Qi Family, forcing them to take a stance.

Given that the relationship between the Iron Immortal Temple's Observatory Master and General Wei Yuan Qi Yi was particularly close, if the Iron Immortal Temple were eliminated, it would be a considerable blow to the Qi Family.

Although enraged by Zhang Jian's rejection of the Gu Family's goodwill, Gu Chengyan ultimately held back his anger.

He merely nodded lightly.

"Go, tell Linlang to try to disclose the message in advance to that Zhang Family Young Master!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming looked at Gu Chengyan with surprise, questioning why the patriarch of the Gu Family refrained from attacking but instead sought to make amends with the Zhang Family?

Gu Chengyan could see Ji Ming's surprise and felt somewhat helpless in his heart, as he had no other choice.

Now that the Governor's methods were becoming more violent, Gu Chengyan knew that the Governor's patience had reached its limit, fearing an imminent move against the three noble families of the county. The timing was likely near, and he could only try to garner support from the surrounding forces, in hopes of increasing their odds slightly.

But he knew that compared to the Governor, who held significant power, even if the three noble families of the county aligned, they didn't hold much advantage, and were actually in an absolute disadvantage.

But even a rabbit will bite when cornered!

Not to mention these deeply rooted great families!

...

Zhang Jian returned to the Qi Family with a plan in mind.

He strolled through a few old streets, finding quite a few good items, but thought they weren't enough to surpass the various offerings of his aunts.

However, Zhang Jian quickly devised a plan.

Some things don't need to be invaluable to appear precious, as long as Qi Yi, his grandfather, deemed them valuable, they held exceptional worth.

Having taken care of everything, Zhang Jian began his daily routine.

His routine involved sitting in meditation, refining his spiritual power, and striving to understand the mysteries of his Life Palace.

However, he found himself temporarily without direction in this endeavor.

The "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan" mentioned that to establish the foundation, one needs to merge the spiritual power of the three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit, with the Life Palace, to forge the Supreme Dao Foundation. Yet, it did not provide much explanation on how to manifest the Life Plate and gather magical power.

It only contained several enigmatic mantras.

Without a reference, Zhang Jian found it hard to comprehend at times. He estimated that further accumulation on this path was necessary; fortunately, he wasn't in a rush. He still needed time to rebalance the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit, to strengthen his spiritual power to its peak.

Having just barely broken through the Nourishing Spirit Stage, there was still much progress to be made in his cultivation at this stage.

The more profound the accumulation before the Foundation Establishment, the more stable the Dao Foundation would be.

Beyond this, he partook in a bit of eavesdropping.

Though, it wasn't precisely 'eavesdropping'; it was openly listening.

Deep within the well, the two Well Dragon Kings, having stayed too long in that enclosed place, were quite fond of conversing.

Though most of it was divine gossip, and only a small part pertained to cultivation secrets, Zhang Jian listened with keen interest.

Seeing as they supplemented him with much 'knowledge' he had long lacked.

Although he had encountered a portion of Heterodox Sorcerers, most were foes, with a few unfavorable to approach due to special reasons.

Thus, his understanding of cultivation was limited to the article "Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan," but he filled in part of his 'socially deprived' lack of perspective from the mouths of the two Well Dragon Kings.

Some trivial knowledge, such as the preferences of the Dragon Race, was left aside, but some common knowledge about cultivators greatly widened Zhang Jian's horizons.

It turns out not every cultivator's spiritual power was as pure as his. Many Heterodox Cultivators only coincidentally acquired a Daoist Technique, making a technique their foundation, resulting in an extremely mixed spiritual mechanism, which was challenging to progress.

There was also a difference between Heterodox Sorcerers and true cultivators belonging to a Great Dao Lineage.

Most Heterodox Cultivators accidentally inherited a Daoist Technique, thus cultivating spiritual power. While their techniques might be powerful, the future looked dim.

With technique as a foundation, although fierce, it didn't lead to longevity or permanence.

Only those who truly belonged to a Great Dao Lineage could constantly grow their spiritual power, gradually walking the path of eternal longevity.

Moreover, true cultivators with a Great Dao Lineage were better suited to adapt to the court, like himself.

Despite being suppressed by Dragon and Tiger Qi, the existence of the internal Dao Lineage provided a solid foundation. Although many Daoist Techniques were disrupted, the extraordinarily pure spiritual power circulation wasn't heavily impacted, still possessing the ability to resist.

It's because legitimate cultivators have mastered the true legal principles, deeply analyzing the mysteries of the Path of Heaven and Earth, no longer knowing the fact without understanding the reason, possessing some ability to actively counter the mysteries of the Path of Heaven and Earth, which might become increasingly formidable as time goes on.

While most Heterodox Sorcerers are like water without a source or a tree without roots.

Lacking a foundation is akin to lacking basics, unable to deeply study the elegance of the Path of Heaven and Earth, instead delving into the fierce and lethal aspects.

Zhang Jian remembered the Tianxu Daoist of Iron Immortal Temple, among many extraordinary individuals he encountered, Tianxu Daoist's methods seemed more legitimate, possibly having some Dao lineage inheritance.

Nevertheless, truly legitimate Great Dao Lineage cultivators are extremely rare in the civilian world, besides those from genuinely noble families.

Moreover, Zhang Jian also learned from the discussions of the two Well Dragon Kings that they had decided to vie for the Bai Shui Divine Department. However, the current Dragon Monarch was trapped in a crustal water eye, surrounded by the court's Dragon and Tiger Qi blockade, and the two Well Dragon Kings dared not act hastily without investigating the internal situation.

Their strength was sufficient to break the outer Dragon and Tiger Qi barrier, but without knowing the state of the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch inside, they feared bringing trouble to themselves if the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch was not as rumored to be a 'dragon trapped in shallow waters'.

This made Zhang Jian feel a sense of urgency.

The cards he held at present were limited, relying only on the Dragon Pearl and his position in the shadows with these two in the open.

To complete the arrangement, more needed to be done.

For instance, to truly understand the Bai Shui Dragon Monarch.

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