Chapter 269: Chapter 266: Reward and the Three Clans

In the lounge.

Li Ping sat on a chair, while Ji Shuchen stood respectfully to the side.

"There’s no need to be so formal with me. Sit," Li Ping said with a casual smile.

Hearing Li Ping’s instruction, Ji Shuchen carefully sat down in a seat of deference to Li Ping. When he looked up, he saw Li Ping’s gaze had fallen on the young boys and girls peeking through the crack of the door.

He explained helplessly, "Uncle Li, I’m used to treating these children as friends to help them develop independent personalities. I didn’t expect them to be so mischievous in front of you."

Li Ping shook his head, a smile in his eyes. He remembered when he first met Ji Shuchen, who had been about the same age—a wild kid who was afraid of nothing, a stark contrast to Ji Shu Xuan.

According to what Ji Xiu had told him, it was this very mischievous grandson who had stumbled upon the Spirit Vein at the base of the mountain while raiding a bird’s nest on Little Plum Mountain.

These children now were quite similar to how he was in his youth—very lively.

Thinking of this, he looked at Ji Shuchen. "These children are descendants of Brother Ji and my Master, so they’re my juniors as well. Let them all come in."

"Yes, Uncle Li." Hearing Li Ping’s order, Ji Shuchen quickly nodded in agreement.

He slowly stood up and called out irritably to the children outside, "All of you, get in here! Don’t you dare break my door."

"Hee hee, Teacher Ji’s door is very sturdy. You’d need a Dharma Artifact to break it."

"Exactly, exactly! If the door breaks, Teacher Ji, you can’t blame us."

...

Hearing Ji Shuchen’s command, seven or eight youths darted in from outside like a wisp of smoke. Their curious gazes flickered toward Li Ping, trying to guess his identity.

Afraid they would offend Li Ping, Ji Shuchen put on a stern face and said, "This Elder Li is a great benefactor to our three clans and an elder to us all. You will all address him as Grand-teacher and pay your respects."

Although the seven or eight young boys and girls were lively, they had been well-educated by Ji Shuchen and respected him greatly.

Hearing Ji Shuchen’s instruction, they immediately bowed to Li Ping in unison, respectfully calling out, "Grand-teacher."

Li Ping was older than any cultivator of the three clans. The fact that the Ji and Yan families had been able to establish a foothold in the Cultivation Realm was inextricably linked to his help.

Thus, he accepted the title of ’Grand-teacher’ with a calm smile.

"You may all rise." Li Ping waved his hand slightly, bidding them to stand up.

His gaze then landed on the boy on the far right, and he asked with a friendly smile, "What is your name?"

Being questioned by Li Ping, the boy couldn’t help but feel a little flustered. However, seeing Li Ping’s gentle demeanor, he calmed his nerves and replied, "My name is Yan Hong."

"A Yan, you must be a descendant of my Master." Li Ping nodded with a smile.

After a moment of thought, he took out a small, cyan sword from his Storage Bag. "I bestow this Cyan Wheat Sword upon you. I hope you will cultivate diligently and improve every day."

"Huh? This...?"

Yan Hong was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected this Grand-teacher Li to be so generous as to directly gift him a Dharma Artifact Flying Sword.

He knew that children like them, who were just beginning their cultivation, didn’t yet have the ability to control a Dharma Artifact. Only when they were ready to leave Little Plum Mountain would they receive items like Dharma Artifacts and Storage Bags from their clan.

"Uncle Li, Yan Hong is only at the Qi Refining First Level. Gifting him a Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifact... isn’t this reward too lavish?" Ji Shuchen couldn’t help but advise against it, sensing the astonishing spiritual energy from the small sword.

Li Ping smiled and shook his head. "It’s fine. They’ll be able to use it sooner or later."

It wasn’t easy for him to find anything in his possession that a Qi Refining Cultivator could use. The Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts were already the worst batch he had in his Storage Bag.

In fact, he had obtained this very item from the Storage Bags of three Foundation Establishment Cultivators he had killed in the Yan Kingdom not long ago.

"This little sword is a Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifact?" Hearing their conversation, Yan Hong was even more stunned.

As a clan cultivator who had received over a year of basic cultivation education on Little Plum Mountain, he naturally understood the value of a Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifact.

He shot an inquiring glance at Teacher Ji. Seeing no objection, Yan Hong hurried forward to accept the Cyan Wheat Sword, shouting repeatedly, "Thank you, Grand-teacher, for this treasure!"

Li Ping nodded with a smile, then turned his gaze to the girl next to him...

After asking each of the seven or eight youths their names, Li Ping gifted them each a Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifact, leaving them all overjoyed.

They could no longer be bothered to peek through the door, rushing outside excitedly to play with their new Dharma Artifacts.

However, with their current cultivation, refining a Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifact was not something they could achieve in a short time, let alone wield it.

...

Ji Shuchen watched the children leave with a fond expression, remarking with a chiding laugh, "These little ones are truly fortunate to have run into you just as you returned, Uncle Li."

Li Ping, however, voiced a question that had been on his mind. "Why are the Yu family’s children also sent to Little Plum Mountain for their initial training?"

After asking the names of the seven or eight youths, he had discovered that three of them were not from the Yan or Ji families, but were juniors of the Yu family.

"It’s like this..." Ji Shuchen explained to Li Ping with a smile.

From his explanation, Li Ping learned the full story.

Apparently, ever since Yan Hengchuan and Yu Peiling became Dao companions, the Yan, Ji, and Yu families had formed a tacit offensive and defensive alliance.

Logically speaking, the Ji family, with no Foundation Establishment Cultivator to watch over it, wasn’t qualified to be part of such an alliance.

However, Ji Shuwen of the Ji family had joined the Crimson Flame Sect in the Yun Kingdom. She later became Dao companions with Huang Yan, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Purple Cloud Valley, who was also a descendant of the Late-stage Core Formation Cultivator Huang Yunzi.

With connections to both Purple Cloud Valley and the Crimson Flame Sect, the Ji family had, contrary to expectations, become the one with the most profound background among the three.

Later, the old patriarch of the Yu family passed away from old age, and Yu Peiling became the Chief Steward of the Yu family.

The relationship between the three allied families grew even closer.

「Decades passed.」

The high-tier cultivators at the top were united and harmonious, while the low-tier cultivators and mortals intermarried. They had long since become deeply intertwined, as close as one big family.

The current three-family alliance had two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Yan Hengchuan and Yu Peiling, presiding internally. Externally, they had their connections to Purple Cloud Valley and the Crimson Flame Sect for support, making them the second-greatest power in the Jiang Kingdom, surpassed only by the Jiang family.

In recent years, the Jiang family had begun to deliberately suppress the development of the three-family alliance.

Speaking of this, a trace of worry appeared on Ji Shuchen’s aged face. He sighed. "It’s a pity the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm self-destructed. Otherwise, I would have risked my old life to go in and fight for a Foundation Establishment Pill for the younger generation."

After the destruction of the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm, the production of sufficiently aged Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng in the Western Wilderness cultivation realm plummeted.

Now, it was even harder for ordinary Cultivation Clans like the Ji and Yan families to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills than before.

Especially with the Jiang family intentionally suppressing them, it was nearly impossible for them to get a Foundation Establishment Pill from that source.

Therefore, even though the three families had produced two cultivators with Dual Spirit Roots in recent years, they had to bear the pain of sending them to Sects to cultivate so as not to hinder their futures.

Li Ping listened and nodded slightly.

He had already learned about the destruction of the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm from an intelligence report he had purchased earlier.

But the fact that Ji Shuwen had become Dao companions with Huang Yan of Purple Cloud Valley was quite a surprise to him.

Needless to say about Ji Shuwen, but Huang Yan was actually an old acquaintance of his.

Years ago, he had traveled thousands of miles to Fenglan Immortal City to fulfill his marriage contract and become Dao companions with Dai Sangyu, only to have the engagement broken, a great humiliation.

That broken engagement was, in fact, the fuse that later led to Huang Yunzi dealing with Dai Sangyu and her master.

He never expected Huang Yan would become Dao companions with his niece.

However, Huang Yan was a descendant of a Late-stage Core Formation ancestor from Purple Cloud Valley and a Foundation Establishment Cultivator himself. For Ji Shuwen to marry him was not a slight in any way; in fact, she was marrying up.

After understanding the reasons for the three-family alliance,

Li Ping did not rush to Sword Casting Manor to pay respects to his Master. Instead, he took out Ji Shu Xuan’s urn from his Storage Bag and placed it on the table.

"Uncle Li, what is this?" Ji Shuchen asked, confused.

’Could this be a gift from Uncle Li?’

’But using an urn as gift wrap... this is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.’

’I can only say, as expected of Uncle Li. Amazing! Truly amazing!’

However, Li Ping’s next words interrupted his wild thoughts. "When I left the Western Wilderness, I actually went to the Land of the Far North, and there I met Shu Xuan. Before he passed away, he hoped his ashes could return home. I’ve brought them back to fulfill his last wish."

"Shu Xuan... these are Shu Xuan’s ashes?" Ji Shuchen was stunned for a moment, then froze completely.

He stared at the urn on the table, his eyes filled with both sorrow and joy.

Sorrow, because Shu Xuan was dead, and the two brothers were now separated by life and death.

Joy, because from Uncle Li’s words, it seemed Shu Xuan had passed away peacefully from old age, not fallen in battle in the Yan Kingdom as they had previously guessed. In a way, this was good news.

Then, once Ji Shuchen recovered from his stupor,

Li Ping briefly explained Ji Shu Xuan’s situation in the Land of the Far North to him.

Overall, the Ji family’s branch in the Land of the Far North was in a much better situation than the main family in the Jiang Kingdom. Not only did they have Ji Nianyun, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from a Sect, watching over the family, but Li Ping had also gifted him a Tier Two Upper Grade puppet before leaving.

As long as they managed their affairs steadily, it would be enough to ensure the family’s lineage continued without interruption.

Of course, the Ji family in the Land of the Far North had already integrated itself into the Flying Snow Sect. The family’s cultivators all joined the Flying Snow Sect to cultivate, relying on the Sect for their existence and no longer maintaining their independence as a clan.

Ji Shuchen learned from Li Ping that not only had Ji Shu Xuan married and had children in the Land of the Far North, but his third son had also joined a Core Formation Sect and become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Ji Shuchen was genuinely happy for his brother, who had endured such a difficult life.

However, the Land of the Far North and the Jiang Kingdom were worlds apart. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would be very difficult for these two branches of the Ji family to have any contact again.

...

Next, Li Ping communicated with Ji Shuchen via voice transmission about the secret of the Underground Spirit Vein on Little Plum Mountain. After confirming that Ji Shuchen hadn’t told anyone, he revealed a satisfied smile.

He transferred a few wisps of his Nourishing Life Skill Power into Ji Shuchen, restoring some of his vitality as a reward for keeping the secret all these years.

Only then, under Ji Shuchen’s utterly astonished gaze, did Li Ping say, "You should bury Shu Xuan’s ashes in the Ji family’s ancestral tomb. I’m going back to Sword Casting Manor first. I’ll come back in a while to open the underground cavern."

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