98: Chapter 98 Jiang Xingshi

Chapter 99 Jiang Xingshi

Baili Mountain, ancestral home.

Jiang Chengning sat at his desk, with several account books spread out before him.

Under the lamp, a few unsealed reply letters were weighed down by a copper ruler.

Jiang Chengning had just finished the last stroke on one of the letters when he heard a flurry of hurried footsteps outside.

Sun Jingxiu entered from outside, holding a slender wooden box in his hands.

"Uncle Chengning, a Flying Sword message from Chengjin Station."

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Jiang Chengning looked up.

"Chengjin Station?"

Sun Jingxiu nodded.

"Sent from Nanjin Prefecture in Yanque Circuit, with a Hidden Cloud Concealment Talisman attached to the outside."

Jiang Chengning's brush paused.

Since the battle at Luoxi Mouth, Baili Mountain had not known true peace this season.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi had been severely wounded and left on the brink of death by a single slash from Jiang Shoushan.

Cold Qi had invaded his internal organs, causing his Qi channels to stagnate. The Qian Clan had spent the night inviting alchemists and Han Family Cultivators to save him, but it was said he had not yet fully regained consciousness.

The Han Family and the Lu Family had each come to demand an explanation once.

One claimed the Jiang Clan was disrupting the peace of the families along the riverbank, while the other claimed the Jiang Clan had allowed a Cultivator to ambush a Fellow Daoist.

There had been constant minor frictions along the western border of the river during this time.

The vassal families under the Han Family had probed the water mouth several times, and Lu Family Cultivators had also intercepted those from the Jiang, Sun, and Chen Families who had gone out to purchase supplies on several mountain roads.

If not for Ji Hanzhou arriving in time, it was feared that another battle would have already broken out at Luoxi Mouth.

Jiang Chengning thought of this, and his gaze fell upon the land deed for the old Yao Family property on the desk.

Ji Hanzhou.

A Late Stage Loose Cultivator.

This person had originally been a guest Cultivator among the families on the east side of Guli Circuit, bringing with him three newly initiated Disciples and his wife, Wen Qingli, with whom he had cultivated for many years.

The three Disciples were all young and shallow in cultivation, yet they had all followed him in his flight to this place, showing that the master-Disciple bond was not shallow.

The Jiang Family had previously secretly sent Luo Qinian to the east side to contact him, merely to set up a backup plan.

They had not expected the east side to fall into chaos first.

A group of families from Yanque Circuit had suddenly moved south, as if by prior agreement, simultaneously attacking the families on the north and east sides of Guli Circuit.

Several spiritual fields were seized, and several small families lost their mountain gates overnight; even the Foundation Establishment families were unable to consolidate the situation in time.

Ji Hanzhou had previously been able to maneuver on the east side.

In that chaos, he no longer had a place to settle.

Even as a Late Stage Cultivator, he could not establish a foothold while bringing his wife and Disciples amidst the chaotic war between the southern-moving families and the local families.

Thus, he accepted the Jiang Family's conditions.

He would enter the old Yao Family property, pacify the remaining households, gather the fields, and slowly establish a Ji Family branch with his Disciples and kin as the Foundation.

The land deed would temporarily remain in the name of the Jiang Family, and for a hundred years, the Ji Family would form a mountain-and-river alliance with the Jiang Family, helping each other in times of trouble.

Thirty percent of the annual harvest from the Yao land would go to the Jiang Family.

After a hundred years, if the Ji Clan's Foundation was stable and they wished to formally take over the land, they could redeem the land deed with Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, and spiritual fields.

Once Ji Hanzhou entered the west of the river, the arrogance of the Han and Lu Families immediately diminished by half.

A Late Stage Loose Cultivator openly placed in the west of the river could not be suppressed by a few words of questioning.

In these past few days, both the Han and Lu Families had been strictly investigating Ji Hanzhou's background.

Jiang Chengning knew clearly that this was only a temporary balance.

But for the current Jiang Family, being able to drag it out for one more day was one more day.

He put down his brush and reached out to open the wooden box.

Inside the box, there was indeed a Talisman that had exhausted its spiritual energy.

The paper of the Talisman was pale, with traces of cloud patterns fading from the edges.

Hidden Cloud Concealment Talisman.

This was one of the few life-saving items Jiang Chengning had personally given to Jiang Yuhe before she left home.

Since the Talisman was here, the letter was genuine.

He took out the letter paper and unfolded it to read carefully.

Jiang Chengning only read the first few lines, and the breath he had been holding for so long finally eased slightly.

The remnants of the Yao Family had been completely eliminated.

The Qingqi Breakthrough Method had been obtained.

It was a Foundation-breaking method for the Spring Equinox to participate in Clear Qi, named [Yan Qingdu].

Although it was not the Grain Rain Clear Nothingness, it could serve as a reference for the family genealogy to deduce the path of combining Grain Rain and Clear Nothingness.

Jiang Chengning's fingers gently pressed on the letter paper.

Jiang Yuhe had finally succeeded.

He continued reading.

The letter also said that since the Clear Qi Foundation-breaking method had been found, Jiang Xingshi would not need to force himself to cultivate Grain Rain according to the original plan next year.

If Jiang Xingshi was willing to follow Grain Rain himself, he could continue; if he had other insights, he could choose another path.

The Jiang Family should now expand its Foundation and did not need to pin all its hopes on the same Spring technique.

In the following lines, the handwriting was slightly tighter.

Jiang Yuhe said that she was currently tied up with other important matters and was afraid she would not be able to return home in the short term.

Guli Circuit was unpredictable, and if the Jiang Family truly found it difficult to stand firm in the west of the river, they could send someone to the Nanjin Prefecture city in Yanque Circuit, find the Yan Family in Autumn Water Lane, and report the name of Yan Qingju.

That was a backup plan she had left behind in Yanque Circuit.

If the south side truly became chaotic beyond control, the Jiang Family would at least not become rootless duckweed.

Jiang Chengning finished reading and remained motionless for a long time.

Lin Suwen came in from the side door carrying a medicine bowl. Seeing his expression, she asked in a low voice, "Did Jiang Yuhe write?"

Jiang Chengning nodded and handed the letter to her.

Lin Suwen took it, read it word for word, and her eyes grew slightly hot, but she quickly suppressed it.

"She is fine."

Jiang Chengning nodded.

Jiang Yuhe always acted steadily.

Before leaving home each time, she would arrange all the retreat paths she could think of.

From the remnants of the Yao Family to the Clear Qi method, from the Yan Family in Yanque Circuit to the foothold in Nanjin Prefecture, she had always been planning a path for the entire Jiang Family.

According to the original discussion, obtaining the Clear Nothingness method was only the major part of her purpose in leaving home this time.

The remaining small part was to use the "Knowing Micro, Avoiding Danger" Talisman to find those with profound destiny, form some connections, and place a few pieces on the board.

The jade tablet on Han Zhaoye had not yet been returned to the genealogy.

The Jiang Family would sooner or later surround and kill this person.

To kill someone who possessed great destiny and had been written into the game by an Immortal, one could not rely solely on swords.

One had to rely more on timing, the situation, and the intertwining of others' destinies.

Jiang Chengning refolded the letter paper and placed it into the wooden box on the desk.

"Go call Jiang Xingshi."

Lin Suwen nodded and turned to leave.

Before long, Jiang Xingshi entered the ancestral home.

He was still stained with a little snow water, having just returned from Qinggeng Slope.

After entering the door, he first bowed to Jiang Chengning and Lin Suwen, then placed a small book of land deeds he was holding in his arms on the edge of the desk.

"Uncle, I checked Qinggeng Slope today, and the gap in the Formation Flag has been filled."

"The Sun Family asked for two more bags of spirit bran. I deducted one and a half bags based on their field patrol days last month, and let them make up the remaining half bag with labor next month."

Jiang Chengning glanced at him.

"Sit."

Jiang Xingshi was slightly stunned.

He rarely sat down when discussing matters in the main hall; he usually stood to the side to listen to instructions.

Seeing Jiang Chengning's solemn expression, he sat on half of the chair as instructed.

Jiang Chengning said, "Jiang Yuhe wrote."

Jiang Xingshi's eyes brightened slightly.

"Is Sister Jiang Yuhe safe?"

"Safe."

Jiang Chengning said, "The remnants of the Yao Family have been eliminated, and the Clear Nothingness Breakthrough Method has also been obtained."

Jiang Xingshi's fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.

Jiang Chengning looked at him and said, "Therefore, next year you do not need to force yourself to cultivate Grain Rain according to the original plan."

The room was quiet for a moment.

Jiang Xingshi lowered his head, as if he understood, or as if he hadn't reacted immediately.

He knew his talent was not high, so he never dared to be slack, and these days he had repeatedly studied the methods of cultivation.

He wanted to introduce Qi into the Dao as soon as possible and reach the third layer of Qi Refining to receive the register.

He wanted to use his own cultivation to make up for the family genealogy's understanding of the Grain Rain path.

That was Jiang Yuhe's hope for Foundation Establishment, and also the Jiang Family's hope for walking out of the humble position.

This goal pressed him until he couldn't breathe.

But precisely because of this, he knew very clearly what he should do every day.

Now that this goal was suddenly taken away, his heart first felt a sense of relief, followed by an indescribable confusion.

Jiang Chengning did not urge him.

After a long time, Jiang Xingshi whispered, "Then I — what should I cultivate?"

Jiang Chengning said, "You can still follow Grain Rain."

Jiang Xingshi looked up.

Jiang Chengning said slowly, "Grain Rain is the path the Jiang Family is most familiar with now. If you follow it, the Family can give you the most guidance, and in the future, it can also be verified with the path Jiang Yuhe is taking."

"You can also choose another method."

"The Jiang Family is currently lacking in Foundation. For every additional Cultivation Technique, for every additional Dao theory, the children of the Family will have one more path to take in the future."

"This time, the choice is yours."

Jiang Xingshi stared at him blankly.

The choice is yours.

These four words seemed to make him more uneasy than "must follow Grain Rain."

Jiang Chengning saw it.

He sighed softly and said, "Xingshi, I have something else to tell you."

Jiang Xingshi sat up straighter.

Jiang Chengning said, "I am getting older. Although my cultivation has progressed slowly over these years, I have relied on grinding work and am about to reach the Perfection of the third layer of Qi Refining."

"The Jiang Family currently lacks mid-level combat power."

"After the battle at Luoxi Mouth, the Han and Lu Families were suppressed a bit more by Ji Hanzhou, but this is only temporary. If I remain at the third layer of Qi Refining, many things can only rely on Shoushan, Fellow Daoist Wen, and Old Crow Chen to support."

"Next spring, I will go into seclusion to impact the fourth layer of Qi Refining."

Jiang Xingshi's expression changed.

Jiang Chengning continued, "Lin Suwen will also go into seclusion tomorrow to recuperate, striving to come out before spring."

Lin Suwen nodded gently from the side.

"I will come out as soon as possible, and I can help you then."

Jiang Xingshi felt a little panicked in his heart.

Jiang Chengning looked at him and said word by word, "During the time I am in seclusion, after you introduce Qi into the Dao, you will take over the duties of the Family Head."

A look of obvious shock appeared on Jiang Xingshi's face for the first time.

"Uncle, I —"

He wanted to say that he was still too young, wanted to say that he hadn't even started introducing Qi.

He wanted to say that there was still Jiang Shoushan in the Family, and Lin Suwen, and if not, Sun Jingxiu, so why should it be his turn.

These words came to his lips, but he couldn't even say one complete sentence.

Jiang Chengning said, "I know what you are thinking."

Jiang Chengning's voice was steady.

"You are indeed still young, and even used to waiting for the Family to give you a goal, telling you what to read, what to cultivate, and what to work hard for."

"So when Jiang Yuhe brought back the Clear Qi method, and the thing on your shoulders disappeared, you felt confused instead."

Jiang Chengning did not mean to blame him.

"When a person is young, they must first be supported by others to walk a section of the road. But one day, the person supporting you will let go."

He pushed the account book on the desk toward Jiang Xingshi.

"Xingshi, you don't need to become Jiang Yuhe, you don't need to become anyone."

"The Jiang Family needs sharpness, and it needs geniuses, but it also needs someone who can sit at the desk and slowly sort out these trivial matters one by one."

"You need to find your own direction in these matters in the future."

"For your own sake, and for the sake of the Jiang Family."

Jiang Xingshi looked down at the account book, was silent for a moment, and reached out to take the account book.

His movements were still a bit stiff.

"I will learn."

Jiang Chengning looked at him and nodded slowly.