8: Chapter 8 A Gift from My Uncle: A Mortal's Spirit Seed

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming's residence was located in the most central part of the inner city and occupied a vast area. Two century-old spirit trees were planted in front of the gate, their canopies like lids, shrouding the entire street in shadow. The spirit trees' roots delved deep into the ground, quietly gathering the surrounding Spiritual Qi, making the concentration of Spiritual Qi in this area nearly ten percent higher than other places in the inner city.

Lu Changyuan presented his visiting card, and before long, he was ushered into the main hall.

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming, at the Golden Core Early Stage, had been stationed in Zhenhai Immortal City for twenty years and was the person in charge of the Lu Family's most important stronghold on the edge of the Star Sea. He appeared to be in his fifties, but was actually over one hundred and fifty years old. His features were scholarly, and his demeanor was gentle. Seeing Lu Changyuan enter, he rose to welcome him, his tone cordial: "Changyuan has arrived. Sit, sit quickly. Was the journey smooth?"

"It was smooth," Lu Changyuan sat down in the lower seat and smiled slightly, "It's just that I encountered a few blind fools on the inner city street. I've let Cousin-Uncle see a joke."

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming laughed heartily and waved his hand: "Those few soldier ruffians—I had long wanted to deal with them, but I kept dragging it out due to personal connections. You saved me the trouble. The Deputy City Lord has already sent someone to inform me, saying that a distinguished guest has arrived and asked me to be accommodating." He paused, a trace of genuine appreciation in his eyes, "However, your methods were clean and efficient; much stronger than when I first arrived."

The banquet was already prepared, with rich dishes and fragrant spirit wine.

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming personally held the pot and poured a cup for Lu Changyuan: "Come, drink a cup first to catch up."

The two clinked glasses and each took a sip.

As the spirit wine went down his throat, a warm current of Qi spread along his Meridians. Lu Changyuan felt the Spiritual Qi contained in the wine; it was of high quality, at least a vintage of thirty years or more.

"How are you getting used to things?" Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming picked up a chopstick of food, his tone carrying something indescribable, "The Star Sea is not like the Central Plains. Here, there is no protection from the Family; every step must be taken steadily. The first few years I arrived, I nearly perished here." He looked up and glanced at Lu Changyuan, "That is why I said, you child, why must you come here to suffer?"

Lu Changyuan did not answer immediately; he only lifted his wine cup and gently swirled it.

Seeing this, Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming sighed, put down his chopsticks, and his tone became direct: "Changyuan, Uncle will speak a truthful word to you. I am clear about your situation in the Family. You not wanting to get involved in the Family competition is smart. But the Star Sea is a place where the degree of danger far exceeds your imagination. Yao Beasts, robbery cultivators, and the exclusion of local forces—any one of these can be fatal."

He paused and continued: "You might as well stay in the Immortal City. Uncle will find you a leisurely position. You can be safe and secure, and wait until the Family competition settles before making plans. With your vision and skill, staying by Uncle's side, you will sooner or later be able to stand on your own."

After listening, Lu Changyuan put down the wine cup, looked up, and gazed at Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming.

He looked for a moment, then smiled slightly, his tone calm and firm: "I accept Cousin-Uncle's kindness. It is just that the word 'stable' does not suit me."

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming frowned: "You—"

"Cousin-Uncle has been in the Star Sea for twenty years," Lu Changyuan interrupted him, his tone still gentle but carrying an unquestionable certainty, "Did you reach today by relying on the word 'stable'?"

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming was stunned for a moment.

Lu Changyuan continued: "This Junior knows his own worth. Staying in the Immortal City, at most I would be Cousin-Uncle's deputy, guarding this stronghold for the Lu Family, and that would be it for a lifetime. But if I go to the Star Sea to pioneer, if I succeed, it will be the Lu Family's true Foundation in the Star Sea. If I fail..." He paused, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, "This Junior does not plan to fail."

There was silence in the hall for a moment.

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming looked at him, and the worry in his eyes slowly turned into something else.

He had seen too many descendants in the Lu Family—some clever, some brave, some scheming—but someone like Lu Changyuan, who saw himself so clearly and was so determined, this was the first time he had seen it.

He was silent for a long time, and finally, he stood up and walked to the inner chamber, his tone becoming practical: "Since I cannot stop you, then take this with you."

A moment later, he walked out with several servants. The servants held several heavy Storage Pouches, which were neatly placed in front of Lu Changyuan.

"Three thousand Mortal serfs," Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming explained one by one, his tone steady, as if he were handing over accounts, "Most of them have extremely weak Spiritual Roots, and the rest are skilled craftsmen who can endure hardship. These were accumulated over my years in the Immortal City; I had originally intended to use them for my own territory—but the business here in the Immortal City has expanded, and these people are now difficult to support. Rather than letting them continue to waste away in the shacks outside the city, it is better to hand them over to someone who can make use of them." He paused and looked at Lu Changyuan, "Besides, if you have a future, you can look after my branch in the future."

He pointed to the second Storage Pouch: "This is a batch of salt-alkali resistant spirit rice seeds. They can grow in the harsh soil of the Star Sea. The yield per mu is not high, but they are stable. I spent ten years collecting and improving them from local farmers."

The third Storage Pouch: "The latest drawn distribution map of Yao Beasts in the outer sea. It is three years newer than the one in your hand and marks twenty-seven newly discovered Yao Beast territories and migration routes."

He pushed the last small brocade box to Lu Changyuan and opened it. Inside was a Jade Slip engraved with Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming's private Seal: "This is my private token. In the waters near Zhenhai Immortal City, with this token, you can mobilize my two patrol spirit boats. I don't know if you will need them, but take them for self-defense."

Lu Changyuan looked at the things on the table and was silent for a moment.

He stood up, performed a formal Junior's bow, and for the first time, a trace of undisguised sincerity appeared in his tone: "Thank you, Cousin-Uncle."

This time, there was no polite pleasantry, nor was there any refusal.

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming waved his hand, sat back down, picked up his wine cup, and his tone returned to his usual casualness: "Go. Once you are established in the Star Sea, bring honor to the Lu Family." He paused and added, "If you have trouble, come find me."

The two drank a few more cups and talked about the distribution of local forces in the Star Sea and recent movements. Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming had been operating here for many years and was well-informed. The few pieces of intelligence he casually mentioned were all secret information that Lu Changyuan could not find on the sea charts.

It was not until late at night that he rose to take his leave.

Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming personally saw him to the door, watched Lu Changyuan's back disappear around the corner of the street, stood for a moment, and then turned back.

Behind him, an old servant stepped up and whispered: "Master, regarding the Fifth Young Master's trip, what do you think..."

"This child," Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming looked at the empty street, his tone carrying a trace of indescribable emotion, "is even harder to fathom than his father was when he was young."

He paused and turned to walk back into the mansion: "Have people keep an eye on the movements in Zhenhai City. If anyone acts against his fleet, report it to me."

It was late at night when he returned to the inn.

Lu Changyuan sat by the window, overlapping the Yao Beast distribution map given by Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming with the sea chart in his hand, comparing them carefully.

On the new distribution map, two newly discovered Yao Beast territories were marked in the waters near Blue Moon Island. One of them was less than a hundred miles away from Blue Moon Island and was the activity range of a group of Second-Stage Green-Scaled Water Apes.

He pointed his finger at that mark, then flipped to the page for Blue Moon Island, and re-deduced the Extreme Cold Qi mentioned by Lu Changhe and the comments on the Jade Slip in his mind.

Spiritual Qi is thin, Extreme Cold Qi emanates from the ground, ancient cultivation ruins, the Seal is loose.

These pieces of information, when put together, pointed in an increasingly clear direction.

He put down the sea chart, picked up his teacup, and took a gentle sip.

Outside the window, the full moon hung high, and the moonlight was like water, pouring in through the lattice window, falling on the sea chart on the table, plating the outline of Blue Moon Island in a faint silver-white.

Lu Changyuan closed his eyes and sank his Divine Sense into his Sea of Consciousness.

In the Sea of Consciousness, the heavenly secret jade slip was slowly glowing with a familiar green light. The patterns on the surface lit up one by one, as if some ancient ritual was taking place. The golden light became more and more intense, and three lines of text slowly emerged from the surface of the Jade Slip:

[Broken Star Reef, more than twenty ambushers, the leader is Early Foundation Establishment, disguised as pirates, actually death soldiers.]

[Black Wind Gorge death formation remains, dark sentries on rotation, do not take this route.]

[Blue Moon Island hinterland, source of extreme cold, not Demonic Qi, but formed by the Earth Vein, great Opportunity is near.]

Lu Changyuan stared at the third piece of intelligence for a long time.

Formed by the Earth Vein.

It is the natural condensation of the Earth Vein itself in an extremely cold environment. This means that beneath Blue Moon Island, there is very likely a hidden Spiritual Vein sealed by Extreme Cold Qi.

He withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness, opened his eyes, looked at the full moon outside the window, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled into an arc.

Blue Moon Island, the right choice.

He picked up his pen, crossed out the route through Black Wind Gorge on the navigation chart, and re-marked a path that bypassed Broken Star Reef. Go straight through.

Since someone is waiting there, let them wait and understand.

He wrote a few words next to the new route, then put down his pen, blew out the candle, and lay down.

Tomorrow there is still a long road to travel, sleep first.