242: Chapter 242 Ready to Depart!

...

Amidst his leisure, Ye Changge did not forget about serious matters.

He spent an entire day carefully inspecting the various defenses of the Family's spiritual lands.

The Longmai Mountain's Grand Array was something he had personally arranged. It primarily consisted of second-order arrays, supplemented by multiple early-warning Restrictions and emergency Talisman Arrays, which were more than enough to deal with Foundation Establishment Cultivators. But if he encountered an enemy at the Core Formation Stage...

Ye Changge shook his head.

It wasn't enough.

Far from enough.

Although he was a Second-Rank Talisman Master, his attainments in Formations were barely at the entry level.

To set up a third-order Grand Array capable of withstanding a Core Formation Cultivator, he had to rely on Xiao Caiyue.

In addition to the Grand Array, he also checked facilities such as the Spirit Herb Garden and the Spirit Beast Garden.

The Spirit Herb Garden was of considerable size, growing many first and second-rank Spiritual Plants and flowers, and their growth was acceptable.

However, there were only a few Spirit Plant Husbandmans responsible for their care, and their ranks were not high; they simply didn't know how to look after many rare Spiritual Plants.

The Spirit Beast Garden was even more shabby; aside from a few low-level spirit horses for transportation and a few ornamental spirit birds, there were almost no decent Spirit Beasts.

Xiao Jin usually followed Ye Changge on his travels and rarely stayed within the clan.

Ye Changge sighed.

These things were all manifestations of a Family's heritage.

But heritage was not something that could be accumulated overnight.

A Spirit Herb Garden required the Legacy of high-level Spirit Plant Husbandmans, a Spirit Beast Garden required the Legacy of Beast Tamers, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formations... which of these didn't require years of study and Legacy?

Although he was currently rising rapidly by relying on the System, the Family's Foundation was ultimately too shallow.

The only way was to continue the lucky draws.

He would see when the System could draw a high-level Spirit Plant Husbandman Legacy or a Beast Tamer Legacy for him.

“Forget it, let's take it one step at a time,”

Ye Changge comforted himself.

...

Three days later.

In the early morning, sunlight spilled down, and Longmai Mountain was shrouded in mist.

Lu Shiyin was with the children at Lingxiao Market; calculating the time, it was about time to go and pick them up.

These past few days, Ye Changge had enjoyed a rare period of leisure.

These past few days, Ye Changge had enjoyed a rare period of leisure.

Since returning from Qingxuan Immortal City, he had been staying with the clan, accompanying his wives and children. During the day, he would guide his older offspring in their cultivation and play with his infants still in swaddling clothes; at night, he would take turns resting in the rooms of his various wives and concubines, living a quite pleasant life.

However, one matter was always on his mind—Xiao Caiyue's Dragon Yang Body.

That day in the Immortal City's Immortal Cave, although he had successfully stripped a sliver of Origin from her body to temporarily alleviate the crisis of her excess Yang Qi, that was only a temporary fix, not a permanent cure.

Her Dantian was still dim, and her Meridians were still withered. If thorough treatment wasn't carried out soon, she probably wouldn't last much longer.

And as for the method for a thorough treatment, he already had a plan in mind—it was the Taiyi Life-Water Art.

He frequently used this Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique during Dual Cultivation with his wives and concubines. It emphasized the mutual supplementation of Yin and Yang and mutual benefit, which was of great advantage to a Dao Companion's Foundation. Especially for a woman like Lu Shiyin, who possessed a Flawless Dao Foundation, the effect was even more significant.

Although Xiao Caiyue did not have a Flawless Dao Foundation, the nourishing power of the Taiyi Life-Water Art should be able to slowly repair her withered Meridians and stabilize her tottering Dantian.

...

This afternoon, after Ye Changge finished handling the clan's affairs, he strolled to the courtyard where Xiao Caiyue resided.

Xiao Caiyue had been arranged in an independent small building in the eastern wing; the location was secluded and the environment was tranquil. A patch of emerald bamboo was planted in front of the building, rustling as the breeze blew past.

As Ye Changge walked into the courtyard, he saw Xiao Caiyue sitting at a stone table in front of the building, holding a volume of an ancient book, engrossed in reading.

Today, she wore a moon-white long dress with a light green gauze outer garment. Her jet-black long hair was loosely pinned up with only a single jade hairpin, with a few strands of dark hair falling beside her cheeks.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, spilling over her in a mottled pattern, making her skin look like jade and her features like a painting.

Sitting there quietly, she looked like an elegant ink wash painting.

Ye Changge lightened his footsteps and walked closer, only to find that she was reading a classic on Formations. The pages had already yellowed, and the corners were somewhat curled, showing that it had clearly been flipped through many times.

“Caiyue,” he called softly.

Xiao Caiyue looked up at the sound. Seeing it was him, a soft smile flashed in her eyes. She put down the book, rose gracefully, and gave a slight bow: “Husband has come.”

“Have you grown accustomed to living here these past few days?” Ye Changge sat down opposite her and asked casually.

“Very much so,” Xiao Caiyue nodded, her voice gentle. “It is quiet here, which is exactly to my liking. Yurou also often comes over to talk with me; Husband has truly gone to a lot of trouble.”

Ye Changge smiled: “We are Dao Companions, there's no need to speak of trouble.”

Xiao Caiyue lowered her eyes, a faint smile appearing on her lips, but she did not respond.

Spending time together these few days had given her a deeper understanding of Ye Changge. This young Family Old Ancestor, despite having many wives and concubines, was extremely attentive to each one and never showed favoritism. Everyone in the clan, whether a primary wife or a concubine, spoke of him with sincere respect and reliance.

She couldn't help but recall the trepidation and unease in her heart when they signed the Spiritual Contract that day.

Looking at it now, she had been overthinking.

“Caiyue, I brought something for you.” As Ye Changge spoke, he took out a green jade slip from his Storage Pouch and placed it gently on the stone table.

“This is some content I transcribed and organized from a Talisman Array Legacy I obtained from an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave. It records several relatively exquisite methods for arranging Talisman Arrays. Although their rank isn't too high, they are cleverly conceived and might help you pass the time.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Caiyue's beautiful eyes brightened slightly.

She had been obsessed with Formations since childhood. During her few days at the Ye Family, although she appeared calm on the surface, she did indeed feel a sense of having nothing to do. She had already flipped through all the Formation classics in the clan, but most were basic content and too simple for her.

Now, hearing that there was new Talisman Array content to read, she was naturally delighted.

She stretched out her slender jade hand, picked up the jade slip, and probed it with her Divine Sense.

A moment later, she looked up, her eyes full of surprise and admiration:

“Husband, these Talisman Arrays... their conception is so ingenious, far exceeding any second-order array I have ever seen! Especially that 'Five Elements Reversal Array,' which uses Talismans as the base and the Formation as the application. Combining Talismans and arrays multiplies the power... such a way of thinking is unheard of!”

Seeing that she was indeed interested, Ye Changge was also gratified.

This content was indeed something he had transcribed from the System-rewarded 'The True Explanation of the Myriad Derivations Talisman Array.' Although that technique was a Talisman Array Legacy, its exposition on Formation principles was profound and far exceeded the ordinary Formation classics circulating on the market.

Although what he had transcribed was only the tip of the iceberg, for a Second-Order Array Master like Xiao Caiyue, it was already extremely precious reference material.

“It's good that you like it,” Ye Changge laughed. “If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me anytime. Although I only have a basic understanding of Formations, the Dao of Talisman Arrays has many similarities with Formations, and perhaps I can give you some inspiration.”